Made me want to rub in the sun screen and glug from a frosted beaded glass of cold tipple of your choice. Absolutely atmospheric and very well written. Adored it.

The Villa is a novel with a really interesting premise that as you read raises lots of moral questions and makes you consider you're own view on what is a very emotive subject. Chapters are told from different perspectives with flashbacks to childhood.

The setting is a gorgeous villa in the south of France and the heat adds to the surreal nature of the holiday. The book is well written and plot well mapped but for me, entirely subjectively I hated all the main characters, I'm not even sure why they provoked such a visceral reaction to them but I found myself really angry with them at multiple points which made me care a lot less about their perspectives! This will be a great holiday read, I'm sure my reaction to it was entirely unreasonable!

A decent read. Depressing storyline and a super dysfunctional family. This one will not appeal to everyone.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60196448

This book description sounded good and I thought I would enjoy it but I just couldnt get into the story. Sorry but this one isnt for me

3.5 rounded up.

Two weeks in a fabulous villa in the south of France for mother Nora Fitz, her two daughters Emma and Libby and their various children sounds an idyllic prospect. However, Nora has some news to give her daughters which she isn’t finding easy to impart. What follows is a turbulent time for all as some of them learn things they almost wish they hadn’t.

This is a good exploration of motherhood and family dynamics. Right from the start, even before they’ve left the airport, the atmosphere is strained. These dynamics between mother and daughters constantly change as it does between the siblings and their partners. This keeps things interesting! Nora is the most compelling of the characters partly because she is flawed. You do feel the love she has for her daughters and grandchildren but you realise she’s not been the best of mothers. Some of the reactions between the siblings are a bit odd but maybe true to life. As the novel progresses it does become extremely sad and the author conveys this well. The biggest secret of all that Nora withholds is one initially I puzzle over but I think the author gets this spot-on as it’s totally in keeping with her character.

However, much as this is a book that’s easy to read and does make you think, it’s a bit slow to get anywhere at the start and some dialogue is a bit every day and mundane. Perhaps this is intentional as it provides a stark contrast to what the siblings learn.

Overall, this is a thoughtful novel and more of a psychological domestic drama than a mystery thriller.

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

I really liked the opening of this book and it’s started strong for me. I love a good British suspense type of read. However, it wasn’t before long that I sadly found my attention wavering. The build up to the flights and arriving at ‘the villa’ became a little dull and it just didn’t quite gain momentum for me again.

I absolutely could not get into this at all. It was a very disappointing read, and I just didn’t vibe with it.

I loved the premise of this book and eagerly anticipated reading it but I found it very difficult to read and I couldn’t connect with the characters. The writing however was flawless, that is the reason for my rating. I found myself getting annoyed with the main character Nora. This wasn’t one of my favorite plot lines but as I said the writing itself was fabulous.

Not for me. None of the several story lines (her father, music teacher, divorce, motherhood) seemed plausible to me to turn Nora into who she is during their holiday. I wasn't convinced...

“The Villa” by Clare Boyd is an emotional yet predictable family drama set in France. We follow three women - daughters Libby and Emma along with their mother, Nora to their destination, a Villa, in France for a girls trip. The story is told in alternating points of view. As mentioned,
Nora asks her daughters, Libby and Emma to vacation with her in a Villa in France as she plans to share some secrets on the trip that she has been keeping from her daughters.
The story is okay- slightly predictable, not a true thriller by genre. It’s a story of family, lies and secrets. I didn’t love it but I didn’t dislike it. It was just there. For anyone expecting a happy ending Nora asks her daughters, Libby and Emma to vacation with her in a Villa in France. Nora has plans to share some secrets on the trip that she has been keeping a secret from her daughters.
The story is okay- slightly predictable, not a true thriller by genre. A story of family, lies and secrets. I didn’t love it but I didn’t dislike it either It was just there. For anyone expecting a happy ending, you won’t get that. This is more than a beach read but less.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Dark and suspenseful, Clare Boyd has the next big domestic thriller with “the Villa”. A great add to a suspense shelf.

An intriguing read. Took me a while to get used to the characters - there are different POV chapters and yet they all have the same voice, so it's hard to tell who's narration it is. I enjoyed the story and read it quickly, but it fell a little flat and not much happened. The ending was expected and a bit odd.

The Villa is a great choice for those looking for a gentle mystery.
Thank you Bookouture as always.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the copy of The Villa. This was a quick and easy read, so if you’re looking for a beach book this is it! If you’re looking for a more weighty book, you can probably skip it. I never connected to the writing or the characters and one of the secrets is really implausible. The story could have been really good, but fell flat for me.

The family dynamics in this one was nothing short of dramatic! It was pretty twisted at times. The internal struggles and conflict of opinions of the characters surrounding the family member's choice to die with dignity was very well written and realistic. I found the storyline dragged at times, but It all tied together nicely at the end. It also had some really good life lessons throughout that made me stop and think. I liked the characters but found I didn't totally connect with any of them which was disappointing. Overall, a good read.

“The Villa” by Clare Boyd is a sad family drama set in France. In this book we follow three women - daughters Libby and Emma along with their mother, Nora. The story is told in alternating points of view.

Like other reviewers, from the description and the cover I was expecting something different than what this story told. The first third of this book sets up the characters and location. However, once the family arrives in France and the ‘big reveal’ is revealed, I kept waiting for more to happen. I didn’t really like any of the characters, though I guess Eliot stole my heart a bit with how he was processing Nora’s situation. This is not a book to read if you’ve recently suffered a loss or are dealing with someone with a terminal disease. I found this book moved slowly and, at times, I found myself skimming sections. While I understood Nora’s decision, I felt that it was a poor choice leaving her daughters to have to deal with the aftermath (by that I mean calling authorities, not speaking French fluently, paying for cleaning, etc.). I’m not a fond reader of pulling at the heart-strings books as I feel manipulated into feeling what the author wants me to feel, so this book just didn’t work for me. I'd give this book 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3 because I do think others would enjoy this book.

I struggled with this book. I wanted to love it but I thought the character development was sorely lacking and what I did learn about them, I didn’t care for. The drama was too slow and for me was a bit too predictable. Thanks for the opportunity to read it!

Ever wanted a do-over? Go back in time and fix your mistakes?

Nora Fitz certainly does. She wants to go back in time and ask people to love her for who she really is, not who they want her to be. Sure, she has regrets and secrets - that’s why she wants to smooth things over with her two adult daughters and their families by inviting them on holidays on her tab. The two weeks in the south of France at a luxurious villa turns into “a holiday from hell” for the Fitz girls and their loved ones. Can it be rectified before it’s too late? Do things have to get worse before they get better?

I’ve heard it mentioned before that one of the secrets of happiness is not to have too many expectations. In light of the past two years and in finishing this book, I’ve contemplated that pearl of wisdom (that I don’t completely agree with) and decided I needed to add to it…you can’t expect much and you can control even less. The matriarch of this family is a melodramatic mother whose need to control everything has lasting impacts on her family, who sadly discover that they can’t expect much and can control even less.

The significance of the Villa - Villa Papillon - was not lost on me! Papillon is the French word for butterfly and evokes a picture of metamorphosis. Did you know that inside the chrysalis the caterpillar dissolves into organic goop? The dormant cells, imaginal cells, with the future potential of a beautiful flying creature, are actually regarded as threats and are attacked by the caterpillar’s immune system. It’s in the persisting and connecting that clusters form and begin passing genetic information back and forth; they essentially become a multi-cell organism and a butterfly is born. As you read this family drama, watch for the family members' desire for change and the persisting and camaraderie that forms in an effort to become a united family. Is the tension merely the family ‘immune system’ fighting change? Can Nora, the leader, transition from ‘organic goop’ to a beautiful butterfly?

This family drama is centered around secrets and it transitions to a psychological thriller when the unthinkable happens. It highlights the bookends of motherhood and the lies we tell to protect the ones we love. Be prepared. It’s sad. It’s shocking. You’ll hurt for this family.

Boyd’s signature theme is lost innocence and secrets. Both are showcased in this novel. When secrets were revealed, life for the Fitz girls will never be the same again. You’ll have to read to discover if, like the caterpillar, heartbreaking change is considered positive.

I was gifted this advance copy by Clare Boyd, Bookouture and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

A sharp family drama, with amazing character development.
I hung onto every word and characters life as if I had known them.
As the story unfolds, Boyd's clever writing had me wanting more of this story.
Riveting and masterfully told.
A story of family, lies and secrets.
The suspense kept me on the edge of my seat. As I had to figure out how this one ended. And it didn't disappoint.
This is a juicy little mystery with a wow ending I never saw coming.
With an amazing amount of family drama in these pages this book will have you hanging onto every word!

Bookouture,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review closer to pub date.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book to review. I found this to be a very sad story and I have to be honest I found the whole book quite depressing. Nora takes her daughters Emma and Libby off on holiday to France supposedly for a wonderful family trip. After they arrive Nora informs the girls she has something she needs to tell them that she has she has a terminal illness . I really struggled with this book, I am an ex oncology nurse so it was not the main theme of the story I found difficult, it was more that I found the whole book very slow and the secrets held just really didn't hold my attention. I am sure many other loved this book going by the other reviews I read, but in this instance it just did not work for me.