Cover Image: The Holiday Home

The Holiday Home

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

This is my second book by the author that I’ve read and I’m pleased to say I enjoyed it as much as the first! Good plot, great character development, and a setting and situation that is not overdone in thrillers. The story kept me engaged the whole time,

My only criticisms would be that at the end of nearly every chapter is a sentence that is a foreshadowing. This is a good tool in thriller writing, but not for every single chapter. It was overdone. The other is that Emily, the 11 year old in the book, seems to say and do things that wouldn’t make sense with an 11 year old. Her dialogue and actions would have been more logical if she was maybe 8, not 11. I also felt the epilogue and final “twist” could have been left out. It didn’t add anything to the story.

Other than that, great read! Thank you to the author, NetGalley, for the advance reader copy. I’m leaving my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This is a heart-pounding novel that will captivate readers from start to finish. The author skillfully crafts a suspenseful narrative filled with unexpected twists and turns, ensuring an enthralling reading experience.

The story introduces readers to a diverse cast of characters, each with their own motivations and secrets. As the plot unfolds, their lives become intertwined in a high-stakes game of danger and deceit. The author expertly maintains a sense of suspense throughout the book, keeping readers guessing and eagerly turning the pages to uncover the truth.

One of the book's greatest strengths lies in its ability to create a palpable atmosphere of tension and unease. The author's vivid descriptions and attention to detail transport readers into the world of the story, making them feel as if they are right alongside the characters, experiencing the thrilling events firsthand.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you for the opportunity to preview The Holiday Home.
A vacation in secluded Scotland is what the Nicola and Ryan need. An invite from their friends with a promise for a great weekend.
But…secrets and lies turn this to a nightmare.
Family drama and some twists.
a bit slow but if you like the lifetime channel, this is for you
3 stars

Was this review helpful?

A fantastic read full of twists and turns leading up to an brilliant unexpected ending. I was right into the story from the get go and couldn't put it down until I finished- A must read.

Was this review helpful?

This is a great story. I really enjoyed this book. Especially with it being set in Scotland. I loved the description of the remote area. It was an exciting story with so great unexpected twists. The characters were great and realistic. I loved how the author lulls you into a false sense. I loved the ending it was page turning and very unexpected. It was a very satisfying read. My jaw certainly hit the floor. 

So much praise goes out to the author and publishers for creating such a wonderful and exciting thriller. I can't wait to read more from this author.
The above review has already been placed on goodreads, waterstones, Google books, Barnes&noble, kobo, amazon UK where found and my blog https://ladyreading365.wixsite.com/website/post/the-holiday-home-by-daniel-hurst-bookouture-4-stars under my name ladyreading365

Was this review helpful?

I decided to give Hurst another try after not enjoying my first book by him, and I’m not happy with the results.

His characters are all poorly developed and just poor, unlikeable people. When not one character in a book is likeable it makes the entire story so difficult to get a hold of.

Was this review helpful?

A holiday away with all your friends, what could go wrong?

Obviously, a million things, I couldn't think of anything worse and neither could someone at this joint holiday, the characters left a lot to be desired and to be honest, I kept wondering why any of them seemed to even want to go away.

Wealthy friends, Kim, Lewis and their son pair up with Nicola and Ryan and their daughter - nobody seems happy, the latter couple are having tensions in their marriage and Nicola finds out a big secret.

A lot of plot holes and a lot of "I can see it comings" - I like to be kept guessing when there's a good chance of murder in the pipelines, I want to have to do some sleuthing and detecting, even a bit of guessing, it's no good when you already have it pinned half way through the book


Thank you to Daniel Hurst, Bookouture and NetGalley for this free ARC in return for my review!

Was this review helpful?

Thank you so much to the publishers and to netgalley for my early read of The Holiday Home in exchange for my honest review.

Anne is invited to a family friend's luxurious holiday home in Scotland along with her husband Ryan and eleven year old daughter Emily. They meet up with Kim and Lewis and their son Cole who own the cabin. Things take a very dark turn and very quickly with the two families under one roof. A long-held secret is revealed and all trust is broken. But who is lying and who's telling the truth?

Told from the perspectives of each character, The Holiday Home is a twisty, suspenseful drama-induced ride. A quick and enjoyable read for sure. I finished this one in less than two days. This was my first time reading Daniel Hurst and I look forward to reading more! 4/5 Stars !

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Was this review helpful?

This book was okay… switched between people to get what was happening in their minds but I found there was too much constant thinking going on. A little twistie so that was enjoyable but very minimally.

Was this review helpful?

This was an interesting premise and it kept my attention from early on. I would read more from this author in the future.

Was this review helpful?

As I recently discovered, Daniel Hurst writes a heck of a good psychological thriller. This is as exciting as it is intriguing with the isolation of the setting really ramping up the tension that is inherent from the first page.. The author cleverly shows how a seemingly little lie can have ripples that affect whole families. Whether on a sunlounger or in front of a cosy fire you won't budge until you have read the last line.

Was this review helpful?

The writing in this felt very juvenile. I ended up guessing each twist and it did not keep me interested. I finished the book for the sole purpose of leaving a review.

Was this review helpful?

Review:
This book started out really interesting but around the half way mark it just was a little slow for me. This took me so long to read because I didn’t really like any of the characters and I didn’t care about what happened to them. I’m not sure what didn’t work for me but it just was a slow book. The ending had a good twist but overall it just wasn’t interesting. That’s why I’m just giving it 3 stars. It wasn’t terrible but it’s not a book that will stay with me.

Was this review helpful?

Another great story from Daniel Hurst. I was hooked from the very beginning and just couldn't put it down. So many twists and lies between two families, and I loved the little hints at the end of each chapter of what was to come. Highly recommended.
Many thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this brilliant ARC

Was this review helpful?

Nicola has been friends with Kim since they were in school together. The families have always spent time together, so when Kim invites them to their rural cabin near Glencoe they’re set for a holiday of a lifetime. It becomes a holiday to remember…but for all the wrong reasons.
While surrounded by the beauty of their loch-side cabin, the families learn that people have been keeping secrets. After overhearing a whispered conversation Nicola learns something that rocks her world. While trapped in the lodge with a broken down car there’s not much she can do. But then she learns that someone else has been hiding things…and they’re far more determined to ensure things are resolved one way or another.
I felt desperately sorry for the two children caught up in this nightmare. None of the adults were deserving of our sympathy. Even those we might have felt sympathy for initially were hiding their own secrets, which puts their actions in a very different light.
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this prior to publication.

Was this review helpful?

I loved this author's previous novel, The Doctor's Wife, so I was excited to read this one. While it was a quick read, the suspense and twists were lacking. It was just an okay read for me. I am still anxious to read other books by this author, though. 😀

Thank you, @netgalley and @bookouture, for the gifted e-arc of this book!

Was this review helpful?

This is the 2nd Daniel Hurst book I've read & he is becoming one of my favourite authors!
I really enjoyed The Holiday Home & finished it in a day!!! Now I'm off to read another of his books!!!

Was this review helpful?

This was a really quick and easy read! Multiple POV, lots of unexpected twists, couldn't ask for anything more! Thank you for this ARC - Highly recommend!

Was this review helpful?

I absolutely love daniel hurst 's books and this is another fab book by him that is full of twists and turns, what i love most about daniel books is that they are not too complex and are such an easy to read without being too complication.

Was this review helpful?

I love reading Daniel Hurst’s books. You know what you are getting. They are never too long. They won’t have overly complex plots with extraneous storylines. There will always be a couple of twists you won’t see coming. They fall into what I like to think of as popcorn thrillers, as they are entertaining, and you can just picture the story unfolding. They remind me of Keirsten Modglin and Freida McFadden. They are consistently good.

This one is no exception. Two families that the mothers/wives are best friends go off for a family holiday to a cabin in the woods. Everyone is full of secrets and the reader is left to wonder which ones will come to light. The chapters are short and they switch back and forth for the many POVs. They mostly also ended in a little bit of foreshadowing that kept you wanting to keep reading as the next chapter would then switch to another narrator and you would have to wait to follow up on the mini cliffhanger.

This one is a little less of a thriller than his normal books and more just mystery/suspense. I was able to figure out where most of the book was heading, but I still enjoyed the ride and can’t wait to read his next book.

I did both listen and read this one and thought it fit perfectly to have the dual narration by Zoe Mills and Richard Burnip. I didn’t prefer one version over the other and thought the narrators did a great job bringing the story to life.

If you are a fan of these short, entertaining, suspenseful books, then I think this one will entertain you.

Was this review helpful?