Oh wow, this was so good. Twisty and thrilling. It grabbed my attention immediately and I couldn't put it down. What a clever story. This would make a great film. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Another great psychological thriller from Rona Halsall and a brilliant summer read.

Maddie and Tom are on holiday in Croatia when Maddie befriends Alex, a young woman who she meets in a coffee shop. Maddie meets Alex's boyfriend, Ed, and a blossoming friendship is formed. Alex and Ed are living the digital nomad lifestyle, which Maddie has always longed for. and suddenly she starts to think that maybe that lifestyle is available for her and Tom. One day Alex and Ed make an offer to Maddie that she can't refuse .......... they offer their apartment in Croatia to Maddie and Tom for two weeks, free of charge, and Alex and Ed will stay in Maddie's flat back in London for two weeks. How can Maddie turn down an opportunity like this? Could she persuade Tom? What could possibly go wrong?

After persuading Tom that this would be a great idea, a trial for their new possible future, keys are swapped. But then things start to unravel and Maddie and Tom suddenly realise that maybe things that appear too good to be true actually are just that. Their dream suddenly becomes a nightmare that they could never have imagined.

A great book with plenty of surprises and twists and turns!! Some great characters, especially Maddie, and a storyline that will keep you hooked from start to finish. Another great book from Rona.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

The Getaway by Rona Halsall was another excellent psychological thriller and a great holiday read by Rona. She has a way of drawing you in every book she has written and you will be gripped from the very beginning till the very end. Superb book with very interesting main character Maddie and Tom, they have been a couple for a long time now and they dream of living and working abroad, but they are happy as they are and are looking forward to a lovely holiday in the sunny European beach town and relax!

Maddie becomes friends with a lovely couple, who are living the digital nomad lifestyle. As they become friends they make an offer that feels very hard to refuse. . . . They offer to swap their house and lives,

WoW, Swap houses, swap lives – just for a couple of weeks - and see if living abroad is a lifestyle that would really suit them and they can't say No!

"How exciting for Maddie and Tom". . . . But, as soon as they hand their house keys for their lovely home in London everything becomes so very clear, this couple who come over so lovely . . . aren’t who they’d seemed to be.

Maddie and Tom’s dream getaway is about to become a nightmare they could never have imagined…..

Wow this book is so good and would you do a complete house swap for a few weeks with someone you have only just met?

I wonder???

Big Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for my ARC.

5 star read

So many twists and turns i loved it.

You think its about a getaway and its so much more you dont know what/ who to believe so much happens

Really enjoyed reading this book

What a crazy twisty turny read! So many surprises that I did not see coming. This one kept me guessing and just when you think you know what’s up… bam another twist. The characters were well written, the plot was unique and wild. It flows well and was fast paced. I absolutely loved it!

This was my first book by this author and it definitely won’t be my last! The authors writing was great, it was so easy to get into the book. I loved all the twists and turns. This book had kept me entertained and I’m excited to read more from this author.

Sometimes things seem too good to be true, but when Maddie and Tom are given an opportunity to extend their stay in Croatia, they are very excited! And then things get quite twisty and out of control! This was a good read!

I absolutely loved this book! I was gripped from the very beginning, and I won’t lie I was finding little snippets of time even through my Greece Holiday to just read this!! I really struggled to put this down, I was HOOKED! 😱

I absolutely loved the characters and the storyline, and I was not expecting that ending at all!! I won’t ruin the ending, but jeez the hate towards one person, that the family get involved 😱😱

Madness!! Absolutely loved this! If you love a good thriller, suspense you won’t be disappointed 🤌🏽

Available now on Kindle Unlimited!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you Netgalley for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a decent read- it kept me entertained and had me questioning who to believe. It also read really quickly so that was a bonus. I will definitely be reading more by this author.

Thank you Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this ARC! With a chance to try out digital nomad life in Croatia sounded like an offer too good to pass up; of course, the old adage of if it's too good to be true it usually is, should have been a big warning bell to Maddie when given the chance to swap her London apartment. This book starts off with a bang and keeps you guessing thru to the end at the edge of your seat. Who is telling the truth and who is lying and why does someone want her partner Tom dead?

The Getaway
by Rona Halsall
Pub Date: 25 Jul 2025

A great beach read, "The Getaway" is twisty and very entertaining read I highly recommend!

When Maddie is befriended by a lovely-seeming couple that makes her an offer she can't 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…

Many thanks to #TheGetaway #NetGalley and #BoldWoodBooks for providing me an E-ARC of this fantastic book!

Maddie & her boyfriend Tom are taking a holiday in Croatia when Maddie meets a lovely couple, Alex & Ed who she soon becomes friends with. The couple explain that they are living a digital nomad life, and have spent time travelling and working all over the place.
This idea is music to Maddie's ears, and she soon persuades Tom that it is the life for them as they are both able to work online.
One day, Alex tells Maddie that her mother has been taken ill, and that she must return to England straight away. However, she has nowhere to live over there, and her mother's house is too small. They still have 2 more weeks lease on their apartment in Croatia, and so she proposes that Maddie & Tom do a house swap with her for those 2 weeks, to give them a taster of the digital nomad lifestyle, whilst helping Alex out at the same time.
The couple agree to this, but Tom would like to meet the couple first before handing the keys to their flat over.
On the evening they are all due to meet, Ed turns up saying that Alex isn't well so isn't coming. All goes well, keys are handed over and Alex heads back to the UK.
Maddie then send a photo of Alex and Ed to Tom, and this is when there world falls apart. I won't spoil it for other readers, but there is a shocker to come.
This is the first book I have ready by Rona Halsall, but it certainly won't be the last. It was a great read, with twists and turns. A1

The Getaway was a decent, quick summer read! It took me on a crazy ride, but overall I enjoyed it. Quite a few twists and turns, but it felt a bit rushed.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy for review purposes.

This was a good summertime read. The characters are well written, if not very deep. The plot is amusing but the mystery is easily solved, which is fine for a light read.

I did enjoy that it was partially set in Croatia as I have not read anything regarding that country.

I enjoyed this novel and would be interested in reading more from the author.

The Getaway is a thrilling psychological read filled with twists and turns by Rona Halsall. The story centers around Maddie and Tom who are vacationing in Croatia. It’s a gripping, well paced thriller that brought the characters to life. It’s a great read and I throughly recommend it!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC of this book.
This is my first book from this author and I was impressed. I don't normally say this...... but I wish the book was actually longer.
The book felt a little rushed and I would have liked to have had a bit of character development and get to know the main female and male characters. Whilst this didn't take away from the book itself, I would have given this book a 5 star review if t didn't feel rushed.
That being said, I did enjoy this book a lot, it twisted and turned in a way I did not expect and I wanted to read it every night.

I will definitely look out for this author in the future.

Rona Halsall is really on it with this fantastically original psychological thriller!

Maddie is enjoying a holiday win Croatia with her husband when she meets Alex, and a friendship is formed. Alex enjoys the digital nomad lifestyle that Maddie aspires to, and can't believe her luck when Alex has to return to the UK for a family emergency and offers Maddie a house swap that will enable Maddie to test out the digital nomad lifestyle in Croatia.

It doesn't take long for the buyers remorse to kick in though as things come to light that really cause Maddie to question the wisdom of her decision!

I really enjoyed reading this, the pages practically turned themselves, it was SO gripping. Definitely a winner for fans of psychological fiction.

My thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an advance copy.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rona Halsall, and Boldwood Books for the eARC. Rona Halsall never disappoints! This is a gripping psychological thriller packed with twists and turns that kept me turning the pages late into the night. A truly addictive read—loved every minute of it!

In The Getaway, Maddie and her boyfriend Tom head to Croatia for what should be a relaxing, working escape. When they meet the charming Alex and Ed, an impulsive house swap seems like the perfect opportunity to extend their stay. But things start to unravel fast when Tom recognizes Alex from his past—and suddenly, their dream getaway turns into a nightmare. With shifting trust, mounting tension, and secrets on all sides, the swap becomes a trap neither of them saw coming.


Told through multiple perspectives and shifting timelines like “Now” and “Three days ago,” the story builds suspense with short, punchy chapters that keep the pace quick. While some twists felt predictable and emotional stakes could’ve been stronger, Halsall delivers an entertaining, tightly plotted thriller with a satisfying ending.


Read this if you like:
• House-swap gone wrong thrillers
• Timelines that shift between past and present (“Now,” “Three Days Ago,” etc.)
• Multiple POVs that enhance the story
• Short, fast-paced chapters with cliffhanger endings
• Vacation settings that turn threatening
• Secrets unraveling in confined, high-stakes situations
• A satisfying ending that ties things together
• The world of digital nomads and remote work
• Themes of betrayal, identity, trust, and consequences of past choices
• Authors such as Claire Douglas and Freida McFadden

My rating: 3.65 out of 5

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this eARC that will be published July 25 2025.

The Get Away
Imagine you and your partner swapping houses and lives with perfect strangers!
Becoming digital nomads is the dream of Tom & Maddie’s. And when a seemingly nice couple befriend Maddie, they make her an offer too hard to refuse. After keys are exchanged, their dream get away turns into a living nightmare!
Full of mind-bending suspense!