I am writing this honest review, with thanks to the author for allowing me to read her book and Netgalley for allowing me to read it through their site.

Excerpt :
:: I'd always assumed that Aoife and I would be like our mums when we grew up, meeting for a good gossip while our daughters played together upstairs. Now I wasn't so sure. ::

Aoife, Dani, Tiff, Beth and Celine, four girls, four stories interwoven by a fateful accident that happened on the last night, while on holiday for Aoife's hen do.

Things never seems as simple as they look and this book proves just how the people can think they learn all about the mind and yet it evolves to grow in way in which we cannot explain.

After an accident that results in the death of her best friend and leaves Dani with a hole in her memory of the time in which it happened - despite her being in the room while it happened.. they arrive as four girls looking for a good time and leave as three, broken parts sewn together forever with a dropstitch of hurt and guilt.

But what really happened? Will Dani's plan work to help her survive the coming years without her best friend by her side?

I loved this intense, magical ability that Jess has to force you into a connection that instantly grips you. Everyone has been in a situation that has left you feeling awkward and sometimes really angry with people, whether through attitude or intolerance etc and that is how it worked for me.

I loved Dani straight away and I felt her emotions come alive through the pages circling around me and guiding me into the story. It was interesting, funny, more importantly it was something that could be real.

Real feelings, real emotions, real life scenario and that is the scary thing most of all. Amazing writing!

4.25🌟
The Villa focuses on the lives of 4 main characters (or 5 if you include 1 who's dead) and has an interesting structure going between then and now but also between different characters. This had the potential to be confusing but it was laid out in such a way that made if extremely easy to follow but added a lot of detailed and necessary information to the novel.

I kept thinking I had worked out what happened, only to then be fooled again as I was completely wrong! I really enjoyed this book and at times got so into it I was getting nervous myself as I felt like I was in the situation with the main characters.

I would recommend this book!

Thank you for letting me read an advance copy. I don't agree with other reviews that the pace is slow. I thought the pace was really well done and kept building the tension. I really enjoyed the twists and turns that the story took and would recommend it to anyone who was looking for an easy and enjoyable read.

This was a really enjoyable read. Just what I needed for a stressful December where I didn't want an overcomplicated plot.
I liked the setting of Marbella, having been to Ibiza it gave me similar vibes which was nice and reminiscent for me. Description of places and the villa were really well written, I had a very vivid picture in my head of the villa and characters when reading.
Main character Dani was relatable in her chaotic ways but meaning well. I thought all the female characters were well written.
The male characters were a little more stereotypical, Nathan in particular I felt lacked a bit of depth really.
The twisty flashback style plot worked well in keeping me hooked, especially towards the end when I found myself staying up later than intended to find out what happened next.
The ending was really good too, not what I was expecting which was refreshing.
Was it absolutely groundbreaking? No, but not all books have to be an entirely new concept to be entertaining, and this book certainly kept me entertained.

A group of women revisit the villa where Aoife met her death on her hen weekend. The killer was never caught. Dani, the organiser, has no memory of what happened so wants to retrace their steps to see if her memory comes back.
It's the usual scenario with secrets being revealed, arguments suspicions about all the people they met there before.
The writing is good, the reader is led to conclusions, but there are more plot twists. Good for the beach.

An excellent read.
The clever, engaging writing style really threw me into the party and at some points I almost felt hungover with them.
One of those novels that you look forward to getting back to and when it came to the twist, I smugly thought I'd easily sussed it, only to be surprised that I certainly hadn't.
Would highly recommend as a holiday read. But not in Marbella. Put me off the resort for life!

Friends return to a villa where a hen party was held & the bride to be died

The event are seen from each of the surviving women's perspective

Tension and intrigue build throughout kept me reading and fully engaged to the end

Would definitely recommend

It was a really enjoyable twisty tale, told in a then and now format. Each chapter is given over to one of the hens, allowing the reader a different perspective of events.
A bride-to-be Aoife tragically died in suspicious circumstances three years previously, and Dani, her best friend, has persuaded the reluctant three hens to return to the remote Spanish villa where it all happened.
Dani has little or no recollection of the event, and with police shutting down the case due to lack of evidence, she has decided to try and piece it all together by reliving the weekend.
As the book progresses, we are made aware of more and more secrets emerging from the main players, all of whom seem to have a reason to wish Aoife out the picture.
A book to keep you guessing and page-turning.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review.

A great read about five friends who are out on a hen trip but instead of celebrating, the bride lands up dying. Three years later the others go back to find out what really happened. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would recommend it!

This book is about a group of friends who went on a hen party and unfortunately it ended in tragedy with the bride dying. 3 years later they go back to the villa to find answers.

I loved this book, such a good, easy read. If you liked Lucy Clarke’s One of the girls then you will love this. It’s a great read for the summer, definitely one to take on holiday.
It flips between the past and present, it is also told from the different viewpoints of the hens in the past chapters. The present is all told from Dani’s POV.

It’s got short chapters and is very fast paced. I read this in just over 24 hours. I did guess one of the twists, but the other big twist really surprised me and I didn’t see that one coming. I would definitely recommend this book. Thanks for letting me read it NetGalley:

I really enjoyed this book. 3 years ago 5 girls rented a villa in Marbella for a hen weekend. The trip ended in tragedy with the bride to be dying, assumed to be the result of a burglary gone wrong. However, Dani knows she was in the room when it happened but had passed out drunk. Now she persuades the other 3 girls to go back to remember Aoife, who is buried out there, but Dani hopes to recover some of the memories that continue to escape her. This is a real page turner that will keep you guessing to the end.
Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

Thanks to the publishers @penguinrandomhouse and @netgalley for an advance readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

After the bride to be, Aoife, is killed while on her hen weekend, her best friend Dani still can’t piece together what happened & has remained tortured by it.

Three years later, Dani persuades the remaining hens to return to Marbella - with Dani intent on finding answers by recreating that fateful weekend as best she can.

A hen party thriller that is written in two timelines. The short chapters with switching narrative voices and flashbacks helps to make The Villa a page-turner. Out July 2024.

When Dani and her group of friends go back to the villa where their friend sadly lost her life 3 years earlier it sets off a train of events none of them could have foreseen .A great read I loved it .

Really enjoyed this dual timeline thriller. Expertly plotted and enjoyed the way the author conveyed the tensions of the group of female friends. I could really feel the claustrophobic hedonism of Marbella.

Three years ago, Dani, Celine, Tiff and Beth are at the Villa Floriana, near Marbella for Aoife’s hen do. However, one evening and several days into the alcohol fuelled celebrations, Dani wakes and can make little sense of what she’s seeing. In the present day, Dani returns to Andalusia having persuaded Celine,Tiff and Beth to accompany her as a bid for closure of the terrible events that led to the bride to be’s death, which is unresolved. Dani is haunted, she’s damaged by the loss of her dear friend and wants to lay it to rest if she can. However, each of the women have their own version of the events of three years ago, is it possible to get to the truth?

I really enjoy each of the women’s point of view and comparing the varying versions of three years ago in order to piece together recollections to get to the truth. There’s palpable tension in both timelines and the dynamics between them is fascinating. They are very different from each other and can rub sparks. There are some very strange moods at the hen do, some odd behaviour, there’s jealousy between least three of them and definitely mistrust and it becomes increasingly obvious that we have more than one liar. It gets nasty on occasions which creates even deeper divisions. None of them come across as especially likeable, but that adds a certain delicious intensity to the storyline.

As the plot moves forward, it becomes increasingly complicated and therefore more and more intriguing. There’s a strong unsettling sense, it feels offkilter and there’s an oppressive atmosphere. This contrasts well with the lovely Spanish setting and the sunny weather as it’s definitely chilly inside the villa.

This is a well utilised trope in psychological thrillers but the author does a good job via the perspectives of delivering something a little bit different. Whilst there are some good twists, I think the ending could’ve been a bit stronger as I hope for something a bit more punchy. It is an easy entertaining, read with very well explored dynamics.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to the publishers for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a review.

When a fractious hen party ends in tragedy, the surviving hens gather together 3 years later and the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death start to unravel.

Set over the two time periods and jumping between them, there are a lot of voices to keep track of. The hen weekend is re-lived almost in real time and it felt as if we could have done with a couple less hen events along the way. The author could perhaps have included more of what happened in the original aftermath, and in the time period between the two episodes in the villa. The book keeps you guessing until the very end.

This book was set over two time periods, the present and three years ago. It was a bit of a slow starter but got better as the twists and turns led us to find out what really happened three years ago.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

"The Villa" by Jess Ryder invites readers into a gripping narrative centered around a tragic event that occurred three years ago. The story unfolds as a group of hens returns to the villa where a bride-to-be, Aoife, met her untimely end during her own hen party. The quest for closure becomes the driving force for these characters, but stepping back into the scene of the tragedy only serves to reopen old wounds and ignite simmering tensions.

Ryder skilfully weaves a tale where every character holds a different version of the events that transpired that fateful night. This narrative technique adds layers of intrigue, keeping readers on the edge of their seats as they attempt to piece together the puzzle of what really happened. The suspenseful atmosphere is well-crafted, and Ryder adeptly explores the complex dynamics among the characters, highlighting their individual perspectives and motivations.

The strength of "The Villa" lies in its exploration of secrets and the lengths to which people will go to keep them hidden. Ryder masterfully builds a sense of unease and suspicion, leaving readers questioning the reliability of each character's account. The psychological depth of the novel adds a compelling layer to the mystery, making it more than just a straightforward whodunit.

The setting of the villa serves as a character in itself, with its haunting presence and the memories it holds. Ryder's descriptive prose creates a vivid backdrop, intensifying the emotional impact of the story. The tension steadily escalates as the characters grapple with their shared past and the consequences of their actions.

As the narrative unfolds, readers will find themselves engrossed in the web of deceit, secrets, and conflicting perspectives. "The Villa" is a suspenseful and thought-provoking novel that keeps the reader guessing until the very end. Jess Ryder has crafted a compelling story that explores the intricacies of human relationships and the consequences of buried truths.

I felt this was a bit of a slow burn initially but when it gets going (not all that far in actually), oh boy, do you get swept along with the girls! So many twists & turns, you think you know what’s coming but nope, there are still surprises to come. An excellent read, I couldn't put it down. Thanks for the ARC.

Slow start to this book and initially I didn't like any of the characters. But the whodunit kept me guessing to the end.

5 go on a hen party to Marbella, only 4 go home. What happened then and now is told in the alternating timelines.

Thank you very much to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review