Emily's life seems to be spiraling.  Her husband had an affair and they are in the middle of a divorce, she seems to be stuck with writing her next novel and she's broke.  When her best selling author and childhood best friend Chess suggests a trip to Italy to escape and write, Emily thinks it's the perfect way to reset.  But The Villa they rented has a history. It's the location of the murder that took place in the 70's.  It seems that it's holding a lot of secrets about that murder and maybe Chess is hiding something of her own. 

Hmmm.  The best way for me to describe my thoughts about this one is that.... It's complicated. The story is dual perspectives and dual timelines which is something I love but at times I struggled to connect to the story and found certain aspects a little confusing. I felt like there were a lot of moving parts. Admittedly, I did do audio and it's easier to sometimes miss certain parts of the story.  At the same time, I did feel engaged the entire time and wanted to know where the story went. I particularly loved the ending, I didn't at first, because it makes you ponder. Overall I don't regret reading it and I recommend it.  I still really love this author and look forward to more novels.

This one was just okay for me. Loved RecklessGirls but this felt a little all over the place. I found myself skipping chunks because the dual timeline felt unclear at times. I’m sure there will be plenty of women who feel empowered by it but it wasn’t a love for me.

Vacationing in Italy seems to be a deadly decision for guests of the Villa. The Villa is a story within a story. Author Emily is stuck in a writing rut when her best friend, and fellow author, Chess drops a summer vacation to Italy on her. Desperate to get out of her current life situation, she agrees to join her friend. The villa they rented for the summer turns out to be a “murder house” and Emily becomes obsessed with learning about the past murder of a rockstar who stayed there in the 1970s. Emily begins to write again but this time with the help of “ghosts” left behind from the tragedy. You’ll learn the story of the rockstar murder from the research Emily is doing while also hearing Emily’s story. It starts off a bit slow but the endings of both stories being told will definitely catch you off guard. Does Emily get too involved in the past and does it change her future? The twists will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Thank you to Rachel Hawkins, NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC copy I received early for an honest review!
The Villa by Rachel Hawkins. #NetGalley

This novel flips between then (the 1970s) and now with the connection between the two timelines a villa in Italy. Emily finds herself drawn into the story of Mari and Lara, 2 young girls who spent time at the villa in 1974. Their stay ended in the murder of Pierce Sheldon, a musician who they both had a relationship with.

Emily is there as an escape from the nightmare back home where she is divorced, recovering from a mystery illness, and worried she can not write the novel that is owed to her publisher so she can pay her bills. Along with those worries is the uncomfortable feelings she has had with her longtime friend Chess who invited her to Italy.

Plenty of twists and turns in this captivating tale.

I had not read any of Rachel Hawkins other titles, but after this one I have added them to my reading list!

3.5 stars

This was an interesting read… but I didn’t feel any connection to any characters.

Emily is dealing with some health issues and the crumbling of her marriage when her best friend since childhood and fellow author, invites her to an Italian Villa for six weeks. Emily has a book due and can’t find it in her to write another cozy mystery… but this gorgeous setting may be just what she needs to write and to nurture the friendship.

This switches back and forth between current time with Emily and back in the 70s with Mari, telling the story of her, boyfriend Pierce, her step sister, Lara and their time with Noel Gordon, a rockstar who all spent a fateful summer in the very same Villa.

The real connection and similarities between the two timelines take a while to connect, but when they do, it’s riveting. And while I could see a lot of this coming for a while, it was still so entertaining. Mari’s past timeline and the events that happened then were the part of this that I felt the most disconnect with, though.

Ultimately, this was an intriguing and engaging mystery, though (unfortunately) my least favorite of the books I have read from this author under this name (and I have read them all).

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

1974 - Five people, two, no, three are musicians, one or two are writers, and the last is a resentful fifth wheel. All spending time at Villa Rosato in Orvieto. Too much drink, drugs, and doing it with anyone makes for a bad mix. It might be good for the creativity of a few but it's bad for the health of others. If only a different choice, here or there, had been made, everyone might have been able to go home.

Present day - Best friends and a greedy, almost ex-husband in the background. Spending six weeks at Villa Aestas (once known as Villa Rosato) in Orvieto. The same villa where a musician was murdered almost fifty years ago. Emily and Chess are here to revive their writing juices. Emily's recent undiagnosed illness and messy divorce have dried up all her creative thoughts. She's the author of a successful cozy series but with her ex wanting half her proceeds now and forever, it's no wonder she can't bring herself to put word to paper. Chess is her famous and wealthy self help author friend and wants to get Emily out of her funk. The vacation is just what they need although Chess is acting strange. At least Emily is able to use the villa and it's sordid past to revive her interest in writing. She may not be writing the next book in the series that she should be working on but she is starting something new. A book on this very villa and she has the help of those from the past.

This story alternates between timelines, Mari in the past and Emily in the present day. At first I didn't like being in the 1974 timeline because I've never been fond of wild rock and rock lifestyles and loose ways but those loose ways are not presented graphically which I appreciated. I wouldn't have been interested in this timeline except that Emily was interested in it. Then there is the present day timeline, which is more interesting to me, with Chess acting strangely and me hoping the ruthless almost ex-husband of Emily would get some kind of comeuppance for being such a lawyer happy brute.

Writing is involved in all of the story. The writing of books and songs, truths and confessions, hidden and seen. For me, this was a case of the parts not being all that interesting but coming together to make them something better.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

This book had it's moments. Not quite a momentous thriller as some others I've read - but good. I feel like there just could've been a little more. It just seemed like there was something missing. However I did like this one better than the previous 2. 3.5 * for me

Set in Italy with concurrent timelines- we learn about the events of summer 1974 when two stepsisters, Mari and Lara, along with Lara’s partner Pierce rockstar Noel and dealer Johnnie stay at Villa Rosato to give us a twisty story including complex characters and relationships, passion, art and what happens when everything comes to a boiling point.

In current day, Emily and best friend Chess give us a peak into their dysfunctional relationship. Emily is dealing with recovering from a mystery illness while going through divorce. She is broke from missing deadlines for her novel and thinks Italy is the perfect place to reset and get some work done. Chess is also working on writing - her self help book but has been keeping a secret from Emily.

I found this novel was enjoyable from the very beginning. While it is a bit of a slow burn, I found the writing about the characters and relationships with each other that set the tone for the book very well-done refreshing. While I did guess Chess’ secret quote early on the book definitely did not end in a way I saw coming and I am pretty good at spotting twists from a mile away so I loved that!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this ARC to provide an honest review.

This was a tough book to read. It was a book within a book within a book. Emily and her best friend Chess are both 'famous' authors - Emily writing a cozy mystery series and Chess writing self-help books. They both have books due but decide to head to Italy for a little vacation and to hopefully get their friendship back on track.

There is also the story of Mari from 1974, staying at the same Villa where a murder took place. Plus Mari is writing a book called Lillith Rising about Victoria and her family that stayed in a similar villa. Plus there are also various new articles and podcast transcripts. I felt like this other stuff was about 50% of the novel and it just felt very disjointed and made the story very slow.

At about the halfway mark, I felt like things started to pick up. I understood the connection between Mari and Emily's stories and had a grasp of the characters. I'm happy I kept reading because I did enjoy the twist at the end... unexpected. It was just a bit of a struggle to get there.

‘’Houses Remember.’’⁣
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This is a dual timeline read, that read pretty quickly and was entertaining enough. ⁣
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Emily is a cozy mystery writer, who’s recently been unable to complete the next book in her series; her husband has divorced her; and her best friend since she was a child has become fairly famous for her own nonfiction personal development books. ⁣
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Emily is struggling so she goes to Italy to this Villa with her bestie, only to find old papers written by an old famous horror author, the famous horror novel, and an old album from a famous singer songwriter who both happened to be in this house at the time of the murder of 1974.⁣
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The timeline goes between present with Emily and Chess and the past when Mari and Lara were musés in this same villa, where the murder occurred. ⁣
⁣
I loved the premise and dual point of views of this story. I couldn’t tell what was a truth and what was a lie throughout and which characters were reliable, which I like in a thriller. Overall I enjoyed the story.⁣
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I think this book has done the impossible and made me a thriller fan. I was so hesitant to start this book because I knew it would be good, but thought it might terrify me and keep me up at night. It did keep me up, but because I was dying to know what would happen next.

This book is full of suspense, secrets, mystery, complicated relationships, some romance and just a tiny bit of revenge. It’s set on an absolutely dreamy Italian country side, in a villa brimming with secrets. There is so much to decode- songs, novels, confessions, hidden diary entries. I could go on, but I don’t want to spoil it. It’s well written and kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I’m still thinking about it.

Thanks to @netgalley @stmartinspress and @ladyhawkins for this amazing eARC. It comes out on January 3rd!

Honest review: It took a lot for me to finish this book. I did not find the dual story line compelling, and much preferred the contemporary story to the 1970s story. I think either plot needed more development to really capture the reader and pique suspense. In the end, I ended up skipping much of the 1970s story line in favor of the contemporary one. I had high hopes, but The Villa was not my favorite read.

This my third book by Rachel Hawkins and I'm still living off of how much I loved her debut, The Wife Upstairs. Her books that followed have not achieved the same magic from that novel. 

This was a bit different because it had two drastically different storylines. One set in present day, at a Villa in Italy; and 1974 at the same Villa. The present day storyline was pretty slow, Chess and Emily go on a girls weekend after Emily has gone through a tough divorce. While at the Villa, Emily gets sucked into the story of what happened in 1974- an infamous murder. 

What I did like about this novel was the different mediums used to tell the story. There is a podcast, letters, and book within a book used to keep the reader guessing. I enjoyed the present day storyline more than the 1974 timeline, it just didn't keep my attention. 

The ending was a bit strange to me. I thought it went on for a bit too long, and expected a certain event to be the ending...but the book had about 10% left after that, that really didn't do anything for the story. 

Overall it was just ok. 3/5 stars

The Villa By Rachel Hawkins is an intertwined story told through two different timelines. that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
First we have Emily and Chess, childhood friends who are reconnecting for the first time in years by taking a holiday together to Italy.
Then we have a group of artists who spent time at the very same villa in the 70s.
From there we end up with a deep story and mystery that will keep you turning the pages while you wait to find out what happened and who dun it!
Please feel free to also check out my spoiler free youtube review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaTvWrCOtpc

I received a copy of this book on Netgalley for an honest review. No spoilers here, but I highly recommend this book. I loved the dual timelines with the dual protagonists and the way both storylines play out. It’s a real work of art. Best Rachel Hawkins book yet!

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins has some good twists for a slow burn mystery thriller.

One of my favorite things about Rachel Hawkins’ books is how you can like and dislike the characters at the same time. The Villa is no different. The characters are loving and selfish, dishonest and truthful, wild and safe. It’s wondering which part of them is going to surface in the moments that matter that kept me turning the pages.

I also really enjoyed the dual timelines with the Villa being the central location. Whether it was Em’s time in the Villa or Mari’s, I was hooked on what was going to happen.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book.

Houses remember.
Best friends Emily and Chess were inseparable as kids, but by their 30s, their bond has been strained by the demands of their adult lives. Both have become well known authors, but write very different types of books. When Chess suggests a girls trip to Italy for the summer, Emily jumps at the chance to reconnect with her best friend.
Villa Aestas in Orvieto is a high-end holiday home, but in 1974 it was known as Villa Rosato, and was rented for the summer by notorious rock star, Noel Gordon. Up and coming musician, Pierce Sheldon is invited to the villa as well, with his girlfriend Mari, and her stepsister, Lara. That summer sets in motion a chain of events that leads Mari to 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.

I think that Hawkins had some great ideas here and if put together in a different way, it would've been a very intriguing gothic suspense. However, the first half (or maybe even more than half) dragged on and on so much, it took me forever to get through. Then, the ending and "twists" were so rushed and motivations were not as explored as they could have been. I think the focus on this part would have been much more interesting than both the present day and past characters meandering around the villa and town. I did not feel the "suspense" at all. I wish I could give a more positive review, but I'll definitely still check out this author in the future because I do think she had some very creative ideas.

This is my third book by Rachel Hawkins and the first one I didn't enjoy. I couldn't get into the story at all. I figured out what was going to happen fairly early on which is always disappointing. I was so bored I struggled to focus on what was happening. The progression was too slow and the characters were just blah to me. It just wasn't for me at all.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 I loved this one! It’s not a Thriller, it’s a slow burn mystery. It’s told in two timelines, set in a Villa in Italy, In the 70s there was a group of people there and present day, two friends are in the Villa and they are discovering what happened to that group of people from the 70s.

such a good read!!! The story was captivating and I honestly finished it in one day because I could not put it down. The author is now going on my must buy list forever because I need more books like this in my life!