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Mayday
Five friends. One yacht. No escape.
For fans of The White Lotus and Below Deck, from Holly Craig, #1 bestselling author of The Rip, comes a pulse-pounding thriller about the dangerous ties that bind us. Performed by an all-star cast: Madeleine Madden (The Wheel of Time), Archie Madekwe (Saltburn), Josh Dylan (Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again) and Sofia Oxenham (Extraordinary).
When Vivian Leroux invites her closest university friends on an extravagant sailing trip through Australia's Whitsunday Islands, it seems like the perfect graduation celebration. But beneath the glittering surface of sun, sea and champagne, dark secrets and bitter rivalries are simmering. As the trip unfolds, Vivian's manipulative games push everyone to their breaking point. Tensions rise and loyalties shatter. Then Vivian mysteriously vanishes in the middle of the night.
With no trace of their friend and evidence of foul play mounting, the remaining four must decide how far they'll go to protect themselves. As accusations fly and paranoia takes hold, no one can be trusted.
For fans of The White Lotus and Below Deck, from Holly Craig, #1 bestselling author of The Rip, comes a pulse-pounding thriller about the dangerous ties that bind us. Performed by an all-star cast: Madeleine Madden (The Wheel of Time), Archie Madekwe (Saltburn), Josh Dylan (Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again) and Sofia Oxenham (Extraordinary).
When Vivian Leroux invites her closest university friends on an extravagant sailing trip through Australia's Whitsunday Islands, it seems like the perfect graduation celebration. But beneath the glittering surface of sun, sea and champagne, dark secrets and bitter rivalries are simmering. As the trip unfolds, Vivian's manipulative games push everyone to their breaking point. Tensions rise and loyalties shatter. Then Vivian mysteriously vanishes in the middle of the night.
With no trace of their friend and evidence of foul play mounting, the remaining four must decide how far they'll go to protect themselves. As accusations fly and paranoia takes hold, no one can be trusted.
- GenresAudiobook
301 pages, Audiobook
Published July 10, 2025
9 people are currently reading
10 people want to read
About the author
Holly Craig
9 books184 followershttps://www.facebook.com/profile.php?...
Holly Craig lives on the Western Australian coast. She spent her childhood on boats and on Rottnest Island. The beach and river were her playground and have shaped the settings in her novels.
Holly has degrees in journalism, public relations, English teaching and creative writing from Curtin University. She lives in Fremantle with her family.
Holly Craig lives on the Western Australian coast. She spent her childhood on boats and on Rottnest Island. The beach and river were her playground and have shaped the settings in her novels.
Holly has degrees in journalism, public relations, English teaching and creative writing from Curtin University. She lives in Fremantle with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 26, 2025
Rolled my eyes so far back I caught a glimpse of my brain. It’s now fried.
1.5 ⭐️🎧
1.5 ⭐️🎧
October 14, 2025
*⭐️⭐️ 1/2 stars
I liked the premise, particularly Vivian's character and her manipulation tactics. I did find the ending kind of disappointing though, and hoped the staff or the family rivalry details would become more relevant. Still a good romp. But The Rip is wayy better.
I liked the premise, particularly Vivian's character and her manipulation tactics. I did find the ending kind of disappointing though, and hoped the staff or the family rivalry details would become more relevant. Still a good romp. But The Rip is wayy better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 9, 2025
Spoilers! Spoilers! Spoilers!
If you didn’t catch it the first time!! SPOILERS
Okay so not the most amazing book but I’d read it again.
It’s a mystery/thriller so I like to try to guess the ending. Good luck is all I have to say🤣. I did guess what I thought would be the ending but it wasn’t. And I would have been reallllllyyyyy pissed if it didn’t have an epilogue.
(1) I wasn’t expecting for her to actually die. (2) I wasn’t expecting for her lifelong bestie to be the one to kill her.
Thinking about it, she had been planning it for a very long time but what was the reason. That’s why I give it 3 starts. The author somewhat gives an explanation of why she did what she did but I would have liked more details. Like why go after Celia, she wasn’t really apart of the group, she didn’t hang with them often. I think she literally only did because of her relationship with Dan. But again, the gf didn’t have anything to do with the beef between their parents. AND we don’t really know what happened between the parents.
There was a lot that didn’t get answered. Like what happened with Amy. Did grief and guilt overtake her? Did she get with the professor? Did they live happily ever after?
Am I missing a sequel to this book?
If you didn’t catch it the first time!! SPOILERS
Okay so not the most amazing book but I’d read it again.
It’s a mystery/thriller so I like to try to guess the ending. Good luck is all I have to say🤣. I did guess what I thought would be the ending but it wasn’t. And I would have been reallllllyyyyy pissed if it didn’t have an epilogue.
(1) I wasn’t expecting for her to actually die. (2) I wasn’t expecting for her lifelong bestie to be the one to kill her.
Thinking about it, she had been planning it for a very long time but what was the reason. That’s why I give it 3 starts. The author somewhat gives an explanation of why she did what she did but I would have liked more details. Like why go after Celia, she wasn’t really apart of the group, she didn’t hang with them often. I think she literally only did because of her relationship with Dan. But again, the gf didn’t have anything to do with the beef between their parents. AND we don’t really know what happened between the parents.
There was a lot that didn’t get answered. Like what happened with Amy. Did grief and guilt overtake her? Did she get with the professor? Did they live happily ever after?
Am I missing a sequel to this book?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 1, 2025
This one was pretty predictable; at least It got right to the point. You know what you’re getting into almost immediately. I enjoyed the Below Deck vibe, following the POVs of the charter guests. especially because this is a group of rich, annoying people who low-key all hate each other, maybe high-key with all their little drama and secrets, which was kind of juicy and all very problematic, but it felt a bit repetitive at times. I appreciated the yacht atmosphere and ocean descriptions; they really enhanced the story, making it feel like a movie. However, this thriller didn’t get actually thrilling until the end, around chapter 45. And even then it was for like two seconds. The ending was anticlimactic. I was ready to give it 3 stars for being a fun, summery read, but since the conclusion was so disappointing, I’ll have to rate it 2.5 and that’s kinda being generous.
September 30, 2025
There’s a reason why this book and indeed the rest of this author’s books, are free on Audible. I mean, could anyone seriously be expected to pay for them? Maybe an impulse purchase; maybe the cover image might suck someone in. But a few pages in and they’d be wanting their money back. Definitely.
I’m not sure why this book is so bad. The writing is, I want to say boring but that’s not especially helpful. The writing is transactional, that’s it: everything is of one dimension, flat, uninteresting. There’s no lyricism to the writing, no depth, no mystery. The sea is azure; the cliffs are craggy; the clouds are fluffy; the toast is dry. It’s all perfunctory, shallow, superficial. Like writing a novel is a paint by numbers exercise.
It’s as if the author has been told by her English teacher she’s ‘not bad’ at writing. And so she decides to write, writing with the impetus from what she’s read of other authors; or more likely, seen in TV dramas. So we end up with a genre thriller that is derivative, a plot line that tells the reader what’s happening at every juncture instead of leaving us with questions, a keenness to turn the next page, to resolve the puzzles on the page. But there are no puzzles in this book, just a functional storyline, as if it’s written by a sixteen year old school kid who watches too much TV.
The teacher in me wants to correct her tortuous prose. Her character Amy ‘can taste his saltiness with her lips’. She needs to ‘breathe in great gulps of air with her mouth’. And she could ‘feel the sound in the hairs in her ears’. ‘I want to load my guilt with carbs..’ Come on. This is pure unedited guff. (Did she have an editor look over this book, I mean it’s eight hours long, eight hours! One hour would be more than enough). The stuff of a school girl. The stuff of a young would-be writer who has a long way to go before she should ever seek to publish anything.
The commercial blurb describes this book and its author as ‘bestselling’. I’m pretty sure this author will never write anything approximating a bestseller. There is most certainly nothing bestselling about this book. To be frank, I’m more than a little surprised this author found a publisher at all.
If you want to read a whodunit, a thriller, choose a Graham Norton or even a Richard Osman. These authors understand what it takes to write well, to write sparingly, and to write knowingly.
I’m not sure why this book is so bad. The writing is, I want to say boring but that’s not especially helpful. The writing is transactional, that’s it: everything is of one dimension, flat, uninteresting. There’s no lyricism to the writing, no depth, no mystery. The sea is azure; the cliffs are craggy; the clouds are fluffy; the toast is dry. It’s all perfunctory, shallow, superficial. Like writing a novel is a paint by numbers exercise.
It’s as if the author has been told by her English teacher she’s ‘not bad’ at writing. And so she decides to write, writing with the impetus from what she’s read of other authors; or more likely, seen in TV dramas. So we end up with a genre thriller that is derivative, a plot line that tells the reader what’s happening at every juncture instead of leaving us with questions, a keenness to turn the next page, to resolve the puzzles on the page. But there are no puzzles in this book, just a functional storyline, as if it’s written by a sixteen year old school kid who watches too much TV.
The teacher in me wants to correct her tortuous prose. Her character Amy ‘can taste his saltiness with her lips’. She needs to ‘breathe in great gulps of air with her mouth’. And she could ‘feel the sound in the hairs in her ears’. ‘I want to load my guilt with carbs..’ Come on. This is pure unedited guff. (Did she have an editor look over this book, I mean it’s eight hours long, eight hours! One hour would be more than enough). The stuff of a school girl. The stuff of a young would-be writer who has a long way to go before she should ever seek to publish anything.
The commercial blurb describes this book and its author as ‘bestselling’. I’m pretty sure this author will never write anything approximating a bestseller. There is most certainly nothing bestselling about this book. To be frank, I’m more than a little surprised this author found a publisher at all.
If you want to read a whodunit, a thriller, choose a Graham Norton or even a Richard Osman. These authors understand what it takes to write well, to write sparingly, and to write knowingly.
August 12, 2025
I really enjoyed this book, all the up to the end. I was expecting more of "wow" moment, especially since the book itself had plenty of twists. This would've been a 5 star read for me had the ending been less anti-climatic.
September 17, 2025
the narration eas really good and the first half of the book was ok and then it got drawn out and there were loads of unresolved plot lines.
I listened to this on a sun holiday and so it suited my mood.
it was nice to have the Australian focus though.
Audible plus listen
I listened to this on a sun holiday and so it suited my mood.
it was nice to have the Australian focus though.
Audible plus listen
August 4, 2025
3.5. Definitely enjoyed and I got the end wrong
August 5, 2025
The ending was super anticlimactic.
September 5, 2025
good thriller, lots of twists
November 2, 2025
This is a thriller set on a yacht (already love that setting), with intertwined friendships and multiple points of view - which kept things interesting. I actually really enjoyed the shifting perspectives and how the relationships unfolded.
But…the ending didn’t quite land for me. It felt a bit rushed and weaker than the build-up promised. You know that feeling when you want one last big wave, and instead it’s more of a gentle ripple? That.
Overall, it’s entertaining and easy to listen to - perfect for a weekend walk or cleaning session - but not one that’ll stick with me long term. Would I recommend? Maybe, if you want something light and twisty.
But…the ending didn’t quite land for me. It felt a bit rushed and weaker than the build-up promised. You know that feeling when you want one last big wave, and instead it’s more of a gentle ripple? That.
Overall, it’s entertaining and easy to listen to - perfect for a weekend walk or cleaning session - but not one that’ll stick with me long term. Would I recommend? Maybe, if you want something light and twisty.
November 16, 2025
This was a book I read, nothing special.
It was an easy read, a story of wealth, either craved or actual, jealousy, revenge and did they really get away with murder?
It was an easy read, a story of wealth, either craved or actual, jealousy, revenge and did they really get away with murder?
November 30, 2025
skip straight to epilogue, that's basically the story.
January 10, 2026
Really, long winded and not the best mystery at all. Very frustrating characters and conflict.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews