My third novel from Logan and this one was more of a domestic noir with thrilling moments. The plot of friends and family going on vacation together is a well used one (my third or fourth one this year and it’s only March) but this one switches up the genre. For the better. More descriptive/narrative than his previous books, it’s a different style and a worthy one. Set in the south of France, a group of rather self-centered and privileged women plot against each other as if it’s a sport to rival Pilates. Really enjoyable and I loved the intriguing tale.

Eh, meh.  I like my fiction to ring a mite truer than this did.  It felt contrived and full of unnecessary subterfuge.  It may work for some families to vacation together, kids and "baggage" included.  If you are planning such a thing, you might want to reconsider, assuming you want to keep these friends of yours.  I thoroughly enjoyed this author's <i>Lies</i>, but this one just didn't track for me.

Thanks to NetGalley, publisher and author for kindly giving me a copy of this book, in exchange for my review. I love mysteries and this story hits the spot. This book had me glued from beginning to end. This story was filled with exciting and surprising twists that I did not see coming. I've read a lot of thrillers but I am not often impressed like I was with this book. Excellent!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for a free Netgalley of this book!
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Enjoyed: Logan can truly write a page turner. He keeps me guessing from page to page trying to connect all the dots. And I am always wrong! So this one was no different. The beginning plot line was not the most riveting, but as more twists were added it got better and better! I really enjoyed the wrap up of this whole story.
Not so Much: The original plot line was a little weak-- cheating spouse. Also, the characters-- especially Jennifer-- were extremely unlikable. TBH, I don't think these people stay friends after all the shit they put each other through.
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Recommend to anyone who wants a fast paced thriller!

Another great book by T. M. Logan! It's a real page turner. I could not put it down. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

Was so excited to receive the advanced reading copy of this book. Love this author’s other work, so was anxious to start it. Who does like a good vacation read? Loved the twists and turns, packed with surprises. Read quickly and thoroughly enjoyed it. Can’t wait for The Catch the authors next read coming soon.

This is not my first book by this author. You will not be disappointed! Highly recommend this author and this book!

I was provided with an Advance Reader's Copy of this book by the St. Martin's Press and NetGalley because I enjoyed T.M. Logan's previous books. The Vacation was a little slow going at first but once it picked up, I could not put it down. Three couples and a single woman who have been friends for many years take a vacation in an idyllic French winery with their children. The main character, Kate, discovers early on that her husband may be having an affair with one of the other women after she reads his text messages. Kate, who is an investigator for the police, begins an investigation to determine which one of her friends is the other woman. She has good reasons to suspect each of the women as the guilty party.

The story has many twists and surprises. I enjoyed the ride.

I really liked this one! The writing style is so easy to read and the plot grabs your attention. There are many twists and turns that keep you guessing until the end. Looking forward to the next one!

The Vacation is more of a slow burn suspense thriller than Logan's previous two novels, Lies and 29 Seconds. Most of the story revolves around Kate, who arrives with her husband Sean, and their children Lucy and Daniel to a French villa on a week long vacation with her college roommates and their families. The catch? Kate suspects Sean of cheating on her with one of her former roommates and all of them do things that look suspicious to her. The story also periodically tells the story from other characters' points of view. Relationships unravel and evolve and tempers get heated as the week goes on; and it really takes until further on in the book before the intensity starts to increase and other things simmering under the surface begin to become increasingly important. Of course, I still wasn't entirely expecting the story to play out the way it did, and at the end it was definitely a page turner, but it could have been more exciting and intense throughout the whole story. Still fun and an easy read - just not quite as on par with the first two books by Logan for me!

Four women. Friends since college decide to join each other and their families for a week's vacation in a lovely villa in France.

Things are tense from the start. It looks like everyone's family is not quite as together as they would like one to think. Only one of them has not married and she's acting sketchy. Heck, everyone was shady and keeping secrets!

To tell you the truth I did not care for even one of them. Maybe Daniel. But it doesn't matter because the story was that good!


The lies only compound the truth. Someone is willing to kill to keep their truth secret. But is it who you think it is?

This is one vacation I'll pass on. But I'll take the book!

Well Done!

NetGalley/ July 21st, 2020 by St. Martin's Press

I really enjoyed Lies by this author. This one was also good just a bit slower paced.

The characters are awful, the whole lot of them. They also make a lot of horrible decisions. Plus there are so many instances where a conversation would/should have taken place but didn’t, and as time passed and the craziness continued, the lack of it seemed a bit silly.

There is a lot going on in this story, it’s quite twisty. The meat of this story is really packed into the very end. But there’s a bunch of it and it’s pretty crazy. I’m not sure how I feel about the conclusion (bit self serving and hypocritical)... I guess if it makes you think about it then it’s pretty good. This was entertaining, enjoy this author.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and St. Martin’s Press for a copy in exchange for a review.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary advance reader copy of this book.

This author never fails to keep me on the edge of my seat! Another great thriller with a unique story-line.

When four university friends, Kate, Rowan, Izzy and Jennifer, all gather together with their families for a joint vacation in France in celebration of being 40 and missing having vacations together, it should be a great time. It should be a vacation filled with laughing and wine, not fraught with suspicion, finger pointing and tears but that is exactly what happens. Kate discovers clues that leads her to believe that her husband is not only having an affair, but having affair with one of her besties and she decides this week will be a great time to smoke them out. SO many secrets and lies in this group. I hated them all, yet loved them at the same time; they are deliciously un-likeable. Great book with lots of twists; kept me guessing right up to the end. Great reading while we are all self-isolating, loved the location, a stunning villa in France.

Do you like a story that keeps you guessing only to have you repeatedly re-think yourself? Then this book is for you! It is primarily told in the point of view of a wife who begins to question all the people around her. While on a big vacation, she begins to mistrust her family and her closest friends, and her accusations lead her to do things that ruin the vacation for everyone. It is a twisting tale of secrets, deceit and psychological torment. Overall, the book is very well written, and you don't see the end coming until it knocks you off your feet.! Another score for T.M. Logan!

A best friend reunion, with tons of secrets! This one was slow to build, lots of "is it her, or her" moments, and the ending was great. This was my first read by T.M. Logan, and I will definitely check out more!

While I loved watching the characters develop, they were somewhat unlikable - however that only added to this crazy plot. Recommend for mystery, thriller, plot twisty fans!

This was a great book. Every time I had to put it down I couldn’t wait to get back to it. When Kate and her 3 best friends from university (with there families) decide to vacation together in a beautiful villa in the south of France who would ever think the layers of secrets, deception and mistrust would be so prevalent. Sure time between the last visit the friends have shared makes the reunion a bit shaky at first but it’s not the time in between visits nor the added dynamic of everyone traveling with their spouse and children (not at first) this time but rather, the shocking betrayal Kate discovers. More specifically betrayal with her husband Sean and a mystery woman who is actually not unknown because she is one of the 3 friends whose messages Kate has intercepted. The problem is which friend? As Kate grapples with whether she should flat out confront Sean or wait till she’s sure by flushing them out it is clear to see this isn’t the dream vacation it was supposed to be. Add to this problems with the others is also occurring. The children have secrets. The spouses don’t even to like each other let alone their own partners; the only person who appears to be non plussed is Kate’s single friend Izzy. Or is she single? Izzy actually doesn’t want to talk about her new relationship just yet as it’s early days. This puts Izzy straight at the top of Kate’s suspects. A new relationship with someone who grew up in the same town of Limerick that Sean and Izzy did. But we can’t discount Jennifer who was Sean’s first girlfriend and best sex in university. Nor can we eliminate Rowan who seems to pay a bit too much attention to Sean and can’t appear to spend anytime with her husband Russ without having a row.

Told from the perspective of Kate, Sean their daughter and son, Jennifer her husband Alistair, their sons, Rowan, Russ and their daughter; pretty much everyone gives us a glimpse that more is going on below the surface than Kate even realized. And Sean’s infidelity may actually be the least of her problems.

Well written and well paced you’ll be kept guessing! Another triumph from T.M. Logan.

I hate giving a review in terms of stars, because against all the other books I’ve read, I should be giving this 3 stars... but in its own genre, it’s most definitely a 5. Is it a work of literary genius? No. But is it a fast-moving, easy-to-read, intriguing suspense novel that I couldn’t put down? Most definitely, yes. And that’s all I was hoping for.

I was not disappointed. The characters seem real for the most part (though the self-blame was a bit too much), and it was easy to be an invisible observer to the story.

For a fast, obsessive holiday-type read, this is your book.

This was a perfect binge read!! Just when I thought I knew what was going on... I was wrong! I could very easily see this as a mini series (like Big Little Lies). I will say, I thought the synopsis gave too much detail - I would have preferred to go into this one blind.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review -
Grab this book for a pageturner -
Kate's family is going to take a vacation with three of her friends and their family, when she suddenly opens her husband's phone to discover messages that feel as if he is having an affair and with one of these friends.
Everyone has secrets - but would someone kill to keep a secret?
And - which of her friends does she suspect?
It's going to be some vacation!

I have a book hangover today because I had to know how this one ended!
Some stories told by multiple characters can be confusing but this one made it more interesting. Kate and her 3 best friends along with their families get together for a week long vacation for the first time in years. On the first day however, she discovers that her husband is having an affair with one of them. As she struggles to decide what to do or not do, how to act with others. As the trip goes on and she's questioning everything it seems that there are secrets everywhere, among the parents and among the children. The ending gives a twist you will never see coming!