A review by kerasalwaysreading
The Villa by Rachel Hawkins
4.0
3.5 stars
This was an interesting read… but I didn’t feel any connection to any characters.
Emily is dealing with some health issues and the crumbling of her marriage when her best friend since childhood and fellow author, invites her to an Italian Villa for six weeks. Emily has a book due and can’t find it in her to write another cozy mystery… but this gorgeous setting may be just what she needs to write and to nurture the friendship.
This switches back and forth between current time with Emily and back in the 70s with Mari, telling the story of her, boyfriend Pierce, her step sister, Lara and their time with Noel Gordon, a rockstar who all spent a fateful summer in the very same Villa.
The real connection and similarities between the two timelines take a while to connect, but when they do, it’s riveting. And while I could see a lot of this coming for a while, it was still so entertaining. Mari’s past timeline and the events that happened then were the part of this that I felt the most disconnect with, though.
Ultimately, this was an intriguing and engaging mystery, though (unfortunately) my least favorite of the books I have read from this author under this name (and I have read them all).
This was an interesting read… but I didn’t feel any connection to any characters.
Emily is dealing with some health issues and the crumbling of her marriage when her best friend since childhood and fellow author, invites her to an Italian Villa for six weeks. Emily has a book due and can’t find it in her to write another cozy mystery… but this gorgeous setting may be just what she needs to write and to nurture the friendship.
This switches back and forth between current time with Emily and back in the 70s with Mari, telling the story of her, boyfriend Pierce, her step sister, Lara and their time with Noel Gordon, a rockstar who all spent a fateful summer in the very same Villa.
The real connection and similarities between the two timelines take a while to connect, but when they do, it’s riveting. And while I could see a lot of this coming for a while, it was still so entertaining. Mari’s past timeline and the events that happened then were the part of this that I felt the most disconnect with, though.
Ultimately, this was an intriguing and engaging mystery, though (unfortunately) my least favorite of the books I have read from this author under this name (and I have read them all).