The Vacation

4.5/5 ⭐️

“Fate determined who enters in you life, your actions decide who stays”

John Marrs did it again! He definitely is my current favourite author. I love his writing style, you always follow several characters but he has a way of writing where you don't get confused who you're reading about. He writes short chapters and most of the chapters have a cliffhanger at the end so you keep wanting to read more.

This book is set in a hostel in California, I didn't read the synopsis so I didn't really know what to expect and I think that was a good choice. The first few chapters gave me Hostel(the movie) vibes.

I knocked down 0.5 ⭐️ just becuase one of the plot twists was just ridiculous. With John Marrs, you don't have to guess what happens to the characters because there are no loose ends, everything is wrapped up neatly and I love that.

I won't say much about the book because I don't want to spoil anything, but if you want a fast paced and thrilling read, pick this up.

This was a little too confusing, coincidental, and far fetched when it came to the connections. I trust John Marrs and knew he would pull it all together in the end, but it wasn't an instant favorite like most of his books.

Complex, Interwoven Thriller With Numerous Characters And Flashbacks. Hell, the one thing to knock this book on is just how sudden the flashbacks and returns can be. Other than that, this is one of those twisty, complex, interwoven tales more about the people that find themselves at a particular hostel at a particular moment than any titular "vacation" - though, as you'll come to see, every single one of them is truly on a "vacation" of sorts, so the title *does* work. I simply think the original title of "Welcome To Wherever You Are" may have actually been a more apt title for the tale.

If you want a single, simple plotline with a one or two true main characters and maybe a supporting cast... this isn't that kind of tale. If you want a tale where there are definitive answers and everything is black and white... this isn't that kind of tale. If you want an absolute mind fuck of a tale that makes you question your sense of reality... this isn't that kind of tale, either.

Instead, this truly is one of those more interesting in between tales that shows a more accurate depiction of humanity and how we're all flawed and we all have our own stories both before and after any given encounter, this simply happens to be the tales of those people who wind up being in the same Los Angeles area hostel at the same moment in time at the particular moment of the story here. If you're looking for *that* kind of tale... congratulations. You've found one of the better examples of it I've ever come across in my own reading.

Very much recommended.