About Books: ‘The Yacht’ is ‘perfect for the beach or poolside’

This author was unfamiliar to me but the inviting cover and the thought of a group of young people who come together to party but end up fighting for survival caught my attention.

Hannah has been best friends with Libby and Maggie since their school days. But the years and their lifestyles have taken them in different directions. Libby and her husband Ollie are wealthy and like to flaunt it to those around them. Maggie is a successful fashion designer and along with her fiancé Leon are also wealthy. Hannah has not had such good luck and has struggled financially since finishing school. She is poor compared to her two friends and this difference does make her feel self conscious around them. They are her oldest and dearest friends, so surely, they love her for who she is. But do they?

Annually Libby hosts a lavish New Year’s Eve party. This year the party is taking place on a yacht anchored in a marina in Italy with only a few guests. Libby and her husband Ollie, Maggie and her fiancé Leon, Hannah and another old friend Harry make up the small group. Hannah is initially excited to see her friends but a little anxious how her wealthy friends will treat her. It doesn’t take long for alcohol and drugs to contribute to obnoxious and outlandish behavior. Ollie and Leon, especially make disparaging comments about Hannah that she overhears, and the girls are not sticking up for her. Hannah feels out of place and regrets coming. She wonders why they invited her.

The partygoers awake the next morning with hangovers and discover that during the night the yacht has come loose from the dock, and they have drifted out to sea. They soon discover that there is no fuel, no Wi-Fi, no lifeboats and no phone service. As the extent of their peril grows more evident, their already tenuous relationships breakdown even further. When one of them goes missing, no one trusts anyone. Fear grows as secrets and truths are revealed. Not everyone is who they pretend to be. The party becomes a desperate fight for survival. Who will make it out alive?

Hannah who narrates the story is also the most tolerable character among a group of unlikable, despicable characters. Their personalities are intriguing, however. There are some parts of the book that drag a little and some situations that seem unrealistic, but it is a great escape read and perfect for the beach or poolside.