The Family Holiday: A totally gripping psychological thriller with an unforgettable twist

Really great reading would certainly recommend

Two families. One house swap. A vacation to die for.Beth and Niall Kildare are having marital issues, so when Niall suggests they go on a family holiday Beth believes this could be the chance to get their lives back on track, and they sign up to a holiday swap site, they spot a listing for a beautiful villa on the Amalfi Coast in Italy, belonging to Amber and Renzo Mason and agree to swap their beautiful rustic cottage in the South of England for two weeks with them. Beth can't believe how lucky they are when they arrive and she hopes the Masons are just as delighted with their cottage, but nothing is as it seems and very quickly things start to go wrong, Beth begins to question whether it was a good idea to do a swap, and how well does she really know her husband? It looks like she's just about to find out...A holiday swap is an interesting concept for a book and with the author being Shalini Boland, you know you're going to have an eventful trip. This latest book, as all her others that I've read so far, is well crafted and flows seamlessly, the chapters alternate between Beth and Amber, with lots of twists along the way, which is what the reader has come to expect from this talented author. The characters are realistic and both couples are harbouring secrets that would blow their world's apart if they were revealed. Boland is one of a few authors that I will choose to read without looking at the blurb first, because I know I'm in for a rollercoaster ride of a read, and just when you think the story has finished, she hits you with that ending! Another cracking domestic thriller from this author that does NOT disappoint.

Brilliant book, couldn't put it down, spoilers, not the ending I was expecting.

Was an enjoyable read…. until the end! The story was wrapped up very quickly with a series of unexpected but slightly ridiculous endings which left me feeling disappointed unfortunately

I'm never ever disappointed in Shalini's books and this one was no exception. I loved it!The story starts with Beth, Niall and their two children, Connor and Liam, swapping their quaint Dorset home for a stunning modern villa in Italy, owned by Amber and Renzo and their children. Everything seems absolutely perfect, until Beth finds a picture of Amber with Niall, Beth's husband. Finding this is the start of a web of secrets and deceit and murder....Once I picked this book up, I couldn't put it down and stayed up late into the night to finish. The characters were well rounded and, although not all likeable (Amber and Niall-I'm looking at you!) they were all hugely believable. Although the tension built quite slowly, the simmering uneasiness is always there below the surface which I loved. Although Beth exasperated me at times with the way she put up with Niall's behaviour, I did feel for her too.This is a brilliantly written taut psychological thriller and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes these kind of books. I've read all the author's previous books, so I'm now impatiently awaiting her next one!

I really got gripped by this booked from the start. Two families swap homes for their holiday. They seemingly don’t know each other but is that the truth?The blurb ruined it a bit for me as I was waiting for the death part to happen. There are still some clever twists along the way.The characters are well written but most of them are unlikeable. Beth seems especially pathetic with all she puts up with!The book is written from Amber and Beth’s point of views with a narrative from an unnamed person laced in too.Overall, a fantastic read!

A great read from Shalini Boland, I sped through it! Beths husband Niall suggests doing a house swap for their family holiday. He finds a fabulous house in Italy and they exchange houses with a family who are happy to stay in their house as Amber is originally from the UK and wants the children to visit. Beth loves the Italian house but spends her time keeping her husband happy, he is not the nicest character. As the time goes on she discovers some longheld secrets which blow her marriage apart. Amber, on the other hand, also has secrets but they don't come to light until later in the book.The tension builds slowly although you do know that something is bubbling and when it breaks it all comes together fast! Niall and Amber are not very likeable people but Beth and Renzo seem lovely, if a bit innocent. The descriptions of the Italian house and area are amazing, it really drew me in.

I can always count on Ms Boland for a food pick me up novel…the family holiday delivers the right amount of suspense and last-minute twists that her books always offer but it felt a little flat to me and not as gripping as her previous works.This is probably, in hindsight, more to do with how you don’t find yourself rooting for the main character Beth so much as roll your eyes at her for being so much under her controlling husbands thumb that you sort of predict what’s going to happen later…Still. A decent book for the beach, or, indeed your own family holiday :D

I’ve only read The Silent Bride from this author before, and gotta give it to her, she knows how to write entrancing characters.I was a bit apprehensive entering this book, I didn’t want another ‘twist galore this is so OTT’ type of thing happening again but this was good! Entertaining pop corn read that doesn’t derails too bad and is enjoyable as heck.Perfect for the upcoming summer.

This was the first time I read a book written by this author….I literally read it from Friday night to Saturday afternoon. A crazy plot, and so well written. I need to find more books by this author!

Two families switch homes for a two week vacation. There are definitely reasons why these two families connect. The reader will be hooked once the reasons why spill out.

Another twisty and psychological thriller from Shalini Boland. Her anecdotes are unputdownable and I picked this one as soon as I saw it on Kindle. A perfect holiday and a perfect murder is the theme of this novel.Two couples, Nial and Beth Kildare from Dorset, UK and Renzo and Amber Mason, British expats now residents of Italy decide to swap their houses for a holiday through a website. Things don't seem to go as planned for the Kildares right from the onset of the holiday, beginning with not finding the car at the airport in Italy as agreed and not finding any food in the house. Eventually, they find the comfort of food in a restaurant recommended by Amber that is run by Luciana and her brother. Soon Beth and Luciana become good friends, as they share their career and ambitions while the kids spend time playing together. As Beth is exploring the lavish villa owned by the Masons, she is dumb-struck, when she finds a photo of her husband Niall and Amber. Niall explains that being a writer and attending various functions and forums of novelists, he could have crossed paths with Amber and taken a photo together, but assures Beth not having known Amber before.Meanwhile Amber is snopping around Kildares cottage, especially to garner entry to Niall's private study that has been locked for visitors. A sinister plan is brewing in Amber's psyche that could rock the Kildares. Things take an ugly turn for Kildares when Amber sends a dark secret found at their cottage that turns Beth's lovely holiday into a nightmare. After a bitter argument between Niall and Beth, Niall is found dead below the terrace of their holiday home in Italy.From here on, the plot accentuates as tensions mount and mystery begins to unravel at a fast pace. Do Amber and Niall know each other before the holiday swap? What was the dark secret sent by Amber to Beth? What happened to Niall? How did he die? Was it accidental death or a well-planned homicide?The storyline is narrated mainly from the POV of Amber and Beth, although there is a third person in the narration as the climax unfolds. The characters are well organized and the plot remains suspicious and clueless until the main twist that intricate. The author's brilliant description of the location, settings, and holiday homes creates pictorial imagery that immerses the reader into the plot. An exciting, engrossing, and mesmerizing psychological thriller where pages turn themselves. I have been following Shalini Boland's writings for quite some time and will continue to do so in the future.

Quite a story of deceit and manipulation.Shalini has done it again love her booksHighly recommend this one .