🌅 The Woman In The Villa, Written By Helen Cooper; My Review‼️🌅

🌅 The Woman In The Villa,

Written By Helen Cooper;

My Review‼️🌅

Written by Helen Cooper,

Blurb;

A holiday to Italy with my husband and his family should be a dream trip. Spending two weeks in the scorching sun, relaxing by the pool, sipping on local wine...

Two weeks of trying to hide what I've done.

When I meet Carmen, the woman staying in the villa next to us, I'm immediately drawn to her, thankful to have some normalcy against the intensity of my in laws. I didn't expect to tell her my biggest secret, one that could tear my whole life apart.

But when I return the next day to beg Carmen not to tell a soul, the house is completely empty, and she is nowhere to be found.

Who was the woman in the villa? Why was she there? Who have I told my darkest secret to?

My Review;

Following my last read, - which was good, but had a lot to keep up with, a lot of people involved, & a lot of goings' on, - this was a refreshing read that had me hooked from the very beginning! It was written in a very easy-to-read style, - which I love!, - & it kept a good pace throughout, & also, kept me guessing, throughout, too! 👌

The story-line focuses around Lola, the main character, & her husbands' family, = the in-laws run a family wine business, & have all gotten together for 2 weeks in a Villa on a Vineyard in Italy to mark the anniversary of the husband's mum & dad; Lola's In-Laws.

On the first night there, whilst Lola is trying to keep a big secret under wraps for the entire 2 weeks, made more difficult surrounded by her husbands immediate family, she goes out for a wander on the evening & stumbles across another guest, - a woman, who she gets to know only as 'Carmen', - who is staying in the second, smaller villa, on the vineyard, which is in view of the larger villa where the Belmonte family are staying.

Lola & Carmen spend the evening together, drinking wine, & laughing, & seemingly getting to know each other, where Lola let's slip her biggest secret that she's carrying, before awaking later that night, having fallen asleep on 'Carmen's' sofa, with Carmen assumably in bed. Lola stumbles home, only to end up having an argument with her husband, Tom, who then leaves Lola to sleep by herself that night, whilst he sleeps on the sofa, - but, back in the room, when Lola looks out the window, across to the other villa, she appears to see what looks like her husband; Tom, - & Carmen, - having a verbal altercation, & him placing a hand ancedotally on Carmen's arm, through an upstairs window, before the man closes the shutters. It leaves Lola questioning what her husband is doing there, with Carmen? What he/they are up to in the bedroom together? & just 'how' they even know each other?, & also leaves Lola second guessing herself, & what she believes she saw.

The following morning, still wondering where Tom is, - as he's not a round for the family breakfast, - & wondering just what he's been up to, & what he's hiding from her, - Lola also deeply regrets having revealed her biggest secret to Carmen the evening beforehand; which if gets out, could; 'would', rock the entire family, & so, after breakfast, she heads back to the other villa, to check on Carmen, & to ask her to keep her secret to herself, - however, - on returning to the villa, she's suprised to find it completely empty, & there being no trace of Carmen (The Woman In The Villa!) having ever been there, - along with the strong smell of bleach.

When Lola looks Carmen up on social media, only to discover that her name is actually 'Fern', Lola gets in touch with Fern's sister back in the UK, to check up on the woman, & to make sure she has gotten back safely, - only to then hear back from the sister to learn that Fern never arrived back in the UK, - she was supposed to be staying at the vineyard until the end of the week, - & her sister has been unable to get hold of her.

So, Lola is left wondering just 'who' the woman in the Villa really was??? - 'Fern', - but why say her name was Carmen???, & just 'where' has she disappeared to??? - as well as just 'who' she has just revealed her biggest secret to??? & what's the connection between Fern & Lola's husband, Tom???

Lola is left struggling to contain her biggest secret that would definitely rock the entire family, plus wondering just what her husband, Tom, has been/is hiding from her?, & wondering where, & why, Fern has so suddenly disappeared, with none of the other family members claiming to have seen her, or even known anyone was staying in the other Villa, at the same time as them, - PLUS, - having to contend with being in the midst of an awkward situation of being surrounded by her over-bearing In-Laws, & the rest of the Belmonte family.

When the police turn up a few days later, to question the Belmonte family about the whereabouts of reported missing person 'Fern', - it sets off a huge chain reaction of just 'who' is hiding 'what', & from 'whom'????!❓‼️

I'm not going to comment further on the story-line, as this is just the beginning!, - but what I can tell you is that you will learn over the course of the rest of the book, just how the Belmonte family are not as 'perfect' & squeaky-clean as they seem, or appear to be, to all that know of them, on their Insta-worthy social media!

A story of complete MYSTERY!, - Mixed with family dynamics, & BIG secrets that are being kept, - or trying to be kept!, - under wraps!‼️‼️👌👌👌

Based on a rating of 1 - 10, where 10 is the highest, I would have to give this read a whopping ⭐ 10 out of 10‼️⭐👌👌👌, = Was honestly such a VERY compelling read from start to finish, that keeps you guessing, with twists you won't see coming!, & was SUCH an enjoyable read the entire way through! ‼️👌👌👌 = I would DEFFO 'HIGHLY' recommend this book as an absolute 'MUST-READ!', & if you love a good nail-biting mystery, & a good Psychological Thriller, then this book will NOT fail to disappoint ‼️👌👌👌