There was so much negativity in The Villa, and the constant bitching, gaslighting and egging each other on got old very fast. To make things worse, there is a lot of focus on both cheating and the dreaded love triangle; two major pet peeves of mine. The contestants also seem drunk all of the time, which was highly annoying to be honest. Sure, there were some twists I didn't see coming, but since I was already struggling with the writing, plot and horrible characters, I never fully appreciated them. Especially since most of them weren't exactly credible in the first place... Although once again her choice of setting was ideal and I am JUST as eager to bask in the glow of the Italian sun as I am to get to Hawaii as soon as humanly possible, I think Fleetwood Mac might have said it best. That is, when it comes to me and the likelihood I'll be grabbing Hawkins' next book? Discuss the evolution of Mari and Lara’s relationship, alongside that of Emily and Chess. What role did men play in their sense of competition with each other? How did their dynamic shift after the men were out of their lives?

And yet that first bit still stands on its own, another kind of story, another universe of might-have-beens.Overall: I loved the idea of murder house and Emily’s searching for the truth but I think the revelations are not satisfying enough! I didn’t like how both two stories unfolded. I was expecting something more sinister instead of spiritual. In my opinion this is women’s fiction with feminism vibes but the characters were not the great examples to represent girl power! I think there are so many trust issues they have to work on! Rachel Hawkins is crushing this gothic-infused mystery genre. I'm loving it. I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next. Read the second, and now, the story twists. Heroine is villain, villain is victim, and that colors everything that comes before in a new light. The action takes place in the late 1930's. 30-year-old Mary Panton, whose extraordinary beauty has always been one of her greatest assets, has been a widow for one year.

Regla cinco: no debe amenazar ni usar violencia física hacia ningún otro compañero de casa. Cualquier comentario intimidatorio o discriminatorio podría tener consecuencias graves.Yet the closer that Emily gets to the truth, the more tension she feels developing between her and Chess. As secrets from the past come to light, equally dangerous betrayals from the present also emerge--and it begins to look like the villa will claim another victim before the summer ends. Maar, want die is er helaas ook, voelde het wat mij betreft meer als een roman aan dan echt een spannende thriller. Natuurlijk waren er wel wat vraagstukken en verrassingen tegen het einde aan, maar er is geen moment geweest dat ik echt op dat puntje van mijn stoel heb gezeten. Ik denk dat het ook komt door de karakters vanuit wie je leest. Er is niemand met wie je echt een band opbouwt. Je weet immers dat alle karakters stuk voor stuk geheimen met zich meedragen en niet altijd de juiste keuzes maken. En dat is toch wel een gemiste kans. I remember being in a café with a friend once when a guy walked in who obviously had some kind of mild disability to do with his legs – he hobbled over to a table and sat down heavily, and then looked around him at the greasy spoon with an air of deep depression. Amy stared at him and sighed and said, ‘I wish I was really really pretty so I could be a little moment of happiness in his day.’ I remember being surprised, because it sounded, somehow, like something a female character would say in a book written by a male author, rather than in real life. If you're looking for a mindless thriller that you don't have to pay close attention to, but still feel the full effects of it's entertainment along the way, this is it. I alternated between the audiobook and the e-book, and I found both equally enjoyable! I can't wait until the author releases her next book. Ik vond de schrijfstijl van Ruth fijn en ook het concept vond ik wel interessant, maar ik merkte dat dit verhaal mij toch niet zo aansprak. De onderwerpen vond ik nogal op seks gericht en ik vond sommige stukken ook een beetje vreemd. Het plot vond ik uiteindelijk redelijk slapjes.

Sometimes we don't really know we've won until we see the reflection of that win in the loser's eyes." (From Chapter Two, Things My Mama Never Taught Me) The seclusion of the home and foreboding nature of the house itself seems to be having an effect on the women. They're snapping at each other, running hot and cold, are they just going stir-crazy, or is there something more eroding their relationship? Eén villa, afgesloten van de buitenwereld. Tien deelnemers met geheimen. Ruim negentig camera’s. Zeven dagen de tijd om de miljoenen kijkers te overtuigen. Eén hoofdprijs. En één lijk.The setting is the hills around Florence, sparsely but nicely described, and the period is apparently just before the Second World War, or possibly sometime near the beginning of it. The war itself is never mentioned, but the setting must be after 1938 because one character has fled Austria after the Nazi invasion, two of his friends having been shot in the process. (‘It all sounds rather horrible,’ comments our heroine…um, well yes, Mary, I suppose that's one way to describe the Anschluß, yes, ‘rather horrible’.) Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Rachel Hawkins for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 1.3!** Durante una cena al ristorante, la Principessa San Ferdinando (Anne Bancroft nel film, la leggendaria Mrs Robinson che m’ha fatto sognare per un paio di vite) cerca di spingere Mary tra le braccia di Flint, un altro inglese, giovane e attraente, ma di mezzi incerti e abitudini un po’ tanto indipendenti. Mary accompagna Flint in albergo, lui ci prova, lei lo scoraggia. When he drinks and drives, he has a car accident. A few hours later, he dies in Mary's arms. This, she concludes, is a blessing for both of them. ...