I really enjoy John Marrs work, but for me this missed the mark. I find his work to be incredibly intricate and well thought out but this book didn’t give me that.

I love me some John Marrs but was disappointed in this one. I understand it was a repackaging of a previously published work and it shows. I did not love it--I like his books set in our near future world much better than his one-off thrillers like this. A bit of a disappointment but it won't stop me from reading his books going forward! I am enjoying The Family Experiment right now--it just shows how much he grew as a writer!

Eight strangers end up in a hostel in Venice, CA. At first, you get a sense of each person's story - why they are traveling, where they are going, etc. but as your read further, some of the stories intersect in an interesting way. This is completely unbelievable, but it does make for some twists and turns that are enjoyable. It isn't my favorite book by John Marrs, but it's perfectly fine for a day at the beach.

3.5/5 Rounded Up

For me, The Vacation was a departure from John Marrs' norm, and while I liked the idea behind it, I didn't necessarily love the execution. My biggest issue with this one was that there was almost TOO much going on, and there were a lot of moving parts and characters to keep track of. It also had an extremely slow start and didn't pick up for me until I was already 3/4 of the way through the book. Listening to the audiobook helped with this but I wish the real action had started a bit sooner, and I think this could have been shorter than 450 pages. I'm also not entirely sure where the title comes into play here since none of these characters are on what I would call much of a vacation, although it is definitely a shift from their normal lives.

The audiobook for The Vacation was fine for me, and while it wasn't my favorite, it still did the trick and didn't annoy me or anything like that. Peter Noble's narration was good although I did struggle to find the sweet spot speed-wise. I was at a 3x for most of the book but did lower it at times. He was also a little quiet (unless that is just me and my poor hearing) so I had to keep the volume up and couldn't eat anything crunchy while listening. The thing that really made this book for me was all of the twists, and while the reveals start slowly, Marrs really ups the ante in the last quarter of the book and my mind was blown more than once. After all this what I'm trying to say is that while it won't go down as being a favorite of all time for this author, The Vacation is good if you like slow burns, can handle triggers, and don't get confused easily.

Note: After reading the acknowledgments and finding out this was originally a self-published novel that Marrs went back to edit and rerelease, it does make a bit more sense to me why it felt so different from his later releases. Also, the acknowledgments were very enlightening, so if you don't normally read them, I would consider doing that for The Vacation. 😉

John Mars doesn’t disappoint. Every book he writes has a great twist. This one was amazing

I have read all h9me books and the one tops the cake. Read it you will not be disappointed. Great read for the upcoming summer months. Take it on your vacation but read with the lights on!

This was my first read by John Marrs... the book started slow with 8 different characters landing in the same hostel on Venice Beach, each with their own secrets. As unique as the cast of characters was, that's what they felt like to me - a cast of actors. I don't know why I couldn't quite get invested in them. Having said that, it was still a fun and evocative read, which all came together nicely in the end. I'm looking forward to reading more books by John Marrs.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

John Marrs has done it again! This was such a compelling, propulsive, and twisty ride!

Eight strangers from around the world find themselves staying in a hostel in Venice Beach, California. They're all there for different reasons, but they have one thing in common: they all have secrets.

Despite there being so many characters, I found them really easy to keep track of. They all had distinct personalities and detailed backgrounds that were revealed to us throughout the course of the novel. I found myself really caring for some of them and I was invested in learning each of their outcomes.

I absolutely loved the structure of this book. The Vacation consists of many short chapters, most revealing an important piece of information and ending on some sort of cliffhanger that kept me wanting to read more. I enjoyed having information gradually revealed over time. This is also a book that doesn't have one big twist but numerous twists throughout. It was such an exciting story.

This is a perfect beach read! Although this can obviously be enjoyed any time of the year, with summer quickly approaching I would recommend picking it up sooner rather than later!

Many thanks to the Publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

I tried a few times to get into this but unfortunately, it was not for me. I really enjoy the author but this fell short of my expectations. I encourage others to try it for themselves!

Venice Beach International Hotel welcomes you to come and stay! Complete with dilapidated doors on its rundown facade and host of eccentric guests from all walks of life. This story is full of mystery and the wide ranging host of characters which really plays into that theme. While this could easily make this book hard to follow the author does a good job of keeping track of the characters and plot and is told with present day action and flashbacks for character background.

This book had many twists, surprises, and amazing characters. The only drawback was the slow, tension building plot really took its time getting to the action. While it added to the atmosphere of the story I found it to drag a bit at times and was ready to get back to the action. If you want suspense, colorful characters, and a slow build - this is the book for you.

John Marrs is one of my favorite thriller authors. I love his narrative structures and unique premises, especially when they have a sci-fi twist. Yet, this left me unsatisfied with the mystery and the characters, and I never connected with the story. I found myself putting the story down for days. I will continue to read everything he writes, but this one wasn't for me.

Not my favorite from Marrs. The short chapters in this book made it very easy to get through, but there were many characters and some just didn’t interest me. I wish a couple side stories were more included and this could have been done with less characters. I do think if you like books like 9 perfect strangers or with a lot of interesting characters you’d enjoy this one.

I have read several books by Marrs at this point, so when I got this title I figured I knew what kind of story I was in for. I was wrong. This was VERY different from all of Marrs’ other books, but so much fun! Most of his books have been kind of like episodes of Black Mirror, where they are “just around the corner futuristic thrillers.”
The Vacation was more a thriller/slice of life almost? It followed several different occupants of a hostel in California as the different things they were running towards or away from all coalesced. It had such a different vibe from his other books, but was just as strong, if not stronger because it broke the mold and had so much heart, not just twists and turns like most thrillers. I absolutely loved it!
I posted about this book in a Facebook group I'm in and Marrs happened to see it. He said that he based several of the characters (loosely) on people he met when he was traveling in his youth and stayed in a hostel in California. He said that the characters and the minor storylines in this book were special to him, and you could FEEL that in his writing. I've also done the traveling and staying in hostels in my 20s part of life, and he captured the vibe (the good, the bad, and the ugly) so well. It added so much depth to the book, and truly made it my favorite of his that I've read.

3.5⭐️

The Vacation, also known as Welcome to Wherever You Are, follows eight different characters as they all stay at a hostel in Venice Beach.

Let me start by saying I wanted to love this book. I’ve read a few other John Marrs books and was very excited to read this one. I found that The Vacation was rather slow, a very long, some of the stories hooked me from the very beginning but others fell flat. As the story went on, many of the story lines were a bit unbelievable. It felt like Marrs was trying to do to much in one book.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Hanover Square Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I think this book just wasn't for me. It was slow and really hard to get into. Because of the different perspectives and altering timelines it wasn't always easy to keep the story or perspective straight.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I love John Marrs but I just couldn’t get into this one. It was not my favorite by him. I found it to be a little too slow for my liking.

A run down hostel in sunny LA becomes home to an eclectic group of people each with their own complicated past. The novel goes through eight of their stories both background to why they ended up in the hostel and how their lives are now intersecting. I found the characters hard to track through the book as the novel jumps around through their backstories and the present. This author is widely plugged on social media sites so I'm glad I tried his book but I definitely will need to read another before I decide if the author is just not one I'm going to read. Thank yo to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy for an honest review.

This book had amazing characters (Peyk!), some great twists, and an enjoyable mystery. I want to read other works by this author now!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

In "The Vacation" by John Marrs, the characters steal the spotlight in a narrative that transcends the typical thriller genre. Marrs' deft hand at characterization shines through as the protagonists are intricately woven into a tapestry of personal stories and secrets. While the novel maintains an aura of mystery, it is the depth of the characters that truly captivates, drawing readers into an emotional rollercoaster ride. Marrs' prose is as beautiful as it is gripping, delicately capturing the essence of each character's journey. While the plot keeps readers guessing with its twists and turns, it is the profound exploration of human emotion and experience that truly sets "The Vacation" apart. Overall, Marrs delivers a compelling and thought-provoking read that resonates long after the final page

John Marrs is one that sucks you in with his writing. And you can’t stop because you just have to know what it going on!

I am a big John Marrs fan, but this novel seemed a bit on the amateur side and that is possibly because I read it is a reprint of an earlier work. Some of the story lines of the different eight characters were engaging while I struggled through others. Due to the alternating stories, some of the characterization was a bit shallow. The ending felt a bit rushed and improbable, but I did enjoy that everything was neatly wrapped up.