I read a lot of this genre and this one is well above average. The characters are well fleshed out (especially the character of Daniel, I saw this kid while I was reading and whoa! did I ever feel for him!) and the story is well told. I don't know if I'd call it a thriller, maybe more of a drama, because it's definitely more dramatic than thrilling. But I unexpectedly did not want to put this one down, and after reading a handful of lackluster books of the genre, I was happy that this one came along. Four stars.

This book was so engaging, right from the start. Four women, friends from college, decide to restart their yearly vacations together. This time though, they’re vacationing with the whole family and it turns out that makes for quite the crowded vacation.

This is my first T. M. Logan read but now I’m even more interested in reading more! I loved the writing style. While the book mainly follows Kate, we ultimately hear from all the other characters as well. This concept worked great. It allowed the reader to get bits and pieces from each person and try like mad to fit them together. But try as I might, I wasn’t able to crack this thriller!

The alternating narrators also helped add to the suspense as one secret after another came to light.

Kate, Jennifer, Izzy, and Rowan are college friends who are trying to reconnect. They’ve stayed close but as we all know, life can get in the way. Somehow the day to day routine can just take weeks and then months and then years away without you even realizing. The more set in your schedules and familiarity, the less time there is for friends and trips and spontaneity.

Of course, everyone’s life isn’t quite as easygoing as it seems. It seems each friend rolls up to the vacation house with more baggage than just their overnight bags.

Rowan has a major work deal on the verge that’s stressing her out (not to mention her husband and daughter too). Jennifer is struggling with the ways being a stay-at-home-mom changes as your children age and don’t need you quite so much. Izzy appears to be ready to end her decade long globetrotting and come home again. And Kate? Well she’s pretty sure her husband is having an affair,

It’s clear that each family is coming to this Italian vacation on the verge of exploding. And it may just have deadly consequences.

I’d recommend this book to all my friends and fellow readers. If thriller isn’t your typical genre, this has enough “other” content, like family dynamics, relatable stressors, and drama to keep your attention without freaking you out! So fast-paced and entertaining.

This review will be posted on my blog on August 8, 2020.

The Vacation by T. M. Logan is an exciting read, and my first book by this author. Wow, this book was a wild ride, full of twists and turns. I must admit that I did not like any of the characters, but I still enjoyed the read. I ended up staying up late to finish this book, and I highly recommend this book if your looking for a fast paced thriller.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Another great book from T.M. Logan! I think this one is my favorite of his so far. I was thrilled to get his latest book, The Vacation.

Four friends and their families unite for a vacation and a beautiful French villa. The scene already had me enticed. All of the friends are holding some secret. Kate found text messages on her husband’s phone indicating that he might be having an affair with one of those friends. She digs around and finds more incriminating evidence on not one but maybe all three of her friends. While she is trying to dig around to uncover the truth about her husband, more guests are trying to cover up their own secrets leading someone to commit murder.

The book is told from so many different viewpoints as the story unfolded which I loved. I loved hearing all perspectives. The chapters are short and fast-paced.

I have to say 4.5 stars for this book! Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Four vacationing friends in the south of France with families and baggage in tow. What could go wrong? Turns out ... EVERYTHING.

After Kate discovers that her husband is having an affair by sneaking a peek at his phone, she suspects that he is seeing one of her best friends. After all, why would his text messages mention meeting up with the other woman in France? Distraught and heartbroken, Kate is determined to expose her husband for the cheating scumbag that he is and discover just which of her best friends has also betrayed her. What she wasn't counting on was everything else on their vacation going completely wrong. From quarreling couples, to moody teens, and even her own daughter keeping secrets from her, this trip to France is not what Kate expected at all. But perhaps what she didn't anticipate most of all was this vacation ending murder.

I picked up T.M. Logan's new novel The Vacation because I love books that involve a getaway, especially nowadays, when staycations have become the norm and jetting off to exotic locales feels like a thing of the past. Therefore, I was more than delighted to visit the south of France by living vicariously through this cast of characters. To add to the intrigue, this novel promised a scandalous affair - who wants to discover while on vacation that their husband is not only having an affair, but is sleeping with one of their best friends? The Vacation seemed like the perfect mix of sin and suspense.

Overall, I found The Vacation to be entertaining, albeit predictable at times. The plot was promising and the mystery was entangled just enough to keep me turning the pages, although I had a feeling that it would travel down the general path that it did. I more often than not read books for the characters, and this novel unfortunately did not deliver on that front. Essentially every single character was self-absorbed, which made it difficult to connect or relate to any of them. Without that connection, I have trouble finding meaning and depth in a book, which is important to me as a reader. So while The Vacation fell short in that department with its unlikable characters, it was still a good read that will appeal to fans of the suspense and women's fiction genre.

I really enjoyed this book and will give it a huge thumbs up. With a great story line and excellent main characters - I would highly recommend this book.

I didn't love this book but I did like it. Almost all of the characters are unlikable, but that is actually a good thing in this circumstance. I was able to enjoy the story and try to figure it out without caring for anybody. When I read stories like this one, I like to be surprised but I knew immediately that what the synopsis wanted me to believe was not the case and I was not shocked at the reveal. I would still recommend this book to readers who like trying to put pieces together to solve a mystery.

This sounds like a wonderful vacation. The four longtime friends used to take a short vacation every year, but this annual event had fallen by the wayside. This year they planned to take a full week in a luxurious home in France, joined by their husbands and children. The book is most often told in Kate’s point of view, but each of the characters have a chance to tell theirs in various points in the book. Kate strongly suspects her husband of cheating. When she finds text messages on his phone, she comes to the obvious conclusion that he is having an affair with one of her friends. Various scenarios cause her to suspect each one of them at different times. It seems that everyone down to the children have their own secrets. After someone is murdered, the book comes to a stunning conclusion.

Also reviewed on B&N and Kobo

A perfect vacation for 4 best friends and their families. In a perfect location with a lavish house. Great company, great food, great scenery, relaxation, what could possible go wrong? Everything!
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The Vacation, is a fast paced book following 4 best friends and a vacation of a lifetime. But when Kate discovers her husband's infidelity, she is bound and determined to figure out which best friend is betraying her. At what cost would you go to find out the truth?
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I loved everything about this book. It was such a fast paced book, that I read it in one setting! There were quite a few cliff hangers at the end of chapters, that pushed you to read further.
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I'll be honest, I actually hated the characters. There was not a single one of them, that I could find relatable, but in my opinion that added to the story. There was so much drama, you seriously thought you were watching a soap opera. So many lies, half truths, deceit, blackmail, and Logan through in some mystery and thriller aspects!

I really like this author's books. I recommend this book as well as all the author's other books. I look forward to more books by T. M. Logan.

I was lured in by the beautiful cover and appealing plot. Four women, who are old college friends, plan a vacation, bringing their families along. One of the women has just discovered some evidence that leads her to believe her husband is having an affair...with one of her friends!

Not bad, but I was hoping for better. This was a hard review to write, because I enjoyed the author’s previous work, “Lies”, and I’m looking forward to “29 Seconds”. There were some surprises and twists that kept me reading, but some of the repetition could have been shaved off.

Most of the characters were unlikable and annoying, but not in the “good unlikable” way. Kate wallowed in her drama and she became annoying by the middle of the book. The majority of the children were out-of-control brats.

This one wasn’t for me, but has a lot of great reviews.

Thank you to NetGalley, T.M. Logan and St. Martin's Press, for this free digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Another incredible group read with <i><b>No Rules - Just Thrills!</b></i>

<b>My Rating: </b> 3 ⭐️’s
<b>Published:</b> July 21st 2020 by St. Martin's Press
<b>Pages:</b> 374
<b>Recommend:</b> Maybe. Others enjoyed it more than I did.

@TMLoganAuthor @StMartinsPress @NetGalley #NoRulesJustThrills #InExchangeForReview
#NetGalley #TheVacation #BookReview

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I really wanted to like this book more than I did. It started off good but fell flat in the middle. The “friends” were all getting on my nerves. A twist towards the end helped it pick up speed and had me glad I hadn’t quit. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

The Vacation is a well-plotted, well-executed mystery/thriller. Four old college friends and their families gather for an idyllic country vacation, but what looks perfect at the start quickly reveals cracks along all intertwined relationships. The red herrings in this story are excellent. All seem viable, and I was constantly revising my suspicions. Towards the end I had a few things figured out, but was still largely guessing to the last reveals. There was one main narrator, but then also some chapters from other character pov. These were clearly labeled, so no confusion, but it did wind up being a lot of different narrators. I thought this was a good book, my first from this author & I would read from him again.

Three point seven five stars to this one! Thank you to St. Martin’s publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest opinion. Another unputdownable read by T.M. Logan. I found myself hooked from the beginning and though a few parts seemed a little repetitive to me, I just needed to know what would happen on this vacation for these four friends and their families. I did see a few of the twists coming but definitely not the end. Fabulous read for the beach or anywhere else you want to fall into a read and not come up for air.

Worth reading for the ending alone!

Kate is on a week long vacation with her 3 best friends from her university days along with their respective families. At the start of the trip, Kate finds evidence that her husband is having an affair, and that his mistress is on vacation with them, one of her 3 best friends. The betrayal is twice as awful, truly unbearable. Of course nothing is as simple as it seems.

There is a large cast of characters but it's pretty easy to keep them straight. The majority of the book is written from Kate's perspective; however, alternate perspectives are woven in periodically. I really enjoyed that writing style.

It was an easy fast read but overall, I felt something was missing, I wasn't really connecting with the characters. I would rate it 3.5 stars, but then BAM! The ending! It was superb!

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book!
This is my third novel by T.M. Logan and he certainly knows how to capture a readers attention.
The Vacation is a unique and riveting psychological thriller.
Four women who have been friends for many years, along with their families, were supposed to be on the perfect holiday in the south of France. It quickly becomes apparent that all the women have secrets from their families and each other. This leads to their vacation becoming uncomfortable and dangerous.
Everything is not as it seems and the extremely well-written plot had me guessing throughout. The unraveling of the story, with many twists and turns, had me on the edge of my seat with an ending I did not see coming.
Highly Recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

THE VACATION
By T. M. Logan
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.5 stars

I read this book in two days. 40% at night before bed and the other 60% in the next day because I couldn’t put it down. This book caught my attention from the very beginning to the end. There are lots of twists that you will not predict, at least not until it’s close to the revelation of each secret. You will catch yourself guessing the whole time and I had my suspicions based on some little signs throughout the book and at the end I was right. It’s not exactly how the back of the book suggests. It seems like someone is there to kill, which isn’t exactly how it happens, I would say it’s more like a person is willing to do whatever it takes to protect her secrets if someone seems like a threat.

This book is more like a mystery instead of a thriller. So you will be guessing who is the person that has been sending Kate’s husband messages not who is killing who. The killing part happens but it’s not the main thing in the book. It does change all their lives and it’s a very important part of the story but it’s not just what the vacation is about. All of them have secrets and they all connect. Each character is important in the story and their behaviors are also important because it gives away some clues and they are all connected and explained. So pay attention to each one of them.

A brief description of the book: 4 friends, their families and a fancy vacation house in France. It was supposed to be a great reunion week for the 4 bffs after years without being all together and this time everyone could bring their husbands and kids. What they didn’t know was that being together was going to trigger some secrets that they wish would never come out. But they’re more connected than they had imagined. Kate finds messages on her husband’s phone and believes he’s having an affair with one of her friends. As she looks into it, she realizes that all of them have a reason to be the one lying and some other secrets starts coming out.

The last two chapters weren’t necessary in my opinion. The book could have ended on chapter 77 because that’s when I had the ‘wow’ feeling. The last two chapters (78 and 79) are there to explain things that happens after, but we could have imagined that or it could have been said in a phrase in chapter 77. It’s not a romance book where you have the need to know the happy ending, it’s supposed to be a mystery so there was no need to explain life after what happened.

- CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS -

There’s one part that annoyed me about this book. If you haven’t read the book yet don’t read this part btw. This was a bit weird: they found the body, everyone went back to the villa, so the body was left by itself? They said that one of the guys was going to stay there with the body and then they asked Alistair to watch it. But then they were all together in the house trying to find out who the killer was. Then the killer goes back to the place where the body was supposed to be and attracts the kid and all those things happened after that. So, was the body left by itself? Was it there when the killer came back with the kid? Did the kid see the body down there? Because they were waiting for the police to arrive to check the crime scene.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and the author, T.M. Logan for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This story is about four friends who met in college. They get together for family vacations and this year is their 40th birthday and Rowan has access to a luxurious estate in France that they will all stay at for a week with their families. Unfortunately Kate makes a discovery soon upon arriving - messages on her husband’s phone lead her to believe that her husband is having an affair and it looks like it is with one of her 3 friends. Is it Rowan, Jennifer or Izzy? The story looks at the four friend’s past and their present as Kate tries to figure out which of her friends is trying to ruin her marriage. I really enjoyed this book as well as all of Mr. Logan’s books, I look forward to his next one.

Originally published in the UK as The Holiday in 2019, T.M. Logan, is taking us all on a vacation we arent soon to forget
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Seven Days.

Three Families.

One Killer.

Rowan, Jennifer, Izzy and Kate are best friends but things are about to change. It was meant to be the perfect holiday - a group of families enjoying a week together in a lovely french Villa, but too many secrets are ripping them apart. Kate is harboring a huge secret, her husband is having an affair, and not with just anyone. Kate knows its with someone here with her in France and she is determined to find out which friend has betrayed her.

I was doubting each woman right along side Kate. Maybe its Rowan, the woman with the great job, wealth and who is so so clever. Or perhaps its Jennifer, after all she is the most beautiful of the friends, right? But then there is Izzy, and Sean has known her since they were kids. Honestly it could be any of them. And why not? Kate hasnt always been the best friend she could be to this women. In truth Kate has caused each of these women pain, at some point in their friendship.

It turns out though that there is another secret. A secret that someone might even be willing to kill for and in the end not everyone will leave France.

"The vacation" is a very fast paced and addictive read. It has just enough twists and turns to keep you questioning everyones motives and on the edge of your seat right up till end.

I recieved a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

My perfect thriller involves an ideal vacation spot and best friends! This book fit the bill! Totally bingeworthy and time well spent reading at the pool!! So many twists I didn’t see coming! Maybe I’m not so bummed to miss vacation after reading this!! Summer hit!