You can't go wrong with a John Marrs book.

Death, murder, relationships, kidnapping, peeping tom, sex and a whole lot of intrigue. Love!

"The Vacation" by John Marrs is a gripping and ingenious thriller that masterfully explores the consequences of a technological experiment gone awry. The novel weaves together the fates of multiple characters who share a connection to a unique vacation experience. Marrs' storytelling is taut, filled with unexpected twists and ethical dilemmas. As suspense builds, the narrative skillfully navigates themes of morality, privacy, and the impact of advancing technology on human lives. "The Vacation" is a rollercoaster of tension and intrigue, showcasing Marrs' ability to craft a thought-provoking thriller that raises questions about the potential dangers lurking in the age of innovation.

Thank you to Hanover Square Press and NetGalley for the latest John Marrs thriller.

Usually I’m a big Marrs fan, but I’ll get it off my chest right away…. I couldn’t finish it, DNF. IM SORRY. I couldn’t get into it, I found it lacking excitingness and pizzazz especially for a thriller. There were so many characters, and most of them I honestly just couldn’t care about. Just meh.

1/5 ⭐️

This book starts slow with about 8 different characters who all end up at the same hostel in Venice. The first 60% of this book had the storylines being told at various junctures to points where it was hard to keep track of. It wasn’t until the last third of the book that the storyline became super clear and began to mesh all together. Once they did it was great. You have just have to really keep trudging to get to that point. I love many of John Marrs books so this was a bit of a disappointment for me.

This was the book that made me discover John Marrs and his gripping and twisty thriller.
The author is a talented storyteller, the multiple POVs never made me feel confused and they added layers to the plot.
I was on the edge, was on a one-more-chapter-trip and had to read till the end because I wanted to know the solution
John Marrs is talanted storyteller and this book is an exercise in great plot and character development, a gripping and entertaining story.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to Hanover Square Press for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This book was twisty and kept me engaged.

This was the first John Marrs book that I have read, and I am now adding all of his previous books to my list to read.

The book is about 8 strangers staying in a hostel in Venice Beach, all running from someone and all with something to hide. I really enjoyed how the story was told in the present and through flashbacks. I was worried at first with so many characters, but Marrs does a fantastic job distinguishing them and I had no issues.

I absolutely loved the character development.

Although I didn't have a hard time keeping the characters straight, I felt that we could have done with a few less of them.

This one was a super slow burn and took forever for the whole picture to come into view. The first 50% of the book felt extremely disjointed and hard to follow. I’m glad I finished it as the ending did have some redeeming parts, but overall I was fairly confused and bored.

Exploring the intertwining timelines, from present to past, added depth to the narrative, unraveling the secrets and motives of each character. The multifaceted personalities made the journey of delving into their lives truly enriching.

The Vacation is about a full cast of characters who have made a Venice Beach hostel their temporary home. But most of these travelers are hiding some secrets or running from something.

I think only a writer as skilled as John Marrs could make a book with this many storylines, this many characters, and this many twists work. At times, this book took the drama a little far, but I was continuously along for the ride. This book was nonstop action and constant surprises (for better or worse).

A skillful weaving of many plot lines and characters. Normally this many storylines and time leaps would be difficult to keep up with but Marrs does a masterful job in developing each character and relaying their past and present to the reader, making you hopeful that each of them will find what they are searching for.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Vacation - thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC.

I absolutely loved this book. The storytelling of the journeys each character went through was captivating. Through various walks of life, Marrs shows us the dark side of human nature exploiting the dynamics of the predator and the prey mentality. The wittiness and the commentary of the narrator provide subtle comic relief while building the character development.

A journey of friends and strangers trying to escape their pasts and recreate themselves in a new place. I wanted to hear more about what happened to Savannah. I was anticipating her father to pop up from the back seat after she kicked Michael out of the car.

This was my first John Marrs book, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t impressed!

For the first maybe 20%, I had no idea what was going on and felt like characters were just being thrown at me left and right, but then things very quickly settled into a nice groove and I went from trying to keep up with characters to being eager to learn more about them, where they came from, why they’re there, and most importantly, what they’re hiding.

I enjoyed the back and forth between present day, and the past in order to get the full picture of everyone’s secrets and what they’re running from. So many of the characters were multifaceted, interesting individuals who were so much more than met the eye. Really digging in and getting to see all of them was a great experience!

The shocking, juicy revelations and twists were ABUNDANT, some of them heartbreaking. These are not characters who have had a happy go lucky life and are traveling for the joy of it. Almost everyone is running from something, or should be, and watching as their stories intertwine over and over, and then unravel again as we learn everything left me breathless in both anticipation and surprise.

Upon finishing, I can see why John Marrs remains at the pinnacle of psychological thrillers. This was a very well done, amazingly executed story that left me wanting more of his work. I love that he revisited this to edit and rerelease, and am so glad I finally picked up one of his books after meaning to for so long!

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and the author for this ARC.
Publication date 12/19/23

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of The Vacation by John Marrs.

I really loved the concept of this one. I liked that the author didn't really throw me a big twist at the very end, but scattered them throughout the book. A fun ride

"People are like the tide. Some come into your like and bring thins you'll need for short time, and others will bring thins you'll carry forever. But some are destined to disappear beneath the waves" - Jake

There's a hostel in Venice Beach where backpackers come through on their journeys. Tommy has been there for a few months; Nicole is coming through with her friend Eric; Ruth came from Australia for a cheap place to stay; Matty and Declan stopped through while traveling the world; Savannah is living there after running away from home; Jake is just going with the flow wherever life may lead him at this point; Ron owns the hostel. Each of them is carrying a secret. What are they running from and where will they go next?

I really enjoyed this read. Throughout this book you read from every characters view but it flows so well! It wasn't really a thriller for me but there were some twists that I didn't put together especially the one at the end.

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and author for my ARC!

I love John Marrs and have read all of his previous books, however I just could not get into this one. It’s got great reviews, so I’m not sure what was going on but I can’t fairly comment as I only read 32%.

The vacation had a great premise, but there were way too many characters and time jumps to keep everything straight. Marrs writes short chapters that clearly label the timeframe of the story which makes reading this novel quick.

This thriller focuses on the stories of eight people staying at a run down hostel in California. We learn about the lives of the characters and what brought them to stay at the hostel. At first, the many intersecting stories are hard to keep track of, but by the middle of the book I was able to distinguish each of the characters. With a plot that keeps you guessing and relatable characters, I would recommend this book.

This is a rerelease of Marrs’s 2015 thriller Welcome to Wherever You Are in which 8 strangers from all over stay in a Venice Beach hostel. Eight characters is a lot to keep up with so you have to pay attention from the jump but there are several good twists along the way. I really enjoyed this one. I’m glad it’s getting a new life.

When I first started reading this book, I was very disappointed. There are a lot of characters, and it was very hard to follow and understand. However, knowing that John Marrs wrote this book I kept pushing myself to continue the read and not give up. Man am I glad I did! This book is a very intricate weaving of a group of people who are traveling the world looking for something(and or running away from something) and cross paths in a hostile in Venice Beach CA.
This seemingly boring story ended up taking me for quiet the wild ride filled with twist and turns. Thank You Netgalley and the publishers for the ACR. #NetGalley #TheVaction #JohnMarrs