Shalini Boland is always an instant read for me and her latest book DID NOT disappoint! I immediately was drawn to the concept of the book, two families in different countries swapping houses for two weeks. That alone makes me nervous and after reading this, I don’t think I’ll ever do it. Niall and Beth need to get away with their two boys to reconnect and Renzo and Amber want a change of scenery with their children. Or so it seems. Right away things start to go wrong and I felt so nervous as to what was coming. I do feel the twist in this was a bit predictable BUT it doesn’t take away from the enjoyment of this book AT ALL. And the last chapter made up for that because it made me gasp! I appreciate the author keeping my interest because I couldn’t put it down & finished it in one day! Fun, quick read and I definitely recommend it!

THE FAMILY HOLIDAY
BY Shalina Boland
Published by Bookouture
Released March 29 2022

Beth and Niall want a vacation away to reconnect and bond as a family.
Amber and Renzo also need the same to relax and rest. Beth and Niall live in England decide to trade homes with Amber and Renzo who live in Italy .

Beth and Renzo are unaware that their spouses have a history that complicate and ruin their vacation!
This was a very interesting read one I didn't expect at all. As usual Shalina Boland surprised me. This was a good read that kept me captured all throughout the book.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

What a thriller!!! I absolutely loved this one. It was suspenseful right from the start and captured my interest after the very first page. I enjoyed the short chapters and appreciated the fact that it was very fast paced. Some of the characters were extremely unlikeable, especially Naill. Although the plot was predictable, it didn’t make me what to stop reading. And the major plot twist at the end, I didn’t see that coming!!! Would highly recommend this book.


Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review

I know I start every review with a ‘what they say’, aka the blurb, but this is one time I’ll tell you it’s better not reading anything.

I loved this, the story of a family, the Kildares, who decide that for a holiday they’ll swap with a family from a different country. The country is Italy and so we meet Amber, a lady who lives a charmed life with her lovely Italian husband.

How I loved this book!! It was a classic slow burn, but with some great ‘mike drop’ moments, where you suddenly, and I mean brilliantly out of the blue, got hit over the head with how one of the characters was playing the role of someone a lot friendlier than they seemed. The second half of the book was almost like those satisfying clicking rollarcoasters, gathering momentum and building your intrigue as to what was to come. I’ll admit the pacing was up and down in places, partly due to the blurb which insinuates the book going a certain way, but, to be honest I was so invested and enjoyed it so much that I didn’t care. There is a twist of course, which will divide some, personally I loved it!

What else can I say … very much recommended and thanks so (so so!) much to Bookouture and Netgalley for the book in return for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Here is a thriller that will have your heart pumping throughout. A woman finds a picture in a wardrobe, in another country. It looks like her husband , he swears she must be mistaken. She is sure it is him, she leaves to calm down. She returns to a nightmare. He husband is dead. What follows is a twisty , turntable of a mystery. Alone not knowing who to trust and what is real. A gift of a thriller.

This was a quickly and easy read, with nothing too taxing or confusing. I personally didn’t find anything particularly exciting about the majority of the plot, and while there were twists and revelations, none of them left me feeling that surprised. And the ending all came rather quickly and could have been expanded a bit further for more impact.

However, the idea of a house swap is always a winner, and the Italian setting is a bonus. If you’re after a quick thriller then this is the perfect book, just don’t expect to be blown away by the plot.

What a great book! This story really builds up the tension when the two families swap houses. You see something coming but are pretty much kept in the dark until the twist ending. Loved the fact that you could literally hear Beth’s thoughts and go through the Journey with her. I wasn’t a fan of Amber from the beginning so the author portrayed her really well.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a free copy for my honest review.

Beth is badly in need of a vacation so when her husband suggest a house swap she is excited. However, her world is turned upside down when she finds a picture of her husband hidden in the house of the supposed strangers. The build up was well done, but the ending felt rushed. Look for this Mar 28/22. Thanks to NetGalley and @Bookouture for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Shalini Boland is one of my favorite authors so I was really excited to see she was releasing another thriller. This one was a very different concept than any other thrillers I've read, which is hard to do since I've read so many. I was so intrigued by the description. I love the way this is told from the POV of both women. Shalini does an excellent job as always of leaving little breadcrumbs of clues to help you figure out what is going on beneath the surface. They helped me get halfway to the twist but she didn't leave so many that it spoiled it for me. I did find the clashing of Renzo's secret and Amber's secret to be a bit overdone but still enjoyed how it all played out. I really enjoyed all of the characters in this despite how frustrating they all were. Overall, this is mysterious and exciting and a quick read. Definitely worth reading if you're into quick, satisfying thrillers! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I always enjoy reading Shalini Boland’s books and I was delighted to receive a copy of her new book The Family Holiday.
This story had me hooked from the beginning and I didn’t want to put it down.
Two families swap their homes for two weeks. They are looking forward to spending some quality time with their children.
Unfortunately things don’t go to plan.
Thank you to NetGalley and for Bookouture my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Boland is a master of her craft. An exquisite story with twists and turns that give you emotional whiplash. What a ride!

Oh Shalini, you've done it again!

The Family Holiday is a hold on to your seats, fasten your seatbelt thrill ride into a multi-layered narrative of a vacation house swap between two families. It seems like an uneven swap, an older but quaint cottage in the still chilly days of an England spring vs. the beautiful, modern, sunlit home on the Amalfi coast. But for Beth, it was her husband's idea of a long-needed family vacation that she just couldn't say no to; for Amber, it was a chance to get back to her English roots.

At least, that's what everyone in the book would like you to believe....

For Beth, things start to go bad right from the get-go, when the car Amber and Renzo were supposed to leave for them at the airport is nowhere to be found. Her husband Niall is moody and distant, and Beth is constantly walking on eggshells. But for the sake of her kids and the planned family time, she decides to make the best of the vacation, even chatting up Luciana, the co-owner of a local restaurant, much to her husband's disgust.

Then the story takes a turn as the vacation gets decidedly worse, and back home in England, we are privy to Amber's dark thoughts.

It's best to go in blind as I did, because the story will keep you guessing as to who and why. Just when you think Shalini Boland can't write any better, she slays it once again!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a spine-tingling advance reader's copy.

The Family Holiday is a psychological thriller about Beth and Niall Kildare who swap their cottage in Dorset with Amber and Renzo Mason's modern villa on the Amalfi Coast. It seems like a dream spring holiday for the Kildares - trading the cold, gray weather of England for the sun, swimming pool, and ocean views of Italy. Everything seems perfect, but then there are frustrating mishaps and scary break-ins. 

It soon becomes clear that Amber has an agenda for this trip, and it was fun speculating about her motives. Heartbreaking secrets are revealed to Beth and eventually, there is a murder! This is a twisty thriller with some truly horrible people. I like Beth, but it becomes hard seeing her continually having to walk on eggshells around her volatile husband. 

I was surprised by the way things turned out in the end. Just when I thought there couldn't be any more plot turns, there is one final twist that I never saw coming. The Family Holiday is a fast-paced, entertaining thriller.

I received this ebook from NetGalley through the courtesy of  Bookouture. An advance copy was provided to me at no cost, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

Deliciously wicked. Once you start reading it, you won't be able to put it down until you reach the end. It's that kind of book. Two families swap homes for two weeks which in itself is intriguing. But wait, there's more. Telling you would ruin it, so I'll just say that go make a bowl of popcorn and dive in.

I received a complimentary copy from Bookouture and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

This book involves a house swap ,a vacation to die for that ends up with a mystery. I absolutely was engrossed in the fast paced thriller and I can't recommend it enough. If you need a thriller that will keep you on the edge this is it!

A great, fast paced read that definitely holds your attention. Boland’s writing is so easy to read that you fly through the book in no time.

The plot is unique and keeps you guessing right until the end. The characters are intricately linked and as the book progresses we learn more and more secrets that are being kept.

Fast paced and heart thumpingly good.

House swap went terribly wrong! A vacation from hell!

Two families agreed to swap homes for a two-week family vacation. Niall, Beth, and their two boys live in England, while Renzo, Amber, and their children live in Italy. The vacation appears to be great at the start until Beth discovers something she didn't expect. A family vacation that was supposed to be perfect and idyllic turned into a perfect nightmare!

• This is my first Shalini Boland book and it was outstanding! This kept me hooked from beginning to end and my anticipation was killing me as I turn every page! Niall is getting on my nerves! He's a mean, selfish, (argh) horrible husband. I loathe him for guilt-tripping and gaslighting his wife and I couldn't figure out why Beth is still with him. The twist at the end is something I partly expect because I've been having doubts with that certain character and it just made sense as I reached the end.

• Shalini Boland created an amazing and engaging novel. I love how Boland plays around each character's personality making you feel annoyed, express sympathy, and frustrated because I badly want to know more as I went along the pages! This book is hard to put down and never disappoints! I could see myself binging to her other stories and I'm so excited to read them all!

• The Family Holiday is one of the best psychological thrillers I've ever read! I highly recommend this book to all mystery & thriller addicts there.

Thank you @netgalley and @bookouture for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a review.

The house swap from hell. Right from the outset it doesn’t seem an entirely risk free idea for Beth and her miserable husband Niall to rekindle their marriage with a “too good to be true” house swap holiday in Italy. Self proclaimed intelligent beauty Amber and her husband Renzo come to Dorset and their old cottage.

Sure enough things go wrong at the airport and on arrival. Niall is horrible to everyone - will he get his comeuppance. Things go from bad to worse as back stories are revealed.

Everything proceeds apace - the usual decent yarn from Shalini Boland - plenty more where this came from in her back catalogue.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for a fair review

I have read all this authors books and have loved them all. I was very excited to read this latest one but to be honest I found it a little slow paced. I found it hard to keep my attention on it. And I finished without any massive surprises.

Many thanks to netgalley and Shalini Boland for the advanced copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

Never disappointed with a book from this author.
This is a complex story with enough twists and turns to make you dizzy. Gripping from the start right up to the final paragraph. Well done Shalini for another brilliant story. I cant wait for your next one.
Many thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC