"The Villa" by Rachel Hawkins is a gothic suspense novel that takes readers on a journey to an Italian villa with a dark and intriguing history. With a mix of past and present narratives, this book offers a compelling blend of mystery and suspense.

The story revolves around Emily and Chess, childhood friends who embark on a girls' trip to Italy in an attempt to rekindle their connection. The setting of Villa Aestas, formerly known as Villa Rosato, adds an alluring and atmospheric backdrop to the tale. The author skillfully weaves together the past and the present, revealing the villa's dark secrets and the tragic events that unfolded there in 1974.

Rachel Hawkins's writing style is engaging, and she effectively captures the allure of the Italian setting, immersing readers in the sights, sounds, and flavors of the villa. The dual timeline narrative adds depth to the story, as Emily delves into the villa's history and uncovers the hidden truths behind the fateful summer of 1974. The exploration of creativity, betrayal, and the power of secrets adds an intriguing layer to the plot.

"The Villa" offers a mix of gothic suspense, historical intrigue, and friendship dynamics, making it an entertaining read. While it falls short in terms of character development and fully embracing its gothic potential, the book's atmospheric setting and captivating mysteries will still satisfy fans of the genre.

Rachel Hawkins knows how to write a thriller. This book has twists and turns that will keep you on your TOES!!!

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins follows childhood best friends, Emily and Chess.. 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..

I can always rely on Rachel Hawkins mystery books to be quick-paced and action packed. While this one was not my favorite, I definitely will continue reading Rachel Hawkin's books in the future.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I just couldn't get into this one. The switching point of views were too jarring. The plot was slow to hook me in. I wanted to like it. I've loved all her previous thrillers.

Houses remember….that’s something you’ll be learning in this fun and twisted story line about the 5 adults that share a villa in Italy. So well
written, I enjoyed the character development and description of the place so much I imagined myself in Italy. Well done!!

This book did so many things well. It brought together the past and the present in a beautiful villa in Italy with several parallels between the two time periods. The characters were extremely well written and were brought to life through their own fictional works of art. The author really did a wonderful job of seamlessly bringing you into both worlds.

The only thing that keeps me from giving this the full five stars is the present day storyline, which was mostly predictable. The part taking place in the past was much more interesting to me. That being said, I loved how it all came together in the end and there were several surprises that I did not see coming.

Definitely recommend for suspense lovers.

This was almost un-put-down-able. The perfect mix of rock and roll, history, and ambient, place-based tension.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

I listed to the audiobook of this story and let me tell you. It can get so confusing without seeing what you are reading. One minute you are present day, then back in the past or reading an article. The voices are different but kind of similar so it was a little hard to follow along. I wasn’t a fan of the past perspective but I understand why it was needed. This book just wasn’t for me. All the relationships in this book are toxic and has a very bleak perspective. I personally would not recommend this to anyone

I kept hearing saying such great things about this book. However, I felt myself getting distracted by most of it. I was never fully invested in the story. I do have to say I usually enjoy dual timelines. However, I was more invested in the current timeline than the past. I didn't know who any of the characters were in the past timeline. I also this book didn't give me the thrill I was looking for. It was very slow moving and felt nothing was happening majority of the time. I really wanted a summer thriller and didn't get that.

Thanks to netgalley for an arc of The Villa.

Rachel Hawkins writing is always so gripping, but honestly, her novels are very hit or miss for me. This one was just okay. Not the best but not the worst

I was thrilled to receive an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley and couldn't put it down! "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––The Villa welcomes you into its deadly legacy." Rachel Hawkins does it again! The Villa is a duel timeline slow-burn thriller that takes place at the infamous Italian Villa. It has a unique plot that will leave you wondering who to trust!

This book was not for me which was a bit disappointing because i have loved all her past work. Will still pick up what comes next.

This wasn’t like her other books but I did enjoy it! It felt like a good twist on One Italian Summer and Verity with its creepy vibes. Chess annoyed me but I think that was the point. I loved the research and the different tactics Emily used to not let Chess know she was writing the book even though it didn’t always work in her favor. I didn’t care for the mean girl jealous best friend vibe- I think it’s a bit overdone and didn’t find it totally necessary in this book but I liked the overall idea!

Rachel Hawkins is an always read no matter what, no matter name situation. I love her work! This book gave me all the chills and thrills I expect. And I adore her twists, the twists that I never see coming. The Villa is the perfect thriller for a single sit down read or a slow read, which ever you like and trust me...you're never going to see the ending coming. Whatever you think it is...trust me you're going to love what actually happens.

Having enjoyed this author's previous works, I'd been looking forward to reading The Villa. Definitely entertaining, but pretty predictable and while I love Hawkins repeated theme of pulling from iconic literary works, this one just didn’t feel elevated enough to match the source material to which it paid homage. I'll still be reading whatever she writes next, but I don't think I'll be thinking about this one much longer than this weekend during which I read it. Still, a fun quick read. Thank you for the advanced copy!

Another arc from the backlog. I think this is my least favorite book from this author. This book had a duel timeline which I have a love hate relationship with. If it's done well it really adds to the story, but when it is done poorly, I find it harder to follow along and be immersed in the story.

I thought that this book had a weak connection between the two stories. I thought the one based in the past was pretty boring and I started to dread when those chapters came up. The current timeline also had some pretty messed up things happen between the two main female characters.

Overall I think this was her weakest book. But her other work makes me want to check out her future projects.

DNF @72%

Ok, it has taken me 3 days to read 200 pages; I give up. I can’t take it.

I even looked up spoilers to see if it was worth continuing and the answer was no. I could’ve been the “twist” from chapter 1.

I’m done torturing myself. DNF.

I would like to say that I am a Rachel Hawkins fan and despite this review I will pick up more books in the future by this author. However, this was a miss for me!
The Villa has a lot going on…we get glimpses of the past, newspaper and magazine articles, podcasts, and present day events from the eyes of two besties/authors who escape their lives to a Villa in a Italy for the summer. Chess covers the cost and invites her friend Emily who is struggling through a divorce and writers block. Before leaving, Emily discovers that The Villa has a dark past that ended in a brutal murder. Once her and Chess arrive she begins uncovering exactly how that murder came to be and the secrets of the past invoke a desire to write one of the best stories never told.

This dragged on and not in a slow burn fun kind of way. This was just painful for me to finish. I kept waiting for it to get shocking, for me to want to turn the next page but sadly it didn’t happen. I was just left feeling very…blah…in the end. I found it predictable and I became nauseated at how catty and bitchy all of these best friends seem. The protagonist bothered me so much! She just had zero back bone, can’t stand up to her ex (who is a pos), can’t stand up to her friend….just goes along in life and expects greatness to find her. She’s always competing with her friend while living in her shadow and I’m just not here for all of that nonsense. These women are supposed to be in their 30’s….at some point I think you would stop trying to impress your friend or you would just end up on completely different paths in life🤷🏽‍♀️. The atmosphere wasn’t there, the twists were mediocre, and the characters were bland and boring….shit this is taking place in Italy…at least give me some scenery or make me hungry with some deep descriptions of amazing food…I’ll even take one cheesy but steamy Italian love scene! There’s just nothing appealing about this for me.

The only reason this isn’t a one star for me is because it had potential and it wasn’t complete crap…I still read it entirely. However, I hope the next one lives up to past novels or this may be a turning point for Hawkins and me😭

✨Ｂｏｏｋ Ｒｅｖｉｅｗ✨

The Villa 📚 by @ladyhawkins

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This was my first Rachel Hawkins book (I have some of her others sitting in my #tbrpile) and I'm definitely looking forward to reading her others! I enjoyed how she alternated between two story lines and I enjoyed the characters in each. Add in a good plot twist at the end...I'd definitely recommend! 👻
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(Thank you to @stmartinspress for this #arc!)
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Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for an arc of this book in exhchange for an honest review.

Where to begin…

I seem to enjoy Rachel Hawkins premises and covers more than her execution. This one was incredibly boring and lackluster. Both storylines were extremely underwhelming and I had to continually force myself to pick this up as it didn’t keep my attention at all. I kept waiting to be shocked or swept up in the story and this never happened.

I wish she would have put more time and thought into the unfurling of both storylines. We were told instead of shown the big events in the book which made it so much less intriguing.

Her covers seem to continue to draw me in so I can’t say I’m completely done with her yet.