What a fantastic read. I have never read books by Louise Douglas before and it certainly won’t be the last.
Transported to a beautiful villa that has been empty for several years Eddie and Joe are reunited after ten years following the tragic death of their son.
A bitter divorce had ensued with lots of recriminations but being forced together having joint ownership of the villa they have to resolve their differences and move on.
Combine this with an ancient mystery and tails of ghostly goings on you will be hooked to the very last page.

An intriguing and emotional book. I especially loved the ghostly elements, they were well written and really quite chilling! I didn't really like the main character that much, but wanting to find out what happened kept me hooked until the end!

The House by the Sea is another beautifully written book by Louise Douglas. The description are so vivid you can almost feel the wind blow, taste the salt air and you feel like you are at the villa with Joe and Edie.

The House by the Sea has it all: mystery, ghosts, threats, family , characters you love and those you like to hiss at .

Joe and Edie reunite ten years after their son dies, at a villa left to them by his mom. Things unfold slowly but perfectly. Who is trying to get rid of Joe and Edie, what really happened to their son Daniel.

I am a big fan of Louise Douglas and this book does not disappoint.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read The House by The Sea.

This rich emotionally laden book is sympathetically written with deft characterisation and beautiful descriptions.

After the death of her son, Daniel, which Edie blames her mother in law Anna for, her marriage breaks down and Edie finds herself bitter and lonely.

Ten years after Daniels death, Anna dies and leaves the family villa in Sicily to Edie and her ex husband Joe. Slowly the villa heals Edie but long buried secrets are uncovered which may hurt Edie and Joe again.

A very enjoyable book.

I'm a big fan of Louise Douglas so I was delighted to have the opportunity to read this e-copy in exchange for an honest review. At first, I was a bit concerned, I wasn't warming to the main character but that turned out to be a really smart device which was well done, as during the story her barriers start to come down to both the other characters and the reader.
The house by the sea is like another character to fall in love with and I really did. Even though it wasn't plain sailing by any means I could totally see myself upping sticks!
This story touched on lots of difficult issues: grief, mental health problems and domestic violence but it was sensitively done and was touching, heart warming and uplifting.
I loved it.

Thank you to Net Galley and Boldwood Books for the chance to read and review this book. I really liked this story.! It grabbed me right from the beginning and I just couldn't let go until I reached the end. It contains everything I like in a story-history, a beautiful house and a little romance. I highly recommend this book, but make sure you have time to read because you will want to keep going until the very end. I want to read more by this author!

Thank you to the publisher and author for providing me with a digital ARC of this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

This was a quick read and fairly enjoyable, I liked that their was the mystery of what happened to their son and why the mother in law was responsible. It kept me wanting to read to find out. Some of the characters and their storylines were a little obnoxious. It almost seemed like little bits of too much all shoved in to one story. Sure, they all were related and connected to the story, but it was a lot going on. En easy, thoughtless read but not something I'd recommend to others as a must read.

A definite keeper of a book. Ghostly goings on, hints of evil doings wrapped around a beautiful setting in Sicily. Behind it all a beautiful story of love found, lost, denied and found again.

Absolutely stunning. With thanks to #NetGalley and #Boldwood books.

Such a lovely, heartwarming tale!! The scenes of Sicily were described so beautifully, I feel like I was there. The story started off slowly but as the "plot thickened" as they say, I finished the book in one day. Will be watching for another by this author.

First of all, Louise Douglas' s descriptive writing is excellent. I adored the setting of Sicily and the description of the house. An interesting story, a story that unfortunately starts so sad but, ultimately, becomes a story of redemption, forgiveness and hope. But, oh my gosh, the book is so sad at the beginning....It involves such a heavy subject matter that I don't know if many readers will be comfortable reading it (trigger warning/ death of a minor). On the other hand, the plot draws the reader and keeps you invested in the plot. The ending will give you the happy feelings that you will need after all the hard parts. A page turner.

I was drawn to this book by the cover. The book is beautifully written and so descriptive. The characters are well developed. I never really warmed up to Edie, her grief and bitterness was hard for me to get past. But all in all, the book is a little mysterious and engaging.

House by the Sea made me feel like I was with Edie and Joe. I could nearly smell and feel the environment as Douglas was describing. The book took me through relationships, hardships, tragedies, and triumphs with Edie. I was not expecting to love it as much as I did simply because I made the mistake of reading a few reviews before going into to, but I did love this book!

Especially, the consequences! Consequences in life for not allowing our minds to see other people’s struggles and pains. Sometimes, when we are going through our own tragedies we fail to see that others are going through theirs as well. House by the Sea makes you consider why people behave the way they do, hope for second chances, and strive to not regret making the efforts to understand people before it’s too late.

This book had it all: lost loves, prejudices, second chances, mystery, and friendship!

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a good read, but fell slightly short for me.

I was interested in Edie and Joe and even in Anna as a young girl. But there was too much other ‘stuff’ thrown in- every character introduced needed a complicated back story and an arc of their own that just wasn’t needed.

I enjoyed the descriptive writing and I was glad our characters got their happy ending, but I didn’t feel particularly attached to them. I’ve read and enjoyed other books by this author but I don’t feel this is her strongest work.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

Aaaawwww........ WHAT a truly, lovely, engaging read. This is yet another wonderful offering from an extremely talented author. Louise Douglas has a knack for creating an atmospheric novel that intrigues the reader and draws you in. Once the pages of this book have enveloped you, there is a real risk that you will lose all track of time. Honestly, I couldn't have chosen anything better to start off 2020! Truly Fab!
Thank you to the author, the publisher and netgalley for my arc. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

It's a fairy tale and nothing more. At times it is quite a good read, but so far fetched as to be ridiculous at times.
The beginning of the book draws you in and the next half is repetitive and drags on. The last quarter is where the “action” is but is overdone at times.
A good chick lit/holiday read but not a serious book

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

When Edie’s mother-in-law, Anna DeLuca, dies, she is relieved. Edie blames Anna for the accident that destroyed her family. So, when her will lures Edie to Sicily and the long-abandoned Villa della Madonna del Mare, she sees through Anna’s games. Suspecting Anna is meddling from beyond the grave to try to reunite her and her ex-husband Joe, Edie is determined to leave Italy as soon as possible. But before she can, the villa starts to shed its mysterious secrets.

Ah, this book really does have everything, and then a few surprises too. To begin with, I thought this was about Edie and Joe, their tragic story and discovering whether they can find a way past it. However, I soon realised there are many more plot threads to this read. The villa has secrets that are waiting to be discovered and people in Sicily also have struggles and secrets just waiting to come out. All of these different threads come together to make a gripping, beautiful and absorbing read.

Staying with the plot, I have to comment on how beautifully written it is. Yes, the end is dealt with too quickly which is a real shame, but the rest of the plot is sensitive, emotive and delicately handled. There are some hard hitting subjects in this book and Douglas writes about them with aplomb, the emotion flows off the pages and it was special to immerse myself in so much feeling. There is a lot of desperation and sadness in this read but there is also hope and love and I thoroughly enjoyed this.

I seem to be reading books set in Italy recently, unintentionally I hasten to add, this is set in the beautiful landscape of Sicily. What a landscape it provides, so much beauty, as well as a hint of danger and darkness. There is nothing I love more than a read that transports you to a stunning location and this is another reason I adored reading this.

Now I move onto the characters, Edie and Joe are two wonderful creations. They are so likeable and have been through so much. At the beginning we see them in real, physical pain, they are broken. As the book progresses we see them begin to emerge and see a way out, the intensity lightens as the read goes on, it felt incredibly special to follow two characters on such a journey. There really is no other way of putting it, it is a journey they go on and what a unique one it is.

'The House by the Sea' is a very special read. There is so much hardship and pain throughout but also, a lot of love and hope. The landscape is exquisite, offering the perfect escapism and the characters are like two long-lost friends. This is a real treat to read. Enjoy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advance copy.

This is a tale of family, the impact of loss and the consequences of not dealing with it properly. The twist is that the resolution comes about because of the inheritance of a crumbling Sicilian seaside villa. The writing is atmospheric and the characters are interesting. There is a certain amount of soul searching and contrasts between busy London life and relaxed Italian living. A number of references to Montalbano may not be understood by all.

I found this book a little slow starting in terms of plot, although the setting descriptions were very atmospheric. The story does pick up pace, and I loved the air of mystery throughout. I'm a fan of this author, and this another great read.

The house in the title is in Sicily, and has been left jointly to a divorced couple by his mother, which immediately sets up some interesting possibilities. They divorced following the tragic accidental death of their young son. Unfortunately the early part of the book was marred for me by the rather mawkish dwelling on this by the main character/ narrator Edie whom I found difficult to warm too. Although this was less apparent as the book progressed, some of the other characters were not well developed and some of the plotlines felt a bit far fetched, despite the credible denoument towards the end.

Edie& Joe lost everything when their young son died. She always blamed her mother in law Anna and her hate & bitterness destroyed so much. Now she has to travel to Sicily to meet her ex so they can decide what to do with the family house. Edie wants to sell so she can go back to her life. Joe doesn't know how to act around her she hurt him so badly by just walking away from their marriage. Maybe it is for the best sell and move on but then Edie changes her mind. She wants to keep the house and make it a place to heal but someone wants them gone and they will make sure that they are gone. They are hiding a secret that no one can find out about. The past is best left where it is but that all changes when Edie reads the diary she understands what Anna went through as a young girl and she knows that she has to let go of all the bitterness. But can they really move on from the hurt of losing their son? A good read. I was lucky enough to receive a copy from netgalley and the publishing house in exchange for my honest review.