I really liked this story. The suspense seems to be built slowly, but we quickly change our minds. I enjoyed the flashbacks to Viola's story, although I figured out her story pretty quickly. A pleasant read. I advise.

Netgalley once again, many thanks for the opportunity to read this book.
#fivenights, #netgalley

A summer thriller based on the maiden voyage of a luxury cruise ship where family secrets are revealed and sabotage is afoot.

Read it if: you’re obsessed with Succession.

Don’t read it if: you want something realistic to get your teeth into.

Emily hasn’t spoken to her friend Belle in several years after a dramatic incident at work tore them apart. But when Emily learns Belle is to marry a powerful cruise ship magnate and wants her to accompany her on their latest ship’s maiden voyage, she can’t resist getting back in touch. Emily joins her friend and new husband Matti Scarmado, alongside his four children who are all vying for his approval and clearly do not approve of their father’s marriage. Across five nights on board the ship, Emily attempts to reconcile with Belle whilst contending against some very creepy and unexplained goings-on.

This is a great holiday read with a compelling story, but it was a little too far fetched for me and I found Emily and Belle’s connection quite insincere.

With thanks to Aria & Aries and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I started reading the prologue I thought I'd restarted Five Guests as both books begin with an invitation, both of them on expensive paper...

Then I turned to chapter one...

I was whisked away onto a luxury cruise ship, definitely a different book.

A mix of succession and bit of the TV series Revenge, I raced through it as the plot raced as quickly as the 'Belle' across the Atlantic.

Would highly recommend, my only bit of critical feedback is the titles of five guests v five nights being so similar and the prologues felt the same too.

Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to review this book, this is my honest opinion

I know this will be a 'hit' in February 2024.

This book is filled with secrets and mysteries. It feels quite claustrophobic: as a reader, you feel trapped on the cruise ship alongside Emily. No one can be trusted - it's difficult to believe or trust anyone. I didn't even really trust Emily; she was hiding something.

I think people will really enjoy this.

First off, before we get started can we all just take a second to appreciate the cover, what a total eye catcher!

This is a story about Emily. Three years ago Emily was involved in a horrendous incident alongside her lifelong best friend Belle that left her broken. Simce that day Emily & Belle haven't spoken... but then an envelope falls on her doormat. Enclosed is an invite to join Belle on a 5 day cruise aboard a brand new cruise liner owned by Belle's new husband Mattia Sa

Once on board Emily meets the rest of the family, Mattia's five self entitled children. Now all grown up bit still seemingly living off 'Daddy' each sibling appears to be hiding something but the one thing they dont hold back on is their opinion on their new stepmother.

All Belle asks for is for Emily to 'be there's for her. She is sure the siblings are trying to harm her but what proof does she have? Can Emily protect Belle from the children before someone gets hurt?

Nothing is as it seems at sea. Secrets are kept, confessions are made and truths are told.

Whilst the first half was quite slow and sometimes monotonous in places it soon gathered speed and alongside the speed came the twists and turns around every corner. The suspense was built in brilliantly and the ending was wrapped up just so. A cleverly conducted story that was well executed with characters that were likeable and despicable in equal measure.

Was it entirely unrelatable.. yes!
Was it totally implausible ..yes!
Did it have me gripped and unable to put down..YES!

With thanks to netgalley and Aria and Aries for the ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley, the Author and the publisher for the advance copy to read.

Firstly, the cover for this book is so eye-catching and will make for a great read around the pool on holiday.

The story follows Emily as she is invited on a 5 night cruise with her lifelong best friend Belle who is now married to Mattia. Emily and Belle haven't seen each other for three years following a terrifying incident that they experienced together. However all is not what it seems on the boat as we follow an action packed plot full of secrets, lies and mystery.

The first half of the book is slightly slow and I found it quite repetitive with lots of recapping monologue on the things that had already happened in previous chapters. The style of writing didn't work so great for me either. It was very character based and I prefer a rich descriptive novel depicting the locations.

That said I imagine lots of people will adore this twisty page turner.

3.5 stars.

Wow, you can cram a lot into five nights.


Did I guess where a lot of this was going? YES
Did I find a lot of it totally unbelievable? YES
Did I struggle to find a truly likeable character? YES

Did I ignore all that and buckle up for a wild ride that was fast paced and such good fun?
I think you know the answer.
Perfect beach read.... or sofa, or bus.
A bit of escapism where we can see richer isn't always better (and other stuff)

agatha christie meets succession in this cleverly crafted, fast paced mystery that I tore through in less than 24 hours. If you are looking for a book to get you out a slump, this one is definitely for you and is available on publishing date: 29 feb 2024 !

thank you to netgalley & head of zeus for this arc.

I really struggled with the first half of this book, it felt disjointed and hard to follow. I stuck with it because I love cruise ship novels, and there aren’t many! I’m glad I did, it got better and better! The 2nd half was like a different Novel!

I found this book a struggle if I’m honest mainly due to the uninteresting and unlikeable characters none of whom I could really make a connection with apart from maybe Viola. It’s only when you get to about half way through the book that a sense of a story starts to develop but then it’s still seems stilted. Having said that the last hour in the book is what really saves it because the pace ramps up and the story starts to come together and the ending was good and not one I predicted. Not a bad read and the style of writing was good but it just lacked tension and character development

WOW! Absolutely brilliant, gripping from start to finish, couldn't put this book down! Lots of unexpected twists and turns that kept you hooked and wanting to read on. Looking forward to reading more from this author.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. The character development was *chefs kiss*. Usually I don't get on with slower burn plots but I loved the gentle reveal of secrets and connections until we hit a point where it was racing downhill without brakes.

There were some elements that were a bit repetitive, a lot of inner monologues from Emily largely of the 'Can I / can't I trust *insert name here*. And I felt like the eventual big bad was a bit left of field.

But these were minor observations because I was hooked from the start. Also want me a bit of Jimmi...

You will enjoy if you like Lucy Foley and similar authors.

I immediately put this to the top of my to be read pile as soon as I got my hands on it and I wasn't disappointed. I loved the cruise ship setting, the glitz and glamour, that glimpse into the world and lifestyle of the rich and famous, the complex family dynamics as well as a very multilayered complex friendship and on top of it all, plenty twists and turns and suspense!! It had me hooked from the start and was such an easy read. The writing style just pulls you along and you're sucked in before you know it. I loved the characters and the fact you never quite knew who to trust. Loved it!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.

Emily and Belle grew up together and were the best of friends. Three years ago something happened that cost them their friendship. Now Belle is married to Mattia, a much older and richer man. Emily is a single mum struggling to make ends meet. When Belle invites Emily to come along on the debut cruise of her husband’s cruise liner they try to make up for lost time. But Mattia’s five grown up children are not fans of Belle and when strange things start happening Emily is worried. There’s no way off the ship and the destination is a far way off.

I really enjoyed this. The suspense was built up slowly as each family member was set up to be the bad guy then proven not to be. The characters were all believable. I liked the flashbacks to Viola’s story, although I figured out her story very quickly. An enjoyable read.

Being on a luxury cruise ship with one of Britain's premier "power families" must be the ultimate locked room thriller setting! Yet this is precisely the situation that Emily finds herself in, when she agrees to a desperate request from her friend Belle, who has recently married into the influential family of a shipping magnate.

To make matters worse, Belle has actually married the patriarch himself! Now she is supposed to go on a cruise with him, accompanied by her four stepchildren, whom she believes to be hostile to each other, and very likely towards her as well.

There is already a buzz around the cruise due to speculation that Belle's husband Mattia may name the successor to his business empire on this occasion.

But once the cruise is underway, things really heat up, with Mattia's elderly son disappearing, and various mishaps occurring wrt some of his other family members.

Meanwhile Emily is worried about the murky circumstances surrounding the death of Mattia's first wife, a couple of years previously. With so much at stake, can Emily and Belle really hope to emerge unscathed from the holiday of a lifetime?