I couldn't get interested in this book because of the narrator. I DNF. I did not post a review anywhere.

I just adore this author and don’t see his books reviewed enough. Firstly his books are easy to read and listen to with the short snappy chapters which I find increases tension. Secondly, every storyline is unique, well researched and well written. Thirdly, the characters are well developed and helps pull you in to the storyline.

Daniel Hurst consistently provides great stories and multiples per year so there’s never long to wait until the next comes along.

Thank you to Daniel Hurst and NetGalley for this Audio-ARC in exchange for my honest feedback and review.

Nicola and Kim have been best friends for years. They love to holiday together with their families and spend as much time together as they can. Their husband's however are not the best of friends. They seem to dislike each other for no obvious reason other than they are opposites. When they all travel to Kim and Lewis's highland secluded cabin it seems like it's going to be just another wonderful getaway for the families. Only this time the truth must come out once and for all.

I really liked this domestic thriller. It was a short listen and kept me entertained the whole time. Although I figured out some of the twist I was surprised at the final twists of it. I was happy with the ending. I definitely recommend this book as a summer vacation read as it is fast paced.

I liked this one but it’s not my fav. My fav Daniel Hurst book remains The Doctor’s Wife. It was just really so freaking good. So it set a pretty high bar.

This one, like The Doctor’s Wife just sucked me right in. He’s got twists & turns but they are easy to roll with and not overly complicated. I love when an author keeps you on your toes but doesn’t go completely off the rails because then everything gets all messy and not in a good way.

Daniel Hurst has mastered the art of the twist. When I’m reading his writing, it’s like a movie playing in my head…I actually forget that I’m reading because I’m so captivated by his writing.

Nicola was likable and you really feel for her in the beginning of the book. She is strong and speaks her mind…tactfully. The way she goes about addressing the betrayal of those closest to her was different than I see in most domestic thrillers. It was more realistic.

Then you have Ryan, Lewis and Kim. Can’t say I liked any of them very much. Ryan was an odd character, the way he talked about Nicola and then talked about their relationship irked me, it was contradictory at times. Hard passion relationships with any of these people.

The ending was good. Overall it was a solid read and a well-read audiobook. I definitely recommend checking this one out.

#DanielHurst has become an author I get excited to read from! #TheHolidayHome had enough intrigue and suspense to be the perfect quick read I could finish in 2 days!
The audiobook is narrated greatly by
#ZoeMills & #RichardBurnip!
Thank you, @DanielHurstbooks, @Bookouture, #bookoutureaudio & @netgalley for my ecopy & #audiobook! All opinions are my own.

This book could/should be a thriller in some respects as it involves death, mystery and fear but somehow it doesn't quite make it into that genre as it is easy to see what is coming much of the time. The telling of events is by Nicole, one of the wives away on a retreat with another couple. Each having a child, although not really young ones. Sadly I didn't like any of the characters, including the children, although I probably had most sympathy for teenager, Cole. I won't say more as it would easily give away more of the plot than is helpful. All in all it was an OK audio book but not one I will remember far into the future.

3,5 stars
This was the second Daniel Hurst book I have had the pleasure of listening to. It was good, but not the best. I should have cared more about some of the characters than others, but I just didn't love any of the characters. The teenagers and the narration for their voices annoyed me and came accross as immature, especially Cole.
I am not a big fan of hints about what is to come so this bothered me.
Overall it was an exciting story. We know at the start already that someone would not make it back from the holiday, but not who or why so we have no choice but to keep listening.I liked how the whole story takes place in just one long weekend which two families are on holiday together.

2.5 stars rounds up.
The Holiday Home is a domestic thriller about two families that travel to Scotland for a weekend getaway where secrets and lies are exposed that will change their lives forever.

I wouldn’t consider this book a thriller considering you are reminded several times that something really bad is going to happen so it’s not a surprise when it does. The main characters where also pretty unlikable.

It was still an entertaining story, but I was glad when I was finished. This is my first Daniel Hurst read. I’ve heard good things about this author, but this book didn’t quite do it for me.

Thank you to NetGalley & Bookouture for an advanced copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

This book wasn't awful, but it just didn't quite do it for me. It sounded better than it was. There wasn't enough suspense. The characters weren't very likeable. The story was okay but a little predictable. It had a lot of good elements. A gorgeous holiday home in the woods in Scotland, a rainstorm, no WIFI, no cell service, a dead car battery. You just know something bad is going to happen. The author definitely made use of use of unreliable narrators, telling the story from different points of view effectively. I listened to the audiobook, gifted to me by Netgalley and the publisher. The narrators did a good job with the different voices. The accent was appropriate and easy to understand and the pace was good. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

EXCERPT: The silence in this part of the world is deafening, the area around this luxury log cabin in the Scottish Highlands so quiet and still that it's starting to become unnerving. Or maybe it just feels that way because of everything that has happened since I got here.
I move around the cabin to distract myself from the incessant silence and, as I do, a floorboard creaks beneath my left foot, the noise so loud that it startles me. And now I can hear my heartbeat thudding in my chest.
I suspect I can hear the blood pumping around my body too, or at least feel it, but I know that's not a normal thing to be aware of. I'm usually occupied enough not to be thinking about such a thing, but here, it's as if time has stopped and I'm aware of everything.
Like the call of the bird in the trees just outside the cabin, its piercing shriek cutting through the silence like a hot knife through butter.
Or like the loud snapping of a branch on the forest floor nearby, perhaps caused by a deer. Or could it be a human?
And lastly, the deafening gunshot in the distance, a sound so loud that it causes me to cover my ears and close my eyes.
When I open them again, I immediately rush over to the window and look outside, afraid of what I might see but needing to check, nonetheless. All I can see are the trees surrounding me on all sides. But that gunshot is still ringing in my ears, and I won't forget it easily.
I need to know who pulled the trigger.
And is anybody hurt?

ABOUT 'THE HOLIDAY HOME': The perfect holiday or the perfect nightmare…

I sit sipping champagne in the warm water, bubbles frothing around me as I admire the breath-taking view of gorgeous blue skies and mountains. I can’t believe I’m here, at this stunning holiday home. It’s to die for…

My best friend and her husband have invited me and my family to their lakeside property for the weekend, to experience their luxury lifestyle. I’m not envious of their wealth, although I know my husband Ryan is. All I want is to escape from our recent troubles and get my marriage back on track.

Then I overhear Ryan having a whispered conversation late one evening, and he says something that sends a shiver down my spine. In this beautiful paradise my whole world is turned upside down.

Just when I think things can’t get any worse, I discover a second secret. The truth is even more shocking than I imagine, and now I have no idea who to trust.

This was meant to be the perfect holiday, but someone isn’t going to survive it…

MY THOUGHTS: The Holiday Home is told from multiple points of view - Host Lewis and his teenage son Cole, Nicola and her husband Ryan. This mostly works well, although there is a little duplication.

Secrets, lies and a secluded holiday destination - yes, it's been done before, but Daniel Hurst manages to put his own particular stamp on it.

The husband's, Ryan and Lewis, only tolerate each other because of their wives close and long-standing friendship. There is a fair bit of 'muscle flexing' as the men try to assert their superiority. Ryan is jealous of Lewis's wealth, and Lewis is jealous of Ryan's easy relationship with the teenage Cole.

The wives, Nicola and Kim, roll their eyes at the men's stupidity and run interference as needed, but they are secure in their friendship and determined not to let the men ruin their weekend.

But then something happens that causes one of the women to examine their friendship more closely, and from thereon in, it all begins to unravel with disastrous consequences.

I enjoyed this, as I have enjoyed everything I have read by this author. It's entertaining, but, in this case, I thought the final twist was a step too far and unnecessary.

Will that stop me from reading this author again? Definitely not. He never fails to surprise me at some point, and I am looking forward to his next title.

⭐⭐⭐.9

#TheHolidayHome #NetGalley

I: @danielhurstbooks @bookouture

T: @dhurstbooks @Bookouture

THE AUTHOR: Writer/wanderer.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Bookouture via NetGalley for providing both a digital and an audio ARC of The Holiday Home, written by Daniel Hurst and narrated by Zoe Mills and Richard Burnip, for review. All opinions expressed in the review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my profile page on Goodreads.com or the about page on Sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review is also posted on Twitter, Instagram, Amazon and my webpage

Two best friends, their husbands and their children arrive at a secluded cabin for a relaxing getaway. Right away, things are off. Secrets are revealed and just when you think everything has been discovered., MORE secrets are revealed and it leaves them questioning everything they know.

The premise was interesting, but the delivery was lackluster. I guessed some of the key twists VERY early on., so it did feel very predictable for me. At no time was my jaw ever on the floor. The writing was good, but the execution left a lot to be desired. I didn’t care about any of the characters and didn’t really care what happened to them.

I would consider this book a popcorn read. It was a quick read, but it is forgettable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookoutre for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another exceptional psychological thriller from Daniel Hurst. Nicola, husband Ryan and daughter Emily, join close friends, Kim, Lewis and their son Cole at their holiday home in Scotland. Phone and Wifi signal is weak and Cole runs the car battery down by leaving the engine on, leaving them all stranded. Told from multiple points of view, the secrets laid deep for 15 start to unravel when conversations between Kim and Ryan are overheard and Nicola's world is shattered. Tragic events in the woods has life altering consequences all round.
A book you can consume in one sitting, a fast paced, gripping read with comeuppance.

Nicola & Kim are the best of friends since their younger days and when Kim invites Nicola and her husband Ryan to go on a holiday and stay at an idyllic holiday home in Scotland they agree.
While everyone is having a good time, it's very evident that Ryan and Kim's husband Lewis are not really happy being there but seem to be having small talks for the sake of their partners.
Right in the middle of a good weekend Nicola learns a harsh truth that her friend has kept a secret from a very long time after which everything goes downhill.

Ryan & Lewis are just about learning to deal with each other and a mishap happens which cannot be undone.

This was good book, except I didn't like the last chapter's revelation which sounded like a force fit.
Narration by Zoe Mills, Richard Burnip were good as well.

Thanks to bookouture audio, Daniel Hurst and Netgalley for approving the audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was looking for an audiobook where the plot would be easy to follow, given the kind of fractured focus the interrupted sessions of listening in the car brings about, and in this regard "The Holiday Home" didn't disappoint. Other reviews I've read refer to it as a "popcorn" read, and in this regard it didn't disappoint either. In many other ways however, it did.

The plot was predictable, overtly manipulative of the reader, through clumsy foreshadowing and hooks at the end of chapters (e.g. "I just need something to happen to cause the tipping point. Little did I know then, I was just about to get it.") The story verged too often into melodrama, the characters were uniformly unlikeable and irritating and in the case of Nicola (the main narrator) lacking in any emotional intelligence whatsoever. In her case, the "surprise/shock" ending only served, in my opinion, to make a mockery of all the anguish and histrionics leading up to it.

Other aspects of the writing that bothered me included relentless repetitions, showing the action and then telling us about it, so many "duh" moments that it became disconcerting and many irritating incidences of naming a character, e.g. Cole and then referring to him as "the teenager" as if it was incorrect to just say "him" or "he".

It seemed to me there was a gaping hole in the plot which to avoid spoilers I can't describe in detail. Suffice to say a momentous accusation happened at an early point in the story after which most of the characters involved carried on as if it hadn't happened.

And yet Daniel Hurst has captured a following. His style is easy to read, the elements of suspense, imperfectly executed though they may be at times, do work enough to keep readers engaged. I’d like to suggest creating more likeable, nuanced characters, and more credible plots but if there’s a market for fiction without these qualities, and there seems to be, well good on you Daniel Hurst. Go for it.

The Holiday Home got a 3.5 from me, so I am rounding it up to 4 on here. This was a quick read for me and I love a dual point of view audiobook. I, unfortunately guessed one of the twists fairly early in the book, however what pushed this one into get an extra .5 was the final twist that I absolutely did not see coming!

This is my second Daniel Hurst novel and I've already written down several more that I'll be picking up.

Hurst's books are extremely addicting. They remind me a lot of Keirsten Modglin's thrillers: short, fast-paced, and extremely engaging.

The setting was perfect and the uncertainties between the characters are out in the open right away. I listened to this audiobook in one day (two sittings) because I don't think I would have been able to sleep without knowing what was going on with Ryan.

Also, without spoiling anything, I loved the direction the author took with Cole. I thought, being a teenager, he was going to be indifferent about a certain reveal, but he held his ground and had me rooting for him so badly.

Being a Hurst book, we also get a twist right at the last minute, which is always my favourite literary technique. Especially in the thriller genre.

An amazing read. I'm already listening to my next Hurst novel.

A great read.
An idyllic setting with great friends yet the tension builds at pace, secrets and lies come to the fore and you feverishly turn the page to find out more.
Cleverly written with clarity and twists that thrill you to the core and what a shocking and chilling finale.
Thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining read.
Highly recommended.

This book was awesome! It had a great plot and just when I thought I hit the plot twist…the epilogue came. Man, this was impressive and I would recommend it to all my thriller loving friends and family. Thank you for the opportunity to enjoy this book!

At the beginning of the book I was intrigued to find out how this perfect weekend vacation would move into something sinister. This book just hooks you right in. It proved to be a suspenseful drama of what could happen when family secrets are revealed. I was listening thinking I knew exactly what was going to happen but it wasn’t what I thought. I loved the alternating points of views and the quick pace of the story. The narrators (yes there is more than one) for the audiobook were amazing. The tension in this book keeps building up and you’re left on the edge of your seat wondering what’s going to happen. And that twist at the end!

Thank you NetGalley and Daniel Hurst for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first Daniel Hurst novel and I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it. The story starts off as a mild domestic drama, but as the untold secrets and lies begin to unravel, it gradually escalates to a domestic suspense/thriller. Every time I thought the tension plateaued, it found a way to push things to the next level.

Despite a few plot holes here and there, I really liked it and will definitely recommend.