John Marrs

The Vacation is a compulsive, holiday-set thriller from John Marrs, the author of The One, now a Netflix Original Series. How far would you run to escape your past? Venice Beach, Los Angeles. A paradise on earth. Tourists flock to the golden coast and the promise of Hollywood. But for eight strangers at a beach front hostel, there is far more on their mind than an extended vacation. All of them are running from something. And they all have secrets they’d kill to keep... Originally published as Welcome to Wherever You Are, this is a re-edited release perfect for fans of T. M. Logan.

The Vacation

Brilliant book with so many unexpected twists, slightly longer read with loveable characters and great thoroughly entertaining storylines

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Mary Baldwin

At the centre of this book is a hostel in LA, and group of travelers who have lots to learn about themselves and each other as they all embark on their own version of a “fresh start”

It sounds like a classic “murder mystery” which is exactly what I predicted but was very wrong. The “sun, sea, sex and murder” tag line on the cover sets an inaccurate tone in my opinion, and cheapens the writing. There’s a lot more to this.

The story very subtly but naturally centres on Tommy and Nicole, who find the hostel a central point in their lives for different reasons. They take the lead in shaping the plot as it unfolds from multiple perspectives (not something I often enjoy) as they meet other guests.

There are lots of surprises and minimal predictably which was really refreshing in a thriller.

Although Tommy and Nicole feature heavily in the plot in the present, we learn a lot about their pasts and the past of other hostel residents - which binds together the action into a real page turner. 

This isn’t your average “who dunnit” and quite atypical of a thriller, features no crime/police procedural narrative which for me was really refreshing. 

In hindsight I don’t like the title*, I think it creates a false idea of the book that could deter people (made me think “summer holiday who dunnit”) but it’s actually quite deep in parts with emotion as well as action - touching on themes of friendship, loyalty and loss.

A lot happens. Sometimes the action is so crammed into a book that it loses credibility and substance, but that didn’t happen here. The twists are plentiful and for me, happened without me anticipating them.

I found it to be unique in both setting and plot; with real character diversity on too

If you’ve enjoyed books like “I know you” (Clare McGowan) then this will be a great next read for you. 
*Interestingly I’ve since discovered the book was previously titled “welcome to wherever you are” - I much prefer this. 


Adrianna Giunta

I loved this John Marrs book as usual! I loved the snappy short chapters that constantly left you wanting more. I couldn’t put this down wanting to know what I would happen next!

Emma-Leigh Pedder

I found this book quite difficult to get into at first, i admit it took me a good few tries to pick it up and even then I found myself a little uninterested in the story in the beginning. It lacks a good pace and hook, and I felt I wasn't itching to read the next chapter as I normally would with thrillers.

That being said, I really enjoyed how all the characters came together nicley, and the twist were cleverly done.

The Vacation

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