This is an easy breezy beach read - satisfying if you don't think too hard.

Maddie was stupid. I'm so sorry, but she was. Just literally stupid. She makes bad decisions all through the book. You're left just shaking your head. (Note: even her mother seems to think she's just not that bright. Mom's right.)

Her partner was irritating. The author tries to explain away his decision making by constantly referencing his ADHD, but I don't think ADHD makes you make these particular decisions. Over. And over. And over again.

The book is twisty and I definitely wanted to find out what would happen, but found the reason behind everything kind of convoluted.

I did like the end, though it didn't read as true for our character - our character was never that person through the entire book. I mean, I get that they may have changed after trauma and drama, but it was like whole new person.

Overall entertaining.

* ARC via publisher

This book for me can be described as too wordy. All the descriptions made the story just drag on and on. I found myself skipping pages and still not missing out on anything because it was still describing an action or longwinded backstory. A good example was in the beginning when Tom was at the cafe waiting for Maddie. It took several CHAPTERS to get to the part where he told her his past. The descriptions for me did not build suspense. It made the story so convoluted with words that you lose sight of what is happening. Also all the characters were unlikable and underdeveloped even with all the wording. I honestly felt like I was rushing through this not to find out what happened but to finish the book.

I absolutely loved this book . Not the story I was expecting to read but pleasantly surprised. I loved the characters and the mixed up lives they’d previously had . I love this authors books but this is definitely one of my favourites. I will 100% recommend this book and give it 5 stars . Can’t wait for the next .

Review of ‘The Getaway’ by Rona Halsall, due to be published on 25 July 2025 by Boldwood Books.

Maddie and her partner Tom are holidaying in Croatia, but given a new project Tom has to work on, Maddie ends up spending time alone, and makes friends with another couple, Alex and Ed.

Alex and Ed are living the ‘digital nomad’ dream, and convince Maddie that she should try it. They agree upon a short house swap, with Tom reluctantly agreeing, having not met Maddie’s new friends.

Having handed over their flat keys to Ed, things take a mysterious turn when Maddie shows Tom a picture of her new friends, which shocks him to his core.

What follows is a beautifully woven web of lies and deceit, with Tom desperate to get the couple out of their home before Maddie can find out the past that he has been hiding.

There are three sides to the story, all with discrepancies, Maddie must use all her strength and courage to find out what is the truth and who she should believe.

A dark and compelling thriller, that had me up until late in the night to finish.

Another brilliant book from Rona Halsall that keeps you questioning everyone the whole way through. Lots of tension and shocks. Fantastic!

Another triumph from Rona Halsall which I read in 48 hours. Maddie and Tom are on holiday in Croatia and meet Alex and Ed. Two so-called Digital nomads who make a living via their laptops and flitting around instead of living in one place. All very idealistic and when Alex suggests they swap lives for two weeks Maddie is giddy with excitement. Yeah sure take the keys to my London apartment. It'll be fun! It's obvious Alex & Ed are up to something. But I never saw the story veering off in the direction it did! So many liars and characters you can't trust. The main female character is likeable but gullible. You do want her to have a happy ending. Thank you to the author and Boldwood books for the eARC. Perfect "getaway" beach reading. Denise x

during a trip to croatia, maddie meets a seemingly wonderful couple who are living the digital nomad lifestyle. they present a tempting proposal - swap homes and lives for a couple of weeks to get a real taste of life abroad.
tempted by the opportunity, maddie and her boyfriend, tom, agree. but once they hand over the keys to their flat in london, they begin to realize something is very wrong. the couple isn't who they claimed to be - and what started as a dream escape soon turns into a nightmare.

this was my first rona halsall book and i can say i enjoyed this one. i liked how the digital nomad lifestyle was portrayed - it's such an interesting concept, and honestly, i'd be open to trying something like that myself. that said, if i ever met a lovely couple who wanted to swap houses... i'd probably pass. a little reminder for the future - sometimes it's better to be boring and cautious than spontaneous.

i really liked the setting - a sunny beach town in croatia - which makes this book a great summer read.

the story started off a bit slow and felt somewhat predictable, but i kept reading, hoping for a big twist.
and honestly, i did like the ending, it was really satisfying. at the same time, while reading, it wasn't that hard to guess that something was wrong with the characters. tom lying about knowing alex was a clear red flag, so there were hints early on.
still, i liked the intrigue and how the plot unfolded.
at the beginning, some parts felt a bit far-fetched and it felt like there were too many coincidences.
also, i found the characters quite unlikeable, which made it hard to connect with them.

the story in general was interesting, it kind of didn't completely meet my expectations but i'd still recommend it if you're looking for a quick summer read.

WOW and it's books like this that Rona Halsall is one of my favourite authors. I was lucky to be able to read this book early on Netgallery but it's definitely one to look out for when it comes out. The story had me gripped straight away with the characters and the twists you never saw coming kept you page turning. Absolutely amazing book Rona you never disappoint your readers. Thank You x

I started this book unsure of what to expect as this is a new author for me. I read the first chapter and was then unable to put it down.

The story centres on Maddie and her boyfriend Tom, who are on holiday in Croatia. Whilst Tom is busy working, Maddie spends time sightseeing and meets a friendly woman called Alex, and they immediately strike up a friendship. After an impulsive decision to house swap, Maddie quickly regrets her decision and finds herself unsure who to trust.

This was a very clever storyline which kept me gripped from the first chapter. I enjoyed the twist in the ending and would definitely recommend this book. I shall look out for more from this author.

I just finished a good book. The Getaway by Rona Halsall is available soon and is one you should put on your list.

Maddie and tom take a trip to Croatia. Maddie meets Alex and Ed who propose a house switch so Maddie can enjoy the beach a little longer. It doesn’t take long for Maddie and Tom to realize something isn’t right. As Toms past comes back to get him, Maddie will find she is fighting for her life. Great suspense! Great book!

Tom and Maddie swap their London home with digital nomads Ed and Alex. Soon enough, strange things start to happen. Are Ed and Alex who they say they are? Is Maddie too close to the truth?

The Getaway is an explosive read, wow!

I loved the narrative, it was so visual, like being there with all the characters, witnessing all the twists and turns. The ending was satisfying.

A lovely getaway read!

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of The Getaway by Rona Halsall due to be published July 25, 2025.

Maddie and her long-term boyfriend, Tom, decide to swap houses with Alex and Ed for a couple weeks. What could go wrong?

Wow! What couldn’t?! Although this one started slow and predictable, I never saw the end coming at all – what a surprise! I wasn’t sure who to trust and who to be afraid of throughout the entire book – my kind of thriller. Hopefully, you will love it as much as I did!

#NetGalley #RonaHalsall #TheGetaway #BoldwoodBooks

Maddie and her long-term boyfriend, Tom, dream of a life living and working abroad, though right now they’re settling for a lovely vacation in the sunny European beach town. When Maddie is befriended by a lovely-seeming couple, who are living the digital nomad lifestyle, they make her an offer that feels hard to refuse! Swap houses, swap lives just for a couple of weeks and see if living abroad is a lifestyle that would really suit them. But as soon as they’ve handed keys over to their home in London, it becomes clear the couple aren’t who they’d seemed to be. And Maddie and Tom’s dream getaway is about to become a nightmare they could never have imagined…. Great chilling thriller! This book had chilling suspense, murder, dark secrets, intrigue, gaslighting, and some chilling moments! The story was very interesting! I definitely recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

This was a heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat! It was fast paced, edge of the seat thriller that was extremely well executed. I was gripped from the very first page!

I loved the characters and the storyline. I recommend reading this book straight away definitely 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book had it all it was a wild ride of lies and deceit that had many twists and turns which lead to a great but shocking finale!

I can't recommend it enough! I really enjoyed this book, I couldn't put it down, I finished it in a couple of days!

Wow!

I am forever saying I have read this authors best book but then the next book comes along and I say it again…

This though is a mind blowing cleverly crafted at times dark thriller that looks at the relatively new phenomenon of ‘Digital Nomads’ and in this case how it can be used for bad

We meet Tom and Maddie who are holidaying in Croatia and Maddie meets Alex and a friendship blossoms, Alex explains re her and her partner Ed’s ‘Digital Nomading ’ lifestyle and Maddie is sold on the idea….maybe more sold than sense should allow, things that sound perfect very rarely are

Then we are flung into a who is guilty/ who is innocent page turner that really had me flummoxed as to who was doing what and why and who was being honest, it was full on and up until the last chapter was not completely sure

Really imaginative writing and a new twist on things, very enjoyable read that kept me on my toes throughout

The Getaway by Rona Halsall,, Maddie is on holiday with her partner Dan who she’s been with for years but she’s eating breakfast alone when she meets a woman named Alex. is Alex explained to Maddie that her and her partner Ed or digital nomads and have lived all over the world Maddie can’t help but to admit she too has recently thought of doing this. Later on when Alex tells Maddie they must leave Croatia to tend to her mom who found out she has cancer but would love to offer Maddie and Dan their sublet Maddie couldn’t be more excited although Dan is hesitant. Maddie convinces dan, it’s a great idea after all it’s free and they would lose nothing by staying I mean what could go wrong? it turns out lots of things could go wrong before Maddie even leaves Croatia while Alex and Ed are making their selves at home in her London flat she learns Alex already new Tom but why is she doing this and who is Ed? All those questions are answered by the end of the book and OMG what an awesome thrill ride this was. I received the book this afternoon and I opened it just to peruse the beginning pages and found myself not stopping until the book was over it is that freaking good. this book was so good I just sent my husband out to get takeout because I was not stopping to start cooking. This was an awesome awesome read I love this authors books and have read many of them and I must say it seems they just get better and better. once you open this book make certain you have time to read because it is so good and Maddie is such a great person to root for something I look for and all books and she was definitely the one. There’s so much more I want to say as I always do in a review but don’t want to give any plot points away because it was so so good! A book I absolutely definitely 100% recommend to any thriller fan if you like books by Frida McFadden, the you will definitely love this one. #NetGalley, #BoldWoodBooks,#TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview, #RonaHalsall, #TheGetaway,