Book review ✨The guests by @nikkismith_author.
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Overview of book:
And it starts off that way: champagne picnics on powder-white sand, snorkelling in the serene blue sea and moonlit walks under the stars.
Or so the staff say when they greet the Hamiltons at the idyllic Asana Fushi resort in the Maldives.
But lies lurk beneath the luxury because each of the guests has a secret, and they’re not the only ones.
How can a once-in-a-lifetime trip turn into the holiday from hell?
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First book that I have read from this author and what a great escape, only downfall was that I was not reading by the pool on my summer holiday.
I have asked myself a few times why did i not pick this book up sooner .
This hotel in book had a bookshelf that had personalised notes and recommendations from staff about books that they read and were left for guests , now booking holidays are going to be hard because I want bookshelf’s in the reception that staff have recommended to guests.
I read this book within 2 sittings , fast past plot and great twists .
Would highly recommend this book.
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Nikki is the author for turning paradise into your worst nightmares.

A gripping thriller with some vivid descriptions and some very strange characters. But I found the whole thing very compelling as the secrets come out thick and fast like an oil spill on white sands.

Isolation or a restful remote holiday?

Ive always wanted to go to the maldives but maybe not now!

Cara, Zach and their daughter Alexa escape to the Maldives on a 5 star eco resort on a picture book island. Despite the surroundings, the family find it hard to leave the trauma of the last few months behind them and they slowly begin to unravel. I’d really enjoyed The Beach Party, Nikki’s last book and was looking forward to this.

The book starts with the end and works backwards. Each chapter is titled with a count down which really helps ramp up the impending sense of danger for the family. Fans of The White Lotus will enjoy this, it reminded me very much of the tv show with the island setting. A quick and enjoyable read. It would make a great summer/ beach read. Thanks to netgalley for the advanced copy.

Cara, Zach and their daughter Alexa go on holiday to a luxury resort in the Maldives following a family trauma. Other guests include an eco-influencer and a couple who know Cara and Zach through their work lives. Cara and Zach are both keeping secrets from each other, and the holiday doesn't turn out to be as relaxing as they had hoped. There's also something going on in England which doesn't get explained fully until the end.
The characters were all quite shallow so I didn't feel very sympathetic towards them. OK for the beach.

Told from different perspectives. Incorporates many of the current realities of life today aka instagram influences. The book is set in a glamourous setting and the author did a good job of transporting you to that golden beach - much nicer than the rainy days that it is here in the UK. Unfortunately, it was hard to really connect with any of the characters, perhaps the multiple pov contributed to this and this lead to feeling a bit bored and disconnected from the story.

The prologue means you know something awful is going to happen, and the chapters are counting down to something as well – so that really keeps the momentum going.

Cara and Zach and their daughter Alexa have clearly been through some recent trauma – and are heading off to a fabulous holiday for some much needed family time together. I loved the clever ‘Easter Egg’ where Cara buys the author’s previous book at the airport as her beach read!!

On the journey to the resort they bump into another couple who they have prior and current work connections with – which seems perhaps too much of a ‘coincidence’. Once in resort there is a famous eco Instagrammer there who seems keen to check out Zach’s environmental connections of his investment portfolio – whilst Alexa is impressed with her fame and the fact she’s the traveller closest to her age. (Side note – given the meteoric rise of the Amazon device, I do worry about people with the name Alexa and what a problem it must be for them!)

The storyline twists and turns with shenanigans on the holiday island, interspersed with flashbacks to previous activity back in the UK. I have to say that none of the characters are particularly likeable – but I still wanted to see how the storyline developed.

There are lots of interconnections and people blackmailing others – and you’re never really sure what is going to lead to the inevitable tragedy – or who the ‘victim’ will be – but I guess that added to the intrigue.

The ending does not tie up all of the loose ends in a nice bow – but maybe that means there will be a sequel?

A perfect sun lounger read – just maybe not if you’re in the Maldives!

A big thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for my advance review copy.

I was lucky enough to receive an arc copy of the book to honestly review. Whilst the blurb really interested me, the book left me feeling a little flat. I couldn’t overly connect with many of the characters and I thought the plot would be a bit more thrilling, and therefore I felt the story drag a little…

I also thought the ending could be tied up with my answers given.

I received an advance copy to review, and after reading the prologue I was expecting a lot more. Maybe Lord of the Flies meets The Beach. I was definitely expecting an OMG where the plot goes completely dark, and I am on the edge of my seat with my breath held.

What I got was a bunch of rich, privileged characters with a sense of entitlement landing interacting in a Five Star resort in the Maldives rather than their usual residential habitat.

There is intrigue. Secrets and blackmail but I felt, especially with the blackmailing, the word no or rather the words Bring It On may have moved the plot on a bit more thrillingly. Alas this did not happen and for me at times the plot verged into mundane.

The ending did leave me with a lot of questions that I would have preferred answered rather than some of the other areas of the plot, but I am only a reviewer, not the author.
For me it’s a three stars and that is only just.

Someone please remind me never to go on holiday with Nikki Smith, as she seems to have a knack of turning gorgeous holiday destinations into brilliantly dark and twisty stories!

And for a book set on Maldives, well let's just say you don't expect everyone on this island to be hiding things in ways that interlink.

Much less the sinister nature of some of these secrets, and as the story unfolds you can see just what lengths one family will go to, to protect either other, or themselves.

Everything is so vividly described, I could see it all so clearly, and I couldn't get enough of this story. I was totally hooked.

And it really is a paradise resort as a setting, and in other circumstances would be a hotel that I would love to visit.

It's another hit novel from this talented author, that I have devoured every word of it, and still would like more.

Thank you to Penguin and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

A fun read and definitely one to take on holiday. Almost a perfect storyline for White Lotus, with interesting affluent guests,resentful staff, odd hotel manager and a bit of blackmail providing the intrigue. It gallops at quite a pace.

it was okay, well written hence the three stars. For me, I just find there have been so many thrillers/mysteries written with this premise recently, that it makes it hard to stand out as it's own thing.

I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The blurb promised a thriller, but the book didn't deliver the intregue and suspense I was expecting.
The Guests is written as a countdown, with each chapter giving a time left. This leads you to believe that something monumentous will happen when the clock reaches zero...it doesn't. The ending can best be described as a damp squib. I felt cheated. Having ploughed my way through all the totally unbelievable nonsense that the characters got up to, I wanted something major to happen, something that would have made it all worthwhile. What did happen left me regretting wasting my time.
I can't, in all honesty, recommend this book. The characters are shallow and stereotypical. None are particularly likeable and I could feel no affinity for any of them. I didn't really care what happened to them.
The descriptions of the islands is good. I could imagine being on the beaches or in the resort, but that doesn't make up for the rest.

A holiday at a luxury eco-resort in the Maldives and a chance for a family of 3 to time spend together, to enjoy each other's company and to reconcile. The main protagonists, the husband, famous for his eco-credentials and his environmental investments, but having an affair with his company's finance director; his wife, former air hostess but full time mother since the birth of the third family member, their daughter. The other key characters, Devi, the butler for their luxury lodge, Skye an instagrammer/eco-warrier and Marc, the manager of the resort. Each chapter provides a countdown, but it's not clear to what exactly (although the prologue suggests that someone has been murdered). Almost as soon as the holiday begins, things start to unravel, and each of the family members is revealed to be flawed and generally not very nice people ... the question at the back of the reader's mind (or mine at least) is thus who has been murdered and by whom. This is a story which was the perfect holiday read - despite the many not very pleasant characters, this was a story I wanted to read to its conclusion, to find out what happened ... a few unanswered questions at the end, and the lingering sense that the family's problems are still far from resolved but that did not in itself spoil the book.

Don't holiday here!

Another fast paced read from Nikki Smith.

An idyllic island resort, but people have troubles.....( relationship, parental, environmental) and they will find you out....

This novel is like a ticking time bomb!

The book was good - with a variety of short and longer chapters.
I read it within a day so it caught my attention for sure.

I felt like some of the characters were slightly unnecessary, it felt a bit like a game of who done it with a murder mystery house vibe - just set on a luxury island.

I liked the pace and story development - the topic of climate change and eco tourism was handled well and was thought provoking too.

I found the ending a bit lacklustre, it could be because it was 2am and I'd spent 2 hours reading but at the end - it felt very abrupt. Is it a series? Is it just an open ending or was that considered closed? I felt like I had missed a chapter and actually went back to check.

Giving the book a 4 for tone, pace and topics covered. I am glad I read it - would I reread it? Probably not just due to the twists carrying the plot.

Good for readers who like a bit of mystery with judgy characters :)

The ultimate beach read! This book has the most amazing setting and some fantastic characters! Certainly a book that has rich, priviledged characters, yet I really enjoyed all the different individuals and their realtionships. The whole eco-friendly aspect was also fascinating and felt very relevant. Some scenes in this book that will be forever 'emblazoned' in my memories. Highly recommend! 4.5 stars for me! Thanks to Netgalley for a copy in return for an honest review

I've read some of Nikki's other work and absolutely loved it but unfortunately this one just wasn't for me, I really struggled to get into it.

The plot, setting and twists were good struggled too relate or like any of the characters whixh made it hard at times

A thriller set on a luxurious tourist island in the Maldives. I liked the setting as the twists and turns but all the characters were dislikeable. However, an enjoyable piece of fast paced escapism. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Cara and Zach Hamilton have embarked on a luxury family holiday to the Maldives with their teenage daughter, Alexa. The resort is beautiful, the weather glorious and the other guests are friendly and welcoming. However, it soon becomes apparent that this level of perfection only resides on the surface. Cara and Alexa are recovering from the trauma of a violent break-in back in the UK. Zach feels guilty about not being there to protect his family. Is this all he feels guilty about? Or are there even darker secrets to unearth?

Nikki Smith’s novel is a great page-turner. There are several unexpected twists and none of the characters are quite what they seem. I thoroughly enjoyed reading her previous novel ‘The Beach Party’ and ‘The Guests’ also delivers.