Another fantastic read from Rhona Halsall. A psychological thriller that will keep you guessing right from the beginning. When Tom and Maddie are on holiday in Croatia Maddie meets Alex in a cafe one morning but what she thinks is a chance meeting is not that at all and things start to get really interesting when Tom realises he already knows Alex. I'm not going to give anything away but it safe to say there are many twists and turns in this story it's full of drama and you really don't know who is telling the truth about what has happened in their past and how things will be resolved. I loved it

Maddie & Tom are on holiday in Croatia having a wonderful time whilst wishing it could be longer, when Maddie makes friends with Alex who tells her she is a digital nomad. Maddie is so taken with the idea of her & Tom being digital nomads that she pushes the idea to Tom who is just a little hesitant. When Alex has to return to London as her Mum is ill, she offers her apartment in Croatia that has 2 weeks left on it to Maddie to see if she likes the idea of living & working there & she, Alex will stay in Maddie's apartment in London, a flat swap. It is not until Maddie sends a picture of Alex to Tom that the nightmare starts. A gripping and thrilling read. It is a great storyline, the only thing that spoilt it is that there was 'too much talking' going on away from the story itself. I tended to skip these parts.

Thank you for this ARC! I did enjoy this story and it held my attention throughout. It had some good twists which are always exciting. It's hard to root for a character that makes bad decisions, however, so I struggled a bit with that. The ending was good until the very last portion which felt unnecessary and farfetched. But, I did enjoy the experience of reading the book.

Maddie and her partner Tom are on holiday in Croatia. They have been through some trying times lately and are glad to be having a break. Both Maddie and Tom are able to work from home, and so have been thinking about the digital nomad lifestyle, which was a term new to me. Basically, it means that if you have your lap top with you, and access to WiFi, you can work from anywhere in the world and have the benefits of enjoying new surroundings.
Maddie likes to get up early and explore places while on holiday, Tom prefers a slower and later start to his day, so while Maddie is up and out, she meets Alex and her partner, Ed, who are living the digital nomad lifestyle. Maddie is intrigued and Alex is happy to explain more to Maddie about it. Circumstances alter for Alex and Ed, they need to return urgently to London, so Alex offers their apartment in Croatia to Maddie and Tom, in return for letting her and Ed stay in their London apartment. It would only be for two weeks, and would give Maddie and Tom an idea of how their digital nomad life could work. Maddie agrees. Tom has some reservations, but agrees, and by the time he realises something is wrong, it is too late.
There are lies upon lies in this twisted plot, and although I thought Maddie to be a very gullible person, some of the lies lead me astray in my thinking too, and I ended up not knowing who to believe, and the ending was a complete surprise.
A fast paced, page turner.

An enjoyable beach read.
Well written twisty tale and an interesting storyline.
Read over two long sittings.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

More twists and turns than a roller coaster. Excellent 5 star book.

Summer reading at it's best, now ay can you put this down once you have started it.

Who do you trust, your partner for 4 years who is an upright citizen (or so you think), your new best friend or your parents?

Maddie had it all and the dreams came crashing down. How to rebuild from devastating actions of those you think you know.

Thank you Net galley for letting me read this book.

House swapping... something I would never, ever do.
I know it used to be — or maybe still is — a thing people did, usually through a website where you had to register, so there was at least some control over who ended up in your home and what you could expect in return. But what Maddie and Tom are planning is something completely different. The two couples barely know each other, and yet they go for it. Until Tom makes a chilling discovery...

I had a feeling early on that something wasn't right — because when something seems too good to be true, it usually is. Unfortunately, you often realize that only when it's too late, when the damage is already done and you're left to face the consequences.

The author does an amazing job of leading me astray — and just when I think I’ve figured it out and confidently shift my suspicion, thinking this must be the truth... nope!
It felt like I was doing some weird little dance, constantly hopping from one theory to the next. I couldn’t decide what to believe, spinning around like a weather vane in a hurricane.

Slowly but surely, the storm settles, and everything is revealed. And to me, a thriller is only truly great when the story has a proper sting in its tail. I can tell you — this one absolutely did, and I loved every second of it.

A big compliment also goes to whoever designed the cover — it’s absolutely stunning.

The story itself was brilliant, with plenty of twists that had me throwing my theories out the window, only to pick them back up again, and still end up completely wrong.

No doubt about it — this book deserves 5 stars.

Thank you!

This novel is the perfect example of trusting your instincts, if something seems good to be true it usually is. That being said it is a very good, fast paced novel that I raced through.
Told from Tom and Maddie's points of view, we follow them as they holiday in Croatia and meet Alex and Ed. A chance conversation has them agreeing to a house swap, but in true Rona Halsall style nothing is that straightforward. She ramps up the tension and pace as each chapter progresses.
Fabulous

Fans of Freida McFadden and Shari Lapena, this is fa book for you! A quick page turner you will not be able to put down. The characters were full of personality and relatable. I found the main character to actually be quite entertaining and funny. The twists and turns were spectacular. I cannot say enough good things about this book. If you don't run to add this one to your collection, you are sadly missing out. This is a MUST read. Rona has quickly moved up the list to one of my favorite authors.

Thank you to the author and Boldwood books for the eARC

Title: The Getaway
Author: Rona Halsall
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Pub Date: July 25, 2025
My Rating: 4.2 Stars
Pages: 285

Maddie and her long-term boyfriend, Tom, dream of a life living and working abroad, though right now they’re settling for a lovely vacation in Split a stunning beach city in Croatia. Maddie loves the excitement as well as the relaxation of watching the cruise lines come and go.
Maddie is befriended by a lovely-woman Alex. She and her boyfriend Ed are living the digital nomad lifestyle. After a discussion Alex mentions her mother lives in London and is starting chemo. Alex wants to be with her but her mom has a tiny apartment. Maddie and Tom have a flat in London. Alex has a great idea and makes an offer Maddie finds hard to refuse…
Swap houses, swap lives – just for a couple of weeks – However Tom needs convincing. He believes it could be a scam. However it something Maddie really wants to do so he givens in.
As soon as they swap keys. Tom confesses a secret and why he believes Alex and Ed are up to something ~ he believes their encounter was planned and not an accident.
They fly back to London but go on separate days. When Maddie gets there a day after Tom does – he is nowhere to be found.
Yikes what in the world is going on? My head was spinning ~ is there anyone who is telling the truth?
Fast read ~ Ms, Halsall does not disappoint!
This is my sixth author, Rona Halsall thriller, her stories are outstanding

Plus I always enjoy reading her Author’s note/Acknowledgements.

Want to thank NetGalley and Boldwood Books for granting me this thriller.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for July 25, 2025.

I adore Rona’s novels and this one is another treat! East to read but grabs you right away. It’s a real page turner and I devoured it! Lots of twists and turns, it’s a really satisfying read!

This is an easy breezy beach read - satisfying if you don't think too hard.

Maddie was stupid. I'm so sorry, but she was. Just literally stupid. She makes bad decisions all through the book. You're left just shaking your head. (Note: even her mother seems to think she's just not that bright. Mom's right.)

Her partner was irritating. The author tries to explain away his decision making by constantly referencing his ADHD, but I don't think ADHD makes you make these particular decisions. Over. And over. And over again.

The book is twisty and I definitely wanted to find out what would happen, but found the reason behind everything kind of convoluted.

I did like the end, though it didn't read as true for our character - our character was never that person through the entire book. I mean, I get that they may have changed after trauma and drama, but it was like whole new person.

Overall entertaining.

* ARC via publisher

This book for me can be described as too wordy. All the descriptions made the story just drag on and on. I found myself skipping pages and still not missing out on anything because it was still describing an action or longwinded backstory. A good example was in the beginning when Tom was at the cafe waiting for Maddie. It took several CHAPTERS to get to the part where he told her his past. The descriptions for me did not build suspense. It made the story so convoluted with words that you lose sight of what is happening. Also all the characters were unlikable and underdeveloped even with all the wording. I honestly felt like I was rushing through this not to find out what happened but to finish the book.

I absolutely loved this book . Not the story I was expecting to read but pleasantly surprised. I loved the characters and the mixed up lives they’d previously had . I love this authors books but this is definitely one of my favourites. I will 100% recommend this book and give it 5 stars . Can’t wait for the next .

Review of ‘The Getaway’ by Rona Halsall, due to be published on 25 July 2025 by Boldwood Books.

Maddie and her partner Tom are holidaying in Croatia, but given a new project Tom has to work on, Maddie ends up spending time alone, and makes friends with another couple, Alex and Ed.

Alex and Ed are living the ‘digital nomad’ dream, and convince Maddie that she should try it. They agree upon a short house swap, with Tom reluctantly agreeing, having not met Maddie’s new friends.

Having handed over their flat keys to Ed, things take a mysterious turn when Maddie shows Tom a picture of her new friends, which shocks him to his core.

What follows is a beautifully woven web of lies and deceit, with Tom desperate to get the couple out of their home before Maddie can find out the past that he has been hiding.

There are three sides to the story, all with discrepancies, Maddie must use all her strength and courage to find out what is the truth and who she should believe.

A dark and compelling thriller, that had me up until late in the night to finish.

Another brilliant book from Rona Halsall that keeps you questioning everyone the whole way through. Lots of tension and shocks. Fantastic!

Another triumph from Rona Halsall which I read in 48 hours. Maddie and Tom are on holiday in Croatia and meet Alex and Ed. Two so-called Digital nomads who make a living via their laptops and flitting around instead of living in one place. All very idealistic and when Alex suggests they swap lives for two weeks Maddie is giddy with excitement. Yeah sure take the keys to my London apartment. It'll be fun! It's obvious Alex & Ed are up to something. But I never saw the story veering off in the direction it did! So many liars and characters you can't trust. The main female character is likeable but gullible. You do want her to have a happy ending. Thank you to the author and Boldwood books for the eARC. Perfect "getaway" beach reading. Denise x

during a trip to croatia, maddie meets a seemingly wonderful couple who are living the digital nomad lifestyle. they present a tempting proposal - swap homes and lives for a couple of weeks to get a real taste of life abroad.
tempted by the opportunity, maddie and her boyfriend, tom, agree. but once they hand over the keys to their flat in london, they begin to realize something is very wrong. the couple isn't who they claimed to be - and what started as a dream escape soon turns into a nightmare.

this was my first rona halsall book and i can say i enjoyed this one. i liked how the digital nomad lifestyle was portrayed - it's such an interesting concept, and honestly, i'd be open to trying something like that myself. that said, if i ever met a lovely couple who wanted to swap houses... i'd probably pass. a little reminder for the future - sometimes it's better to be boring and cautious than spontaneous.

i really liked the setting - a sunny beach town in croatia - which makes this book a great summer read.

the story started off a bit slow and felt somewhat predictable, but i kept reading, hoping for a big twist.
and honestly, i did like the ending, it was really satisfying. at the same time, while reading, it wasn't that hard to guess that something was wrong with the characters. tom lying about knowing alex was a clear red flag, so there were hints early on.
still, i liked the intrigue and how the plot unfolded.
at the beginning, some parts felt a bit far-fetched and it felt like there were too many coincidences.
also, i found the characters quite unlikeable, which made it hard to connect with them.

the story in general was interesting, it kind of didn't completely meet my expectations but i'd still recommend it if you're looking for a quick summer read.

WOW and it's books like this that Rona Halsall is one of my favourite authors. I was lucky to be able to read this book early on Netgallery but it's definitely one to look out for when it comes out. The story had me gripped straight away with the characters and the twists you never saw coming kept you page turning. Absolutely amazing book Rona you never disappoint your readers. Thank You x

I started this book unsure of what to expect as this is a new author for me. I read the first chapter and was then unable to put it down.

The story centres on Maddie and her boyfriend Tom, who are on holiday in Croatia. Whilst Tom is busy working, Maddie spends time sightseeing and meets a friendly woman called Alex, and they immediately strike up a friendship. After an impulsive decision to house swap, Maddie quickly regrets her decision and finds herself unsure who to trust.

This was a very clever storyline which kept me gripped from the first chapter. I enjoyed the twist in the ending and would definitely recommend this book. I shall look out for more from this author.