This is my first experience with John Marrs and I’m happy to report it was a good one! I will definitely be checking out some of his other books after reading this one. I loved the hostel setting. It gave me the same creepy atmosphere as the Hostel movies did. There are a lot of players in this story and it does take some time to really familiarize yourself with each of them. It’s a very character-driven novel. If you like a thriller where everyone has secrets and no one is who they seem on the outside, then this is the one for you! You will empathize with them no matter how terrible they are at times. It’s a wild ride with shocking twists and deep connections. It will keep you guessing - just when you think you have one of the plot lines figured out, Marrs throws you for another loop. This is one of those exciting, fast-paced, escapist thrillers that I love. Highly recommend it!

Thank you, NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this advanced copy.

This was the first book I've read by John, and I enjoyed it.
I really liked the characters and was excited to see how everything connected but at times I found the amount of characters hard to keep track of. In the end, everything did wrap up nicely.
I thought the dystopian vibes were done well and it was the perfect amount of creepy.

I love the idea of book and using both Venice Beach and a hostel as the setting works so well to create an intricate web. That being said, there are a lot of characters to try to track and while each one seems authentic, none seem fully developed to the point where I am invested. The Vacation is a quick read, but one that could easily be put down.

This book had SO many characters and SO many storylines that I wondered if I would be able to keep them all straight and figure out the connections. What ended up happening is that I wanted to keep reading to know what happened to everyone, and I could not put the book down. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you, NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC.

Unfortunately, The Vacation by John Marrs was... a lot more like work for me. I loved Marss's near-future dystopian The One but could not find a point of entry to this novel. With the exception of a few really lovely moments, the characters felt thin and two-dimensional and the dialogue came off as unreal and overly expository.

The plot, which was peppered with trademark-Marss "last-line cliffhangers" throughout, was interesting enough that I was compelled to finish but, after having reached the end, realized I didn't really care.

I would recommend this book to certain readers but it didn't fully work for me. 2 Stars.

A thrilling book that keeps you turning the pages until the shocking ending. Full of twists and turns and shocks. Brilliant!

So I like John Marrs a lot and his near dystopian spot on realness.

This was a novel he wrote years ago and is now being re released, I would guess based on his popularity. It is different than his other novels I have read, in that it is not a dystopian. It is however, another page turner, with lots of twists and turns and was a very fun and quick read.
3.5

This is my first John Marrs novel and it will not be my last! Thank you NetGalley for an ARC copy of the re-release due out in December. I enjoyed every page of this one! There were quite a few characters to keep track of, as well as several storylines going on at once, but John Marrs was able to intertwine them in unexpected ways. I fell in love with most of the Hostel characters and loathed some of the “in the margin” characters. Those characters were always there, looming over you, waiting to pop up unexpectedly. Because of this it grabbed my attention immediately and I did not want to stop reading it! I look forward to reading another John Marrs book soon! 5 ⭐️!

Well, go an unpack your bag, because this vacation will require you to take another one! The twists take a while to come, much like waiting on your drink order at a very busy pool. But the wait is worth it for some! I highly recommend packing this in your bag to take with you on any future summer trip because this book will give you many different mini plots all wrapped up together by the end!

The Vacation
by John Marrs
Pub Date: 19 Dec 2023
Fun thriller that will leave you wanting to experience hostel life for yourself...just pray you don't have any of the baggage these characters have.
After a tragedy that changes his life, Tommy and his best mate, hop a plane and head out on a cross-country adventure in America. Separated from his friend, Tommy has been at the hostel in L. A. for a few months. He's run out of money so he took a job running the front desk, checking in guests from around the world. Some guests need a place to rest for the night while passing through, while others need a place to hunker down and hide from life for a while.
They all have their stories. Many of them may find answers they didn't know they were looking for, while others may end up dead or worse.
There are ots of characters to keep straight, but Marrs seamlessly weaves them together throughout the story while building a narrative that leaves you wanting more with each chapter.
#johnmarrs
#thevacation
#netgalley

“The Vacation” by John Marrs is a misnamed book. This isn’t about a Vacation … or a Holiday (as I call them). It’s basically about a number of people all going to the same location, having their lives continue while in that location, and then going about their lives after leaving the location. However, interesting pasts collide with the time these people are in the location - making for interesting backgrounds to said people. Granted - I’ve never stayed in a hostel, but hearing from those who have - it’s rather interesting getting to know your fellow travelers. And that’s what happens in this book. It took a while for me to figure out who was who - and what their stories were - and how they all clicked. I found myself enjoying a number of the individuals’ stories quite a bit. Ruth’s surprised me. Matty and Declan’s was also surprising, but touchingly so. Savannah was, in the end, a rather resourceful person. Nicole and Eric were a wild ride. Tommy, Ron, and the handyman all had their own stories intertwined - making a rather good rounding out for the book. I will admit to preferring Mr. Marrs’s technological books (“The One”) more, but this was a different change of pace for me. Enjoyable short chapters, though there were a number of characters to keep track of through the story. Most of the story is told in present tense, but there’s some revisiting the past helping to fill in storylines and histories which helped a lot.

I loved this book. Many characters and plot lines, all within one hostel. I loved how everything tied together in the end.

The Vacation by John Marrs Not a dream vacation to be sure. A slow burn story told with multiple POVs of dubious characters and deviously subtle twists and turns. Interesting read.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

So I just figured out this is a rewrite! Somewhere about 75% of the way through the long lost back of my mind started to tingle. I felt like I’d read this before…but that would be impossible….so thank goodness I’m not going crazy haha!

Anyways, I enjoyed this book and all of its twisty, both happy and sad endings. It didn’t feel like the traditional thriller style that he normally writes, but it kept me engaged throughout. Sometimes there was a lot to unpack and follow with all the integrated story lines but they all wrapped up nicely. Overall, an enjoyable read.

The Vacation is a multi-narrative in which each character is well flushed out and I came to care for each one. Going the distance between unlikable to likeable each character reveals that they are not who they seem to be.

There is a difference between travelers and vacationers and these characters generally fit into the first category. They all intersect at a run down hostel.

From killer to caretakers they drive this book quickly and I could not put it down.

I almost didn't request this book because of the cover. I don't think blue goes well for a thriller. I like John Mars books - I was excited to pick this one up but it was bad. 5 characters POV with alternating timelines was beyond confusing. Nothing even happened at the hostel - 70% of the book was the characters pasts and secrets which were so dull. 400 pages of no drama, character growth, or thrills.

This was definitely a fun read and my second book from John Marrs. The book was a little slow at times but then picked up in other places.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

4 stars

This was a bit more of a slow burn than I was expecting, however it was worth it. I loved the way this was written and the twists were perfectly paced.
Definitely going to look into more books by Marrs

Interesting and fun to binge, but a bit too slow at times. I liked the ending a lot, it was a worthwhile read for sure. Fans of the author won't be disappointed.

Thanks @netgalley for read number 76 of 2023. @johnmarrs.author is one of my favourite authors, and I really enjoyed this fast-paced read. I knew very little about this book before I started it, and at first, I wasn’t sure where things were going. Well, the twists kept coming. You do need to keep track of many different characters, but it’s worth it. A little love and a whole lot of mystery/suspense, with a few very sad moments sprinkled in. A ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read in my books!