3 Star rating!

I’ll be honest, I was putting off this read for so long! And I don’t know why. This was hilarious, chaotic (in the best way) and, the perfect light-hearted read! I can imagine in summer this will be such a hit for anyone who wants a bit of drama but also something that won’t require all the brain power in the world!

We meet Chloe, who has decided her husband is the ultimate cretin and therefore, needs to die. To do this, Chloe must come up with the perfect alibi that shows everyone how in love she is with her husband – so a family holiday is decided to set her alibi in motion. What happens leads to deaths, drama and, a lot of drinking!

Pros:

• This book was funny! I was audibly laughing during the airport scenes because of the descriptions of all these different characters and I could feel the annoyance radiating off Chloe.

• The author sets the scene beautifully, with vivid and stunning descriptions of a secluded villa in Greece with idyllic food, drinks and activities that would make most people envious.

• I appreciated the pop-culture references. It felt related for today’s current reader and added a layer of realism and humour. (However, during the more serious conversations it did feel like they jarring and unneeded. I feel like at points the author was overusing them).

• I liked that this had short, snappy chapters. The author didn’t include drawn-out big reveals it just happened, and I appreciated that it kept the pace of the story going.

Cons:

• The issue with having so many characters is that often their behaviours and mannerisms become quite mashed together. At the beginning I feel like we had a clear understanding of who spoke like this and who acted like that. Towards the end it felt like each character had blended slightly – Chloe especially starts as quite strong, independent and sure of herself, by the end she’s become bratty and shallow. It was a big juxtaposition and one that I’m not sure worked well.

• Along the same lines whilst I appreciated the author needed characters to build up the story, I feel like there was just too many. I was expecting Chloe’s brother and sister-in-law to add something more to the story because his behaviour and him just being a total creep and yet he really didn’t - which left me wondering why they’d be included. Similarly, with Scott’s aunt and uncle. They weren’t necessary and just added another layer of complication. Yes the boat situation happened, but equally it also didn’t really add much more to the story in terms of building out the plot.

• As much as I loved the snappiness of this. I do feel like some of the more intricate details of the plot weren’t explained well, which left you feeling like something might have been missing. Such as Tori knowing all about the plan and being a genuis at points? and Grace being somewhat juvenile but then highly trained and knowledgeable - it was like these characters had forgotten their foundations.

Book due for publishing 27th February 2025!
Thank you to the author and publisher, Boldwood Books on NetGalley for my early copy to read.

A dark funny and deliciously twisty thriller, With family tensions, unexpected twists, and a watchful concierge, this gripping read is packed with suspense, sharp wit, and shocking turns.

"How to Slay on Holiday" by Sarah Bonner is a whirlwind of a read that I absolutely devoured. From the first page, I was hooked, desperate to know what would happen next. Bonner has crafted a truly compelling story. The plot twists and turns kept me guessing, and I genuinely struggled to put the book down. While there were a couple of minor pacing issues, they certainly didn't detract from my overall enjoyment. This book is the perfect escape, and I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a thrilling vacation read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC.

Chloe Wilson, 29, has organised a group holiday on Mykonos, Greece in a luxury villa for the entire Wilson - Cooper clan. She has planned husband Scott Cooper's murder by contract killer for months, and this trip is to convince the family that it can't have been her.

However, everything goes wrong. Scott does end up dead, but a week early, and rumours fly about who it could have been. There are parents, siblings and spouses, so there is plenty of scope for family rivalries, secrets and lies. We get three alternating POVs - Chloe, Scott's sister Tori and villa concierge Grace who might not be who she says she is.

I had high hopes for this as I loved the author's previous book How To Slay At Work. Unfortunately my hopes weren't realised. The story dragged terribly in the middle, only to then rush the ending, but even the epilogue didn't explain some things like Tori's knowledge of Chloe's murderous plans or what really happened on that roof all those years ago.

I liked the twists and the dark humour but it took me forever to read this as it didn't hold my attention sufficiently. My biggest gripe is that there were so few murders. Almost everyone, men and women alike, were so unlikeable, criminal and toxic, yet only one was universally disliked enough to give so many people motives for his murder? A good serial killer would have decimated that clan by half and made the world a better place.

Chloe decides her family and her in-laws should go on a vacation to Greece together so she can show them what a devoted and loving wife she is before her husband is murdered. What?? Yes, she put out a hit on him and will need to convince everyone she wasn't involved! Both sets of families are involved in some illegal substances business so they are on high alert anyway and have security with them always. Chloes' husband, Scott, is really not a nice person and even his sister, Tori, doesn't like him. While on vacation, all the plans get thrown out the window and Chloe is left to figure out how many people in the family really don't like Scott or is the threat from outside the family? This book sucked me in from the very beginning with the fast pace and building suspense and was a fun read!

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the ARC! #HowtoSlayonHoliday

Wow, I really enjoyed this one. Chloe is plotting to kill her husband Scott, but will have one last family holiday first. Both sides of the family are invited to Greece for a holiday in a high end villa. Things are not going as planned though and the plot thickens. Loved the plot line, it’s intense and with small chapters it easy to read quickly. The ending was not what I expected and the twist was brillant. 5 star thriller. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

This was such a great read and I’ll definitely go back and read some of Sarah’s previous work!

The short chapters work really well to keep the momentum going and for us as readers not to feel like they’re dragging on.
Sarah’s writing flows so well and just keeps you wanting to read more.

I loved the triple POV and how each day was broken down into mini chapters for each person.
It certainly added different elements as you went along that had you second guessing how things were going to pan out!

There are ALOT of characters in this book. Some quite minor but everyone contributes to the story in some way so if you struggle with a lot of names and who brings what to the story it might take you a little bit longer to digest what’s happening

There are some good twists and moments that keep you guessing. I’d say the final few chapters were quite surprising and I did see some of that coming but the epilogue not so much. I had a feeling from little things that happened throughout the book that this was how it was going to go. Just suspicions though, I wouldn’t say I could’ve solved this and guessed the outcome!

Thank you Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read an advance copy of the book

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

This was an ARC
It was so fun to read. It’s full of twists and he had a side of comedy, but mostly is full of plot twists.
The female characters stand up, and they really took the main character energy to another level.
At the beginning, I thought this story will take a very different storyline, but with each plot twist turn into something more deeper and a little bit darker.
But at the end of the day, I thought this book has not that spring summer vibe of chill and light reading.

A fairly quick and funny read told from multiple viewpoints. There was great potential in this story, but the ending became rushed, with things left unexplained - and I'd correctly predicted who did it early on.
Fine for a poolside/beach read.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc ebook.
2.5 rounded up to 3

Chloe has spent months planning her husband Scotts murder. They are on holidays with his and her family at a Greek villa. She decides to played the loved up wife not to arouse suspicions within the family but soon the cracks start to show. Will she get away with her plan of murder?
A good funny read.
Total rating 3 1/2 stars

Dark comedic thriller set in a villa on the Greek Island of Mykonos. Chloe planned a family vacation to prove how in love she is with her husband so no one will suspect she is responsible for his murder, which of things go according to her plans, will happen next week. Of course things never go according to plan. Told through multiple POVs, this is a great vacation/beach read. Suspenseful enough to keep you interested, but there’s also a lot of humor. 3.75 stars ✨ rounded up.

Thanks to NetGalley & Boldwood Books for this advanced copy. Publishes 2/27/25.

I enjoyed reading this book. It kept me guessing about what was going to happen next. Though I had a small suspicion for about half a second, I never actually expected who the killer ended up being.

Sarah Bonner was a new author to me. I was excited to get this book as an ARC. It's a novel of suspense, set (mostly) in a compound in Greece with two families. There is a shifting POV between several women in the compound, which adds to the ratcheting of the suspense.

We know from the first chapter that the first POV, Chloe, is planning to kill her husband Scott but we don't know how, why, or when. It starts as the family is in the airport (which is hardly a calm, serene place to begin with). As the book progresses, we hear from Grace (the Coneirge), and Tori (sister-in-law/Scott's sister).

Eventually, a murder takes place and the fallout from it is where the last part of the book covers.

I enjoyed the story, the characters, and the shifting POVs. While most, if not all, of the characters were truly awful people, I think they were fun to read about. I did struggle with how Chloe's sister-in-law found out (I'm not sure how we even really knew how), and why the murderer thought doing it the way they did was a good idea. That would kick me out of my belief.

Overall, I thought this was a great read and I'll probably pick up another book by Sarah Bonner pretty soon.

First of all I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is perfect summer read, unfortunately I finished it in a day so had to find more books whilst on holiday. The chapters are short which make it all the easier to binge and you think to yourself ‘one more chapter’ and the next thing you know you have finished it.

Would definitely recommend this as a good summer/holiday read.

I loved every second of this book, i loved the writing, the story line, the characters and event he setting. Everything about it just screams SLAY

I don't what it is about this author's writing style but I like it! Intesting twist at the end....I wasn't sure who was going to be the killer....

This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.

I really enjoyed Bonner's previous book and this is along the same ideas. I read a review where they called it a "popcorn thriller" and I agree - it is fun, fast, enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the arc.

It's just as unique as How to Slay at Work! I loved How to Slay on Holiday. This time we are off on a blended family holiday planned by Chloe, who wants to knock off her husband. She has her reasons for wanting to do so -- but doesn't realize that there are quite a few others who would also like to see him dead. Things don't go entirely as planned. This dark comedy, thriller has great characters and you can completely imagine the scenes in your head as if you were watching a TV show. Highly recommended!

After the devilish delight I found in of How to Slay at Work, I hope this never ends. A brand new, bloody tale of female rage, murder and revenge wrapped up in a witty, pretty bow.

Our three narrators take us through a chaotic, twisty journey from different perspectives - giving us a new look at things we thought we'd figured out and making everyone a potential threat.

Chloe is going to kill her husband. And I loved her anyway. The way she tapped into that deep-seated frustration that all women have felt, the anger — and of course, how much airports are like the eighth circle of hell. Of course, as we learn there’s much more history between them, plenty of other reasons she wants him dead that we learn through her own thoughts and she thinks back to the years gone by, smoothly moving between memories and the present in an easy, conversational tone before switching to another member of the holiday party. There's Tori, who knows Chloe is going to kill her brother but wants to know why - and Grace, a concierge who isn't unfamiliar with dead bodies.

The story starts out with luxury, opulence, privilege— a picturesque summer. Then the notes start, people ask questions, and tension slowly starts to build. The countdown to the hitmans arrival always hanging over our heads through every page. The cast of characters; entitled, unlikable and all suspicious made everyone a potential threat, their ties to a dark underworld of crime, drugs, extortion and trafficking coming to the surface and tarnishing the facade of the perfect family we first see.

It twists out of hand in the most chaotic of ways, everyone with an agenda, thirst for revenge and their own ulterior motives just waiting to get the upper hand and make their play. Down to the very last line, I kept thinking I knew exactly what was next but again, Bonner manages to catch me by surprise.