Lots of threads and it flashes back before the death of the bride. So good and really interesting but not sure I would want to relive something so tragic. Well written and a good read.

The Villa by Jess Ryder

This book is set in a beautiful villa in Spain where, 3 years previously, a bride-to-be was brutally murdered whilst on her hen weekend. Now, in an attempt to discover her lost memories from the night her friend died, Dani engineers a plan to bring all the hens back to the villa as a way to try relive the days leading up to Aoife's death. I very much liked how this luxury villa in the middle of gorgeous Spain was juxtaposed with the horrific, bloody crime that occured there.

I loved the flashback elements to this book, which allowed the readers to get an insight into the character's minds and see for ourselves the events that led up to Aoifes death. The author masterfully drops hints and red herrings throughout the book, leaving the reader constantly suspecting every character of horrible deeds. Due to this, the plot is packed full of suspense, which will leave the readers hooked and desperate to uncover the secrets that the author so expertly hides from us.

The characters are a huge selling point to this book and are the biggest reason as to why I rated it so highly. Each of the hens have their own secrets, some relatively harmless and some that are ticking timebombs just waiting to detonate. Each character is explored via their own POV at some point in the book, which I loved. This is usually done in the flashback sections, where we deep dive into each of their minds and get a first hand view into their lives prior to the murder. This helped us readers to build a connection with each of the characters, understand their motivations and be exposed to all they are hiding. The narrator makes us readers culpable in each character's lies, and we carry these secrets with us throughout the book, waiting for the moment Dani discovers them. All of the characters are portrayed to be unlikeable, Aoife in particular I would say, but this only made me perceive them as more realistic and relatable. We feel sorry for each of the women, but for different reasons, yet none of them can be said to have done the right thing and so they are, sooner or later, forced to face the consequences of their actions. Everyone makes mistakes, but the fall out from those mistakes, even if they are minute ones, can be catastrophic, and I think this message really came across strongly in this book.

This book portrayed a very interesting outlook on friendship and how it changes over the years, and the author seemed to make some ironic and critical comments on the awful way the friends treated one another. Each of the hens have their own glaring issues and faults which, when they are all forced together on the hen weekend, are brought into full focus and end up interweaving until the underlying tension becomes so great that it feels like something bad is undoubtedly on the horizon. I really enjoyed reading about their friendship, the way they interacted with one another and the betrayal, hurt and selfishness floating around the group showed that you never truly know your friends, no matter how hard you may try.

I rated this 4 our of 5 stars. I would highly reccomend this book if you're looking for a well-written murder mystery/thriller novel with masterfully crafter characters that will keep you guessing right until the end. The ending of this book had me gasping, amd was definitely a crazy plot twist I hadn't seen coming. Thank you to Netgalley and Jess Ryder for the ARC.

I do enjoy a good read based abroad. The villa follows Aoife and her hens as they venture to Marbella for the weekend. The story is told on a now & then timeline, the hen party three years ago resulted in a murder of one of the hens and the remaining hens have travelled back to marbs for the third year anniversary, they all have secrets they’ve hidden and as things unravel the finger of blame keeps moving.

This is a mystery thriller told in multiple perspectives with curveballs and twists.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher and author for my ARC

I really enjoyed this title. The plot going back and forth in timelines worked well, and I thought I had the answer to who did it but switched my opinion multiple times so the plot twist was clever. I didn't really 'like' any of the characters which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I don't think I really bought that they'd all agree to go back. However, the writing was fun, this is a great beach read and I am definitely going to look for the author's other books.

A destination hen party which goes wrong and the a few years later the ladies return! What will they find out, loved the thriller and mystery surrounding the story.

I’m giving this book 3 stars! I loved the writing style going from different people and back and forth in time, i personally love books like that! I found it very gripping and read it very fast and was excited to keep reading it but did find it a bit slow and quite predictable by page 81 i had figured out who had killed Alofie! But there where so many twists and turns which kept me gripped! I LOVED finding out about how all the girls had betrayed her, just love the drama. I felt very connected to danni and loved all the characters, a great read but i think it could of done with a bit more tension. Thank you to net gallery for giving me the opportunity to read this book before the release date in exchange for a review! really enjoyed it, well done!

I want to thank netgalley, the author and the publisher for allowing me access to this advance copy.

I loved this book! I was hooked from the beginning. The only character I can say I liked was Dani.

I had a feeling the story would end how it did but I still loved it and I was still shocked. This story was well written and I loved the dual POVs.

This story will make the perfect summer read! So grab your drinks and read this book!

I really enjoyed this!

I loved the dual timeline and the alternating POV’s. I was so intrigued where the plot was going and seeing the mystery unravel.

I did predict that the friends were involved but it didn’t affect my enjoyment. A great popcorn thriller.

A fab summer read that would be perfect to read on holiday.

I’d definitely recommend this book to fellow thriller lovers.

I loved this book it had my hooked from the first page. I really liked the character development and the interchanging nature of the story. Although I guessed how the book was going to end, I still enjoyed the overall story. I would defo read something by this author Again

Thank you to netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advance copy.

The story follows a group of women repeating their steps from a hen party gone wrong from three years ago. It's told from multiple POVs and across the two different times.

I didn't particularly like or care for any of the characters which made it a slightly less enjoyable read. There didn't seem to be much background or development to the characters so they seemed quite shallow.

It was quite fast paced and I wanted to know how it ended.

If you like a quick suspense novel then you'll enjoy this. Its also set in Marbella which will make for a good summer read.

3.5 stars.

Finally, my first thrilling thriller of 2024!

1. This starts off slow but when it picks up, it PICKS UP! I struggled to put it down and for good reasons; the tension, the suspense, I needed to know the who and why and how like if my life depended on it.

2. This story is brimming with flawed characters. Their actions are questionable and quite infuriating at times, giving a glimpse into toxic female friendships and how they all start on a good note and then slowly change over time due to envy, jealousy, drama, and whatnot.

3. This story was told in two different timelines and not once, was I bored or confused.

4. I'm definitely adding this author to my watch list and would be looking forward to devouring their future books!

5. So go ahead, grab a cup of tea or coffee and brace yourself for a wild ride in sunny Marbella ;)

This is a fast paced thriller that flicks between the past and present, with each of the hens sharing their side of the story after the fateful night Aoife died on her hen weekend.
I really enjoyed the book and the ending.
Will definitely look out for other books from this author.

A really great psychological thriller set extremely well in sunny marbella. A tale full of long held secrets, a slow burner but definitely worth the ride xx

I absolutely loved this book. From the very first page it had me hooked. The different POVs gave you a good insight into the different characters and their thoughts and feelings from the hen weekend. I also really enjoyed the 2 different time lines, present day and 3 years ago when Aoife died. It was really interesting comparing different versions from the characters of what happened that fateful weekend . This made the story very intriguing and I couldn’t wait to find out what happened all them years ago.

A definite builder of a storyline. An intriguing beginning, an exciting middle with lots of twists and turns. The denouement is a surprising conclusion to what is a fantastic and original read. A great holiday book and so much more.

I really enjoyed the premise and setting of this book, despite it being a good 25 years since I last attended a hen party!
Personally, I did not warm to any of the main protagonists, but that did not detract from my enjoyment of the story.
I read the majority of the book on a freezing cold January day and it was great to be transported to sunny Spain; the author did a great job with the scene setting.

This was an extremely easy, fast paced and entertaining read, which kept me guessing to the end. I’d like to thank Net Galley for the reading opportunity.

The Villa is a thriller about a hen party that goes totally wrong. The story is told in multiple perspectives and from two different points in time (3 years ago and today). The book is super fast-paced and also very dynamic due to the different perspectives and time jumps. Basically, the focus is on Dani, who can no longer remember the events of 3 years ago and tries to jog her memory. However, it soon becomes clear that nobody in this book has a clean slate. The characters remain somewhat pale, and they are not always really likeable. But the book offers good and worthwhile entertainment. Definitely a great read for the summer!

Thank you to Netgallery and the publisher for this ARC. The publication date is the 4th July.

This is the first book I’ve read from this author and I throughly enjoyed it especially the Marbella setting one problem was I wish I was there reading it! There were many gripping moments that made it impossible to put my kindle down. The characters were well written my favourite one was Dani initially she annoying me but as I read on I warmed to her and she became my favourite! I’d highly recommend this book and it would be great one to take on holiday.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Fast paced and full of authentic characters and their own secrets slowly being revealed. Great setting and makes for a great holiday read.

At some points predictable, but a fun, twisty popcorn thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.