The Summer Holiday

By: S.E. Lynes

Narrated by: Tamsin Kennard

One loving couple. One surprise guest. One week to destroy everything....

This holiday is the first time my husband, Jeff, and I have been on our own in years, and I want it to be a fresh start. We can walk along the beach, eat ice cream in the bright Spanish sun, and fall in love again.

Then I run into Coco, the girl we all wanted to be at university. She’s just like I remember: effortlessly cool with her blonde hair and her white linen dress. I can’t resist inviting her round to our clifftop villa with its pristine pool, to show off how much Jeff and I have changed.

But when Coco steps from the dusty street into the cool tiled hall, her face freezes in horror. I turn to see Jeff, his eyes wide, his cheeks pale.

They pretend nothing’s wrong, but I know they’re both lying. And when I catch them in whispered conversations, I’m determined to find out what they’re hiding.

But when I confront them, the truth is worse than I could have dreamed.

And when things fall apart, not all of us will walk away....

From the best-selling author S.E. Lynes comes a brilliantly gripping thriller that will have you gasping out loud at the twists. Fans of Paula Hawkins, Lisa Jewell, and Gillian Flynn will love The Summer Holiday.

©2023 S.E. Lynes (P)2023 Bookouture, an imprint of Storyfire Ltd.

Good book overall.

This is a good domestic drama that shows how the past can come back to haunt you even many years in the future. It's about Kate and Jeff and Coco and the desire to be rich and popular and fit in. Kate takes wanting to be one of the cool people to the extreme, but her husband Jeff has made her feel like she doesn't fit in much, in his life or bed. Then there is Coco the sociopathy. I felt like it was a bit drawn out at times, but I never lost interest.

Another first-rate audiobook in my library

Two of my favorites, S.E. Lynes and Tamsin Kennard, once again join forces to bring us another suspenseful listen. A brilliant and intricate thriller, the left left Alexa and I wanting more. Little by little and precisely paced, the real truth comes out. The end holds, literally, a jaw-dropper I never saw. It was difficult to take a break. Lynes’ writing is a favored style of ours as she goes from one character to another with her determined exactitude. Kennard’s narrative skills shine through and she remains a favorite. No multitasking here. I learned my lesson. Highly recommended and worth a cherished credit. A grateful nod to these two accomplished and skilled women for bringing “The Summer Holiday” to Audible. Epic, I say! EPIC! EPIC! EPIC!

👏✍️🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟👏✍️

good but predictable

I predicted every single twist and everything that happened. But it was still a good ride. The characters were great and had real emotions, so that made the book enjoyable.

Love it love it!

This is one of my favorite authors but the stars are for the narrator! Story was great but Tamsin Kinard makes it funny even at the craziest times! Well Done you!

Enjoyable listen

Not the greatest book but not terrible. Almost stopped and returned it during the first chapter or so because the main character is a moron. But I stuck with it.

So boring

Storyline is ridiculous.Characters were dull. Kept reading in hopes it got better. Horrible ending? So not recommend

Ok

Good enough. Stopped at very end out of knowing and not really caring what would happen. Didn’t like any of the main characters much but it kept my interest almost to the end. Not a waste of a credit but not as good as others by her.

Awful

The characters are the most unlikable I’ve ever encountered. The premise is so boring and has no point to it, let alone any suspense. And worst of all is the continued and constant reference to one of the main characters by their first and last name. Like fingernails down a chalkboard and I couldn’t finish.

Disappointment

This book is neither suspenseful nor psychological as categorized. It’s a family drama. It got a little better as time went on, but I enjoy this author and this book was a disappointment. It’s also actually shorter than advertised because the last 30 minutes is an excerpt from another of the authors books. I wish I had known that.

A decent book, but I wouldn’t buy it again.

The premise is interesting enough.
The characters are fairly well developed and the writing is good. It isn’t great, not exceptional in any way.
The story itself is clever and engaging but there is something intangible that is missing.
I could never really put my finger on exactly what that missing element is but it’s lacking a certain depth, a certain lack of atmosphere or something.
The narration is excellent and I was able to finish it.
I just wouldn’t spend a credit on it if I had it to do over again.
At a point the whole premise becomes repetitive and flat, I think that’s the thing that turned me off in the end.
It could’ve been phenomenal but these missing elements add up and it becomes very silly toward the end.