Thank you to #NetGalley and #bookouture for my eARC of #TheVilla in exchange for an honest review.
The Villa by Clare Boyd caught my attention as a thriller, which it is really not. The book is quite slow paced and there are secrets revealed that are hidden at the outset. It is a dramatic look at family relationships, broken and raw, with the added dimension of terminal illness. I would purchase the book for a public library and I do think it would have appeal to many readers, but it is mislabeled as a thriller and that is not the target audience for this book. I loved the setting of the Villa in the south of France. It is idyllic and well drawn by the author. In spite of the family drama, I emerged from this book with a feel of having been on holiday and a taste for French croissants and crusty bread. All of the characters are intensely flawed and perhaps difficult to like, but I appreciated them and was drawn into their midst through the story. The slow pace may put some readers off, but I would encourage them to finish the book. I am glad that I read it to the end.

Norah Fitz takes her daughters, Emma and Libby, their partners and grandchildren to southern France and they are all to stay in a lovely villa. She has her reasons for the family holiday - she thinks it is time to tell them something that she has kept secret. But who else has been holding back?

The focus in The Villa is very much on family drama. The story is told from alternating points of view between Nora and her daughters. Themes include the potential impact of behaviour, the consequences for those involved and family dynamics. A very poignant, reflective read with sadness but certainly a page-turner for me. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Bookouture via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion.

A family holiday, secrets galore and strained relationships - what more could you ask for ?

Nora takes her two daughters, Emma and Libby, and their respective families on a holiday to the South of France. They are staying in a gorgeous villa, the weather is glorious but all is not right.

Nora has never been the best Mum in the world and Emma and Libby wouldn’t be more different. Nora has arranged the holiday so you can spend time with her family and tell them something she has been wanting to share with them all. But as soon as they arrive the tension is high and things don’t go quite as planned.

If you are after a family drama book with some beautiful scenery and plenty of drama and secrets then this is the book for you. There is something for everyone but be prepared for some tears and heartbreak along the way.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

This is my first novel by Clare Boyd and I will definitely be looking at her other novels. I really enjoyed her characters and how she depicts a story.

We meet Nora who is going away with her family in France in a beautiful villa. Nora soon lets her daughters into a secret that she has been keeping and this really kicks off the story. This families holiday soon becomes something that it clearly should not have and many questions are asked and I was enthralled. I enjoyed reading about Nora and really felt for this woman who had a backstory. In this novel the issue is a deep and sad one, so I would probably suggest reader caution when delving into the pages of this novel.

The viewpoint is from the main characters perspectives and left me heartbroken. Even though not the happiest of novels, I really enjoyed Clare Boyd's narrative.

Thanks to Clare Boyd, NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest thoughts and review.

Sadly I didn't get on with this book at all, and after 34% I had to give it up. It was pitched as a thriller but it really wasn't at all. It has a few hints of secrets and I kept reading to find out what they were but in the end I must skipped ahead to find them out .

A family domestic drama. A mother invites her daughters and their partners to a stunning villa. As they luxuriate in the opulence secrets start to emerge. A heartbreaking, heartwarming drama with family tensions, sibling rivalry and shocking revelations.

I started The Villa by Clare Boyd with a completely different idea in my head as to the trajectory of the novel. Family drama does not even begin to do this story justice. It went in directions that I completely did not see coming.
The reader knows from the very beginning that secrets are plentiful in this family. But there is no way of knowing just how twisted they can get.
And boy, do they get twisted.
The characters are well-developed and have depth that is hard to find in family dramas. They are not caricatures.
Emma is prickly. She is difficult to like which makes her character most intriguing. I think we are supposed to think that she has a good reason to be that way, but I didn’t feel that was entirely fleshed out.
It is clear that she is holding a grudge for her childhood. But it doesn’t become clear until much later exactly what she is doing so.
Libby is the peacemaker. In reality, she is the one who should be most upset about…things. I don’t want to say more than that, because that is a twist that I do not want to spoil.
Let’s just say that is one of the biggest “oh my goodness” moments I have experienced in a book in a long time.
And then we have Nora. The matriarch, the reason for the trip to the villa. The person responsible for everything that occurs.
She struck me as an enigma. We are told her history, but I am not sure that it came through in the character itself.
What was absolutely obvious, however, was that she lived her life on her own terms, and she was determined to continue to do so.
Again, no spoiler here. But the author has a perspective that may be shocking to some readers. But people who have parents of a certain age may not be surprised.
I know I have been cagey in this review of The Villa, but that is only because I think a reader should experience the family drama without any preconceived notions.
Clare Boyd has carefully crafted the story, and it deserves to unfold as intended.

The Villa by Clare Boyd was a great read. It wasn’t exactly what I expected when I started reading it and I was a bit concerned I may not enjoy it.However I had nothing to fear as I soon settled into the book and totally loved it. This book I would class as a family drama where some people are keeping secrets. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

The Villa follows the journey of Nana taking her daughters, grandchildren, and sons-in-law on a French vacation. The family experiences multiple shocks, with some of these being filled with joy and others painful enough to take your breath away. I felt like I was walking right alongside the family on this trip, and it impacted me more than I expected.

This book broke my heart. I loved Hazel and Amber's characters, and also the atmosphere of the French villa. The Villa went in a complete opposite direction than I expected it to, and it had me holding out hope and while also feeling deep despair over the heartbreaking revelations throughout the story.

This book was too heavy for me in a lot of places. I did not enjoy reading about talk of suicide, and it was painful to read about the pain Emma and Libby went through over the course of this book. I was also not a huge fan of the secret romance in this book. I felt the epilogue lacked closure and comfort, but that might just be my personal experiences conflicting with the text.

Oh my goodnessss... wow. Excellent storyline and I was beyond impressed with the writing style of this author! I really enjoyed the plot and the characters came alive on the page. Great thriller and the suspense was fantastic!

Ugh I couldn’t stand this book it was so slow! It was surrounded by dumb drama and the character were lacking. There isn’t any suspense, no big revelation at the end. Took way to long I wanted to stop so many times. Sorry not for me, just couldn’t.

The matriarch of the family, Nora, books a two-week vacation for her two daughters and their families in a gorgeous French villa. While the family thinks they are there for fun and relaxation, Nora has another agenda in mind. But she's not the only one with a secret to share.

Best go into this one with as little info as possible. This is a book about motherhood, parenting, family, and secrets - both past and present - and how they affect not only ourselves but our relationships with others. All of these characters and their feelings felt real to me and their various journeys alternately joyful and heartbreaking. Don't miss this one!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest book by Clare Boyd, always a must-read author for me. 4 stars!

The matriarch of the family, Nora, books a two-week vacation for her two daughters and their families in a gorgeous French villa. While the family thinks they are there for fun and relaxation, Nora has another agenda in mind. But she's not the only one with a secret to share.

Best go into this one with as little info as possible. This is a book about motherhood, parenting, family, and secrets - both past and present - and how they affect not only ourselves but our relationships with others. All of these characters and their feelings felt real to me and their various journeys alternately joyful and heartbreaking. Don't miss this one!

THE VILLA by CLARE BOYD.

On the surface it all looks so perfect. Nora and her daughters, Libby and Emma plus their families, are spending two weeks in a luxurious French villa.
As Nora gathers her girls around the table, there are secrets to be divulged that will effect them all and change their lives forever.

This is a story of family dynamics, deep rooted secrets, heartache and consequences.

I was gripped to this story. I didn’t particularly like Nora, but I was desperate to read her story and to find out her secrets.

Overall, The Villa is an absorbing family drama, full of twists and turns and set in the opulence and beauty of France.
The reader is hauled through a range of emotions and this is definitely a book that will stay with you long after the last page has been read.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

With thanks to #Netgalley and #Bookouture for a digital ARC of #TheVilla by #ClareBoyd

Out now in Paperback, Ebook and Audio.

A family holiday in a luxurious villa in the South of France – what could go wrong?

Nora takes her two daughters, Emma and Libby, and their families away for an all expenses paid holiday. Tensions begin to rise before they are even on the aeroplane and atmosphere becomes electric once Nora reveals her secret at the first night’s dinner.

Secrets and lies are a large part of this book. Nora has more than one secret and tells many lies, both deliberately and by omission. Emma too has her secret and lies to protect her sister and her own family. Libby’s secrets are one she hides from herself and she too lies to protect her children.

The novel also explores motherhood. Each of the siblings has a different parenting style and Nora’s parenting comes under the spotlight. The relationship between Emma and Libby is explored and the shifting nature of sibling love and competitiveness is captured well.

The book explores some big topics but they are dealt with deftly and thoroughly, expressing the dilemmas of those who suffer either directly or indirectly.

There is mystery but it is more a domestic drama with twists. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Bookouture for my eARC of #TheVilla in exchange for an honest review.

This was an enjoyable family mystery. I had the impression it was going to be more thriller based but it was a good slow paced story. The family secrets and the trauma represented in this novel made it an emotional journey for the reader but executed so well. Though this wasn’t what I expected I am happy I got to read it!

Thank you @netgalley and @bookouture for the the ebook arc copy in exchange for an honest review!

First of all, let me just say: this book is not what was promised to me! The blurb suggested that this novel was a family-orientated thriller with many secrets to be revealed on a group holiday! What it actually is, is more of a family-based drama with serious terminal illness trigger warnings that definitely need to be more explicitly stated. I'm not usually one for spoilers of any kind, but early on we learn that one of the characters has cancer and is planning to commit suicide rather than die in pain or discomfort. Interesting premise, and somewhat accounts for the incredibly vivid imagery of cancer-related death, but I really feel the publisher and the writer should be more upfront about this for potential readers as this was quite disturbing to read at times.
To be fair to Boyd, the writing itself - for the most part - is thoughtful and emotive, and the narrative is shown from three different perspectives (the mother and her two adult daughters) which was a nice, relatable touch. When there was not so much focus on the deadly disease side of things, I enjoyed exploring the family dynamics and Boyd really did delve into the different ways our upbringings affect our behaviour. It's always particularly interesting when there are no truly likeable characters to latch onto, as I find myself reading in a completely unbiased way, and Boyd's multiple narrative lent itself perfectly to that.
Unfortunately, this won't be something I recommend to many of my friends as the content didn’t match the genre for me, but fans of more emotional tear-jerkers may find it enjoyable!

I requested this book from Netgalley b/c I’m a fan of the author’s previous work & I understood this was of the suspense genre. I made it over halfway thru but haven’t been able to completely finish it nor find any suspense🤷🏼‍♀️ It is a story center Ed around two sisters, their partners & their mom who go on vacation. There is something the mother wants to tell her girls & does it everything gets a bit confusing then. I also enjoy Women’s Fiction (who doesn’t love Jennifer Weiner?!) but this wasn’t for me. For others, who enjoys family fiction, it could be a great fit!

The Villa by Clare Boyd 3.5⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley for the e-arc!

Firstly, this book is advertising as being a thriller, it certainly is not. It’s definitely more of a family suspense drama. But other than that I did actually really enjoy it.
This is written as a 3 person perspective and I like that there wasn’t too many characters to focus on and it was easy to tell who was doing/saying what.
It follows a family holiday set in the south of France and the summer holiday vibes are really great! I loved the setting of this novel and it made me feel super excited fr the summer time. The family is facing some very emotional trauma throughout and there are lies and secrets among the family.
It is definitely quite hard hitting and an emotional read when it comes to dealing with terminal illness, death and suicide and rape so please be aware of that before going into this book. It gives a extremely important message about death, and why we should never be afraid of dying, and that we should always love our lives to the best we can which I thought was quite heartbreaking but such a powerful message to get across for anyone struggling with death.
Overall, it was a very average family drama read for me, it kept me intrigued to find out what the outcome of the situation was but it certainly wasn’t anything outstanding/ 5 star worthy. But great for anyone wanting a quick fast paced read!

This isn't the first book I've read by this author and just like a lot of the others I was very happy with this novel. There were a bunch of different perspective changes that take place which I wasn't a huge fan of so that made getting into parts of the story very hard for me as a reader. The book is all about a woman who is spending two weeks in a villa with her two daughters. That is when the mother (Nora) drops a secret on her children that has the same effect as a bomb going off. The news is a lot to handle for both girls and the rest of the story is how the family copes with a terrible news that they wish they never knew in the first place. Clare has a way of taking
any mystery and thriller and putting a fantastic spin on it that the reader never sees coming. Her books will have everyone talking I cannot wait to see what else she comes up with because she never disappoints, and this book is no exception. Great read and I'm glad that Clare continues to write because these are the books that make a reader for life. The only thing I didn't like was I found this book to be more family drama book than a real thriller, still very good however, not as compelling as expected.