About this deal
I wave a hand. “Seriously, it’s fine,” I tell her. “The latest book is, like, epically late, but it’s book ten in the series, and book nine’s sales weren’t exactly setting the publishing world on fire, so I don’t think anyone’s all that concerned.” No one except for me, but that’s a different story. I leave it on read, telling myself that it’s only because I’m supposed to be working right now. My phone technically shouldn’t even be in my office—that’s usually a strict rule of mine. It stays in the kitchen, sitting on the counter until I’m through with my work for the day. I loved how this wrapped up. The influence of the one on the other; the permission granted in a way for the present to happen the way it did because of the past. It's really difficult to talk about this without spoilers, so I will just say, I found this to be incredibly clever. As kids, Emily and Chess were inseparable. But by their 30s, their bond has been strained by the demands of their adult lives. So when Chess suggests a girls trip to Italy, Emily jumps at the chance to reconnect with her best friend.
Obviously!” I tell her now, a little too bright, but she must not notice because she just smiles at me again. In the present, however, despite all the mirroring between the two timelines, we seem to only get two stories. First, there’s Emily’s original belief that she was ill over the past year and healed after Matt left. Then, we get Chess’s story, that she slept with Matt (but only once!), and that his existence in Emily’s life was what made her physically ill, including the day Emily called him from Italy. They then take inspiration from the made-up version of Mari’s story, lure Matt to Italy and drown him, thus freeing themselves for their own creative success co-authoring The Villa. Inspired by Fleetwood Mac, the Manson Murders, and the infamous summer Percy and Mary Shelley spent with Lord Byron at a Lake Geneva castle – the birthplace of Frankenstein” (Publisher blurb) This book reads like Gillian Flynn wrote her version of Eat pray love (no, seriously. And I intend this as *a compliment*). Didn't know the author before but I really liked her. I thought the narration was considerably fast paced, and although the story is partially set in the 70s, it's very fresh and modern with A LOT of pop culture nods such as self help books and true crime podcasts (listening the audio version makes it pretty clear which podcast the author was inspired by and I couldn't stop laughing because the voices are spot on).
BookBrowse Review
This suspenseful drama has dual timelines and dual perspectives. I would not classify this as a thriller. There are several good twists and the pacing is consistent, if a tad on the slower side, which might not be for every reader but worked for this reader here. The murderous events at the villa have already been of interest to True Crime aficionados and podcasters for years, but how many of them have actually had the opportunity to go live in the house.
According to the publisher, parts of The Villa are inspired by the events of when Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein. This is apparent in the structure of The Villa, which embodies a story within a story. I liked the setting in Orvieto, but I expected the villa to play a larger role in the story. The villa didn’t convey the darkness and creepiness I was anticipating. Really, it is more of a place where things happen vs. a space that contributes to the events.Emily is concerned, you know about the murder house part, but it does sound like a nice escape. Chess always seems to be able to make her feel better, so maybe it will good. Emily and Chess were inseparable friends till Emily gets married with Matt, becoming popular with her YA cozy mysteries and Chess moved to the big city, being social butterfly and finally making her big turn by becoming self help guru with her bestselling nonfictions!
She’s sitting on the floor in the photo, wearing a white shirt and jeans, her feet bare, her toenails painted a bright melon, pose casual and smile bright under the title You Got This! I think there are people who will really like it, but there’s some content that will put others off. I guess if you’re on the fence about it, I would say to just skip it. There’s plenty of books to read out there, better not to waste your time if you’re not sure.The story goes: “A musician beaten to death by some lowlife, in an argument that got out of control because everyone involved was high out of their minds.” Emily is a cozy mystery writer, having penned nine “Petal Bloom” mysteries but she has been in a slump, since her husband Matt, filed for divorce and asked for half of the royalties from the series. Oh yeah, I was very vital to your process, hanging out here in North Carolina,” I joke, but she shakes her head. It's not often that I rate a suspense or thriller novel five stars, but after devouring The Villa in three days, I can think of no reason to rate it any lower. It’s a riveting read. Complex and multilayered. I was taken with The Villa immediately. By far, it has the tightest plotting I've seen from Hawkins to date. Both Mari and Emily’s storylines are intriguing and written skillfully, allowing Hawkins to draw interesting parallels between the lives of the two lead characters. She also does a great job of ratcheting up the intrigue by inserting news articles, song lyrics, and excerpts from Mari’s horror novel into the narrative.