This book was really good. Lots of twists and turns and held my interest to the end. Would recommend to any thriller fans.

This book is set in Jamaica and centres around 3 couples who are on holiday together. The scene is set when Rose and Brandon's 3 year old daughter disappears from bed one evening - a scenario that is literally every parents' worst nightmare. Having young children myself, I find these kind of situations difficult to read about, so threw myself into reading as quickly as I could, in order to find out what had happened to her.

The story flits between the 'now' and a few days before the event which helps to build suspense as the pieces start to fit together. It is largely told from the point of view of each of the 3 women which I liked as it was interesting to see how they felt about one another. It is written so there are a number of possible perpetrators, and I was convinced that I had it figured out. However, there were a number of twists and turns before we find out who the real cuprit was, and I can honestly say that I had no idea!

There are a number of storylines that are played out simulaneously and they all link together nicely. However, there is one part at the end that seems to serve very little purpose other than to explain one small detail. It felt a bit like it was just added as an afterthought and didn't seem to fit with the rest of the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I found it intruiging and it kept me guessing. I also loved how it makes you realise that you shouldn't judge people as you never really know what they are going through.

Three couples on a vacation. A missing little girl. Thoughts of Madeline MCain chilled me. So did this story. Was one of vacationers, all close friends and or family, a kidnapper, or worse a murderer? Blame goes back and forth and we suspect everyone although we are pointed in the direction of one person, who I hoped was not responsible. Well paced, exciting domestic thriller by a writer I am really enjoying. Good solid four stars.

If you read one mystery/thriller this year let this be it. A dream vacation to Jamaica sounds amazing right, not for this family. This book had me on the edge of my seat and the twists and turns were amazing. I was captivated from the start as we followed the journey to find Lily a missing three year old. Every parents worst nightmare comes to reality in this gripping thriller. I could not put this down and never saw the ending coming. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. Thank you Net galley and publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

A holiday to Jamaica with family and friends sounds awesome right ? Well this vacation didn’t turn out as planned. This book was absolutely amazing . I was totally gripped by this book from the very start. An awesome read full of twists and turns.

A vacation to Jamaica is something everyone would look forward to. But not Rose, she is worried about taking her 3 year old daughter Lily and 18 months old son Jackson there. Local crime rate and the fear of something unknown haunts Rose. Her husband Brandon convinces her to take this Thanksgiving break. Along with their friends Mateo and Annabel and their 2 sons, Rose and family leave, accepting the invite Brandon's sister Bree and her husband Leo have extended to all of them.

Hardly a week in to the holidays and Lily goes missing. The next two days are a nightmare for all of them as they are unable to find Lily even with the help of the local police.

The plot has so many twists that right till the end I kept expecting something more twisted to happen. A story with alternating timelines, different PoV's, secrets, motives and surprises with each chapter. The plot unfolds seemlessly and is really gripping.I just loved this Vacation.

Thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and M.M. Chouinard for the ARC.

Paradise Retreat....?
A family Thanksgiving retreat in paradise? Sounds idyllic? Think again. As secrets begin to come to light events take a worrying turn. Edge of seat suspense, well drawn with credible characters all contained in a perfect backdrop. Twists and turns aplenty keep the reader turning pages. Escapist reading.

This intense thriller will break your heart and have you on the edge of your seat! Thanksgiving in Jamaica should be paradise for three adult couples and their children but things take a tragic turn when 3-year-old Lily goes missing. Every parent’s worst nightmare becomes even more horrific when the local police quickly turn their suspicions on the family.

Guys, if you're a fan of page-turning, edge-of-your-seat suspense thrillers, you CANNOT miss this book. You HAVE to read it. I'm honestly telling you that I haven't read such a good thriller in a long time. Easily one of my most fav thrillers of this year 🌠

What I'm going to say first about this book is the writing style. It is so lucid and has the perfect gripping vibes to it. The story grabbed me right from the start and my heart was hammering throughout because of the numerous frequent twists!
Never for a moment did I think that the story was getting boring or veering off its path, instead it kept me engaged throughout. I loved the ending, it was totally unexpected! I also loved the author's abilities of distracting you from guessing the actual killer, she makes sure that you guess the wrong person, and you do!

Some extra features which made the story even better:
Alternating timelines+ multiple POVs+ short chapters+ unreliable characters

I also loved the pace of the story. I'm usually a night reader and I stay up late for about 12/12:30 am just for reading. And ugh, this book made me stay up till 1:30 one day! All my sleep got vanished all of a sudden and I couldn't stop reading. So, if you are not reading this book continuously and not getting intrigued, you're not paying attention.

I know I praised it a lot, but trust me guys, it deserves all the hype. You won't regret reading it!

A trip to Jamaica sounds like a fun vacation for 3 families until everything that could go wrong, does! Rose was reluctant to go there because of all the crime but they talked to her into it. Lots of twists and turns keep you guessing until the end! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

While not one of the great ones, it was certainly a decent read. Well written but I lost interest towards the last third of the book. A bit long but otherwise a decent plot and a surprising twist at the end, which I liked. A three star read.

.This is my second book by this author. I enjoyed the previous book immensely and so was looking forward to this one and it did not disappoint. I enjoyed learning about the characters, with all their secrets and the twists and turns kept coming.
M.M. Chouinard is an author that I will definitely be reading more of in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for an Awesome book, WOWWWWWWWW! What a great plot, unbelievable twists. You felt you were on vacation with the characters, this was a spellbinding book! It was soooooooooo good, I couldn’t get enough and now I’m sad I finished it. I never guessed who was the culprit, and then when it was revealed, there was even more that came out. Please keep writing books like The Vacation M.M. Chouinard.

4 stars / This review will be posted at BookwormishMe.com on 13 May 2021.


When Rose’s brother-in-law plans an elaborate vacation for them in Jamaica, Rose balks at the idea. She comes up with every excuse imaginable to try to change the vacation plans, including the recent crimes against children. But in the end, she bows to her husband Brandon’s expectations and goes along with the vacation.

Leo and Bree, Brandon’s brother-in-law and sister, are living in Jamaica while Leo works for an American company supplying power to the island nation. Bree volunteers at a local school. Bree wants nothing more than a baby, and having Rose’s and Brandon’s children around for a bit should satisfy her wants.

Annabelle is one of Rose’s closest friends. Annabelle is a stay-at-home mom who is itching to get back to work, but her husband Mateo wants her to stay home with the kids until they’re older. Annabelle hopes that this vacation in Jamaica will be the break she needs to refresh, and the time she needs to make Mateo understand how important it is for her to start bringing in some money again.

Jamaica starts to work its charms on all of them, until Rose’s daughter Lily goes missing. Then all hell breaks loose.

This novel keeps you guessing right up until the end. Everyone on vacation has a secret, and those secrets will leave your jaw hanging. Chouinard makes you point the finger at each and every character, until you finally give up. It will keep you up at night turning pages right to the very end.

Highly recommend this thriller. I’d never read any of Chouinard’s books before, but she crafts a thriller with the right amount of suspense and tragedy. Excellent!

Holy Molyyyy! What a book. I could not put this down! Three families go on a vacation together and you will not believe what happens next. I do not want to spoil this for anyone so I am not going into detail but this is truly a thriller and one book you will not be able to put down.

A missing child and all the adults have secrets underneath a friendly facade. Though the core concept is not new the narrative and the plot pulled me in. In the initial part the names and relationships of the couples are confusing. Some of the characters are not likeable and the adults are very self centred. A good thriller.

The Vacation by MM Chouinard

Leo and Bree live in Jamaica and have invited his step-sister Rose and her husband Brandon and their two children, and their friends Annabelle and Matteo and their two sons to join them in a rented villa in Jamaica for a holiday. However, Rose is fearful of travelling to Jamaica as she is fearful of the crime rate there; Brandon who is more forceful in character decries her worries and insists all will be well. Unknown to the others Bree and Leo have faced IVF and several miscarriages and Bree is still traumatised from the latest. Leo is hoping to persuade Brandon to make investments with him. It is clear from the outset that there are differing agendas within the group. The trip which should have been amazing sours when 3 year old Lilly is missing from her bedroom whilst the group socialise in the communal area.

From the outset I was invested in the book and I had no idea where it would go, what would happen and was quite shocked when the reality of the situation was revealed. It is impossible not to think of Madelaine McCann when reading this, and the author has given due respect to the situation and in my opinion portrayed the confusion, guilt and frustration that her poor parents experienced. This was handled sensitively and sympathetically.

As the plot unfolds we become aware of the different agendas and their respective secrets and situations. I could never expect the twists and turns the plot would reveal and have great admiration for the skills required to do so.

One negative, in the early stages of the book I had to keep referring back to clarify just who was married to who, and what their relationship was which was a bit disappointing.

That said, I have no hesitation in recommending this as a thrilling mystery with great characters – some you may not like. It would make a great movie.

Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and opinion. Holy cow - this was amazing! This is an intense thriller filled with suspense, twists and turns that will keep you at the edge of the seat! So good!

Three couples and their children spend Thanksgiving week in Jamaica. This is supposed to be a relaxing getaway. It’s not.

The story is told by the women: Rose, her sister-in-law Bree and their friend Anabelle. In the first chapter, the three couples are playing cards and drinking rum punch in the villa courtyard while their children sleep inside. Rose goes in to check on her two children, Lily and Jackson, and discovers that Lily is missing.

Now the plot careens between the past and present, from a month earlier to the days in Jamaica leading to Lily’s disappearance. We see the cracks in all three marriages and the deeply buried secrets that could tear friendships and relationships apart. Could this be more than a simple kidnapping? Is a serial killer at work? Could the kidnapper be someone known to the couples?

The Vacation is a perfect thriller. M.M. Chouinard hides clues in each chapter but it is not until the final pages that everything comes together in a nail biting conclusion. Well developed characters, many twists and surprises and every parent’s worst nightmare unite in this 5 star read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and M.M. Chouinard for this ARC.

I read this book in a day. I love this authors writing style with all the twists and turns. About midway through I guessed who the killer was, but turns out I was wrong! I enjoy when an author is able to spin a true psychological thriller book that takes me on a journey. I experienced many emotions reading this book and can’t wait to read more of M.M. Chouinards books!