Emily and her lifelong best friend Chess decide to rent a Villa in Italy to finish their respective books and reconnect. Emily is recovering from a mysterious illness and recent divorce so she’s looking forward to a little BFF time. It turns out that the villa that Chess has rented was the site of a mysterious murder in the 70s. As Emily spends more time digging into the past, similarities between past and present start to emerge. I enjoyed the duel stories from past and present. I thought it was a bit predictable and not as much of a thriller than I thought it would be. It was still a great book and I would recommend.

I like when a book pulls in events from the past to add depth to the drama in the present. The Villa is told in a dual time line switching to 1974 from present day. In the present Emily and Chess are spending the summer together in a beautiful Italian Villa with a dark past. In 1974, we meet Mari and Lara. Mari tells the story of her summer at the Villa and the murder that occurred there. Mari has written a thriller during her stay at the Villa and as the summer progresses in present day, Emily finds clues around the Villa which are unsettling. There are parallels between the two timelines. which I enjoyed exploring. At times the Italian Villa felt foreboding as the events of the present day unfold.

The book is written in a style that seems to be Rachel Hawkins signature. How well do we know each other, and what secrets are buried? The story exposes the female relationships with other women and with the men in their lives. This story is definitely worth reading.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc. This is my honest review.

4.5 Stars

I finished this book a few days ago and I still can’t stop thinking about it…and the ending and just ugh the whole thing. I love when a book makes you question everything you thought you knew about the story as it unfolded, and this is definitely one of those books.

The Villa is loosely inspired by the summer in Villa Diodati (where Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein as part of Lord Byron’s ghost story competition). This story is broken up into flashbacks of “The Summer” at the villa in the 70s where an infamous murder happened amongst an artistic group of people and modern day, where our main character is trying to get over her writer block and happens to unravel the truth of that summer in the 70s.

At first the timeline switches were hard for my brain to keep up with, but it all blended together beautifully by the end and I became fully invested in both storylines.

The summer at the villa was all based on the original summer with Mary Godwin (soon to be Shelley) and the Villa Diodati houseguests and I loved how Hawkins translated that real life summer into her fictional world. It was steeped in rock-n-roll and feminism and finding one’s self leading to destruction and art. Mari is our Mary Godwin stand-in and her step-sister Laura is Clair (Mary’s IRL stepsister) and both are struggling for love and independence and discovering who they are and what their art is.

The modern storyline gave a true suspenseful vibe. You didn’t know who to trust or why and felt on the edge of you r seat, yet no crime had even occurred. Yet. Emily is our main character in this portion of the storyline, and she is at the same villa trying to overcome writers block and staying with her childhood friend Chess. Chess is our modern day influencer inspiration holistic #bossbitch full of affirmations etc and Em and Chess have some tension there. It was an interesting exploration of sisterhood and friendship and female relationships, all while Emily was unraveling the summer of the villa from before, with her life often paralleling with Mari and Laura’s.

I’m sure my review is just a mess at this point, but it’s as if my brain is still reeling from the story and the different layers and ugh, I just adored it. Rachel Hawkins has a way of taking some of my favorite classics (or in this case, real life events from famous classic authors) and spinning them in a refreshing way for modern readers. They truly stand on their own and are so inspired and I cannot wait to read when she writes next!

Authors and Childhood friends Emily and Chess decide to go on an extended girl's trip to the Villa Aestas in Orvieto, Italy. Emily and Chess seemed to have grown a bit apart in adulthood but are taking the time to reconnect on their girl's trip. Even though the Villa is gorgeous, it has a dark past. In the summer of 1974, a group of friends stayed at the Villa, and history was made. Not only was it the site where one of the most famous horror novels was written but The Villa was also the scene of an infamous murder that same summer. As secrets come to light and the friendship between Emily and Chess begins to fray, will history repeat itself?

The story alternates between the present through Emily’s point of view and the past through an author who stayed at The Villa in 1974.

The gorgeous cover art and the setting are what drew me into this story. I mean who wouldn't want to vacation at an Italian Villa! The story focuses a lot on the power of female friendships, the good and the bad. I enjoyed the setting and the story was atmospheric at times. I also really enjoyed the storys pov from the 1974 decade where the murder originally happened.

Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed with this one. I would have loved to of seen something unique or original to make it stand out nevertheless I still found The Villa to be a highly entertaining story. I see this one being very popular when it is published.

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins will be available on January 2, 2023. Many thanks to Netgalley and St Martins Press for the gifted copy!

The Villa follows two friends who are vacationing for the summer at an Italian villa. This villa happens to be the famous villa where five young people stayed fifty years ago...a stay that ended in murder. The story goes back and forth in time between the two friends and their power and friendship dynamic and the young rock star folks in the 70s.

I enjoyed this! Rachel Hawkins writes in a really accessible fashion, and I've really liked all of her thriller style books for adults. This might be the least thriller-y of them, but there's definitely still a ton of tension - there's still the core mystery of "who killed the person that died" (I don't what to tell you who it is, because I don't think you find out until like 30% of the way through the book), and the 70s parts have a bit of a Daisy-Jonesish feel to them. Those were the most enjoyable bits to me, and I loved where it ultimately ended up. The main story was interesting too. While I didn't identify with the main character, I did root for her, and the friendship and it's dynamics were really interesting to read.

TLDR: Another fun mystery/thriller from Rachel Hawkins! 4 stars - I really enjoyed it.

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.

Villa Aestas in Orvieto is a high-end holiday home now, but in 1974, it was known as Villa Rosato, and rented for the summer by a notorious rock star, Noel Gordon. In an attempt to reignite his creative spark, Noel invites up-and-coming musician, Pierce Sheldon to join him, as well as Pierce’s girlfriend, Mari, and her stepsister, Lara. But he also sets in motion a chain of events that leads to Mari writing one of the greatest horror novels of all time, Lara composing a platinum album––and ends in Pierce’s brutal murder.

As Emily digs into the villa’s complicated history, she begins to think there might be more to the story of that fateful summer in 1974. That perhaps Pierce’s murder wasn’t just a tale of sex, drugs, and rock & roll gone wrong, but that something more sinister might have occurred––and that there might be clues hidden in the now-iconic works that Mari and Lara left behind.

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.

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins (book review)

Wow! This is a banger! It is a pleasure reading this book! Rachel.Hawkins did a fantastic job creating believable characters. You are immersed in the atmosphere and taken by the scenario.

Synopsis:
Emily and Chess have been best friends since childhood. Having the chance to reconnect with Emily as adults, Chess suggests a girls trip to Italy.

Currently known as Villa Aestas, Villa Rosso was built in 1974 as a high-end holiday home. It is now called "Murder Mansion" after up-and-coming musician Pierce Sheldon was brutally murdered there.

Emily, a writer, discovers the villa's complicated history. This fateful summer of 1974 may have had more to it than meets the eye. In addition to sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll gone wrong, there might have been something sinister behind Pierce's murder.

This is my favorite work by Rachel Hawkins. The novel is intriguing and holds your attention. Her books have been enhanced by this excellent addition.

The Villa.is available on January 3rd. (4.25/5)

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for allowing me to review this delightful book!

The Villa is the third thriller novel I've read by Rachel Hawkins and for now will hold the lowest rank for me. I became disconnected with the 1970s POV of the story early on as well as the Lillith Rising portions of the book. These two plot lines coupled with the present timeline didn't feel cohesive until over halfway into the book. As someone who never succeeds at guessing endings, this book was a little too on the nose with plot twists and was easily predictable. It didn't give off thriller vibes either, which could be why this one fell short for me. And the ending swept way too many vital plot points under the rug. I did enjoy the atmospheric setting she describes though as the two main characters spend the summer at an Italian Villa! The present timeline was by far the most enjoyable of this book and I wished we stayed more within this timeline rather than expanding back into the 70s/80s. I get the feeling the author was trying to go for a mashup of Verity and Daisy Jones with this story, but I don't think this combination fully worked.

Reckless Girls will continue to hold the number one spot for me in regards to Rachel's work and I still look forward to what she has up her sleeve next. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for an early edition of The Villa.

I can't get enough of Rachel Hawkins!
This was one of those... I didn't want to read as soon as I received it because I knew I would go straight through it. And I did! I demolished it!

The Villa is the perfect gothic suspense novel to sink your teeth into!
Rachel is a master at creating the best character driven stories.
Her latest page-turning thriller/mystery is unputdownable.
Hawkins does what she does best, so much so that trying to put the book down is futile.
The setting of an Italian villa was just genius and very compelling.
The tension was palpable and chilling… mind blowing… One of the best books I have read.
A story which kept me thoroughly entertained from start to finish THE VILLA is one book everyone should add to their TBR list.

Hawkins..... You own me now! I'm sold! I'll read anything you got!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

St. Martin's Press,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this eARC!

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins is coming out in January! I was so excited for it after loving The Wife Upstairs and Reckless Girls.

The Villa is told in two perspectives. There’s a current perspective of a writer who begins to rekindle a friendship with her best friend. They go away to a Villa in Italy. A murder took place there and she begins to want to know more about it. The past perspective follows a different friendship and the murder that occurred at that Villa. There’s also kind of a book/story within a story element.

❤️Review❤️

I think I may have set my expectations a bit too high after loving her previous novels. I didn’t love this one as much as I wanted to. I still was able to read it in one day, but I didn’t find myself as compelled to it as I thought I was going to be. At times I found myself a bit lost and confused in the past timeline. I think the kindle format didn’t exactly help because there were times I was reading a perspective from an interview segment, but I didn’t realize it was an interview segment until the article was cited. So I’d be confused as to what was happening only to realize it was part of the mixed media. I want to give the book the benefit of the doubt that I may not have had that problem if I was reading the book physically. I did like that the book had some twists and turns. It currently kept you on your toes. So even though this wasn’t my favorite by her, I’m excited to share this book with you and to keep reading her books!

Thank you again to @netgalley for providing me an ARC copy of this book!

3.5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

#Bookstagram #BooksBooksBooks #Ebooks #KindleBooks #ARC #BookReview #2023Books #NewBookRelease #AnticipatedReads

OH. WHAT. FUN.

Let me say one thing before I talk about all the good. This book took a while to get going for me. I thought NOT ANOTHER DUAL TIMELINE. But this, dear Readers, is a lesson in how one is done.

Emily and Chess have been BFF's since they were kids. Emily had the safe life - college, moved home, got married, started writing cozy mysteries, etc. Chess became the next Gwyneth Paltrow. Emily gets divorced, goes down a rabbit hole and Chess suggests they summer at the Villa Rosato to get her book writing mojo back.

Except, Villa Rosato is sort of a murder house where a bunch of famous artistic types from the 70s (massive Fleetwood Mac vibes here) had a bit of a rager. Legendary rock start Noel Gordon, sisters Mari and Lara and Mari's beau Pierce Sheldon decided to summer there as well. And some random guy named Johnnie. Big time murder, Mari then writes the horror novel of the century and Lara goes on to be the next Stevie Nicks with her album she wrote that summer. No one is faithful, lots of drugs and rock-n-roll, so what on earth happened? And did they catch the actual killer?!?

For fans of Ruth Ware, Colleen Hoover's Verity, Alex Finlay and Liv Constantine. This just all works. Couldn't put the last 100 pages down.

Wow! I really enjoyed this book! There was great character development and I felt myself rooting for certain characters. This is the second book I have read by this author and I enjoyed it very much!

"Houses remember..." A strong opener followed by a little bit of a slow start. The narrative is winding but it keeps you hooked. The story follows two women across time, Emily and Mari, both (mostly) within the space of the villa; I found Emily's POV more captivating than Mari's, but both are absolutely necessary and beautifully intertwined.

I did feel like the jumping in time and quotes from external "sources," was confusing, but it played out and the novel was overall really, really good. It was hard to put down, and I finished it in a day... BUT the ending was unsatisfying. Emily truly was taken for a ride, taught a lesson, yet ultimately not allowed to reclaim her own agency. Frustrating but captivating, and a bit like real life in the way that it isn't just cleanly tied up in the end.

Emily and Chess were best friends growing up but adulthood has seen them grow apart so after a failed marriage and a strenuous few years, Emily jumps at the chance to spend the summer with her successful former best friend at Villa Aestas in Italy! But, the friends are both harboring secrets and The Villa itself has been rocked by controversy after an infamous murder that occurred in the 70's! The Villa recounts what happened in the summer leading up to the murder as well as Emily's quest to uncover the secrets the house still harbors while questioning the motives of Chess! You'll be questioning and guessing till the end!!

The Villa has a lot going on! From the cast of characters from that resided in The Villa in the summer of '74 leading to the murder that changed all their lives to the story of Emily and her failed marriage and her distrust of her best friend, Chess! I really enjoyed all the characters and both the storylines, however, the transitions between stories were a bit confusing and hard to follow at times! It also seemed that as soon as you got into one story, it would jump to a boring part of the other story! Overall, interesting and you'll have to read to the end to see what happens!

I love a good slow-burn novel that builds anticipation throughout the whole book. The way in which this author told the story from alternating past and present storylines made me very intrigued. This drama was full of suspense and twists that made every chapter interesting and the unique setting in Italy that has the 'rockstar' theme was different than anything I have read before.

I previously loved Rachel Hawkins' book 'The Wife Upstairs' but this one takes the top spot of being my new favorite!

Thank you to NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press for letting me access The Villa in exchange for my honest review.

This was easily my most favorite Rachel Hawkins suspense! I couldn't put it down. The two stories worked so well together. Was some of it predictable, yes, I saw it coming a mile away. That did not take away from the surprises I did not see coming. This was a suspenseful thriller set in a villa in Italy. It is the story of life long best friends, but it is also the story of 1970's sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll. My favorite quote from the story says "People are never just gone, after all. There are always marks, always signs." That is so true. #netgalley #thevilla #suspense #thriller #pageturner #justgoodbooks

To say I loved this story would be putting it mildly. Loved both time lines and the intersection of the two. Loved the pages from the book. Loved how the characters start as heroines but possibly become villainous all so much. The ending was the perfect cherry on top! Always a fan of this author and this ranks near the top of all of her books for me!!

I read the book over a few days as it was an easy read, with a decent pace. There were a few small twists in the story that were different than I expected. For someone that is looking for a distraction and interesting story I would recommend this book. If you are someone who reads alot of thrillers and want something a little different then you may enjoy this. This is the third book that I read by Rachel Hawkins and I will continue to read her books.

The Villa was an intriguing slow burn mystery with multiple plot lines. You have Emily and Chess in the present day vacationing at an Italian villa to rekindle their friendship as well as their writing. It's not just any villa though, it's the villa where a horrific murder occurred in the 70's, which thus inspires the 2nd plot line involving Mari, Lara, Pierce, Noel and Johnnie. And then you have a 3rd plot line which is the book that Mari writes while staying at the villa in the 70's. The spooky mysterious atmosphere was definitely there, but I honestly felt a little confused in the beginning with all the different plot lines. Interesting idea here, but perhaps not the smoothest execution. Thanks for the e-copy Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Rachel Hawkins. I appreciate the opportunity!

This was sadly a miss for me. I’m used to fun, fast paced thrillers from this author and The Villa was unfortunately none of those things. I didn’t particularly care for either of the timelines and the various relationships between all the characters made absolutely no sense. These people were awful to themselves and each other, and NOT in a fun to read way. Without going into spoilers, this book being marketed as “gothic suspense” is wildly inaccurate. There was hardly any mystery to the story at all and most of the twists were soooo predictable. I’ve had such a good time with the authors previous work that I will continue to read from her, but this one was a flop. Honestly, the only reason I’m rounding up a little from a 2 is that queen Julia Whelan is one of the audiobook narrators and we all know she makes everything better.