Another fab read from Nikki. I found this one really gripping and I loved the short chapters. I flew through this book and really enjoyed how fast paced it was. Really looking forward to reading more books from Nikki.

Sun, secrets, and simmering revenge - THEY HAD IT COMING is a fabulously twisty destination thriller that proves paradise can be anything but peaceful.

Set against the lush, Instagram-perfect backdrop of Bali, Nikki Smith serves up a sharply observed tale of two couples whose friendship has always been more complicated than it appears. When Nate and Layla ditch their high-powered London lives for a dream escape, Jude and Sophie are quick to follow - only to find the cracks in their carefully curated friendships starting to widen.

As layers of long-held lies and betrayals unravel, Smith masterfully ratchets up the tension. This isn’t just a beach read - it’s a psychological powder keg wrapped in sunshine and suspicion. The shifting perspectives keep you guessing, and the pacing is perfectly taut, leading to a finale that’s as satisfying as it is shocking.

A smart, suspenseful look at envy, entitlement, and the darkness that can thrive even in the most beautiful places.

This is the perfect holiday thriller
Based in Bali
Flashbacks
Relatable characters
Full of twists and turns

Excellent twisty storyline.
Keeps you guessing right to the end.
Thoroughly enjoyable.
Thanks for the opportunity to read and review

Long-term friendships and hidden jealousy, secrets and issues - what could possibly go wrong? Love this read it kept me hooked. The setting was great and the background stories and it really keeps you guessing. Another great book from Nikki Smith can’t wait for the next one

I loved this book and wpuld definitely recommend for a fabulous beah read/psychological thriller. Beautifully set in Bali, a group of friends reunite for a holiday, but everyone has their secrets. A fabulous cosy mystery, highly recommended xx

A good book to take on holidays for a poolside or beach read. Not hugely original but entertaining. Easy read for when you don't want anything heavy!

Thanks netgalley for this book, I loved the description of Bali makes me want to,pack up and go there immediately
The four of them, Nate and Lydia, Jude and Sophie had been friends for a long time since university they did everything together, and the two men even worked together.
But when Nate and Lydia decided to quit London and go and ,Iive in Bali Jude got very jealous and he too wanted the good life in Bali.
He to Sophie he was taking a sabbatical and they too should go and see how wonderful Bali was and see the wonderful
Villa they had there.
But friendship sometimes is only skin deep and things started going wrong in their relationships.
I enjoyed this book very much, going to,book a flight to Bali right now.

I love a destination thriller and this didnt disappoint. I love books by this author and I was super happy to have this one.
The setting was great and I enjoyed the build up. I disliked most of the characters but in a good way if that's possible.
Enjoyed the ending.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Two thirty-something couples living it up in Indonesia - they should be having the times of their lives shouldn't they? In They Had it Coming, however, none of the characters are happy and all have something to hide. One will end up in hospital, the victim of an unhappy accident ... or was it an accident? This was a really engaging book which took me back to my early 30s backpacking around Thailand - although the key characters in this book enjoyed a much more luxurious lifestyle than I ever did. All the characters were rather unlikeable but I really enjoyed the way their various secrets and back stories were revealed. This feels like a perfect summer read. Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.75 stars
I have to admit the first thing that attracted me to this book was the cover, so eye catching, I love it!
Then I read the blurb and that really drew me in. I was hoping for a juicy plot packed with drama and a sunny setting of Bali.
Right from the start I was hooked. The story really drew me in and I flew through this in a day.
I liked the characters and was interested in what was going to happen throughout.
Also, I loved the setting. It really played a huge part of the story from start to finish and it added a lot to the plot.
I do have to say though by the end I did feel ever so slightly disappointed. I wanted more thrills, twists and drama, which would have really added to my enjoyment.
The ending didn't really work for me either, I ended the book feeling a bit let down as this had so much promise throughout to be a great read for me.
Overall I do recommend this book as I did have a good time reading it.

They Had It Coming by Nikki Smith is a gripping thriller that transports readers to the sun-soaked and increasingly remote working expat occupied beaches of Bali, where secrets and lies unravel among two couples. Nate and Layla, Jude and Sophie have shared a close-knit bond for years, but when Nate and Layla suddenly relocate to Bali, cracks begin to show as the couples reunite. Showing that, shock horror, the Instagram #Blessed #LivingMyBestLife visuals are far from indicative of reality. The story explores betrayal, revenge, and the complexities of relationships, keeping readers on edge with its twists and turns.

Nikki’s writing is evocative, capturing the glamorous yet tense atmosphere of Bali while delving into the darker sides of human nature. The narrative is told from multiple perspectives, adding depth and intrigue as readers navigate the tangled web of deceit.

What an addictive read, I was hooked from the first chapter until the last. The story weaves brilliantly with lots of intrigue that keeps you guessing throughout and holds no punches.

If you want a great revenge story, set in the beautiful Bali - then this is for you.
The story of two couples who are friends and the secrets they're all keeping from each other.
The first half of the book sets up the scene and the atmosphere perfectly, but be warned the second half comes at you fast.

I honestly think Nikki Smith just gets better with every book, such an exciting author.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

I was fortunate to receive an ARC of this read from Penguin and NetGalley.

The first thing I will say is that if I'd been on holiday, I would have read this in a day! Set in Bali, a country I have never been to so I did quite a lot of Googling, 4 friends are reunited but all have secrets and there are grudges galore. This made for a real page turner as I just had to know what everyone was up to and why!

I also loved Nikki's reference to one of her other books, The Guests, being looked at my one of the characters at Heathrow WHSmith 😉

Highly recommend for your summer holiday this year!

My favourite quote:
"(She was) struck by a pang of loneliness as she realises she can't remember the last time she touched his face that intimately."

I’m a sucker for a thriller and this delivered!

Nate and Layla have been living the digital nomad life in Bali. Jude and Sophie are desperate for a change from London life following a burglary at home. Unresolved issues threaten to ruin the reunion but they’re all friends, right?

Each chapter was written from a different characters POV which I really like as a format. I really enjoyed getting to know each characters and how they tick. I was kept guessing right up to the end! This was a really easy read, perfect for the holiday switch off. The past issues between the boys felt a little petty but I enjoy the reveal at the end that through one of the relationships into a whole new light!

I’d definitely recommend this book and I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for the eARC.

Really enjoyed this one! Super twisty and kept me guessing. Some parts were a bit slow, but I think they served the story well and overall it was a fun, satisfying read. Definitely worth picking up if you're into domestic thrillers.

What a fab book, Couldn't put it down at all. Kept me gripped the whole way through it. Defo worth a read.

One of the best books I've ever read and definitely my book of the year. This is a book of secrets, where everyone has something to hide. When Jude wants to take his wife Sophie to stay with his old university friend Nate and his partner Layla in Bali, it is the first time they have met since the disaster caused by Layla at their wedding. With Sophie still angry over this, and reeling from a recent burglary, there is a definite atmosphere. With Nate leading a seemingly perfect life compared to Jude's, there is also much rivalry. Paired with an ongoing story from 2007, of a local man taking visitors on white water rafting trips while simultaneously ripping them off, this is a tale of lies and bonds which somehow all ties up in the end.
This is a brilliant book and I cannot recommend it enough - go out and buy it!

An intriguing premise that didn’t fully deliver for me.

They Had It Coming follows two couples, Nate and Layla, Jude and Sophie, who’ve been inseparable for years, sharing everything from dinners to holidays and even their work lives. When Nate and Layla suddenly leave London for a new life in Bali, Jude and Sophie jump at the chance to visit. But as old secrets and betrayals surface, tensions rise.

The characters weren’t especially likeable and difficult to connect with, which I think was intentional by the author, did lead to me occasionally mix up the two male characters.

Though I found the pacing was slow at times, it kept me curious, overall it was a decent thriller.

When Jude and Sophie take a sabbatical to stay with friends Nate and Layla in Bali, it is soon clear that the visit won’t go smoothly: the guests from London are running away from trouble back home, and the hosts’ lives aren’t as perfect as they make it out to be. They Had It Coming is a tense and exotic thriller filled with secrets.

I liked the way Nikki Smith explored the dynamic of the group and I enjoyed seeing tensions emerge and relationships complicate as the plot developed. I didn’t find the characters particularly likeable. each main character narrates, which I think allows them to implicate themselves as much as rationalising their behaviour.

The author’s physical description of Nate and Layla’s Bali worked well to depict a fake, social media aesthetic. I think this contrasted well with the sounds of the scenes in villa at night creating an eerie atmosphere. The uneasy feeling builds throughout the book, increasingly permeating into scenes, quickening the pace of the storytelling, and changing the feel of the luxury locations the couples visit.

Overall, I enjoyed but I do think it was over-stuffed with plot devices, where themes seemed skipped over or rushed. I would have enjoyed more if it was stripped back a bit and some themes explored further.