Gap Year by Nick Burgin
The summer after graduation High School, four friends embark on a long-awaited three-week holiday to Budapest, chasing sun, adventure, freedom, and the kind of memories that last a lifetime. What begins as a carefree mix of sightseeing, ruin bars, thermal baths, and wild nights quickly spirals into something far more intoxicating — and far more dangerous.
Hana, sensible and easy going, is determined to push herself beyond her comfort zone for once, craving experiences that make her feel truly alive. Annie, still deeply in the closet except to her best friend Hana, sees the trip as her chance to finally explore her sexuality in a city where no one knows her. Jenny, bold and unapologetically sexual, throws herself into the nightlife with reckless abandon, chasing a new lover every night and thriving on the thrill of being desired. Evie, quiet and reserved, appears to be the innocent observer of the group — inexperienced and shy, content to watch from the sidelines. But appearances can be deceiving.
The four girls soon realise Budapest has a way of revealing hidden truths.
As the days blur into nights of hedonism, each girl begins to lose herself in the city’s seductive underbelly. Boundaries dissolve. Secrets surface. What starts as playful experimentation and casual encounters slowly escalates into darker territory — risky choices, blurred consent, violence, and desires that spiral out of control. The fun, carefree holiday they imagined gradually transforms into something much more intense, more addictive, and far more perilous.
Beneath the laughter, the selfies, and the hungover mornings lies a growing shadow. Budapest doesn’t just offer pleasure — it offers temptation, violence, and the chance to become someone entirely new. For one of them, the descent into darkness is only just beginning.
As friendships are tested and secrets threaten to tear them apart, the girls will discover that some experiences cannot be undone — and some desires, once awakened, refuse to stay hidden.
A seductive, gripping erotic horror about friendship, self-discovery, and how far four young women will go when no one is watching.
Book cover image created using Grok