I loved the 80s setting of this book along with the holiday vibes. I wasn't rooting for any of the unpleasant characters, but that was part of the fun!

The alternating timelines were interesting and the plot held my interest throughout.

Thanks to the author, Viking, and NetGalley for the eARC of this book.

Six friends.
The holiday of their dreams.
One night, that changed it all .

1989: The tunes are loud, and the clothes are louder when a group of friends arrive in Mallorca for a post-graduation holiday of decadence and debauchery at a luxury villa.
*My post graduation celebration was an epic roast dinner after our graduation ball. No villa for us. We were all so broke 😅😅

A beach party marks the pinnacle of their fun until it isn't fun any longer. Suddenly, the night of a lifetime becomes a living nightmare.

This had instant I Know What You Did Last Summer vibes, and we all know what a classic that was. I didn't have much connection to the characters to begin with, especially Claire, who is so annoying and Nina, who's just awful. No one needs friends like these two.

We quickly learn that they all have secrets, and the holiday is just a smoke screen to cover up lies and manipulate each other even further. I remember thinking I'm so glad I didn't have a friendship group like this one!

I did, however, soon warm to Zoe and Will, who felt like the only two with their heads screwed on properly.

The plot of twisty as it takes you to 1989 and the present day. The past has caught up with them, and its time to pay the price.
The build-up to the beach party felt a little slow and lost some of its pace. But, it soon perked right back up as the group headed across the water to the party on the boat.

As soon as the fateful night starts to unravel, it's hard to put the book down. I couldn't stop turning the pages until the very end.
This is a great page turner. If you like twisty, razer sharp plots, this one's for you. @nikkismith_author
❤️❤️

It’s set in 1989 in a Spanish Villa owned by Ninas parent. The 6 friends go over for a 2 week holiday, but it will change them all. They did something that will haunt them forever.

Now they receive an email asking them to return to the villa, they are unsure why and who has sent it.

Great thriller that will keep you reading. Liked the twist at the end too, didn’t see that coming.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

Nikki Smith is a gem and writes phenomenal books. The Beach Party is one that I was instantly excited about and it has delivered on every level.

Mystery thriller, dual timeline, gorgeous location and a group of friends- what’s not to love? I have been pulled in and unable to put this book down.

I love Smith’s writing style, it’s so easy to become lost in the pages. I have been gripped by this one. It moves at the perfect pace with twists which keep you guessing.

I love how dark and intense this one goes. It’s definitely a trip I won’t be forgetting. I love the different loyalties among the group. This is definitely chilling and creepy. I have been completely pulled in.

I loved the short chapters which kept me reading more. The atmosphere prior to the accident has been fun and completely engaging. After, we go to the dark side.

I’ve loved delving into this one. It’s been everything I had hoped for and more. This is a book I have nothing negative to say about. It’s brilliant from beginning to end.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Oh my god this is one fantastic summer read! So many twists and turns. A really easy to read enjoyable book.

Told in the now and then which was back in 1989 as six friends head off on a graduation trip of drinking, partying and much debauchery.
As with all long term friendship groups there is much underlying friction and animosity amongst them and after what happened back then, they have a lot they want to keep hidden.

Nina was a horribly self centred character who had a very manipulative hold over the rest of them. Which makes the who and why, very intriguing. I was gripped until the end.

I love a novel with past and present timelines, also with groups of friends that are not the most likeable people so on paper this book had everything I love in it. I did enjoy the storyline and the central mystery, this is what kept me turning the pages. Unfortunately though I found it really difficult to tell the characters apart, it felt like one moment I was with one person and the next someone else but without it being clear the perspective had changed. This took me out of the story and it did detract from my enjoyment. Having said that I did read the whole book and I loved the storyline so I would pick up another book from the author.

I quite enjoyed this book! It wasn't what I initially expected, and the dual timelines did throw me off slightly as I wasn't prepared for them. The twists and turns where interesting, and I would definitely read more of this authors work!

It’s 1989 and at the end of university 6 ‘friends’ travel to Mallorca to have one last summer of fun, but after one particularly debaucherous night the fun stops ….

This was a decent destination thriller but for me the format was a bit confusing, while the ‘now’ storyline moved from just one POV to another, the ‘then’ parts had all six of the mostly unlikeable characters mixed together meaning I sometimes lost track of who was who 🤷‍♀️

I absolutely loved this book, full of surprises and emotions.
The writing was great and it kept me on the edge when wanting to know more about the characters and their relationships.
I would love to read more from Nikki and I throughly enjoyed the story!

A new author for me so I was intrigued by the story and hoped I would like the book. I was pulled in by the first few chapters but it did feel it to be slow in parts. I liked the tension and overall liked the thriller.
3 stars

What a brilliant thriller, full of twists & surprises in the stunning location of Mallorca.
A fantastic plot full of secrets, lies, deception and shady characters.

This read really takes a hard look at toxic friendships and the lasting impact they can have.
I devoured this book in one sitting.

A slow start but picked up pace and became an interesting thriller. Good story but alternating perspectives and timeline make it a wee bit tricky to follow who was who. Overall a good holiday read!

Well I could hardly spend a fortnight in Mallorca without reading the thriller set there that just happened to be on my kindle.

And it certainly is twisted, I was never completely sure who I could believe.

We a treated to predominately the story of over 30 years ago in 1989 when a group of friends went on an end of uni trip to Mallorca, and what happeend especially on the night things didn't quite go according to plan.

I was never fully sure of the groups dynamics, but what was quite clear is that there was one leader and that they had everyone under their thumb,.

It's shocking how fast just basic human decency disappears when your sole motivation is to protect yoursel all all costs.

I absolutely loved the ending, it was exactly what various characters needed.

A highly enjoyable thriller with a hot and sunny backdrop.

Thank you to Viking and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin General UK - Fig Tree, Hamish Hamilton, Viking, Penguin Life, Penguin Business, Viking publishers for the ARC. This is the first book that I read by Nikki Smith. It was quite a tedious read for me... Some of the flashbacks I found long, repetitive, and honestly, boring. They didn't add much to the story, and didn't drive the plot. The end was good, and I did enjoy the way it wrapped up the story.

The book caught my attention as soon as I saw it in its proof state. Finally, I’ve had the time to review it. Certain other life things took me away from my blog for a bit. The book is available now! Thanks Viking Books for an e-book copy.

Roll back the years to the 1980’s. Mallorca is one of the places to be to party hard with loud tunes and the brightest ever beachwear.  Get ready to holiday with sun, sea and sand, with full-on nostalgia, “yuppies” and even some tech is in here with some early computer games.

The fun doesn’t last on this holiday. The party on a yacht is not only full tunes, but also fuelled by drugs and alcohol consumption. In short, sharp chapters, you see tragedy strike. What started off as a post-graduate party of excess and much debauchery becomes an intriguing, sit-on-the-edge-of-you-seat, psychological thriller. It turns out the place is quickly washed with secrets.

The book easily sweeps you away into its aura and mystique and takes you into some dark places.

Very good book. Get ready for a pulse-racing experience as you navigate through this gripping thriller, where the tension is so thick you can practically feel it in the air.

Such a fun thriller. I have a blast throughout reading this and had no idea how it would end!!! Loved!!

I was looking forward to this one, as it has the vibe of an Ellery Lloyd book about it. Unfortunately, while it was competently written and there was nothing at all wrong with the style of the book, it had:

= Alternating perspectives - fine if you can remember who the characters are, but I couldn't
- Shifting timelines - ditto
- Unlikeable characters, or at any rate, characters I couldn't connect with
- A slow start

Three of these might have been manageable, but four meant it made it onto my DNF pile. I'm sure lots of people will enjoy this, it's just the combination of the above meant that it wasn't for me.

I haven’t read anything from this author before but I’m glad I read this one as I found it to be a highly enjoyable read. I felt the tension start to increase when I was a couple of chapters in and it quickly took some turns that had me questioning what was going on in this group of toxic friends. With secrets, lies and blackmail filling the pages this is one of those classic thriller that keeps you glued to the pages needing to figure out what’s going on, and what exactly is going to happen as you near the ending.

This was a quick and wonderful read for me. Highly recommend.

Thank you to @vikingbooksuk for sending me a proof of this one and having me on the blog tour.