The Girl On The Balcony is the sequel to the authors hit The Girl In Seat 2A, which I haven't yet read, but this read perfectly as a standalone.

This kicks straight off with excitement & an overheard conversation that grabs your attention and leads to an absolute whirlwind of thrills. Told from two POV's, Jade & Hayley's but there is also a slew of additional characters which did take me a minute to get my head around but once I did it was a fast-paced, suspense filled read I did not want to put down.

An entertaining read with plenty of suspense and twists, yes some parts were a tad unrealistic, but it worked, it was an indulgencd escapism read, a perfect holiday read, particularly with the very descriptive Marbella setting.

A suspenseful and twisty read that keeps you guessing. Set around a mysterious disappearance, this psychological thriller explores secrets, lies, and betrayal. Gripping from the first page to the shocking conclusion.

The Girl on the Balcony by Diana Wilkinson.
This was a good read. I did like the cover and blurb of this book. I didn't realise it was a second book. I wasn't sure how I felt about the characters. I certainly didn't trust Astrid at all. I didn't like Jade. She seemed weak. I didn't trust Marcus either. There wasn't one character i liked. I did like the writing style and the story. It did keep me turning the pages. This was a quick and easy read, and I did like the short chapters. The ending did surprise me.

This is the second book in the series and whilst it can be read as a standalone, I would recommend reading the first book, The Girl in Seat 2A, prior to this one.

In this book we meet Jade, who is a struggling real estate agent in Spain, where she’s attempting to hide from her past. Journalist Hayley travels to Marbella to investigate a suspicious death linked to a dangerous widow. As the story unfolds, both women find themselves in peril, with Hayley's safety at risk in the mansion of a confessed killer.

I loved the way the story was constructed with dual timeline/point of view combined with short sharp chapters, made it a really easy read. Aside from the two main characters, there are quite a few others and I loved that I didn’t know who I could trust so it kept me on my toes. There were plenty of hints dropped throughout, but connecting the dots felt like trying to solve a puzzle. I did find some of the characters challenging to warm up to, but it didn’t detract from the overall story.

On the whole I found this a really immersive read, the way the author had written the atmospheric descriptions really allowed me to feel like I was there.
And as it’s packed with short sharp chapters, secrets, hidden cameras, and, of course, a murder mystery—what’s not to like? This would make the perfect summer read whilst sipping on a cocktail at the pool.

Couldn't put this book down! Loved the writing and the author's humour was spot on!! Although a serious tale, the author lightened it with little asides which made the reader want more. Loved this story and will look out for this author's previous books!
Many thanx to NetGalley, the author and publishers for allowing me to read and review this book

This is a sequel to The Girl in Seat 2A and follows Jade and Hayley. Jade is running from her past and is trying to start a new life. However, things quickly unravel and things become more desperate. Hale is journalist trying to chase a great story but soon she realises that the risk might not be worth it.

The story has lots of twists and turns and is hard to know who to trust. Jade and Hayley are morally grey characters and it was hard to get behind them at times... but Jade caring for Gato won me over!

I liked the setting and the author really brought the feel of a holiday resort to life. I thought it was well written and the main characters were well developed.

This would make a great holiday read, it had me turning the pages!

📱E-Book Review📱

The Girl On The Balcony
Diana Wilkinson

🌟🌟🌟🌟

I absolutely loved the look of this book from the instant I spotted the front cover and couldn't wait to dive in.

This was an intriguing concept and the story unfolds gradually as we follow a dual timeline and dual pov format.
This allows us to really get sucked into the storyline, but also see right into the characters minds and get the different perspectives on the events as the happen.

Apart from our main characters Jade and Hayley, we actually come across a fair number of other characters and it kept me on my toes trying to keep track of everyone and what parts they were playing within the story.

The writing style was exciting and fast-paced and once I'd opened this up, I had to keep reading to find out what was happening.
There were some good twists and it kept me guessing until the end.

I'm a little sad to now find out that this is actually a sequel to this author's first book. There was no indication on the cover and now I've finished and read the blurb through, there's not any clue there either.
I didn't really feel like I was missing out on anything as such, but I really would have preferred to read these in order.
Still, I'll definitely be going back to grab the first book and maybe give this a re-read and see if I spot anything extra.

Overall, a great read and I'm excited to read more in the future.

I rrealy enjoyed this sequel. The book was twisty and kept me guessing the whole time. i am a fan of Diana Wilkinson and am looking forward to more books of hers in the future.

The Girl on the Balcony by Diana Wilkinson is a psychological thriller and the second book in the series—but I jumped in without having read the first one. I was curious to see how it stood on its own, and while the plot moved along quickly and kept me intrigued enough to keep turning pages, I have to admit, I found myself more frustrated with the characters than invested in them. The premise has all the makings of a twisty, suspenseful story, but the personalities driving it really took away from my ability to fully enjoy it.

The story centers around Jade, who is supposed to be the emotional anchor of the book, but I honestly found her very hard to like. From the beginning, she comes off as shallow, timid, and just frustratingly poor at managing her own life. Her financial choices made little sense—there were several times when I was reading and just shaking my head, thinking, Why would anyone do that? On top of that, Jade has this entitled attitude that really rubbed me the wrong way. She’s essentially squatting on someone else’s property and then seems shocked and hurt when people don’t want to work with her or help her out anymore. It’s hard to feel sorry for someone when they act like everyone else is the problem, while avoiding any accountability for their own behavior.

Hayley, the second main character, didn’t help matters much. In some thrillers, it’s fun to have a morally gray character who plays a little dirty to get ahead—but Hayley just came off as manipulative and opportunistic. She seems to use the people around her purely as stepping stones for her career, and there’s this constant undertone of selfishness in everything she does. Instead of creating the kind of tension or dual-perspective intrigue that really hooks you in, the dynamic between Jade and Hayley just left me feeling detached. I didn’t find myself rooting for either of them—and for me, that made it hard to get emotionally invested in the twists and turns of the story.

That said, the book isn’t without its strengths. The pacing was solid, and Diana Wilkinson knows how to keep a story moving. The writing is sharp, and there’s a definite moodiness to the atmosphere that worked well for the psychological thriller genre. You can tell that Wilkinson is trying to build a world where trust is a fragile thing, and no one is quite who they seem to be. There were some genuinely interesting plot developments that kept me guessing, and I can see how someone more connected to the characters might find this an engaging read.

But for me, the biggest issue was how little I connected to the people at the center of the story. Thrillers like this one work best when you either root for someone or love to hate them. Here, I just felt indifferent. Jade’s passivity and poor decisions were hard to sympathize with, and Hayley’s cold ambition made her feel more like a plot device than a person. Without a strong emotional anchor, the suspense didn’t land the way it should have.

Overall, The Girl on the Balcony had the framework of a good psychological thriller, very well written but it just didn’t hit the mark for me. It’s possible that reading the first book in the series would have helped flesh out the characters more, or at least made me care about their backstories. As it stands, though, I found myself more annoyed with Jade and Hayley than curious about what would happen to them next. If you’re someone who can read past unlikeable characters and just enjoy a fast-paced ride, this might still be worth a look. But if you need to connect with the characters to enjoy the story, this one might leave you feeling a little cold.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the Advanced Readers Copy of the book. All opinions are my own because we have freedom of speech.

This was a twisty read with murder and manipulation that kept me suspicious and had me second guessing everyone from page one to the last reveal.

Though it is a sequel, the book is easy to follow. I really enjoyed the atmosphere, Spain, and the mystery behind it all. The characters are unreliable, which makes the reading so much more fun!!! The resort guests have secrets, and there are hidden cameras and a murder that needs to be solved.

The Girl On The Balcony is so good, you don't want it to end and the killer was quite a surprise! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you, Netgalley and Boldwood Books, for this ARC. All opinions are entirely my own.

The Girl on the Balcony is a thriller ride of twists and reveals!

When I read a book I tend to make spider diagrams as it helps me visually remember and understand character relationships and this came in really handy for The Girl on the Balcony - but I can't say why as that could reveal a spoiler or two! We meet Jade, a young woman struggling as a lettings/sales agent on a Spanish villa golf complex. Jade is finding things financially hard, she's rented out her apartment to an aspiring artist and is now having to sleep in her client's homes and hope they don't notice. When one of her client returns home early that causes the first spark of tension which sets off this thrill ride.

The book is a follow on from The Girl in Seat 2A, but can be read a stand-alone. I think if you have read the first book it could help you understand some of the character motivations and development better. I'd love to meet the author Diana, she has woven a complex plot of characters together for this novel and I'd love to know where the ideas for this story came from.

We follow the story from multiple points of view (POV) - Jade, a sales agent and Hayley, a keen British journalist who is in Spain after her boyfriend overhears a story on a plane between two women discussing the murder of an ex husband and her boyfriend ends up getting a job working for the potential killer... as you do! Jade is a huge cat enthusiast and has taken in a stray called Gato, I was at one point convinced Gato would be some kind of mafia lynchpin or assassin as he was menti0ned so often, alas!

The plot is intriguing, at times a little unrealistic but I enjoyed the characterisation, the setting and description were evocative of Spain. I also struggled at times with the timeline action, when a past event was happening and it wasn't obvious I found myself shouting at the book "what are you doing"!

If you enjoy books where you can suspend your belief, that are packed with tension and reveals than this would make a great summer read for you.

Another gripping read!

Hayley, a journalist, comes across a story which could make her career; a story of murder, a culpable widow and an invite to the scene of the crime - who could resist? She jumps on the first plane to Marbella. Jade is already in Spain but her job as a real-estate agent is not going well. Homeless, broke and struggling to keep things together as she ran away from the past - a situation in Marbella . . .

This is a multi-layered read, once which peels back slowly and enticingly revealing itself little by little. It's an excellent read and one which kept me on my toes. Very hard to put down - I always wanted to know what happened next! A thrilling read, and one I'm happy to recommend. 4.5*

Mythanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley.

BOOM!
Now this is how you write a follow up story!
A sequel to "The Girl in Seat 2A "

Jade just wants her life back and return to normal after what happened at Casa De Astrid.
But someone knows what happened on that fateful day and will stop at nothing to insure justice is paid out in full.

Haley a journalist knows she has a fantastic story, murder, betrayal and secrets, but she needs to find out the truth and gets the first available flight to Marbella.
But who is hiding something and to what ends will go to ,to get what they want?

A pulse pounding, edge of your seat thriller. A definite must read.

I enjoyed the story, it was an easy read with nice short chapters.

I havent read book 1- girl in seat 2A so i am going to that to my list to read as it stands i dont feel like ive missed too much of the back story, could change once i read it.

Some of the repetition got a bit annoying. Hayley was an annoying character you wanted to like her but you just couldnt.
There wasnt any characters who you didnt mind being the next one to be killed they all had something about them.

This is a sequel to another excellent book by this author, The Girl In Seat 2A". Don't let that put you off should you not have read it as there enough details within this book for you to get the gist of what happened previously. It is written in a dual timeline which makes you have to think a bit harder.
Jade has moved on from the millionaires paradise of Marbella to elsewhere in Spain however still selling and renting properties to the wealthy. She is currently down on her luck and one property owner in particular has a grievance against her. That and unknown persons appear to be deliberately frightening her as her world starts crumbling. There are a number of duplicitous characters you don't know who to trust in this fast moving thriller. As the story progresses there are a number of twists that you certainly don't expect.
A very good follow up from the previous book and one not to be missed.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book.

I, for some unknown reason, had a little peek at the reviews for this book before I started reading it and I am so glad I did as I would have never known it was a sequel!

So I found the prequel on KU and powered through both books in 3days! The short chapters made the book an easy read for sure. It was adventure packed with a few twists and turns, although I found it to be quite predictable in places. The duel pov was easy to follow and brought a new perspective to the story.

The Girl on the Balcony is the sequel to The Girl In Seat 2A. Although I’ve not read the first novel, it didn’t detract from this one as you’re given enough of a back story so this can be read as a standalone. It’s a gripping thriller with short l, punchy chapters that keep you entertained. Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and the author for the chance to review.

Jade, who is escaping from a dodgy past, is struggling to make it as an estate agent in Southern Spain. Meanwhile Hayley, a journalist, has sniffed out what is potentially a career-changing murder story. The book is narrated from both perspectives and includes plenty of threats, twists and unpleasant characters with a little romance thrown in too. Having said that, I didn’t feel that invested in either of the main characters.

I hadn’t realised this was a prequel to The Girl in Seat 2A and it works as a stand-alone. A fast-paced, enjoyable read set in the sunshine.

Thank you to Diana Wilkinson, Boldwood Books and Netgalley for my advance copy.

Jade’s new life in Spain is quickly unravelling. Homeless, broke, and out of options, she’s struggling to make it as a real estate agent.
But Jade isn’t just hiding from the truth of her situation. She’s hiding from her past. And maybe, from a particular person. Someone who knows exactly what she did that fateful day in Marbella...
When journalist Hayley stumbles across a story that could make or break her career – a suspicious death, a murderous widow and a personal invite to the scene of the crime – she jumps on the first plane to Marbella.
However, soon paradise feels like a prison, and Hayley may have made the worst mistake of her life coming to the mansion of a self-confessed killer. Will she get out alive?

This an easy to read and well written novel. I liked the characters and the pace of the story, short chapter and general intrigue kept me reading. Enjoyed it.