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jpellwood's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Suicide, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Addiction, and Drug use
Minor: Terminal illness
ohennui's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Murder, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
Minor: Death, Drug use, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Grief, and Miscarriage
angela_mayer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Cursing, Pregnancy, Murder, Suicide, and Child death
Minor: Addiction and Infidelity
nailartklaudia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Death
Minor: Pregnancy
rbudd24's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Abortion, Drug abuse, and Miscarriage
foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Infidelity, Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Violence, Vomit, Chronic illness, Murder, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Blood, Drug use, Grief, and Pregnancy
Minor: Terminal illness
mtnest's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Miscarriage, Infidelity, Murder, Pregnancy, and Vomit
Orvietosavvyrosereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Rating: 4/5 stars
Emily and Chess have been best friends since childhood, but their relationship has become a bit strained. When Chess suggests a summer in an Italian villa—a villa that was the site of an infamous murder in the 1970s, moreover—secrets begin to unravel across two timelines.
I am absolutely obsessed with the story of the creation of Frankenstein—for anyone who doesn’t know, Lord Byron, Percy and Mary Shelley, Mary’s stepsister Claire, and John Polidori all stayed together in Switzerland for a summer, where Mary would ultimately write Frankenstein as the result of the party determining to each write a ghost story—so when I heard that Rachel Hawkins was writing a novel featuring a 1970s retelling of that very real summer (albeit with some added murder), it instantly became one of my most-anticipated reads of 2023.
Fortunately, I really enjoyed most of the book. I’ve seen some mixed reviews, and I understand any criticism that calls this book slow-moving, but I found it to be genuinely brilliant in terms of form, writing style, and the use of perspective and tone. The plot was interesting and I enjoyed the dual timeline, and the use of multiple forms of media (news clippings, etc) combined with the 1970s musician sections gave me vibes reminiscent of Daisy Jones & The Six.
All of that said, I ultimately took a star off the end because I just wasn’t sold on the ending. I thought I’d figured out where it was headed, but then things took a turn I didn’t expect, and the book ended in what was, to me, a pretty unsatisfying place. Still, if you’re a fan of historical/literary inspired novels and up for a somewhat slower burn, I would absolutely recommend The Villa.
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: retellings-but-make-them-history; meditations on friendship; slow-burn Gothic suspense
CW: Child death; drug/alcohol abuse; murder/blood; suicide (off-page).
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Blood, Child death, Drug use, Infidelity, and Toxic friendship
amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
2.75
Graphic: Blood, Addiction, Gore, Drug use, Violence, Alcohol, Infidelity, Murder, and Sexual content
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Terminal illness, Pregnancy, and Miscarriage
kaseymkelley's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Suicide, Pregnancy, and Miscarriage