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A review by stuvonbon
The Villa by Rachel Hawkins
dark
mysterious
medium-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
2.5
I loved the idea of this story; it was described as a thriller version of Daisy Jones and the Six. And, it started out the way. Maybe it is because I listened to this as an audiobook, but I found the love triangle (rectangle?) with Lara and Mari and the 1970s group to be really confusing. I couldn’t seem to keep track of who was a musician, who was a writer, who was dating whom, who had hooked up with whom, etc. Because
of this, I had a tough time getting into that part. For Chess and Emily’s storyline, I really enjoyed it for the first half. However, when secrets were revealed and ulterior motives proven, I just… I couldn’t get behind it. If a friend of mine did to me what Chess did to Emily, it would be unforgivable. I just can’t imagine. I found that aspect to be more discolors than the ending itself with Emily’s husband. This ending made me feel like how I felt after finishing “The Silent Patient”… all that reading for an ultimate WTF moment! Maybe I just couldn’t connect with any characters. Maybe I read it too fast.
Also, the red herrings were stupid. Like. They were so on the nose! When I realized they were irrelevant, or at least not meant to be explained, it was just like. Frustrating.
of this, I had a tough time getting into that part. For Chess and Emily’s storyline, I really enjoyed it for the first half. However, when secrets were revealed and ulterior motives proven, I just… I couldn’t get behind it. If a friend of mine did to me what Chess did to Emily, it would be unforgivable. I just can’t imagine. I found that aspect to be more discolors than the ending itself with Emily’s husband. This ending made me feel like how I felt after finishing “The Silent Patient”… all that reading for an ultimate WTF moment! Maybe I just couldn’t connect with any characters. Maybe I read it too fast.
Also, the red herrings were stupid. Like. They were so on the nose! When I realized they were irrelevant, or at least not meant to be explained, it was just like. Frustrating.