Chloe and Philip need a vacation. The past few
months have been incredibly hard on both of them, ever
since the bank that Philip manages was involved in a
takeover. Philip has been obsessed with the possibility
of losing his job, and his inability to let go of the
tension is driving Chloe insane. So, when Gerard, an old
friend from her school days, offers Chloe and her family
the opportunity to stay at his Spanish villa for a week,
Chloe leaps at the chance. Unfortunately, upon arrival
they discover that Gerard also promised the villa to
another family, Hugh and Amanda Stratton and their two
young daughters, for the same week. Suddenly their
peaceful getaway becomes a forced cohabitation with a
family of strangers.
However, unknown to Philip and Amanda, Hugh and
Chloe are not strangers -- they are intimately acquainted
with one another. More than fifteen years ago, they dated
for several months until the day Hugh learned that Chloe
had an infant son from a previous relationship and Hugh
decided to cut all ties to her, leaving her heartbroken
and furious. Hugh desperately wants to make amends for his
poor behavior, but his good intentions are being lost
under an avalanche of lust he can't control whenever Chloe
is in the room. When Chloe begins to show signs that
she's facing a similar struggle, they set out on a course
of action that threatens to destroy both their families.
The premise for this book intrigued me... two
families being forced to share an isolated villa in a
foreign country because of the seemingly absentminded
behavior of their host. The early depictions of Chloe and
her family were sweet and even funny, and while Hugh's
relationship with his wife and daughters was obviously far
from ideal, I felt his heart was in the right place. I
thought it would be a light, fun book.
However, as I read further into the story, I
became aware of a very dark undertone to the plot. I had
trouble liking Hugh and Chloe after the first thirty pages
because they're depicted as incredibly self-absorbed and
emotionally immature. Philip and Amanda don't fare much
better, although at least they both genuinely love their
children, and on several occasions they willingly
sacrifice their own wishes for the sake of the kids.
However, if I ever had to share a vacation home with
either of these families, I would run for the hills. In
the end, the book was disappointing, partly because the
story was not what I expected and partly because for much
of the book the characters were so unlikable, but perhaps
if you know going in that it's a tale of dysfunction,
you'll be able to find more humor in the story than I did.
Chloe needs a holiday. She's sick of making
wedding dresses, her partner Philip has troubles at work,
and the whole family wants a break. Her wealthy friend
Gerard has offered the loan of his luxury villa in
Spain--perfect. Hugh is not a happy man. His immaculate
wife Amanda seems more interested in her new kitchen than in
him, and he works so hard to pay for it, he barely has time
for his children. Maybe he'll have a chance to bond with
them on holiday. His old friend Gerard has lent them a
luxury villa in Spain--perfect. Both families arrive at
the villa and realize the awful truth--Gerard has
double-booked. What no one else realizes is that Chloe and
Hugh have a history; and as tensions rise within the two
families, old passions resurface. It seems that Gerard's
'accidental' double booking may not be an accident after
all...
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