The Holiday by T.M. Logan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a really good, page turning book. I picked it up for a look in my local Waterstones, flicked a couple of pages, and decided it was the kind of book I like. You’re straight into the story with a very quick feel for the characters and their situation. Everything feels very realistic and familiar – a group of friends going away on holiday.
The author has a really engaging writing style and manages to immerse you into the southern French holiday location. Tensions simmer and rise as the book progresses and there is a satisfying, logical denouement.
If I had to make a criticism (which I don’t… so I don’t know why I am), it was that the main POV character’s (highly understandable) preoccupation with her suspicions of her husband’s affair got a bit wearing. It’s totally plausible, and very much in-keeping with the claustrophobic ratcheting up of tensions, but I did find myself skipping some of those paragraphs. Kind of like hearing someone moan a lot – you start out feeling sympathetic and then just wishing they’d shut up and do something about it.
The setup is simple and clever. Kate has been friends with Jen, Izzy and Rowan for years. And they have an annual holiday with their respective families. Except this year, it’s all gone a bit wrong. Kate quickly suspects Sean of having an affair, and starts trying to work out which of her friends he’s doing the dirty deed with. If that sounds like it doesn’t have enough steam to fill out a novel, the author always ends a chapter with a new plot development, twist or turn to keep the action moving right to the end.
I kind of wish I’d read it on holiday, but finishing it on a cold, rainy Saturday night in October was equally satisfying.
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