Review: The Honeymoon by Jane E. James — a twisty thriller set in Bali
This isn’t anyone’s dream honeymoon, but it makes a thrilling read.
The Honeymoon by Jane E. James – The key details
- Publish date: 11th February 2025
- Genre: Thriller
- Publisher: Joffe Books
- Series/standalone: Standalone
- No. of pages: 281
Blurb: Three newlywed couples arrive on Bali’s Honeymoon Island, expecting two weeks of bliss. It’s a five-star luxury all-inclusive experience. White beaches, endless cocktails, and Instagram-perfect moments await. But beneath the tropical paradise, dark secrets threaten to ruin everything.
Timothy and Jonah, wealthy entrepreneurs with a spoiled son, hide sins from their past—one involving a death on a cruise, the other a crime in Bali.
Nathan and Samantha, the hot ex-nanny turned trophy wife, grapple with infertility and a shocking paternity secret.
Bartosz and Angelika (he’s a chef, she’s a former sex worker) carry debts to the other couples they don’t even realize they owe.
Over fourteen days, the couples bond—but their pasts are too deeply intertwined to stay hidden. The sly concierge, Putu, knows more than he lets on. And as bodies are discovered on days 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11, paradise turns into a nightmare.
Will anyone make it off the island unscathed—or alive? Welcome to Honeymoon Island, where secrets come to die.
The Honeymoon by Jane E. James – The review
I was apprehensive when I started reading The Honeymoon by Jane E. James: this is a story about three couples, with alternating chapters told from three different perspectives. That felt like it could be a little overwhelming before I started, particularly with the changing first-person narration. I was worried I’d lose track of who’s who, and find it difficult to keep up with characters.
Thankfully, that isn’t the case at all. I found it very easy to keep up with each character, which is partly down to The Honeymoon’s excellent pacing. Every one of its 60 chapters is bite-sized and somehow each one manages to introduce some kind of new twist or cliffhanger that means you absolutely must read on to the next. And the next. And the next. Before you know it, several hours have flown by, and you’ve read the whole thing. That‘s the sign of a great book, surely?
It has to be said that the story in The Honeymoon is a little far-fetched: it’s about three couples, all honeymooning at the same resort, and all of whom know each other from the past, in dark and sinister ways. I won’t spoil things by going into how they know each other, because some of these connections are doled out as surprises as you get deeper into the narrative. But every one of the six main characters has at least one tie to someone else, sometimes multiple, which defies all logic and sense of coincidence. But for the sake of the story it’s easy enough to suspend any disbelief.
Ultimately, I lapped up The Honeymoon in just a couple of sittings, and with each passing chapter I found myself turning each page faster and faster. If you like thrilling page-turners, this is worth your while. My only one piece of advice? Just don’t read it if you’re planning to holiday on a Balinese island: it might make you want to rethink your plans!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This review is based on an advanced digital copy of The Honeymoon provided by Netgalley.
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