The Family Holiday is a story about 2 families who swap houses for a 2 week vacation. Beth and her family who live in England swap with Amber and Her family who live in Italy. The characters are well written. This book kept me hooked until the end but I was a little disappointed by the ending. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC

Another outstanding psychological thriller by Shalini Boland.

I’m always excited when I see that Shalini Boland has a new book out. In THE FAMILY HOLIDAY, two families decide to do a house swap for a holiday. One family lives in an English cottage, the other in an Italian villa. Amber is annoyed by one of Beth’s nosy neighbors snooping around and knocking on Beth’s door every other minute while Amber and her family are trying to enjoy their relaxing vacation in their house swap. Beth is married to Niall, a popular fantasy writer who has grown distant from her and their children and quite frankly acts like a jerk, ignoring Beth and the kids and pushing all the parenting duties onto her so he can have private time. Beth finds something in Amber’s house that leads her to believe there could be a connection between Amber and Niall. Niall denies it. Creepy things begin happening to the family in Italy. I was on the edge of my seat reading. Then, (and this is all included in the blurb, so not a spoiler), Niall turns up dead. Shalini Boland always has deliciously dark characters and twists that surprise me and this was no exception. I loved the way the surprises kept coming all the way to the last page! 5/5 stars.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary ARC copy of this book from Bookouture and NetGalley for review purposes.

Awesome and Addictive! A great read!

I’m a huge fan of Shalini’s books, I don’t even need to read the blurb anymore to see if it’s my sort of book. I can just dive right in and know I’ll be hooked straight away. I’m actually glad I didn’t read the blurb for this one first as it meant that things I would’ve known about before reading the book were more of a surprise for me.

Beth is thrilled when her husband Niall suggests that they take a family holiday. Niall’s always so busy with work and rarely has time for her and the kids anymore, so Beth is hoping that they will finally get some quality time together and hopefully be able to get back to how things used to be as a couple. Beth thinks they are trialling a house swap with a family of strangers, until she comes across something in the holiday home that makes her question not just the holiday but her marriage too.

Things pretty much go from bad to worse after Beth’s discovery and the perfect holiday soon turns into the perfect nightmare!

I had absolutely no idea where this story was going which had me racing through the pages quicker than a greyhound on a racetrack! Shalini is brilliant at throwing in unexpected twists and turns but not overcomplicating things, this makes her books quick and easy to read, but incredibly enjoyable.

I felt sorry for Beth, she is a sweet character, but quite naïve at times. I crossed between wanting to hug her and help her to then feeling like I wanted to give her a good shake! 🤣 Apart from Beth and her children, I didn’t trust a single character in this book, which is exactly what you want in a good psychological thriller as it adds to the suspicions and makes it tricky for you to predict the twists and turns.

Altogether this is a fast-paced, highly addictive and cleverly written thriller. As always, I can’t wait for Shalini’s next book. If this is an author, you are yet to discover then you are in for a treat!

Thank you very much to Shalini Boland, Bookouture and NetGalley for my early copy of this book.

Two families swap houses for a holiday, a cottage in the UK and a white washed villa in Italy. The chapters go between each setting and family, told through Beth and Amber, as the story collides and weaves together, and you realise this is not a normal holiday swap. It’s hard to say more without giving away the story. A pacey page turner, just about staying within the bounds of the believable, but occasionally venturing over the line into the far fetched, especially at the end. There’s twists, turns, secrets and lies, some easily guessed, some not. This book is an easy holiday read, fast paced, with a great premise, but a slightly disappointing ending.

With thanks to the author, Bookouture and Netgalley for the ARC. The Family holiday is released later this month, on 29 March.

A story about two families doing a house swap holiday, I couldn't put this down! A domestic thriller with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing. The pacing and character development are really excellent and the way the story is developed keeps you hooked. I demolished this book in a day and will be recommending to my friends as a holiday read!

Oh what a book, it gripped me from the very first page. I was literally pulled in from the very start. It is one of those books that you just cannot put down. Great style of writing.

I would definitely classify this book as a psychological/domestic thriller. Overall the book was pretty good. It was well written the characters were pretty believable and the storyline kept me reading along at a decent pace. There is also some twists and turns that I didn't see coming so that's always a plus. Basically two families swap homes and as you read on you realize it's not your typical home swap and lots of secrets are being kept which ultimately leads to a death and throughout the book you will realize what the secrets are and how they led to a death. 5 out of five! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for a honest review!

I absolutely love this authors books and know that when a new one of hers comes out everything else needs to be put on hold. I started this last night and have been absolutely hooked from start to finish. The title and cover gives the impression that the story is going to be about a lovely and cosy family holiday which am sure was the vibe beth was thinking about and looking forward to when instead she was presented with the holiday swap from hell. This story drew me in from the very first page and had a lot of intrigue and twists and turns right up until the end and held my attention and made me keep wanting more. This was a brilliant domestic psychological thriller as always from this author. This would make a brilliant holiday read.

Shalini Boland never disappoints. Her books are always fast paced page-turners, and The Family Holiday is no different. One I started it I flew through it and couldn’t put it down. The husband of the main character really wasn’t likeable at times - he had me shouting at the pages! I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

The Family holiday follows two family's who swap houses for a vacation. Beth and her family leave there cottage in the UK and swap with Amber and her family who live in a beautiful villa in Italy. What starts off as the perfect holiday soon descends to the holiday from hell. This was a fast paced domestic thriller. Whilst I guessed one of the twists I enjoyed reading this and shall definitely be checking out more work by the author.

2 families decide to swap houses for a 2 week vacation. One lives in England and the other lives in Italy. All starts out great until things start to happen and I didn’t know what was coming next. So many twists and so many lies, my head had whiplash from it all. I love all Shalini Boland books and this one was great too. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

Two families: one living in Italy and one living in England, decide to do a holiday house swap. One beautiful white-washed Italian villa with a pool and one cosy, country cottage in Dorset. What could go wrong? The answer is EVERYTHING, and one family member won’t be getting the holiday blues ever again!

I really liked the characters in this book, although with two of them, it was definitely more love to hate! Or in the case of Niall – loathe and hate!! He was very well written and you felt all that more sorry for his poor suffering wife. I just wanted to reach into the pages and give him a swift kick where it hurts! The story was good and there was a slow burn which was picking up speed and clearly leading somewhere – but I found it then lulled in a few areas and was a bit too descriptive in parts too. It got back on track though and became heart thumpingly, page turning-ly suspenseful at the end.

I did enjoy this book, both the story and the writing were good but for some reason, it didn’t really feel like a Shalini Boland book to me!? The ending felt a little bit rushed and maybe wrapped up a little bit too neatly. I think the ending itself was fine but it could have been written in a better way.

My thanks to the author and Bookouture for the gifted copy to review via Netgalley.

Three twisty holiday stars

This book definitely appeals to those who like a family centred story, with a suspenseful slant. The author has given just enough back story to whet your appetite, then got into the meat of the story, which I really liked. Although this centres around a classic good v. evil theme, you’re constantly waiting for the next twist. A great book, this made me interested to read others by the same author.

I was absolutely obsessed with this!!! What a ride! It's not the most original plot but the quiting and the characters elevate the somewhat predictable plot to a whole new level. I found it so full of twists and turns and I couldn't get through the pages fast enough. This is the perfect summer read and time absolutely flies in once you start it. The characters are well written and not always the most pineapple which I loved. They all had distinct voices and personalities and didn't all blend into one. The description was so vivid that you really can picture yourself I the middle of each scene. Such a good read, I highly recommend. Absolutely full of twists, tension, lies and deceit. What more could a reader want?!

I’ve never read a Shalini Boland book that I didn’t LOVE! The way she writes is just incredible, you really feel like you’re there living in the characters lives. She is the queen of plot twists, this one was a little less shocking than her other books but it didn’t make it any less amazing. I loved the setting and want to plan a trip to Italy now! Can’t wait for whatever she has in the works next!!

Der Klappentext verrät: „Two families. One house swap. A vacation to die for.
The white-washed Italian villa is perfect. I thought it might feel odd, living in a stranger’s house for the summer, but as my husband and children swim in the infinity pool, I start to relax. And then, in the back of a wardrobe, I find something that shatters everything…
Sparkling green eyes, square jaw, lopsided smile. A young man with his arm around a beautiful woman. The picture is old and faded but I’d recognise him anywhere. The man is my husband.
But we’ve never met the family we’ve swapped homes with and my husband swears it isn’t him in the photo. He’s lying. We argue on the balcony with the sun setting behind us and I storm out.
When I finally calm down enough to go back to the villa to confront him, I find his dead body sprawled across the veranda.
Who killed my husband? Was our marriage a lie? And are my children now in terrible danger?“

Das hatte mich gepackt. Das musste ich lesen. Und was soll ich sagen? Es war so genial wie erwartet. Richtig, richtig spannend, extrem gut geplottet, Nervenkitzel von Beginn an. Ich kannte vorher weder die Autorin noch den Verlag, und ich muss sagen, beide sollte man im Auge behalten. Im eBook sind es etwa 260 Seiten, also so arg dick ist das Buch nicht, aber es ist, ich wiederhole mich, megaspannend und mit WOW-Effekt.
Hierum geht’s: Beth (aus deren Sicht der obige Text stammt), ihr Mann Niall und die beiden Kinder machen Urlaub. 10 Jahre hat Beth den Kindern und Gatten zuliebe auf alles verzichtet, und die langersehnten Ferien sollen auch die Ehe etwas auffrischen. Aus dem kalten Vorfrühlings-England geht es nach Italien an die sonnige Amalfiküste; ein Haustausch macht es möglich. Im Gegenzug dafür urlauben Amber, ihr italienischer Mann Renzo und deren beide Kids im Cottage von Beth und Niall. Es könnte so idyllisch sein, aber schon sehr bald merkt man, da stimmt was nicht. Die Kapitel sind abwechselnd aus der Ich-Perspektive von Beth und Amber geschrieben, und es stellt sich schnell heraus, Amber spielt ihr eigenes Spiel und sorgt dafür, dass Beth der Urlaub von Anfang an vermiest wird. Richtig perfide wird es, als Beth das oben erwähnte Bild ihres Ehemannes in der Tauschwohnung entdeckt – wo doch angeblich vorher keinerlei Beziehung zwischen den beiden Familien bestanden hat…..
Und während Beth einfach nur vermutet, dass ihr Mann sie betrügt, liegen die eigentlichen Wahrheiten noch viel tiefer begraben, und die Autorin führt uns hier noch einige Male aufs Glatteis, bevor am Ende klar wird, was eigentlich los war….und wieso Niall sterben musste.
Und wenn ich schreibe, „am Ende“, dann ist hier auch wirklich die allerletzte Seite gemeint, denn was tatsächlich passiert ist, das löste sich erst im Epilog! Also Hochspannung bis zum Ende, und mit einem letzten Plottwist, mit dem ich NIE gerechnet hätte.
Ich rezensiere mal wieder ein englisches Buch auf Deutsch, und empfehle das auch allen deutschen Lesern im Original. Der Roman ist auch für Nicht-Muttersprachler gut lesbar; flüssig geschrieben, und definitiv ein page-turner!
Also: grosse Leseempfehlung!

Hang onto your hats for this thrilling roller-coaster of a ride that you will not want to put down. I literally inhaled this book and enjoyed every page until the very end of this page-turner.

Amber and Renzo are a very successful couple who live in a beautiful Italian villa. Renzo has a very successful jewelry business and Amber has a very successful PR business. With their two children, they seem to have it all, but do they really?? Beth and Niall live in the UK where Niall is a very successful author with a very popular series. Amber is a chef who dreamed of opening her own restaurant until her husband discouraged her and insisted she stay home to take care of their two sons. One day, Niall suggests to Amber that they swap homes with another couple for a 2-week holiday getaway in Italy that he discovered on the internet. At first Beth is reluctant to do so since their home is the typical English older thatched-roof cottage that is very comfortable but nothing fancy, Niall insisted it would be fun so Beth made all the arrangements to switch homes with none other than Amber and Renzo. Once Beth, Niall and the boys arrive in Italy, things start to go wrong very quickly.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this unputdownable book.

Shalini Boland is one of my go-to authors for a twisty, unputdownable read. I didn't even check to see what this book was about when I requested it. I just saw her name and the title and knew instantly that I wanted to read it. I was not disappointed. The family Holiday follows two families swapping houses for a two-week vacation. We have the Kildares from the UK and the glamorous Masons from Italy. It should be an idyllic family holiday but all is not as it appears to be as one of the families is keeping sinister secrets and has an ulterior motive for wanting to swap houses.

Well-written characters, secrets, tension, and twists and turns made this an addictive thriller that kept me hooked until the end. I always say this with Shalini Boland's books but I recommend going into this book knowing as little as possible. All you need to know is that the perfect holiday ends in murder for one of the families. I enjoyed watching this dark mystery unravel. My favorite and most surprising twist would have to be Lucianna's.
I loved the setting as well. I could easily picture myself getting cozy at the Kildares' cottage during winter or enjoying sunny Italy with all the gorgeous views, history, and food.
All in all, another winner by this author.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Shalini Boland never disappoints! Read this entire book on a snow day and was intrigued and held in suspense for a good portion of the book. As usual, I read and make predictions and was typically incorrect. The story line is definitely believable and you will ne thrown off direction a few times. Great book!

“The Family Holiday” is another signature Shalini Boland thriller – propulsive, suspenseful, and full of twists and turns!

Two families agree to a holiday house swap. Beth and Niall leave their adorable little cottage in cold, rainy England to swap with Amber and Renzo, who own a gorgeous Italian villa on the Amalfi coast. Things have been pretty strained between Beth and Niall, so Beth hopes that the two-week holiday will be a chance to reconnect with her husband and rekindle their romance. But what should have been a perfect indulgent vacation soon turns sour, as Niall continues to be rude and snappish and expecting Beth to handle everything while not lifting a finger himself. Then things start going wrong – an intruder breaks into the villa, Beth finds a picture of Niall in Amber’s belongings – leading Beth to wonder if she really knows her husband at all.

This fast-paced domestic suspense keeps the twists coming and the pages turning. The ending is a tad rushed after such a gripping build up, with one last twist that is slightly over the top, but that didn’t detract from the overall enjoyment of this great book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me an advance copy of this book.