The Girl on the Balcony by Diana Wilkinson is one of those thrillers that has you gripped from the first page.
The writing was really good, and the author did a good job bringing the reader into the story.
The mystery element of the story was engaging.
She painted very vivid picture. And the characters were captivating and drew me in.

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 the truth of her situation. She's hiding from her past. Someone who knows exactly what she did that fateful day at Casa De Astrid. When journalist Hayley stumbles across a story that could make or break her career, - a suspicious death, a murderess widow, and a personal invite to the scene of the crime - she jumps on the first plane to Marbella. Soon paradise feels like a prison, and Hayley may have made the worst mistake of he life coming to the mansion of the self-confessed killer. Jade may have managed to escape, but will Hayley?

This is the sequel to The Girl In Seat 2A. The story is told from Jade and Hayley's perspectives. There's lots going on, and it has been descriptively written. The characters are well developed. The dual story line between Jade and Hayley is tense, fast-paced, gripping, has secrets and twists, and there's an anxious feel throughout the story.

Published 21st July 2025

I would like to thank #NetGalley #BoldwoodBooks and the author #DianaWilkinson for my ARC of #TheGirlOnTheBalcony in exchange for an honest review.

I loved The Girl in Seat 2A so I was so excited to get to read and review this and it didn't disappoint. It hooked me from the start and kept me guessing. I loved it

Y’all! This book doesn’t knock—it kicks the door open, glass of wine in hand, and whispers, “You’re not ready.”

Set in sun-soaked Marbella, The Girl on the Balcony serves up a twisty cocktail of secrets, scandal, and suspense. We’ve got Jade—homeless, broke, and dodging a very shady past. Then there’s Hayley, a journalist sniffing out a career-making story about a mysterious death and a maybe-murderous widow. Spoiler: booking a trip to Murder Mansion probably wasn’t her best idea.

Diana Wilkinson builds tension like sunscreen you forgot to rub in—thick, visible, and impossible to ignore. The pacing is sharp, the setting is both dreamy and dangerous, and the characters? Deliciously flawed. These women make messy choices, and I was here for every gasp-worthy moment.

Why not five stars? A few plot turns asked me to stretch my belief a little too far, and I craved more depth from Jade. But overall? This is a sun-drenched, twisty ride with danger lurking just behind the curtain.

She’s playing with fire… 🔥

Thanks to Boldwood Books for this advance copy via NetGalley for my honest, voluntary review. #TheGirlOnTheBalcony #NetGalley

he Girl on the Balcony was an incredible read, I couldn’t believe how quickly I was hooked on this book. We switch perspectives between two female main characters, as a one is desperately trying to make it in a new country as a real estate agent…and the other is a journalist going undercover to try and unravel a murder mystery.

The characters were likeable, and relatable. The plot was well executed and I couldn’t believe the big reveal! I was second guessing myself throughout and loved how it played out

What a fabulous follow-up to The Girl in Seat 2A. Although The Girl on the Balcony can be read as a stand-alone, it is worth reading the earlier book to get a real feel for the characters.

Diana Wilkinson has a talent for setting the scene with precision, bringing every detail to life. This story is deliciously dark and wonderfully atmospheric at times.

The twist halfway through completely took me by surprise, making the book worth reading for that moment alone!

I have to admit, I’m quickly becoming an avid fan of this author’s work.

Thank you for the advanced reader copy!

I didn't realize this was book 2 of a series. So I read book one and loved it and this second book was even better. I hope there's a third in the series!

What an absolute blast this is.
I didn’t realise that this was the sequel to The Girl in Seat 2A , but thankfully I spotted it was just as I was about to start it and luckily for me The Girl in Seat 2A was available as an Amazon Prime loan. I rattled through that in one sitting and then plunged straight into this. While not 100 % necessary to have read it before it will definitely enhance your enjoyment if you do. This is told from various points of view and I’ll admit I found the switch in timelines initially irritatingly confusing but I did thoroughly enjoy the read. Like The Girl in Seat 2A it’s a bit far fetched, but if you’re willing to suspend belief slightly and be taken on a whirlwind ride it’s a great read. The perfect holiday read.

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... Good book! This book had great suspense, murder, mystery, intrigue and some shocking twists! The story was interesting! It wasn’t one of my all time favorites but still worth reading! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

The Girl on the Balcony takes us back to Spain, and the sequel to The Girl in Seat 2A. I would definitely recommend that you read the first book, if you haven’t already, as this is very much a follow on and so wouldn’t really work as a standalone.

The two main narrators in this book are Jade and Hayley. Jade’s life is falling apart after being involved in a man's tragic death and Hayley has just discovered a scoop that may make her journalism career.

Jade and Hayley both have secrets, but they’re not the only ones with something to hide. The plot is fast paced and there are many dubious characters, Jade and Hayley included. I did have a vague suspicion of who the killer might be, and I was kind of right, but I had no clue about the bigger picture that was revealed at the end and blew my mind as I had the motive so, so wrong!

This cast of morally grey characters and unreliable narrators made it difficult to decide who to root for and I very much enjoyed imagining them all squirm!

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Diana Wilkinson and Boldwood for an ARC of this book.

3.5 stars!

I picked up this book without realizing it was a sequel to the first one I read by this author. To be honest, my memory of the first book was a bit hazy, but I did enjoy it. Unfortunately, the second installment didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

In the sequel to *The Girl in Seat 2A*, Jade is struggling in Spain as a real estate agent while hiding 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.

In this story, we’re introduced to several points of view, including Hayley, Jade, and later, Crystal. With so much happening, I found myself mixing up the characters at the start, leading me to re-read a few chapters here and there. My interest began to wane as I struggled to grasp the plot. There were plenty of hints dropped throughout, but connecting the dots felt like trying to solve a puzzle with missing pieces. The characters themselves were a bit challenging to warm up to, which made the reading experience less engaging for me.

On the bright side, the atmospheric descriptions were vivid and enchanting, adding a certain charm to the narrative that I truly appreciated. Who doesn't love Spain?

If you enjoyed the first book, you’ll likely find more to love in this sequel. It’s packed with short chapters, resort guest secrets, hidden cameras, and, of course, a murder mystery—what’s not to like? While this one didn’t quite resonate with me, I encourage you to give it a shot if you liked the previous installment. Who knows? It might just be the perfect read while lounging under an umbrella by the pool!

Thank you, Boldwood Books, for the digital ARC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This didn’t excite me as I hoped it would; the two different timelines didn’t help; for the first third I was trying to work out what was going on and by the time I realised the timelines were different, I had lost interest.

Not for me on this occasion, sorry.

Firstly, I did not know this was a sequel. The publisher sent me this book so I just presumed it was a standalone.

It’s not often I don’t connect with a book but 3/4 through and I still didn’t know who was who. The protagonist changes throughout but there is no actual change to the writing/characterisation and therefore I had no clue whose character I was reading. The start is very weak and makes no sense. I feel that there are a lot of “Americanisms” / slang that just doesn’t read right. I’ve lived in America, I am British, I understand both cultures, but even some ‘sayings’ are just plain wrong. I did not connect with a single character, the story was lengthy and boring and extremely repetitive. I feel like if I’d read the epilogue I could’ve saved myself a lot of time.

I’d like to thank Boldwood Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Girl On The Balcony’ written by Diana Wilkinson in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Teddy is on a plane travelling home when he hears a wealthy woman confess to having arranged her husband’s death. He can’t wait to tell his journalist girlfriend Hayley who realises that this is a story that can make or break her career and immediately books a seat on the first flight to Marbella.

I didn’t realise ‘The Girl On The Balcony’ is a sequel to ‘The Girl on Seat 2A’ but didn’t feel at a disadvantage at not having read it. It has a well-written and interesting plot but I prefer my thrillers to be all-consuming and grab me from page one which I didn’t feel with this one. I couldn’t empathise with the characters and after halfway I lost interest in them and the plot. It wasn’t a thriller that grabbed my attention and kept me reading but this is purely my own opinion and I’m sure a lot of readers will love it.

The perfect sequel to The Girl in Seat 2A! This book held me gripped as it followed the lives of Jade - who barely escaped with her life in the first novel, and Hayley - who thinks she has the inside scoop on what happened in Marbella and is looking to ignite her career as a journalist.

A few twists thrown in for good measure - some you will spot bit some you won't 😉

4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Special thanks to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion .

Thank you for allowing me an an arc reader for this book. Unfortunately I don’t enjoy it at all and couldn’t finish the book. It didn’t engage me and the story wasn’t flowing in my opinion. If you enjoyed the first book maybe you will enjoy this but I didn’t enjoy that one either so I’m not surprised this didn’t go well for me either.

Thank you NetGalley! This my first read by this author and I thought it was amazing. I was sucked into the story right away. I always enjoy the back and forth between characters but this one did make it hard to distinguish who was talking. That aside I will have to check out its predecessor

I'm over the moon to have discovered this author. I'm now reading "The Girl in seat 2A" which is the prequel (as folk on here advised me to do!) But as a stand alone this is an exciting pacy thriller with a wonderful female lead Jade. And Hayley too. But I can't fully disclose her importance in this review without spoilers.
It's clear early on that Astrid has a dark agenda and Avery has a reason to be tracking Jade. The novel benefits from being set in Spain. The exotic men, the heat stifling Jade as she pieces together what's happening. As for the twist near the end. I loved it.
Definitely an undercurrent of female empowerment running through this book which I loved. And Jade's mistrust of pretty much everyone makes us dubious of every character too. This will be continued. Crystal deserves a sequel! Thanks to the author and Boldwood books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Denise x

I LOVED the Girl in Seaf 2a and I loved The Girl on the Balcony just as much! Fantastic read with no shortage of twists and turns!

Really enjoying reading this book, a few chapters in I realised it was the follow up to The girl in seat 2A. That being said it was excellent as a standalone storyline which kept you guessing who Jade could trust/not trust. It twisted and turned all the way to the end, and was quite difficult to put down with such strong characters leading the way. As I said previously it is a follow up storyline, and I would recommend reading the previous book first to enhance the experience. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.