Set in a secluded villa in Italy, this slow burn thriller/horror offers a nice blend of family dynamics and eerie occurrences. While the pacing may test patience, the story's dramatic depth and spooky elements kept me engaged.

Where the book lost me was the ending. It was super rushed and a little too "girl boss" to fit with the rest of the story. Toward the end, it was comical, but not in a good way.

Overall, it's an engaging read. I would recommend it to folks who are into the haunted house trope.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Andi Arndt, and it was top notch. Very clear and pleasant listening experience. I would listen to more books narrated by Arndt. She was easy to understand, even when sped up to 2.5x.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC.

I’m currently planning a vacation and I figured, what a great way to escape: into Italy with a side of spooky! This is a tale about a family gathering in a villa in beautiful Tuscany - what could go wrong?

This had a bit of a slow build, but that was what really drew you in: little inklings here and there that might make you second guess what you were experiencing. It really built up the creeping sense of the dread of a haunted house. As things happened, I felt myself experiencing similar things; whether a breeze or a noise I could’ve sworn I’d felt or heard.

Having the audiobook version allowed a greater sense of tone and emotion as well as gave me better insight into pronunciations. I found myself completely engrossed and stopping what I was doing to just continue listening.

Without any spoilers, I will just leave by saying I really enjoyed this story and found it to be wonderfully descriptive and thought through.

Thanks so much to the author, Jennifer Thorne, Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the eARC audiobook of Diavola!

I received a gifted eARC of DIAVOLA by Jennifer Marie Thorne from Tor Nightfire and a gifted audiobook from Dreamscape Media.

DIAVOLA follows Anna, a young woman on her way to Italy for a family vacation. Anna has always been the odd one out with her family, even if she's a twin. Still, she's the only one currently single and the only one being questioned about her life and her choices. The villa in Monteperso looks like an ideal vacation destination, but starting with the taxi ride to the house, the vibes feel off. The strange night noises, the locked room in the tower, and the warnings from the locals are just the beginning as things start to go wrong.

This is not my first haunted house story set in Italy this year, but it is definitely my favorite! The synopsis includes a warning: "May invoke feelings of irritation, dread, and despair that come with large family gatherings." and that is extremely valid. I didn't always like Anna's choices, but I definitely sided with her when it came to her very difficult family. It didn't help that her family rooted themselves firmly in denial when things start to go wrong.

The haunted house itself had some good gothic vibes, but I enjoyed that the haunting did take some interesting turns. If you've ever been frustrated by characters who don't even try to leave the haunted location posing such a danger, that is addressed here! I liked the gothic vibes and the way the author created a sense of claustrophobia even with the beautiful Italian backdrop.

I had a really good time with this one and would recommend it!

Loved this one. The family drama was infuriating. This book made me appreciate my family so much more.

Wonderful narration!

A Tuscan family vacation with a toxic family in a haunted old Villa… what could go wrong? Diavola is a gothic horror that started out with a bang! We follow Anna’s POV solely throughout this novel and she is the black sheep of the family. Her family is always blaming her for anything that goes wrong while simultaneously using her as their jockey whenever they want. While in Italy, they use her as their tour guide, historian, and translator. When Anna arrives at Villa Taccola she notices the strangeness immediately. From the way the cab driver acts when dropping her off, to the feeling of being watched when she enters the villa, and even the voices and noises she hears as she’s dropping her bags inside and looking for her family.

One thing they’ve been warned about: never open the door to the tower… but temptation is hard to resist and soon the strangeness turns into downright terror. They flee the Villa, but Anna doesn’t leave Villa Taccola alone.

This Gothic Horror was sensational! I was gripped from the first page and completely invested in the story. I wanted to know more and enjoyed listening as Anna unraveled secrets of the Villa’s past. There were many times throughout where I was genuinley scared by the supernatural descriptions and I couldn’t read this book once nightfall came. LOL. If you enjoy books that include ominous descriptions, toxic/dysfunctional families, and gothic elements this is the book for you!

The audio version of this book was excellent. There is only one narrator and she doesn’t switch voices for each of the characters, as it’s all told from one singular POV— which I really appreciate. Her voice was perfect for Anna and it really helped me feel like I was listening to Anna tell her story.

The story and audio both earned 5 stars from me. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this audio ARC to review. Diavola publishes on 3/26/24 and is a must read.

My god… when I signed up for this book I didn’t quite know what to expect other than a haunting Italian vacation. What I got instead was an incredible thought provoking journey of agency and what it’s like being an “unlikeable” woman. This book was impeccable the entire time and great for fans of “good for her” horror.

If I could give this book some vibe siblings I’d go with Black Christmas (74), Sara Gran’s Come Closer, and Rachel Harrison’s Black Sheep

This was my first time reading Jennifer Thorne and WOW… I absolutely loved her writing style. This book is labeled as *horror* but that’s not how I read it. Yes, there were quite a few chilling, spine tingling moments. But I felt this was more about family dynamic, discovering self worth, and learning when to walk away from unhealthy relationships. While that may seem a little heavy, the author delivered in such a witty, fun way that you didn’t realize you’d just been served a dose of relatable reality until you stopped to think!

The author’s editor said this was “delightfully unhinged” and I couldn’t agree more. I’ve never read anything quite like it. I laughed, I teared up, and I truly got scared… I cannot wait to read more from Thorne! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I had the privilege of receiving this advanced copy as an audiobook. The narrator, @offmicandi ,did a phenomenal job! I felt like she delivered the story in precisely the way that it was meant to be read! Highly recommend.

The last book I read left me so disturbed I could barely function as a normal person, so I thought I would go ahead and listen to this. Guess what? it also left me disturbed.

How am I supposed to be normal when I am walking around afraid of ghosts and dead cats?
There were so many lines in this book that stuck with me.
I initially picked this up for the narrator. I love her! She did a fantastic job.
I was laughing so hard. The hotdog stuff was the best.
I love the stuff with the key too.

Anna is a treasure.
The ending! Love it all so much.

This was masterful. A slow building horror with a creeping dread. This book was such a haunting portrayal of toxic family relationships, and how they can poison our lives.

Anna attends a family vacation in Italy where they’ve rented a beautiful remote villa for their stay. She’s been dreading the trip knowing that she will have to endure her family and the way they treat her. She’s the black sheep and feels like an outsider in her own family. I couldn’t help but relate to Anna and the way you're tied to family even if you don't want to be. The way her family treats her is truly awful. They constantly gaslight her and blame her for everything that goes wrong. There were many times where I was so angry and frustrated on Anna’s behalf. And through it all, she was wickedly funny and held her head high.

And if suffering through an awful family vacation wasn't enough, the villa where they’re staying might be haunted. Strange things begin to happen and the locals warn her not to open the tower door. Diavola is an amazing haunted house story with the perfect blend of creepy and unsettling, as well as hilarious and unhinged. And that ending! So satisfying.

All the stars. This was quite a book, and it definitely went places that I wasn't expecting. It starts out as the family vacation from hell for Anna, solely due to the Pace family dynamics and then descends into something straight out of a nightmare. To state that this book is gripping is an understatement. Once I started I didn't want to take my eyes off the train wreck family and all the eerie stuff happening around them

Thorne presents the villa and the all of the vacation destinations with vivid descriptions and I felt totally immersed in the Pace family vacation. The atmosphere was always uncomfortable and the tension really went up when unexplainable 'things' started happening to Anna and the family.

Thorne's writing style kept me engaged and I loved some of the humor that was infused into all the tension. It reminded me of the enjoyment I get reading the humor of author's like Chuck Wendig, Rachel Harrison, and Stephen King.

Highly recommended and would be perfect for a spooky summer vacation read.

I listened to the audiobook and Andi Arndt was the narrator. I can't say I've listened to her before, but I really enjoyed the narration and between the narrator and the excellent story, this was one of my favorite audiobook experiences of the year.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an arc audiobook in return for an honest review!! This was definitely a slow burn horror, but I really enjoyed the tension and the build up. It really kept me on the edge of my seat waiting the entire time! I also loved that Andi Arndt was the narrator. This is the first non-romance related book that I’ve heard her narrate and it was amazing!!

Most people would look forward to a family vacation, but Anna has two goals for hers: survive and to not let her family get to her. It’s not easy when they always are so hard on her; her sister constantly makes her feel inferior, her twin brother (and his diva boyfriend) treat her like she’s a joke or a burden, and her parents always question her life decisions. So when they meet in a gorgeous, remote villa in Italy, Anna thinks she is prepared. But what happens is crazier than anything Anna could have expected from her family. There are strange noises at night, whispers from townspeople about the villa itself and a creepy tower room that is locked. Buckle up for a family vacation like no other!

This book was WILD! The creepy, constant feeling of dread that hung over everything was leaping off the pages (or, in my case, audio) and I was here for every bit of it! In fact, I started listening to the audio in the morning and had it finished by dinner time - it was just that unputdownable! From the very beginning, when Anna arrived at the villa, there was this menacing presence of something else being in this house. My heart went out to Anna; her family was so mean to her and she was often left out. And as they spent more time in the villa, it seemed like the house itself was driving an additional wedge between Anna and the rest of the family. The spine-chilling atmosphere played a huge part of the story, and the descriptions of Italy were SO vivid I felt like I was watching this unfold right in front of me.

Jennifer Thorne weaved a relatable story of belonging with a menacing haunted house tale. I can’t wait to check out her other work! Andi Arendt brought this creepy story to life perfectly on audio.

Thank you to Jennifer Thorne, Netgalley, Tor Nightfire, and Dreamscape Media for the ARC/ALC! “Diavola” releases March 26, 2024. This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

I was drawn to this title because of the cover and the book did not disappoint. The pacing of the story kept me engaged and wanting to know more about this haunted tale. There were points where I even had chills and felt like I was there.

Truly an exciting ghost story!

This is a great ghost story! It is atmospheric and creepy. It is also packed with family dysfunction that adds a little zest to this vacation gone wrong. I wish we had gotten a little bit more of Katarina’s backstory. It would have given a little more context to her eternal vendetta. There are also just a few points in the book that I found to drag a bit, especially in the final 30% or so. The pace picked up at the very end and I felt the story had a good outcome. The narration was excellent and added to the entertainment value of this audiobook. Overall, I did enjoy this book and I would recommend to fans of horror!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Dreamscape media for the opportunity to listen to this advance copy!

4 stars

This cover creeped me out so much, and in this case, it actually is a good measure for judging the contents. This is creepy in a truly delightful way!

Anna and her family go on vacation in Florence, and they stay in a beautiful villa...that has a terrible, disturbing past (and present, it seems)! As the self-proclaimed black sheep of her family, Anna is used to awkwardness at these kinds of events/gatherings, but not much can prepare her for what happens here. What's most fascinating is that like Lydia in _Beetlejuice_, outcasts like Anna are sometimes the best complements to creepy homes and their other worldly inhabitants.

This was such a fun read. Anna is a GREAT character. She's logical but also open to possibilities, she's creative (both a literal artist and an out-of-the-box thinker), and best of all, she's not unintelligent (I know that's a low bar, but if I have to see one more clueless woman in a horror or thriller especially...!).

While there are a lot of classic (and appreciated) known elements of this genre present, there are also some fun twists and surprises. I really enjoyed this one and will absolutely be looking for more from this author.

An extremely fun family drama wrapped around a ghost story, with a brilliantly biting disaster heroine and a satisfying ending. Excellent audio edition, too. Recommended.

Diavola is a nightmare of a story, and I'm just talking about the Happy Family Vacation part of it. With relatives like these, Anna doesn’t need any enemies.

Her sister Nicole, a control-freak from hell, is only one example. Then you add the malevolent spirit haunting their rented Italian villa, and frankly, I'm surprised at Anna's self-control.

Even before the random noises and creepy presence makes itself known, there is tension in every conversation, danger at every meal, and it reminds me how happy I am to live far from some of my own relatives.

The inevitable showdown comes with one piece of advice: don't get cocky when confronting an evil spirit that's been doing this for centuries.

The narrator was incredible. Easy to understand and when performing dialogue, it was done in a way that easily differentiated between characters without sounding jarring or cartoonish.

Fans of Rachel Harrison (I am a BIG one) will adore this story. The perfect blend of comedy, terror, and navigating complex family relationships. A horror story with depth that will make you feel all types of things.

Anna’s family was a bunch of chumps. They seemingly exiled her and gave up on her without putting in much effort to understand her as a person. Anna, however, was a queen. I understand she wasn’t your typical flawless character, but that was part of her charm. The hot dog photo?! Iconic.

I instantly wanted to read Diavola by Jennifer Thorne just for the cool cover and the subject matter- horror, ghosts and the paranormal. For the Pace family, it’s a double whammy of a toxic family vacation in a haunted house. While vacationing in Italy, most of their days have been planned by an overeager family member. You will want to join in the celebration of drinking wine when the family does because that seems to be the only time that they get along. LOL. Lots of strange, spooky things happen and the family finally flees the house. Anna flies back home early by herself but…Something follows her home. This was one of my most anticipated reads/audiobook. I finished the audiobook in two sittings and enjoyed the narration by Andi Arndt. Read if you enjoyed The September House or Black Sheep, share family gossip with siblings/parents or relate to RPDR Scarlet Envy’s catchphrase “Am I The Drama?” ALC was provided by Dreamscape Media via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this ALC! This was my first read by this author and I was drawn in by the cover.

What I liked:
The setting
The pacing
Narrator
Jennifer’s writing was too tier

What I didn’t like;
The ending, I wanted more
The labeling of this book as horror, the horror is very light and I’d put this more as a creepy thriller

All and all, this was a solid read! I’d read more from Throne in the future.