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tamara_joy's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Death, Drug use, Infidelity, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Chronic illness, Vomit, and Classism
elyssam's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The Villa has parallel stories of Mari and her summer in the 70s and Emily in present day. Emily is in the middle of a divorce when her best friend, Chess, offers her a summer in Italy at the same villa where a murder occurred. Emily is a cozy mystery writer and takes Chess up on the offer to see if she can get her mind off the divorce and back into writing. While there, she gets sucked into Mari’s world by reading the late author’s book that was published after the tragedy.
I loved the double story telling. As the 70s murder mystery unraveled, Emily’s story got built up and up. I suspected some twists but didn’t see others coming. I will say that my biggest letdown was that Mari’s story was much more exciting, the climax was strong, and the ending intriguing. Emily and Chess’ story fell a little flat and didn’t seem to have as fleshed out of an ending as the other story. Other than that, the story was great. I loved diving into the murder mystery while trying to figure out the best friends’ dynamic.
This book is unlike any I’ve read recently. It had the atmospheric glow of an Italian summer but is still very thriller-heavy. We are not skipping down cobblestones eating gelato, we are taking cautious steps and trying not to get caught in lies. It is perfect for anyone wanting something immersive or for fans of duel timelines. I’m really happy to have had the chance to read this!
(I still have so many thoughts and questions and I wish that book reviews could just be filled with spoilers so I could unleash everything. But this is where I say “read The Villa!” instead.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Child death and Suicide
Minor: Drug use
nrogers_1030's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gore and Classism
Minor: Cancer, Sexual content, and Terminal illness
stephbakerbooks's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A decent thriller made excellent on audio!
This one is split into two timelines—the past timeline (minus the murder) is inspired by Mary Shelley's life when she wrote Frankenstein and I love that for this story. I once again found the past more interesting than the present, with all the complicated relationships between the characters and a dramatic summer that we know ends in death. The present storyline was just okay, though it did get a lot more interesting once Emily actually arrived at the villa—and her and Chess's relationship became the focus. I liked that part, even though I'm not sure that I ended up liking either character lol.
I will say though, with this book being called The Villa, I expected the villa to actually play a more important role. A lot of times the location feels like its own character, but that did not happen here, which was a bit disappointing. The villa just happened to be the place where these things happened, rather than the *only* place where these things could happen.
The ending did not surprise me; I didn't guess it but once I read it, it just felt like the only ending. I do think it added to the story though, definitely mixed things up!
Thanks to Libro.fm, Macmillan Audio, and the author for my ALC.
This one is split into two timelines—the past timeline (minus the murder) is inspired by Mary Shelley's life when she wrote Frankenstein and I love that for this story. I once again found the past more interesting than the present, with all the complicated relationships between the characters and a dramatic summer that we know ends in death. The present storyline was just okay, though it did get a lot more interesting once Emily actually arrived at the villa—and her and Chess's relationship became the focus. I liked that part, even though I'm not sure that I ended up liking either character lol.
I will say though, with this book being called The Villa, I expected the villa to actually play a more important role. A lot of times the location feels like its own character, but that did not happen here, which was a bit disappointing. The villa just happened to be the place where these things happened, rather than the *only* place where these things could happen.
The ending did not surprise me; I didn't guess it but once I read it, it just felt like the only ending. I do think it added to the story though, definitely mixed things up!
Thanks to Libro.fm, Macmillan Audio, and the author for my ALC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Infidelity, and Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Miscarriage
Minor: Suicide
emeraldelephant's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This just wasn’t it for me. Not a fan of either storyline, was kinda bored and unsympathetic to both main characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Miscarriage
kindleandilluminate's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Another enthralling thriller from Rachel Hawkins! Toxic friendships, ambitious artists, the dark tension of infidelity and murder in the air... all of it told in two timelines, both set at a beautiful Italian villa, over the course of two different summers.
Both storylines are relatively slow burn, with a heavy emphasis on atmosphere and the tensions between characters. The resemblance to the Shelleys and Lord Byron are pretty explicit, along with traces of Fleetwood Mac, and they work beautifully to weave this pair of entwined stories. I read it in a day, and definitely recommend to anyone who's ever wondered what Daisy Jones and the Six would be like as a thriller.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the advance review copy.
Both storylines are relatively slow burn, with a heavy emphasis on atmosphere and the tensions between characters. The resemblance to the Shelleys and Lord Byron are pretty explicit, along with traces of Fleetwood Mac, and they work beautifully to weave this pair of entwined stories. I read it in a day, and definitely recommend to anyone who's ever wondered what Daisy Jones and the Six would be like as a thriller.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the advance review copy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Infidelity, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use and Alcohol
Minor: Miscarriage
allisonplus's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Alcoholism and Drug use
foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
The Villa read like a modern gothic, with the atmosphere oppressive, foreboding, with a stunningly described setting that makes you feel like you’re right there with the characters. Rachel Hawkins deftly explores complex friendships, toxic relationships, and creative tension in a way that was so engaging I just didn’t want to put it down. The twists had me absolutely gasping and the dual pov with shifting timelines just added to the dread and drama of each storyline.
Honestly, this book made me want to go back to Italy so badly! The setting is so well-depicted, it filled me with so much nostalgia for the Italian countryside. I actually studied abroad in a neighbouring province (Arezzo) to Orvieto and I can attest to the landscape and architecture is as described in this novel. And the photo I used is actually one I took a decade ago while on that trip, but on the island of Capri.
Thank you so much @stmartinspress and @netgalley for a gifted copy of this gem. I loved Reckless Girls by the same author, so I was delighted when my arc application was accepted for this one—and it did not disappoint!
*A note on the reading format: I did read this book half as an ebook and half on audio, and while both formats were good, I think I preferred it in ebook form, as I wasn’t a huge fan of Mari’s narrator. That being said, Julia Whelan is one of the narrators in this cast, so for those of you who are a fan of hers, you might want to pick up the audio version based on that alone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Chronic illness, Drug use, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Terminal illness
mrsjoylovesbooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
Thank you St. Martin’s Press for a digital ARC.
After reading the synopsis, I wasn’t sure if this was the kind of book that would appeal to me. I don’t read a lot of thrillers, but this dual timeline story that takes place in an Italian villa was pretty interesting. There are two POVs, Mary who was in the Villa Rosata in 1974 and Emily who is in the same villa, now named Villa Aestas in the present day, with her best friend, Chess. I found myself enjoying the 1974 timeline more, I guess because it has the allure of the 70s rock and roll attitude and love triangles. Emily & Chess weren’t characters I particularly cared for, but I think this was an intentional. This is a big assumption, but I feel like the author leaves clues throughout the story to explain some things that aren’t blatantly on the page. I finished this book around midnight and the next day, I couldn’t stop thinking about. I’ve read two of Rachel Hawkin’s previous thrillers, but this one is definitely different. In my opinion, it’s incredibly smart.
I have a lot of thoughts about this story, especially the ending, but they’re the kind of thoughts that can only be discussed with someone who’s also read the book. So, if you know anyone hosting a chat, lmk!
After reading the synopsis, I wasn’t sure if this was the kind of book that would appeal to me. I don’t read a lot of thrillers, but this dual timeline story that takes place in an Italian villa was pretty interesting. There are two POVs, Mary who was in the Villa Rosata in 1974 and Emily who is in the same villa, now named Villa Aestas in the present day, with her best friend, Chess. I found myself enjoying the 1974 timeline more, I guess because it has the allure of the 70s rock and roll attitude and love triangles. Emily & Chess weren’t characters I particularly cared for, but I think this was an intentional. This is a big assumption, but I feel like the author leaves clues throughout the story to explain some things that aren’t blatantly on the page. I finished this book around midnight and the next day, I couldn’t stop thinking about. I’ve read two of Rachel Hawkin’s previous thrillers, but this one is definitely different. In my opinion, it’s incredibly smart.
I have a lot of thoughts about this story, especially the ending, but they’re the kind of thoughts that can only be discussed with someone who’s also read the book. So, if you know anyone hosting a chat, lmk!
Content Warnings
Minor: Drug use
readingwithcats's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Drug use, Infidelity, and Murder
Minor: Miscarriage