📖 NetGalley Review

The Villa by Jess Ryder
Penguin, 18th July 2024

Blurb:
Three years ago, bride-to-be Aoife died at her own hen party. Now the hens have returned to the villa where that terrible weekend unfolded.
They long for closure. But the moment they step back inside, old wounds open, and tensions begin to rise.
Everyone has a different version of what happened that night.
Someone is keeping secrets.
How far will they go to keep them hidden?

Review:
Five friends joined Aoife for her hen party in Andalucia, but three years later, only the friends return. Dani has booked the trip without letting the others know, hoping it will improve her memory, as her mind is a blank as a result of being drugged.
Aside from this, you could cut the atmosphere in the group with a knife!

Alternating chapters in the past and the present day give a real sense of both timelines and mystery and suspense abound. The characterisations are excellent, and the imagery of the environment and internal tensions is fantastic. The surprise ending and clever twist, combined with the attention to detail and fine writing make this a thoroughly enjoyable read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Penguin and Jess Ryder for providing an eARC via NetGalley; this is my unbiased review.

#TheVilla #JessRyder #PsychologicalThriller #CrimeThriller #NetGalley #ARC #BookReview

Three years ago, bride-to-be Aoife died at her own hen party.

Now the hens have returned to the villa where that terrible weekend unfolded.

They long for closure. But the moment they step back inside, old wounds open and tensions begin to rise.

Everyone has a different version of what happened that night.

Someone is keeping secrets.

How far will they go to keep them hidden?

This was a brilliant read. The narrative switches between then and now built the tension & suspense and had me gripped from start to finish.

I was lucky enough to receive a physical copy of this book an really enjoyed reading it!

I have reviewed this fully on instagram

Another great read from the author. She never disappoints! Gripping, thrilling and engaging, with some really clever twists. Can't wait for more!

Three years ago, Dani, Celine, Tiff, and Beth were at the Villa Floriana near Marbella for Aoife’s hen do. After several days of alcohol-fueled celebrations, Dani wakes up disoriented and unable to make sense of her surroundings. Now, Dani returns to Andalusia with Celine, Tiff, and Beth in search of closure regarding Aoife’s unresolved death. Haunted and seeking answers, Dani hopes to lay her friend's memory to rest. However, each woman has her version of the events from three years ago—can the truth ever be uncovered?

I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing the story from each woman's perspective and piecing together their varying accounts of the past. The tension is palpable in both timelines, and the dynamics between the characters are compelling. Their differing personalities create sparks and reveal jealousy, mistrust, and lies, intensifying the narrative. The interactions often become heated, adding depth to the storyline.

As the plot unfolds, it becomes increasingly intricate and gripping, creating an unsettling atmosphere that contrasts sharply with the sunny Spanish setting. While the book effectively utilizes a common trope in psychological thrillers, the author's unique approach and character perspectives offer a fresh take.

http://thesecretbookreview.co.uk

I really enjoyed the duel perspective of this book and found it really easy to follow and enjoyable. I loved all the little tricks to put the reader off of the truth and throughly loved the ending which I never saw coming

First of all thank you for approving my request!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The authors writing style had me hooked throughout this book.

I didn't want it to end, a book I really couldn't put down.

Five friends. One hen party to die for.

Four friends reunite for the 3rd anniversary of their friend Aoife dying on her own hen party. Looking for closure they return to the villa and try to get to the bottom of what really happened. Not everyone is happy to revisit the past and some secrets are best left alone.

I really liked this book and enjoyed how all the different recollections of the circumstances of Aoife’s death all come together. The dynamics between the “friends” also made this a great book and one that kept me engaged throughout. Thanks to @netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#TheVilla
#JessRyder

I really enjoyed this book! I loved how it went into the past and the present and showed the point of view from each character! This book definitely has you hooked and keeping guessing at who did it! Highly recommend!

This was a great premise for a story. The cover of this book is gorgeous.

The story was good and I can’t say it was written badly, I’m not sure what it was about this book but it didn’t really grip me and I had the feeling that I was just pleased to get to the end of it. I can’t put my finger on why but I wasn’t engrossed.

The story was full of secrets and some twists. You learn that really every single person lied about something. You get multiple POV’s and you also get past and present, which I’m always a fan of.

There was a lot of high drama but unfortunately the tension didn’t grip me. Not sure I’m a big fan of reading about a group of bitchy girls.

I know others have enjoyed it so I would still recommend you give this a try if it sounds up your street.

Thank you to @netgalley for my chance to read and review this book.

A psychological mystery involving a group of hens returning to the villa where one of their number died several years earlier. With multiple viewpoints and two timelines, the story explores tensions between friendship groups and features a controlling groom to-to-be, an errant bride-to-be and repressed memories. Due to the slow build up and a cast of largely unlikeable characters, I found it a bit of a tedious read but can see that it has a certain holiday read appeal.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book was such a whirlwind and a perfect book to pack and take to the beach with you for those of you going abroad this summer

Thirty years ago, a group of girls celebrated their friends hen do. However the hen did not return home and now it’s time for the girls to have a reunion and find out exactly what happened to their friend. Especially Dani, who has no recollection of the incident!

I thought I had this one all figured out. From the moment we are introduced to a certain character I was all “oh that’s him”. No. Just no. I couldn’t have got it more wrong if I’d tried. This book kept me guessing throughout. I found the whole dynamic of the girls very strange and it sounded like my worst nightmare. All the cattiness from the girls, who were so unlikeable

The twist made the book, it was unexpected and I felt overall very fitting for the book

The book is a great read and one to read while sipping a cocktail (just probably not on your hen do)

I enjoyed this story and was intrigued to see where it was going! However, I feel that the idea of everybody agreeing to go on holiday together again when they weren't even friends in the first place seems far-fetched to me!

Really enjoyed this thriller- a great take on a hen party story. The pacing throughout was great and intriguing enough to read in one go. Although I did guess some of the ending there were also many many many more twists I didn’t expect! Great holiday read.

Absolutely loved this book! From page one I was hooked and couldn’t wait to pick the book back up. Can’t wait to read more by this author..

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

I pick up this in the bookshop for my bookshelf and I really enjoyed this book and what a book this was

I went into this book knowing very little about the premise. I knew it was a mystery of some kind, and was prepared for the twists and turns.

To begin with, I found the multi-pov to be quite challenging to follow. I generally struggle with these narratives, so this is in no fault of the authors! My mind doesn't work that quickly. I also found the time jumps to be a LOT to begin with, as I was trying to familiarise myself with the individual characters and their relationships with one another. However, by the 20% mark, I began to feel a bit more of an understanding of the bigger picture, as I had figured out who was who!

This book held the reveal close to its chest, and didn't really reveal anything until about 75% of the way through, the little plot twists building the tension as the story progressed. I knew something wasn't quite right, but it was interesting to see the backstory and figure out exactly went wrong on the night Aoife was killed.

A good read for any mystery lovers.

A great read
Especially to take on your holidays
Great characters and a great plot
You will not want to put it down
Thanks NetGalley

I really enjoyed this read especially the style of writing. The dual timeline worked really well with the flashbacks slowly revealing what happened at that fateful hen three years ago while at the same time the present day is playing out and the tension between the remaining hen's is so thick you could cut it with a knife.

This is the perfect summer thriller full of twists, secrets, tension & multiple POV's which leaves you suspicious of everyone all set to a brilliant backdrop. .

Firstly I'd like to thank the author, Jess Ryder, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this thrilling book!

In reflection, I really enjoyed this story! I loved piecing together what happened and the plot twists that came along the way. I love when a book 'misleads' me in one way when it's actually another story and the author does this so perfectly through different points of view.

One thing I found jarring at the beginning was the differently written perspectives, going from third person to first person took some adjusting. I couldn't understand why it was done, it wasn't a deal breaker for me though.