The author's work is always a pleasure to experience. This particular book had me intrigued right from the start. It masterfully held my attention, making it difficult to put down. The story's twists and turns kept me guessing throughout the entire read. Overall, it was another page turner

“The Getaway” is a thriller by Rona Halsall. I thought the idea of this book was a good one - though the idea of house swapping is something that is not on my bucket list. I have a little bit of knowledge about the digital nomad lifestyle, so those parts seemed to match up with what I knew. I did find the main female character, Maddie, to be incredibly - well, gullible is the second word that comes to mind. There are a number of untrustworthy characters in this book, but I have to say that the ride to the ending was an interesting one.

A twisty novel with lots of suspense and changes, had me guessing till the very end! Loved the storyline and the setting

Absolutely thrilling! The cover of the book is one of the most captivating I've every seen, it's so beautiful. I devoured the story completely. Loved the characters, and the descriptive setting, and the storyline is a complete rollercoaster. Loved it.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reader copy of The Getaway.

I enjoyed this book and read through it quickly. It kept my attention and I didn't find it predictable.

The Getaway is a psychological thriller that follows Maddie and her boyfriend as they holiday in Croatia, make new friends, and agree to a house swap. Maddie has always wanted adventure in her life; however, until now, she has played it safe. Now, on the coast of Croatia, she meets Alex and her husband Ed - an absolutely fascinating couple living the digital nomad lifestyle. When the opportunity arises to swap houses for a couple weeks, Maddie quickly agrees. This is her chance to live the adventurous nomad life in Croatia, while also knowing that her apartment in London will be well taken care of by Alex and Ed. But once keys are exchanged, Maddie realizes that Alex and Ed are not who they seem to be, and Maddie's boyfriend is definitely hiding something. Stuck in a foreign country with a partner she no longer trusts while her apartment has been let to two deceptive con artists, Maddie is living her worst nightmare.

While I really wanted to like The Getaway, it wasn't a book for me. I didn't find the overall story to be that exciting or interesting. There were no real twists or reveals. The characters are all extremely unlikable. Maddie, in particular, is super annoying, which is unfortunate as the majority of the story is told through her POV. A lot of the story felt very forced and unbelievable. The pacing throughout the book was also off. Simply put, The Getaway was not a book for me.

What a great read this was, just brilliant from the beginning until the end and I was hooked on this fast paced thriller with interesting characters, not all likeable though.

The storyline was interesting and well written and what can I say about the end, just when you thought it was done out pops another conclusion that you would never guess.

Thank you to Netgalley, Boldwood Books and Rona Halsall for this brilliant ARC and I look forward to the next masterpiece.

I think this book had me changing my mind on who to believe more than Maddie, the MC.
Sometimes though her decisions are just so guessable and not just a silly mistake, had me screaming in my head! The book was a real page turner and I couldn't put it down and kept telling myself just one more chapter. It would have been nice to have a bit more on how Tom's life turned out. Hopefully there will be a follow on to see what happens with Debbie & Pippa

read if you like:
🏡 house swaps
🤯 mysterious pasts
📖 books by Freida McFadden

summary:
If you need a quick bingable thriller, this book is for you! It follows a woman named Maddie and her boyfriend, Tom, who go on a vacation to Croatia to escape the recent challenges of their normal lives. While there, Maddie meets Alex, a friendly woman, in a cafe, who is spending time in Croatia with her partner, Ed, living a “digital nomad” life. They immediately hit it off, and after Maddie shares her desire to follow in Alex’s footsteps and travel the continent, Alex offers her a deal — the couples can switch apartments for two weeks, allowing Alex and Ed to head back to London and Maddie and Tom to stay in Croatia. At first, the swap seems too good to be true, until Maddie realizes that Tom and Alex had a past, and there may be more to their chance friendship than she realized.

While I loved the plot of this book, the characters were not my favorite. While Maddie stands up for herself at times, she is woefully naive and ignorant, walking into situations she easily could have avoided. It’s hard to emphasize with someone who finds herself in a crisis of her own doing. I also don’t love the “my ex-girlfriend is crazy” trope, and wish in general we could shift away to something a little more creative. That all being said, the story moves quickly and keeps up the pace until the very end. The ending itself is a little bit predictable, but has a couple of twists that will take you by surprise!

If you love quick thrillers from Freida McFadden and Kiersten Modglin, then definitely pick this one up. Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy, and check this out when it releases on August 17!

I loved the setup: a spontaneous house swap with mysterious strangers? Total recipe for suspense. The vibes were giving best holidays ever and it definitely had me hooked early on.

There’s a solid sense of tension as things start to unravel, and I was curious to see how deep the lies would go. But while the premise is strong, some of the twists felt a little rushed or far-fetched and I didn’t always buy the characters’ decisions (Maddie, girl… come on).

Overall, it’s fast-paced, super readable and has just enough suspense to keep you flipping pages. A great beach read if you’re looking for something twisty and light.

𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 : psychological thriller, holiday thriller, secrets and lies, betrayal, domestic thriller.

𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 : ★★★.25

While Maddie and her boyfriend Tom are in Croatia on vacation, Maddie meets Alex and the two women hit it off immediately. Alex lives with her boyfriend Ed. As it gets closer to the time Maddie and Tom have to return to London, Alex suggests that the couples swap apartments so Maddie and Alex can stay in Croatia and work remotely while Alex and Ed can go stay in London. Both couples agree and then the nightmare begins! Lots of twists, turns and surprises in this book which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC of this thrilling book which kept me on the edge of my seat to the very end.

What a twisty, rollercoaster ride of a book! I wanted to shake some characters for their naivety, but it made for a great story. Will definitely read more from this author.

Maddie and Tom are on a break in Croatia.
Maddie meets a couple, and Tom is too engrossed in his gaming to take notice of what Maddie has agreed to - a house swap!

Firstly, I cannot imagine agreeing to a house swap with virtual strangers! I have had a house sitter that cleaned me out, so was very suspicious of what Maddie had agreed to.

Tom is someone that should never get into a relationship. For all the work that he put into the relationship, he may as well have been single anyway!

Thank heavens for Maddie's mother, who quite frankly was much more sensible than her daughter. Certainly got her out of a bad situation. And then Maddie again falls prey to questionable people...... I can't believe she gained wisdom from her experience at the end of the book.

But anyway, this was a quick, easy read, with twists and unsavoury characters, and blemished pasts, I enjoyed it, but felt that Maddie could have trusted just a little bit less, after all, she wasn't an Eighteen year old.

I think this would be a good beach read.

Rona Halsall delivered a fast paced twisted, I mean twisted, psychological thriller! This was unputdownable. Halsall fabricated a thriller premise that I hadn’t read before, and that was partially what drew me to this book. The Getaway followed Maddie and her long-term boyfriend, Tom. They went on a romantic vacation in sun‑soaked Croatia when Maddie met Alex and Ed—a couple living the digital‑nomad dream. They proposed a daring plan to swap homes for a couple of weeks to test the nomadic lifestyle. But as soon as they handed over the keys the nightmare began. This was undoubtedly a twisted psychological thriller built on trust, deception, and past secrets.

Everything from the multiple perspectives to the deceitful characters to the distinct narrative made for a compelling fast paced gripping thriller. I loved the short chapters and the engaging dialogue. It started early and didn’t let up. The multiple points of views added to the dynamic suspense. Even more, the idea of swapping homes gone wrong set up a unique and fresh premise. All these aspects set it apart from others in the thriller genre. I also appreciated the multiple twists and misdirections. They were scattered throughout. And lastly, I enjoyed the escapist setting with the sinister undertones. The way Halsall infused it into this story added another layer of tension.

All in all, I was so transfixed in this dramatically constructed story that I read it devoured it in a day. This may have been my first read by Rona Halsall, but it’s definitely not my last. That said, I’m eager to get my hands on more books by Halsall soon. I’d recommend The Getaway for those who love compulsive reads with domestic drama and a unique premise, psychological tension and twists, and unreliable narrators.

Thanks to Net Galley and Boldwood Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Crazy caricatures that kinda had you guessing.. I found the ending the best part of the book. For the most part this book was just OK to me it definitely didn't draw me into the caricatures, the premise was good but got lost somewhere.

Excellent story with some weird characters and a great plot. I would definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to Rona Halsall, NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the arc of this book

If something seems too good to be true, it probably is!! Sometimes, people just have to learn the difficult way!

Maddie and Tom decide to swap apartments for a couple of weeks with Alex and Ed. Once the keys are exchanged, everything goes downhill.

I found Maddie to be gullible and annoying. I also found it irritating thatTom referenced his ADHD over and over and over again... ugghhh!! Eventually, things picked up, and I was able to look past Maddie's and Tom's personalities.

The storyline started out rather slow, so slow that I almost marked this book DNF. I hate to be a quitter, so I stuck it out. Things picked up about halfway through the book. Based on the ending, I'm hoping/thinking there will be a sequel.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion/review.

Rona Halsall’s The Getaway is a gripping psychological thriller that keeps readers on edge from start to finish. Centred around a woman who embarks on a spontaneous holiday to escape her problems, the novel quickly takes a dark turn as secrets unravel and trust is put to the test. Halsall masterfully builds suspense with sharp pacing, unexpected twists, and a strong emotional undercurrent. Fans of domestic thrillers will find The Getaway an addictive, page-turning read with a chilling conclusion.

Love love loved this. Such an intricate ot with twists i could never have seen coming. Kept me up at night

Thank you to Boldwood Books for an early ARC of this tense and exciting psychological thriller. Wow what a read.
Twists, turns and reading page after page with abated breath.
The characters are deep and with back stories that make you want to know what they are hiding in their past and how does it impact on them now. It is a real page turner and deep. So, deep. What you think you know, you don't.
Halsall keeps you on the edge of your seat as she draws you into this complex web of deceit, betrayal and lies. You don't know who to believe and that makes it an enthralling and engaging read all the way through from the start. It has made me very sure that I would never do a house swap with anyone. And also do you really know who your partner is? Scary stuff.
Blurb
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…
Kerry Kennedy Author