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A review by evarano
The Villa by Rachel Hawkins
4.0
Em is feeling stuck, stuck in her job, her love life, her health, etc. Her lifelong best friend Chess, is a successful self-help guru and is the opposite of stuck. Upon meeting up for lunch and reconnecting, Chess invites Em to stay with her in an old Villa. But this isn't any old Villa, this Villa was the sight of a semi-famous murder of a musician in the 70's. Two women who were at the Villa at the time of the murder went on to become successful, one as a singer and one as a writer. As the story goes on, Em is interested and finds inspiration in the Villa's history, especially regarding the time of the murder and the story of Mari, the writer. Interestingly enough, Mari's famous horror story has many parallels to the real life murder that occurred. As Em continues to search for clues about what really happened, she's shocked at what she finds.
I really enjoyed this! I wish the story was a tad longer at times. The dual POVs between Em and Mari worked in this. However, I will say, this wasn't a thriller. This had very little thrill or even mystery as you do know that a murder occurred at the Villa. It was a tad suspenseful and there were some twists (the big one confused me a bit) but it wasn't thrilling. Chess wasn't the most likeable character, so it was hard to root for her and her and Em
's friendship, especially at the end. I wasn't thrilled with the ending, but it did make sense. I wanted more for Em. This story was interesting and a good read! The setting was lovely and so nice to read about. I thought the dynamics between the characters in the past were interesting but I wish there was more to that. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free preview in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this! I wish the story was a tad longer at times. The dual POVs between Em and Mari worked in this. However, I will say, this wasn't a thriller. This had very little thrill or even mystery as you do know that a murder occurred at the Villa. It was a tad suspenseful and there were some twists (the big one confused me a bit) but it wasn't thrilling. Chess wasn't the most likeable character, so it was hard to root for her and her and Em
's friendship, especially at the end. I wasn't thrilled with the ending, but it did make sense. I wanted more for Em. This story was interesting and a good read! The setting was lovely and so nice to read about. I thought the dynamics between the characters in the past were interesting but I wish there was more to that. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free preview in exchange for an honest review.