I love beach reads and this one is a fast, spooky read. This book had me turning the pages so fast to see what would happen. You will definitely enjoy this story that takes place in Italy. Many thanks to the author, Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Easy, quick read. Set in Italy, an actress trying to land and keep a role of a lifetime while balancing motherhood, caring for her ailing mother and investigating the disappearance of her aunt. Solid title for reader advisory.

This was disappointing. It promises “the moody gothic allure of Kate Morton and Silvia Moreno-Garcia” and that is a flat out lie. This is historical/women’s fiction, not gothic whatsoever. I got zero atmosphere which is too bad because the setting and premise are amazing. The execution just isn’t there—the protagonist was obnoxious and completely uncompelling and the narrative boring.

Set in 1960s Italy, the plot of The Woman in the Castello by Kelsey James revolves around twenty-year-old aspiring actress and single mother Silvia Whitford who travels to Rome as part of the cast of a movie that is suddenly canceled leaving her without work and in need of a place to stay. Sylvia hasn’t had much success in her career having played only small parts in movies and was hoping to relocate to Italy with her terminally ill mother, who is Italian but moved to the United States after WWII, and her two-year-old daughter Lulu who traveled with Silvia. But the cancellation of the project puts a wrench in her plans. With no other options in sight, Silvia contacts her mother’s estranged sister Gabriella Conti. Gabriella is a recluse who lives alone in a medieval castle, Castello del Lago, which is in a state of disrepair and is believed to be haunted by one of their ancestors. Gabriella and Silvia’s mother have not spoken for years and are unwilling to meet one another, remaining vague when asked about the reason behind their feud. When a movie crew approaches Gabriella to rent the castle to shoot for a new horror movie, The Revenge of the Lake Witch, Silvia manages to convince Gabriella to agree. Silvia also bags a lead role in the movie and the cast and crew temporarily move in. But Gabriella becomes increasingly agitated even insisting that the crew vacate the premises. Silvia tries to placate her aunt but tensions are high and when Gabriella suddenly disappears, Silvia suspects foul play and believes that someone from the production unit might be responsible for the same. Complicating matters further are the eerie occurrences in the Castello, the evidence of a gruesome crime and the fact that nobody, including the carabinieri, seems to be taking her concern for her missing aunt seriously. As the narrative progresses, we follow Sylvia as she juggles her work and family responsibilities, her budding relationship with a new flame and her search for the truth behind what happened to her aunt.

Combining elements of historical fiction, romance, family drama, suspense and mystery, The Woman in the Castello is an intriguing read. I really loved the setting, the descriptions of the castle and the Gothic vibes (not too scary but added to the atmosphere). Silvia is portrayed as impulsive and a tad immature but I thought the author does a good job of developing the character as the plot progresses. Gabriella is an intriguing character with an interesting backstory and I wish that had been explored further. The romance track was a tad rushed but I was glad that the romance angle did not overshadow the mystery. I enjoyed how the author describes the dynamics between the cast and crew of the movie and thought the characters were well drawn (even the unlikeable ones). The twists, red herrings and the build-up to the final reveal were well-executed.

Suspenseful and atmospheric, with a fluid narrative and an interesting cast of characters The Woman in the Castello by Kelsey James is an entertaining read.

Many thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the eARC of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

What worked: Intriguing 1960s historical filled with family secrets, a young aspiring actress, and drama set amidst a crumbling Medieval castle outside of Rome.

At first, I was totally engaged with the legend of the weeping woman and the cast of characters, including single mother Silvia who against her mother's wishes meets up with a mysterious aunt who just happens to live in the castle where a new movie will be filmed. I loved the creepy promise of a subtle horror novel. Only the story ended up being more about the secret of the aunt and a mystery that was very predictable at the end.

A quick read with lush descriptions of Italy which reveals a painful time during WWII that continues to haunt the country.

Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Books for access to this arc.

The book is filled with incidents which could be innocent or not. People have legitimate reasons to see Gabriella out of the way but these could also be mere coincidence or figments of Silvie’s growing unease and worry. The Castello is a moldy, falling down wreck which adds atmosphere to the film but which also creeps most people out. Everyone’s got a secret or two and Silvie’s long held habit of keeping people at arm’s length makes forging friendships hard. Plus her past disastrous relationship has her doubting that any men are worth the effort. Since Silvie’s is the only (first person) POV, readers are left trying to piece the puzzle together with her, jumping at shadows, and imagining all sorts of hidden motives behind what’s going on. That is, if anything is actually going on. Could it all just be wisps of smoke?

Clues are scattered around but there are enough red herrings and suspect though maybe innocent character motives to keep readers just this side of being sure they have things figured out. The backdrop of WWII Italy looms and flares up enough to see that in the mid 1960s, some things were still not forgiven and were certainly not forgotten.

Silvie is young and her upbringing leaves her with gaps in being able to deal with some of the situations in which she finds herself. She makes mistakes which I can understand but tends to get somewhat petulant when someone didn’t act as she was hoping they would. In one case it’s a pretty big bomb that got dropped and she seemed to think it shouldn’t be so hard to accept it. Yes, Silvie, I would call a timeout, too. There is a romance but it didn’t totally convince me. A HFN would have sat better with me. Silvie is a loving mother but poor Lulu is pretty much relegated to being a plot moppet. Silvie’s, Gabriella’s, and Silvie’s mother Elena’s relationship is where I focused. Too bad that the sister’s reunion and what they discuss is mainly offpage.

I had fun sliding down into a Gothic book after a long break and this one makes me mostly satisfied in how the misdirection was handled and the heaping helpings of doom and gloom spiced up the oppressive atmosphere. Just a few things would have made me happier but I will be keeping my eyes open for your next book.

The Woman in the Castello successfully combines:
- An Italian setting
- Classic Hollywood film stars
- A Gothic mystery
- Family drama (and long held secrets), and
- An engaging romance

If this checks your boxes for a fun beach read, I wholly recommend you pick up Kelsey James’ new novel. I may not be headed to Italy this summer, but The Woman in the Castello let me pretend for a few hours! Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy of this page turner!

Unfortunatelly, I couldn't ever get into this story. It has all the elements I like - a murder mystery, some old Hollywood charm, a quaint but a little sinister small Italian town, a budding romance - and yet none of these are developed fully to their potential in the story. There's too little time to focus and delve deeper into anything, so the mystery isn't mysterious (or important to the characters) enough, the film world of post-war Italy remains unexplored and its critique rather shallow, and the romance is there for romance's sake. It doesn't help that the main character swerves between being an actress that is level headed, knowledgable and semi-established in the industry, as well as a mother, and also being a hot-headed, petulant (seemingly) teenager. Although the book isn't always boring, and has its own charm by being easy to read and follow, it's sadly not a story for me.

Quote 1: “The castle is haunted, you know. I’ve made my peace with the ghost, but other people don’t like coming here.”

Quote 2: “She’s always wearing white. You can hear her wailing at night. When my husband lived, our houseguests reported that she visited their dreams, luring them to join her in the lake.”

Question: When you open a new book, do you like to feel like you’ve just crawled into a boiling hot crock pot of atmosphere? If so, then this book is for you. Right this way, your literary dinner awaits.

The setting: 1960s Italy.

The plot: Aspiring actress Silvia travels to Rome for what she hopes is her big break, but the film is suddenly cancelled. She’s broke and needs help, so she travels to a nearby town where she will seek out an aunt she’s never met, an aunt her mother has shunned. From the moment she arrives, things seem odd, even the air appears to change. Soon, the aunt’s decaying castle becomes the setting for a new horror movie, The Revenge of the Lake Witch, and Silvia has a shot at seeing her dreams realized, but what truths will be uncovered and what dormant family secrets will be reawakened? You’ll have to read to find out.

Why I Loved It: The atmosphere creeped into my pores. There’s beauty lying beneath the eerie surface of the story, a beauty that’s somehow both enchanting and menacing. I never felt like I was only reading a story. No, the writing convinced me that I was living inside of it. It’s fully immersive reading event.

Why You Should Read It: It’s primarily historical fiction, but the gothic elements are drool-worthy. Come on, can you really walk away from a creepy decaying castle, family drama, rumors of a haunting, and an extra dollop of mystery on top? It has all the things that make books great, that make books readers are excited to shout about.

Final Words: This has been one of my favorite reading experiences of the year, and I’m honored to be able to share it with anyone who’ll listen. This is just superb storytelling. Don’t miss it.

Fans of atmospheric mysteries, take note! This is one you'll absolutely want. Set in 1960s Italy, Silvia Whitford is a young single mother trying to get her big break in film, and finds herself cast in a dark movie filmed at a crumbling, damp castle that happens to be owned by the estranged aunt she's just met. The vibes with this one are just right, and it's a fast paced story with a terrific plot and characters that absolutely pop off the page. A little gothic, this one is moody and super enjoyable (plus it has one of my favorite covers this year).

I was very excited for The Woman in the Castello, and I’m pleased to say that it fully lived up to the hype. From start to finish, this was an enjoyable read that’s well written, atmospheric, and completely engrossing.

This novel is told from the perspective of Silvia, a twenty-year-old actress who’s in desperate need of some work and a paycheck. Some of her colleagues know about her mother, who has terminal cancer. What they don’t know about is Silvia’s two-year-old daughter, Lulu. Silvia is working so hard to support the three of them, but even when things go sideways, she’s always ready to do what it takes to survive, whether that’s talking her way into an audition or waiting tables at a local restaurant. She’s a hard worker, likable, and easy to root for.

One thing that drew me to The Woman in the Castello is its setting in 1960s Italy. We get a bit of the Italian culture and the landscape: There is some use of Italian words, a vividly drawn village, a crystal blue lake behind the castle. But moreover, we get a glimpse into the political divide of the people some twenty years after WWII. There’s a palpable weight here, with some families broken apart by taking opposing during the war. Within her own family and with some of her coworkers, Silvia must confront people who are bigoted, who bully others, and whose values seem way off.

This is related to some of the family drama in the novel. I love how Silvia is a caring mother to Lulu, but I can also understand her feeling that she must keep her daughter a secret. How would others view her, knowing she was pregnant as an unmarried teenager? How might that affect her career? Then there’s the sad reality of her mother’s cancer, as well as the many secrets between them. Silvia’s mother and aunt Gabriella have been estranged for decades, and though she quickly learns part of the reason (Gabriella admits to having been a fascist, despite her parents being killed by Nazis), Silvia doesn’t learn the whole story until much later. I was shocked at what eventually was revealed!

Speaking of her aunt: A big part of the plot here is Gabriella’s disappearance shortly after filming begins at her castle. I love how Silvia is there to film a horror movie… and it seems that her real life is a sort of waking horror itself. Why is there blood in the garden? Did someone hurt, or even kill, Gabriella? Then there are the accidents that seem to put Silvia’s own life at risk, not to mention the threats. All of this is compounded by the apparent haunted nature of the castle. There are so many interweaving elements here, with Silvia growing more concerned as different issues and suspects arise. The Woman in the Castello has the perfect atmosphere for this mystery, feeling gothic and potentially sinister.

The movie element is also brilliantly done. I enjoyed seeing so much behind-the-scenes of what goes into filming a movie, from the many different people on set (actors, directors, stylists, fixers, and more) to the out-of-order filming sequence. There’s drama amongst the actors (Terrence is a total jerk) and distrust as stress and passions rise.

Finally, we can’t leave out the romance. The chemistry between Silvia and Paul was instant. Although the advancement of their relationship seemed too sudden and quick for me, I liked the subtle buildup before and the development after.

The Woman in the Castello is a wonderfully written and engaging novel with so many interplaying elements: mystery, romance, family drama, Italian culture, career struggles, history. It’s fast-paced and an easy read, even with so much depth and nuance. I absolutely loved reading this impressive debut, and I look forward to whatever is next for Kelsey James.

I was immediately pulled in and the descriptions made me feel like I was there walking through Italy! Loved the writing style, I was gripped the entire time and didn’t want to put it down. I especially loved the ghost stories/spooky vibes but wish there was more of the ghostly vibes throughout, they kind of end in the second half and it becomes more mystery/psychological thriller focused rather than gothic mystery.

The characters were complex and well written with some great character development by the end. I was super happy to discover my predictions weren’t right! I was completely surprised by the twists, and they were done really well.

The ending felt slightly rushed and some things were sort of left unexplained/up to the reader to decide, which is more of a personal preference. I think the things could’ve been explained in a brief epilogue sort of chapter to wrap it up and feel more complete but based on some info I think I have an idea what the explanation was but I want to just be told sometimes.

Overall a fantastic read that I’ll be thinking about and recommending for foreseeable future. Definitely a favorite for the month and can’t wait to add a physical copy to my shelves at some point! I also look forward to seeing what James writes next

Highly recommend for mystery lovers, horror movie fans, old Hollywood fans, historical fiction bookworms, or readers who enjoy dark family secrets!

Rating: 4.5/5

I enjoyed this book, it reminded me of a Beatriz Williams novel, who is one of my favorite authors! I loved the setting for the book and the various characters. It felt like I was living in that time period. I kept guessing to see how it would end and I was pleasantly surprised with the twist. I always like when I can’t guess the ending. Looking forward to what this author will write next!

What's not to enjoy about a little mystery set in Rome in the 1960s with family drama, romance and secrets thrown in. Silvia Whitford lands in Italy for her big break in a movie only to find that production has been cancelled. While visiting her estranged aunt, desperate for a place for her mother and child to stay, another opportunity presents itself and as she becomes part of the cast of a ghost movie to be filmed at her aunt's castle. The history of the castle takes over her thoughts and she creates ghosts and a murder mystery in her own mind. It was a fun read for me - loved the location and the time period.

Have you ever had the experience while reading of “if I hadn’t read xxx book, I would probably like this one a lot more?” That was kind of my experience with this book as it is the second book I have read this year that involves the movie industry and Nazis and possible paranormal activities. Obviously I am biased in my love of Silvia Moreno-Garcia, but Silver Nitrate just worked so much better for me personally.

This book follows the filming of an Italian horror movie centering on our main character, an up-and-coming actress trying to make a name for herself and support her mother and daughter. I went into this book expecting more of a historically based thriller, and while there were elements of that, a lot of this ended up being more of a family drama as our main character, Silvia, meets her mother’s estranged sister, Gabriela, and ends up filming the movie in her castle and learning her family has a lot of secrets. There isn’t anything wrong with this, but it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for when I picked this one up.

My biggest issue is with the main character. She has a period in the book where she just becomes so unlikeable that I found it hard to care about her after the fact. This includes trying to guilt the guy she has been sleeping with to just be immediately okay with the fact that she has a daughter she didn’t tell him about and tries to make him the bad guy for needing time to process that. And then soon after that, she lashes out at her friend, Lucrezia (one of the characters I really liked), insinuating that she is shallow and untrustworthy for how she lives her life. I found it hard to connect with this character after this because she spent the book being so worried about how people would react to finding out she had a daughter out of wedlock but then didn’t give anyone else the same grace that she wanted.

I did love the setting of this book and really wish there had been more about the castle and the possible hauntings there as well as more about the film itself. Those parts of the story I found really interesting and engaging.

I would like to thank Kensington Books and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this as an ARC. Full disclosure, I an a sucker for anything set in Italy.I love Italy, visit often and am drawn to books with an Italian setting. I also love movies, and love books with a movie background. This had both! I liked the book. The premise was intriguing. It is set in Rome, and around Rome in the mid 60's. Cleopatra had just been made and Cinecitta was the hub of Italian movie making. Silvia Whitford is an Italian American actress. Her mother was an Italian War Bride. Her father is now dead and her mother is ill, and dying . Silvia herself is a single mother, of a 3 year old daughter. The 3 women come to Rome so Silvia can be in a film. Disaster strikes when the film runs out of money before it begins. However, another film (a horror film)is about to start shooting, in a run down castello, run by Gabriella, Silvia's long estranged aunt. Silvia procures a role in this film, but then, things begin to happen. Her aunt disappears, accidents happen in the castello ( long rumored to be haunted) and Silvia falls for the assistant director, Paul. It is a good book, but not a great one. The mystery portion is a bit formulaic, and the ending a bit pat. However, the characters are engaging and well written and the movie plot was also well developed.I look forward to more books by this author.

This is a historical fiction/gothic mystery set in a crumbling castle in Italy.
I loved the up and coming actress and the connection to her aunt that owns the castle where the filming is set. When the aunt disappears mysteriously many other creepy things start to happen to upset the film. It kept me on the edge if my seat trying to figure out the outcome

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC

"The Woman in the Castello" by Kelsey James is a sumptuous, gothic read that I thoroughly enjoyed; its page turning plot perfect for a long flight or day at the beach. Though billed as historical fiction (the setting is 1960s Italy, where the past lives alongside the present), this genre-bending novel is packed full of mystery, family drama, and a bit of romance. The author's descriptive writing makes the characters and setting come alive; I could almost smell the damp in the castle. It's a fast-paced read and was difficult to put down once started. The main character, Silvia, quickly won me over and I genuinely cared about what happened to her. I enjoyed being transported to a different time and place, and recommend this book to readers who enjoy atmospheric reads.

A young actress , Silvia, desperate for stardom agrees to film a horror movie in her aunt’s crumbling Italian castle. Then the aunt disappears. What secrets lurk in her past—and in the mysterious lake behind the castle? Silvia immerses herself in the part of an ingenue tormented by the ghost of her beautiful, seductive ancestor. But when Gabriella abruptly vanishes, the movie’s make-believe terrors seep into reality. No one else on set seems to share Silvia’s suspicions. What happened to her aunt. Why isn't her mother speaking to her aunt? The book is a blend of mystery, family drama, and sultry romance.

A gothic historical fiction novel set in a castle with themes of mystery? I couldn’t have been more excited about this!

The story is set in the 1960s in Italy. Kelsey James makes good use of the setting and the culture of the land to add layers to the plot progression.

From the dilapidated castle to the disinterest of the locals, the author engineers every possible path to distance Silvia and the film crew from the rest of the town. And it works to a certain extent in adding to her helplessness.

Silvia’s character brings an interesting perspective to the story, that of a mother who is ready to do anything to fend for her child but is struggling to find the means to a stable livelihood.

Moreover, her job as an actress also intrigued me in the way it plays out. You can clearly see that the author has intended for us to draw parallels between Silvia’s life and Bianca’s (the character she is enacting).

Up until the 30% mark, the story doesn’t move forward all that much. Then suddenly, many plot points surface.

But even after that, I felt that there weren’t many developments being introduced regarding the aunt’s disappearance.

My main problem with The Woman in the Castello is that even though the description of the castle, its interiors, the odd occurrences, etc. align with the gothic style, the narrative misses the mark in creating a gothic ambience.

I was hoping for the atmosphere to be dark and full of intrigue. But just like the neglected castle, it too is forgotten as various plot points and subplots grapple for the reader’s attention.

Considering that Silvia has enough on her plate, I didn’t expect to find a romance angle in this novel. Their relationship was something that could’ve been made persuasive if it had been fleshed out more.

I initially didn’t understand why WWII was important to the plot, but it plays an integral role in the mystery. And I love how Kelsey James has incorporated that element into the story.

Actually, there are several such topics of discussion that the author explores. For instance, the movie industry and how women actors are subjected to partiality. You also get to read about the repercussions of one’s political affiliations.

My top 3 favourite aspects of this novel are the aunt’s disappearance, the film production process, and the location.

There are more twists in the end than throughout the book – most of which were a surprise to me because nothing regarding them is hinted at before.

All in all, I expected to enjoy reading The Woman in the Castello a lot more than I did. That said, I like the author’s writing and hope to see what’s next in the works.