The Summer Villa: A Novel

by Melissa Hill

Overview

A trip to a villa on Italy’s Amalfi Coast alters the course of three very different women’s lives in this #1 international bestseller about friendship.

Villa Dolce Vita, a rambling stone house on the Amalfi Coast, sits high above the Gulf of Naples amid dappled lemon groves and fragrant, tumbling bougainvillea. Kim, Colette and Annie all came to the villa in need of escape and in the process forged an unlikely friendship.

Now, years later, Kim has transformed the crumbling house into a luxury retreat and has invited her friends back for the summer to celebrate.

But as friendships are rekindled under the Italian sun, secrets buried in the past will come to light, and not everyone is happy that the three friends are reuniting . . . Each woman will have things to face up to if they are all to find true happiness and fully embrace the sweet life.

An epic summer read about food, friendship and the magic of Italy, perfect for fans of Mary Kay Andrews and Susan Mallery.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781488081972
Publisher:	Harlequin
Publication date:	08/16/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	339,737
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Melissa Hill lives in Ireland with her husband and daughter. A USA TODAY and #1 Irish Times bestselling author, her books have been translated into twenty-five different languages.One of her titles has been optioned for a movie by a major Hollywood studio, and another is currently in development for television.   Visit her website at www.melissahill.ie or contact her on Twitter, @melissahillbks, or melissahillbooks on Facebook and Instagram.

Editorial Reviews

04/01/2020

When she was 31, Kim Weston fled her parents' home rather than marry a man they'd picked for her. She hid at Villa Dolce Vita on Italy's Amalfi Coast, where she met and befriended Colette and Annie. Colette, from Brighton, was there after helping her mother through cancer treatments. Annie, from Dublin, came to break with her wild past before focusing on building up her own salon. Now, six years later, Kim has worked hard to make the villa into a luxury retreat and the friends are reuniting to celebrate the grand opening. But none of them have had an easy path and each has an unhappy secret that's getting harder to keep hidden. While this book might look like a breezy read, there is quite a bit going on in each character's story line and mysterious secrets sprinkled throughout. The cast is fairly large, but not all are important, and the chapters alternate between the past and the present, helping to build suspense. VERDICT Readers looking for a tale about women, with the help of their friends, overcoming obstacles to find the life they'll love will enjoy Hill's latest (after Keep You Safe).—Stacey Hayman, Rocky River P.L., OH

Library Journal

Listeners follow the growing relationship between three young women who find themselves sharing a villa for a few weeks on Italy’s Amalfi Coast. Six years later, they have a reunion. Narrator Penelope Rawlins rises to the challenge of bringing to life a cast of characters with hugely different backgrounds. She seamlessly switches between the Irish, English, and American accents of the protagonists, even in scenes with fast-moving dialogue. She successfully characterizes the various male characters, never once giving any clue as to who the villain in the story is until the very end. Rawlins’s authentic-sounding pronunciation of names and places helps to create an atmosphere full of Italian charm, as well as suspense and intrigue. K.J.P. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

JULY 2020 - AudioFile

Listeners follow the growing relationship between three young women who find themselves sharing a villa for a few weeks on Italy’s Amalfi Coast. Six years later, they have a reunion. Narrator Penelope Rawlins rises to the challenge of bringing to life a cast of characters with hugely different backgrounds. She seamlessly switches between the Irish, English, and American accents of the protagonists, even in scenes with fast-moving dialogue. She successfully characterizes the various male characters, never once giving any clue as to who the villain in the story is until the very end. Rawlins’s authentic-sounding pronunciation of names and places helps to create an atmosphere full of Italian charm, as well as suspense and intrigue. K.J.P. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

JULY 2020 - AudioFile