They Had It Coming

Unputdownable Balinese just desserts

Two young mid-thirties couples whose men are former schoolmates turned corporate citybankers decide to pursue their dream of a better life in Indonesia. Nate and girlfriend Layla make the first move by emigrating from London to Bali and start building a villa while making good money as digital nomads.
Having been dishonourably fired from his job, Jude talks his wife Sophie into visiting their old friends for a few months, with a view to emigrating as well. Almost from the start, the tension between the two couples grows into enmity and their dream turns into a veritable hellish nightmare…
The clever and twisty plot will keep you glued to the edge of your seat, highly recommended!

Married couple Jude and Sophie think they’re escaping to Bali, each for different reasons. Jude’s best friend, Nate, is living there with partner Layla and it seems, for the most part, an idyllic lifestyle. But it doesn’t matter if you’re halfway across the world, secrets and dodgy dealings have a habit of following you…

"They Had It Coming" is a captivating psychological thriller set in the beautiful paradise of Bali. The story features two couples who are supposed to be best friends, but each of them has their own secrets bubbling just beneath the surface.

I found the writing to be really engaging, and the plot kept me hooked with its suspenseful twists. That said, it does take its time to unfold, especially when you compare it to other thrillers. Some of the big reveals felt like they took a bit too long to come, and a few were a little predictable.

One of my favourite parts was the gorgeous setting! The vivid descriptions of Bali make you feel as if you’re right there, soaking up the sun and enjoying the island’s vibrant atmosphere.

In the first half of the book, I had so many questions swirling around in my mind, but thankfully, the second half did a great job of answering them.

The characters felt realistic and well-developed, though, if I’m being honest, I didn’t really connect with or like any of them very much. There’s a real sense of mistrust among them that keeps you guessing about their true intentions.

The ending was definitely satisfying, but I did wish that some of the revelations had been tied together a little more smoothly. It felt like there was just a tiny piece missing.

Overall, I still think "They Had It Coming" is a fantastic read! If you’re on the lookout for a thrilling adventure set in a stunning location, I’d definitely recommend giving it a try.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Viking Books for sharing a digital review copy with me! All of the thoughts in this review are completely my own and shared voluntarily.

I loved this destination thriller. It was really intriguing and the characters had me hooked. I was trying to guess the twists all the way through but didn’t succeed. I enjoyed the ending and found it a good way to wrap up the book.

I wouldn’t mind more from these characters, I found them really likeable!

They Had It Coming was a compulsively readable and highly entertaining thriller with plenty of twists and turns. Once again, Smith peels back the curtain on the life of luxury to expose the rotting heart beneath.

Nikki Smith delivers yet another fantastic destination thriller, fast becoming a go to in this vein for me. She has such a great knack for capturing these fantastic locations that feel lush and vibrant. They feel the embodiment of luxury and the places of dreams, but then they are twisted into places where nightmares come true. It feels like an oppressive force is moving against our characters and their pasts are catching up to them. The beautiful paradise suddenly becomes somewhere too far from the comfort of home. This is underscored by the exploration of privilege and status threaded throughout the book. It is all about appearances and wanting to upkeep them at any cost. You can feel the characters desperately papering over the cracks even as everything falls apart around them.

It is such a well-paced book – perfect for holiday reading, even if you may feel a chill across your skin. You scratch the surface and start to unpick the layers of this twisted story. There are plenty of twists and turns with unexpected reveals and dynamics that shift with newly discovered knowledge. Smith balances different perspectives well, making the reader feel like they’re piecing things together just to pull the rug out from under their feet. Everyone is hiding something and seeing how their perspectives contrast and crossover is deeply rewarding. It creates mounting tension that feels claustrophobic as the net tightens. All of this builds into a fantastically explosive and memorable ending.

They Had It Coming is a wonderfully executed and sun soaked nightmare come true.

Nate and Layla, Jude and Sophie have been friends for years. and have done everything together as a foursome.
Then Nate and Layla move to Bali.
Their first visitors are Jude and Sophie but its not long before cracks begin to show in their relationships.
However, is this really surprising as they have all been lying to each other for years and each is out for revenge.

A fair few twists but a bit slow going at times.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

This is an atmospheric and intriguing read, set in the lush and sultry surroundings of Bali—a place I visited last year, which made the setting even more vivid and enjoyable for me. The story centres on four long-time friends: Jude, Sophie, Nate, and Layla. When Nate and Layla leave their old lives behind to relocate to Bali, Jude and Sophie travel out to visit them, expecting a relaxing reunion in paradise. But from the start, there’s an uneasy undertone—something unspoken, lurking beneath their seemingly close friendship.

The book slowly unravels layers of their shared past, revealing simmering tensions and buried secrets. None of the characters are especially likeable, and I got the sense that this was a deliberate choice by the author—to explore the complexity of long-term friendships and how resentment and guilt can linger just beneath the surface.

While I found the story slightly disjointed in places and thought the pacing could have been tighter, I was drawn in by the setting and the suspenseful atmosphere. It's the kind of book that keeps you turning the pages, even if you're not always sure you like the characters you're reading about. A solid, escapist read with a darker edge.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest, unbiased review

A good holiday read. It made you want to go to Bali - but also not as touched on the underbelly of the place and how things are not always as they seem. The social media window onto someone's life is so different to the actual life of that person and this book highlighted that while also having a major plot twist which I did not see coming.

oh dear oh dear. please dont give me friends like these. and please dont make me turn into people like these, ha!
but i do like to read about them. all of our four friends have secrets, secrets that they are keeping and have been keeping from one another. and on one holiday together it all begins to bubble and froth and boil over the surface! and it does so with a delicious setting and quite unlikable ways. but these people were quite the unlikable people. but again in all the best of ways we all love to read about.
the setting was described perfectly and this book is just perfect for this time of year. you could be sat round the pool devouring this book or sat at home doing so. but the heat and sizzle from the book will hit you just the same.
Nikki gives us a fair few twisty "no way!" moments which i just loved. and the short chapters helped build the guessing and reveals a wicked tension to them.
great book. written well. and the scene setting was that added bonus that took it to the next level.

A good read, lots of secrets and lies with some unexpected twists and a story that all comes together at the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for my honest and unbiased opinion.

A riveting story from the start following two couples Nate and Layla, and Jude and Sophie wo were good friends until a event at Sophie's and Jude's wedding when Layla caused trouble. Nate and Layla are living the Insta-life of their dreams in Bali. Jude and Sophie live in London and after Sophie has a frightening experience they decide to visit their friends in Bali.
But then secrets start to come out and the tension rises especially between Layla and Sophie, and as Nate and Jude try to smooth things over a terrible secret comes out which results in a climax nobody could predict.
Highly recommend for a fast paced gripping story.

They Had It Coming is a sun-soaked, suspense-laced destination thriller that proves paradise isn't always what it seems.

Set against the vivid, sensory-rich backdrop of Bali, this novel hooks you from the start and slowly unravels a tangled web of secrets, betrayals, and buried tensions.

After a traumatic burglary at their London flat, newlyweds Sophie and Jude seize the chance to visit old friends Nate and Layla, now living their dream life on the island.

But from the moment they arrive, it's clear that not everything is as picture-perfect as the Instagram posts suggest.

The villa isn't finished, old resentments bubble just beneath the surface, and the tension - especially between Sophie and Layla is palpable.

Nikki Smith masterfully drip-feeds the reader tantalising hints about what happened at Sophie and Jude's wedding a year earlier, gradually layering the plot with simmering suspicion and twisty revelations.

Just when you think you know where it’s going, she throws in another sharp turn.

The alternating perspectives offer a fascinating glimpse into each character’s psyche, revealing their selfishness, flaws, and desperation to keep their secrets hidden - at any cost.

The characters aren't particularly likeable and that's exactly what makes them so compelling.

They’re deeply flawed, morally murky, and their self-preservation instincts make for some brilliantly explosive confrontations.

No one escapes unscathed, and by the end, you're left pondering who really “had it coming.”

Nikki Smith’s lush, immersive settings are a character in their own right.

You can almost feel the heat, smell the frangipani, and hear the waves crashing - all while the plot tightens like a noose.

Her writing is sharp, her pacing relentless, and the emotional tension lingers long after the final page.

They Had It Coming is a compulsively readable, atmospheric thriller that blends exotic escapism with razor-sharp psychological drama.

It’s dark, addictive, and entirely unputdownable. If you love your beach reads with a sinister edge, this one’s for you.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed They Had It Coming and would definitely recommend it as a holiday/summer read.
The story starts with Jude and Sophie heading to Bali for a holiday with their friends Nate and Layla who have moved out there to escape the London rat race. Their new life in Bali appears to be idyllic with lots of new friends, a luxurious villa and beautiful beaches. However, it soon becomes apparent that all is not as it seems. All four characters have secrets they are trying to hide, and both Sophie and Layla have experienced traumatic times in the past that haunts them. Their new life story ends with a couple of twists that I genuinely didn’t see coming and it is all nicely tied up.
I’ve read a couple of other Nikki Smith books and they can be relied upon as an entertaining and satisfying read.
Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for providing an advance copy in return for my honest opinion.
I’ve published this review in Goodreads and will also post a shortened version on Amazon.

A trip to Bali- blissful beaches suggest a relaxing and picturesque setting but not in Nikki Smith's hands. Four friends (two couples: Layla and Nate, Sophie and Jude) come together and their reunion starts turning sour as all of them struggle with their problems and grudges. The change in lifestyle that suggests a wonderful life by the insta digital nomads isn't quite true. The quest for revenge and get rich schemes are cleverly threaded throughout and the negative impact on the Balinese is exposed. Each new day brings more problems. As usual, Nikki Smith excels, she can posit any scenario and slowly peel off the gloss. A wicked summer read.

They had it coming is set in Bali when Sophie and Jude go to visit their friends who have moved there. There is tension between the characters due to events in the past and it is not until near the end that we find out what the secret is and it is slightly underwhelming. The characters are not particularly likeable, each with lies and secrets of their own. It also shows the toxic side of people moving to these places for a different life and the negative impact it can have in locals and the local businesses.

I feel this could have been much better and that the story was dragged out and the answers were all rushed at the end.

What an enjoyable book of deceptions. It seems as though Layla, Nate, Jude and Sophie are all not being entirely truthful with each other.

And many of the revelations I certainly didn't see coming. It was unpredictable to say the least.

Set in Bali, amongst the digital nomad community, we see a slightly different side to Bali. But above all we saw many sides to our main characters and many of them not overly pleasant.

I'm not sure I totally connected with any of them, I was still keen to discover what was going to happen, especially with a different storyline happening in a separate time line that is interspersed which definitely intrigued me.

It may not be my new favourite from this author but its another solid thriller from her, and a perfect holiday read!

Thank you to Penguin and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Two couples, Nate and Layla and Jude and Sophie have known each other for ages. Nate and Layla have moved to Bali and the other couple are vising for an extended trip. However, it soon becomes obvious that they all have their secrets and things are not easy between them. I loved the Bali setting but I found the plot way too far fetched.
Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

They had it coming, follows a journey of 4 friends Nate, Layla, Jade, and Sophie. It also has throwback chapters from an unknown character.

Nate and Layla have moved from London to Bali. I have to say the setting was written beautifully and I am now so ready for a holiday.

Sophie and Jude travel out to see them after going through some difficulties in life.

There is a lot of tension between all the friends, and they all seem to be hiding something and have secrets!

With thrillers, I'm used to guessing or predicting what the twists and turns are, even if I'm wrong, but I found I couldn't do that with this book, as if there weren't enough little snippets or clues. However, that could just be me, so please don't let that judge the book for you.

I will definitely try something else from Nikki as I've heard great things about her other books.

Thank you @netgalley , @penguinUKbooks and @vikingbooksuk for an e-arc of this book

They Had It Coming, well I didn’t know where it was going!!
Nate and Layla have moved from London to Bali. Layla’s parents died in a car crash leaving her enough money to get out of the rat race and build their dream home in Bali. They are renting a super villa whilst this is being done. Their friends Jude and Sophie have been burgled and have decided to take a sabbatical from work and join them in Bali. There is a lot going on and a lot of secrecy as the couples have secrets from each other as well as their partners. Mix in that Layla ruined Sophie’s wedding day and has never forgiven her for it makes for a bumpy read.
This was a read I knew I was going to love from the first chapter. The words flowed well and the characters grabbed me from the start. I had no idea where this was going but what a few twists along the way!! The read had a good pace and I had no idea why we were going back years every now and again in some chapters but it all tied in perfectly at the end.
I would like to thank Penguin General uk, Fig Tree, Hamish Hamilton, Viking for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.