A thriller set on a luxurious tourist island in the Maldives. I liked the setting as the twists and turns but all the characters were dislikeable. However, an enjoyable piece of fast paced escapism. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Cara and Zach Hamilton have embarked on a luxury family holiday to the Maldives with their teenage daughter, Alexa. The resort is beautiful, the weather glorious and the other guests are friendly and welcoming. However, it soon becomes apparent that this level of perfection only resides on the surface. Cara and Alexa are recovering from the trauma of a violent break-in back in the UK. Zach feels guilty about not being there to protect his family. Is this all he feels guilty about? Or are there even darker secrets to unearth?

Nikki Smith’s novel is a great page-turner. There are several unexpected twists and none of the characters are quite what they seem. I thoroughly enjoyed reading her previous novel ‘The Beach Party’ and ‘The Guests’ also delivers.

I really enjoyed this book. Zach and Cara Hamilton have just arrived at a luxury resort in the Maldives, along with their 16 year old daughter Alexa. It is clear that they are recovering from some kind of traumatic event but we don't yet know what. In this beautiful, tropical paradise all is not what it seems, and everyone has their secrets! This is a real page turner with lots of twists and turns that will keep you guessing to the end.
Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

Asana Fushi is a stunning resort in the Maldives, the guests every whim is catered for, nothing it too much trouble.
A luxury holiday turns fatal in this dark and twisty thriller with a cast of not so likeable characters.
This was a one sitting read for me, I love Nikki Smith's books, they have a touch of the great Agatha Christie to them and the locked room element seal the deal for me.
A corker of a read.

I was lucky enough to receive a Widget for this book on Net Galley, which is amazing as I loved Nikki's other books.

This book is about a family; Cara, her husband Zach and teenage daughter, Alexa, who begin a dream holiday in The Maldives. At first, everything appears wonderful at the luxury resort with its stunning beaches, amazing food and their own butler service. But as they begin to learn more about the other guests and staff, it appears that they all have something to hide. And someone is willing to kill to keep their secrets hidden.

I loved this story. Nikki has this wonderfully descriptive way of writing that so perfectly sets the tone and mood of the place. Each of the characters felt true and, while some were definitely more likeable than others, all felt real. As the story progresses, the author cleverly drops in more details of the background of each of the holiday makers and resort staff until you don't know who to believe or trust.

The tension and suspense builds throughout, but the book gripped me from Page 1 and kept me zipping through the pages! This would be next summer's perfect holiday read, highly recommended.

Big thanks to Nikki Smith, publishers Penguin General UK and Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book is set in a luxury resort in the glorious Maldives. Zach and Cara take their troubled teenage daughter, Alexa on a family holiday after a period of stress for all, feeling that a break to recharge is just what is required. On this vacation we meet a series of guests, all have secrets, some of a distinctly sinister variety!! Definite Agatha Christie vibes to this read!! I won't say more for risk of giving spoilers, but I will say, an interesting read that leads me to ask if a sequels is in the offing?!

My thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an advance copy.

I did like the overall plot of this book, however, I felt that it was a little bit rushed at times. I found that it was missing some tension-building up to the climax. I though that some of the characters we were introduced to would be integral to the ending, but they weren't relevant. For example Ryan and Cindy, especially Cindy when she interacts with Cara.

It was a good story line, but not necessarily a gripping read for me.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in return for an unbiased and honest review.

A great book and the setting draws you in while the characters are less than desirable. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

Nikki Smith does it again and I can guarantee that this is going to be another summer bestseller for her. Twisty, deceitful and in the most gorgeous setting, I’m definitely going to have to reread this on my next summer holiday. The characters are all awful but I loved how it sprinkled little bits of information throughout the story without giving too much away.

This book definitely had me hooked instantly but I would have enjoyed the book more if I cared about the characters, they didn't have many likeable qualities between them.

I really enjoyed this book despite it being packed to the brim with horrible people! The location for the setting was idyllic and this is the perfect holiday read. Good story and well paced.

This started well, I was immediately pulled in. The book goes back in time and moves forward on a countdown to something.

There’s a lot going on in this book. Some awful characters that really aren’t likeable. Some characters that seem to have no purpose. Everyone has their own agenda and there’s a lot of suspense throughout. I expected some big climax with the countdown. When the end came I actually thought I was missing some pages. I can only think there’s going to be a sequel to finish telling the story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Pure enjoyable unbelievable escapism set in a beautiful exotic location. Due to be published June 2024 so this one will be flying off the shelves at the airport- perfect easy holiday read!
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the review copy.

Loved this easy, mysterious and Thrilling read!

Set in the Maldives on the luxurious island of Asana Fushi - family of three Zach, Cara and their daughter Alexa are hoping to relax after troubling events at home. Also on the Island is Skye who is a famous YouTuber and an advocate for all things global warming related.

Every character in this book is hiding a secret and these all begin to snowball and entwine while they should all be enjoying paradise. Secrets never stay hidden

This book gave me “white lotus” vibes too. Thank you to NetGalley , the publisher and the author for my ARC

This book rides on a wave of anxiety both for the cast of characters but also the reader! I found myself frantically reading to try and find some peace of mind with one character somewhere but with a cast of secret keepers, some darker than others, the pace is relentless and the twists keep on coming.
Don't start this in the evening or you will read through the night!

A visit to a luxury island resort in the Maldives is just what Cara and her family need to reset their lives after a traumatic event at home. However it will take more than a holiday to mend the rifts in their lives.

What I liked about this book: I thought it was very cleverly plotted. The countdown to the climax was effective.

What I didn't like about the book: The characters were unremittingly horrible. Not a decent person among them. Everyone is grasping and greedy and out for their own benefit. It's fine to make unpleasant characters but there has to be some light in there too. The fact that I didn't like them meant that I didn't care what happened to them and this detracted from the plot which was good.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Escaping the trauma of a home invasion, a luxurious holiday in the tropical Maldives resort of Asana Fushi should be exactly the slice of paradise wealthy businessman Zach Hamilton, his wife Cara, and their daughter Alexa each need to heal and recharge.

Instead, the ripple effect of keeping their individual secrets- and accumulating more along the way, leads to increasingly catastrophic consequences for both the family and those around them, with a slice of holiday heaven becoming their own private trips to hell.

Proving that a perfect life often isn’t as it seems, eco-influencer Skye is also dragged into the fray. Whilst she’s there to expose some shady secrets, she gets far more than she bargained for as her experiences are documented for the world to see.

The book starts at the end of the story, before each chapter then counts down to how the characters got there. I found this a little trying at times, with the big reveal not being as revealing as I’d have liked in order to justify this approach. There were also some extra characters who seemed to add little to the storyline or reading experience. Whilst it’s dressed up as a loose but appropriate reminder of the need to preserve our planet, the book has some very fitting endings which cleverly illustrate several very satisfying morals to this story.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

#TheGuests #NetGalley

Zach and Cara head off on a luxury holiday to the Maldives,along with their daughter Alexa.
This is following a break in at their home whilst Zach was away. The couple run an Eco company and unknown to Cara it was having financial problems. Although Zach is supposed to be relaxing , he cannot help but get dragged into work discussions with the manager of the resort and also a prominent You tuber hoping to push his business.
Alexa keeps having strops and avoiding her parents whenever she can , hanging out with the You tuber who she regards as a role model.Things are not always as they seem as the Eco resort is filmed dumping waste into the sea whilst Zach is on a fishing Trip with Marc the manager. Cara gets involved with Dewi the butler who then proceeds to blackmail her for medical fees for her daughter.Things come to a head after Cara finds a text from Victoria ,Zack's P.A with whom he is having an affair,and the couple visit a nearby island where Zach tells Cara that they need to disappear because he has borrowed money from the wrong people.. She abandons Zack there and heads back home with Alexa.

A very enjoyable read with twists and turns. A bit of a slow burner to start but once hooked I couldn’t put it down . The characters are well written, I hated Zach , so self absorbed but found that I felt for Alexa , a confused but spoilt teenager.

Having enjoyed this author’s first novel, I was really looking forward to reading this book. The chapters are given countdown titles, so you are aware from the beginning that there is going to be a ‘reveal’, and the further you get into the chapters, the faster you want the truth to be out there. There are lots of characters in the book (all thoroughly unlikeable in my opinion) and I honestly hoped they’d all get their comeuppance. I found the last quarter of the book underwhelming, but that could be because I honestly didn’t care about any of the people whose lives were tangled in such a mess. The ending left me with lots of questions, I wonder if a sequel is on the cards……..?
With thanks to NetGalley for an early copy.