I wanted to love this book so much, and it really had it’s great moments, BUT.. I just can’t stand it when the main character is dumb. Her choices made absolutely no sense and she annoyed me constantly. The end didn’t feel right either. Just didn’t make sense for the character.

As usual, Rona Halsall doesn’t disappoint. This is a well-written thriller with a twisty plot and a punch ending that I wasn’t expecting. Maddie and Tom go on holiday to Croatia and then Maddie meets Alex and they soon become friendly. Alex is upset one day and tells Maddie she has to dash back to the UK because her mum is ill. Maddie and Alex decide to swap apartments for two weeks, with Alex and her partner Ed staying in their UK apartment and Maddie and Tom having an extra two weeks in Croatia. However, this isn’t as straightforward as it seems and we are soon plunged into a dark web of lies and deceit.. This twisty, drama filled story kept me guessing right until the end. A great read.

Maddie and Tom are having a lovely holiday in Croatia, where Maddie befriends a digital nomad and decides she'd like to try the same for a while. New friend suddenly has to return home and offers her apartment for the remaining time.

It's a thriller, so I assumed I had at least a shape of what would happen next. House would be actually not available, a terrible neighbour would do something - I don't know - there are loads of obvious ways this could have turned out.

What *did* turn out happening was completely unexpected, and I'm certainly not going to spoil it. With perspectives given from a range of characters, and some completely conflicting facts, it wasn't easy to guess what was going on. I certainly kept picking it back up to figure it out.

It's still 3 stars from me though, because it was 'fine'. It wasn't a 4-star read. If there was a half star available it would be a 3.5...

I think the title "The Getaway" as well as the synopsis is a bit deceiving . The book really is not about a getaway. Sure, at the beginning Maddie and Tom are on holiday in Croatia and end up house swapping with another couple. But the actual events of the book have nothing to do with the "getaway" nor do they take place in the holiday setting of Croatia.

This book was really rushed and always felt surface level, but at the same time, dragged on at parts. It was sooo wordy and overly descriptive at times that the suspense level really dropped. It was kinda a strange story and I did not enjoy the plot twists. Just super OTT and messy. The characters were unlikeable and super cringey. This also made for a difficult read. If you're an avid thriller reader like myself, unfortunately, this one will not do it for you.

Thank you Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing this book, with my honest review below.

The Getaway takes advantage of a fantasy I’m sure many of us have, the opportunity to become a digital nomad and work from gorgeous locations. In this case Maddie is visiting Croatia from England with her boyfriend Tom and meets Alex, who is a digital nomad in Croatia. Just as Maddie is debating giving work from anywhere but home a try, Alex learns her mother needs treatment back in England and she and her partner, Ed, decide to swap with Tom and Maddie. From the moment the swap occurs you know something is wrong when Tom realizes Alex is an old and unstable girlfriend he didn’t treat right. When the couple goes back England separately the plot thickens with Maddie realizing Tom hid a lot from his past and both Alex and Ed being up to no good.

I had fun with this thriller but I can’t say it was especially shocking. It is, however, very well written and sweeps the reader along with the mysteries. I do think the ending events weren’t necessary as they felt a bit tacked on.

Wow, what a read! I was hooked right away because of all the things—the setting in Croatia, the digital nomad lifestyle, the promise of travel and mystery. I've never read a thriller with this premise and was eager to read it for that reason too. The opening was immersive and instantly intriguing, especially for someone who loves a unique backdrop.
Initially, I really liked both Maddie and Tom. The first half of the story is phenomenal. As the story unfolded, though, I found the character development a bit lacking. It felt like the author was aiming for complexity and nuance, but the result left the all the characters feeling inconsistent or poorly thought out. I just couldn't connect with any of them, and at times their decisions didn’t quite make sense, which pulled me out of the story a few times.
Still, despite some frustrations, the premise was excellent and the pacing kept me turning pages. I think readers who enjoy escapist thrillers with a travel twist will still find this an entertaining read. With a few adjustments to the plot or character arcs, this could’ve been a standout. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a quick, atmospheric thriller with an exotic setting.

While on vacation in Croatia, Tom and Maddie befriend a couple. They eventually decide to swap houses with them. Who does this?! This story is crazy! It’s twisty and suspenseful, but also predictable. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy.

Rona Halsall has once again dished up a chillingly, evil suspense thriller in The Getaway. The idea of a house swap definitely piqued my interest, but brought me to places I could not have foreseen.

Maddie and Tom are on holiday in Croatia. Maddie is on her own most of the time as Tom is always busy with work. During one of her solo jaunts she befriends a couple, Alex and Ed, who are living a Digital Nomad lifestyle. When a situation occurs for Alex and Ed, they offer Maddie and Tom an opportunity too good to pass up. Swap lifestyles and apartments. Maddie jumps at this opportunity, and Tom, more reluctantly agrees. When Tom realizes Alex is someone he knows from his past, but has kept from Maddie, he tries to talk her out of it. When his truth finally does come out, it's too late to stop the plan of revenge already in motion.

This is a very fast paced and gripping tale of evil. The characters are all unreliable, and it's hard to tell who is telling the truth, making it hard to guess where this is going. This is one you'll want to race through to get to the stellar ending. I highly recommend this book to suspense lovers.

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the advanced copy

Read in 1 hour and 38 minutes.

This was a tense mystery with twists that genuinely surprised me with the he said/she said cunning.
Maddie is an emerging go-getter who fervently wishes that a last minute trip to Croatia with her vacant boyfriend Tom will reinvigorate their life.

It’s there that they meet vibrant Alex and her partner Ed, who announce themselves as digital nomads and offer Maddie a taste of the good life; it’s only a house swap for a few weeks- and it worked so wonderfully in The Holiday, after all!

The plane wheels haven’t even left the tarmac before the plans fall to pieces.
But whose plans?

It can be compared to stories like The Darkest Game, Known To the Victim, and The Missing Family, which also pack a punch.
I find the very last pages to leave the story a little too tidily packed away, but the plot was otherwise solid; it was suspenseful and I liked how the different stories played against each other, leaving you unsure who to believe.

I can emphasise with both Maddie and Tom, as their feelings are spilling out in every chapter, and Ed and Alex’s point of view provide some useful insight.

The moral of the story is that the past never stays dead…

Another fantastic read from Rhona Halsall. A psychological thriller that will keep you guessing right from the beginning. When Tom and Maddie are on holiday in Croatia Maddie meets Alex in a cafe one morning but what she thinks is a chance meeting is not that at all and things start to get really interesting when Tom realises he already knows Alex. I'm not going to give anything away but it safe to say there are many twists and turns in this story it's full of drama and you really don't know who is telling the truth about what has happened in their past and how things will be resolved. I loved it

Maddie & Tom are on holiday in Croatia having a wonderful time whilst wishing it could be longer, when Maddie makes friends with Alex who tells her she is a digital nomad. Maddie is so taken with the idea of her & Tom being digital nomads that she pushes the idea to Tom who is just a little hesitant. When Alex has to return to London as her Mum is ill, she offers her apartment in Croatia that has 2 weeks left on it to Maddie to see if she likes the idea of living & working there & she, Alex will stay in Maddie's apartment in London, a flat swap. It is not until Maddie sends a picture of Alex to Tom that the nightmare starts. A gripping and thrilling read. It is a great storyline, the only thing that spoilt it is that there was 'too much talking' going on away from the story itself. I tended to skip these parts.

Thank you for this ARC! I did enjoy this story and it held my attention throughout. It had some good twists which are always exciting. It's hard to root for a character that makes bad decisions, however, so I struggled a bit with that. The ending was good until the very last portion which felt unnecessary and farfetched. But, I did enjoy the experience of reading the book.

Maddie and her partner Tom are on holiday in Croatia. They have been through some trying times lately and are glad to be having a break. Both Maddie and Tom are able to work from home, and so have been thinking about the digital nomad lifestyle, which was a term new to me. Basically, it means that if you have your lap top with you, and access to WiFi, you can work from anywhere in the world and have the benefits of enjoying new surroundings.
Maddie likes to get up early and explore places while on holiday, Tom prefers a slower and later start to his day, so while Maddie is up and out, she meets Alex and her partner, Ed, who are living the digital nomad lifestyle. Maddie is intrigued and Alex is happy to explain more to Maddie about it. Circumstances alter for Alex and Ed, they need to return urgently to London, so Alex offers their apartment in Croatia to Maddie and Tom, in return for letting her and Ed stay in their London apartment. It would only be for two weeks, and would give Maddie and Tom an idea of how their digital nomad life could work. Maddie agrees. Tom has some reservations, but agrees, and by the time he realises something is wrong, it is too late.
There are lies upon lies in this twisted plot, and although I thought Maddie to be a very gullible person, some of the lies lead me astray in my thinking too, and I ended up not knowing who to believe, and the ending was a complete surprise.
A fast paced, page turner.

An enjoyable beach read.
Well written twisty tale and an interesting storyline.
Read over two long sittings.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

More twists and turns than a roller coaster. Excellent 5 star book.

Summer reading at it's best, now ay can you put this down once you have started it.

Who do you trust, your partner for 4 years who is an upright citizen (or so you think), your new best friend or your parents?

Maddie had it all and the dreams came crashing down. How to rebuild from devastating actions of those you think you know.

Thank you Net galley for letting me read this book.

House swapping... something I would never, ever do.
I know it used to be — or maybe still is — a thing people did, usually through a website where you had to register, so there was at least some control over who ended up in your home and what you could expect in return. But what Maddie and Tom are planning is something completely different. The two couples barely know each other, and yet they go for it. Until Tom makes a chilling discovery...

I had a feeling early on that something wasn't right — because when something seems too good to be true, it usually is. Unfortunately, you often realize that only when it's too late, when the damage is already done and you're left to face the consequences.

The author does an amazing job of leading me astray — and just when I think I’ve figured it out and confidently shift my suspicion, thinking this must be the truth... nope!
It felt like I was doing some weird little dance, constantly hopping from one theory to the next. I couldn’t decide what to believe, spinning around like a weather vane in a hurricane.

Slowly but surely, the storm settles, and everything is revealed. And to me, a thriller is only truly great when the story has a proper sting in its tail. I can tell you — this one absolutely did, and I loved every second of it.

A big compliment also goes to whoever designed the cover — it’s absolutely stunning.

The story itself was brilliant, with plenty of twists that had me throwing my theories out the window, only to pick them back up again, and still end up completely wrong.

No doubt about it — this book deserves 5 stars.

Thank you!

This novel is the perfect example of trusting your instincts, if something seems good to be true it usually is. That being said it is a very good, fast paced novel that I raced through.
Told from Tom and Maddie's points of view, we follow them as they holiday in Croatia and meet Alex and Ed. A chance conversation has them agreeing to a house swap, but in true Rona Halsall style nothing is that straightforward. She ramps up the tension and pace as each chapter progresses.
Fabulous

Fans of Freida McFadden and Shari Lapena, this is fa book for you! A quick page turner you will not be able to put down. The characters were full of personality and relatable. I found the main character to actually be quite entertaining and funny. The twists and turns were spectacular. I cannot say enough good things about this book. If you don't run to add this one to your collection, you are sadly missing out. This is a MUST read. Rona has quickly moved up the list to one of my favorite authors.

Thank you to the author and Boldwood books for the eARC

Title: The Getaway
Author: Rona Halsall
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Pub Date: July 25, 2025
My Rating: 4.2 Stars
Pages: 285

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 Split a stunning beach city in Croatia. Maddie loves the excitement as well as the relaxation of watching the cruise lines come and go.
Maddie is befriended by a lovely-woman Alex. She and her boyfriend Ed are living the digital nomad lifestyle. After a discussion Alex mentions her mother lives in London and is starting chemo. Alex wants to be with her but her mom has a tiny apartment. Maddie and Tom have a flat in London. Alex has a great idea and makes an offer Maddie finds hard to refuse…
Swap houses, swap lives – just for a couple of weeks – However Tom needs convincing. He believes it could be a scam. However it something Maddie really wants to do so he givens in.
As soon as they swap keys. Tom confesses a secret and why he believes Alex and Ed are up to something ~ he believes their encounter was planned and not an accident.
They fly back to London but go on separate days. When Maddie gets there a day after Tom does – he is nowhere to be found.
Yikes what in the world is going on? My head was spinning ~ is there anyone who is telling the truth?
Fast read ~ Ms, Halsall does not disappoint!
This is my sixth author, Rona Halsall thriller, her stories are outstanding

Plus I always enjoy reading her Author’s note/Acknowledgements.

Want to thank NetGalley and Boldwood Books for granting me this thriller.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for July 25, 2025.

I adore Rona’s novels and this one is another treat! East to read but grabs you right away. It’s a real page turner and I devoured it! Lots of twists and turns, it’s a really satisfying read!