BLOG TOUR REVIEW



Review for 'The Holiday Home' by Daniel Hurst.



Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Daniel Hurst, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous



Publication date 1st March 2023. HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY DANIEL HURST AND HAPPY SAINT DAVID'S DAY EVERYBODY, FROM WALES!!!



This is the second book I have read by this author. I have also read 'The Doctor's Wife' which I would also highly recommend!!



I was originally drawn to this book by its stunning eye catching cover and intriguing sounding synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that this book is "A twist-filled psychological thriller that will keep your heart pounding. If you love Behind Closed Doors, Gone Girl, and The Housemaid, you’ll be gripped by The Holiday Home." I am a huge fan of 'Gone Girl' and 'The Housemaid' so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I am also a HUGE fan of Daniel Hurst after reading his 'The Doctor's Wife'. If this book is even half as good as that one was it is guaranteed to be a page turner! I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).



This novel consists of a prologue, 34 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!



This book is based in the Scottish Highlands, Scotland. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture. I have actually holidayed in Scotland previously so am looking forward to seeing if I recognise any areas Daniel has based his book on!



This book is written in first person perspective and the protagonists are Nicola (main narrator and Ryan's wife), Ryan (Nicola's husband), Cole (Kim & Lewis' son) and Lewis (Kim's husband and Cole's Dad). The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them. If there are several protagonists you also get to see more of what is going on.

Well done Daniel on yet another absolutely heart racing and page turning psychological thriller!!!


AN ABSOLUTELY INTRIGUING, THOUGHT PROVOKING, UNPUTDOWNABLE HEART RACING AND EXPLOSIVE BOOK THAT WILL KEEP YOU UP LATE AT NIGHT UNTIL YOU TURN THE LAST PAGE!!


Wow!!! This book is fantastically written and had me hook, line and sinker from beginning to end. The descriptions were so in depth and vivid that the hair on my arms was standing on the ends and my heart was pounding throughout. The synopsis, title and cover were perfect for the storyline.



I absolutely loved this unique page turning explosive page turner. I was absolutely absorbed throughout this psychological thriller. It is filled with tension, drama, family, suspense, lies, secrets, deceit, murder, romance, love, and omg the twist!!! I DID NOT see the twists coming at all and there were more than one!!! Just when I think everything had been worked out and things were settling down BOOM there was another bombshell!! A MASSIVE CONGRATULATIONS Daniel!! It is getting harder and harder to shock me but by God you did that over and over and over!!! What an ending!!! One of the most gripping unputdownable nerve wracking psychological thrillers I have EVER read!!! You have one hell of a talent and I cannot wait to get hold of your previous and future books in this series. I cannot remember the last time I was so hooked by a book but you managed that big time!!! I loved that the book is told from so many different perspectives and each of their stories/chapters were perfectly weaved together to show us everything that is going on and how each of the characters are thinking and feeling throughout. The storyline is filled with crime, shocks, suspense, tension, deceit, and murder. There was so much going on and it was very fast paced and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. The surrounding atmosphere was absolutely perfect and the narrative ensures you are completely absorbed into the storyline with the characters coming to life all around you thanks to Daniel's evocative writing skills and Zoe and Richard's amazing narratives. This book is absolutely addictive and I read it in one sitting. I absolutely loved the cliff hanging explosive twist at the end that leaves you wanting more! It kept me on the edge of my seat, biting my nails with my heart absolutely pounding throughout especially at the end! I really am looking forward to the next book by this extremely talented author. A gripping, all consuming addictive page turner!!!



Clear your schedule before you start as I read this in one sitting as I could not put it down!! Practically every chapter ended on a cliff hanger so no way could I put it down!! Absolutely hooked!! I would absolutely love to see this turned into a movie!!!!


This is one of the few books that I have listened 100% on Audiobook. If I listen to a book on audiobook I usually also read the physical book between but for the second time I listened to the whole book and I was impressed! I must say a HUGE congratulations to the narrators Zoe Mills and Richard Burnip who both did an absolutely amazing job bringing this story and the characters to life. I have previously listened to Soraya Lane's 'The Italian Daughter' on audiobook that was also narrated by Zoe Mills and I would highly recommend listening to or reading it as it is an another fantastic page turner from another great author!! I would listen to it and this book in the car and while walking at any opportunity. I'm not only looking forward to reading more books by Daniel but also to listening to more books narrated by both Zoe and Richard!!!!

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The characters were all strong and realistic and thanks to Daniel's absolutely fantastic writing skills and Zoe Mills and Richard Burnip's amazing narrative skills they all come to life when you are turning the pages. My heart went out to Nicola for what she went through and what happened to her. She is an amazing mother, likeable character and strong woman. I also felt sorry for another character and although I was not a fan of them at the beginning I did feel for them as they didn't deserve what happened to them at all. I was not a fan of two of the characters and thought it was a disgrace what they did and then continued to do throughout the book. My heart also went out to Emily and Cole who are just innocent children but are affected by what goes on throughout even though they haven't done anything to deserve any of it. It just goes to show how much what adults and parents do can effect their children for life. It is hard to say too much about the characters as I am worried I will give too much away and I really don't want to spoil it for future readers so I wont say anything else and let other readers make their own minds up about how they feel about the characters.. Regardless of whether you love or hate the characters they all worked perfectly together to make this an addictive and explosive storyline!!!



This is exactly why you are one of my favourite male authors Daniel! An absolute must read author!! I cannot wait to read all your previous and future books!! Here's to your next success 🥂

Make sure you read to the very end of the book to read the prologue and the first chapter of Daniel's absolutely addictive 'The Doctor's Wife' which is another explosive page turner and one I have read myself and would highly recommend!!

Overall an absolutely heart racing, suspense filled, unputdownable addictive page turner psychological thriller filled with twists with a shocking ending!!



Genres covered in this book include Domestic Thriller, Domestic Fiction, Women's Psychological Fiction, Family Life Fiction, Murder Thriller, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Women's Psychological Thriller, Romantic Suspense, Domestic Thriller,Mystery, Suspense, Crime, Thriller & Mystery Adventures, Psychological Fiction, Crime Fiction and Psychological Thriller amongst others.




I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of 'Gone Girl', 'Behind Closed Doors', 'The Housemaid', Shari Lapena, Karin Slaughter, Melinda Leigh, Kendra Elliot, Lisa Regan, Paula Hawkins, Lisa Jewell, Gillian Flynn, Freida McFadden, Rachel Abbot and anyone who loves an explosive ending!!!




253 pages/ 6 hours 49 minutes



This book is just £1.99 to purchase, £7.99 on paperback and £16 for the audiobook via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!



Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.



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I have fast become a big fan of Daniel Hurst’s thrillers, finding them fast-paced, and absorbing, usually resulting in a one-sitting read.

‘The Holiday Home’ is entertaining, tense with Hurst’s classic tense atmosphere and the urge to keep reading just one more chapter – a big mistake, if, like me, you started reading this in bed! I thoroughly enjoyed this new release, but it is not my favourite by this author. Don't let my opinion discourage you. This would make a great introduction to Hurst’s work if you haven’t already experienced his creative skills.

I revel in how the story is told through multiple points of view, giving the characters depth, and the reader an insight into their behaviours. I am eager not to give anything anyway about the conclusion of this read, so will leave it here about the characters!

The smoothness of this writing means the plot flows well, focusing on deceit, secrets, and murder…my ideal way to start the month!

‘The Holiday Home’ is out now and I highly recommend it, if you are looking for an intriguing and uncomplex read.

I had only only read one of Daniel Hurst's thrillers before, I also read his seasonal short The New Year's Party which I really enjoyed. I keep seeing his style compared to 'Queen of Twists' Freida McFadden which encouraged me to try another of his books.

The Holiday Home has an ingeniously simple and original setup, one couple and their daughter are invited for a weekend break at their best friends' new holiday home, a luxury cabin by a loch near Ben Nevis. Two couples, a sixteen year old son, an eleven year old daughter, that's all.

No spoilers, but this close knit cast of characters creates a great new dynamic which opens up into a completely original and very unexpected plot. Overheard secrets lead us into a fast, tense and very twisty thriller.

It's a great read, fast, fluid, twist after twist with a huge 'one more chapter factor'.

Wonderful! Highly recommended. I completely get the Freida McFadden comparison now and I will be straight on social media asking 'Which Daniel Hurst book should I read next?'.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture

First and foremost, Thank you Daniel for your talent! Then a special thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for letting me receive an ARC on this book for an exchange of an honest review. BECAUSE I LOVE LOVE LOVE BOOKS BY MR. HURST.

What if the “perfect holiday getaway” was filled with lots of, not so perfect information. This book had me shocked. Plot twist and lies.

I always love how this author breaks the chapters by talking/visualizing what is going on from that particular characters point of view, and he does an amazing job making it flow and go together effortlessly.

The book is fast paced and an easy read.. but what I loved the most was at the end of each chapter there would be a cliff hanger or something interesting boiling, this to me, makes it so much easier to just keep going.

Was this my favorite book by DH? Probably not, but I truly truly did enjoy it. If you are a fan and looking for a coffee/wine and blanket cozy afternoon book, this is the one.

RATING 3.5

Imagine being invited to a holiday home with your best friend, her husband and their son. The home is in the Scottish countryside and is lavish as her friend is quite well off. Nicola, Ryan, and their daughter Emily are very excited for the trip. Kim and Nicola have been friends since high school and have always had a great time together. Their husbands don't always get along vey well which isn't great when you're going to be in a cabin for a week. Cole is Lewis and Kim's son and he is very upset to find out the wifi is out at the cabin due to the weather.

Ryan and Lewis start drinking early as both of them irritate the other. They figure drinking will. help. Nicola and Kim decide to enjoy the hot tub and Emily joins them. Things start to get ugly when the husbands start bickering and making snide comments to each other. Nicola and Kim do their best to smooth things over and having a nice dinner goes a long way in helping with that. Cole even comes down from his room to eat at the table. Dinner goes pretty well and then karaoke breaks out. Everyone has a good time.

Things take a turn when Nicola notices her husband staring at Kim in her bikini. Ryan has never been one to do this, especially with his wife and daughter there. Nicola decides it's just because Kim has a nice body and she has let herself go a bit. The next day Kim and Ryan are left alone in the hot tub as everyone else is off doing other things. Nicola is in the bathroom right above the hot tub and the window happens to be open. She was in there because Emily got her period for the first time while on this trip. She hears them laughing and whispering. She hears everything they say and she can't believe what she heard! This changes everything!! Nicola wants to get out of this cabin and home as soon as possible, but Cole accidentally ran the car battery down while sitting in the car and it won't start.

The car won't start, they have no wifi, and there is no cell signal at the cabin. Lewis comes up with the idea that he will hike up to the main road where he can get a signal and call the local mechanic. Kim tells him to wait until morning because it will get dark on him and it will be hard to find his way back through the woods. Nicola tells Ryan that he should go with Lewis to help him find his way to the road and back. Then somehow it became a "boys" trip and Cole was included in the long hike to the road. Nicola is happy to have Kim to herself as she wants to talk to her about what she overheard and confront her friend about lying to her.

Things go wrong on the hike. Who makes it back to the cabin and who doesn't? What will happen when Nicola confronts Kim about what she overheard? Can their long friendship survive? Will Emily and Cole still have both parents at the end of the holiday? This book is like a slow burn and the more you read the more you want to read. I enjoyed The Holiday Home a lot and recommend this book. I rate it 4 stars. I'd like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy in exchange for a fair review. #TheHolidayHome

This was my first time reading a Daniel Hurst book. It kept me entertained but at times it seemed very formula driven. Lewis and Ryan were both volatile characters so I immediately assumed one of them would not be returning home. Two couples, each with a child, travel to a luxurious vacation home in rural Scotland. Their secrets are gradually revealed in the story told from multiple points of view and are somewhat predictable. From the beginning the author lets you know repeatedly that someone is not surviving the trip. The foreshadowing cliffhangers worked well for the first few chapters but then became redundant. All in all it was an engaging read.
My thanks and appreciation to Daniel Hurst, Bookouture, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of this soon to be published book. I will be seeking out more books by Daniel Hurst.

What a tangled web we weave! This book is full of lies and deceit, oh yeah, and a murder. Just what I like! The twist at the end was good! Unfortunately though this was just an okay story for me. I absolutely love Daniel Hurst and always recommend him, but this one just fell flat for me. Can't love them all.

3.65⭐

Featuring ~ multiple 1st person POV, secluded vacation, secrets of course

Nicola & Ryan & Kim & Lewis, along with children Emily & Cole head on vacation together. The ladies are bff's and the men are not fans of each other and seem to just tolerate each other.

So we're led to believe something is up when Nicola reads a text on Ryan's phone, but it turns out to be something way bigger than she expected. I felt too many chapters went by when she was just thinking about confronting him and not actually confronting him. Like, girl, just ask this husband of yours what's up.

This dude pops out books left and right and I felt this one was mostly true to Daniel's form. He builds up the suspense with having multiple narrators, but the intrigue is a little less since we know what's happening on the flip side. It was less of a thriller IMO too. Can't say I loved the last little zinger either. Not my favorite, but still enjoyable enough to hold my interest.

I was fortune enough to receive a kindle copy and an audio book to review. Either way worked perfect fine.

Narration:
Zoe Mills & Richard Burnip ~ 6 hours 48 minutes ~ they both did a fine job.

Wow what a book. I enjoyed it from beginning to end. I thought I had it figured out but boy was I wrong. This kept you guessing and on the edge of your seat. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this advance copy. Right Behind You is a book that has a fascinating take on what can happen to the children who have been abused by a pedophile at a young age. Fast paced and exciting, keeps you guessing!

I have read several other books by Daniel Hurst and so far I loved them all. This one? Not so much. Yet I really wanted to love this one, I read “The Doctor’s Wife” by the same author a while ago and I absolutely loved it. So I had really high hopes for this one and I started reading it all excited for a good book.
The story itself was not one I’d call a psychological thriller. A light domestic thriller maybe. But definitely a lite version of a thriller and the word “thriller” here should be used with caution.
I am definitely not a fan of the short line at the end of each chapter. Kind of an ominous forewarning that Something Horrible Is About To Happen. We get it, mkay? No need for that. That was redundant, and annoying, and felt like maybe the book was intended for someone who had suddenly forgotten what it is they are reading, so, let’s just make sure to remind them that this is not a holiday romance. Each time I saw that a chapter is coming to an end, I groaned internally as I was anticipating That Stupid Sentence there again. No, no, just don’t do it. Don’t write like that.
The characters? I never understood what makes them friends. It looked like they had nothing in common.
The plot and twists? Ok, let me put it this way - you are reading something and are expecting a twist that brings a surprise, but the surprise never really comes, so you are surprised in the end. This was the case for me. I was surprised.
It really makes me sad to mark this as a very disappointing read for me. I tried. I really tried loving it. Nope, didn’t happen. Sorry.
It might be a fun read if you are not a hardcore thriller addict, and this is your first ever read of the genre though.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC of The Holiday Home by Daniel Hurst. This is the second book I've read by this author- last month I read The Doctor's Wife and I loved it!

Nicola, her husband Ryan, and their daughter Emily go away for a weekend getaway with Nicola's best friend Kim, her husband Lewis, and their son Cole. These six characters spend the weekend in an isolated cabin with no connection to the outside world and quickly, trouble arises. There is a huge secret among this group and once it's found out by one of the characters, this secret becomes all encompassing and controls how the rest of the trip goes.

I enjoyed the characters in this book and the general plot. Nicola was my favorite character and I also really liked Cole, the grumpy teenage boy, because it was clear he has a good moral compass. I enjoyed the trope of the characters being in an isolated setting, trapped there with a secret while you wait to see where they take it. I liked the ending because it was well wrapped up and I enjoyed Nicola's final twist, although it made me question her feelings of anger toward her husband throughout the book.

What I didn't like about this book was how the author ends almost every chapter with an ominous foreshadowing. As a few examples: "..not even another rumble of thunder was enough to warn me that something bad was about to happen in this idyllic place." "It's funny how quickly deceit, danger and death alter things, isn't it?" "And things are about to get a hell of a lot worse." It was clear to me that something bad was going to happen, that's what I expected going into this book. I just felt like the last sentences in a lot of the chapters were unnecessary and dumbed the book down for the reader.

The Holiday Home will be published on March 1st, 2023!

The Holiday Home by Daniel Hurst was a gripping and highly entertaining story that kept me on edge till the very end.
A compelling and addictive read with an explosive conclusion.
The mystery is full of twists and turns, and it kept me guessing.
Each chapter pulled me in more and I couldn’t get enough.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Bookouture for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this eARC

The Holiday Home by Daniel Hurst is described as “A twist-filled psychological thriller that will keep your heart pounding until the very last page.” Based on this description, I was very excited to start reading plus I have seen amazing reviews for other books from this author. Unfortunately, it didn’t live up to expectation for me…

I don’t want to reveal too much about the plot but the premise is best friends, Nicola & Kim, head away for the weekend with their husbands & kids. Conversations are overheard, secrets are revealed & things will never be the same again.

This was a slow burn but did pick up a bit as the story unfolded & did keep me reading until the end. I struggled to connect with any of these characters though and to be honest, couldn’t understand why they were friends in the first place. Their dialogue with each other just didn’t seem real to me especially the 11 year old daughter who seemed like she should of been a lot younger. Even the cover of this book felt like it was wrong – it’s set in the Scottish highlands but the cover looks tropical resort to me. And the final “twist” actually made me groan!

All in all, this book wasn’t for me but I would be keen to read another from this author as I know he has a large audience who love his books.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for sending this book for honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Holiday Home # NetGalley
Wow Daniel Hurst can really reall know a novel out of the park. Whatever he writes just gets you right in the gut. So much so you are or become part of his book. You can feel the nerves the tension the fear and the fun coming from the main character of his books. Why should this one be any different, it’s not yet it reads and feels different. It feels more like the scary twisted psychological thriller, Sui much more intense than most of his books. I noticed it in his last book but just put it down to a one off. Now with so much intensity in this one too. Well it’s like he’s finally finally come into his own. I have loved every book he’s written, but I think with how intense this and his last book were, it’s touching on the dark side of a thriller we’re anything can happen. It’s strange but better. In a lot of his novels. You hoped to a jive a slightly happy ending which we got more often than not. I suppose we came to expect it. Yet this one. Not once did I think Nicole was going to get her happy ending. How Ryan really expected it all to go back to normal. Well he was a shallow man if he had not noticed how stressed and how strange Nicholes behaviour was. Same as Kim her so called best friend got how many years. You tell me she didn’t Pick up anything strange about ghetto best friend, Lewis Kim’s husband at least once I seen to remember him asking his she was. I felt at that point. She was going to tell him what she had overheard, but Ryan having interruptions them then I knew she was not going to say anything, the darker side when she tried to escaped with Emily her daughter and coke kind don trying to escape. I was not sure what was going to happen then, but I was sat on the eggs of my seat with first and anticipation of how things were going to turn out. This is what I meant about his novels having become s little darker. At one point uph one’s hod it would go, buy nod yoh really do not havre s clue, I like this side of Daniel Hurst books. We’re the heart gets pumping, sitting in thr edge of you’ve seat. With twist and turns coming from every direction. It bloody brilliant. Superb in fact. I know a lot of people might not have picked up on it. Well that actually is not s problem, I read so so much I can just sort of tell the slight changes in the authors way of writing it’s so subtle and maybe three writer had no intention of doing it again , we’re I again would say at last he’s come into himself in s big massive way, well done Daniel Hurst a corker of s novel just brilliant, I highly recommend anyone you should read this book without a shadow of doubt x

The Holiday Home is a great suspense thriller that will have you hooked from the very first page. This is the second book I’ve read by this author and he is fast becoming one of my favourite thriller authors. As soon as I had finished reading the prologue I just knew this was my type of read. The author has a great way of writing about their characters and it didn’t take me long to get to know them all. The suspense throughout the book was great and just had me wanting to read on. From start to finish I loved it.

Two couples and their children go away to a remote house for a holiday. What could go wrong? Turns out a lot!

The wives have been best friends for as long as they can remember. From the very beginning of the book there is foreshadowing that something bad will happen. The cover shows a beautiful, restful holiday and is eye catching. The characters are well developed and I liked all the interactions. This book kept me guessing until the very end!

This is the second book I have read by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed it. This was a gripping twisty domestic thriller

Two couples go away to a remote cabin in Scotland. The wives have known each other since Sixth Form and the husbands barely get along. But a holiday away will do wonders, right? So when one of the wives overhears something that she shouldn't have, it starts a chain reaction which will end with no all of them coming home alive...

As you know, over the past few weeks, I have binged two other of Daniel's thrillers - The Couple in the Cabin & The Doctor’s Wife - and I hoped that this would be the same. I would fly through this and while they would be insane, soap-opera style twists, I wouldn't be able to put this down.

Alas, that wasn't the case.

Out of the three, this was the weakest. It was the slowest to pick up the pace and reveal the reader what was going on and why (whereas with The Doctor's Wife and The Couple in the Cabin, we knew what caused the stories to spiral out of control and the pace to pick up almost immediately).

All the characters seem to make really dumb decisions and choices with no real logic or understanding why (with the previous two books, even when the characters were making outrageous decisions, you understood their logic over why they were behaving the way they were) and some of the writing decisions were odd. A good example is we have a young character who is aged 11 and yet, her behaviour and the way she was spoken to was to a child much younger...

But it was fun and it's a perfect thriller to read by the pool on holiday. But, if I had to recommend a Daniel Hurst book to start with, it wouldn't be The Holiday Home.

Enjoyed this audio book. As I have come to expect from Daniel the plot is fast moving and entertaining - kept my interest from start to finish. Liked the setting in Scotland - the remoteness of the cabin added to the tension. So many secrets being kept. Plenty of twists and turns in the plot. Not sure whether I cared much for the adults in the story - none of them were as they first seemed. Felt sorry for the kids - they didn't ask to be put in the predicament.
Liked the narrators too.