This was not the story I first thought it would be but despite this it was still a good read. When their mother gathers the family together for a holiday she has bad news, stomach cancer. The family must face how their mother wants to live the final days

Nora and her daughters go on holiday to France with their families. But Nora has been keeping a secret and this is the perfect opportunity to reveal the truth. Are they all brave enough to deal with the consequences....?
The Villa is a family drama novel based in a French villa.
Nora has some devastating news as well as secrets from the past but is determined to finally tell her daughters Libby and Emma the truth. The relationships between the women is explored intensely. Things have been strained between them for a long time but the love is never in doubt. The daughters' husbands throw another dynamic into the drama and adds to the tension.
The pace of the book is quite slow especially at the beginning. The book is written from multiple perspectives and this shows their reactions to the plot developments as well as showing us angles that other characters are not aware of. Nora backtracks and tells her daughters different things so each needs to unravel the truth.
Each of the three women has different vulnerabilities and their personalities are clearly defined through the multiple perspectives. Their unhappiness is portrayed realistically and there is plenty of emotion as the plot progresses. There are twists but these are sad rather than surprising. Nora's first person perspective is achingly vulnerable and raw.
The Villa is an enjoyable but emotional novel about love within a family and all the dramas that lead from those relationships.

Spoiler alert. Updated review: finished it last night, updated to 2 stars. I ended up liking the daughters,
Libby & Emma and the grandchildren, BUT THE MOTHER & the daughter’s boyfriend (Connor) are DESPICABLE. The mothers past does not excuse her behavior. Her actions towards her grandson Elliot were horrific child abuse. Depressing book…I hated it.
The plot, the setting were so promising, but so far I can’t relate to any of the characters, the mom is despicable, the daughters unlikeable, the son in law..meh. The grandchildren…..mentioned but ever really know them. The boyfriend a despicable low life ( who sleeps with his girlfriends mother).

Can’t still recover from this book! So good. Complete review will be posted on my Goodreads account. Either way, I enjoyed this.

Cheers to Netgalley for the copy!

Had me gripped from the start, great plot.

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

This book was pretty good. The plot centers around a woman named Nora who is spending time with her family, including her two daughters, in a French villa. However, their getaway is anything but perfect as Nora has a secret she must tell her family, a secret that is sure to be devastating. Although this book was not exactly what I expected, I still enjoyed it for the most part. I like that the novel focused on family dynamics, and how they can be very strained at times. I did not like that the beginning of the novel was slow, but it definitely picked up pretty fast. I think a lot of people will enjoy this book, especially those of us who love psychological dramas.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this novel!

3 for neutral, was unable to access my netgalley account for months, until today. Because of this, I was unable to see which books I needed to read. I apologize for the inconvenience and hopefully will not have any more issues in future.

A real page turner with great characters and menacing undertone… Loved the atmospheric descriptions of the setting. recommended! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I really enjoyed this book. It was gripping right from the very start, intense, jumpy and twisty. Would definitely recommend.

I have a lot of mixed feelings about The Villa. On one hand, this really held my attention and I couldn't wait to see how things would play out. On the other hand, I was a bit disappointed with the convenient ending and felt it didn't match the rest of the books energy. However, I did enjoy the ending at the funeral. I thought the characters were incredibly interesting and I would have liked even a bit more from each of them. The grandma was such an interesting character and her relationship with Connor really threw me for a loop when it was revealed that's who she was writing to. I thought his exit from the novel was cowardly, which fit his character, but also too abrupt and without any drama. I would have liked this to be written differently and more dramatically.

Overall, I enjoyed where this book went and thought it had some powerful lessons.

When I first saw this book I felt it was going to be a thriller. It really wasnt and ended up being more of a drama. The secrets were shocking but I just didnt feel the book.

The book was very well written and flowed well. The plot was great. Everything I thought it would be from the description . Not quite the thriller but great all the same

The front cover looked appealing, and this was initially labeled as mystery/thriller. But this was more a family drama between a mother and two daughters.

Not what I was expecting, I couldn't really get into it.

First off I've got to say I think even though this is marketed as a thriller genre, personally I'd say it is more of a family drama.

This is a book that explores just how experiences in life shape us and how secrets can destroy everything and everyone around us.

The is a story of heartbreak and emotion at its greatest.

Two weeks in an idyllic villa in the South of France for Nira, her two daughters Libby and Emma and their children sounds like paradise but Nora needs to deliver some news to her family that will surely change the dynamics of their family.

Its obvious from the very beginning that Nora hasn't been the best mother and relationships with her daughters is strained but throughout the whole story the love for her grandchildren shines through.

Whilst at times it can be slow and rather mundane, this is true to life. Not everything is su shine and Rose's full of excitement and the author has done a brilliant job at conveying this.

A heartwrenching tale that is easy to read and relate to.

With thanks to netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC.

Wonderful. Another beautiful and fast paced story by this incredible author. I loved this one so much. Haunting. A thought provoking tale.

I really wanted to love this one but unfortunately it fell a bit flat for me.

After learning about Nora’s secret that she needed to tell her daughters, I couldn’t get past her awful behaviour. I found it unforgivable and despicable in all honesty. Her daughters were saints for forgiving her.

I didn’t quite understand what the secret was in her diary and I think whatever it was shaped her whole life.

Connor was a terrible person; selfish, self centred and a coward and he didn’t have the courage to face up to what he’d done.

This wasn’t so much about the villa but about very disjointed families and their troubles at the heart of them.

Even though the description says its a thriller, the book is more like an ensemble family drama - a summer simmering with secrets. and I loved most of it. The characters well-rounded and the book is readable, keeps you guessing and makes you think. Quite an enjoyable read!

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review*

More a family drama than a suspense thriller, but enjoyable regardless. I would definitely read another book by Clare Boyd.

Nora just wanted some time with her daughters, away from everything, in the stunning stone villa under the heat of the French sun. Lazy days by the pool, freckles appearing on tanned cheeks, laughter over cocktails on the terrace. She’s so proud of her girls. They might have their differences, but they’ve grown into confident, independent young women, with their own way of seeing things.



But when Nora gathers everyone around the table on that first night, she realises it’s time to tell them. And as she tops up her wine, her hand shakes. She knows nothing could have prepared them for what she’s about to say. But what she doesn’t know, is that hers is not the only secret…

A family drama/mother-daughter story set in a luxurious holiday villa in France. The characters were well drawn but not very likeable, and the mother was a very mixed-up character! However, we can excuse her because if the dire news she had to tell her family... Some important issues were raised around terminal illness, the right to choose how to live and end one's own life, and how to take into consideration the people one loves when making certain choices. Overall, I found the plot unbelievable, but nevertheless, an entertaining light (in spite of some of the subject matter) read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance digital galley.