Nikki Allen has been shortlisted for The Book Party’s UK Book Blogger Awards in the Blogger’s Author category. The Blogger’s Author award celebrates authors that value the importance of the book community and go out of their way to be connected to readers. Nikki made it to the longlist of forty authors after being nominated by members of the book community who then voted her onto the shortlist of eight. The winner will be decided by a panel of judges and announced online on 17th November 2025.
On the shortlist alongside Nikki Allen are TM Logan, Helena M Craggs, Helen Aitchison, G. D. Wright, Tara Lyons, S. J. Gathercole and Rebecca Ryan.
Nikki Allen is the author of THE HIDEAWAY, a twisty destination thriller published by Pan Macmillan in July 2025. When five strangers are chosen for an all-expenses-paid stay at an exclusive retreat, they leap at the chance to rest and get away from it all in the heart of the lush Costa Rican rainforest. Their famous host is nowhere to be seen when they arrive. Confused, but eager to immerse themselves in this once-in-a-lifetime experience, they head into the wilderness in search of a rejuvenating waterfall. But a sudden disaster plunges them into a desperate fight for survival. Lost under the dense canopies with darkness closing in, they soon realise they cannot trust the beauty of their surroundings – or each other…
Nikki is currently writing her second thriller which Pan Macmillan will publish in 2026.
About Nikki Allen
Nikki Allen wrote her first book aged five – sadly, THE ADVENTURES OF SILLY SUSIE SAUSAGE didn’t get picked up for publication – and has been writing ever since. After studying languages at UCL, she decided the best way to write for a living was to become a local news journalist and copywriter. But in her thirties, the call of creative writing got too loud to ignore and she tried her hand at a novel.
Nikki is also a qualified therapist, and her endless fascination with people and their stories inspires much of her writing. She was born in Holland, grew up the only Jewish kid in her Worcestershire village, and now lives in North London with her husband, two young children and a rather overweight cat called Tiny.
Praise for THE HIDEAWAY
‘Fast-paced and imbued with a palpable sense of danger, THE HIDEAWAY is the kind of taut destination thriller you can read in just a few sittings.’ – Culturefly, 24 Books to Add to Your Summer 2025 Reading List
‘A brilliant, twisty thriller that makes you want to shout warnings out aloud to the characters! I was gripped’ – Peter James
‘An absolutely flawless debut from an incredible survival thriller writer. The prose is taut without being plain and wonderfully descriptive without becoming purple. Paced flawlessly from start to the barn burner of a finale, I gobbled this up in two days and can still hear the hum of insects and feel the heat of a tropical summer on my skin. An absolute must-read for your summer. Nikki Allen is one to watch’ – Sarah Goodwin, author of THE YACHT
‘THE HIDEAWAY is THE thriller debut of the summer! With an atmospheric setting that will immediately transport you to the Costa Rican rainforest and a dubious cast of characters, THE HIDEAWAY has all the hallmarks for a perfect destination-based, locked room mystery. Filled with tense twists and turns, it will keep you guessing – and distrusting everyone – until the very end. With THE HIDEAWAY, Nikki Allen cements herself as a thriller author to watch, and I can’t wait to see what she does next!’ – Sara Ochs
‘Dangers and secrets lurk in the shadows in this unputdownable destination thriller set in lush Costa Rican rainforest. An immersive, escapist tale of a tropical paradise that turns into a nightmare’ – Alison Reynolds, author of THE NEAR DAPHNE EXPERIENCE
‘With shades of THE WHITE LOTUS, APPLE CIDER VINEGAR and Agatha Christie’s AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, this Costa Rican-set thriller is an accomplished white-knuckle ride from start to finish.’ – Kate Riordan, author of THE HEATWAVE and SUMMER FEVER
‘Really enjoyed this twisty debut from Nikki Allen, and definitely the closest I’ll get to a Costa Rican jungle, especially after the visceral way Nikki brilliantly brought it to life: the heat, the crawling insects, the danger!’ – Amanda Reynolds, author of CLOSE TO ME
‘Nikki Allen has delivered a captivating, immersive and brilliant read - the perfect destination thriller to lose yourself in this summer.’ – Natasha Boydell, author of THE MISSING HUSBAND and THE FORTUNE TELLER