Thank you Netgallet for the eARC.

Last Night at Villa Lucia just wasn't a book for me. I found it slow paced. The characters were very unlikable. The storyline itself was only semi interesting to me. Additionally, the alcoholic as an unreliable narrator has been not my thing. The setting is nice, and the author does a fine job describing the Tuscan countryside. Not one of my picks for yhe summer

2.5 out of 5 ⭐️

I have a special place in my heart for thrillers that happen in beautiful locations. Thankfully, Last Night at Villa Lucia did not disappoint.

Here's what I liked:

*The author did a great job of describing this beautiful location. Imagine a somewhat secluded house with a fancy pool and lots of delicious food...yes, please! How perfect. What could go wrong? :-)

*This book has characters that you'll love and some that you hate. No complaints in this area.

*I liked the pacing, short chapters with alternating points of view, and the fact that it was easy to follow.

Thanks for the advance review copy. This is a great summer read.

Wow, what an unexpected storyline! As usual, I try not to know much about a book before reading so when the plot twist hit, it was startling but very powerful. I will say that the book could use a trigger warning for assault and domestic abuse. 4.5 stars

Cerys runs a holiday Villa in Tuscany. She had originally run it with her husband, however they separated and he moved back to London. Cerys now has her daughter staying with her for a bit. Zoe and her husband come to stay with their son Charlie.
At first I had to work a bit to remember all the characters. Once I got it all in my head really enjoyed this book. It dealt with some difficult issues in an appropriate way.

I’m not able to read this and I shouldn’t be punished on my review ratio. This book keeps giving me “not authorized” error message when I try to download.

I have read all Simon McCleave's books so thought I would give this a go it is a standalone "Last Night at the Villa Lucia" It's set in Tuscany where people go to have a lovely holiday.
The book starts with Cerys who is an ex alcholic who runs the villa living the quiet life with her teenage daughter.
Guests Harry, Zoe and Charlie turn up and everything changes. Cerys finds a body floating in the pool and calls the police in which starts a serious of events about who done it and why.
There are a few different narrators of the story which keeps a reader interested and the research and detail of the book makes it an amazing read. Thank you for advanced copy.

"Last Night at Villa Lucia" by Simon McCleave is an engaging thriller set in the picturesque region of Tuscany. The captivating cover and intriguing blurb initially drew me in, and the well-crafted story kept me hooked. The writing is fluid, maintaining a brisk pace throughout.

The plot centers on Cerys, the alcoholic owner of Villa Lucia, a Tuscan vacation retreat where she tries to escape her past and forget her abusive ex-husband. Her daughter, Lowri, an aspiring musician, is staying with her while figuring out her next steps. The villa's caretakers, Lucia and her ex-Mafioso husband Lorenzo, add depth to the setting. The guests include Zoe, Harry, and their son Charlie. When a body is discovered in the pool, the police suspect foul play. The victim was widely disliked, making everyone at the villa a suspect.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story. The narrative shifts between Cerys' first-person perspective and the third-person perspectives of other characters, with flashbacks providing context for the present events. The book tackles themes such as alcoholism, toxic and abusive relationships, and controlling men. The characters are well-developed and multi-dimensional; some I liked, others I didn't. The culprit's identity surprised me, as I couldn't guess who it was.

The opening line sold me immediately. The plot is well-constructed, with carefully placed clues and twists that make it a compelling read. My only gripe was the depiction of drug use among the younger characters. Apart from that, the storyline is easy to follow, and the author does a fantastic job of setting the scene. This was my first book by Simon McCleave, but it certainly won’t be my last. I recommend it to thriller enthusiasts and those who enjoy stories of characters overcoming life's challenges. It’s the perfect summer read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book had me gripped from early on. The characters that were believable, the plot was great and it all maintained a good pace.

The book does deal with some difficult issues including serial assault, rape and domestic abuse so please be advised.

Thanks Netgalley!

This story had me hooked from the start. Well written characters and a good twist. This is perfect for that summer lazy read. A story that isn't so easy that it insults your intelligence but is a relaxing read all the same. It also tackles domestic abuse and the effects it has on the entire family.
I will definitely be checking out more books by this author.

I thoroughly enjoyed this twisty psychological thriller set in idyllic Tuscany. I found the characters well developed, and although you get a feel for who is good and who is evil, I was left guessing til the very end who exactly was involved in the mysterious death at the pool. I really enjoyed the authors writing style and will definitely seek out other books by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Last Night at Villa Lucia is a psychological thriller set at a beautiful Tuscan villa. The book follows two families, and the story is told through multiple POVs. Cerys owns the villa and lives there with her daughter. Zoe, her husband, and her son are staying at the villa for a much-needed holiday. When a body is discovered in the villa's pool, everyone is a suspect, including Lucia and Lorenzo, the couple that live at the villa and help with upkeep. The once peaceful country home is now crowded with police, and everyone seems to be hiding something.

Last Night at Villa Lucia just wasn't a book for me. I found the pacing slow, and the majority of the characters are extremely unlikable. In fact, the only character I even remotely liked was Lucia. I enjoyed her chapters and related to her complex feelings for Cerys. I didn't find the mystery overly interesting, and the ending was quite predictable. Additionally, the alcoholic as an unreliable narrator has been overdone in thrillers recently. The setting is nice, and the author does a fine job describing the villa and the Tuscan countryside. While I definitely think that some readers will enjoy Last Night at Villa Lucia, it just wasn't for me.

Book Title: Last Night at the Villa Lucia
Author: Simon McCleave
Publisher: Storm Publishing
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: July 26, 2024
My Rating: 4.4
Pages: 334

Recently divorced Cerys Williams thought buying the luxury Villa Lucia in Tuscan and renting rooms for a beautiful vacation getaway would give her the fresh start she needs. However now nearly a year later, she is still struggling a lot has to do with alcoholism-that she won’t admit and yes she has concerns about making Villa Lucia a success.

Guest from London - Zoe, her husband Harry and son Charlie are due to arrive and caretakers Lucia and Lorenzo DeNardi are very busy preparing for their arrival. .
Harry has been increasingly stressed which is affecting their marriage as well as his relationship with their son. Zoe hope is that a vacation at the beautiful Villa with change things.
However at dinner Harry is rude an insulting to everyone including Lorenzo who prepared a delicious meal; Harry storms off saying he is going to go for a smoke. He returns much later but shows up in Lowri’s room and sexually attacks her. Charlie saw him go to Lowri’s room and pulls his dad off her.
The next morning, Harry’s body is found floating in the villa's infinity pool.
The suspects include Cerys’ daughter Lowri, as well as both wife Zoe, son Charlie, even Lorenzo and Lucia.

I was drawn to this as it has such a Great cover, and figured it would be a basic whodunit. However it was much more.
In fact, in author, Simon McCleary’s - “A Letter From the Author’ He states he set out to write a whodunit but wanted to explore a darker theme of toxic masculinity, alcoholism as well as abusive relationships- as he has personal experience in all three. He goes on to say that more than half of the children who lived with domestic abuse developed PTSD and often turned to addiction.
He also states although he wanted to explore these subjects he wanted to be honest but also sensitive with compassion.
I believe he did achieve that.
Want to thank NetGalley and Storm Publishing for granting me this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for July 26, 2024.

This book took me a little time to get into but once I did, it was hard to put down. It centers on a 2 families as the main characters: Cerys and her daughter Lowri who own the Tuscan villa and use it as an Airbnb; and married couple Zoe and Harry and their son Charlie, who are visitors to the villa. You also get some chapters told from the POV of Lucia, who lives on the property and works for Cerys. This might seem confusing, but it’s really not and all of the characters have distinct voices.

One of the characters is murdered early in the book and the rest of the story is piecing together what really happened. As the death is investigated, things that the other characters did start to be uncovered. It’s a satisfying mystery to figure out who did it, and there were some good twists along the way. I liked the primarily characters and felt like Cerys’s alcoholism and the dynamics in all of their marriages felt realistic. The ending of the book was almost tied up TOO cleanly, but there is a part of me that appreciates that and makes me feel like I don’t have to worry about what happens to these characters after the book is over :)

Overall, while I do think the book had a slow start, it ended up being a very good story and I appreciated the characters and the mystery. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In Simon McCleave’s latest offering, a wealthy family’s relaxing vacation at a beautiful villa takes a dark turn when one guest is found dead in the pool.

This is an entertaining read and true to the genre. The Tuscan villa setting helps this feel like a perfect beach read for summer; there is a level of escapism this atmosphere allows.

Regarding characters, they are a mixed bag. The narration is from multiple perspectives, which always helps create a layered story, and they are both sympathetic and frustrating.

The relationship between Cerys and Lowrie is the most compelling. Cerys, the owner of the villa, is a divorced alcoholic who poorly and unsuccessfully attempts to hide her drinking from her put-upon daughter. The anger stemming from Lowrie towards her mother is palpable and helps drive the plot.
The mystery itself is on the predictable side, but the addition of the caretakers helps to add a little more depth and intrigue.

There are several rough topics addressed in the story, including alcoholism, domestic abuse, and sexual assault.

This will be a good vacation pick for fans of the genre or author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

I would have rated this higher if I had liked any of the characters. I didn't like a single one, and there were many. It's told in multiple POV and was fast paced but I found myself skipping a lot.

A pacey thriller which deals with some sensitive subjects very well - the complexities of alcoholism in particular were dealt with very realistically and sensitively without ever being used as a sensationalist plot device.
Multiple POVs will keep you guessing and the author develops the characters very well throughout the novel. A really enjoyable read.

A solid 4 star read - easy to follow, poetic justice and strong female characters in an idyllic setting. I read this book over 3 days and it was a nice, easy to digest thriller and while it didn’t blow my mind it was engaging and still scratched that thriller itch. I wish there was more of an inclusion about Lorenzo and Lucia’s story as I found them so intriguing!

Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for the e-arc.

A good thriller overall although the ending felt rushed and too “neat” for the plot line. Deals with some difficult themes which I thought were well handled by the author.

fast paced suspenseful book with unexpected ending. love how the writer develop the multiple characters through different POV

I could not put this book down. It had me gripped from start to finish. The pacing was perfect for me.

The characters are so well written that they had depth to them, felt real and relatable. The Tuscany setting was beautifully descriptive, I felt as though I was sitting under the Tuscan sun, taking in the views and aromas around me.

Now, there are some quite tough and uncomfortable scenes in this book, dealing with alcoholism, abuse, rape and narcissistic behaviour, to name a few. On a personal note, I found some a little hard to read. I also felt a strong connection with the female characters and found their experiences relatable, but they were written about in an understanding and sensitive manner.

There are plenty of twists and red herrings throughout this story. I'd like to say that I worked out who did it, but I didn't work out a single thing. That's what I loved about this. It cleverly sent me down the wrong path every time. So, let me talk about the big twist. What a jaw-dropping twist it was! My whole body tensed up, I felt sick to my stomach when the realisation of what was about to be revealed hit. What a corker I did not see coming.

This is a must-read psychological thriller to add to your summer tbr. 100% recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for my advanced copy.

Please remember these are my honest opinions of this book.