Shalini Boland is an auto-buy, auto-read for me, and this latest novel was no different! Such great writing, Shalini nails the thriller story-telling formula. All the right twists and turns, nothing too obvious, kept me hook from page one!

Twisty Turny. Very imaginative and kept me engaged until the end. They say that once you see something you weren’t supposed to see, you can’t unsee it. It was relatable

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!!

I really enjoy Shalini Boland books. I will say this one took a bit for me to get into but once I did, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

A house swap, big problems, flawed characters, unexpected twists - count me in!

Since discovering Shalini Boland when I first read My Little Girl, I knew it was an author to keep an eye out for. Her skillful writing, the atmosphere, and the way she portrays her characters are all magnificent! So when I heard about The Family Holiday coming out, I was quick off the mark and got it onto my TBR pile!

The Family Holiday is superb, it’s taken the concept of house swapping to a scary new level. The main character Beth and her family have house swapped their home in the UK, with Amber and her family in Italy. Beth is hoping for a relaxing family holiday after her husband organised a house swap with Amber and her gorgeous Italian villa. But things start to go wrong when Beth’s neighbours in the UK call her about Amber. I can’t say anymore as I don’t want to spoil it for you!

But it’s full of lies, and secrets and will certainly have you gripped! It’s a book I found really hard to put down!

Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture, and the author Shalini Boland for the advanced copy of The Family Holiday. When Beth’s husband Niall convinces her and their children to go on a family trip to Italy as part of a house swap, Beth is hesitant. Beth doesn’t feel overly comfortable with strangers staying in their home, but feels as though her and her husband could use this time away to rekindle their relationship. Beth is surprised when the Mason family are open to a house swap of their luxurious Italian villa for their modest English cottage and feels like this deal is a little too good to be true. As the vacation starts, Beth soon finds out she was right to think this way as everything starts to go wrong as soon as the trip has began.

I enjoyed this book and found it to be an easy read. The characters intrigued but irritated me which made me want to get to the ending even more. Niall was an easy character to hate and reading the interactions between beth and Niall easily made my blood boil. This book was fast paced and interesting but I found the ending a bit predictable. I would recommend this book to fans of thrillers or of Shalini Boland’s other novels!

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Thankyou #netgalley #shaliniboland #bookcouture for the arc copy of this book for a honest review .
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⚠️Emotional abuse.
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Another masterpiece from shalini boland and never disappoint. The only thing that it upsets me is giving the hint of the ‘twist ‘ story on the synopsis. It was a perfect murder yes but you know it already what will happen it the end . This actually surprise me with Shalini’s writing .
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Anyway, I could feel the emotional side of Beth, I felt how I’m so annoyed with her husband . Very toxic. Which is great because it engage the character to the reader .

❤️Shaye.reads

Meant to read this a long while ago and I somehow overlooked it! I am however glad I found it again as it is a great story about two families who do a house swap. One couple is from England, one from Italy. Both couples are looking forward to a relaxing holiday but things don't go to plan. Shalini Boland always comes through with a killer plot and characters that you can either love or hate and this book is no exception. I highly recommend.

This is one of the most ridiculous things I've read all year, and i mean that in the worst possible way.


The writing is bland. The characters were bland. The mystery was predictable and not built up or wrapped up properly. The dialogue was unrealistic. The synopsis spoils the entire thing. The solution is ridiculous. The epilogue was unnecessary.
I did not care. Once the 'mystery' was presented I had completely lost interest in any of the characters. With the mystery also being very poorly done, I was ready to be done with the book. There were also so may plot-points that were never further explored or wrapped up. Overall, there was not a single redeeming quality to be found in this book.

I should've DNFed it.

Really enjoyed this.. from start to finish ! A superb read from a superb writer ! Gripping exhilarating and will keep you up till the small hours !

Beth hopes an Italian holiday can help her relationship, and she accepts a house swap even though she is uneasy about it. The problems begin as soon as they arrive, and she begins to wonder if she knows the man she married.

I like the flawed characters, making many of them unlikeable. The evocatively written setting's beauty contrasts with the toxicity of the relationships. The plot is suspenseful and builds to the dramatic and unexpected twists this author does well.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

A holiday house swap; what a great idea for Beth and her author husband, Niall in the UK; Beth dreams about getting away and hopes her family will reconnect on this holiday. They agree to swap with Amber and Renzo who own a swanky villa on the Amalfi Coast of Italy; Beth can't believe her luck to leave her country cottage and head to the shores of Italy. Beth's husband is quite honestly as asshat, who expects Beth to raise the \ir two children and do all of the housework. as well as cater to his every whim; Beth does not seem to see how toxic he is and accepts his behaviour because he is so busy. Amber and Renzo are ex-pats living in Italy and are looking foward to showing their two children a bit of the UK when they are on holiday. Renzo is a doting husband and father, Amber is a little pretentious.

Beth's holiday gets off to a rocky start but once they settle in, she hopes all will be well. Niall continues to mostly be elusive and to himself but occassionaly he seems to take an interest in Beth and the children. When Beth finds a picture of her husband in the pocket of the owner of the home, everything she thinks she knows is suspect While, in the UK, Amber is clearly up to something, but what could her end game be? The suspense picks up when the villa in Italy is broken into and later when tragedy takes place it leaves everything reeling.

A great edge of your seat book with lots of twists and turns and a surprise ending. This author always writes a good thriller and this is no exception. I look forward to more books by this author.

Brilliant just brilliant
Had me hooked from page one and I didn’t want to put it down
So many twists and twists
It is definitely one of her best books
Thanks NetGalley

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 a photograph 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 him sprawled across the veranda… dead.

This is an okay read but there was nothing particularly gripping about it. I enjoyed following the two families as they go on holiday and we know something is going to happen. The plot description is a bit misleading as the drama does not happen until very near the end, as a result this is quite a slow read and could have done with a bit more happening.

When the plot gets going, the read is more dramatic and gripping but it is over very fast. There are a few twists throughout but nothing overly shocking. I did like the setting of this book, Boland transports us to Italy and I enjoyed the sun soaked, holiday atmosphere. This has a beautiful location but only an average plot.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advance copy.

The Good
The build-up of suspense was nail-biting. I loved how Beth was boxed from all sides. Her emotions were beautifully captured where she wanted to keep peace in the family and at the same time, feel helpless when she was rebutted in all her attempts. 
Each character stayed true to the slots that the author etched for them. I could feel doubts about their motives, hated one of them, found the other mired in suspicion, and above all, empathy for Beth. 
The ending twists, though kinda expected as the book was raising its suspense in that direction, were great. But the last chapter was most unexpected. 

Overall, entertaining.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this fantastic book. A brilliant premise with great writing and characters. This book was literally unputdownable with twist and turns throughout. A massive thumbs up from me!

Well Shalini has done it yet again, she has provided us with another outstanding brilliant and gripping read.

I thought the story was brilliantly well written and the characters are all so very well portrayed and believable. I loved getting to know all of the characters and trying to suss them all out. There were a couple of twists throughout, one of which I had foreseen coming and so was not overly surprised when it occurred but it in no way ruin my enjoyment of the story. It was a truly gripping and entertaining read from start to finish.

I've said it before but I'm going to say it again, Shalini has such a way with words that she just draws you in right from the beginning, keeps you enthralled throughout and leaves you with bated breath right to the very end. Which is exactly what she did with this latest book of hers.

So if you are looking for a book that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat in eager anticipation as to what will happen and be completely captivated throughout, then you really need to read this book.

Beth Kildare is thrilled when her husband, Niall, suggests a family holiday. It's been years since they have taken a vacation, although his suggestion of house swapping with another couple makes her a bit uncomfortable. All that disappears when she walks into the Mason's gorgeous Italian villa. She can't believe Amber and Renzo Mason left this beautiful home in sunny Italy for the Kildare's tiny cottage in cold England. Beth believes this vacation is exactly what her family and her marriage need to get back on track. Niall, a popular author, works a lot and never seems to have time for her and their sons. Then Beth discovers a photo of her husband in the Mason's home. Niall seems to have a logical explanation but Beth is still uneasy, her husband is hiding something, she just needs to find out what.

I didn't care for any of the characters in this book, except maybe Luciana, especially at the end. Niall was a horrible father and husband, Beth was annoying for constantly letting him gaslight her and making excuses for him. Amber was something else altogether, absolutely crazy. Renzo was bland, he seemed like a nice guy but his character development was lacking. The ending seemed to be thrown together and felt a bit rushed and a bit unbelievable.
That said, I did enjoy the book while reading, but I didn't love it.
Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was full of surprises. A family house swap for holidays gone wrong, I really enjoyed this book it kept me wanting to read into the early hours to find out more. Told from 2 main females pov it was an engrossing read, felt the end was abit rushed but other then that I loved it

Like anyone reading a Shalini Boland book for the first time, I found myself wondering how on earth I had missed her previously. Before I had made it a quarter of the way in, I had gone and bought another of the author’s books on Kindle. Her writing style was seamless, the story compelling and I found it refreshingly original. The tension started almost immediately and was turned up to eleven by the end.

The characters were well rounded and felt believable. There’s Beth, desperate to make everyone happy and keep the peace with domineering husband Niall, even at the cost of her already shredded nerves.  Luciano is happy to be out of an abusive marriage, and to have found a friend. Amber doesn’t seem to like Beth at all, despite having never met her, and husband Renzo is so laid back he’s positively horizontal. I tried and tried but I could not make myself like Niall. He was the sort of person who took himself far too seriously, and thought the world revolved around him. If I knew him, I’d probably end up doing a ‘Will Smith’ on him.

Overall, I wanted to read this brilliant book so quickly, but then suffered the inevitable hangover of a person who feels empty without more of the book to read. I think it’s fairly obvious that I really enjoyed the read, so it isn’t surprising that I would recommend this book to any reader of mysteries and psychological thrillers. I gave The Family Holiday, by Shalini Boland, five stars.

A great read from Shalini Boland, I sped through it! Beths husband Niall suggests doing a house swap for their family holiday. He finds a fabulous house in Italy and they exchange houses with a family who are happy to stay in their house as Amber is originally from the UK and wants the children to visit. Beth loves the Italian house but spends her time keeping her husband happy, he is not the nicest character. As the time goes on she discovers some longheld secrets which blow her marriage apart. Amber, on the other hand, also has secrets but they don't come to light until later in the book.
The tension builds slowly although you do know that something is bubbling and when it breaks it all comes together fast! Niall and Amber are not very likeable people but Beth and Renzo seem lovely, if a bit innocent. The descriptions of the Italian house and area are amazing, it really drew me in.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the auther for granting me an ARC of this book.