Took me a while to read which is a bit of an indicator of a dull read. Characters were not really engaging and the setting could have been anywhere, not enough italian atmosphere for me.

I received this book from netgalley in return for a honest review.

I found this book a little hard going, it didn’t quite work for me.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

Laura and Nick have started a new life in Italy but nothing is what it seems. When Madison and Bastian arrive for a holiday staying with them nothing is safe.
Sadly this was not for me. I skimmed it and didn’t really find I was following it too much. This is not a reflection on the author as there’s plenty of brilliant reviews.
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed heatwave but this one fell flat for me. The trip to Italy was love but I didn’t love the storyline

Summer heat in Italy, a fabulous villa and intrigue. Unfortunately I didn’t connect/like the characters so I didn’t really care about what happened to them. It was a shame as I had really enjoyed Kates previous book and I was looking forward to reading this one but it didn’t live up to expectation.

‘Summer fever’ is written in a beautiful, atmospheric way. The Italian villa is really brought to life as a wonderful summer backdrop to this thriller. I enjoyed the premise of the characters not being truthful to one another and although I was intrigued, personally I just couldn’t fully get hooked into the story. For me the writing was really strong but the story itself just had something missing for a perfect holiday read.

I love this author's writing and the way she evokes place and atmosphere. I found the first half of the story really compelling - so much tension and intrigue - and the first twist was great. Thereafter, though, I thought the plot rather lost its way, and the ending was an anti-climax.

Still, I really enjoyed the read.

A sultry summer read, perfect for the beach or poolside reading.
Laura and Nick have struggled to get pregnant, and IVF unfortunately hasn't worked for them. They decide to buy a run down Italian villa and set it up as a hotel, fulfilling one of Laura's lifelong dreams. They slowly renovate the villa and welcome their first guests, Americans Madison and Bastian. The couples get to know one another, but secrets from the past threaten to spill out and change everyone's lives forever.
This was a slow start of a read for me, but i enjoyed it once it picked up its pace.
Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read it.

I wish I could have read this during a wonderful break in Italy. However, the writing takes you right there. You can almost feel the heat and sweat. A beautiful villa run as a small hotel by a young, married couple. The first guests arrive and the story takes off. Secrets and tension create a great backdrop to a great read.

I really loved The Heatwave by the same author last summer so was excited to get my hands on this. Whilst it didn't quite match that for me it was pretty close. Kate's books really are the perfect beach read. You need the sunshine beating down on you to effotlessly drift off into the atmospheric world she creates.

Nick and Laura are looking for a new start in their beautiful new Italain villa, providing a holiday home for people who want to come and share a bit of their stunning Italian countryside. Americans, Bastian and Madison are their first paying guests. Unsure how to manage being hosts in their own home at first, they get over their initial awkwardness and the two couple appear to become friends, None of theirrelationships are quite what they first seemed though and tensions soon start to run pretty deep culminationg in a spectacular climax.

Gripping and well-written. I couldperfectly picture Vila Luna Rossa and the surrounding area.

I really enjoyed Summer Fever devouring it in just two days.
It starts a little slow but once the first guests arrive to stay at Luna Rossa the tempo and temperature soon ramps up.
After the heartbreak of infertility takes their marriage to breaking point, Laura and Nick decide to make a fresh start in Italy.
The pair throw themselves into making their fresh start and Luna Rossa work and when their first guests arrive it looks like things are finally looking up.
But Madison and Bastian aren’t who they claim to be, and all four of them are hiding secrets.
Summer Fever is an edge-of-your seat thriller full of lust, secrets and betrayal.
Just as you start to think you know what is happening there’s another twist to keep you on your toes.
The story is told in two parts with sporadic flashbacks to the mysterious past love who broke Laura’s heart.
There’s definitely an air of picking at an old scab between Laura and this old flame, you know it hurts and you’re only making it worse but you just can’t resist after that first itch to go back for more.
There’s dark tension bubbling away throughout and an overwhelming sense of dread that kept me captivated.
I absolutely loved the scene setting in Italy, I felt like I had been transported there beside them with the hot sun, red wine and delicious Italian food.
There was an air of inevitability that left you feeling powerless to do anything but wait and see just how bad the fallout would be when the inevitable fallout would ensue.

The dynamics between each of the four main characters are compelling and I liked how having Laura as our only narrator makes the others a bit of an enigma and you aren’t always sure what to make of them.

Alluring, addictive and sizzling with tension, this is the perfect thriller to read in the summer.

I’m a bit conflicted on this one.
I absolutely loved the setting of the Italian Villa and the rich descriptions of the landscape, towns and people. However it was possible a little too slow for me. It took quite a while for the story to engage me and then when it did, it almost petered out at the conclusion. Slow start, strong middle, slightly predictable ending.
The quality of the writing kept me reading this one rather than the plot.

Slow burn to start and speeds up a little in the middle. It was hard to read and didn’t captivate me.

This book was slow to start, but became more interesting later on. Some good ideas, but for me it was good but not great. I think that perhaps the problem for me was that I didn't empathise with any of the characters - Laura in particular I found rather annoying. I do tend to like a book more when I care about what happens to one or more of the characters! When characters do silly things is just frustrating.
The ending seemed rushed and somewhat unlikely - I had been expecting something different, twisty and climatic, instead it just seemed a bit meh.

Summer Fever was certainly a thrilling read! Kate Riordan's writing style was beautifully descriptive and atmospheric, and I could easily picture the Mediterranean setting at the Villa Luna Rossa in Italy and feel the sultry storms and matching moods. The story unfolded gradually, told using varied timeframes including flashbacks to Laura’s younger days at university. The plotting was pitch-perfect, the level of tension was superior and from the outset, there was a serious sinister vibe as I followed Laura and Nick, and tried to complete the picture.

All in all, a brilliantly taut, clever and dark thriller that touches on sensitive subjects. It was a real page-turner that may well have a place in my best reads for 2022.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Penguin UK - Michael Joseph via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Summer Fever

I was quite excited to be transported to Italy while reading this book. That definitely didn’t disappoint. I loved the author’s descriptions of the scenery, the food and the general atmosphere of rural Italy. It felt very much like I was there. The story is interesting, Laura and Nick are renovating an old farmhouse and ‘The Americans’ are their first paying guests. It soon becomes apparent that the lives of the two couples are about to become irrevocably intertwined. I did enjoy this book, and I liked aspects of the ending, though for me I felt there were some loose ends left untied. Maybe there’s a reason for that. But definitely a 3.5 star read for me. Perfect beach read with a twist.

Laura and Nick have struggled to get pregnant, and despite IVF, their last round of treatment wasn’t successful. They decide to buy a run down villa, Luna Rossa, in Italy, and set it up as a hotel. Moving to Italy has been a long held dream for Laura, and she convinces Nick to go along with her plans. After a lot of hard work they couple finally welcome their first guests, Americans Madison and Bastian. But things are not as they seem for either couple. Laura’s past is a major influence on how she now deals with the guests, and the coercive control she suffered at university has definitely not made her behave any better than when she was a student.

This is a new author for me and I found this to be a very slow, meandering start. The four main characters carry the story through, and although they are all supremely unlikeable, particularly Laura, I did want to carry on reading to see the outcome. A strange ending, with the dislocated shoulder being just one unbelievable moment - really? Seeing a similar injury once, many years ago and knowing how to treat it? I like authors playing with reality, but for a book that was otherwise well written this was unexpectedly poor.

A bit of a slog, but managed to finish.

Thank you NetGalley.

I enjoyed Kates book The Heatwave so I was excited to read this 🤓

The story is set in an Italian villa ‘Luna Rossa’ where Laura and Mike now live having moved from the UK. Hoping this new adventure will fix their marriage 😬 Their first guests arrive, couple Madison and Bastian who seem okay if not a little mysterious. Everything will run smoothly right?!!! 😱

I enjoyed the character development with the two couples; lots of secrets, betrayal and lies. Great stuff 😂 I didn’t like the characters to be honest so even better! 🙌 Like The Heatwave, this book has a lot of slow burner tension from the start, which creates this sense of dread, like something terrible is going to happen any minute. Fun and yes, lots of stuff does happen 🤣 As it’s set in a hot place too, the heat plays a big part in building suspense. Everyone is irritable and sticky 😅 Anyway, cue lots of plot twists and reveals - some I saw coming and some I didn’t. Overall, I enjoyed the simmering tension and recommend if you like mystery/ thrillers set in sunny settings 😎

A book that keeps you on the edge till the end as you don't know who's to be trusted and who's telling the truth.
It's well plotted, gripping, and twisty.
I liked the storyteling and the character development.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

After several miscarriages, Laura and Nick pack up their lives in Britain to staret a new one in Italy. Renovating an old villa with a view to taking in guests is not an easy task, especially with a language barrier.
When their first guests arrive, just in time to keep the business afloat, it is hot and cracks are opening in the marriage. Tensions rise as Madison and Bastion arrive, but should they be treated as guests or friends?
A slow burner with plenty of character building and a great summer read.