Dani has brought her fellow three hens back to the Spanish villa where the bride and their friend Aoife was killed 3 years ago. Dani can’t remember that night at all and wants to the hens’ presence to help her relive it all and hopefully bring back her memories - so she tricks them into staying.

I did not guess the ending at all - it was a very well-woven tale, with distinct and interesting characters! The reason I’ve rounded this 3.5 star read down to 3, instead of up is because I found the premise ludicrous. There’s no world in which I would spend a single night in the villa where my friend was murdered, especially after all the strange goings-on started up. That alone stressed me out throughout the novel!

Almost three years ago, a group of friends, Aoife, Dani, Celine, Beth and Tiff gathered in the Andalucian countryside, just outside Marbella for Aoife’s hen weekend. The chief bridesmaid has organised a luxurious villa for their break, and even though the friends have different personalities, they are all looking forward to a fun time.

Unfortunately, things don’t turn out as planned. Underlying tensions start to cause problems between the friends and a host of unfortunate incidents begin to play havoc with their well-being. Then, tragically Aoife is found dead. Tragic accident after a break-in or murder? However, her death remains unsolved and casts a shadow over the remaining friends.
In the present, the friends decide to return to Marbella to mark the third anniversary of Aoife’s death. Dani hopes it will bring them all closure which they desperately need. However, events soon make them all question what happened three years before.
This is a competent thriller told from all the friend’s different points of view. The story is told from three years ago and the present day. The underlying tension is handled very well and, with the heat of the Andalucian sun, everything builds nicely. The trope of having supposed friends who do not like each other very much is also explored expertly.
I do have a couple of issues which stop this being a 5 or 4-star read. Some of the chapters are slightly repetitive and do not seem to add much to the story. There is a good twist, but it is very rushed and a little weak and I would have preferred a fuller explanation.
To sum up, I think this will be a good thriller to take on holiday and am sure it will do very well.
My thanks to NetGalley, Jess Ryder and Penguin for the much-appreciated ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

Four friends return to Marbella where their friend and bride-to-be was murdered 3yrs ago. Their aim? To actually find out what happened to their friend. We hear the story from several POVs and across the two timelines which I always really enjoy in a story.

But being back is painful and they each hold secrets. I had it sussed multiple times but was always proven wrong. Full of twist that definitely keep you guessing until the end.

Overall a good quick read.

The hens return to the villa for another hen night, 3 years after their friend died at the last hen night, will this open old scars and can they forget the past and find closure? Things start to happen straight away making them each question the memories they each have as they are all different. Who is telling the truth? I enjoyed reading this even though it kept me up late, I wasn’t sure who I believed so you have to keep turning those pages. Is history going to repeat and someone else going to die and who is responsible for all the things that are happening? Recommended and a good book to take on your holiday.

I have to be honest I only made it 8% into the book and I wasn't really enjoying it that much I think it was specifically to do with the writing style it wasn't pulling me in and keeping me engaged in the story and I really did try to continue but couldn't , maybe Jess's books and writing style just wasn't for me and that's okay don't let my review discourage you from reading Jess Ryder books you might enjoy it more than me

Its three years ago, since Aoife died at her own hen party.
Now the hens are back at the same villa to remember her.
But what else will they remember!
Who knows more about that night and what lengths will they go to keep them secret?

I really enjoy a good psychological thriller and this one didn't disappoint, it is fast paced, written over two timelines from various points of view and it had me hooked from the start.
Aoife's hen party was to be a surprise,her chief bridesmaid knew what she liked, she had given her a list of twelve people who she wanted inviting, she wanted dancing and loads of drinks, she wanted to let her hair down for one last time but what she got was Villa Floriana and four friends.
Villa Floriana was close to Marbella but it was remote and far from the beach. Tiff and Beth were schoolfriends of Aoife, Tiff and Aoife had been friends since they were babies, they had been born two days apart and their mothers were best friends, the friendship had cooled when Aoife and Dani met at uni,they became very close, both quite wild, they enjoyed life to the full until wealthy Nathan came onto the scene, Celine was a work colleague who Aoife barely knew and who had been invited by accident.
The dynamics of this quintet were not good, jealousy, one upmanship and goading were the order of the day and controlling Nathen's presence seemed to be always in the background.
Aoife drank too much, she flirted outrageously (but was it only flirting ?)................she ended up dead, in a pool of blood.
Dani never got closure, she was blind drunk when Aoife was killed, but she was there, she needed to remember.
Three years had passed and Dani managed to persuade the other three girls to return to Marbella to remember Aoife, what she didn't tell them was that she had booked Villa Floriana and there was no chance of them finding alternative accommodation and Dani was the only one who could drive the hire car.
This story follows Dani retracing her her footsteps from that dreadful weekend three years ago, she needed to remember, Aoife's killer needed to be caught but who would want Aoife dead ? there were plenty of people with a motive, plenty of people who had something to hide.
This book has so many paths that lead to dead ends, so many red herrings, you can feel the frantic atmosphere, hear the loud beat of the music, see the inebriated dancers in the back street bars, this story also has an amazing ending that I didn't see coming.
Thank you Random House publishing and Net Gallery for this ARC, my review is completely voluntary.

The perfect summer thriller! The relationship between the women was explored really well and felt very keenly observed. Lots of tensions and twists made this a winner!

This is my favourite genre of book - a psychological thriller. And thriller it was. Written across two timelines, it goes over the story about how bride to be Aoife died on her own hen party. A really good story to sink into.

Three years ago, five women were out near Marbella for a hen party weekend that ended in the death of one of them. Dani, the deceased's best friend, has struggled more than the other three to move on with her life since the death of her friend as she has no memory of almost all of the night she died. The case had been closed as a robbery gone wrong, but Dani felt there was much more to it. All four fly back out to Marbella for the anniversary to celebrate her life, but for Dani it is in the hopes of bringing her memories back to find out what happened. The book goes between "now", when they're back for the anniversary, and "then", when memories are recalled of the hen party three years prior. Most of it is from Dani's point of view, but some parts are from the points of view of the other surviving women. They often have different versions of the events that occurred across the weekend.

Overall I really enjoyed the book, and felt that I wanted to keep reading - particularly the last half I flew through. In particular I think the book does the different points of view well, as it conveys interesting dynamics between the group and builds tension between them, as well as showing how people can perceive things differently to others. The plot is intriguing and fast paced. This doesn't quite hit the 5 star mark for me because I think I was hoping for a bigger twist at the end and something to shock me a little more than it did, but still a solid 4 star that I would recommend to anyone looking for a summer time psychological thriller.

Note to check content warnings.

I found this to be a slow burner and took some way through to make an impact. The premise was good but I am not a fan of the backward and forward timelines.. Just an ok read for me . Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

THE VILLA was crackling with tense atmosphere and a punchy racing plot. It features a dual timeline storyline following a nightmarish hen party weekend in Marbella that ends in the brutal death of bride-to-be Aoife, and the reunion that occurs three years later, as Dani and the other hens try to remember what REALLY happened that night. Gripping, fast paced and really well written. The perfect destination thriller - highly recommend!! 3.5 stars

I enjoyed this book. I liked the story itself and how it went from then to now, giving context and background.
I guessed the ending slightly early into the book, not all details obviously but it didn't matter.
I liked the characters and their different relationships.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another great holiday read. Very gripping and keeps you invested and involved right to the very end. Fast paced with twists and turns. Really enjoyed it.

I've just finished reading this book after only one sitting. I was a bit dubious as it was a then and now book, but I need not have worried. It told the plot in the current time, with what had happened at the same time 3 years before and it flowed together seamlessly. The characters seemed realistic to me with Dani desperate to discover the key to her forgotten memories and what had caused her best friends death. I really thought I had guessed who did it, but I was totally wrong. My guess had been a character who I couldn't warm to, but no spoilers!!

This was an easy to read summer thriller- perfect for by the pool, not too demanding (in a good wau!) It starts off with a death and then back tracks along a dual timeline, recounting the hen party in a 'then' and 'now' format I found I had to constantly check which of the females was the I/narrator for each chapter which was a bit irritating. It took quite a while to remember who was who and who hated who etc. There isn't any character development, it's plot led and involves a lot of detail.about nights out and hen activities. I'm probably a bit too old to really enjoy thst sort of stuff!. Overall a quick easy fun read.

An original psychological thriller written over two timelines. Dani returns to Spain in the hope that her memory of a fateful night returns and so hopefully discover the truth about the attack that resulted in the death of her friend. Unbeknown to the other members of the hen party they will be staying in the villa they were holidaying previously.

The Villa is a book I raced through and couldn’t wait to find out who the killer was.
Aoife is getting married, she is marrying Nathan, who works hard but has plenty of money, he treats Aoife to everything and drives her with her career to aspire to more. Her childhood friend has organised the hen party which is being held in Marbella where Aoife has always wanted to go, there are six of them in total and they party hard at Villa Floriana. The week is strained as the dynamics aren’t what they should be. Aoife’s friend Dani from uni is there and seems to be pushing Aoife to drink more and be wilder, someone else is there that doesn’t particularly like Aoife and then there is a break in and Aoife is dead. Three years later Dani organises a trip there to go to visit the grave but really she wants to find out what really happened seeing as she was in the same room when Aoife was killed.
This was a fast paced read, even though Dani is deemed as the trouble maker I liked her, all the characters were believable and the book was dual time lined and had multiple POV from all the hen members. I enjoyed it from start to finish and more so that I didn’t get the culprit!!
I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Three years ago, bride-to-be Aoife died at her own hen party. Now the hens have returned to the villa where that terrible weekend unfolded.
They long for closure. But the moment they step back inside, old wounds open and tensions begin to rise.
Everyone has a different version of what happened that night.

There seems to be a trend in contemporary novel to switch timelines constantly. It gets a little wearing and I wonder if the skill of just telling a story is missing now. The book is written well enough but the constant chopping of time slows the pace down for me. It’s an easy read but I didn’t engage with any of the characters. They were a bit wooden in my option. From a slow start the pace picked up so I persevered and the ending was not what I expected.

Fantastic from the get go, all the characters were very relatable and i got sucked straight into the story, the duel timelines helped add to the storyline and did not add any confusion into the mix, highly recommend