I had to put this book down several times. Not because it was bad or I wasn’t enjoying it. Quite the opposite. I put it down several times because it had me full of angst and agitation and that is a sign of good writing.

Dani and Jo go on holiday and Jo becomes ill. They're in a foreign country (Spain), speak little of the language and are frightened about what’s wrong with Jo.

No spoilers here but this storytelling will have you wondering who are the good guys and who survives to the end. The characters are well drawn and credible. I say credible in the sense of the narrative flow and the characters reactions. But then at the end I read that Ms Purdy had based her fictional book on a real case and that added a whole new layer of depth.

A good read and I will seek out other books by this author.

I was given a copy of the book by Netgalley

Foreign country, illness, ambulance, hospital, you are getting the help you need, what could go wrong? Dani Papineau, musician, in love with her partner of 15 years is ready for a vacation. Josefina Gasperi, works in the area of immigration, workaholic, in love with her partner of 15 years and was selected to be the keynote speaker at an international conference. Dani thought she would go along and after the conference, she and Jo would vacation together. Perfect! And, this is where the exciting yet unsettling adventure begins. Jo feels pain in her chest and it is quickly agreed that she needs to go to the hospital. Upon arrival, both women get the sense that there is something not quite right about this hospital but Jo needs help and so they decide to stay. Soon with assistance from others (some good and some not so good) and their own gumption, they work to get out as well as figure out what the heck is going on. Exciting as well as entertaining read.

Brilliant!

Paradise Pending is Kris Purdy's debut book. I’ve never come across a book like this, I’m not going to go into details but this book was so unusual but yet I can believe no one else has written something similar. Quite a bit of angst and I wouldn’t read this just before you go on holiday if you are easily scared.

All in all… a good bloody book and I can't wait for future realises by Kris Purdy… another new author to add to the list.

4 stars.

One of my personal fears is to be in another country and an emergency situation happen where I then have to figure out how to get proper care. Well this is what happens to Jo when she feels like she is having a heart attack while on vacation. Her partner Dani reaches calls for help and that’s when things start to get weird. They get to a private hospital though it looks like there are no patients or really even staff for that matter. It takes forever for Jo to get any help and she never sees an actual doctor. While Jo continues to feel worse Dani sees so many red flags and wants to get her out of there but they have Jo’s passport and will not physically let her leave. They are stuck and have no clue who to trust in this country. I love how big the build up and all the clues dropped throughout some very obvious but many subtle. Great job on this first novel!

I'm sorry I could not get passed 20%. This was just too much of a nightmare for me. I'm assuming this is every travelers concern....getting sick in a foreign country where you dont speak the language, dont know what's wrong with you. The hospital is strange, the staff stranger, no doctor in sight and you can't leave. Nope, too much of a nightmare for my reading choice.
I was given this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Slow start, but eventually a gripping thriller

/Paradise Pending/ is hard to get into, but once it gets going, it's very good. The main characters are Dani and Jo. Dani and Jo are a couple -- they live together in Toronto. Jo heads a non-governmental organization (NGO) that does something or other that was probably explained but which I have now forgotten -- helps refugees, I think. As a result of the success of her NGO she was invited to give a keynote speech at an International Conference in Cadiz. Dani, a musician, persuades a reluctant Jo to accept the invitation and to spend an extra week in Cadiz for a vacation both of them badly need. Cadiz, in Dani's view, is Paradise, hence the title.

The story, which is told in the third person from Dani's point of view, begins on the evening of the last day of Jo's conference, which was meant to be the start of Dani and Jo's vacation. To Dani's displeasure, however, Jo accepted a dinner invitation for the both of them from a man called Eddie Muñoz to discuss possible funding for her NGO. Eddie hosts the dinner at a very nice restaurant. After dinner they return to their hotel, whence, as the blurb describes, "Jo is taken to a private hospital with chest pains". She is diagnosed as having suffered a heart attack. But, there is something very fishy about this hospital. There is almost no staff or equipment, and they don't take care of Jo. Dani and Jo are unhappy and confused.

To be honest, "unhappy and confused" would be a not inaccurate description of my state of mind as I read the first third of the novel. It is not, in the beginning, a thriller so much as a confuser. Dani doesn't understand what's going on, and since the reader is in Dani's head, nothing really made much sense to me. I found myself thinking, "Could we get this plot on the road? How about a reveal or two, to let us know where this is all heading?" The reveal eventually came at the 35% mark, one word in Spanish <spoiler>riñon</spoiler>.

By the way, if you don't read Spanish, you should know that there is a LOT of Spanish in /Paradise Pending/. Dani is fluent in Spanish and usually but not always translates for the reader. I don't think she ever leaves untranslated anything that is important to the plot, but it will still occasionally be annoying to readers who don't understand. That word I just mentioned that gives the first hint of what's going on is not translated immediately, since Dani doesn't recognize it, but she does find out (and you, too) within a couple of pages.

From this point on /Paradise Pending/ is a joy. It's a fun story, tense and adrenaline and action-packed. One thing I particularly liked is that Dani and Jo don't turn into action heroes from a Tom Cruise movie. They are brave and clever and they love each other very much (this is relevant because it means each one will do whatever is necessary to save the other from danger). However, they are not trained law-enforcement officers, and they occasionally make what in retrospect turn out to be dumb mistakes, get caught in traps, etc. That they did felt entirely real to me, and made them more authentically what they are represented to be.

We get a satisfying resolution -- that's as specific as I'm going to be.

I thank NetGalley amd Bella Books for an advance reader copy of /Paradise Pending/. This review expresses my honest opinions. To be released 21-Feb-2023.

I started reading this, and honestly it gave me insane anxiety and panic! Which is absolutely a testament to the writing!

But I definitely was not expecting my own reaction. Apparently I have some medical trauma that got triggered here, which I wasn't even fully aware of? So maybe just a slight word of warning if that is something that is triggering for you. I just had to take a break from reading, because it felt so intense!
It's strange for sure, when I can read about murderers, morally grey characters, toxic situations and relationships - yet this is the one that did me in? lol!

It's really very frantic and thrilling, but with so much mystery and confusion, you really feel like you're along with the characters for the ride. I would have liked a bit more backstory and connection for the characters, since they are married, and also more emotion from both of them. But that would be my only criticism.

It leaves off where there could be a sequel, but I'm not sure I could handle it! I would recommend it if you're into intense psycho-drama thrillers with mystery and intrigue!

After fifteen years of never having a real vacation, Dani convinces her partner Jo to accept a speaking engagement at a conference in Spain. They would then tag on a week of pure vacation. On the first night of their holiday Jo becomes unexpectedly ill and is taken to a private hospital. This hospital is unlike any other that they have visited. As Dani goes in search of a doctor she finds the facility eerily quiet and with no staffing. When the hospital informs Jo that she requires an invasive procedure and will not take no for an answer, Dani starts looking for a way out as their first attempt to leave was thwarted.

Paradise Pending is an exciting adventure where we are not quite sure who or why Dani and Jo are being chased nor who they can trust with their lives. The story is loosely based on actual events which adds realism to the characters and their actions. No hidden talents or super cool powers, just two women working to get out of a situation not of their making.

As a debut novelist, Kris Purdy shows that she can write. Her characters are fully evolved in a plot that is strategically developed. There are a couple of minor bumps in the storytelling but nothing which impacts the total enjoyment for long. The beginning is a bit slow but does not stay there long and there is a touch of repetition in the middle section.

All in all, a fun read from an author I hope to see more of in the future.

I received an advance review copy from Bella Books through NetGalley. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

This was a good read. Jo and Dani are already an establish couple in which we didn’t go through the journey of watching them fall in love. Jo and Dani are in much needed vacation Jo promise just one week for work the rest of their vacation is them exploring and relaxing but when Jo feels she having a heart attack they rush to hospital only to learn something is going on at the private hospital and Dani is determined to get Jo out of there when they escape with help they learn what’s going and decides to take down the shady hospital even when it’s hard to know who trusts I love when Tomas and company said Jo may have been shady criminals salvation but Jo saying no I’m going to be there downfall.

Wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the synopsis of this story but I found it quite engrossing. I see it is based on something that actually happened although I don’t how much (if any) may have been embellished. I can believe this or something similar could happen. (I have a very cynical view of the human race in general.) With the way the story finished there could easily be a sequel if the author so wished. I would read it.