I really enjoyed this book. It was a great storyline with excellent characters. I would highly recommend this book as it was a great read.

A fun, fast read. Marrs keeps the plot flowing at breakneck speed whilst still allowing you to get to know the characters, all of whom are staying in the same hostel, and all of whom are hiding secrets from the others. A great beach read

When university is over and you’re not quite ready to join the working world, backpacking seems to be the way to go. This novel is set in Venice Beach , California. Sun, sand and a hostel full of strangers from different countries, stopping off to take in the California Dream. This novel lets you meet a number of the residents of the hostel and look into their backgrounds and why they’ve ended up just where they are. There’s a disgruntled son, a daughter of a tv Evangelist exotic dancing to safe money and hide from her father, a marijuana grower and an owner no one sees, and these are just a few of the characters you meet. This is a great read, very different to the other John Marrs books I’ve read, but an excellent and compelling read nonetheless.
The story is told through the characters and their back stories, flipping between past and present to explain, just how they got to this beach front hostel. I highly recommend this thrilling and engaging read, the twist and turns that this novel take are sure to keep you hooked.

It takes a special writer to be able to write a novel with multiple complex characters with plots in the past and present and to feel like you know them all! This book centres around a hostel in Venice beach and the characters staying there. Absolutely loved as I do all John Marrs books! Thank you so much

I've just finished this amazing thriller. I always love books by John Marrs and this one was no exception.
The story follows a host of different characters who have all stayed at the same rundown backpackers hostel in LA but are all somehow connected! The way each of the separate storylines start to interlink as you read more about each of the troubled characters lives is incredible. The twists that happen throughout the story are impossible to predict and I couldn't stop turning the pages!
I enjoyed each of the storylines and couldn't wait to find out more about each character. The short pacy chapters kept me reading. I also loved the Californian setting of Venice Beach and the hostel reminded me of my own travels where you meet so many different people along the way.
If you like a great thriller then you will love this. A perfect summer read!

I am a massive fan of this author even since I read and loved The Passengers and was over the moon to get approved for his newest one on netgalley! This also continues my summery themed reads this month!

This follows the story of eight strangers who are all running away from their past and end up at a beach front motel in Venice Beach, Los Angeles. All eight have secrets and things lurking in their past that they are trying to escape from.

This spends a lot of time introducing the characters so we get to know them before everything kicks off. I have seen some reviews saying that there was too much of this, but I thought it was absolutely vital to the storyline, as it makes it more shocking when the secrets are finally revealed. I loved getting to know these characters and following them as they slowly start interacting with each other and building relationships together. The characterisation is perfect here, all have detailed back stories which link to their actions in the present and you either love or hate them.

This author is the master of twists, as I have found in his previous books, and unexpected twists are what I look for in a thriller. This one did not disappoint either and nearer the end I found myself being shocked by things I never saw coming! I also thought there was a clever distinction of the two parts of the book, ‘arrivals’ and ‘departures’… the meaning becoming all the more relevant the further on we go!

Would highly recommend this, and it is only 99p on kindle at the moment. It is a twisty thriller with a summery setting perfect for this time of year. I am also working my way through this author’s back catalogue so more reviews should be on the way soon!

I always worry about books with a lot of characters, but not this one. We learn of 8 different people, and it isn't confusing at all! Their common ground, is that they all stayed in the same hostel at one point. Their stories unfold and we learn about their lives, at different stages. I was so drawn in - the way the characters are portrayed and written about , it absolutely stunning! I could not put this book down

The twists! Oh I did NOT see them coming! John Marrs is the King of suspense and a surprise! Well worth escaping with The Vacation this Summer.

As a lot of reviewers have said, there are a LOT of characters to get to know in The Vacation, although credit where it's due they are all distinct enough that you they don't blur into each other. I personally would have preferred more time spent on less characters as some of them didn't really feel necessary to the story (Matty/Declan, Ruth to name a couple) and I think characters such as Savannah were really interesting and could have done with more depth and detail to really flesh them out.

That said, I really did enjoy the book. The short, sharp chapters were right up my street and really spurred me on to continue reading. I loved the premise of a hostel where all manner of peoples from different walks of life wash up with their own stories. Sure, a lot about the plot was far fetched and some of the connections felt a little too convenient but I found I didn't mind too much and I liked a lot of the twists. Although satisfied how the book ended, I would have liked have personally preferred a longer prologue to see how more of the characters ended up. Overall, a really great read with some brilliant characters that kept me hooked throughout.

OHHHHH wow this was a really great book and so different from what I was expecting ....I have read every book by John Mars and yet he can still surprise me. Normally I say oh this book is better than this or that but all his books are so unique and this one was just one of those books that you must read it has a great story amazing characters and is all set in this hostel together. I felt like I was on the outside watching them all as their tales unfold. I was so invested in them and the twists were so unexpected but done so well I was up way past my bedtime finishing this book last night it was a great ending that left me wanting more.... Just preordered John Mars New book set for Jan 2023 I really hope I get to read that one on here too .... Also love the book art it looks great on my bookshelf and once again thanks for the review copy.

Oooohhhh this book was sooo much fun to read! I love how every chapter has part of the story today and then something that happened in the past. Totally well executed nonlinear timeline! I looove all of the different characters and watching how they interact and how they may or may not have intersected in their pasts. But the best part, besides the fabulous writing, was how things were revealed a little at a time throughout the book rather than dumped at the very end. It kept me intrigued and desperate to know more more MORE every time a chapter ended! I just needed to know what happens next! Maximum stars from me on this one!!!

I really struggled with this book. I felt it was really dense and the work I put into it didn’t equate to why I got out of it and that’s a bit of a deal breaker for me when reading, rating and reviewing books. I love John Marrs’ other work, particularly when you disappeared but this was too dense for me. I’m sure it has its audience and maybe I would have gotten along better with it as an audiobook. I’d definitely consider giving it a try

Ok wow! I am gobsmacked 😶 I went into the book without reading much about it and as I have read couple of books by John Mars before which I had loved and enjoyed. Like his previous works, this book also left me shocked and impressed.

The story starts on slow and everything happens all at once like calm before the storm. It took me quite some time to engage into the story because of many different characters as I was confused as to who was who. However, once I got past it the story just flowed so well.The book is about strangers who come to live in a hostel and are somehow connected to each other. I only predicted one twists but every other twists had me astounded. Between all the protagonists, I loved Declan’s and Matty’s story the most. They had me bawling!!! I kinda got Agatha Christie’s And then there were none book vibes - I mean they are far from the same but the vibe is there probably because of many characters.

It’s definitely has didn’t know that was coming twists! Not just one twists - they just keep coming! This is a quick paced, easy to read with short chapters book and would recommend highly to anyone who love surprising turn of events.

Omg John Marrs does it again. I was gripped from the first paragraph. I just couldn’t get enough of the different characters and there stories. I loved all of them and I wasn’t anymore invested in one then another I just needed to know about them all. Love John Marrs style of giving you all these individual characters but yet they interlink in one way or another. Loved the flow and pace of the storyline and especially the way it was written as I was left hanging each time a chapter ended until it was that characters time to come around again. My only negative is I think the book ended a bit to soon as I felt I needed to know more about some and was left with unanswered questions. Overall really good enjoyable read that your given information just at the right time and it really keeps your interest. One to read for sure but then I haven’t met a John Marrs book I didn’t like yet 😆.

4.5/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟/🌟

Thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the opportunity to read and review this ARC that was published on the 24th of June.

Took me a while to get into this book, which surprised me, as John’s books have always drawn me in from the first few chapters. I found this one a little harder to get into, as I was trying to keep up with all the characters, their back stories and how they end up intertwining. Once I got about halfway through everything seemed to fall into place and that’s when I really got into it.

This wasn't what I was expecting by any means and I'm really not mad about it lol. I couldnt remember the blurb by the time I came to read it so was going by the title which totally put my on the wrong foot lol. At 1st it can be a bit confusing if you're not used to the multi character format but once you get a clear idea of who everyone is then you'll just be totally sucked in and won't be able to put it down until you've reached that last page

This is a twisty suspense thriller set in a run down LA backpackers’ hostel, about a group of strangers all running away from their pasts. It’s Marrs’ second novel, and the third of his that I’ve read - he’s since become well known for writing The One which I loved! This was a chilling reminder that you don’t know who you can trust.

It really isn’t a book about travelling - almost all the action takes place in and around the hostel, and while some of the characters’ have been on the road a while, we hear very little about their travelling adventures.

While not as dark as his later books, this had a surprisingly high body count, but any violence is only briefly described. Marrs does a good job of wrapping up most of his characters’ fates and lots of unexpected plot turns!

After finishing the book, I am wondering why the name was changed. The first name is definitely the better name, as this wasn’t a book about a vacation! Very strange.

Let me begin by saying I love John Marrs’ work, having read most of his books to date. I understand this was an early book that has been re-released. That is clear from the writing, which has developed so much since this early book.

Unlike the title, this is not a book about a holiday. It is about people who are running away from where and who they were, and now find themselves where they are. The first title is the better title in my opinion.

The list of characters are initially mind boggling, but as the book progresses it is easy to distinguish who they are and what their stories are about. Tommy works in the reception of the hostel that all the characters book into. He has become someone they all talk to for his advice. Savannah was my favourite character. Her father is one of those tv preachers we have all seen on American tv. Rich and controlling he takes it badly when his daughter leaves home.

Marry and Declan are friends from Ireland who had decided to travel around America. Ruth is an Australian woman who is travelling alone. Strong and independent she is a real tonic, but can she be trusted? Nicole, Eric and Jake are all British. Jake changed his name when he left Britain, what is he running from? Nicole and Eric worked together in Britain. What is their agenda?

All characters descend on the Venice Beach International Hostel. Loved more for its cheap prices than facilities offered, they all have poor finances in common. All the characters have their own stories which rarely overlap. The chapters are short, as usual for Mr Marrs, so it makes reading quick and easy. Their stories range from fame, abuse, rape, crime, obsession, crime and death. Love makes a very small appearance.

As usual, all the ends are tied up nicely by the end of the book. This is no mean feat as there are some real straggly ends. Despite the dire stories of a lot of the characters, I found this a real feel good book. Perhaps that says more for my life than it does for those poor souls involved. If this is your first or your multi visit to John’s work, I am sure you will enjoy this and look out his other work to date.

John Marrs is hands down one of my favourite authors. It had been a year since I'd read his most recent book The Minders, so I was very excited to see The Vacation arrive in my inbox.

The Vacation is a re-edited release of Welcome to Wherever You Are, in which 8 strangers find themselves together in a hostel in Venice Beach negotiating their interactions, their own demons and the lives that they're running from. What's made very clear from early on is that everyone has something to hide or run from and no one is who you think they are. 8 central characters at first seems like a lot to keep track of but John is such an amazing writer, each of these characters are so well created and defined with very distinct and well written storylines, that you immediately know them inside out and are invested and begin rooting for them.

As the storylines develop, within quick, snappy and punchy chapters, a continued sense of unease and menacing foreboding quickly starts to take over. Despite it being a gripping page-turning thriller, we are treated with some very well placed and evolved softer and more tender moments which add even further to the character development.

As with any Marrs book I couldn't put it down and found myself sneaking chapters in at every opportunity. There are plenty of twists to keep you guessing and clung to the pages. Grab a copy, a nice cold drink, sit in the sun and be prepared to be shook!

I really enjoyed this book, it was different to the psychological thrillers I have read before, it felt like it was aimed at younger reader who are just getting into thrillers. Set in the USA we follow a group of backpackers, all with their own stories and adventures. I enjoyed the fact their stories all came together in the end and nothing left undone. It was definitely different from the other books I have read by this author which to me shows just how talented his is!