While The Vacation is not the best book I have read by this author, it is entertaining and enjoyable. After working as a journalist for 25-years interviewing celebrities from the world of television, film and music for national newspapers and magazines, he is now a full-time writer. The characters, although all running from their pasts for various reasons, are all very different and easily distinguishable. It really is no mean feat to be able to tie together this number of threads without it becoming confusing, but John Marrs succeeds admirably. All that said, I loved the ending and Marrs does a superb job of typing up all the stories to a strong conclusion. The book has still stayed with me months later, so that says something! His books always seem to do that to me! This is the fourth John Marrs book I've read and it's, by far, my least favorite. Marrs has an amazing ability to bring his characters to life, and in most his books, the story-line is absolutely gripping. Not so with Welcome To Wherever You Are. It's very slow paced, to the point of being boring at times.

The Vacation by John Marrs | Waterstones

Everything is neatly tied up in the end, I suppose, but despite that, the story still seemed somehow unfinished to me. I will say, though, I was impressed by the way all the puzzle pieces eventually came together. It takes a skillful author to make all the connections work, without becoming cheesy and/or implausible. But... what was the deal with Peyk? Where did he go at the end? How did he know everything? The Vacation by John Marrs is a difficult book to write about. It’s certainly an addictive read as I was desperate to see how it ended – or more accurately – how our characters all fared. The pace is steady and it's told in the past and present day format. The plotline is multi-layered but easy to follow. We are told how each well developed character got in to the situation they were in. This is an intriguing read. Savannah - has a famous father who is a TV Reverend in Alabama. She decided to move to LA. Why is she always looking over her shoulder?Tommy - works in the hostel reception. He was traveling around the US with his friend before they went their separate ways. Although coping with his own troubles, he becomes someone people turn to. A group of strangers all arrive at a hostel on Venice Beach, all of them are running away from something. They all have secrets and want a new identity. Thank you so much to Tracy Fenton and to Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for inviting me on this tour and organising it. I kindly received a copy of the book from the publisher. My review is entirely my own honest opinion. I enjoyed this but can definitely see how the author’s writing improved with more recent books like The One and The Passengers The Vacation is a compulsive, holiday-set thriller from John Marrs, the author of The One, now a Netflix Original Series.

The Vacation | John Marrs | 9781529080872 | NetGalley The Vacation | John Marrs | 9781529080872 | NetGalley

A group of random strangers find themselves in a hostel. They all have their own reasons to be there, each journey leads them somewhere. Wherever they eventually arrive will be a point of no return, yet it will be a start for a new journey. Originally published as Welcome to Wherever You Are , this is a re-edited release perfect for fans of T. M. Logan. The book was previously released as Welcome to Wherever You Are– a sign the owner of the hostel has displayed at reception and Marrs references a Aldous Huxley quote:

I found it a little disconcerting that some of the timeframe changes occurred mid chapter which I wasn’t used to experiencing. Similarly on a few occasions there was some head hopping. We were in the head of one character and then privy to another’s thoughts, though thankfully for the most part it’s clear. First stop…a rundown hostile on Venice Beach that attracts people from all over the world. Their reasons for being there are vastly different. Everyone with a story and past that lead them there. Ready to find out all the juicy details?