Set in Marbella, the temperature and the tension that builds in this psychological thriller are sizzling hot!
I had already read the first book in this series, and although the story would work as a 'stand alone', I felt already invested in its style, and the chapters flowed perfectly for me.
I appreciated the atmospheric Spanish vibes, and feel like I need a vacation ....albeit in a far safer setting!

I liked this book but I couldnt say I loved it. It was predictable in some ways. Another thing was it was a sequel and and I do wish I had the first book first. " The girl in seat 2a" . The timeline was confusing and it made me lose interest.

The girl on the balcony by Diana Wilkinson is the story of two women, who both are in Marbella, Spain for their own reasons. Jade iis penniless, homeless and is running out of options and s struggling with her job as an estate agent. She is also running from her past, when she knows somebody knows what she did at Casa De Astrid.
Then Hayley is chasing the story of her career as a journalist , that could make or break her career. She is investigating a suspicious death, a murderous widow and when she is invited to the scene of the death, she jumps on a plane to Marbella.
Will both women be safe r are they in serious danger?
An interesting murder mystery, that is easy to read and full of twists and turns and quirky characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC in return for my honest review. This was a gripping read with plenty of twists and reveals, and the cover and blurb really drew me in. Having enjoyed the first book, I felt this follow-up delivered just as well and kept me turning the pages.

A gripping and fast-paced read that blends elements of chick lit with a tense thriller edge. This story follows on from The Girl in Seat 2A and I would recommend reading the first book to fully appreciate the back story and character dynamics.

Told through dual points of view, we follow Jade, whose new life in Spain is crumbling around her as she hides both from her present struggles and her past, and journalist Hayley, who chases a career-making story straight into danger.

The short, snappy chapters make this an easy book to fly through, yet the tension builds steadily as it becomes clear that almost every character is hiding something.

With a glamorous yet dangerous Marbella setting and a plot full of suspicion, secrets and shifting alliances, this is an engaging read that keeps you guessing until the very end.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

I actually really enjoyed this book! I read it in under a day. It got a little slow about 60% in, but other than that I would recommend

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldbook for giving me the chance to read this book . I loved it, the second in the series following on from the girl in seat 2a. It kept me up all bight reading didn’t want to put it down . I thought book 1 was good but with this it just gets better. Loved the characters and storyline . I now need to read more of Diana’s books.

The Girl on the Balcony by Diana Wilkinson is the sequel to The Girl in Seat 2A which was great as I wanted to know what happened to Jade. It was a perfect sequel and answered so many questions I had. I ended up turning the pages to find out what happens next. WoW . . .. . . . . This was another excellent book. . . . I ❤️ loved it. Superb read.

Jade’ now has a new life in Spain but it has quickly unravelled! Her dream has gone!
She is now homeless, broke, and out of every option, and she’s struggling to make it as a real estate agent.

Jade wont give up, she is a fighter, but, something is holding her back! she hiding from the truth of her situation from everyone, especially as she’s hiding from her past. It's a big secret that is bubbly to the surface and from a particular person. Someone who knows exactly what she did that fateful day at Casa De Astrid.

Journalist Hayley stumbles across a story that could make or break her career, and she can not say No to it. The story is of a suspicious death, a murderous widow and a personal invite to the scene of the crime. So, she jumps on the first plane to Marbella.

Soon paradise feels like a prison, Hayley may have made the worst mistake of her life coming to the mansion of a self-confessed killer. Jade may have managed to escape, but will Hayley?

WoW, this was full of twists and turns throughout and will have hooked fromthe beginning till the very end.

I highly recommend this book. 5 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ read.

The Girl on the Balcony centres around two characters. Jade is a new real estate agent, in financial strife and making bad decisions around that financial strife. Hayley is a journalist who gets a tip about a potentially-amazing story about a murder committed by a wealthy woman, who hires her (Hayley's) boyfriend to, I dunno, do something.

Yes, that was my level of interest in the story. I just couldn't engage with it. Much of it seemed far fetched, some of it was confusing, characters had different names and eventually we realise that the two stories are being told in slightly different time sequences (I don't think that's enough of a spoiler - there's no plot in that reveal).

I finished it, but I still don't understand what happened.

It clearly has fans, so this is probably just me and a bad fit?

This is a fast paced, psychological thriller that keeps you guessing throughout. I did find it hard to follow in keeping track of which chapter was which character, and didn't feel connected to any particular character, probably for this reason. It was a sequel to a book I hadn't read, having not realised it was a sequel when I chose it. I feel like it didn't entirely matter that I hadn't read the first, but probably would have helped me understand the story and the characters better.

The Girl on the Balcony
by Diana Wilkinson
Pub Date: 21 Jul 2025

The Girl on the Balcony is the sequel to The Girl in Seat 2A - the number one bestseller! It's a beautifully written thriller with a very unique plot. It is told in dual POV and easy read, with short and engaging chapters that kept me turning the pages! A story you are sure to like if you are a thriller fan.

Synopsis: Jade’s new life in Spain is quickly unravelling. Homeless, broke, and out of options, she’s struggling to make it as a real estate agent. But Jade isn’t just hiding from the truth of her situation. She’s hiding from her past. And maybe, from a particular person. Someone who knows exactly what she did that fateful day at Casa De Astrid. Then there's Hale, a journalist trying to chase a great story but soon she realizes that the risk might not be worth it.

Many thanks to #TheGirlontheBalcony #NetGalley and #BoldWoodBooks for providing me an E-ARC of this book.

@currentlyreading__
Book 39 of 2025

The last book of July was Diana Wilkinson’s ‘The Girl on the Balcony’. The perfect summer read you can immerse yourself in the beautiful Costa Del Sol setting and if you’re reading it on your lounger all the better! It is the sequel to last year’s ’The Girl in Seat A’ which I read last November. It follows the story of Jade, an estate agent on the Costa Del Sol who is trying to escape her life back home. Jade is struggling so she’s rented her apartment to a local artist whilst she beds down in the villas she is looking after for wealthy clients. And when one client arrives without warning, trouble spirals. We have a man’s death by dehydration in 40 degree heat on a locked balcony, a stray cat Gato and a journalist who is trying to uncover dark secrets.

A gripping read full of drama. I am glad that I read the prequel to this last year and wonder what’s next for Jade if there’s a trilogy.


#bookworm #iamreading #bookreview #kindle #bookreviews #bibliophile #bookreview #mustread #bookobsessed #bookrecommendations #booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #psychologicalthriller #thegirlonthebalcony #dianawilkinson #thriller

Reading in Between the Wines book review #76/125 for 2025:
Rating: 3 🍷🍷🍷
Book: The Girl on the Balcony
Author: Diana Wilkinson
Available now!!

Sipping thoughts: The second book in the series was not a letdown, following “The Girl in Seat 2A.” However, it was a little hard to follow with the characters and the dual POV. I think Wilkinson did a great job of keeping the suspense high in what was going to happen. A little bit of it was predictable, but it was a good read. I prefer the first book over this one, but it tied nicely into this sequel.

Cheers and thank you to @Netgalley and @BoldwoodBooks for an advanced copy of @TheGirlOnTheBalcony.

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I didn’t realize that this was a sequel. I still could follow it somewhat and enjoyed it. Found it fun!

Diana Wilkinson's 'The Girl on the Balcony' guarantees a sizzling summer thriller and delivers in spades with a story of new beginnings, fatal fixations, and a past that will not rest. Following on from 'The Girl in Seat 2A', this second book drops Jade into a new existence in Spain that's hell-bent on getting out of control. Broke and tormented, she sublets her apartment to Gabby Rackham, whose apparently free-spirited life on the balcony sets Jade's fierce jealousy and suspicion alight.

As Jade's fixation with Gabby grows stronger, the intrigue surrounding the mysterious artist is revealed. The absence of work or friends in Gabby's life, along with the powerful draw she appears to have over Jade's cutthroat competitor, Marcus, adds depth. The writer skillfully interweaves a network of secrets, making readers wonder about Gabby's identity and her role in Jade's frantic escape from Marbella. Freida McFadden and Lisa Jewell fans will be mesmerized by this thriller.

The Girl On The Balcony is the sequel to the authors hit The Girl In Seat 2A, which I haven't yet read, but this read perfectly as a standalone.

This kicks straight off with excitement & an overheard conversation that grabs your attention and leads to an absolute whirlwind of thrills. Told from two POV's, Jade & Hayley's but there is also a slew of additional characters which did take me a minute to get my head around but once I did it was a fast-paced, suspense filled read I did not want to put down.

An entertaining read with plenty of suspense and twists, yes some parts were a tad unrealistic, but it worked, it was an indulgencd escapism read, a perfect holiday read, particularly with the very descriptive Marbella setting.

A suspenseful and twisty read that keeps you guessing. Set around a mysterious disappearance, this psychological thriller explores secrets, lies, and betrayal. Gripping from the first page to the shocking conclusion.

The Girl on the Balcony by Diana Wilkinson.
This was a good read. I did like the cover and blurb of this book. I didn't realise it was a second book. I wasn't sure how I felt about the characters. I certainly didn't trust Astrid at all. I didn't like Jade. She seemed weak. I didn't trust Marcus either. There wasn't one character i liked. I did like the writing style and the story. It did keep me turning the pages. This was a quick and easy read, and I did like the short chapters. The ending did surprise me.

This is the second book in the series and whilst it can be read as a standalone, I would recommend reading the first book, The Girl in Seat 2A, prior to this one.

In this book we meet Jade, who is a struggling real estate agent in Spain, where she’s attempting to hide from her past. Journalist Hayley travels to Marbella to investigate a suspicious death linked to a dangerous widow. As the story unfolds, both women find themselves in peril, with Hayley's safety at risk in the mansion of a confessed killer.

I loved the way the story was constructed with dual timeline/point of view combined with short sharp chapters, made it a really easy read. Aside from the two main characters, there are quite a few others and I loved that I didn’t know who I could trust so it kept me on my toes. There were plenty of hints dropped throughout, but connecting the dots felt like trying to solve a puzzle. I did find some of the characters challenging to warm up to, but it didn’t detract from the overall story.

On the whole I found this a really immersive read, the way the author had written the atmospheric descriptions really allowed me to feel like I was there.
And as it’s packed with short sharp chapters, secrets, hidden cameras, and, of course, a murder mystery—what’s not to like? This would make the perfect summer read whilst sipping on a cocktail at the pool.

Couldn't put this book down! Loved the writing and the author's humour was spot on!! Although a serious tale, the author lightened it with little asides which made the reader want more. Loved this story and will look out for this author's previous books!
Many thanx to NetGalley, the author and publishers for allowing me to read and review this book