Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

35 reviews

theonlybaillie's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

The pacing was so off on this one for me. I was bored the entire book and then drawn in the last 50 or so pages.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Suicide

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Self harm, Terminal illness, Vomit, Grief, Abortion, and Pregnancy

ruthypoo2's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This is a very good story about the good and bad sides of relationships and the lengths for which people will go to protect themselves and others… and what price they may pay to guard their secrets. There are two women staying at an Italian vacation property for a working holiday and chance to reinvigorate their friendship. But this villa has a colorful history because of a murder that took place there decades earlier. The friends become fascinated with learning more about this murder that occurred in the midst of tensions among friends, created by passion and rivalry.

I loved the way the story unraveled over two timelines and multiple points of view to reveal what really happened at the Villa in the past, as well as how the modern-day friendship is being affected. All characters end up being more complex as the story progresses, and they’re thoughtfully written.

I enjoyed this book as a mixed genre of mystery and romance. The relationships were dynamic and fluid. Though not especially lovable, the characters were very interesting and quite unpredictable. The author, Rachel Hawkins, has written a twisty tale that had this reader guessing right up to the satisfying conclusion.

I listened to the audiobook and felt the narrators, Julia Whelan, Kimberly M. Wetherell, and Shiromi Arserio, did a superb job creating distinctive voices for their respective characters. This is particularly helpful when the story jumps between differing timelines that both involve multiple personalities.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infidelity, Miscarriage, and Murder

Minor: Alcohol

nickoliver's review against another edition

mysterious fast-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

3.5

This wasn't very original, most things were very easily predictable - though admittedly, the very last chapter did take me a bit by surprise, and it did add a bit of a dark, tragic twist. Also, it was very fast-paced, and once I really sat down to read, the pages flew quickly. I just wished the loose ends hadn't stayed so loose; I felt like there were certain plot points that alluded to things that never actually ended up happening.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Drug use, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Suicide and Violence

Minor: Cancer and Miscarriage

ohennui's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Alcohol

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Suicide, Grief, and Pregnancy

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

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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

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

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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

avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition

emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

I have mixed feelings about the book. I did like some of the twists and turns, but I wish there had been a chronic illness rep that wasn't

psychosomatic. I also preferred the ending that Mary wrote to

  what the conclusion actually was. Overall it kept me interested but it was disappointing in the end. And a bit predictable. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Vomit, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Moderate: Death, Infidelity, and Murder

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. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Infidelity, and Murder

Moderate: Drug use and Alcohol

Minor: Miscarriage

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. 

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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

syellico's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol