A really interesting read, lots of different perspectives to consider, all with a strong narrative that adds to the mystery.
Found the jumps drastic at time so onwards that needs more focus than other books but still relatively simple to follow. The action takes a while to happen and drifts off in places inbetween events for important filler scenes.
The dynamic of the group is well executed and the tension between each of the main characters builds the story line.
Generally a really good read and would recommend to others!
Note: all views and opinions are my own and thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me to read early!

A hen weekend that ended in the death of the bride. Now some years later the remaining hens return the scene of the devastation to pay their respects. However, for one hen the trip is more to fully find out what happened as she has little to no recollection of the events.

An enjoyable book. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced ready copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

I loved this book. I genuinely can't put my finger on exactly what it was that I loved so much but it was just great.

I really enjoyed the Spanish setting and the concept of the hen party. It made the fact that such dark things were happening in a sunny setting seem more eerie somehow.

Dani is an interesting protagonist. She is very real and full of flaws, however you can usually see where she is coming from with her decisions. I was definitely rooting for her throughout the book.

The book is written in multiple POV and dual timeline, which I thought may be a little difficult to follow. It really wasn't. It meant you got an insight into the thoughts of the different hens, both past and present, which was really interesting.

Most of the characters at one point or another seem to have a motive for the murder but I definitely didn't see the plot twists coming. So I thought this book was very clever and unpredictable.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to fans of murder mysteries and thrillers. Especially if you are looking for a book with an unusual setting. This book is due for release on 4th July. Definitely keep an eye out for it!

Thanks to NetGalley, Jess Ryder, Random House UK, Cornerstone and Penguin for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Until death do us part...

On the anniversary of the death of their friend Aoife on her hen weekend, her hen party revisit the villa where she met her death on that fateful weekend. Dani, Aoife's best friend and organiser of the hen weekend, has no memory of what happened so wants to retrace their steps to see if her memory comes back.

But perhaps some secrets are better left alone. Perhaps some secrets need to be taken to the grave...

I really enjoyed this book, with secrets being revealed as the narrative unfolded.

Perfect for some light fun reading with a twist.

I loved this book, I could not put it down from page 1 I was invested in the story.

I loved getting to know Aoife through Dani’s perspective. To learn about their friendship, and how the other characters tied into that relationship.

The plot twists where well placed, and the pace of them was well done. I though I know the answer multiple times, however was surprised when it was revealed my guess’ where wrong.

I wasn’t a fan of Tiff at the beginning of this book. However the further I read, the more she grew on me. It was a good read and had a bittersweet ending for me, but I loved it. None the less.

I really enjoyed this book which is about 4 girls going back to the villa in Marbella where they had previously went on a hen do 3 years ago. The story goes between the past and the present day reliving the fateful weekend where the bride to be dies in mysterious circumstances. The bride's best friend wants to recreate the weekend as she had passed out drunk. The story was quite well paced and plenty of twists at the end.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Totally gripping book with twists and turns. I really enjoyed this book and it definitely kept me guessing. Would recommend

I am writing this honest review, with thanks to the author for allowing me to read her book and Netgalley for allowing me to read it through their site.

Excerpt :
:: I'd always assumed that Aoife and I would be like our mums when we grew up, meeting for a good gossip while our daughters played together upstairs. Now I wasn't so sure. ::

Aoife, Dani, Tiff, Beth and Celine, four girls, four stories interwoven by a fateful accident that happened on the last night, while on holiday for Aoife's hen do.

Things never seems as simple as they look and this book proves just how the people can think they learn all about the mind and yet it evolves to grow in way in which we cannot explain.

After an accident that results in the death of her best friend and leaves Dani with a hole in her memory of the time in which it happened - despite her being in the room while it happened.. they arrive as four girls looking for a good time and leave as three, broken parts sewn together forever with a dropstitch of hurt and guilt.

But what really happened? Will Dani's plan work to help her survive the coming years without her best friend by her side?

I loved this intense, magical ability that Jess has to force you into a connection that instantly grips you. Everyone has been in a situation that has left you feeling awkward and sometimes really angry with people, whether through attitude or intolerance etc and that is how it worked for me.

I loved Dani straight away and I felt her emotions come alive through the pages circling around me and guiding me into the story. It was interesting, funny, more importantly it was something that could be real.

Real feelings, real emotions, real life scenario and that is the scary thing most of all. Amazing writing!

4.25🌟
The Villa focuses on the lives of 4 main characters (or 5 if you include 1 who's dead) and has an interesting structure going between then and now but also between different characters. This had the potential to be confusing but it was laid out in such a way that made if extremely easy to follow but added a lot of detailed and necessary information to the novel.

I kept thinking I had worked out what happened, only to then be fooled again as I was completely wrong! I really enjoyed this book and at times got so into it I was getting nervous myself as I felt like I was in the situation with the main characters.

I would recommend this book!

This was a really enjoyable read. Just what I needed for a stressful December where I didn't want an overcomplicated plot.
I liked the setting of Marbella, having been to Ibiza it gave me similar vibes which was nice and reminiscent for me. Description of places and the villa were really well written, I had a very vivid picture in my head of the villa and characters when reading.
Main character Dani was relatable in her chaotic ways but meaning well. I thought all the female characters were well written.
The male characters were a little more stereotypical, Nathan in particular I felt lacked a bit of depth really.
The twisty flashback style plot worked well in keeping me hooked, especially towards the end when I found myself staying up later than intended to find out what happened next.
The ending was really good too, not what I was expecting which was refreshing.
Was it absolutely groundbreaking? No, but not all books have to be an entirely new concept to be entertaining, and this book certainly kept me entertained.

A group of women revisit the villa where Aoife met her death on her hen weekend. The killer was never caught. Dani, the organiser, has no memory of what happened so wants to retrace their steps to see if her memory comes back.
It's the usual scenario with secrets being revealed, arguments suspicions about all the people they met there before.
The writing is good, the reader is led to conclusions, but there are more plot twists. Good for the beach.

An excellent read.
The clever, engaging writing style really threw me into the party and at some points I almost felt hungover with them.
One of those novels that you look forward to getting back to and when it came to the twist, I smugly thought I'd easily sussed it, only to be surprised that I certainly hadn't.
Would highly recommend as a holiday read. But not in Marbella. Put me off the resort for life!

Friends return to a villa where a hen party was held & the bride to be died

The event are seen from each of the surviving women's perspective

Tension and intrigue build throughout kept me reading and fully engaged to the end

Would definitely recommend

It was a really enjoyable twisty tale, told in a then and now format. Each chapter is given over to one of the hens, allowing the reader a different perspective of events.
A bride-to-be Aoife tragically died in suspicious circumstances three years previously, and Dani, her best friend, has persuaded the reluctant three hens to return to the remote Spanish villa where it all happened.
Dani has little or no recollection of the event, and with police shutting down the case due to lack of evidence, she has decided to try and piece it all together by reliving the weekend.
As the book progresses, we are made aware of more and more secrets emerging from the main players, all of whom seem to have a reason to wish Aoife out the picture.
A book to keep you guessing and page-turning.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review.

A great read about five friends who are out on a hen trip but instead of celebrating, the bride lands up dying. Three years later the others go back to find out what really happened. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would recommend it!

This book is about a group of friends who went on a hen party and unfortunately it ended in tragedy with the bride dying. 3 years later they go back to the villa to find answers.

I loved this book, such a good, easy read. If you liked Lucy Clarke’s One of the girls then you will love this. It’s a great read for the summer, definitely one to take on holiday.
It flips between the past and present, it is also told from the different viewpoints of the hens in the past chapters. The present is all told from Dani’s POV.

It’s got short chapters and is very fast paced. I read this in just over 24 hours. I did guess one of the twists, but the other big twist really surprised me and I didn’t see that one coming. I would definitely recommend this book. Thanks for letting me read it NetGalley:

I really enjoyed this book. 3 years ago 5 girls rented a villa in Marbella for a hen weekend. The trip ended in tragedy with the bride to be dying, assumed to be the result of a burglary gone wrong. However, Dani knows she was in the room when it happened but had passed out drunk. Now she persuades the other 3 girls to go back to remember Aoife, who is buried out there, but Dani hopes to recover some of the memories that continue to escape her. This is a real page turner that will keep you guessing to the end.
Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

Thanks to the publishers @penguinrandomhouse and @netgalley for an advance readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

After the bride to be, Aoife, is killed while on her hen weekend, her best friend Dani still can’t piece together what happened & has remained tortured by it.

Three years later, Dani persuades the remaining hens to return to Marbella - with Dani intent on finding answers by recreating that fateful weekend as best she can.

A hen party thriller that is written in two timelines. The short chapters with switching narrative voices and flashbacks helps to make The Villa a page-turner. Out July 2024.

When Dani and her group of friends go back to the villa where their friend sadly lost her life 3 years earlier it sets off a train of events none of them could have foreseen .A great read I loved it .

Really enjoyed this dual timeline thriller. Expertly plotted and enjoyed the way the author conveyed the tensions of the group of female friends. I could really feel the claustrophobic hedonism of Marbella.