A very high 3 stars, it just was very long I did feel like I had to push through sometimes but it was very entertaining. Covered a deep topic and really made you understand her perspective, I also find Marian’s humour funny so lots of laughs! Definitely want to buy the new sequel to see what happened next for Rachel!

This was excellent. Full on got me through my first three weeks of quarantine. Also a lot more impactful than I expected. I wish I had read it earlier.

Rachel wakes up in Hospital. Bruised after having her stomach pumped to save her life after a drug overdose. She cannot quite believe how her family and friends are overreacting to this small insignificant accident - surely everyone has made the occasional mistake of mixing a line of coke with a handful of Valium and be unable to remember how many sleeping tablets they've had?

She's rushed back to Ireland by her family in booked into The Cloisters, an exclusive Rehab Centre and she cannot wait. Long Jacuzzi's, massages followed by a stint in the Sauna not to mention all the celebrities' she will be mingling with - no better holiday, after all she's not an addict .......

Soon Rachel discovers that this is no Health Retreat and she has to face her recent behavior to her friends, family and the man that may be the love of her life.

You cannot help but be fully invested in Rachel's journey, her slow realization that she is addicted to drugs and finding the motivations behind her low self esteem and finally finding herself, her confidence and her future.

Heartbreakingly moving but with a twist of wry humor throughout I could not read this fast enough.

I think I got this for free from apple books years ago as part of a Christmas giveaway. I really wasn't expecting to like it but I was very wrong.

We follow Rachel, a drug addict who is very much in denial. After an accidental overdose, her family send her to a rehab facility. She only agreed to go because she thinks it will be like a relaxing spa.

While the story could be a little trite at times, I thought the author did a very good job of making the book witty, despite the potentially heavy subject matter. The ending was a little too breezy for me as well but overall I loved this book. 4.5 stars

Rachel is forced into a rehabilitation center by her family, but consoles herself with the belief that it is a luxury spa. Instead, she finds a run down building, seemingly bizarre companions with every type of addiction imaginable, endless therapy, and the feeling that while THEY may need to be there,she does not. But Rachel's story of her rehab sojourn is sandwiched between scenes from her wild life in NY, and by the time her ex-boyfriend and best friend arrive for an intervention, we know that she is in a state of denial. Can she come to terms with who she is, start a new life and maybe, just maybe, find happiness?

Once again, Keyes lets us see the world through a Walsh sister's eyes, and there is both humor and pathos here. It's not a fluffy story, but one with believable characters, and readers will cheer Rachel on to her hopeful ending.

Although over 600 pages in length, it was an easy read. Not a light one though - the story centred on a drug addict, Rachel. And the Holiday? Rehab. It was surprisingly funny and at times gut wrenching but really enjoyed it overall.

I read this a long time ago, before I started keeping track. Love the Walsh family series and this is an interesting look at addiction and recovery.

I waffled between five and four stars for all of ten seconds before deciding on five, simply because of my sheer inability to be rational about this novel.

I fell in love with Rachel, and I have no idea why. If I hadn't picked this up at a library sale when my impulse control was at it's lowest, I wouldn't have it at all. There's literally nothing about this book, from the cover, to the genre, to the jacket copy to make me think I'd enjoy it, or that it was my kind of book. Because it really isn't.

In fact, my first thought on opening the book on a whim a year after putting it on my shelf (not an uncommon phenomenon) was "oh, nice typeface." Rachel's story was convincing and compelling, if only because the reader is so well grounded in her mental state—she's all over the place emotionally and never seems to notice, but you still get a sense of who she really is under all the drugs. And even knowing that she's in more trouble than she thinks she is, Rachel's done a thorough job of hiding from herself, so as bad as it is, you're almost as shocked as she is when confronted.

Even that wouldn't be enough to give in five stars in my mental rating system, but when Rachel is forced to remember her early childhood, I abruptly found myself in tears. I haven't connected so strongly to a character in I don't know how long. And I don't know why it's Rachel, either. If I were anyone in this novel, I'd be Margaret, the 'brownose' But for Rachel, I spent much of the second half of the novel in tears for her, and was so proud of her recovery. Bizarre, but this unexpected total empathy is exactly why I read, and I haven't experienced it for a while.

Originally on my book blog!

“Of course I knew I was a shallow and horrible person and all that, but I couldn’t help it.”

For most of this book, I completely agreed with that statement because it was the truth. I could not stand Rachel and I almost got to a point where I wanted to drop the book because I don’t like reading a book that I hate. I kept with it because I knew that was the point. We were supposed to hate Rachel so we could love her even more when she inevitably grew up and recovered. I am glad I stayed with the book, though.

I will give Marian Keyes one thing: she can write a funny book. It’s hard to make books funny when they are about drug addiction and alcoholism, but Keyes did this perfectly. One thing I loved about this book was that it was funny. It was a light read, even though it had heavy material; I could picture myself sitting on a beach and reading this in an afternoon.

Keyes also writes her characters very well and that’s probably why I didn’t like Rachel for most of this book. Rachel was selfish and self-centered. Many addicts are in a way, but Rachel just made me want to rip my hair out.

She didn’t want to date Luke because she was ashamed of him and didn’t know what her “cool” friends would say. She only finally starting liking Luke after Brigit told her that Luke was cute. She didn’t want Luke to come to her house after going on a date, but that didn’t stop her from getting mad at him for not asking to go to her house. Then when he got home and called her to ask if he could come over, she slammed the phone down in anger. She only wanted to date someone from rehab to make Luke jealous. She honestly thought that she could get out of rehab and go get drunk and be totally fine
She would not admit that she had a problem and usually chalked it up to “just having fun”.

Basically, she was very annoying. I didn’t like her. She wasn’t a good person. But then…

“For the first time I realized how selfish and self-centered I was.”

After spending over 80% of the book filled with her lies and scapegoats, I was elated when she finally admitted that she was finally owning up to her horrendous behavior. I found myself rooting for her for the last part of the book after that. She was more bearable and at times it almost felt like a completely different person.

When I wasn’t wanting to rip my hair out because of Rachel, I was enjoying the rest of the book. Marian Keyes sets up scenery well. Cloisters was a made-up clinic, but Keyes made it come alive. She made the other characters come alive. She is from Ireland and that’s where most of the book took place. It was fun reading a book set in a place where I’ve never been. Keyes brought in Irish accents and dialects that I didn’t know existed throughout the country.

Part of the book was also based in New York because it went back and forth between Pre-Rehab and During-Rehab. The New York part of the book was about the same as most other books I’ve read about New York, minus all the drugs obviously. Pre-Rehab Rachel was obnoxious and very stuck up, so that part of the story was never that fun because it just annoyed me. Then there is Post-Rehab that is set in both places as well. I liked this part most because she was a likable person at this time.

The other characters were fun and a good break from only hearing about Rachel. I loved the other people in Cloisters and was sad when they all left. I enjoyed that this was different from other books that I’ve read with institutions involved.

In the end, I would probably read another Marian Keyes book if I saw one around. I see why she is popular. This one just wasn’t my cup of tea.

This book has been sitting on my TBR since my birthday last year, when I received a copy of Rachel’s Holiday and Again, Rachel. My big book fear has kept me from reaching for these books. They are huge. However, I finally make a start and Rachel’s Holiday is a brilliant read. I cannot wait to start the next book. When you reach for this book, you are in for a treat. This book is full of laughs and colourful characters. Despite my ‘Big-Book Fear’ I found myself racing through this book in two days. It is brilliantly entertaining and you are guaranteed some good laughs.
This was my second book by this author and I love how she brings humour to situations that really is no laughing matter. I love the Walsh family. These women are a brilliant creation. The author shows how easily bad communication can lead to misunderstandings within a family. Her writing draws you into her character's lives and you are left feeling as if you are a part of this wacky family.
Rachel Walsh is a woman trying to fit into life in New York. Her love for recreational drugs is not something she thinks is a problem. However, after landing herself in hospital her family insist that she returns to Dublin – and they fork out the money for Rachel to go to the Cloisters – a local rehabilitation clinic.
Rumoured to be a venue frequented by celebrities and filled with luxuries Rachel believes this would be the perfect holiday. What she did not count on was her family embarrassing her and extensive group therapy. Missing Luke, her ex was not part of the plan either.
I loved this book. I do not often reach for chic lit, but Marian Keyes brings wonderful humour to her stories and I cannot wait to read more of her books. I plan on starting Again Rachel very soon.
Rachel is a brilliant character; from the opening page you know this woman has issues. Her attitude to drugs, while extremely sad is brilliantly funny. Her relationships are a disaster and she appears oblivious to any fault of her own. I loved the changes in her. You have no choice but to love this woman.
I cannot believe I allowed this one to sit on my TBR pile for so long. This book is a fabulous read and I cannot wait to read more about Rachel. If you enjoy chic lit and a book that will make you laugh, then I cannot recommend this one highly enough. However, I am sure everyone has read this title already. Remember to drop me a line, or leave a comment below sharing your thoughts on this book – but no spoilers on the next Rachel book, please.
https://featzreviews.com/rachels-holi...

3.5⭐️ I read this after Grown Ups (very late to the MK party) and it just didn’t quite live up to the hype!

First I thought Rachel's Holiday was a shallow book, because Rachel was so shallow in the beginning of the book. Just like an other Bridget Jones, just that she takes drugs on top of everything else. That is, she was a woman who cared about nothing but men and her looks.

Well, but Marian Keyes certainly managed to get some depth in her book. The book developed as Rachel developed. In the beginning I thought just like Rachel that the putting of her in a rehab center was some kinda mistake. I thought her problems weren't very serious. Certainly they were.

I think Keyes really managed to describe drug addiction, its reasons and recovering from it. The whole process, of which I definitely only had a vague idea.

Marian Keyes isn't crap really! I really wanna read more about Rachel and her sisters.