Do you like peeling apart the layers in a really complex drama of a book? If so, you'll probably find Last Night at Villa Lucia impossible to put down. It gets juicy, you guys.

So we've got Cerys running a small seasonal villa in Tuscany, trying to get over a divorce. And we've got her daughter Lowri hanging out, trying to figure out a music career. Then we've got Zoe, her pedo hubs Harry, and their son as guests of the villa. It gets tragically complicated when Harry, who no one could stand anyway, ends up dead in the pool after a very lively evening of way too much wine.

It seems everyone, even the groundskeepers, could have a possible motive to kill the entitled old perv, and we spend the rest of the book guessing who put the world out of his misery. I didn't really care who did it, except that I didn't want any one person to be put away for doing us all a serious favor. That kind of set this book apart from other whodunits, because the finding out was interesting, but it wasn't keeping me up at night.

I didn't care for the characters in this, not particularly likeable. The story was mediocre. Would not recommend.

In Last Night at Villa Lucia, Cerys hopes her luxurious villa in Tuscany will be the fresh start she’s been yearning for after her divorce. Determined to turn her property into a success, she welcomes a new group of guests for the season. However, her plans quickly unravel when one guest is found murdered in the villa’s infinity pool, setting off a cascade of secrets among the remaining guests. As the investigation unfolds, Cerys must face not only the hidden truths of her guests but also her own painful past. With paradise slipping away, she races to uncover what really happened that night.

This book was a fantastic read with a well-paced story and great plot twists that kept me guessing. The characters were richly developed, and I never saw the big reveal coming, which made the mystery all the more satisfying. The lush, atmospheric setting of the Tuscan villa added to the charm and made the suspense even more immersive. Overall, Last Night at Villa Lucia was a thoroughly enjoyable thriller.

I'm clearly an outlier on this one. I did like the setting and a few of the characters. The rest of the book was slow, and I'm not sure I loved the writing. I had trouble getting into it. The narrator did a great job with all the different characters.

Last Night at Villa Lucia is a captivating novel filled with unexpected plot twists and gripping suspense. Initially, it follows the familiar path of a typical thriller, but the story takes a thrilling turn when a body is discovered.

The characters are well-crafted, and their interconnected relationship with the murdered character adds depth to the narrative. The web of lies and hidden truths woven by the residents of Villa Lucia adds a layer of complexity, making the detective's task of solving the case far from straightforward.

Overall, the novel is an engrossing and compelling read, showcasing the creation of a bond between two families that just met. The story's excitement and intrigue make it a worthwhile read. I am grateful to NetGalley for providing a free and advanced copy of this novel.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This was an interesting murder mystery novel set in Italy. The murder happens at about 30% of the book, and up to that point I thought it was going slow, but after that it picks up the pace and I got hooked. Listened to it in two days! Even though I could guess the culprit, I think it was well developed. However, there are some loose ends that were not explained. The narrator did a good job with the voices.

TW: I think it’s important to say that this book has content of domestic violence, rape and alcoholism.

This was a fun book to listen to on audio. It was full of twist and turns and I was surprised many times. Everything happens for a reason. The good will overcome evil in the end and sometimes it is okay to keep secrets!

“Last Night at Villa Lucia” is a decent pick if you’re looking for a quick, escapist read set in a beautiful location. It offers a blend of mystery and drama that can be quite engaging. However, if you’re on the hunt for a gripping, top-tier thriller, this one might not hit the mark.

I very much so enjoyed this book. I think the narrator did an excellent job and really brought the story to life. You won’t be disappointed in turning this one on!

The narrator in the audiobook made this book a pleasure. Her voices for the characters were not over the top as some narrators can be. The story itself is a page turner and an enjoyable read.

This is a fun and entertaining thriller that hooked me from the start. For fans of Freida McFadden or Shalini Boland, this is a must!

This was a wild, slow building, creep-factor thriller- set in a beautiful Italian setting!

I listened on audio, and I really felt the tension build. The story starts with a death- and the rest goes back & forth through time, introducing different characters, and making you very suspicious of them all! They all have motive, and they all could have done it….

Last Night at Villa Lucia is a non-stop thriller that will keep you guessing through the last page. Full of characters who are wholly unlikable (don't worry, they die), and characters who are begging for a solid redemption arc, you'll be drawn into their story and compelled to figure out who the murderer is. The setting at Villa Lucia is also a fabulous narrative escape.

Cerys, newly divorced, is the new owner of a luxury Tuscan villa that is set-up like a Bed and Breakfast. A fresh, new start is what she and her college-aged daughter need. Struggling with alcohol addiction, Cerys befriends her guest, sharing several bottles of wine one night. One morning, her guest’s jerk of a husband is found murdered.

The previous night, the creep had secretly accosted her daughter, witnessed by his son, Charlie. Shining knight in armor, Charlie saved the day, vowing to kill his perverted Dad.

The present meets past, it all coming full circle. Whose past is intertwined with the villa’s guests? Who is the killer? Who else knows that the young college girl was attacked?

𝓜𝔂 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼: Spoiler Alert!
☁️☁️☁️
Intriguing and kept my attention. I was SHOCKED when the murdered was finally revealed! I loved how everything came together and LOVED the fairytale-ish ending! Readers of Lisa Jewel and Shari Lapena will enjoy this!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Great book. Kept me wondering and I was hooked from the start. Narration was good as well.

What an incredible story!!! I was hooked from the very beginning. I just could not put this book down from the start. It was a great ending too.

Book: Last Night At Villa Lucia
Author: Simon McCleave
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Fiction, Thriller, Crime/Mystery
Places Featured: Tuscany, Italy
Review Score: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Review: A thrilling murder mystery set in Italy? You know I’m going to be all over that! Unfortunately the book didn’t quite live up to the hype for me, though it was intriguing enough that I finished the book quickly (it always helps when it’s an audiobook and I can get things done while listening).

The description of this book is pretty vague and doesn’t really represent the story in my opinion. This book IS about a recently-divorced woman attempting to restart her life in Italy with a villa in Italy, but it’s also about her daughter, the family that’s staying with them, the locals that have worked at the villa for a long time, and how all of them become suspects when one of them is found dead in the villa’s pool.
Overall, I felt the book was a bit uneven–the pacing (sometimes slow, then rushed, etc.), the characters (some more developed than others), and the storyline (sometimes plausible, sometimes over-the-top). The narrator was also fine, though this one might have been good with multiple narrators.

If you’re looking for a quick thriller and enjoy vacation books/books set in Italy, go for it. If you’re looking for a great thriller, you can skip it.

Reviews posted on Instagram (@travelbooksandmovies) and some posted on blog (www.travelbooksandmovies.com)

This messy, twisty, toxic, psychological and the narrator did a fantastic job bringing it to life.

The story takes place at a beautiful vacation getaway, Villa Lucia, in Tuscany. When the main character discovers a body floating face-down in her pool, She seems to have a drinking problem and couldn't remember what happened. It seems everyone has a motive, but who did it is the twisty tale of this story. It was well-written and engaging; all the characters are flawed and navigating messy lives. I liked the utilization of the mutliple POV which enhances the flow of the story and makes it more engaging.The story has a good pace and is a quick read, perfect for anyone looking for a thrilling summer read. There are some trigger warnings for rape, sexual assault, domestic abuse. and alcoholism.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for the audioARC.

The perfect vacation read! A whodunit that will leave you guessing to the every end, the author tying it up all loose ends with a bow. I listened to the audiobook version and thoroughly enjoyed it. I found the narrator very easy to listen to, even listening at 1.5x speed. A great read, but an even better listen!

This book had some really excellent elements and some really far fetched ones too.

I need my stories to be realistic to a point and this one had a few seriously outlandish things going on, it was hard to keep listening. I did though because there was a lot more good than bad,

When a guest dies at the villa, the villa Cerys owns, the one she is trying to make profitable, she can no longer hold onto her own demons and things start to unravel.

The writing was good, really good and the characters were all hiding stuff which I love. It was definitely a good audio book and if you can suspend your disbelief you will likely really enjoy this thriller.

3.5 stars