Title: The Vacation
Author: T.M. Logan
Pages: 368
Genre: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Crime
Story Perspective: Alternating First- and Third-Person
Themes: Trust, Honesty, Deception, Marriage
Publication Date: July 21, 2020
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Thank you to the NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for giving me the opportunity to read and review an ARC of The Vacation.
As four friends turn 40, they all decide to vacation together in a French villa with their husbands and children. It was supposed to be a relaxing and soothing vacation. However, things turn sour fairly quickly.
Kate believes her husband is having an affair with one of the women vacationing with them, however, soon she realizes that there might be something even more dangerous to contend with.
I recently was given the opportunity to read The Vacation via NetGalley, and I was happy that I did! This was a book that I pretty much devoured and couldn’t stop reading.
When I first read the synopsis of the book, I was hooked. Then, when I began to read its beginning pages, I knew I had a read that I would enjoy. Though I can’t say that I enjoyed every character or their choices, those characters and choices made for a more interesting read. Since the whole story takes place within a week (and some flashbacks to the past), there wasn’t much character growth. However, as the secrets begin to reveal themselves, this lack of growth did not matter to me.
The plot moved very fast for me (in a good way). There was a balance of these people wanting to enjoy their vacation with the darkness that surrounded many of them. I loved how the author kept me guessing on what was going on with the presumed affair and then to realize there is a potential murderer among them threw me for a loop. Yes, it was mentioned in the synopsis, but I tend to push the original reading of the synopsis away so I can be more surprised as I read.
It was extremely easy to picture the French villa where the characters stayed for their vacation. I too have experienced European heat and humidity, and it can be quite draining and gross. Therefore, I appreciated the amount of description the author gave in this regard.
Overall, this was a read that literally kept me up at night due to wanting to find out what will happen. It’s one that has convinced me to check out this author’s other works and one that I truly enjoyed!
I would recommend this thriller/mystery to those who enjoy being tossed around back and forth in trying to guess what is the truth. Also, this is a read who would enjoy reading about both adults having secrets and their teenage children.
