Reading "Five Days in Provence" by Simon McCleave felt a bit like being whisked away on an exciting adventure with friends, only for it to take a chilling detour.

I was immediately drawn into Steph's vibrant birthday celebration, which she had meticulously planned in the stunning lavender fields of Provence. I could almost picture myself lounging by the pool, savoring crisp white wine, and laughing with friends as they reminisced about old times.

But as the story unfolded, the atmosphere shifted dramatically. What started as a joyful gathering quickly turned into a nightmare, especially when one of the friends ends up dead after a hike gone wrong. It struck a chord with me—how quickly life can change, and how the bonds of friendship can be tested in unimaginable ways. The tension among the group really grabbed my attention; I found myself anxiously flipping pages, desperate to understand the dynamics at play and who might have secrets lurking beneath their sunny exteriors.

I loved how McCleave crafted the characters with such depth; they felt like real people with real flaws, making the whole scenario all the more gripping. As the investigation progressed, I couldn't help but feel a mix of frustration and sympathy for them. I think I actually gasped at one point!

The way he explored themes of friendship, trust, and the shadows that can loom over even the closest of relationships resonated deeply with me. It made me reflect on my own friendships, and how easily misunderstandings can lead to conflict. The setting of Provence, with its stunning scenery, highlighted the contrast between beauty and darkness in the story.

Overall, "Five Days in Provence" was a thrilling ride that kept me on the edge of my seat. It combined the joy of friendship with the harsh realities of human nature, reminding me that even the most picturesque escapes can hide secrets. I’m definitely going to be looking out for more works by Simon McCleave—he's crafted a story that keeps you thinking long after you’ve closed the book!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, NetGalley, and Publisher for this copy.

It's Steph's 50th birthday. To celebrate, she gathers her four best friends together for a weekend in the sun.
But what should be a weekend of fun and laughter, drinks, reminiscing, and making new memories, all turns sinister when the girls go for a hike
This book had it all, a stalker, secrets and lies, affairs, sibling and friendship issues, and of course, a murder or two!

I had my suspicions about the stalker early on and assumed I knew how the story would play out. However, I hadn't accounted for some fabulous twist to the tale coming! The author certainly kept me gripped and guessing right up to the very end.
Although this is a stand-alone, the ladies all had back stories, which I felt could easily have been a previous book in itself. Although the author does give enough detail for the book to flow well.
I really enjoyed this book and will be looking out for more by this author.

This was an OK read, but I didn’t like the characters {especially Darcie} and wasn’t interested in their lives. There was too much unnecessary bad language and the plot was very predictable. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

Steph has been planning this 50th birthday vacation with her 4 best friends for awhile and is excited to see everyone. After arriving at the villa they meet their young caretaker and feel less alone. Once the drinks start arriving the bickering and arguments start and some nasty things are said. Then one of the women falls off a cliff but was she pushed or did she fall.
I found the women hard to connect with since they were not really likeable. The killer wasn't too hard to predict due to a lack of suspects but the ending made up for it.

Steph books a holiday with her best girlfriends to celebrate her birthday. However, it does not end up how it was supposed to and someone ends up dead. I liked this book but felt it was also at times.

FIVE DAYS IN PROVENCE - I dislike Darcie so much I almost rejected this ARC. Another thing I dislike immensely was the continuous vulgar language spoken by everyone in this book, except the French characters. Otherwise, this turned out to be an interesting read with most of the characters and the story lines being good. The misdirection was obvious, along with the woman's killer. Source: Netgalley. 3*

Lots of twists and turns, a great plot and characters. A really good read. It is a real page turner, you will not want to put it down.

I unfortunately did not enjoy this book. It was too slow for me and the twists and turns were predictable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this ARC.

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ From me! It looks like I am the minority here bit I absolutely loved this book. Yes, I figured out every twist and turn but it didn’t take away from the great writing and the story itself. First book I’ve read by Simon McCleave and I highly recommend you read it too.
Thank you so much to Storm Publishing for sending me this eARC, as well as NetGalley and Simon McCleave.

We meet five friends who are traveling to Provence to celebrate milestone birthdays. These ladies have been through a lot together and nothing sounds more fun than a getaway. But, one of them does. I found my mind wondering a bit and wasn’t invested as much as I would like. Overall it was a good read. Thanks to netgalley and Storm for the arc.

Five lifelong friends gather for a long weekend in France to celebrate a birthday. What could go wrong? This dragged for the first 3/4s. The ending felt rushed and the twist felt a bit forced. Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC.

Really enjoyed this book. There were some really feisty characters which caused quite a few ripples amongst the rest of the friendship group. As in the title it is set over five days so it moves along very quickly. I loved the way the hike up Mount Ventoux kept you guessing as to what had happened. There were twists that kept you guessing to the end.

Five Days in Provence - sounds like the perfect way to spend a 50th birthday but this was anything but.
Steph, Abi, Darcie, Ruby and Katie are staying in an idyllic villa in Provence - no expenses spared! But then the sniping starts and a trip up the local mountain, sees one of them dead, in an accident - but who and why?
The author cleverly weaves two timelines together before revealing what has happened. Secrets are revealed and relationships are bared. A great read - perfect for a holiday, though maybe not in Provence!

This book is a real page turner, with a beautiful Provençal setting. It is fast paced, and I liked having chapters narrated by different characters. I found it difficult to empathise or connect with any of the characters though. They acted more like teenagers than mature women and I couldn’t see why they’d go on holiday together.

With thanks to Storm Books and NetGalley for the advance digital ARC.
Expected publication June 27, 2025

"Five lifelong friends gather at a picturesque farmhouse nestled amidst the lavender fields to celebrate a birthday, but beneath the sun-drenched skies of Provence, their dream escape will end in murder."

This one fell flat for me (definitely not "gripping"). The premise sounded like a great summer page-turner, but I just couldn't connect with the characters and found most of the extremely unlikable (I guess that's the point in a murder mystery with multiple suspects?). There was a twist at the end that I DID see coming (lol mostly these catch me unawares!) - overall a fast read but not my favourite thriller this year.

This book was a great read. It's told in multi POVs It had me gripped from pretty early on. I did find some of it slightly predictable but there were also parts I wasn't expecting, especially the ending!
Most of the characters were likeable, but then two I really hated from the start of first reading their characters parts.
The book was very descriptive so we get a good picture of the surroundings which I liked.
This book was a great standalone by Simon McCleave so I recommend it!

An enjoyable standalone read from Simon McCleave. Set in glorious Provence the book relates the story of a group of women celebrating a 50th birthday. They have been friends for years but still find plenty to fall out about usually concerning Darcie the self centered social media influencer in the group. Darcie has a stalker and an alcoholic, sex pest, actor husband on the verge of being outed and cancelled by the press. All these characters are written really well by the author and I felt it was easy to empathize with some and dislike others. The story line I felt was a bit weak in places but it held my interest even though I did guess who the stalker was and what the ending would be. Not quite up to some of the author's other books but an easy and interesting read all the same.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

Five friends are flying to Provence to celebrate Steph’s Birthday. Friends who have been together through their single days, marriages, births of children and sadly divorces. But nothing could prepare them for this weekend of reminiscing, laughing, drinking and death. Five have arrived,
but only four will be going home. A psychological tense thriller with a shocking ending. This was an excellent book and I appreciate receiving the EArc from Netgalley and Storm Publishing for free and I have voluntarily written this review.

🌿 Book Review: Five Days in Provence by Simon McCleave 🌿

This psychological thriller sets the stage beautifully: five lifelong friends, a dreamy farmhouse in Provence, and what should be the perfect birthday getaway. But things quickly unravel when a hike through the lavender fields turns deadly—and one of them doesn’t make it back.

I liked this book overall. The setting was atmospheric, and the tension among the group was well-drawn as secrets began to surface. McCleave did a solid job keeping me guessing—I genuinely didn’t know who the killer was until the final reveal, which definitely kept me turning the pages.

That said, I didn’t love it. The story held my attention, but at times it felt like it meandered a bit. I found myself wishing it had been a little tighter—some of the buildup could have been more concise to keep the momentum strong throughout.

If you enjoy slow-burning thrillers with a scenic backdrop and twists that keep you guessing, this one’s worth a read. Just don’t expect it to hit the same high notes as some of the genre’s best.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

Celebrating someone’s birthday five friends head off to Provence for some fun and celebration.. Steph planned the perfect celebration and her friends were all for it. Hang around the pool, drinking wine and climbing up Mount .Ventoux. Everything’s going fine until it came to the hike up the mountain. There were fires that were causing smoke and the visibility was terrible. Now Steph and her friends have been having a few arguments here and there. When it came to Darcie there was more trouble in her life than she cared to share. So off they went on this hike. Everything was fine until the smoke got too intense. With separated and once the smoke cleared one friend was left dead. Who was it? Why would they wanna kill this woman while she was celebrating her friends birthday? There were some twists and I was a little blown away by the ending. Enjoy this.

I like that there was a strong friendship between these women. Yet there was some turmoil between them. It was a little hard to get to like them at first each had a story to tell within a story. Once you’ve gotten to know them, I sometimes wanted how any of them could be friends. Someone was always fighting with someone which could be annoying. I like the mystery behind it because I didn’t realize what would happen at the end of the book. I gave it a 3 1/2 because I liked the story I liked the characters and the twist and turns. I must say it made me think about hiking up a mountain because you really don’t know what is going to happen and who might happen to me.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm for the ARC. I would totally read another novel by this author and I’d recommend this one to my fellow readers.