Reviews

Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes

stephwright21's review against another edition

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emotional funny sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

bethheinz's review against another edition

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4.0

This book was so good! I loved it, was a bit of a slow burner to begin with. I had a few moments at the start where I put the book down and didn’t have much motivation to pick it back up again but then all of a sudden I found myself so invested in Rachel and her addiction, I had come to care for Rachel to the point that I found myself so annoyed by Rachel failing to see her addiction to drugs and really wanted her to accept recovery.

Great book, can’t wait to read the next one!

questingnotcoasting's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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hb6wdy's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

emmieince's review against another edition

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challenging funny inspiring slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

susannahmiller's review against another edition

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3.0

This book was sooooo much better than watermelon, I loved the way Marien went into the struggles of addiction and I liked how Rachel came to the conclusion that she actually did have a problem with drugs after being convinced for so long that she never. I also like that throughout the story they went back to Rachels's past with Luke her Ex who broke up with her after putting up with Rachels's addiction for so long and hearing her say she kept promising this was the last time she would have drugs even though it wasn't, he finally broke it off, and then in the present, she had a crush on this guy Chris who was also at the addiction center but it turned out that he would always try and manipulate any of the girls there when they were vulnerable so that they would like him and she fell victim to that but then Luke came back and said he still loved her and they could work through it during the epilogue and it was very cute, I enjoyed this story a lot and Rachel also had way more personality than Claire which was great.

kindledspiritsbooks's review against another edition

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4.0

If you’re looking for a nice, straightforward book about a woman who goes on holiday, this is not the book for you – the title is very deceptive! Rachel’s Holiday centres around Rachel Walsh, a young Irish woman living it up in New York City. There’s only one tiny issue; everyone in her life seems to think she’s a drug addict. I mean sure, she takes coke in the morning before she goes to work, she’s ditched her friends multiple times to go and score drugs and she recently (maybe not entirely by accident) overdosed and ended up in hospital but what can she say? She just loves having a good time! She eventually gives in to her well-meaning family’s nagging agrees to go to The Cloisters, a rehab centre that’s Ireland’s answer to the Betty Ford Clinic. She reckons it’ll be a spa-like experience filled with glamorous celebrities but what she finds is something very different. The longer she spends in group therapy with her fellow patients, the more she realises that maybe, just maybe, she might actually have a problem and that she needs to act quickly to stop herself ruining her life any more than she already has. The depth of Rachel’s denial about her addiction is agonising and hilarious at the same time and Keyes handles her slowly realising the extent to which she has been dependent on drugs and the impact that they’ve had on her intimate relationships with the lightest of touches. This book could have been a very heavy read in the hands of a different author but Keyes injects a huge amount of heart, humour and goodwill into this novel and the story feels no less real or emotionally poignant for it. I’m definitely keen to pick up more of her books after reading this one.

wolf_woman's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.75

elliekoepke's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

klara_hansen's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0