2.5 stars

There are many times when what you suspect may just be true. Our ability to tap into our sixth sense, is scary at times and at others it is infuriating and leads us into territory we don't really want to be in.

Nicola and her husband Ryan, and daughter are anxious to get away so when an invite comes from their wealthy friends, Kim and Lewis and their son, to come to their luxurious cabin they accept. Nicola and Kim have been friends for quite some time, but Nicola suspects something is not quite right with Kim. Add to that the marriage between Nicola and Ryan is on shaky ground so this getaway might be just the answer the need to fix their union.

The get together is not at all as they think it will be as the husbands are seemingly unhappy and not in the holiday mood. It seems like the whole thing is headed for disaster, but little do they suspect what this disaster will spell for the couples.

Nicola learns more of the secret she fears, with one bombshell after another and the surprises come bounding into this story. One gets the feeling that someone will die, but who is that someone is the question?

I have liked Daniel Hurst's stories as they always tell a straight tale with lots of twists and surprising moments. However, this one left me disappointed as it had story holes, lacked Hurst's predictable tension, and just did not fall into the thriller category for me. It's a fast read, one with short chapters that leave the reader with an anticipation of what will come next. However, it just wasn't enough pizazz to make this as exciting as some of his other stories have been.

I didn't think this was Hurst's best effort, but certainly one that was easy to read and see where trouble was quickly brewing.
Jan and I read this one, both disappointed as we easily pointed out the plot holes and questionable outcomes. We are becoming excellent detectives!

Thank you to Daniel Hurst, Bookouture and NetGalley for a copy of this story due out March 1, 2023.

I did listen to this tale courtesy of Bookouture Audio, Narrated by Zoe Mills, Richard Burnip

A slow burner with a brilliant finish. As an audiobook this was so enjoyable. Loved the narrator (make sure you listen to the end of the epilogue!)

Tense at times but a relatable pace. Written so well that you can easily visualise the characters right down to their style kg clothing.

Will definitely read more books from this author ☺️

I have a complicated relationship with thrillers. It's a genre I enjoy, but I also am almost always let down because the plots are obvious, rely to heavy on a last minute "gotcha!", or just feel kind of lame. I expected The Holiday Home to be at least an easy book to escape into, and I guess that was largely true since I listened to it all in a day, but I also found it laughable and frustrating.

The basic plot: two couples and their kids go on a long holiday weekend to a vacation home in Scotland. Drama ensues. Within about 10 minutes of there being something mysterious introduced, I figured out that mystery, but since it was revealed at the 30% mark, I decided this wasn't too bad. However, there were so many weird plot problems in this book that I wonder how it's apparently ready to be published.

First, Emily, the 11-year-old daughter of Nicola and Ryan, is written sometimes like she is, in fact, 11, and sometimes like she's 3. When she unexpectedly gets her first period, she's clueless as to what's happening and her mother quietly tells us that she should've had this conversation with Emily earlier. Of course she should have! This is more a personal pet peeve, though, so I'll let it slide. The other ridiculous scene with Emily happens when the tension is building and she goes off to occupy herself in the house, only to return holding a gun and asks, "Mommy, what's this?" I'm willing to acknowledge that gun control is very different in the UK than it is here in the US, but an ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD just... having no idea what a gun is? So she's never consumed any media in her life? Bonkers.

Then when a shooting does happen, the accomplices immediately move into deciding they'll pass it off as a suicide, despite the man having been shot in the chest. When one of them finally brings up that this is of concern, they immediately decide people can shoot themselves in the chest so it's fine. But is it? Really? No one thinks about how distance or angle or any of that plays a role and that these things could be easily investigated or uncovered? These people are idiots.

At a writing level, there were many inconsistencies as well, or at least just annoying things: the very unnecessary mic-drop foreshadowing that felt like filler at the end of chapters, the dumb little end game twist in the epilogue that didn't matter, and the weird emphasis on who is or is not being referred to as "Dad," the inconsistent time frames. Messy!!! Not a fan.

Two couples, Kim and Lewis and Nicola and Ryan, as well as their children, take a vacation together in a holiday house in Scotland. Six people leave together, but only five will be headed home. What possibly could have happened between the couples that would lead to a tragic loss of life?

In this book by Daniel Hurst, my first actually, I listened to it as an audiobook narrated by two fabulous voice actors, Zoë Mills and Richard Burnip. These narrators made this intriguing story truly compelling. With a story based on secrets and lies, the excellent narration made for an easy read.

With excellent pacing, the intensity in this story never once let up. As the characters all had drama in their lives, the longtime friendship between Kim and Nicola seemed inevitable that it would come to a sad ending. One thing that kept me listening straight through were the multiple viewpoints, thus leaving me as the reader more than curious to see how things would turn out.

This exciting story reminded me of a locked room thriller as the setting was in the Scottish mountains, with the characters being secluded while navigating what was happening between them. With drama until the very end, The Holiday Home was a fabulous read.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

This was an okay story. I liked the different narrators for each character’s view point. I liked the little twist at the end.

This was an OK listen, but I think I may have read and listened to too many others along these lines.

Nicola and her family gets invited by her best friend, to spend a weekend holiday at their cabin in Scotland. Everything is going peachy until Nicola sees a text between Ryan, her husband, and Kim her best friend. That one message begins the unraveling of secrets that have been kept hidden for years. Once the first secret is revealed it is just a rollercoaster. Waiting for something HUGE to happen.
The suspense in the story is definitely there and it is surprisingly refreshing. The pace of the book is good, and you are left wanting just a little bit more. The multiple POVs actually help with the story and adds to the suspense. It keeps you off track not sure what direction the story will go next.

Daniel Hurst does it again!

A cracking good story, plenty to get your head into and a few surprises along the way.
Really well narrated by both Zoe Mills and Richard Burnip. I'm already looking forward to another good book from this author.

I want to thank the author, NetGalley and Bookouture Audio
for providing me the opportunity to read this new book for my honest review.

I love the way Daniel Hurst writes his books in the present tense, while also portraying that the narrator already knows what's going to happen. Hindsight 20/20. This book was full of lies and deceit from multiple characters. Lots of twists and turns all the way to the epilogue. I really enjoyed the narration, there was alot of emotion captured through their voices. Great book!

Thank you to NetGalley, Daniel Hurst and Bookouture Audio for an advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

The Holiday Home is a fantastic thriller! It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time! And the ending was (chefs kiss). The family dynamics & tensions between the characters were really well developed. I also enjoyed the story being narrated from the different perspectives. Daniel Hurst does it again!

This was a fast paced, fun thriller to read. I loved the narrator and enjoyed listening to it. I have never read any other Daniel Hurst and now I want to read more PLUS I also want to go on a vacation despite what happened here!

Nicola’s best friend Kim invites her and her husband Ryan to their holiday home in Scotland. It’s a luxurious, heavenly retreat since finances are tight for Nicola and Ryan…til it turns into a nightmare. Is this truly a holiday or is something else at play?

I love atmospheric thrillers! This one delivered from the beginning - the isolated setting, secrets amongst friends that may mean more is going on than it seems. I was on edge from the first few pages. Thank you to Netgalley, Daniel Hurst and Bookouture for the ALC!

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

I love when there are multiple narrators for the male and female parts! It really helped me keep all the characters straight in my head. The story is about two families who always take trips together because the wives are best friends. Lots of secrets are discovered during this trip to the Scottish highlands and most were pretty predictable to me, but others may not guess what’s coming. It’s told from multiple characters points of view, many of which are unreliable narrators. If you’re into domestic/psychological thrillers you would probably enjoy this read!

This was going to be a standard 3-3.5 star Daniel Hurst thriller for me. They're always solid, have good twists and make me continue turning pages (listening) in a rush. The very end of this, unfortunately, dropped this to a 2.5 for me. I know Mr. Hurst likes to throw in a good shock at the end and usually they work. This one felt like it was purely for shock value and didn't sit right with me. I suppose if you take it and look back at how the character behaved it could skew the entire book but.....this just wasn't one I liked.

Aside from the ending this was (as I mentioned) a solid thriller. I figured what the "big" twist was right away. I won't ever be that person that says "HOW could someone not see that twist coming" because that was totally me when I got into thrillers, trusting characters said what they meant and meant what they said; but now, it is way easier to pick up on underlying meanings in character interactions and this one could be seen a mile away. Wow, I'm sounding very jaded in this review but I promise I liked the book! And, aside from the very last chapter/ shock, I liked how the ending played out as well.

I thought both narrators did a good job. They kept me interested in the story and I wanted to keep listening to see how everything would play out.

Rounding up to 3 stars because our man Daniel Hurst can write some thrilling moments; but as much as I wanted to love this story based on the synopsis... I just didn't.

Big thanks to Bookouture Audio & Daniel Hurst via Netgalley for the early copy to read and review.

The Holiday Home follows the story of two couples and their children who take a break away in remote Scotland. When Nicola overhears her husband and best friend talking about a shared secret, she knows that nothing will ever be the same again. The rest of the story leads to an explosive conclusion.

The book is well written and I enjoyed the storyline. I liked that it was told from multiple viewpoints as it helps me to get an insight into the characters and their thoughts.

I can't say that any of the characters are particularly likeable, except for the children! That being said, I was still invested in how it all ended.

My thanks to NetGalley and the Publishers for sending me this ARC in return for an honest review.

I’ve read several books by Daniel Hurst and enjoyed them but this one didn’t live up to the standard he usually has. I listened to the audiobook and the narrators were fine. I found this one to be predictable and a little boring.l- as a whole, I highly recommend this author, just not this particular book.

I really enjoyed this one!
Daniel Hurst is becoming one of my favourite authors. He has such a skill for gripping, twisty domestic thrillers!
The twist in this one didn't blow me away like some other Hurst books have. I figured it out pretty early.
I have listened to several of his audiobooks and I find them engaging and suspenseful. I did find the narrator's voice for Cole's chapters too old for the character though, he sounded like he was in his 40s and made me forget which character was speaking. Cole should have had a totally separate narrator in my opinion, and would have made it easier to follow and more believable.
That said, it was a fun and engaging book nonetheless.

Two families go on holiday together but it's not a happy getaway as secrets are reveled which will end in not everyone leaving the holiday home.
This was more a domestic drama than a pshcological thriller. I got the chance to listen to this on Audio and it was very easy to listen too short chapters and a fast pace. However there are a lot of books about with a similar sort of storyline and this one just didn't bring as much as others I have read.
Overall it was good but not a stand out for me.
Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to listen to this Arc.

This book is about two couples, infidelity and its consequences. I enjoyed the twists and turns but found the ending to be lacking. Overall it’s a good book I finished it in one day.

The Holiday Home was ok. It wasn't great. It wasn't as good as earlier Daniel Hurst books, but I listened to the end and was meh since I kinda did guess the ending. And folks I seriously never guess the end.

Now, here is my dilemma - this was an audio book with a male and female narrator. Neither was great and I felt the narration to be a major part of the problem of keeping my interest. And, as a general rule for a Netgalley audio - we, the listener, do not have as big a choice for narration speed as we do with a finished book from Audible or the Libby App. Pretty much I stick to the "normal" rate of speed on Netgalley, otherwise the book doesn't play as smoothly. So, maybe this would have been a more interesting listen had the flatness of the characters not been so present in my experience.

I love Hurst, however, and will be back for his next book.

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for allowing me to listen in advance of the 3/1/23 release date.