Member Reviews

Holy cow! Miranda Rijks knocks another one right out of the park!! She is a constant bright star. The story sets up two families for a simple house swap. What appears to be simple ends up being a dark tunnel of secrets and lies. So many perfect herring ms it was impossible to know who to trust. This book actually made me feel a little scared and I definitely locked all of the windows and doors. So much lo love, Rijks is a top notch storyteller. Big 5 stars from me.
Thank you NetGalley, Miranda Rijks and an Incubator Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Was this review helpful?

First off thank you to NetGalley and Miranda Rijks for the ARC!!

What could go wrong with a simple holiday house swap? Well, as "The House Swap" shows us... everything can and will go wrong!

This book was a fun and twisty read right up to the end. With the different POVs you get to uncover many secrets that all add up to a shocking conclusion. I thought that I had this book figured out multiple times, but I didn't know who to trust with several shady and unreliable characters. Definitely give this book a chance when it is released, you won't regret it!

Was this review helpful?

Elodie and Lewis Brown have a townhouse in London, and Susan and Piers Lester own a chateau in the South of France. Both families decide on a house swap for their holiday. The Browns hope that having a relaxing holiday in the south of France will help them to rekindle the passion in their marriage which appears to have become mundane recently. The Lesters are looking forward to re visiting London, showing their son Rafael the city he hasn't been to before.
However, there is a break in at the chateau, and history shows a woman who lived there strangely went missing and was never seen again. This makes the Browns anxious and feeling vulnerable. In London, Rafael goes missing, causing the Lesters to view their marriage in a new light.
Both families have secrets, and begin to suspect their happy marriages and perfect lives are far from the truth. This is a gripping psychological thriller, and is highly recommended.

Was this review helpful?

Miranda Rijks is a new author for me and from the synopsis I was eager to read this book. The tag line is Their Perfect Lives, Their Perfect Lies so I knew I would be instantly hooked. When two families organise a house swap, it seems like the perfect holiday. The Browns live hectic lifestyles in London and are keen to escape for two weeks of sun. So a house swap with the Lesters who live in sunny Provence and are keen to show their son the sights and sounds of London seems ideal. It sounds perfect but both families are harbouring secrets and secrets have a habit of coming out. This is a well written, pacy psychological thriller that will keep you enthralled. Thank you to NetGalley, Inkubator Books and the author for the chance to review.

Was this review helpful?

I mean this in the most loving and positive way, when I say that nobody can do crazy like Miranda. Fabulous. Would I expect this to happen in real life? Gods help me, no. It can I get lost in this crazy story and enjoy it? Yes! I think you just have to let go of all expectations and let Miranda lead you through her story. Though this was not my favourite of hers, I still enjoyed it immensely. Quick and crazy read, five stars from me.

Was this review helpful?

The writing was good and the plot seemed intriguing enough. However, I felt like build up was poor. It could use a better execution. It took way too long to get to the main plotline of the story and things only picked up around the 60% mark or so. I couldn't quite feel the thrill before that. And the ending seemed pretty off too.

Was this review helpful?

This may not be my favorite MJ book but still was a great one. Some of the twists seem pretty far-fetched & you’re certain you know where the story is headed but don’t hold your breath. When you think you know exactly who is terrorizing the guests just keep reading, be blown away & say “I didn’t see that coming”. That was my experience, anyway. Happy reading & hope you enjoy as much as I did!

Was this review helpful?

Yikes! This book had all sorts of crazy! I've never understood why anyone would want to do a house swap. I certainly wouldn't want strangers staying in my house. I would be too skeeved out. But the premise is fun and entertaining for reading purposes as long as the story is well written, and Rijks did a great job with this one. The story was creepy and not at all what I expected. It was fast paced, and hard to put down. I was completely blindsided by the plot twists. There were quite a few shady characters, so I had no idea who I could trust. I would have liked a little more closure prior to the epilogue, but overall, I really enjoyed it. I would definitely recommend!

Thank you to Inkubator Books for granting me digital access via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

Was this review helpful?

A house swap for all the wrong reasons as you will soon find out in this wonderful read ,Miranda never fails with her fantastic story lines .I loved it .

Was this review helpful?

You really can't go wrong with this author.
Yet another fab read, a great storyline about a holiday house swap.
What could go wrong, well lots apparently!
Secrets, lies and many twists.
I devoured this in two sittings.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

Was this review helpful?

This was just a fun read. Quick, snappy, a generally good time. The author manages to walk that fine line of writing these characters that you find you don't like a whole lot, but you also find yourself very invested in the outcome. A tough like to walk but such a fun one when done right! This is my first read by this author, now I'm going to search out more!

Was this review helpful?

Two families decide to swap houses for their holiday. One house is In France and the other is in London. The two families do not know each other and are going on a whim to see how swapping houses goes. The two families meet for the first time as they do the swap. Sounds like a lovely holiday. But will it be ? Turns out they all have their secrets. This was a read that hooks you from the very beginning. It was full of mystery, twists, and turns. I will definitely think twice before doing a house swap. You may as well after reading this page turner. This was my first book by this author and definitely will not be my last. It will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

Was this review helpful?

Two perfect families. Two beautiful homes. A one-way trip to hell! Great read! This book had some wild twists and turns! It had suspense, intriguing, murder, mystery, gaslighting, and a few who done its!! The storyline was interesting! I definitely recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley, Miranda Rijks and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Was this review helpful?

Thank you NetGalley and Inkubator Books for the eARC.
Set in two great places: London and the south of France,
this book was hard to put down. Two families are swapping homes, at first so excited to start their vacations and then, slowly, the cracks appear. There are secrets and lies, then everything falls apart and things become nightmarish.
Excellent read, I finished it in one day! Definitely recommended, suspenseful read!

Was this review helpful?

This was my first house swap trope and it did not disappoint. It was a very engaging read full of secrets, conflicts, and twists that kept me up all night reading!

Was this review helpful?

First, I wanna thank Miranda Rijks for the chance to write my first review here!

I do love the setting. I remember reading a story about a house swap at the beginning of my thriller era, so of course I had to jump onto this. The story is told from three perspectives, Elodie Brown, Piers Lester and his son Rafael Lester. We learn how different the lives of the two families are, what they struggle with, and that things are not always what they seem from the outside.

Then in France, odd things start to happen in the chateau, while in England, conflicts arise between the members of the Lester family. I thought at some point I would have figured out the twists and turns, but in the end, I was wrong, and my jaw was on the floor.

I did read the whole book in almost one sitting (minus some hours for sleeping), because I was always 'just one more chapter!' and then simply could not put it down! This was actually my first book by the author, but surely will not be the last!

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of The House Swap by Miranda Rijks due to be published December 4, 2024.

Two families decide to swap houses in France and England – seems like a perfect arrangement. But, it’s not. Both families are hiding secrets, people disappear, break-ins occur, and someone might not be returning to their original home.
This is my 16th book by Miranda Rijks – truly one of my favorite authors! This one did not disappoint – I could not figure out who was against who throughout the book. Just when I thought I knew – something else changed. What a great ending and another great books by one of my favorite authors!
#NetGalley #MirandaRijks #InkubatorBooks #TheHouseSwap

Was this review helpful?

Another great thriller by Miranda Rijks. Couldn’t put it down, read it in one day.
Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley.

Was this review helpful?

This was my first Miranda Rijks book and won’t be my last! An unputdownable read with some surprising curveballs and a twisty ending. I really enjoyed the dialogue of the POVs: Elodie, Piers and Rafael.
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Was this review helpful?

Wow I wasn’t expecting that, two families apply for a house swap one in London and one in France, seems good enough, until it isn’t. I liked having the point of views from the 3 main characters and how they navigated through the house holiday swap. I enjoyed exploring the hidden secrets between the families, the plot twist was really interesting as it had depth between the characters. I liked how the characters who had their point of view written showed comparison in what they was struggling with within their life. Good easy read thriller book to sink your teeth into.

Was this review helpful?