A holiday home swap - what could possibly go wrong? - well just about everything in this intriguing thriller from Shalini Boland. Poor Beth must untangle the web of deceit and lies when her family exchange their pretty English cottage for a beautiful Italian villa. The twists and turns will keep you turning the pages until the very end!

Wow! another great read from Shalini Boland, Beth and Niall are married and have Liam and Connor to make their family complete.So when Niall suggests a holiday swap with a couple in Italy Beth jumps at the chance to get away for two weeks.Amber and Renzo are the couple who they will swapping houses with and all seems ok with the swap.But both couples are hiding dark secrets from just not each other but also their partners as well,and as the secrets and lies are revealed each couple will never be the same again.As with all Shalini Boland’s books it had me gripped from the first page,with its short punchy chapters it’s a really a great physiological thriller and one I would definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys this genre.A cracking 5 star read once again from Shalini Boland.

When Beth's husband, Nicole, persuades her to do a house swap with a family in Italy, she is initially reluctant, but he wins her around and they set off for the glorious Amalfi Coast. The villa is beautiful and Beth's fears are soon allayed as they settle in to enjoy their family time, however husband Niall is tense and snappy and Beth wonders if they've made a mistake after all. It soon becomes apparent that things aren't quite as simple as they initially seemed and there is more to the house swap than she had anticipated.

This book is full of twists, keeping you guessing at every turn of the page. I really enjoyed it and couldn't wait to find out more. Highly recommended!

What a delicious read! I loved every page of this fabulous psychological thriller with its tautly woven, twisty, page-turning plot! But this book is so much more than a mystery. The story is woven with careful attention to all the layers including characters, setting and pacing. I loved the way the author reveals surprises (at just the right moments) through small details such as a character’s fleeting thought that stands out and signals the reader there is more going on than we know. The lush descriptions of the Italian villa and locale put you right there on vacation with the family. I often skim descriptions but this author is so skillful she had me glued to every word and, yes, I even gasped aloud at one surprise architectural feature in the villa. This book is a joy to read engaging your brain, your emotions and your senses. Not to be missed!

Shalini Boland is an absolute QUEEN!! This is another BRILLIANT book by one of my favourite Bookouture authors.

This is an author I instantly get excited about, especially when I see new books are coming. This book has made my pulse race, my heart pound and really on occasions made me uneasy.

This is unlike anything I’ve read before. I can’t say I’d be happy to swap houses with anyone else. I like my own space, so this has been intriguing from the off.

Imagine, being in someone’s house and finding a picture of your husband. This really ramps up the story in this one, I have been on the edge; desperately racing through to see where this was going.

As always with Shalini’s books, I’ve devoured this gem in one sitting. It has been completely impossible to predict and even more impossible to put down. Boland gets better and better with every book.

This is worthy of all the stars! Another phenomenal read from the queen of chilling psychological thrillers.

Never disappointed with a book from this author. Gripping from the start right up to the final paragraph. I loved the way the story flowed and the way it all connected in the end. 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

OH my WORD! I love love loved this book. This is my 7th book by this author and each book just keeps getting better and better. I loved the premise behind this book, this book was not predictable and kept me guessing until the very end. Shalini has a talent for drawing you in from the first few pages. I have loved every book of hers and will continue to read them all!
Easily a 5 STAR read for me!

A house-swap to Italy is a perfect way to holiday. The villa is immaculate, modern, full of bells and whistles. Niall and Beth should be delighted. But something is wrong, it was wrong before they left their cottage in England and Italy isn’t making it right.

Amber and Renzo are in Niall and Beth’s cottage. Very different to their own palatial home, they settle in despite the nosy neighbour. But something is wrong.

This is a tightly written psychological thriller – something is going to happen, what, you don’t know, and by whom keeps you guessing. It is teased out for as long as possible. The tension rises and red herrings abound. The four main characters are quite different. Two are easy to like and the other two are easy to hate. A neat tying up of loose end finishes the book but there is one, or two, final twists.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Bookouture for the eARC of #TheFamily Holiday in exchange for an honest review.

The Family Holiday by Shalini Boland

A true page-turning thriller that keeps you guessing up until the very last page. In The Family Holiday we meet Niall and Beth, a couple from the UK who agree to a house swap with Amber and Renzo who reside on the Amalfi Coast of Italy. Beth believes that this holiday could be a turning point in her marriage, and bring her whole family closer together after several years of coasting by living the domestic lifestyle. Amber and Renzo are looking for the quiet comfort of the country. We find quickly that Amber has some ulterior motives for wanting to go on the holiday, some that are certainly not as cookie cutter as Beth's motives.

This book was truly a fantastic read, with amazing characterization by Boland. I enjoyed very much getting to know the characters of the book, and Boland does a great job of creating them in a way that you feel like you've known them your whole life. We feel tension in relationships when we need to and it creates a book that doesn't allow you to put it down because you're wanting to figure out the puzzle and see what happens next!

I highly recommend The Family Holiday, and will be looking into more books by this author. If they're half as good as this one, I know I'm in luck!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for allowing me to have an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is a psychological thriller about 2 couples who decide to do a house swap for 2 weeks as an alternative to a hotel holiday. Whilst this isn’t a bad read I didn’t really feel it to be a page turner there is a good twist at the end but I did find the main plot a little silly and predictable. However, the author does do a good job of portraying the respective husband, Niall and wife, amber from each couple as thoroughly awful people with incredibly selfish streaks which made me love to hate them!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am fan of Shalini Boland (see my reviews of some of her other books at the end of this review). Her psych thrillers are usually interesting with good twists, and The Family Holiday is no exception.
It kicks off with a mystery narrator (I love those). The reader knows something bad has happened. But the exact situation and victim are unknown until very late in the book (I love that also).
After the brief prologue, the action jumps to Beth and her husband Niall as they decide to take a family holiday to Italy and decide to try a house swap. That’s really all you need to know at this point.
The action is told mainly from Beth’s point of view. A few chapters are from Amber’s (the owner of the other house in the swap). Italy for England – it certainly seems like Beth and Niall are getting the better end of the deal.
However, there are several layers moving below the surface of the plot, and this is where the story truly becomes a page-turning psych thriller.
Amber is hiding something, but what? Niall is obnoxious and obviously doesn’t want to be on holiday. Why not, if he was the one to suggest it in the first place?
And who is the mystery narrator who appears in brief, periodic chapters?
Anyone who has read this blog knows that I read a lot of psych thrillers. It is difficult to get one by me, because I often try to “outwit the author” and guess what the motives and twists are.
That is why, when I find one that has me guessing throughout, I’m super-excited to talk about it. And The Family Holiday once again fits that description.
Just when you think you know why Niall is being a jerk or what Amber is hiding, the author throws another twist in.
Honestly, I was up until early hours because I just couldn’t put the book down when I got to the last third of the story.
And when everything is wrapped up and the characters have reached their end points, the author still has more in store for the reader.
The Family Holiday is one of the most well-crafted, best-paced, layered psych thrillers I have read in a while. Shalini Boland just keeps getting better.

🏡ᗷOOK ᖇEᐯIEᗯ🏡

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Family Holiday by Shalini Boland

A psychological thriller about a family who agrees to swap houses for their family vacation….. Can their vacation turn into a nightmare they will never forget?

Niall and Beth, who’s house is simple and small decide they will trade homes with Amber and Renzo who have a Villa in the Amalfi Coast for their holiday. Besides some mishaps they have, they are happy to be on vacation after so many years. The secrets each character shares are shocking and heartbreaking at the same time, specially how Beth discovers lies. 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦

I honestly disliked Niall, Beth’s husband. He was narcissistic, acted like a child and had Beth walking on eggshells at all times. Had no respect for her and their children. I did enjoyed that the story was told in Ambers and Beth’s perspective, so you can understand each family dynamic and how they view their family. I feel like there could have been more plots to the story. The final twist to the story did shocked me 😱

Thank you @netgalley and @bookouture for the ARC.

If you could swap houses and go anywhere in the World… Where would you go?

Two beautiful families decide to house swap their homes for a well deserving vacation in different countries. Would anyone be comfortable letting strangers entering their abode and looking through their stuff? What secrets will they find about each other? Is it going to be the vacation of their dreams?
The Family Holiday is a fast paced thriller which though somewhat predictable is an excellent book. I finished this book in just under 4 hours so it's a quick read. All the characters in this book are pretty much defined and it's easy to predict who and what their nature is. I hated Niall and Amber. The ending is just WOW! Didn't see it coming.
Don't go into this book judging by its cover. The cover is not even remotely connected with the story. And do not read the full blurb! It gives away a spoiler.
I really enjoyed reading this novel. It's fast paced, interesting and keeps you engrossed in the story.
Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this novel.
Triggers: Infidelity

I thought this book went along at a solid pace that kept me drawn in and guessing what would happening next. Then the ending came and I was totally surprised! Fun read for sure!

You know you are invested in a book when you actually feel real hatred for a character, and there is one such obnoxious one in this book.
Shalini Boland has written another entertaining thriller with unexpected twists and an end you won't see coming. The fast paced story is told in dual narratives of Beth and Amber. Unfortunately the blurb gives away a huge spoiler which tarnished my reading enjoyment as I would prefer to find out major plot reveals during the reading of the book and I really hope the publishers change the blurb before publication date.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I give this book 3.5 stars

Beth and Niall decide to take their family on holiday and swap their house with another family’s for two weeks. We quickly learn that nothing is as it appears. Niall is very unlikeable. He is very iritable and snaps at Beth for everything, and it’s obvious there are issues with their marriage.

Soon secrets are revealed, someone is murdered, and there are several twists with one final twist at the end.

The Family Holiday is a fast paced, unputdownable thriller. It’s a definite read for anyone who likes psychological thrillers.

My main complaint about this book is that the cover does not seem to fit the story.

Overall I give this one 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Niall and Beth and their two children swap their picture book cottage in Dorset for a modern state of the art villa on the Amalfi Coast. Niall, a well-known writer, says it will be an opportunity for him to wind down and for them to have a proper family holiday. But that is not what Beth experiences. The villa is amazing, the local townsfolk friendly but things seem off with Niall. And then she makes a surprise discovery which leaves her confused and concerned about her husband.
A chef, Beth had sacrificed her career, wanting to open up her own restaurant, but becoming a mother instead. Everything has always worked well between her and Niall, but the holiday reveals glaring inequalities in their relationship. Far from wanting quality time with the boys, he seems content to let Beth organise everything, preferring his own company.
From the beginning of the story, narrated from Beth and Amber’s perspectives, it’s clear that there is a reason Amber is keen to get away. There is something going on, something sinister. It doesn’t take long for Beth and her family to be pulled into this.
It’s a well written and entertaining read. There were a few moments when I felt I had to suspend belief but all in all, I felt the story worked well. There were moments when I could see what was about to happen and others that took me completely by surprise.

My thanks to Shalini Boland, Bookouture and Netgalley for an ARC of The Family Holiday in exchange for an honest review

I would have to rate this a solid 4 stars.
A great read, captivated me with the skilful and imaginative writing. I really enjoyed the book’s pacing, the author’s skilful writing and the characters were believable and some - relatable.
I truly enjoyed this thriller, by an author that is new to me, but now I will surely be looking into reading her other books.
Throughout the book I really hated the husband character and not going to lie, happy with the outcome. Another thing I found very important and appreciated a lot was the mention of having therapy after a traumatic event (both for the child and the mother) - I think this is very important both for author to understand, write and it makes the character much more relatable and believable,
Overall, I am quite impressed by this book and definitely will read more of the authors’ work.
Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC!

Another fast paced domestic suspense story from Shalini Boland. A house swap goes terribly wrong. A perfect family taking a much needed family holiday.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the arc of The Family Holiday.

Two families in need of a holiday, one website and a house swap, what could possibly go wrong?

Beth is thrilled when her very busy author husband, Niall, suggests a much needed family holiday. Niall, always being the one having to be in charge,makes the decision to complete a holiday house swap.
Amber, Renzo and their children are more than happy to swap their gorgeous Italian villa for Beth’s cottage in Dorset.
Everything seems perfect until Beth finds a picture of Niall in the villa, this discovery leads to a discovery of a web of lies and heartbreak for both families.

Wow, Shalini Boland has done it again and produced a gripping, page Turner of a thriller with so many twists and turns that you are not sure what’s coming next.

The characters were engaging and some not at all likeable and at times making me very angry by their behaviour which really brought them to life. The emotion and thrills it delivered made this book such a fantastic read.

I highly recommend The Family Holiday, it will have you turning the pages wanting and needing to find out more with every twist and turn.