This book was a crazy ride that never slowed down. Early on I started to realize that something was off with the main character, Jan. Okay. Not all protagonists are heroes, right? But things get really complicated when all the other characters also start showing their true colors...and not all good. This is definitely the vacation from hell, but it made for an interesting and fast read. I enjoyed every terrible thing that happened. ( )

2.5 stars ( )

Book source ~ Kindle First

Jan is reuniting with her “vacation friends” she and her ex-boyfriend Marcus hooked up with five years ago. They are rich and travel in much more affluent circles than her and Marcus, but Jan wants to recapture the fun. Except, was it as fun as she remembers?

Oh, for fuck’s sake. Jan is unlikeable, but the other two couples are worse. Well, ok, one of them is okay. I don’t remember her name, but she is the actress. The rest are terrible. Marcus is a decent guy. Jan is pathetic, but at least she knows she is. She comes through in the end, but otherwise, gugh.

Now for the writing. No. It’s awful.

The plot. Could have been really something, but the characters and the writing drag it down into the Pit of Despair.

There are current scenes and flashback scenes until it’s all current events. If the writing was better this could have worked out, but as it is, it’s annoying.

And as a final word, good lord, can these characters drink or what? Why would anyone think it’s fun to do nothing but drink? Especially when you’re vacationing in such a gorgeous spot as Crete? No. Just, no.

All-in-all I do not recommend this book. ( )

I wasn't sure about this book to begin with. I didn't like the main character and wasn't really sure about the quality of the writing. I persisted though - there was something about the story that was intriguing. It wasn't a page turner, maybe more of a slow burn. I'm glad I did keep going because it was actually well written and an interesting story. ( )

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book that I have been unable to put down - it took a little over 2 weeks for me to read this, but I am a slow reader, so this was quick for me!

The book is set in Crete and recounts the reunion of 3 couples who met on a holiday 5 years prior. Something happened while they were on that holiday but the main character, Jan, is unable to recall exactly what. This forms the premise of the story: trying to piece together the previous holiday - all while being chained to a wall because of something that she has no recollection of.

Each chapter alternates between the events leading up to being confined and the events after. The fear and desperation of the situation really shines through, the author did a terrific job of setting the scene.

Jan has a fairly critical character flaw that, when it was revealed, initially made me hate her as a character but by the end of the book I was able to overlook it and was desperate for her to succeed.

I have a love of Greek myths and they are intertwined with this story so that may have helped me enjoy the book as much as I did. The references are few but come back to a recurring theme. ( )