A review by wishuponajinni
The Secret of Villa Alba by Louise Douglas

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Though this book is a good read - it had me hooked from the first chapter and I couldn’t stop until I finished - I can’t give it five stars because 

• The ending felt really abrupt, even if the mystery was solved (it didn’t feel satisfying)
• I got a bit annoyed with Irene’s character. The author tried to make her a sympathetic character, writing the book through her POV half of the time, but all it did was make me find her a bit unlikeable
  since she cheated on her husband and chose to marry him but acts as if it’s this great burden her entire life. I can understand how desperation drives all us to do unsavory, reckless things and that she was madly in love with someone who was dead, only for him to be alive and show up 4 years in front of her. It didn’t make me like her anymore, honestly.
• Writing felt a bit flat at times (mainly when describing things)

That being said, here are the things that make me want to give it four stars:

• The way the mystery unfolds in front of us chapter by chapter, with the whole story slowly coming together is so well executed. The intertwining of two POVs is also well-done, with the flashbacks coordinating with the modern day POV in some way.
• A well thought through story in most senses - when the story ended, I didn’t feel like there were loose ends, per se, I just wish it wasn’t so rushed.
• Happy ending (?) depending on how you see it? I didn’t feel that happy at the end of the book but the ending could be, depending on the reader, a moment of triumph and happiness.