The Vacation is one of those delicious reads where the secrets spill out like candy from a pinata. Kate agrees to meet up with her group of old university friends and their families during a luxurious trip to the south of France, even though she suspects her husband is cheating on her. But who with? And can she get to the bottom of it during the vacation? Could the other participant in the affair even be one of her close friends?
Clues and possible misconceptions quickly pile up, with each family unit bringing its own drama and pushed aside issues. The author adeptly uses foreshadowing, though sometimes his hints are nothing more than red herrings or an attempt to end a chapter on a cliffhanger. However, they do contribute to rapidly building tension and an intense need to see how the multiple storylines will converge and be resolved by the book’s end.
The characters weren’t always the most likable, but many of them did feel realistically flawed. I immediately felt sour towards a few of them (and one child in particular), but their individual motives and reasons for their behavior unfold throughout the novel. While this didn’t always make them easier to digest as people, I could appreciate why they were the way they were and what led them to their current circumstances.
Despite the large cast of characters, I had no difficulty confusing them with one another or remembering who belonged to what family. This isn’t something authors usually pull off well, but Logan gives enough identifying information for each character to help separate them from the others.
As glossed over earlier in the review, some of the suspense (or at least feelings of suspense) felt forced. This wasn’t a book that needed them in order to keep the plot moving and they came across as gimmicky dead ends. For this reason, I’m giving the book a 3.5 but without these it would have been a solid 4.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the complimentary advance copy. This did not impact my review.

TM Logan is a must-read author for me. I always devour his books in a day and this one was no exception. I'm so ready for this to be out, because I have to talk to people about it. The story will leave you jaw-dropped and you won't be able to predict this ending!

Just imagine that you are at the start of an exciting vacation, only to discover that your husband is sharing a secret, possibly an affair, with one of your closest friends. And just imagine that she is also on the vacation with you and sharing a villa with your family.

That is how the story begins. Four women who are long-time friends plan occasional trips together to keep up their connection. This year, they decide to bring their families along. Sounds fun, but they soon discover the families aren’t very compatible.

Throw in a bratty child and some sulky teens and it’s a recipe for disaster. Even the adults have their issues and can’t seem to get along. Especially problematic is that Kate suspects one of her friends is having an affair with her husband and she spends most of her vacation trying to figure out which friend is betraying her.

I have to say, I felt this book was just a drag up until about 75% in, when things came to a dramatic conclusion. There weren’t any likable characters and nothing about this story was any fun, so if you want a light vacation read, this is not for you. But if you like family drama and teenage issues, this may be the perfect choice.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review.

It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend. -- William Blake

I liked this one, y'all.
The misdirection was flawless.
I suspected every character at some point throughout the story.

Told primarily through Kate's point of view (though there are occasionally chapters from a few of the other characters), The Vacation is a slow-burning, captivating domestic thriller. That is, until the final twenty percent of the book...then the shocks come in a fast and furious manner.

So many puzzle pieces...and I just simply wasn't able to put them together. T.M. Logan clearly deserves some kudos. My only gripe, and it's a relatively small one...I was hoping for more tension and build-up as the story progressed. Regardless, the story was compelling and kept me engaged throughout.

Recommended!

Available July 21, 2020, in the United States

**My sincere thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my advance copy.

OMG what a wonderful read!!! While I rarely give 5-star reviews, this book earned every one of them! This is a delicious read that you won't want to put down.

Four women, friends since their college days, have stayed in close contact through the years but have not all been together in ten years. They decide to remedy that with a vacation (including spouses and children) at a large, luxurious villa in the French countryside that will celebrate their friendships as well as their 40th birthdays.

One of the women discovers texts on her husband's phone that lead her to believe he is having an affair and it appears that the other woman is one of her best friends vacationing with them. While she tries to collect evidence as to which of the women has betrayed their friendship before confronting her husband and his lover, the others are dealing with secrets and tensions as well. Each relationship seems near the tipping point, and soon everything is spiraling out of control.

As the Goodreads book blurb says "Seven days. Three families. One killer." This is certainly not the vacation they hoped for, but it is one they will remember for the rest of their lives.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read an ARC of this book which will be published 7/21/20. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

A group of families enjoying a week together in the sun with four women who have been best friends for as long as they can remember making the most of a luxurious villa in the south of France. However, one of the husbands is having an affair and his wife knows. She also suspects the other woman is one of her two best friends. This was my first T. M. Logan novel and I thought it was a good family drama. It was a bit of a slow burn, but eventually turned into a good read. Will definitely check out the author's previous books.

No postcards necessary.

This is the vacation from Hell and all the demons are wearing bathing suits and sun block.

Must have been too much champagne on a girls' night out when these four former college friends planned a week together in the South of France. While clinking glasses, they all masterminded a plan including husbands and kiddies. One five year old kiddie, one ten, and the rest restless teenagers packed with problems. Green with envy, right?

The caravan of vacationers begin to arrive within hours of each other. The villa is stunning, luxurious, and spacious. All gravitate towards the immense pool. But Kate has been sidelined. She came across highly suspicious texts from a Coralgirl on her husband Sean's phone. It appears that the contents indicate meeting within the villa and Kate's name is mentioned. Like an elevator crashing to the bottom floor, Kate realizes her husband is having an affair with one of her friends. But which one? And does she contront him full-on or play the part of a sleuth?

In the meantime, we are given little snippets into the backgrounds of Izzy, Jennifer, and Rowan. What a fine kettle of fish, Folks. There's not a likeable or tolerable member in this crowd. The five year old, Odette, will get on your last nerve. Spoiled like sirloin left out in the sun for days. And the teenagers must have attended Al Capone High School. The husbands aren't up for Daddy of the Year either. We'll be faced with varying parenting styles. A delightful bunch.

The Vacation started out with great promise, but as we waded into the deeper end of the pool, it became a bit much. Logan doesn't have us invested in any one of these misfits. Perhaps it's Birds of A Feather here. It didn't set my canoe on smooth waters at all. The Vacation has received mixed reviews with many 4 and 5 star ratings. Keep that in mind and take it out for a spin to see what you think. You may well have a far different experience than I had.

I received a copy of The Vacation through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to St. Martin's Press and to T.M. Logan for the opportunity.

This is filled with secrets...yet at times, I found myself bored. Kinda waiting for it all to be revealed.

I enjoyed the suspense of WHOM. I just wish it had ended earlier than it did. That final 10% or so was where things got rocky.

I have read TM Logan before and really liked this author's style but this one really blew me away. Every time I thought I knew what was going on, another twist happened. The characters in this novel have known each other for half of their lives and planned this trip to France with their families. Things get sticky when the main character, Kate, suspects her husband of having an affair. As the story goes on, each one of her friends becomes "the other woman." as she tries to figure out the puzzle of just who is betraying her. This book kept me guessing until the end.

This is one disaster of a vacation! Three women who had been friends since university get together for a vacation with their husbands and children. They had never all gotten together for a vacation before and they were all reaching age 40 so it seemed like a good time. They went to France and stayed in a beautiful home with a vineyard and the ocean nearby. Sounds like great fun!

But, everyone seems to be hiding something - something is just not right. There are secrets and lies and deception; quite a bit of intrigue. As the week progresses, suspicious things start happening and the tension mounts.

This was pretty intense as the book went along. It kept my interest the whole time and moved fairly quickly. I had picked this book up because I read both Lies and 29 Seconds by him and enjoyed both of them. This one did not disappoint me.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for an advance copy.

This book could probably be described as, “a vacation with all the worst, most dysfunctional people in one house.” I mean, really, there is not a good bone in any character’s body (even the kids)!

This book will tick you off. Just when you think you’re getting somewhere, it cuts off and goes to another character’s issue - and they all have issues.

I usually enjoy multiple perspectives, but this one jumps around from person to person so often, I sometimes didn’t know who I was reading about. It became distracting.

Overall, it was suspenseful and worth the read.

THE VACATION by T.M. Logan primarily follows Kate, a wife and mother of two meeting up with her three best friends and their families at a stunning vineyard villa in France for a vacation to celebrate their 40th birthdays. It is meant to be a time to reconnect with each other and their families with good wine, good food and good company. Things aren’t starting off on an ideal note, however.

Kate has a feeling that something is going on with her husband and she manages to log into his phone to check his messages. She sees a back and forth conversation which seems to confirm that her husband is having an affair. Worst yet, the messages imply that the other woman is one of her best friends. As Kate seeks to identify the traitorous friend, it is clear that all of her friends have secrets to hide.

I have been in the mood for thrillers and this one did not disappoint. Once I got into the story, I could not put it down! We are primarily reading from Kate’s POV, hearing her suspicions, seeing her interactions with her friends and family. The author also gives us occasional chapters from the perspective of other characters, Kate’s friends, their husbands and the kids as well. It seems that almost everyone has something to hide and the author does a great job of dropping clues to redirect Kate’s suspicions and the readers’ as well.

This is very much a slow burn book for the first three-quarters or so. There is a lot of family drama and mystery going on which creates that slow build up to the last quarter where things really start to happen, ramping up the thriller elements. On top of the issues of what is going on with Kate’s wife, there are clearly secrets between the teens of their families and with the other women. The slow burn is done very well and it kept me entirely hooked throughout as the author takes the time to really delve into the different characters and potential suspects for everything that is going on.

I would highly recommend adding THE VACATION by T.M. Logan to your TBR! This book is out on 7/21/2020!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced digital copy of The Vacation. The story kicks off with a bang; 4 friends since college decide to share a fancy Villa to celebrate their 40th birthdays will all of their families. Though early on in the trip one of the friends discovers messages between her husband and what appears to be one of the other friends, and suspects an affair, but which friend is it? Over the course of the week, many secrets are revealed and relationships tested. The book kept my attention and kept me trying to figure out which friend it could be, until later in the book when all is revealed. I think the book had a good pace, interesting reveals, and the end was mostly satisfying, and not what I expected, all good things for me in a mystery/thriller type story.

The Vacation is the second book I’ve read by author T.M. Logan. It’s a mystery type thriller that is about 4 female best friends who along with their families, take a vacation together to a villa in the south of France. The first part of the book is about Kate, one of the main characters, who believes her husband Sean is having an affair with one of her best friends. First she believes it’s with Rowan, then she thinks it’s with Jennifer, and then lastly it’s with Izzy. The beginning seemed to drag on in my opinion as I got tired of reading about her suspicions. For some reason, I just didn’t believe he was having an affair at all. It wasn’t until about the middle of the story when it started getting really good. The storyline has a twist where it actually ends up being about their children. It’s a story of secrets and lies all done out of love and protection. I was very pleased with the ending, the way the author had Kate follow her instincts and do what she did to bring justice and closure to those that she could while still protecting others. It was a very good story and I’m looking forward to reading more by this author. I’d like to thank Beatrice Jason from St. Martin’s Press for the invitation and NetGalley for the arc. I give this a 4 star rating.

We meet four good friends and their families vacationing together in France after many years of not seeing each other.

What could go wrong in a quaint, beautiful villa in Southern France??

Well...quite a few things.

To begin with one of the friends found some texts that indicated that her husband was having an affair.

Another couple has a lot of tension between them and a very spoiled child.

Surprisingly one of the friends who is single and they never thought would join them showed up for this vacation.

As the week of vacation continued, the adults were realizing that this vacation was a bad idea for many reasons.

To add to their concern, a fire starts in the villa with disastrous results.

THE VACATION was a bit slow and had a lot of domestic drama and characters with secrets - adults and children alike.

Cliffhangers were placed at the end of each chapter that definitely were intriguing, but I wasn't "dying" to get back to reading the book until around 50% in.

Despite the slow build up with hints at things not being right, the last chapters definitely made up for it all.

The ending was typical, amazing Mr. Logan that was oh so good and satisfying because most of the characters were not likeable. 4/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via Netgally in exchange for an honest review.

this book was pretty good, interesting, different plot, lots of sub plots and clues galore and easy to read. how secrets from the far past and the immediate past impact a group of friends on vacation in an isolated location

Four women who used to be great friends are reuniting in France to spend the week vacationing together with their families. How wonderful! Not so. Kate finds out her husband is having an unfair and it seems like it's with one of her friends! As she tries to find out who it may be friendships unravel, secrets come to the surface and eventually there is a murder. Who's willing to keep a secret so badly that they are willing to kill? Who could have done such a thing? Why?
The plot twists keep this book moving at a fast pace. The book is very enjoyable. I recommend this book and other TM Logan books!

Such a great book! It was a fast read because I couldn’t put it down. A group of friends and their families head off to France for a fun vacation. Kate begins to suspect some of them are not on the up and up and that she is being deceived by her husband and one of her closest friends, but who? Joining Kate as she tries to unravel the mystery was thrilling and heartbreaking up to the very end. The surprises and twists this book take will keep you on your toes.

Friends. Vacation. Secrets.

What should be a normal vacation for 4 best friends, quickly turns sour. A message found on Kate’s husbands phone leaves her reeling. Also suspecting her husband and very best friends of the most unthinkable action!

With an ending you won’t see coming- this book did not disappoint. I enjoyed “Lies” by T.M Logan, so I couldn’t wait to read this one. As well as all the others by the author.

That was excellent. Told from multiple perspectives, The Vacation begins as a long overdue get together between four friends (Kate, Rowan, Jennifer & Izzy) and their families. Set in France (I’d love to go), the week progresses slowly revealing a truth that may or may not want to be acknowledged. I made notes going along trying to put the pieces together. Additionally the descriptions of the villa and location where they stayed are vivid and places you amongst the group in their every day interactions.

Starting a new book and author always makes me a bit nervous. I’m worried that I won’t catch the twist or take too long figuring something out, especially in a suspense or thriller. But I definitely got this one if the intention, at the very least, was to dislike and distrust Sean, Kate’s husband. Really most of the characters were hard to like or trust. They were hypocrites and self-centered. Four friends that had secrets and betrayals and lies between them.

They all had flaws and very little redeeming qualities. I no doubt disliked them and questioned their motives constantly. It kept me in the story. The intrigue and suspense, wanting to know why and whom definitely kept me reading quickly. I wanted answers and to understand what was happening. Everything seemed concrete and circumstantial all at once.

In the end, I figured a few things out and was surprised by others. An excellent read on the whole.