Member Reviews
Thank you so much for this wonderful ARC, I thoroughly enjoyed it!
This book was face paced with lots of twists and turns. I couldn’t put it down, especially as it sped up towards the end. The island setting made it a perfect summer read and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a page turner to read by the pool on their holiday.
Not my usual type of book but I may have tapped in to a genre I didn’t know I liked.
I would love to read more by this author.
Thank you to Bloomsbury and Netgalley for this ARC. I found this a fast paced, engaging read, especially the last 60 pages or so. A well written story with character depth and background that became integral to the plot. A great, thrill packed read from start to end. I also want to holiday on the island!
Thankyou to NetGalley for allowing me to read this one!
Lola is on the run from Hong Kong determined to leave her past life behind her. However, she arrives in paradise and everything starts to unravel! I enjoyed some of the twists and turns in this book however comparing it with some of the other books I’ve read in the mystery thriller I didn’t find it jaw dropping. That being said, I did enjoy this read and liked the dark humour, the mystery and the tension built throughout the story. I look forward to reading more by this author.
I originally requested this as the cover is gorgeous and the plot was intriguing. Definitely didn't disappoint!
The characters are well written, the island setting is perfect and the plot twist amazing. The epilogue nicely tied everything together as well I thought.
Would definitely pick up more titles by this author!
Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read The Getaway.
I absolutely loved this book and was on the edge of my seat for the whole last half of it. It definitely wasn’t short on action and really exceeded my expectations! I had NO clue what was going to happen and the plot twists had me completely shocked.
The reason I’ve rated this a four star instead of a five star is merely because I’m not sure what to think of the epilogue. Is there going to be a second book? Or was the ending just to keep a bit of mystery and make the reader think? Either way, it was a brilliantly tense read and I would definitely recommend it!
Lola runs from Hong Kong and lands a job on an island luxury resort courtesy of a former colleague.
I enjoyed the mix of characters and how the plot builds slowly. Nice and twisty linking everything together.
Issues for me were i felt it needed more atmosphere and I needed more to explain the dynamics with her sister and ex.
The eye-catching cover drew me to this one initially. It's a really twisty mystery book that keeps you on your toes.
I did find it difficult to get into. You are introduced to a lot of characters at once and it's quite hard to keep track of them all. The story was interesting, and Lola was a fun character to follow, but I didn't connect with her much.
I think a lot of people would enjoy this as a fun holiday read, not 100% for me.
I sure love a tropical island setting especially when you’re reading on a beach! The Getaway is a semi fast paced whodunnit which I found thrilling. The characters were an eclectic mix - some likeable, some not. I hope it does well when it hits the shelves - I will be recommending.
The getaway is a twisty thriller novel by Nicola Martin.
I love the cover of the book, it's very eye catching. It took me a while to get into the book as I found it slow to start with but once I got past that I started to enjoy it. I loved the story and the plot and it also had a good cast of characters. I recommend it to other readers.
💖 Thank you to netgalley, the publisher and author for my arc ebook copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
I really liked the idea of this book but I found there were too many characters and the story moved a little too slow in places. I found the descriptions really vivid and it might be enjoyed by someone who doesn't mind a large cast of characters
Thank you to NetGalley & Bloomsbury Publishing for a copy!
This was a great read, I actually really enjoyed this even though I didn’t think it would be my thing in the first few chapters. But what really made it for me was the depth of so many characters, the whole book was a continuous development of each characters backstory, why they made it to Keepers Island and what kept them there.
At the start of the book, the island is made out to be this beautiful place, a dream vacation for the best of the best, which it is. But quickly you find that not everything is as it seems and that every person is hiding something from everyone else. Lola is determined to find out the dark secrets, the murderer, the mystery and that’s what truly kept me going.
I loved the twists and turns at every opportunity, and no matter how much I kept going, I didn’t know where the story was likely to end up. I originally gave this 3* but after reflection, it went up to a 4* purely for the world and character building that took place throughout the book, right up to the end.
A great read, well worth picking this up!
This was a quite interesting read! Definitely has a unique storyline. This story was about a lady who is trying to escape something that isn’t very clear when the reader first starts 👀. The only critique I would have is balance the amount of characters you introduce over the space of a longer time. I found myself having to note which character is which.
You follow Lola after leaving her job to start a new life on an island. The books makes you wonder why she left and what secrets the Keepers Island holds
Lola runs away from her high-end hotel job in Hong Kong to what should be a step up - working with a former colleague on a private island in the British Virgin Islands. She quickly finds it's not the escape she was hoping for. Demanding guests, dead bodies, and a whole host of suspects including those guests, the resort staff, and the billionaire owner.
The tension is leavened with dollops of humor - largely at the expense of the too rich to know what they're asking for/too obnoxious to care guests. There are twists aplenty, the characterization is great, and the setting is gorgeously described.
This is a perfect summer read - as long as you're not reading it on someone's private island.
Thanks to Net Galley and Bloomsbury for the advance copy.
I was initially drawn to this book as someone who enjoys mysteries that are also fun. I also really love the cover!
I found the first quarter or so a bit difficult to get into. The story wasn't really grabbing me and a lot of characters were introduced in a short space of time. I was initially quite intrigued by Lola's background and why she left Hong Kong, but then I didn't find her particularly engaging as a main character overall.
The book was humorous and an easy read, and I think this would make a good holiday read for someone else, but it wasn't really for me.
The Getaway by Nicola Martin
The striking cover and great blurb on this book was what originally caught my eye and I'm glad it did, as this was an overall very enjoyable read.
I loved the setting of Keepers island and liked how the author juxtaposed this gorgeous island setting with such evil actions and people. Nicola Martin has lovely descriptive writing which really paints a picture in the reader's mind and draws you into this beautiful, yet deserted and deadly island setting. We first arrive at Keepers Island with Lola, who is running from something bad that happened in her last job in Hong Kong. The readers are left guessing right from the beginning as to whether or not Lola is a good person, and we are left desperately grasping at the small fragments of detail the author drops in throughout to discover what really happened. The underlying plot regarding Nathan, Lola and Allie was not pertinent to the main story, but was an interesting additional storyline that helped keep me gripped throughout.
Nicola Martin is most definitely a master at building suspense/tension in her books, and all the plot twists were unexpected and shocking, which added to my enjoyment when reading this. The small bits of dark humour and tongue-in-cheek moments really helped lighten the otherwise somber, intense atmosphere to the book and was also certainly a nice addition.
I would say that perhaps there are too many characters and, therefore, too many moving parts within this book. I loved Lola's character throughout and, even if she did do some questionable things at times, she was a relatable and raw character. I also enjoyed learning about the staff (Diara, Kip and Fizzy in particular), but the huge amount of background characters that were slotted in was perhaps unnecessary and left things feeling confused. However, perhaps confusing the readers and making the murderer harder to find was the author's intention. Saying that, some of these random characters (mainly the rich, entitled ones) were hilarious and eye-roll worthy; for example the guy who sends Lola on the insane Mcdonalds trip or the couple who needed a plushie unicorn for their engagement, both of which made me giggle out loud.
Unfortunately I did only rate this a 3 out of 5 stars, and that is simply to the fact that, when comparing it with other books from the same genre, it is quite average. I enjoy the writing style, the humour and the deeply layered plot, but there was nothing to set this author, or this book, apart from the rest and that is why I went with an average rating. I will, however, be looking forward to reading more from this author in the future and would definitely recommend you keep an eye out for her, she has all the potential to be a fantastic murder mystery writer!
Thank you to Netgalley and Nicola Martin for the ARC!
I enjoyed this book. The characterisation is great (for a whodunnit) and the pace is fast and action-packed. A really good read with plenty of twists and turns along the way and some really believable drama too.
Don't mind me just living my below deck dream vicariously through The Getaway by Nicola Martin.. (3.5 stars rounded to 4)
Lola has just taken on a new job as the manager of Keeper Island, a private Caribbean paradise where the cocktails are chilled and the guests slightly more high-maintenance than average. After Lola's last job ended in tears – and quite a lot of blood – she came to Keeper to lie low, as well as to provide the gold-star service the resort’s spoiled one-percenters expect. Her only connection to her previous life now is her old mentor and new boss, Mike Moxham. However, unlucky for Lola, Mike is found washed up on the beach less than a day after her arrival and the rules Lola is used to for working with the super-rich very quickly become rules to live by:
Be prepared for anything and trust no one.
I liked this book more than I thought I was going to after the first few chapters. I found it a bit hard to get into due to a lot of characters being introduced at once, but once I was about 30% of the way in and things picked up, I found the story flowed a lot better. This was a fun, light-hearted read (perfect for holidays) with a lot of whodunnit moments to keep you questioning things. As long as you go into it with these expectations, you won't be diasppointed!
Wow! What a read!
Think Below Deck meets Death on the Nile.
Lola has arrived on Keepers Island as she has fled her old life in Hong Kong... but what is she running from?
She soon finds out that this remote Caribbean island is not the paradise she once hoped when she finds a body washed up on the beach. Was it just an accident or a murder that someone on the island is guilty of committing?
Follow Lola as she attempts to uncover the mystery behind the death and learns who she can and can't trust.
I struggled at the beginning of this book to remember all of the many characters and where they fit into the story but about 45% of the way through I was hooked! I couldn't put it down, full of twists, making you second guess everyone on the island... The saying, 'trouble in paradise' comes to mind.
This was fantastic and a book I would love to read again for the first time.
Lola is running from a situation and her friend Mox tells her she will be safe at his new resort in paradise. Safe to say that didn’t last long.
I admit this book is a little hectic, a bit silly and sometimes leaves questions unanswered but those things actually added to how fun it was, while also managing to be sinister, upsetting and thrilling.
I adored this and it would suit anyone who wants to read something fun and clever. It was a beautiful palette cleanser after some very dark thrillers.
I received this book as an Arc from netgalley in return for an honest review, which this is.