Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

What a tangled web we weave when we have secrets. Two families are need of a vacation and decide to do a house swap. (House swaps creep me out anyway, so I was already creeped out from the beginning). One is a lovely little cottage and the other is a contemporary mansion in Italy with a swimming pool and everything you need for a perfect getaway. Is everything what it seems to be? If you have read anything by Shalini Boland, you know that nothing is ever as it seems. There are characters that you will literally hate or at least want to throttle! You will definitely feel sorry for other characters in the book as they struggle with self-esteem issues and doubts.
The mystery is taut and thrilling. The web is being woven from the beginning of the book, and it continues to weave the mystery until the haunting conclusion of the book. You will be drawn into the story wondering exactly what is going on and why these things are happening. The plot twists will draw you so you will be wanting more to the point that you will not be able to rest until you have completely finished the book! This is another winner for Shalini Boland. If you are a lover of psychological thrillers, you will devour this book!

This book kept me engaged the entire time! I loved that as the reader I had no idea what all the secrets were, it kept the book in my hands and guessing the entire time! After the last chapter, I just assumed the book was done — BUT THAT EPILOGUE!!!! So good! Well done, definitely recommend!!

Great quick read thriller. Listened and read and enjoyed the characters and plot. Kept me guessing til the end! Definitely recommend for any twisty story lover! Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

Completely FABULOUS! I couldn't put this down, and what an ending! Another five star read from Shalini Boland

Name of Book: The Family Holiday
Author: Shalini Boland
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Publisher: Bookouture
Pub Date: March 29, 2022
My Rating: 4+ rounded up

This is only my fourth [author: Shalini Boland] I have been looking forward to read more so was delighted when I saw she had a new one!

Amber and Renzo Mason and their two children live in an Italian villa.
Beth and Niall Kildare and their two children live in a cozy English cottage.
Beth hasn’t been on a Holiday in ages. Her husband does a lot of traveling and isn’t interested in a staying a hotel for a Holiday. He spots a web site where families are willing to swap homes for a get-a-away.
The couples do not know one another but decide that a swap just might be a fun holiday.

Hmmm ~ Would you swap if you lived in a beautiful Italian Villa?

I am a big psychological thriller fan and expect and love the twists and turns.
[author: Shalini Boland] does not disappoint!!

Want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for an honest professional review.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for March 29, 2022.

4.5 STARS!

This is my first book by this author, and it won’t be my last! I can see why she is very popular in the psychological/domestic drama genre.

I thought the story taking place around a house swap was very clever! British couple Niall (who is a complete jerk) and Beth decide to swap their English cottage during the cold, dreary season with Amber and Renzo who own a glamorous Italian Villa on the sunny Amalfi Coast. Sounds too good to be true, right? That’s because it is.

I really enjoyed everything about this book. I was hooked from the start, and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to find out what was happening next as secret after secret is unveiled. I also loved the crazy ending! I have also added the Amalfi Coast to my bucket list. The author did an amazing job of making me feel I was right there in the sunshine enjoying a delicious Italian meal.

I found 3 of this author’s books on my bookshelf and can’t wait to dive into them!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher Bookouture for my e-ARC.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review*

What a great read - I loved it. It started out slowly, but once the twists and turns started coming, it was on. I read this in less than a day because I had to see how it turned out. Loved the ending!! This is my first Shalini Boland book - can't wait to read more!

Another great book by Shalini Boland! I really enjoyed this book. Great storyline that flawlessly unfolded. And so many twists and turns. I highly recommend this book.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Can there be a more enticing blurb than ‘2 families who have never met but via an internet site embark on a house swap for their holidays?’ the scene is alreasy set for a good story and it appealed to me instantly 🤗
And it is sooo difficult to say much more without giving a hint of what is to come, I will say there is a delicious set of characters, some stunning scenery descriptions of Italy and Dorset and a genuinely unexpected story that is packed with twists and turns and had me racing through the book to find out the conclusion
If you have read previous by this author you will know a good really well written captivating story is ahead and this book for me was pure enjoyment…..it also put me off ever entertaining the idea of a holiday home swop 😂
Brilliant!

10/10
5 Stars

3-1/2 ⭐️ (rounded down). My advice, if considering reading this DO NOT READ THE SYNOPSIS or it gives away the only real twists. My review covers what is mentioned already so if you’ve read the synopsis I’m giving nothing away.


Like the synopsis says this is about two families that do a house swap so they can each enjoy a Holiday, one fancy home in Italy & a cozy little cottage in England. This had the potential for a great read but not only did the synopsis give way too much away (the two families having a connection prior to the swap & Niall being murdered) but after Niall is murdered nothing exciting happens. It’s like when you go to light a firework & it ends up being a dud. I actually did sort of enjoy reading it especially since I was looking forward to what was going to happen but with an ending that was incredibly unsatisfying & the WORST characters (I HATED Niall’s character!) I’d tell anyone thinking of reading this to pass.

This is my first read by Boland..hopefully this book isn’t indicative to what her other books are like. Also can someone tell me what is up with the cover? Nowhere in the book do they sit on a dock or spend any time at a lake 😜


Thank you NetGalley, and the publisher Bookouture, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Love Shalini Boland! What a wild story! Two happy families swap homes a cheap holiday, but things aren’t quite what they seem. Rich characters drive a well developed plot to a crazy ending! Themes of abuse, extramarital affairs, deceit and violence. A quick read, you won’t be able to put it down!

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

PUBLICATION DAY: March 29, 2022

SUMMARY:
Beth needs a holiday - she’s been suggesting one to her novelist husband Niall for years now, and he’s suddenly agreed. But rather than an exotic getaway to a fancy hotel with their two sons, Niall suggests a home swap. Desperate for some family time, Beth agrees - but what has she gotten herself into? Is she ready for strangers to invade her personal space, as she’ll be invading theirs? And is this house swap as spontaneous as it seems?

PROS and CONS:
Very fast paced and I was hooked from the very beginning. I found Beth a very relatable character (although I would have been sorely tempted to kick her rather one dimensional hubby to the curb as he was an entirely unlikeable chap), and I was really cheering for her. The addition of Amber’s chapters provided an extra layer of tension to the story - very interesting to see her story unfold. There is a plot element in the description that reveals something way too early…so that was annoying and I found myself waiting for this to happen…otherwise…really good!

READ IT?
What can I say…it’s a suspenseful thriller - what’s not to like?? These types of books are my (dark) happy place!

4 Stars

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Bookouture and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

I look forward to reading a thriller keeping me engaged, check.

Woah! What a ride. This one kept my attention full stop.

This was such a fun read! I started reading and felt like I could not put it down. The chapters were short and fast paced and I loved all the drama. The ending was superb. This will be a great summer read. The descriptions the author used made me want to go on holiday!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy of this digital ARC.

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Family Holiday’ written by Shalini Boland in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Niall Kildare persuades his wife Beth to participate in a family house-swap for two weeks from their cottage in Sherborne, Dorset, to a palatial villa in Maiori, Italy, owned by Amber and Renzo Mason. As Beth plays hide-and-seek with their two sons she comes across a photo of Niall in one of Amber’s jacket pockets. Niall swears it’s just a promotion photo and that he doesn’t know her, but following an argument he storms off. The events that follow will change both couples’ lives permanently.

Whenever I see a new book written by Shalini Boland I don’t even think of reading the blurb as I know I’m going to love it. ‘The Family Holiday’ is no exception and is so addictive I’ve read it in practically one sitting. This brilliant thriller has relatable characters and is full of intrigue, drama, suspense, twists and turns, and a plot so compelling I could almost believe it to be true. The description of Maiori is far better than a tour guide and makes me want to take a holiday there. When I reached the final twist, which was too soon for my liking as I wanted to continue reading, it’s so unbelievable I’m amazed it fitted so perfectly into the story. This is a fantastic thriller that I can heartily recommend and I’d give it far more than the five stars I’m allowed. I can’t wait for the next one.

I just love Shalini Borland’s books. I also know I’m not going to get to bed before 3am. Once I start I don’t put the book down till the last page.
Beth lives with her husband Niall and their two boys Connor and Liam. They live in a picture perfect cottage. But there marriage is far from perfect. If Niall was my husband he would have been divorced long ago.
Niall suggests they take a holiday via a house swap. Reluctantly Beth agrees. They find a stunning Italian villa and surprisingly the owners Amber and Renzo are happy to swop.
As secrets start coming out in the holiday Beth realises her marriage isn’t what it seems.
I’m happy to leave my review here. I really don’t want to give any spoilers so as to stop you fully enjoying this book.
Safe to say I hope there is a follow up book.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to see an arc

Two families. One house swap. A vacation to die for.

Beth and Niall Kildare are having marital issues, so when Niall suggests they go on a family holiday Beth believes this could be the chance to get their lives back on track, and they sign up to a holiday swap site, they spot a listing for a beautiful villa on the Amalfi Coast in Italy, belonging to Amber and Renzo Mason and agree to swap their beautiful rustic cottage in the South of England for two weeks with them. Beth can't believe how lucky they are when they arrive and she hopes the Masons are just as delighted with their cottage, but nothing is as it seems and very quickly things start to go wrong, Beth begins to question whether it was a good idea to do a swap, and how well does she really know her husband? It looks like she's just about to find out...

A holiday swap is an interesting concept for a book and with the author being Shalini Boland, you know you're going to have an eventful trip. This latest book, as all her others that I've read so far, is well crafted and flows seamlessly, the chapters alternate between Beth and Amber, with lots of twists along the way, which is what the reader has come to expect from this talented author. The characters are realistic and both couples are harbouring secrets that would blow their world's apart if they were revealed. Boland is one of a few authors that I will choose to read without looking at the blurb first, because I know I'm in for a rollercoaster ride of a read, and just when you think the story has finished, she hits you with that ending! Another cracking domestic thriller from this author that does NOT disappoint.

I'd like to thank Bookouture and Netgalley for the auto approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

Swapping homes for a few weeks seems like a good idea for a family in Italy and another one in England. Everything is however not what it seems like, and there are more sinister thoughts behind the swap. There are many secrets held from spouses, secrets that will kill you or someone else.

I like the premises of this book and it is is well-written. It felt a bit unrealistic at times, and had a few inconsistencies, but over all an enjoyable read that kept the tension until the bitter end.

A thriller set in a beautiful luxury holiday location is a top selling point for me, 2 of my favourite things in life.
If you've read any of my previous reviews you'll know how I pride myself on predicting twists and guessing the "whodunnits" well, I was stumped reading this, which I loved! I couldnt read fast enough as the detective in me wanted to solve the mystery. I had a very small suspicion throughout the book so when all the drama played out I was gutted to be so rarely and completely wrong, then that final page! Well, I actually even shouted out, I KNEW IT!!! LOL!!
Anyway, back to the review, despite enjoying the plot, having Beth as a character to route for, Niall as a character to hate, it did have one of my pet peeves. A storyline hits a crescendo, it's all kicking off, then BAM..... 1 year later.... it often feels like they have to summarise the aftermath of the drama, it would've made the book too long or it can feel like they can can't be bothered after that crucial part of the plot. It can be so frustrating as so many times things are glossed over that would've been good to know exactly how they played out. For this reason I have to deduct 1 star giving #TheFamilyHoliday a 4 star rating.
#Netgalley

The Family Holiday by Shalini Boland

Beth and Niall have not had a family holiday for ages. Beth would like to stay in a hotel but Niall as a famous author, is often going away to hotels to promote his latest novel and does not think a hotel is all that special at all. Niall suggests a house swap with a family in Italy, at first Beth is not keen on the idea but when she sees the luxurious house in the Amalfi Coastal town, she thinks their humble cottage in England would be rejected by Amber and Renzo, the couple they will be swapping with. Beth cannot believe their luck when Amber is happy to swap and so begins one unforgettable family holiday.

I Loved this book!!!

The drama and suspense are excellent. I have read many of Shalini Boland’s other books and I think they are all fantastic.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Bookouture for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review