Jane Shemilt's The Vacation House weaves a compelling tale of two women, Julia and Laurel, bound together by a dark secret that stretches across a decade and the sun-drenched shores of Paxos, Greece. The novel explores the deceptive allure of paradise and the enduring power of the past to shape our present lives.

Shemilt contrasts the opulence of a wealthy family's idyllic vacation with the vulnerability of a young local woman whose life is irrevocably altered during one fateful night. This contrast sets the stage for a story that examines themes of privilege, exploitation, and the long-lasting consequences of a single act.

Years later, we meet Julia, seemingly the epitome of a successful, affluent wife in London. Yet, beneath her polished exterior lies a woman stifled by societal expectations and burdened by anxiety. Laurel, a therapist, offers Julia a path towards self-discovery, but this journey also threatens to expose the secrets Julia has desperately kept buried.

The Vacation House is a suspenseful and engaging novel that delves into the complexities of female relationships and the search for identity. Shemilt masterfully builds tension as the connection between Julia and Laurel is revealed, forcing them to confront the truth of what happened in Greece and the potential for both devastation and liberation that lies in its exposure.

This story takes place in two timelines and is told in two voices. In Greece, we follow Sophie, the 13-year-old daughter of the staff that caretake the vacation home for a wealthy English family. 20 years later, the alternative voice is Julia, and that takes place primarily in England.

Overall, I'm surprised this book doesn't have higher readership. That said, if some readers were scared off, I would say rightly so. This is dark, and there are some terrible things that take place on page which I think are going to stick with me for a really long time. It is dark and sad and difficult to get through, so I think one should go into this book knowing that. It is not a standard thriller. Some elements are just too scary and real to think about.

I found the writing difficult to get into at first. There are a lot of characters in the past timeline of Greece. I had a hard time following at first. The story picked up quickly, and it was a page turner, despite the heavy subject matter. I did predict how the timelines and stories would converge, but I was overall satisfied with the story and the outcome.

3.5⭐. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC.

A wealthy English family vacations in Greece, without a care in the world. Then one hot, summer night, an act of violence occurs to the young, teenage daughter of one of the servants. Her life was forever changed that night, and the ripples of that night were felt throughout all those involved forevermore.

Ten years after that summer in Greece, Julia is the perfect wife and mother living in London. She is skinny, well dressed, well knwoen throughout high society, and the ever present arm candy to her handsome husband. But behind her perfect facade, is another woman entirely. Julia is riddled with crippling anxiety. That all changes when Julia meets a therapist that promises she can help her change her life. Julia finally starts to feel hopeful that her life can be different.

However, what happened in Greece ten years prior somehow bonds the women together. Can they overcome all that has brought them to this point in their lives?

I enjoyed how this book went back and forth between the present and the past. I always enjoy reading books about strong female characters who are able to overcome trauma to become their best selves. The book was a little slow in parts, but overall I enjoyed it.

Leah Jane Shemilt’s The Vacation House is a domestic thriller wrapped in a mystery, set against the seemingly idyllic backdrop of a holiday home. While it’s a quick, suspenseful read, the book doesn’t quite hit the high notes you might expect from a gripping thriller.

The story follows the Robinson family as they head to their secluded vacation house, hoping for some much-needed downtime. But when they arrive, the house reveals itself to be more than just a peaceful retreat—it’s a place where secrets, tensions, and old grievances resurface. As a storm traps them inside, the family is forced to confront the buried truths they’ve been avoiding, and things quickly spiral from bad to worse.

Shemilt does an excellent job creating atmosphere. The claustrophobic setting and stormy weather provide an effective sense of unease, making the reader feel like something is always just about to go horribly wrong. The tension is there, but the characters, unfortunately, don’t quite rise to the occasion. While they’re all written with clear emotional depth, they tend to veer into predictable territory, leaving little room for surprises.

The pacing is solid, but a few plot twists feel more like the author’s attempt to throw in shock value rather than genuine revelations. By the time the story reaches its conclusion, the mystery is satisfying enough, but doesn’t offer that mind-blowing payoff you crave.

The Vacation House is a decent beach read (or in this case, a vacation read), but it’s not one that will linger in your mind long after you’ve finished. If you're in the mood for something light with a touch of drama and suspense, it might just be the ticket. Just don’t expect it to make you rethink your next family getaway.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

2003 - Paxos, Greece - in an upscale mansion for an uber-rich family, there is a very ugly secret. The teenage daughter of the caretaker has been brutally attacked by the rich family's friends. The house is promptly closed up and not used again.

2023 - London, England. Julia, the daughter of the uber-rich family, has had a hard go in life. She is disinherited from the family due to her life choices. She digs in and raises her daughter on her own with the flaky biological father. Julia lucks out and meets a man that treats her like a queen. However, as the marriage progresses, she becomes an anxiety-ridden prisoner to a point in her life. Julia meets a therapist at a school function and decides that she should get some help. Laurel has been such a blessing, helping Julia break free of some of the boundaries she is feeling.

As it unfolds, back and forth between 2003 and 2023, there is more to the story than meets the eye. This was a beautifully written story that makes you wonder about how it is connected. Amazing.

I read this in a day. Shifting timelines. Moves from Paxos, Greece to 20yrs later in London.
Julia travels to her parents vacation home in
Paxos 2003. Her father is filthy rich and likes to entertain his guests at the expense of his daughter. Among this dysfunctional dynamic there is a wholesome local family that are the caretakers on the property. But one night will forever change the their lives. It's heartbreaking and disturbing at times, trigger warning for sexual assault. Have no fear, justice will be doled out, I just wish it had happened much sooner. But guess that's the reality sometimes; money talks and the truth doesn't always see the light of day.
I gave this one 3.5 Thank you to @netgalley @williammorrowbooks for this eARC.

I want to thank NetGalley for the advanced reading of this book. I was impressed with the skilled writing of this book. It starts out a little slow but is necessary for the end result. The story plot is twisted. But in a good sort of a way for a fantastical different ending that is amazing. Unlike anything I've read before. The story takes place in Greece in the start of it. A rich families vacation house with the snob child Julia, and a pair of disgusting entitled teenager tag along. The poor family that are servants to this Vacation House. One horrible night that changes both families for ever. The events afterward effect the poor family the most. Devastation and heartache are what follows. Karma is alive and well within this book. With a WOW ending you won't ever guess. This could be a made for TV movie I know I'd watch. I highly recommend this book for everyone.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. This one was definetaly darker and more dramatic than I had anticipated. Check trigger warnings. I liked the back and forth. That helped the slow burn move a little quicker. Overall just an ok read for me.

I wanted to like the book, the synopsis sounds great the overall execution of the book not so much. The book seems to drone on, and the book flashes back and forth randomly. I had a hard time getting into the book much less want to continue, the theme is very dark and if you’re triggered by SA then this book isn’t for you.

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with a digital ARC of this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to like this, the premise sounded mysterious and fun. The dual narrative worked as you heard each side of the story and watched as it grew closer to their paths crossing. The last half however just got weird. There were some unexpected twists, but I was losing interest in the characters and was ready for the story to be over.

I really enjoyed the intermingled storylines of this novel. It kept me interested and thinking through the possible outcomes until the end.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
I am really torn with this book. It was listed to be a thriller but it was not what I would consider a thriller. The book itself however was written out well. Be aware of some trigger warnings that may upset some readers.
It was well thought out and well written, just not what I was expecting from the summary and the way it was catagorized.

This was a lot darker than I thought it would be. I would HIGHLY recommend checking out the trigger warnings before venturing in. The plot was happening but ever so slowly, and I honestly didn't know where it was going until halfway through the book. Even then though I did not find myself wanting to continue to pick this one up. It just didn't hit the mark for me.

This book is in dual POVs and timelines. We have Sofie in the past grappling with an unimaginable experience, and then we have Julia who is in the present in a loveless marriage that she signed up for in order to have security. Both women have serious trauma and secrets, and the question is how they tie together or cross over. This story involves covering up for "friends," deciding to acknowledge what happened in the past and taking control of the situation. I had a hard time connecting to the characters. I was not prepared for the trauma. The intersection of the stories was a bit odd for me and also did not happen until at least halfway through the book.

Again this one was not for me, but I do want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have no idea why I thought The Vacation House by Jane Shemilt was a thriller, but it is most definitely not that. It is a very slow-paced domestic/general fiction novel that tells 2 stories. One of Sofie in 2003 Paxos, Greece, and the other of the wife of a school headmaster Julia in present-day London, England. While both have their own intricacies, Sofie's POV packs a wallop and if you have triggers, you will for SURE need to check them before starting this. Some parts of the story are so traumatizing that it was very hard for me to read, and Shemilt is clearly not scared to take on sensitive and important subject matters.

Despite this not being a thriller, there are still a couple of twists, and while I kinda saw through one of them, the others quite surprised me. The Vacation House is a great book to listen to in the audio format, and I thought Amalia Vitale did exceptionally well with both viewpoints. She fully embodied both Sofie and Julia, and it honestly felt like I was listening to 2 different narrators. She is just that good. You should go into this book expecting a heavy read that ends in a hopeful way and a slow-burning plot, but if you are good with both of these things, you will most likely enjoy the depth and writing.

This is a story about two women and how similar yet divergent their lives become. One is rich and the other works hard for her money. A tragic event will change Sophie's life forever, and the catastrophe will keep coming for her hard and fast. Julia has money and yet she is not happy. She will find herself at a crossroads and what she chooses will determine the woman she will be. This was not an easy read, the subject itself wouldn't allow it. This book is hard to put down and I really loved the way this was brought back full circle. What a well written story from beginning to end.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This was a bit of a slow burn mystery/ thriller. The dual timelines really helped move the story along and added quite a bit of intrigue.

Reading this book was tough. The subject matter is dark and difficult. I agree with some of the other reviews that it doesn't necessarily feel like a mystery. There were a couple really good twists that I didn't necessarily anticipate. Overall, well done but sensitive subject.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Check trigger warnings before reading. With that aside, the story was a bit slow but it still kept my attention and I had to know what’s next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this great novel. I thoroughly enjoyed this story, especially the setting, though the subject matter was difficult. I would recommend those with triggers check trigger warnings. The pace of the writing felt stunted at first, but then when I realized where the story was going, it felt reinvigorated. 4 stars.

I loved the pacing of this book - fast-paced. Check triggers. I felt like though overall it was fast-paced, it took a minute to get to the juice of the story and was overly wordy. Overall, I was not blown away and felt it won't stick in my mind long-term. It was good, but not incredible.