Les vacances

by Kathryn Croft, Flor Lurienne (Narrator), Eve Reinquin (Narrator)

Du best-seller mondial THE CHRISTMAS PARTY, un thriller haletant pour les fans de THE WHITE LOTUS et BIG LITTLE LIES, interprété par Flor Lurienne et Eve Reinquin.

Au paradis, ne faites confiance à personne.
Quand Érin réserve à la dernière minute une villa sur la côte amalfitaine, elle y voit l'occasion parfaite de ressouder sa famille. Sur place, ils font la connaissance de Tristan et Béa, un frère et une sœur aussi charmants qu'intrigants, installés dans la villa voisine. Mais l'escapade idyllique vire au cauchemar lorsque Jesse, le fils adolescent d'Érin, disparaît après une fête... et qu'un corps est retrouvé sur la plage.
À mesure que les secrets remontent à la surface, Érin comprend que quelqu'un s'en prend délibérément à sa famille. Commence alors une course contre la montre pour retrouver Jesse, au cours de laquelle Érin devra affronter les vérités que chacun s'efforçait d'enfouir sous les apparences d'une vie ordinaire.
Certains secrets ne restent pas enfouis dans le sable.

Genres: Audiobook, Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Contemporary, Suspense

Audible Audio

Published July 1, 2026

Reviews

[Emmy Rosam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entering my thriller era??? I had so much fun with this audiobook

[Nina (ninjasbooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, that was something.. a bit extreme

[Krickette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, this was exactly what I needed. Sorta felt like I was in a slump with the books I was reading. Two books with absolutely “no grab” whatsoever! So when I saw this audio pop up on Audible, I jumped at the chance to hear something gripping! So I gave it a whirl. 😊

Here a sneak peak inside …
It’s a quick read about a family in crisis heading to Italy for a family style, no technology, wholesome beach vacation! Time to reconnect, repair and rediscover! Mark and Erin are the parents who seem quite detached from one another, their daughter Amber who is suffering through a recent break up and their son Jesse, an antisocial who is highly addicted to his phone. A once happy family looking to soak up the sun and find a good space to be together again. ❤️

The mysterious and over-friendly next door neighbors (also staying at the villa in Italy) slowly begin to infiltrate this family…appearing everywhere, seemingly normal, but little by little, this turns out to be no ordinary family vacation! These manipulative new friends become intricately involved, stealing time with each member and bending their reality. So, for a short story… it was a quick dive into a thriller. Can’t give much more away… but this is a sinister thriller that was a fun surprising tale!

A few good twists and an easy flowing mystery is just what I needed to push me into finishing the other two novels. Whew! It was a fun listen!

I give “The Vacation” 3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audible Original
Duration: 4 hours and 44 minutes

Erin's marriage is in trouble. As a last resort to save it, she books a family holiday in Italy with her husband and two children in a secluded villa. However, when the family arrives, they are surprisingly greeted by siblings (Triston and Bea), who live in the villa next door. As the days go by, what seems like neighborly gestures soon becomes more sinister and weirder interactions with the sibling pair. Other families who have stayed in this same villa have been left in ruins by the time they left. Does Erin's family hold the same fate?

____________________________________________

A solid thriller with a satisfying conclusion, even leaving listeners with an unexpected twist at the end! 🧡

[Rosy Ay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly good, not because I was surprised by how good the book was, but because I came across it unexpectedly as a free audiobook on audible and just instantly started listening to it and have read the whole book in one day.

Very enjoyable, full of twists and turns, very frustrating at times when you see bad things happening to good people, but it stops just before it becomes too uncomfortable and the story really flows to a very satisfactory ending.

A gentle and non-taxing read, perfect for the end of summer when we are still dreaming of sparkling blue seas and clear, beautiful, hot and glimmering days in the Sun.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Turns out better than I thought it would. Recommend.

[Cynthia Roles · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story lacked something. The ending was lame and That’s why I’m giving it 2.5 stars. My favorite part was the narrator Julia Whalen

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not like this book. I should have given it one-star rating, but that seems so harsh. I believe a two-star rating means it’s OK. Now to be fair, I didn’t really choose it. I was listening to the Audible original Eavesdropping, which frankly wasn’t great either, but I assume there will be a second season.

I noticed The Vacation show up in a recommended audible original for me, and I assumed it would be some sort of thriller; when it started playing, I said sure, I’ll give it a try. As soon as it started, I knew I wouldn’t care for it, but I thought it might become interesting. Instead, there’s the psychological thriller aspect, combined with family drama, and it was not all that entertaining.

A family of a mother, father, and their two grown children take one last family vacation together. Because of all the trauma, the family has faced, they’ve grown apart and it’s possible the parents may divorce. They go on vacation to a villa on the Amalfi coast, which is owned by the couple next door. The story is told from the point of view of Erin, the family matriarch, and Bea, the partner of Tristan, who is the driving force behind the crimes being committed.

I was waiting for the negativity to happen and it finally does, but it’s not particularly suspenseful. It was more aggravating, and it made the Amalfi coast seem boring. I was pretty sure I knew what the story was except the story never really went there. I mean, it seems obvious how the story should be laid out after I got past a certain point, but no apparently that was not it. It ended up being more mundane than I thought, but then that was basically to put a twist ending on the whole thing.

Also, forcing someone to have sex by threatening their child is rape. Just call it rape. What are you on about?

[Alisonbookreviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

Short story about a family on vacation on the Amalpi coast.
They rented a house next door to a brother and sister who seemed to be nice people but Bea and Tristan had ulterior motives.
Bad things had happened to people who had rented the house previously.
Erin and her husband Mark seemed to trust the siblings with their YA children until things started going wrong.
Not a bad vacation story with multiple povs

[Madeline Piper · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too many plot holes... weird and sudden ending..
.. enjoyable narration!

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wasn’t bad for what it was. A simple, fast paced little thriller. A few plot holes- again your basic 3 star read. But if you’re “in-between” books and you need an audible freebee it’s not bad.

[Chrissana Roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lo que empezó como unas vacaciones perfectas acabó convirtiéndose en una pesadilla. Secretos, mentiras y una desaparición que lo cambia todo. 🏖️🔍

[nico · Rating 3 out of 5]

for a short story, it didn't feel fast-paced.

[Evelyn Bella (there WILL be spoilers) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Maybe I'm the problem because what?!

Too many coincidences, storylines that go nowhere, a murderer that doesn't make sense and an all powerful villain that's toothless in the last act.

[Georgia · Rating 3 out of 5]

a bit predictable, but if Julia Whelan is narrating it, I'm gonna listen to it, thats just the way it goes

[Lindsey Colburn-Malousek · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounded up because Julia Whelan was one of the narrators.

[Merna · Rating 1 out of 5]

⭐️ (1 stars)

This book was just too easy and predictable to read. The plot was very obvious—I knew exactly how it would end—and it felt extremely cliché. It followed the same old storyline: the family falling apart, then facing danger, and somehow coming together again. Honestly, I’m thankful I didn’t spend money on it or get it on Audible, it was just a free access book 😂.

The characters were flat, boring, and at times downright annoying. There was no real growth or development—just people existing on the page with no depth 🙄.

And this book came out recently in 2025? Really? Who is still writing these kinds of predictable stories? Please, it’s 2025—let’s get a little more creative, thank you 🙏🏽. And I’m pretty sure I’ve seen plenty of movies with the exact same storyline—did it really need to be stretched into a whole book? 😑

[🎀Read With Me🎀 · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 ⭐️

I’m actually so glad it was free, because I would have lost my craps if I had spent actual money on this title.

The premise was great. I was expecting so much and then, disappointment. It actually started kind of good. Predictable for sure, but good. And then nothing happened.

The twist was underwhelming. The plot was underwhelming. The entire story line was underwhelming.

I refrained from giving 1 because I finished the title and there was some attempt at a good plot. That’s about it.

[Kapri Paderanga · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be honest the plot took forever. A lot of repeating of nothing. Literally a lot of “I don’t want to do this anymore “ but it took a long ass time to tell us what “do this” actually means.

It didn’t need to be as long as it was. It would’ve been better with less repeating lines and getting to the plot faster.

[Viviendotrasvidas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Las vacaciones, de Kathryn Croft, es un audiolibro cortito, apenas 4 horas y 35 minutos, pero ni aun así imaginaba que lo iba a escuchar tan rápido. Lo terminé en tiempo récord, atrapada por una trama adictiva, absorbente y mucho más de lo que parece al principio.

Al igual que Erin y su familia, desde que llegaron a la casa tuve claro que algo no encajaba. Conforme se iban sucediendo los acontecimientos, no dejaba de sorprenderme. Cada nuevo giro despertaba aún más mi curiosidad y hacía que me resultara imposible dejar de escuchar.

Hasta los últimos párrafos me ha tenido pendiente de lo que iba a ocurrir. Mientras lo escuchaba, tenía la sensación de estar viendo una película de intriga desarrollarse en mi cabeza.

He disfrutado muchísimo tanto de la narración como de la novela. Los audiolibros suelen relajarme, pero con este se me abrieron los ojos como platos.

Más de una vez me sorprendí exclamando en voz alta, impactada por lo que acababa de suceder. Ha sido una de esas historias que no dan tregua.

[Katy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was really well narrated, but overall it was a very mediocre story line. I feel like there was potential for it to be like White Lotus meets Saltburn, but it fell pretty flat for me. The "big twist" wasn't that shocking or twisty at all. Maybe I have just read too many psychological thrillers to be shocked anymore!

[Sydney Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, so I just finished The Vacation by Kathryn Croft and… I have a lot of thoughts. This book had all the right ingredients for a great summer thriller—an Italian villa, a picture-perfect family holiday, mysterious neighbors, and then… everything starts to unravel.

From the very beginning, Croft sets up this tense, almost claustrophobic atmosphere on the Amalfi Coast. Erin, our main character, is trying to hold everything together as a mother while this trip starts to go horribly wrong. Her teenage son disappears after a party, a body is found on the beach, and there’s this brother-sister duo, Tristan and Bea, who just ooze suspicion. The setup had me turning pages fast.

Tropes and Themes I Spotted:
• The “dream vacation gone wrong” trope (classic but still fun).
• Outsiders with secrets (Tristan and Bea were a bit of a slow burn).
• Family secrets and how little we really know the people closest to us.
• The theme of appearances versus reality—who we pretend to be on vacation vs. who we actually are.

Croft also does that thing where she sprinkles in just enough foreshadowing to make you feel clever when you think you’ve figured it out… only to pull the rug out at the end.

Let’s Talk About That Ending.
So, the big reveal: the killer is Erin’s own daughter. Totally unexpected for me—I was convinced one of the neighbors had something to do with it. On paper, that twist is shocking and definitely flips the “stranger danger” narrative on its head.

But here’s the thing… I closed the book and kind of sat there like, “Wait… that’s it?” I don’t feel like I got the emotional punch I was waiting for. The tension was great, the setup was strong, but the resolution? It left me a little hollow. Like, I wanted more aftermath, more depth, more reason. I’m still waiting for that something to happen that ties everything together.

Character-wise, Erin was fine—stressed, protective, a little frustrating at times (as thriller moms tend to be). Tristan and Bea felt more like plot devices than fully explored people. They kept me guessing, but they didn’t linger in my mind after the last page.

Would I recommend it? Yes—if you like domestic thrillers that are quick, twisty, and set somewhere gorgeous. Just don’t go in expecting the kind of twist that makes your jaw drop and your heart ache. For me, it was more of a “huh, okay then” ending than a “wow, I’m wrecked” ending.

[Clotilda · Rating 1 out of 5]

En ocasiones me pregunto si los autores no tienen nadie que les quiera en su entorno y que les diga de forma sincera que lo que han escrito no tiene ni pies ni cabeza. Esta es una de esas ocasiones.
La trama tiene fallos por todas partes y el éxito del malo malísimo psicópata radica en que todos a su alrededor parecen ser deficientes y se comportan como tal. Hay situaciones que hoy en día ya no tienen cabida.
Pérdida absoluta de tiempo. Por lo menos la narración es buena.
El broche final es completamente gratuito y no aporta nada a la historia ni a la trama.

[Betsy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Admittedly I have an attention span of a goldfish but finishing this was like choking down a glass of warm buttermilk.

[Angela (Reading Frenzy Book Blog) · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

Julia Whelan's narration here is flawless as always. I thought the main characters were interesting, if a bit under-developed. The villain is so awful that it was fun to hate them. I also enjoyed trying to figure out how the "sinister agenda" was going to play out. That was more interesting to me than the mystery of the disappearance. This book is not a thriller, so if blood and violence are your jam, you may be bored. The lackluster ending was disappointed.

[Randi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first ever audiobook. I decided to start listening to audiobooks as a motivation to get outside and go for walks. I am “not allowed to continue listening unless I’m going for a walk” and this story had me MOTIVATED!! I really enjoyed it. A nice way to enter the audiobook world. :)

[La psy qui lit · Rating 2 out of 5]

Malaisant, mais tout de même divertissant.
Définitivement différent…

[Chessheycat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun quick book. It was suspenseful and grabbed my attention.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alright listen, this is a 3 star but if I could give it a half star I would. It was fine! I was engrossed in the story until the end where it just kind of fell off and was weirdly predictable?!

[Amelia Holmes · Rating 3 out of 5]

thrilling but not groundbreaking haha