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3 Stars!

I look straight back at her, as I tread water. I hate you, I think. I hate you. I don't feel bad anymore. You deserve everything that is coming to you.

I want to start by saying this is not a thriller, or rather it's not a thriller in my eyes. This is much more a slow burn (until the last ~30 pages) suspense novel. It's been marketed as a thriller and I think going in with that mindset did not help while I was reading this book.

During a holiday break, seven friends and an Icelandic couple want to go on a vacation. They decide to go to a remote area and just get away from it all. I mean, they have been friends for so many years right? Nothing could go wrong. Plus, if they've been friends for so long they obviously have to stay friends and they don't keep secrets from each other. Of course not...

The story opens up with someone dead. We don't know who is killed and who the killer is. Each chapter is the ongoing story from someone else's point of view until we get to the end where we learn the unfortunate fate of some. Each person who is at the rental, including the people who run it, each have a secret they are holding onto and all of that unravels as they are there for only about 2-3 days. The biggest question is what caused the murder and why did they do it?

If i'm being honest, I had to pick this book up and put it down multiple times before I finished it. I even skimmed a lot of the pages because I was getting a little bored. I felt like I was expecting a thriller and I got a book that was focused on old friend drama and betrayal of the past. Nothing too intense, just who didn't like who - kind of like high school drama. I like drama - especially reality TV shows, but this was not even as "explosive" as those are at times.

Overall, this was just OK. I was really looking forward to it and the ARC cover that I got makes it look like a dark, creepy story. Thanks to William Morrow for my gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.