Title: The Vacation
Author: T.M. Logan
Publication Date: June 13, 2019
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pages: 374
Add to Goodreads
Seven days. Three families. One killer.
It was supposed to be the perfect holiday – a group of families enjoying a week together in the sun. Four women who have been best friends for as long as they can remember making the most of a luxurious villa in the south of France.
But Kate has a secret: her husband is having an affair. And a week away might just be the perfect opportunity to get the proof she needs – to catch him in the act once and for all. Because she suspects the other woman is one of her two best friends.
One of them is working against her, willing to sacrifice years of friendship to destroy her family. But which one? As Kate closes in on the truth in the stifling Mediterranean heat, she realises too late that the stakes are far higher than she ever imagined . . .
Because someone in the villa may be prepared to kill to keep their secret hidden.
The Holiday, also known as The Vacation, by T.M. Logan is a psychological thriller about three families who went on a vacation for seven days with one killer. Every year, Kate and her three best and lifelong friends try to make it a point to meet up yearly to catch up. This year, they decided to include Kate, Jennifer, and Rowan’s husbands and kids. You would think including spouses and kids might make the vacation week better, but it actually made it worse. On the first day, Kate saw messages on her husband’s phone that led her to believe her husband was having an affair with one of her best friends. She spent the week trying to find out which friend he was sleeping with and trying to catch them.
Izzy, my kindred spirit, had no children and no husband. I got the hint that her friends pitied her life in a way, but I think she was a truly happy character. She was also the ONLY character in the book that I actually liked; and surprisingly, it wasn’t because of her childfree/less (I don’t remember a specificity on her stance on having children) but it was because she seemed like the most authentic character. I also loved how well this book was written. One of my favorite things about reading thrillers and mysteries is trying to piece together the puzzle before the author lays everything out. Every time I thought I figured something out, Logan changed the view and I found out I was wrong. It was infuriating but exhilarating at the same time. Also, Logan has you thinking this book is the clichéd “husband cheating on wife” domestic thriller, and then she tosses in a grenade that blows the whole storyline up. This is one of those books I want to read again to see how the tiny pieces make up the big puzzle.
What I disliked about this book was Kate, the main character, and the main point of view. There were so many times something could be cleared up had she actually been straightforward and asked questions, but she refused to. I know that this is to build up suspense, but it just frustrated me to no end. Overall, I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. This was a quick read domestic and psychological thriller. It started off as a slow burn but once you hit the climax, the fire spreads quickly. I highly recommend this book!
