First off, a vacation with kids is never really a vacation unless you can afford someone to come along to take care of this kids and give you........ a vacation! Let's just put that out there. But, for Rose, a Jamaican vacation with her family and two other families is no where close to a relaxing time, even before Lily disappears in the middle of the night from her bed. I felt so bad for Rose! All that paranoia getting in the way of her enjoying herself but then to have her fears become reality! Isn't that everyone's worst fear? While I thought the character development was less than complete, it was sufficient to lay a foundation for the story and the secrets that slowly unveiled themselves. Which ones were secrets and which ones were directly related to that Thanksgiving week's tragic events? What a great way to show how no one person is completely good or completely bad! Ms. Chouinard remains a must read author for me!

“Why did people get blessings they didn’t deserve?”

This read hooked me from the very first page. During the prologue, I felt like I was in a daze, exploring without a care when I was suddenly drenched in a bucketful of freezing cold water. That first plot twist, despite having read the blurb, shocked me.

The way Chouinard plays with words, giving scenes mysterious and elegant finishes is just amazing! She conveys so much emotion through the scenes in this appealing way. It's different in a positive way from the typical thriller. I highlighted so many beautiful passages in the book!

Her characters are so complex. They all struggle in various ways, come from diverse backgrounds, feel differently and all have depth. So, despite the presence of many characters, grasping their unique qualities was an easy task.

Here, we are exposed to the police's perspective and the complainants'. We are also given a glimpse of Jamaican culture, bringing more beauty to the thriller.

Complex family dynamics were also a huge part of the story. What holds more weight? Familial connections or financial security? What does sibling rivalry bring to adulthood? To fulfill your desires or remain faithful? How does trauma affect parenthood? The weight of bearing children --- and the inability to do so.

M. M. Chouinard's plot twists are slow but on point. I got goosebumps and the fright during a huge turning point almost halfway through the book. Seriously! It's indescribable but I can say the feeling lasted. The revelation made me lie in bed, speechless and unmoving for a while --- right before uttering a string of profanities. I didn't anticipate the amount of times I had to go through such ordeal! The storyline is carefully crafted making the whodunnit quest a real challenge. (I love the ending so much, it actually made me teary-eyed!)

Breathtaking secrets will unfold as the finale approaches but The Vacation remains a puzzle until the end.

ARC kindly is received via NetGalley for an honest review.

I really liked the book and it's a really interesting and enjoyable read. It'll keep you in your toes to wonder what happen next. I was very shock at the ending. It had me surprised and I didn't expected like this. It's truly unputdownable and compelling read. It has plenty of intrigue and plot twists that keeps me on the edge of my seat. Overall, it's a fast paced thriller that had you gripped all night! Looking forward to read more books from M.M. Chouinard! Definitely deserves ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Wow! This book had me on the edge of my seat all the way through!

A family holiday in Jamaica. 3 couples. 3 year old child missing.

The plot isn't original but the way it is written will have you guessing until the end.

My head was spinning with all the twists and turns that were revealed all throughout the book.

Highly recommended!

Three couples jet off to a luxury trip to Jamaica for Thanksgiving. It should be a time for relaxing in the sun away from winter. The three central female characters - Rose, Bree and Annabelle take it in turns to narrate the story. Rose, mother of three year old Lily and one year old Jackson has been reluctant to make the tri. The crime rates on the island worry her, but husband Brandon has insisted they go. Childless Bree finds it hard to be around children, especially with her close connection to Rose. Annabelle is the calming bridge between the two of them.. Everyone begins to slowly unwind, and then the unthinkable happens. One evening three year old Lily is taken from her bed. The story slowly unwraps - the police have no leads and there is a feeling someone from within the group might be responsible. The way the story is written, giving insights into each couple. Everyone has secrets, which left me moving from character to character, trying to work out who was the guilty party. Cleverly written, nothing is revealed until the very end.

This is a worthy five star read, with plenty of twists and turns, secrets and gripping moments.
One of the best thrillers I have read so far this year.

My thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for an ARC of The Vacation in exchange for an honest review.

The Vacation, by M.M. Chouinard, tells of three couples, set to go on vacation in Jamaica. Rose and Brandon are married, and have two young children, Lily and Jackson. Rose has a lot of anxiety about going to Jamaica due to reports of high crime, including kidnapping, human trafficking and drug crimes. Bree, Brandon's step-sister, is married to Leo, and currently live on the island. Also included on the trip are Mateo and Annabelle, with their two boys. The group dynamics are often strained, as Bree and Brandon don't really get along, and Bree is jealous of the other ladies, due to their status as parents. Bree has gone through multiple IVF treatments, and wracked up thousands of dollars in debt with nothing to show for it. She just can not seem to become pregnant. On top of this, Leo is trying to convince Brandon to invest in some opportunities on the island, in addition to being in debt with some thugs on the island. A heartbreaking crime occurs, and the dynamics between the three couples move and change as more details of the crime come to light.

As you can guess, there are a lot of characters, and a lot of moving parts in this book. It took me several chapters to get everyone straight, and figure out the dynamics first of each couple, then of the group as a whole. This story is told in a series of flashbacks, starting with several months before the planned trip (highlighting Rose's reservations of even going on the trip in the first place) and then flashing between the present (where the crime is being investigated) and the days leading up to the crime being committed. The dual timelines are easy to follow, and helped get to know the characters even better.

Generally, I enjoyed this book. Although the events that occurred weren't realistic, it was entertaining and almost like a "closed room" mystery. You find out some major pieces of information as the story unfolds, so there are some big plot twists here and there. My only minor complaint is some of the reactions that the individuals have to the crime I felt was unrealistic and not the way that the way a "real life" person would feel, if put in a similar situation. It's hard to go into details without giving away major plot points, but I just felt like there were some "under" reactions and some "over" reactions that I didn't find believable. But overall, this was a quick and entertaining read.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A great read. Grips you from the start. When a child goes missing every person in the group could be a suspect. Great insight into the relationships between the friends. As it’s set in Jamaica you are wondering will it pan out as it should. Would recommend it.

I feel like I’ve said this about a few books lately which leads me to believe I am going through a phase; the cover of this book was what drew my attention. It seems that I have become a sucker for a lovely looking book cover. Which is a little bit like Russian roulette as you know; never judge a book by it’s cover and all that jazz. Thank you to @bookouture and @m_m_chouinard for this advanced copy of The Vacation in return for an honest review. The Vacation is due to be published on 27th May 2021 and you can get a copy here.

Description 🔖

What better way to spend Thanksgiving than with family, on vacation in Jamaica. It was intended to be a much needed break for everyone but unfortunately you can’t always leave secrets at home, they have a tendency to follow you.

Rose and Brendan are tackling their own individual demons and both are struggling even in paradise. When their three year old daughter goes missing from their villa, it couldn’t get much worse. Except as secrets start to spill about all their family on the trip, it becomes clear that one of them is responsible for Lily’s disappearance.

General Thoughts 🤔

During the first few chapters I had a bit of a sinking feeling that this was going to be a fictional re-write of the Madeleine McCain case but it took a few swerves very early on and I was hooked. I loved this book and I got swept away in the mystery and possibilities. I loved that there were so many options for what could have happened to Lily and I found it almost impossible to figure out the truth. I quite literally had suspicions about all of them because of the dark secrets they were all keeping from each other.

I really liked the angle of everyone having to look out for themselves. As doubts started to form and the characters slowly started to turn on each other, it became a bit like a really high stakes version of Cluedo. Did Anabelle do it in the kitchen with the candlestick or did Leo do it in the library with the lead pipe? The whole thing played out fantastically.

Characters 👭👫👬

Initially I was a bit overwhelmed with all of the characters; 6 adults and 4 children are a lot to keep track of. That didn’t last very long though as the characters are written and developed so well, I soon became very familiar with their traits and relationships with one another. I won’t go into a tonne of detail about them all, but a few of them that really struck a chord with me were;

Rose – an obvious choice as the mother of Lily. Gosh my heart broke for this woman. Not only did she have no idea what happened to her daughter, she was having to deal with judgement from the rest of the group, the police and the media. Her mental health was suffering before the trip and inevitably came crashing down around her in Jamaica. She made a few poor decisions along the way, but nothing that anybody could judge her for.

Brandon – he was quite arrogant but there were moments where he displayed such outpouring of love for his children that I couldn’t help but empathise with him and like him. The way he treated his sister and brother in law rubbed me up the wrong way.

Bree – she is probably the character I flip flopped about the most. Her struggles with fertility made me feel really sad for her, but I did question her mental stability a few times. I thought that she was the type of person who would do almost anything to get a child of her own and it seemed to me that she let her own feelings get in the way of having good relationships with her niece and nephew.

Writing Style ✍️

Wow this lady knows how to leave a complex trail and have all us readers picking up bread crumbs trying to find our way. I always marvel at authors who are able to do this so successfully and I can only imagine they have whiteboards full of post it notes and adjoining lines and complicated plot stuff all over the place. I would 100% leave a plot hole somewhere I’m sure. As each secret was revealed, my theory was blown out of the water and more doubts were sewn. I felt like I was constantly lulled into a false sense of security to then have it snatched away from me.

The book is told through alternating chapters going between the days in the run up to the night Lily is discovered to be missing and the present tense starting from the night she goes missing. I loved that the story was racing to catch up with itself.

Conclusion & Scoring 🎖️

Needless to say, I fell a little bit in love with this book and with the author. I gobbled every word of this book up as quick as my eyes would let me. I loved everything from the plot line to the characters and I cannot wait to get others to read this book so I can discuss it with them. Absolutely fantastic book!

Three families set out for a relaxing vacation in Jamaica (my favorite place!), and the worst possible thing happens: a three year old goes missing. I was actually searching for thrillers set in Jamaica or the Caribbean, came across this one, and saw it was due to come out soon. Luckily, NetGalley was nice enough to send me an early copy, so I didn’t have to wait! This will hold your interest with plot twists and secrets galore. One by one, those secrets are revealed, changing your opinion of whodunnit. As more and more was revealed, I kept thinking, “ohhh, it’s definitely _____!”—only to change my mind within a few pages. This is an edge-of-your-seat thriller, absolutely perfect for a day at the beach or pool. Grab your rum punch and check out The Vacation, out today, May 27th!

This is a brilliant thriller that will have you totally hooked.
Rose and Brandon take their two young children on holiday to meet up with family in Jamaica. It all starts off well until one night their daughter disappears from her bedroom.
We then have chapters focussed on the days before she was taken and then the present day. We learn that there are some secrets in the group and a fair amount of lies have been told.
This book well and truly kept me guessing as I couldn’t work out which one of the family group could have done it.
This is a great thriller that I’d highly recommend. Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Wow, wow, wow, I don’t think I’ve read this authors work prior, but holy cow, wow! Fast paced, unique, twisty as heck, riveting, thrilling, Gripping, and chilling! Perfectly written, with amazingly done characters that will pull you in and hold you in a choke hold until you finish! Will definitely be looking for more by this author, as this was one heck of a book! Cannot recommend enough to my fellow thrill seekers! Grab today!!!

Review to come very soon! You guys know how much I adore Bookouture! You find the best authors!!! xo

The Vacation was such a suspenseful read filled with alternate timelines, each character's point of view, and super short chapters which made it easy to lose myself in.

Rose and Brandon's 3 year old daughter Lily goes missing while they are on a Jamaican vacation staying at a villa with two other couples - both of which they know. This is a fun family/friend vacation that takes a turn for the absolute worst.

Every person has secrets that they are hiding, and as the story unfolds it seems likely any one of them could be responsible for Lily's disappearance.

The ending was one that I certainly did not see coming, even though I was SURE I knew who did it - I did not. The only thing I found a tad bit hard to keep straight was the couples. There are 3 couples and 4 kids and with the alternating timelines and points of view it took me a few chapters to get a good feel for who belonged to who.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review! I will most definitely be picking up more from MM Chouinard in the future!

*5 Stars*

Copy kindly received via NetGalley for an honest review.

This was a really interesting read with interesting characters. It kept me wondering what was going to happen next. The ending was definitely a surprise for me, and not what I was expecting. Enjoyed this one

A vacation to Jamaica with a group of friends sounds wonderful. Except some are worried about the crime rate, things going on in their lives and many others that would make it hard to relax. Then Lilly, one of the couples daughter goes missing from her bed. There is a search to find her but could it be someone in the house?

The story is told in alternating chapters, after Lilly is missing and the days leading up to Lilly missing. It’s also told from different characters views. I really liked the book and hearing directly from different characters. The book will keep you in your toes trying to figure out what happened to Lilly and why.

A family vacation in Jamaica .

Can't imagine what could go so very wrong.

Of course it does.

Lily aged 3 goes missing from her bedroom while the parents are socializing.

Sound familiar ? Maybe but there are so many twists and turns, secrets and lies that your head will spin.

What a family, everyone has a secret they are so desperately trying to hide. Can't see that going well for any of them.

The pages fly by. I tried to decide who was guilty and I changed my mind several times.

I was wrong.

The Vacation will have you quickly reading, looking over your shoulder if you are on vacation with family. Don't miss The Vacation, its so good.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a fast paced read. Loved it.

First off I want to say a huge thank you to the publisher Bookouture, the author M.M. Chouinard , and to NetGalley for inviting me to join the blog tour for this book as well as letting me read and review it.What sounds like its going to be a fun time for family turns out to be a nightmare for one family that already has problems ,and lies .And as your reading you get the feeling that not everyone wants their lies to come out in the open , you also worry about Lily and start to question everything that you thought you knew about the characters and start to ask yourself who would take her and why , was it a family member , or a stranger , will they find her in time , or is it too late .

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Vacation’ by M M Chouinard in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Rose and Brandon are looking forward to a holiday in the Caribbean with Brianna and Leo, Mateo and Annabelle, when their three-year-old daughter Lily disappears from her bedroom. The police expect Rose and Brandon to receive a ransom phone call but it doesn’t arrive and it soon becomes clear that one of their party knows more than they’re saying.

I so wanted to enjoy ‘The Vacation’ as I loved the author’s two previous books and despite it being well-written I didn’t like the characters who came over as shallow and unrealistic, the police were too laid-back considering a child had disappeared, and I found it difficult to generate enough enthusiasm to stay focused on the plot. Although I read to the end I jumped quite a few bits in the middle for which I apologise but this is my honest opinion and I’m sure there are going to be many readers who disagree with me.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Thanks to #NetGalley and #Bookouture for the ARC.
This story goes back and forth between 'now and up to 30 days before the disappearance of Lily.
It is told in the voice of the 3 women which can be kinda confusing because you have a hard time figuring out which wife goes with which man.
It will have you thinking you have the bad guy or girl figured out but you will be wrong. You won't get it until the author gives you the perpetrator. Beware lol
This will be one that you cannot put down so just be forewarned.

What a great read. A happy Thanksgiving away in sunny Jamaica, what could possibly go wrong?
Even without the tragic disappearance of little Lily this is a brilliant delve into just about every single human emotion. Jealousy, love, lust, anxiety, self doubt, and arrogance to name but a few. Lots of interweaving stories and old memories and deep seated resentments rise up to make this a truly unputdownable read..
Little Lily goes missing from her bedroom but nobody close could possibly be responsible, or could they?