Kim, Collette, and Annie- three women from three different countries and socioeconomic situations meet at a villa on the Amalfi coast. They bond and then separate, coming together 6 years later. This is each of their stories over that period. Kim is the one with the money (and this is mostly her story) and she could be seen as highly irritating - she's an influencer who has transformed the villa into a wellness retreat. Give her points though for her business acumen. Collette and Annie have had their struggles but are coming into their own. It's got a lovely setting and if it's light, well, that's not really a bad thing. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. This was a good quarantine read but I bet it would be just as good at the beach (hopefully) this summer.

“The Summer Villa” by Melissa Hill is the perfect book to take to the pool or the beach… maybe even an Italian beach.

The three women - Kim, Colette and Annie - meet by chance at an old villa in Italy one summer all with their own emotional baggage. They become friends for the few weeks they’re in town together and attempt to remain close when they go back to their respective countries and lives. The book kind of reminded me of the Traveling Pants series. A few girls with not much in common strike up a friendship. No magic pants in this story, but plenty of broken hearts and bumbling through adulthood.

The novel has an interesting set up. The author not only flips back and forth between past and present, but also it’s also divided into three parts to tell the stories of Kim, Colette and Annie. I loved going back and forth in time and I thought the author did a great job of leaving off with one character and picking up with another in a different time just when things were getting good.

My one disappointment with the story was the pretty stereotypical characters: the spoiled and selfish American, the prim and proper British woman and the hardened Irishwoman with a drinking problem. Maybe Ms. Hill will revisit this story and give us an entire novel about Colette. I found her story to be the most well developed and interesting of the three.

Ms. Hill does a great job describing the Amalfi Coast of Italy and makes your stomach grumble with descriptions of classic Italian cuisine. And while it took a bit of time to set up three storylines and have them meet up again, it definitely picked up steam at the end. I thought it was a pity that all the really juicy bits happened in the last chapter or so, but rest assured it was worth the wait to see how it all played out.

Review will be posted on 4/21/2020

Kim Weston has lived a privileged life, but all this privilege comes at a cost. Her parents have pretty much arranged her marriage to man whom she doesn't want to marry. So, she took control of her life and left for the Amalfi Coast. While there, Kim befriends Collette and Annie and forms a lifelong friendship with them. After the girls leave and go back to their lives, she decides to stay in Italy and refurbish a villa on the coast. She has plans to turn it into a gorgeous luxury resort. Fast forward a few years later when she is done remodeling the resort, she invites Collette and Annie back to Villa Dolce Vita for its grand opening. What could be more perfect than gorgeous days spent looking at the beautiful views of the coast amidst lemon trees and intoxicating bougainvillea? Well, plans never go exactly as one hopes, right? Each woman has issues they are harboring and must face. This will be one trip that all three women will remember. The Summer Villa by Melissa Hill is a great escape to the Amalfi Coast and is a delightful tale about female friendship.

There are three women that The Summer Villa focuses on: Kim, Collette, and Annie. As mentioned, Kim is restarting her life on the Amalfi Coast by refurbishing a crumbling villa and turning it into a gorgeous escape. She has moved on from her New York life controlled by her family. She now has a husband and a young daughter and from he outside her life looks perfect. However, Kim is still pretty egocentric and in turn, hasn't really taken to motherhood. This guilt she carries has become a heavy burden. So, she has some problems that she must address. Colette, from England, has her own issues, especially after dealing with her mother's illness. Lastly, there's Annie from Dublin, who was given a wonderful gift to restart her life and is opening her own salon. Each of these three women initially visited Villa Dolce Vita to escape some aspect of their lives and are now reunited years later for the grand opening. This should be a beautiful vacation, but there's many secrets lurking just below the surface.

The setting of The Summer Villa is my absolute favorite aspect of this novel. The brilliant sunshine, the lemons, the gorgeous azure water, the rocky coastal views, the Italian food--it was all very well done and I was able to picture it in my mind. It was the exact escape I needed.

The Summer Villa isn't just your usual light beach read though; the characters do have to deal with complex life issues and there's bit of a mystery intertwined into the story. It made for a great beach read and one that made me long for warm days lazing in the sunshine. I also appreciated how The Summer Villa focused on the power of female friendships and having your friends help you overcome the inevitable issues that pop up in our lives. If you are looking to armchair travel this spring, look no further!

Three women meet one special summer, each trying to escape something in their lives. These three weeks will change their lives forever. The story is set in Italy in a quaint villa in the Amalfi Coast region. The setting is beautiful and as someone who has always wanted to visit Italy, I found it an amazing place in the book. The setting is very important to the book in my opinion as it adds to the romance. I could picture myself spending my days by the pool and walking around the town.
The story is told from the original summer to the present five years later. You can follow each women’s story in separate chapters. I love this style of writing as it gives glimpses and little tidbits that help the story unfold beautifully.
I would recommend this book to anyone who needs a good escape book, filled with love and hope and characters finding out who they are.

This is about three girls who meet each other one summer in Italy. Years have passed and they meet again. I enjoyed the story and it was a quick read. Would make a perfect beach read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy