The Villa
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3.5 • 36 Ratings
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- £7.99
Publisher Description
‘A deliciously addictive thriller’ – T.M. Logan, author of The Holiday
An exclusive island plays host to a reality show like no other. Cutthroat, twisting and unputdownable, The Villa is a killer beach read from bestselling author Ruth Kelly.
A villa in paradise . . .
It’s destined to be the ultimate reality TV show. Ten contestants. A luxurious villa on a private island. Every moment streamed live to a global audience who have total control over those competing for the cash prize.
A journalist undercover . . .
Reporter Laura is told to get the inside scoop on her fellow contestants. But once the games begin, she soon finds herself at the mercy of a ruthless producer willing to do anything to increase viewer numbers.
A reality show to die for . . .
There is more to every contestant than meets the eye, including Laura. They all have secrets they’d like to keep buried, and the pressure in paradise quickly reaches boiling point. How far will the contestants go to secure audience votes? And would somebody really kill to win?
'A scorching, smouldering, turbo-charged cocktail of sun, sex and secrets' – Veronica Henry
Perfect for fans of Lucy Foley and Catherine Cooper.
People love The Villa:
'I couldn't wait to see how it ended'
'Brilliantly narrated'
'Fast-paced and exciting'
'I absolutely loved this'
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
The Truman Show meets The Hunger Games in this psychological potboiler with more plot twists than your average reality TV series. When undercover journalist Laura enters a high-concept new contest with more than a passing resemblance to Love Island, she gets much, much more than she bargained for. She’s among the 10 “sexy singletons” in a luxurious villa on a private Spanish island, and every second is streamed live online to a global audience who control the action. All 10 have dark secrets they’d like to keep but the show’s ruthless producer will do anything to boost ratings. Love triangles develop and surprise arrivals stir up trouble, and as pressure in paradise mounts, so does the prize money—and somebody will go to extreme lengths to win. Deadly and debauched, it’s an addictively pacy romp, right through to the final rug-pull. It’s also a cautionary tale about mental health, media manipulation and the pitfalls of celebrity.
Customer Reviews
*Obsessive Curiosity*
My pet hate are shows like ‘Big Brother’ ‘Love Island’ and a whole host of reality shows. I am the type if I start watching them they get addictive then I get annoyed and wound up so I prefer to steer clear.
This book is about a reality show that was supposed to be like no other. The audience have total control, they even have access to the heart rates of each contestant. The prize money grows according to how daring things get. No one gets voted off and they all leave when the winner is chosen. There are 10 contestants that seem to be randomly chosen and one amongst them is a journalist undercover trying to discover what secrets lay behind the show.
There is a dark feel as we get the sense that each contestant seems to be hiding secrets that are buried including the journalist but in this high pressure situation, what will come bubbling to the surface.
The producer driven by money, fame and seeing her ideas realised May end up rueing the day this show ever happened when tragedy strikes who will be implicated? The audience she so craved are as flippant as the show….
Silly and vacuous
The idea behind this book could have yielded a really interesting look into the world of reality tv, voyeurism and identity but... I found it as vacuous, unbelievable, boring and embarrassing as the programmes it maligns. Was it meant to be a parody? Sadly, I think not.