Eight strangers at a beach front hostel, all with secrets they'd kill to keep. I love the different story lines and how some of them came together. Not all the stories were tied up with a ribbon at the end and I liked that too. John Marrs is fast becoming a major staple in my reading life!

LOVE! John Marrs is where it is at! I am a huge Marrs fan and can not tell you a book of his that I do not like! THis one was written with such detail that I felt like I knew all of the characters. The twist, the turns, the thrills~! Thank you John for another great read!

I love John Marrs' writing style and unique stories. The Vacation is a fast-paced tale of 8 strangers staying at a beachside hostel in California. It took a little bit to separate each of the backstories, but around the halfway point, things started to come together. The characters are well-written, with multi-layered personalities and lots of secrets. Each has come to the hostel looking for something...an escape, a place to hide, or a place to find revenge. The ending is a rush of actions as motives are unveiled and connections are made. I highly recommend this one, especially in a physical format so that the reader can flip back and forth to keep the details of each character at hand.

Really enjoyed this book. Really like this author. In the authors note at the end he said this is a rewrite so I would be curious to read the original. Great book if you like multiple POV’s and short chapters. All the chapters seem to end in a cliffhanger and then jump to the next person so it keeps you reading

Love the setting and concept of this story. Takes time to learn and recall all of the characters; but once figured out- the plot twists keep you invested.

As might be expected in a novel set in a hostel, there are a lot of characters and multiple storylines. The characters are a pretty varied lot, arriving in Venice Beach from all over the world. All of them have secrets or trauma in their pasts…and once these secrets start to come out things get hot! I didn’t expect quite so many characters to die, even given the fact that most of these travelers arrived at this hostel escaping from criminal pasts or other misdeeds. I liked this book but it took me a long time to get through it. I prefer a smaller cast of characters and a more focused plot, and I felt that the ending came together a bit too neatly. But there are a lot of interesting stories to encounter along the way. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

I love this author and was excited to pick up this book. I didn’t realize it was actually a rerelease of an earlier book Welcome to Wherever You Are”. This was not a typical Maars book as it wasn’t as disturbing as his books usually are. I found this book had a lot of characters to keep track of, in fact, too many for me to keep track of making it hard to follow. If you like a book with twists and turns, characters with stories of their own that eventually all come together, then this book is for you. If you’ve come to love this author, know that this book is not typical of his other books.

Thank you to the publisher for a fee Netgalley.

I love Marrs' books. I have read many of them, and usually devour them. This one however is not doing it for me at all. I find the intertwining of past and present to be annoying especially with such short chapters. There are also a ton of characters and to be honest, I just don't care what happens to them. I never really like Marrs' characters, as he is a genius at writing unlikable characters that you still read to find out what happened. But not these ones. I prefer Marrs' sci-fi thrillers myself.

The Vacation follows a large cast of characters during their stay in a Venice Beach hostel. The secrets of their lives and how they came to the hostel are revealed through alternating viewpoints.
Like other offerings from John Marrs this is a fast-paced read with short chapters and plenty of twists. I LOVED The One and had high hopes for this one, but it wasn't my favorite. There are a lot of characters, almost too many to keep track of. It may have been better to have fewer characters with better development. I didn't find any of the characters endearing and some of their storylines were almost boring.
Overall this was a quick and easy read, it wasn't my favorite but I don't regret picking it up. Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I really wanted to like this book, I loved The One and Passengers, but it never really hooked me. I thought it was too long and keeping the eight different characters separate was confusing at times. The storylines of the characters themselves were interesting, and I felt like focusing on fewer of them would have led to a better outcome. I did appreciate the short chapters and cliff-hangers, those kept me reading multiple times after I told myself I would stop. Overall, this book may be worth the read if you are someone who can keep many different characters separate and like differing POVS but connecting storylines.

As the book drew closer to the end, I found myself reading faster to find out how all these characters were connected. However, I was disappointed overall by the ending. There were also eight main characters, which was a lot to try to follow. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

John Marrs doesn’t miss! I really enjoyed this book and the atmospheric setting. I was invested in a handful of the characters and loved the way the story flowed! I need more JM books in my near future.

Within the pages of this book, I found a rich tapestry of characters and a narrative that dared to be different. The character development was truly outstanding, each character possessing a depth that made them feel incredibly real. Despite occasional moments of confusion, likely due to my own tiredness, I appreciated the author's bold creativity.

The intricate plot, while challenging, revealed the author's willingness to explore new avenues in storytelling. It was a puzzle, a maze of twists and turns that demanded my attention and engagement. While it tested my comprehension, it also kept me intrigued, pushing the boundaries of my literary experience.

In the end, this book stands as a testament to the power of unique storytelling. It might not have offered an easy, straightforward read, but it certainly left a lasting impression. For those who enjoy a challenge and seek something different in their reading, this book is a worthy exploration of complex characters and innovative storytelling.

The Vacation by John Marrs is a suspense involving multiple (read: too many) characters from across the world who are staying at a hostel-cum-drug-growing-operation in Venice Beach, CA. They're all kinda loathesome, they've all done awful things, and you will never ever like a single one of them. There was too much going on, and despite that, the book didn't feeling like it was "moving" until the last 25%. What goes around comes around for a fairly satisfying ending, but I wouldn't recommend this particular book when there are so many thriller-type books available as part of the huge trend.

I'm becoming a big fan of John Marrs. We just read The Marriage Act for our book club and I devoured it. I was eager to start The Vacation and was expecting a similar vibe. Note to self: don't go into books with expectations. I only say this to say that I thought I was going to have one reading experience and I had another one. One that I enjoyed. Little did I know that The Vacation is a revised and revisited version of the author's first self published novel. His. First. Novel. There are so many elements of his more current work that I love and I really got a sense of his development as an author.

The novel involves the exploits of a group of people living in a hostel in Venice Beach, CA. Who knew there was a hostel in Venice Beach? There is. This is a fictionalized version of that. I got big Melrose Place vibes with less soap opera and more intrigue. There is a lot of heart in the novel. Quirky characters. No big huge twist, but small little reveals sprinkled throughout (Oh, Ruth, poor dear). Dual timelines that help flesh out the reason why many of the characters ended up at the hostel. Very character driven.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hanover Square Press for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. The novel will be published December 19, 2023. Definitely check it out, especially if you are a fan of the author and want to explore his earlier work.

John Marrs can do no wrong in my eyes. I was so excited to have the opportunity to read this ARC. A group of strangers met while staying at a hostel in Venice Beach. They are all running from something and have things to hide. Love how this played out. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to reach this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Super slow to get into...I tried it four times and had to force myself to finish. There were some parts that were really good, but overall, it sounds like someone different wrote it as it was so different from his newer releases.

The book follows 8 separate main characters with their stories and their secrets staying at a hostel in Venice Beach. The mixing of current story and each characters back story got a little rigorous sometimes but overall I enjoyed the book.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Vacation by John Marrs.

Gosh, I love books like this. One place, a hostel in LA, the characters, all sorts of (mostly) young folks, and all of them carrying heavy secrets. This is an onion that will unpeel slowly with every chapter, and it might actually make you cry a bit too.

I thought that this was so clever, well paced, and full of juicy drama. My only issues with is was it's cavalier take on sexual assault. I don't think the author meant to act flippant about it, but I do believe that it should have been handled more carefully, or honestly not at all, it wasn't pertinent to the story.

I am a huge fan of John Marrs books so was super excited to read this one. Unfortunately this one was a little bit of a disappointment for me. It was all over the place and I just couldn't connect with it. My ratings for John Marrs books are always 4 or 5 stars but this one I actually rounded up to a 3. I hope you enjoy it more than I did but curious to see what John Marrs fans think