Book: THE VILLA
Author: CLARE BOYD
Pub Day: March 17th 2020
About the Book:
One perfect family. Two weeks in the sun. A secret that will tear them apart.
Nora just wanted some time with her daughters, away from everything, in the stunning stone villa under the heat of the French sun. Lazy days by the pool, freckles appearing on tanned cheeks, laughter over cocktails on the terrace. She’s so proud of her girls. They might have their differences, but they’ve grown into confident, independent young women, with their own way of seeing things.
But when Nora gathers everyone around the table on that first night, she realises it’s time to tell them. And as she tops up her wine, her hand shakes. She knows nothing could have prepared them for what she’s about to say. But what she doesn’t know, is that hers is not the only secret…
A heartbreaking and totally addictive page-turner about motherhood at its best, and its worst, and the lies we tell to protect the ones we love. Anyone who adores Liane Moriarty, Jodi Picoult and Kerry Fisher will stay up all night reading.
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'The Villa' by Clare Boyd.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Clare Boyd, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture Anonymous.
Publication date 17th March 2022.
This is the second book I have read by this author. I have also read 'The Pretty One' which I would definitely recommend.
I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis. I am a huge fan of Clare and if this is half as good as 'The Pretty One' was it is bound to be a page turner. The synopsis also stated that 'Anyone who adores Liane Moriarty, Jodi Picoult and Kerry Fisher will stay up all night reading'. I am a huge fan of both Jodi and Kerry so am looking forward to see if this lives up to that statement! I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of a prologue, 38 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
'The Villa' discusses some topics that may trigger some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Clare discusses/includes a terminal illness.
This book is based in France 🇫🇷.
This book is written in third person perspective with the main protagonists being Nora, Libby and Emma. The benefits of third person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.
This book is very well written with the power to completely draw you in. The vivid descriptions leave you feeling the sun on your skin, the sea on your feet and leave you longind for more. The synopsis fitted the storyline perfectly.
Pack your bags ready to go on holiday to a stunning villa in France and not return until you reach the very last page!!
Well done Clare on yet another addictive page turner!!!
The storyline is extremely powerful, addictive and eye opening. It was very fast paced and many times I wanted to scream at both Nora and Conner. I couldn't read the book fast enough and was flipping the 'pages' until early in the morning. I was not expecting the explosive secret and was absolutely shocked and disgusted!! I won't say any more than that as don't want to spoil it for future readers but I was absolutely shocked!! It is getting harder and harder to shock me so a huge congratulations Clare!! Clare uses French vocabulary throughout which meant I had to use Google to translate a few parts but I love that she has done this as it makes it more authentic. The atmosphere and villa was absolutely stunning and I was gutted when I came to the end and realised I had to unpack my bags as I had genuinely set off to the stunning villa in France. This book is a rollercoaster ride of emotions from sadness to joy, devastation to shock. It is filled with suspense, family, love, loss, secrets, mystery, deceit and everything you could want in a psychological thriller.
Do not pick this up until you have cleared your schedules as you will not be able to put it down!!
The characters are absolutely solid, realistic and compelling. I had such mixed feelings about Nora from frustration and anger to concern and some empathy. My feelings for her were extremely mixed but sadly by the end I did find her to be quite selfish and definitely narcissistic. I won't say anymore as not to spoil it for future readers. I liked both Emma and Libby for different reasons. Emma seemed to be very head strong whereas Libby seemed to wear her heart on her sleeve and I could see myself in both of them. My heart really went out to Libby who was deeply betrayed as were Amber, Hazel and Eliot. I could not stand Connor immediately and that feeling remained the same, in fact it increased throughout the book. I absolutely adored Patrick who was such a loving genuine person and I also felt sorry for him when I found out a certain something. It can be hard to portray your feelings for characters without giving too much away and spoiling it for future readers but I have done my best. Each of the characters had very different personalities which worked perfectly for the storyline.
Congratulations Clare on another fantastic page turner and here's to your next success 🥂
Overall an unputdownable, rollercoaster of emotions that will keep you turning the pages until the end
Genres covered in this novel include Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Mystery, Family Drama and Psychological Fiction amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Jodi Picoult, Kerry Fisher and anyone looking for a page turner with a bombshell surprise!!
348 pages.
This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle via Amazon (at time of review) which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews
@ClareBoyd @Bookouture @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86
Author Bio
Clare lives with her husband and their two daughters in Surrey, where her little green shed at the bottom of the garden provides a haven for her writing life. Before becoming a writer, she enjoyed a career in television, as a researcher in documentaries and then as a script editor in drama at the BBC and Channel Four, where her love of storytelling took hold.
Social Media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clare.boyd.14
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Buy Links:
Amazon: https://geni.us/B09QCTBQ2Lsocial
Apple: http://ow.ly/QFx750Hum4a
Kobo: http://ow.ly/N4i050Hum2C
Google: http://ow.ly/Pjql50Hum8i
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