This was an incredibly atmospheric, slow burn horror, which is hard to pull off in my opinion. It was fantastic.

About -
Anna is the black sheep of the family, just trying to make it through a family vacation unscathed. The family is staying at an Italian Villa, but something isn't quite right, and they don't seem to be the only ones there.

Thoughts -
The narrator did a fantastic job with Anna's dry sense of humor, and flippant attitude.

The book itself took you on a slow frightening journey as tension and the horrors escalated day by day. I loved how it started out with little things that the family noticed, that got more and more undeniable. It was frustrating that the other members of the family wanted to brush off Anna's concerns until it was too late.

I don't want to give anything away, but I absolutely loved the ending. I thought it was the perfect fit for Anna.

WOW!!! I’m a HUGE cover girl and that’s all I needed to want to get my hands on this beauty!!! Tell me this cover wouldnt grab you and stare into your soul! Anna’s family is brutal…idk if I’d have her patience dealing with them! Anna was so amazing….how she handled her family and EVERYTHING else made me fall in love with her!!! The slight twists everywhere along the way were brilliant! I absolutely devoured this book! Loved every minute!

Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC.

Story: 🌟🌟🌟
Narration: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Overall: 🌟🌟🌟💫

A darkly comedic, unhinged horror story about a dysfunctional family. Jennifer Thorne writes of the Pace family and how their annual family vacation is destroyed by family dynamics and a haunted house. I enjoyed the humor of this haunted house story, but wish it had a quicker pace. Andi Arndt adds so much to the experience with her narration, but overall, I wish I was a bit more invested.

ALC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I'm so happy with the way Thorne wove this narrative, because while it could have quickly fallen into an annoying unreliable narrator trope, Anna always felt steadfast to me even during her unraveling. I was confident in her as a character and worried as the novel progressed pasted the point I had originally assumed would be the natural conclusion. The cast of characters all felt realistic and since they felt kinda like my own family I was right there with Anna in her frustrations, which only added to the experience. While I hope to not be going on a family vacation any time soon, I do hope another Jennifer Thorne novel is in my future reading plans.

I love Italy. I love ghosts. Italy + ghosts = a match made in heaven (or hell). The story was such an interesting concept and I enjoyed the Italian references as well as the dynamics of the family involved. What a dysfunctional bunch of people! There was definitely a build up of stress throughout the book until the final resolution, which I loved. I highly recommend this book to fans of books about hauntings that are a little different than your typical haunted house situation.

I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator did an excellent job of keeping my attention 🎧

4.5 stars. Thank you Tor Nightfire and Dreamscape Media for my free ARC of Diavola by Jennifer Thorne — available Mar 26!

Read this if you:
🍝 have dreams of vacationing in Tuscany (that you want ruined)
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 need a reason to appreciate your own family
👻 love horror stories with a relatively light tone

Anna is, unfortunately, vacationing in Italy with her family. They're each difficult in different ways, and navigating the toxic family dynamics is more stress than vacay. But she's trying to make the best of it, despite the strange goings-on in their stunning Tuscan villa. Why are the locals acting so strange around them? And what the HECK is in the tower room?!

Y'all, this was SUCH a fun horror read. I personally love an irreverent tone in my scary books, and Jennifer Thorne totally delivered that here. Anna is (despite her wretched family) an amusing, ballsy, easy-to-root-for character with a fearless attitude. I loved her. And even with the lighter tone, this book is still unnerving! Definitely pick this one up if you're a horror fan. Or if you need a little help remembering that your own family is really not that bad.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The only adult that doesn’t have a problem is Anna. I loved her and felt aggravated by the other adults (as intended).

A classic horror story! Lately I feel like I’ve had trouble with some of the horror stories I’ve read but this one was done just right! I was genuinely creeped out throughout the book and downright scared letting my imagination run with the narration. She was fantastic!

The characters are well done, most likable with the occasional infuriating one.. iykyk. At times I felt sad for the FMC. I felt once she let you in you relate to her. I was completely invested. I think even if you’re into horror or supernatural, this is one of those books that will keep you at the edge of your seat. A must read!

Thanks so much NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC.

A haunted Italian vacation story that left me wanting a main character with more agency.

Anna is the adult child of a dysfunctional family, who all decide to conveniently forget that they don't like each other and go on a family vacation to Italy. Honestly, this is my version of a nightmare already and we haven't even gotten to the haunted house part! Strange things start happening around the rented villa including doors and windows opening, a locked door to a tower with mysterious sounds coming from beyond it and an entirely missing day.

I like how Jennifer Thorne builds the setting. I felt like I was right beside Anna on this vacation, shadowing her as she experiences these strange happenings. I felt like the pacing slowed in the middle of the book, but if you like vibes in your horror stories, then you'll appreciate the time Jennifer Thorne is taking here.

We spend a lot of time experiencing the haunting of the villa and of Anna, but I wished our characters, especially our main character had more agency earlier in the book. Between the family being condescending and flat out mean at time (I'm looking at her sister who is convinced Anna is trying to steal her husband), and the haunting, it felt like the story was happening to Anna instead of Anna leading the story. I liked the ending. We get some real bad girl energy from Anna which I resonated with and wished for more of.

The audiobook is narrated by Andi Arndt, and she did an amazing job! Her voice is really soothing and she did a great job embodying the character and reacting to the parts of the story in a way that brought me deeper into the narrative. I am definitely going to look for more books narrated by her in the future. If you prefer audiobooks, then this is a good one to listen to.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this advanced listener copy

This book is best read while painting in a small village along the Italian coast. If you start to feel an invisible pull towards an old house, run in the other direction.

Loved this audiobook! The story was creepy, the main character was snarky (in a wonderful way), and the family dynamics were realistic. The characters were well-written and believable. Thank you for the opportunity to listen to this prior to release. I'll recommend it frequently!

I appreciate when a horror story jumps right into the creepiness of it all. Anna is a great unreliable narrator, which always gives a nice edge to horror stories. I truly felt bad for her with how her family treated her but she also wasn't the best person. The dysfunction of the family was perfect. And the ending is exactly how I like my horror novels to end - wrapped up but not too tightly. Andi Arndt is a flawless narrator and makes for a perfect Anna.

"Diavola" by Jennifer Marie Thorne is a tale that explores the complexities of love, loss, and redemption. Thorne's writing is evocative, drawing readers into a world where the lines between good and evil blur. The characters are well-developed, each with their own motivations and flaws, making them relatable and compelling. However, the pacing can be slow at times, and some plot points feel rushed or unresolved. I couldn’t find the rhythm. I did find this book evenly remotely haunting. It was more a tale of a toxic family on vacation together.
Overall, "Diavola" is a thought-provoking read just be prepared to be underwhelmed.

Diavola was such a great twist on the typical haunting. This might be my new favorite slow burn horror! I was completely intrigued by the absolutely toxic family in this story. I just couldn't believe how terrible they were! The eerie vibes were beautifully creepy as the family started to experience the beginning of the paranormal activity. It's been a while since a book has made me cringe and this one really did. This is a great book for anyone who loves horror and hates family gatherings.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

The cover alone attracted me! I listened to this on audio, the narrator was great, no issues whatsoever.

This started slow and took a while to kick off. It was creepy and eerie.

It is the ideal listen/read for readers who enjoy horror and gothic fiction.

‘The ghost followed me home.’

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

I can only hope our family reunion weekend two months doesn't have a locked tower room in it.

Anna joins her family in the Tuscan countryside for a family vacation. The problem is the villa is haunted. This was a fun ghost story. I liked Anna a lot. While Anna's a bit of a black sheep but it seem her family's impression of her is much different than how she actually is.

Excellent narration by Andi Arndt.

Diavola is a super creepy gothic thriller about a vacation in an Italian villa that goes horribly wrong. The main character, Anna, is a flawed protagonist and her family is a hot mess. When they all go on vacation together, it is not just the family dynamics that wreak havoc on each individual.

I highly recommend this audiobook to readers who love books about vacations from hell and haunted houses.

Thank you @dreamscape_media for allowing me to listen to this audiobook ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

(This same review was shared on the Barnes & Noble website)

Thank you, NetGalley and Dreamscape Media, for the chance to listen to Thorne's latest work Diavola.

Narrator Andi Arndt did a great job giving voice to main character Anna's indignance toward her family, her desire for isolation, and her nonchalance about her future.

Thorne's sharp wit and dark humor possessed Anna in a way it was evident would lead to the character's fall. I particularly enjoyed the interactions Anna had with her nieces because it offered an insight to a different, more compassionate side of her character. Whether she liked it or not, Anna's family added drama and color to her life that I felt was missing from the second half of the work. I really wish we stayed with the Pace family at the villa in Italy, rather than moving us with Anna back to New York. It also felt too convenient her family blamed her for every poltergeist/ghostly incident, then completely cut off contact with her. I feel the Pace's seemed like a "You're With Us, Who Cares If You're Sick of Us?" family. I mean, isn't that what families who weaponize big secrets you share in confidence are like?

While there were some issues I had with the plot arc, I think the writing style, characters, and the setting were extremely worth reading this for!

Hauntings are a favorite of mine so I knew I had to read this. Toxic families, haunted Italian villa, black sheep of the family, what more could I ask for? Did I mention it’s a haunted Italian villa?! 𝗗𝗶𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗹𝗮 was so atmospheric and perfectly written. I loved our main character so much, she’s flawed and unashamed of it and I adored that about her. This is the second haunted Italian home I’ve read this year but by far my favorite. I seriously have no complaints. There’s a bit of humor in it, which I really enjoyed. I listened to this on audio and I think the narrator did a phenomenal job. I am so excited to see what Jennifer Marie Thorne writes next. Many thanks to Tor Nightfore and Dreamscape Media for my advanced audiobook. 𝗗𝗶𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗹𝗮 will be published 3/26.

A slow burn, horror book with a toxic family setting. Anna and her family have an annual vacation. This year it is in Italy. Somehow her sister, her parents and even her twin’s boyfriend have a way of putting Anna down and quite simply being awful to her. Anna likes her peace and quiet. She likes to draw by herself, sit and reflect and be alone. This trip, she has no control over anything. Especially not the paranormal activity that is happening on the villa grounds. The descriptions of the location and the events that happen, are so immersive that you are easily transported into the story. It is so hard to rate a horror book without giving anything away, because horror wants to experience it on every page. That being said…. This is a must read for horror fans. Thank you Jennifer Marie Thorne, NetGalley, and Dreamscape Media for my advanced review copy.

Our main character, Anna, goes to Italy to spend a reluctant vacation at a large scenic villa with her toxic family. That should be relatively normal right? Wrong. This was a well done slow burn horror that blended with a toxic family dynamic and a haunted house.

This novel had me raging in the best of ways. The author does an incredible job of showing what terrible people Anna’s family members are (excluding her nieces of course). Her sister, spiteful, insecure and quick to blame her for anything. Always bringing up the past to constantly put Anna down. Her parents quick to side against her as well and her twin brother who talks negatively behind her back with his boyfriend Christopher. I’ve never hated so many characters in one book before.

Anna has to not only struggle with her sanity of being around her family but also with what’s happening at their rental vacation villa. The story starts slow and builds up as her and others in the house notice something strange about it. For the most part most of them ignore it but Anna becomes somewhat fixed on it because of the dreams she has. When her, her twin brother and his boyfriend Christopher open the tower door everything seems to get worse.

If you want a novel that will make you want to tear your hair out in frustration for how a main character is treated this is for you. Between the relationships between the characters and the increasing paranormal activity happening around them I was never bored. The main character was snarky and I lived for it.

Also that ending was poetry, I loved it. A fantastic novel that gave the reader a scenic view of Italy and showed the horrors of both being haunted and of a family vacation.