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The Villa
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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review
Andrea4
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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Pickpick

It took me a bit to get into this but once I was, I was hooked. There were definite twists I spotted ahead of time (wanting to scream at MC) but at least one I didn't (hello, ending ending). I kind of liked how this story really wasn't about what I thought it was going to be about.
(Labyrinth inspired Halloween costume)

Bklover Love this!! 2w
dabbe 🤩🤩🤩 2w
Andrea4 @Bklover @dabbe thank you ❤️ 2w
Gissy Lovely photo❤️❤️❤️ 2w
23 likes4 comments
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BookmarkTavern
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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Main Street Books operates mostly as a used book store, so I didn‘t find any of your suggestions from your #SundayFunday posts, but I did find these! I‘m looking forward to getting the nibling started on Artemis Fowl. #BookHaul

And I‘ve added a bunch of new books to my TBR!

thebacklistbook They will absolutely love it. 2mo
K.Wielechowski From Here to Eternity is so good! As is her other book Smoke Gets in Your Eyes. I try to read them both once a year. 2mo
70 likes3 comments
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Nessavamusic
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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Mehso-so

This was fine. I was engaged throughout the audiobook, but when I finished, I was left not terribly thrilled. I wish it didn‘t have the epilogue-last scene, it made it far leas interesting. 3⭐️

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The_Literary_Jedi
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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Pickpick

📚📚📚📚 tandem audio + ebook - wow! Loved this! My first by the author. I was sold as “inspired by the tragic death of Percy Bysshe Shelley” but really it‘s not remotely close😕 Still good- concurrent timelines 1970‘s/2023, creatives, an Italian villa, sex drugs rock n‘ roll and murder mystery. Pleasant but clear twist at the end. Good read.

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rambiepaige
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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Pickpick

What a great start to poolside reading 😮‍💨🍋🍝

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PurpleyPumpkin
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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Pickpick

I enjoyed this quick, suspenseful read. The story developed at a good pace and the characters were intriguing. I actually thought the ending would be more sinister, but perhaps I‘ve just read too many suspense novels and I‘m prone to thinking the worst! Although somewhat predictable, I liked the ending and the various twists. Just when I thought I had it all worked out, turns out I didn‘t! 3.5⭐️
(May 13, 2024)

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BookLineNSinker
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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Went to my local bookstore, Underground Books in Carrollton, GA to pick a blind date with a book! Was actually pleasantly surprised by the date! I've read it once before but don't own the books, so I'm happy to add it to my collection!

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Roxanareads
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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Childhood best friends Emma and Chess are both writers and spend a summer together in a villa that was the site of a murder. Both women become interested in writing a book about the murder that occurred years ago at the villa. The house holds clues within it to what really happened that night and history begins repeating itself. Predictable but worth the read.

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Kaylamburson
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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Mehso-so

I enjoyed the present day timeline in this book but wasn‘t invested in the past timeline, so it prevented me from really getting into the story. I enjoyed it but there wasn‘t anything surprising in it. And I feel like it ended abruptly.

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Bec_lectic
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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Mehso-so

I‘m kind of dumbfounded on this book. It started out pretty good but just kind of sputtered at the end for me. The pivotal points were lackluster and details of the story just never filled. The ending was just kind of weird and left me kinda asking WTF just happened? I get it but I don‘t get it so moving on to another book…lol

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Read4life
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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Pickpick

I like the books by Hawkins I‘ve read so far. This one was well put together and despite being told in two different decades, it was easy to follow.

68 likes5 comments
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Acoleman
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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Pickpick

The end got me on this one!! My third Rachel Hawkins and I‘m definitely a fan.

Crazeedi Yes! I loved this one!! 10mo
11 likes1 comment
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5feet.of.fury
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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Pickpick

I have some unanswered questions, I think some plot points may have fell through the cracks, but overall I really enjoyed the mysteries in both timelines

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MMFinck
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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Pickpick

Brilliant.

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ShyBookOwl
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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Pickpick


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A fun thriller with two intertwining storylines across two timeliness (and two murders). In the 70s, we have a group of rock stars and artists in the villa, and in the present, we have two writers seeking inspiration in the villa. While I found the present storyline a little unsatisfying overall, the past storyline carried the book for me, with interesting characters, good suspense, and a great surprise ending!

Reecaspieces Her new one is sooooo good 10mo
ShyBookOwl @Reecaspieces Ahh! I didn't realize she already had another one out! My Villa hold took forever to come in 😅 thank u!! 10mo
62 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Crazeedi
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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Pickpick

#ReadAway2024 my 1st audiobook for #JoyousJanuary,
@Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES
Emily and Chess have been friends forever. When they spend several weeks in Orvieto Italy, Emily's writers block is unstuck unraveling the mystery of a famous murder that happened where they are staying. The audiobook was great as the reader had various inflections for each character. Definitely recommend!
#52bookclub24 @BarbaraBB
⬇️

58 likes1 stack add5 comments
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Bookwormjillk
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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Pickpick

This was a fun and twisty audiobook that made the work week go faster. It was on my summer reading list, but I just now got it from the library. Would have been fun to read on the beach, but it was also fine under a blanket. Note to self: don‘t be so tied to seasonal reading lists.

66 likes2 stack adds
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ShyBookOwl
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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Yesssssss!

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sebrittainclark
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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Managed a bingo for #ISpyBingo November

@Clwojck @thearomaofbooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 12mo
29 likes1 comment
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Allthebookclubs
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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Pickpick

A twisty, slow-burn thriller. Great story telling once you get used to the multiple story line, multiple POV style. I love Mary‘s reclaiming of her story and her style of justice. Houses remember. Book #77 in 2023

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sebrittainclark
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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5/5

I don't usually read thrillers, so when I picked this up for #booked2023 I didn't expect a five start read. The novel alternates between Emily staying at an Italian villa with her best friend, and Mary who stayed in the same Villa in the 70s when one of her group was murdered. It's a great book full of twists, that never left me too stressed out.

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sebrittainclark
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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🎧 Audiobook: The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

📖 e-book: The Lover by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

📗 Non-fiction: The Best American Science and Nature Writing of 2023 by Carl Zimmer

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

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sebrittainclark
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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“Somewhere around the time she started calling herself “Chess“, I realized I might actually hate my best friend.“

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

ShyBookOwl 🤣 12mo
43 likes1 stack add1 comment
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ClairesReads
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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My favourite of Rachel Hawkins' books that I have read so far. The Villa does everything you want it to without demanding too much from you as a reader. There are multiple timelines, and a mystery from the past, a complicated and competitive friendship, characters writing books about mysteries in a book about a mystery, and a glam location. A fantastic, compelling, easy read.

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Tara
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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Pickpick

I think I liked this one more for the connections to the summer Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein than anything else! A good start to spooky season 👻

Tara I will say I kept waiting for the reveal that it was Chess poisoning Emily! Did I fall for red herrings or was it just meant to be left inferred by the reader? 1y
14 likes1 comment
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DivineDiana
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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Pickpick

Dual timelines. 1970‘s and Present Day. Italian Villa with a tragic history. British Rock & Roll. Writing music. Writing books. Best friends. Sisters. Twisted love. Murder. Gothic. Fast paced. A bit confused on ending. Audio. Difficult to turn back the pages. #sunshinenoir #booked2023 #blameitonlitsy

Cinfhen GREAT REVIEW! I felt very similarly and I too listened on audio. Great pick for #SunshineNoir ☀️ 1y
DivineDiana @Cinfhen Thank you! Wishing you a good and sweet year! 🩷 1y
Cinfhen Awwww, thanks so much😘😘 1y
54 likes3 comments
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DivineDiana
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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New audiobook. #blameitonlitsy

48 likes1 stack add
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MelliMel1980
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
Pickpick

Well I binged the second half.. now I‘m confused but not confused.. this is why I like Rachel Hawkins she will leave your jaw dropped at the end of a story

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MelliMel1980
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins

Will I enjoy this one?? I have enjoyed every other book I have read by this author and I recently finished one so maybe it‘s too soon but oh well

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candc320
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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Pickpick

The Villa was my favorite of this author‘s books so far! A story within a story within a story with lots of twists and misdirections I just couldn‘t get enough. My only “complaint” was the tendency for betrayed characters to place the blame fully on one person while wholly forgiving another (it happens a few times). I always hate that and find it too convenient for the narrative. But other than that it was an interesting story! 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫

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Kris10H
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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Pickpick

Book #73
4/5
Another good read by Hawkins, though I was a bit disappointed by the lack of actual horror as mentioned in the synopsis - maybe I'm just too desensitized by watching true crime documentaries and reading thrillers, but the murders in the "murder house" didn't really seem all that horrific or murder-y. Otherwise, still an anjoyable read.

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julieclair
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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This book! Two timelines. One Italian villa. Secrets. Lies. Murder. Tragedy.

1970‘s - Five musicians living the #SexDrugsAndRockandRoll lifestyle at a villa in Italy.

Present Day - Two best friends, both authors, take a girls‘ trip to Italy to work on their books. They stay in the same villa.

The two plot lines overlap and intertwine in fascinating ways. Who can be trusted? Who is lying? Great reading!

#TitlesAndTunes

Cinfhen Love EVERYTHING about this post 🙌🏻 From the graphics‘s to the written review!! Well done 😁 1y
BarbaraBB Echoing @Cinfhen 💚 1y
julieclair @Cinfhen @BarbaraBB Thanks so much! 💙 1y
33 likes3 comments
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julieclair
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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My title for July‘s #SexDrugsAndRockNRoll theme is The Villa by Rachel Hawkins, and my tune is Born to Be Wild by Steppenwolf. Let the wild rumpus start! 🎸
#TitlesAndTunes @BarbaraBB @Cinfhen

Deblovestoread Let the ear worms begin! 🎶🐛 1y
BarbaraBB Such good choices! And an ear worm indeed, @Deblovestoread 🖤 1y
Cinfhen Im already having a blast just reading all the choices!!! 1y
See All 11 Comments
Cinfhen 👆🏽Here‘s a great idea @DGRachel @Bookwormjillk 😍I feel like any book set during the 60‘s/ 70‘s will definitely touch upon #SexDrugsAndRockNRoll 😎I almost chose a book about Charles Manson (edited) 1y
Cinfhen Also was considering 1y
julieclair @Cinfhen Valley of the Dolls fits this prompt perfectly! I was just a kid when it came out, but I remember the furor it caused. All the adults were talking about it. 1y
julieclair @Deblovestoread @BarbaraBB I think this entire playlist will be a giant monster ear worm! 😂🙉🐛 1y
BarbaraBB Just like the #GuiltyPleasure one 😀 1y
BarbaraBB @Cinfhen I read Valley of the Dolls in my teens and have never forgotten about it 💊 ❤️ 1y
Cinfhen I have read Valley of the Dolls @BarbaraBB @julieclair and I was considering a re-read but “new” (for me) books almost always win out!! 1y
julieclair @Cinfhen I‘m the same. I will almost always choose a book I have not read over one I have. So many books, so little time… (edited) 1y
26 likes11 comments
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aliasNayNay
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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Mehso-so

I struggled on how to rate this book. It takes place across two timelines, the present, and in 1970s. I enjoyed 1970s timeline it was more exciting with the sex, drugs, and rock & roll theme. The present timeline dragged along and repeats information. I loved the setting, a villa in Italy with a haunting history. I hated the characters, I enjoyed how the author unraveled the mystery that took place at the villa and the ending was totally worth it.

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Arvena
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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Pickpick

Interesting book with a story within a story. It is a layered, suspenseful and very enjoyable 🙂

55 likes3 stack adds
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Read_By_Red
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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Mehso-so

The story was just ok to me. I found Emily and Chess to be rather annoying–I didn‘t really like either character–which took away from the story. The audiobook fell into the ok category as well. While I liked the emotions given to the characters through changes in the pace and inflection given to words, overall the narration was way too slow for my tastes and if I had been unable to increase the speed I feel that the book would have dragged for me.

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canbku
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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Mehso-so

This has such a great set up, but it just ended up a bit boring for me. I needed more ghosts, more gothic, maybe? I still enjoyed it, but there were times it was hard to get excited about

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IndoorDame
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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Mehso-so

This #blameitonlitsy read ended up being a low pick. I couldn‘t stop listening and will probably read more by this author, and I have a fondness for stories about groups of artists and the work that comes from their messy interconnected process. But of the 3 big reveals, one I saw coming from the first pages, one was ‘please tell me they‘re not seriously headed there‘ and the last was just meh.

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BookwormAHN
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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This is my favorite Hawkins novel. Emily is a cozy mystery writer who goes on a trip to Italy with her best friend Chess, a self-help guru. There at Villa Aestas, Emily finds the journal of Mari Godwick, who wrote Lilith Rising, a cult horror novel from the 70s. It's very gothic, Mary Shelley with some Fleetwood Mac thrown in.
#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks #ReadySetRead #setinalodgehotelmotelorinn #Pantone2023 #Blazingyellow @Clwojick

Clwojick Well done! I enjoyed this one too! 2y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2y
59 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Amie
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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Pickpick

Very good. I usually don't like dual timelines, but didn't mind them in this one

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OriginalCyn620
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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Pickpick

So good! This is only my second Hawkins book but will definitely read more!

#bookspinbingo
#booked2023 - sunshine noir

Cinfhen I love the cover 🍋 2y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2y
29 likes2 comments
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AudiobookingWithLeah
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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Pickpick

3½⭐Low Pick
I liked the present timeline over the past timeline…and other readers felt the opposite of me. My feelings were skewed by the narration, though…since I didn‘t really care for the narrator of the past storyline. Overall, this was mostly entertaining, although maybe be prepared for some drama and a wackadoodle ending.

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Jenken1998
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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Daisy Jones vibes and Death Becomes Her vibes. Dual timeline 1970s British rock scene and current day. Bffs and writers Em and Chess spend the summer in Italy at an infamous villa working on their projects and nursing an intense rivalry. As they dig into the 1970s murder, rivalry, and betrayals, history may repeat itself. It is easier as a book due to dual timelines and thrown in multimedia exerpts. IMO. Predictable but still very good. 5 🌟

WriteForwardCoaching I am a sucker for anything with lemons - recipes hand towels, rugs, books, etc. If it has a lemon on it, I am buying it. 😂 2y
54 likes1 stack add1 comment
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kissmehardy
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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Pickpick

Rachel Hawkins really said "I support Women's Rights AND Women's Wrongs" with this one, and God bless her for it. The final twist had me on the edge of my seat, and Emily's voice was hysterical! Easily her best thriller yet. #thriller #contemporaryfiction #historicalfiction

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GidgetsTreasures75
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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3-4-23: My 27th finished book of 2023! Best friends, Emily and Chess embark on a summer holiday in Italy at Villa Aestas in Orvieto. Back in 1974, the villa was the site of a murder during the time a famous rockstar and his friends Pierce, Mari, Lara and Johnnie were staying. Now, Emily, trying to write her next novel, starts to dig into that murder, finding the book written by Mari during that stay. Secrets come to light now and in 1974. ⬇️

GidgetsTreasures75 Inspired by the infamous summer that Percy and Mary Shelley spent with Lord Byron at a Lake Geneva castle, the birth place of Frankenstein! 2y
GidgetsTreasures75 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️📖#️⃣2️⃣7️⃣ 2y
17 likes1 stack add2 comments
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MysticFaerie
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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Pickpick

4⭐️/5⭐️

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britt_brooke
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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Panpan

⭐️⭐️ Exactly the type of domestic thriller that steers me away from the genre. The parallel story trope is fine, but make it surprising or even just slightly interesting. Idk. At least it didn‘t have “girl, woman, or wife” in the title. Moving on. #thankunext

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janeycanuck
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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Pickpick

This flips between present day and past. The sections in the past are like if Mary Shelley wrote Daisy Jones and the Six while the sections in the present are like if you are frenemies with Rachel Hollis.

41 likes1 stack add