Blog Tour (Review): The Summer Villa by Melissa Hill

After a few good psych thrillers, I was ready for something lighter, and I certainly got it with this book.

Right off, the setting drew me in. I would welcome the opportunity to “visit” the Amalfi Coast any day, but it was especially attractive given the current worldwide social/travel situation. The descriptions did not disappoint. I could picture, and almost feel, the atmosphere every time a scene took place at the villa. In fact, those were some of my favorite moments.

I also liked that the three main characters were so different from each other. Kim (American), Colette (English), and Annie (Irish), all meet at the villa in their 20s, each having their reasons (and methods) of being there. I liked Annie the best, as I found her to be the most interesting character. Unfortunately, it felt like there were times that she got shorted more details that she deserved.

Kim was the center of the story, as she is the one who brings them back together six years after they initially met. She describes herself as being like Paris Hilton, and that seems apt. She was less likable, mainly because it seemed like she didn’t do a whole lot of growing up, despite having more responsibilities. It was pretty apparent that she couldn’t get a grasp on motherhood due to her own mother’s attitude as Kim was growing up.

Colette was somewhere in the middle of the two. I liked her, but just as her character always put herself aside for others or tried especially hard to please people, she sometimes faded into the background and lost her self. She was the hardest for me to get a clear picture of…but maybe that was intentional.

I thought that the author did a good job exploring relationships between female friends. I also could totally relate to a place having special memories and wanting to recapture what made it so special in the first place. That’s not always possible, as it turns out. I will admit, I also saw the twist coming, but that is probably just because I read A LOT.

I did find it a little difficult to care about any of the characters, but I enjoyed just letting the story carry me along, and I already mentioned how much I loved the setting. Not everything has to be deep; sometimes, just a little vacation is enough. This one fit that bill for me.

AUTHOR BIO

MELISSA HILL lives in south Dublin with her husband and daughter. A USA TODAY and international #1 bestseller, she is the author of 13 novels, including The Gift of a Charm and A Gift From Tiffany’s. The Gift of a Charm was a USA TODAY bestseller. Hailed “the queen of the big plot twist,” she combines all the warmth and humor of contemporary women’s fiction with plots that keep readers guessing from page to page. Melissa also cowrites forensic thrillers with her husband, Kevin, under the pseudonym Casey Hill, featuring crime scene investigator Reilly Steel. For more information, visit www.caseyhillbooks.com.

This is the last book of the Harlequin Trade Publishing 2020 Spring Reads Blog Tour, and I am grateful to have been able to read each of these amazing books. Keep an eye out for the Summer Tour, coming soon!!!