Reviews with content warning for Drug use - The Villa

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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jpellwood's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

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ohennui's review against another edition

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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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ronnieb's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad 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

5.0

Trigger Warning: Chronic Sickness, Death of a Child, Drug Abuse

I did not expect this book to work for me as much as it did. After liking “The Wife Upstairs” a lot and being really disappointed by “Reckless Girls” I was not even going to give this one a try. I did not pay attention to the plot at all so when I was looking for a quick audiobook and it was available at my library I decided to just try. Looking into I probably would have found it interesting because it has tropes I love. Friends taking a trip to a secluded location, multiple timelines, those timelines overlapping. These are all classic tropes that get me all the time.

The back-and-forth tension between the timelines was so exciting and kept me hooked. The frenemy of the Emily/Chess relationship that mirrored the rocky Mari/Laura was a solid narrative choice that keeps the reader engaged but both timelines were distinct enough to not get lost in which POV you were in. The chapters were long and would move back and forth a lot which using the audiobook was easy to track but when reading physically I dislike long chapters so that is something to note that could affect the enjoyment level one may feel. I think the thriller/mystery elements were maybe obvious but added to the tension because you could feel these large confrontations coming it was just a matter of when and what would blow the lid for everything.

Overall, I loved this. Is it the best, most shocking, well-written mystery-thriller novel? No, but it is fun and quick which will be perfect for Summer beach reads or a quick afternoon read.

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tamara_joy's review against another edition

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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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elyssam's review against another edition

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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.)

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