THE VILLA🍋

“The Villa” is a story within a story to get the background of “The Murder House” Told in dual timelines giving us the present and in 1974

I almost feel like I don’t know how to describe my thoughts for this one… I liked it, but also didn’t? I really liked the plot and ideas behind the story but sometimes I found the story within the story a little too long and took meaning away from the main story. I understand the need and purpose for it, but I just wish those parts were shorter and the present parts were longer and more developed. By the end, I still feel like I don’t know much about the main characters.

I have seen reviews for this one on bookstagram and many that listened to this one on audio really enjoyed it, so I would definitely recommend that!

I also need to give a shout out to this gorgeous cover!

Thank you St. Martins Press for my copy in return for my honest review!

I love everything Rachel has written! Unfortunately I read this book so long ago. I no longer have access to it, so I cannot go back and re-read it so that I can mention specific things in this review. But I definitely remember enjoying it!

It was fine. Not great but not terrible. I wish it were better, there was definitely potential but I was bored. Also where was the plot twist? Not even a little unpredictable. I wasn’t very interested in the 70s timeline, wish the characters were a little more interesting.

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins has the perfect setting for a girls beach read. Who else dreams of going to a villa in france with your best friend and just focusing on their creative pursuits while a breakup looms in your life? That’s the setting that we find ourselves in with best friends Emily and Chess. As the weeks go on though, a rift between the two women begins to form as tensions rise. While Chess is flaunting her perfect life and career, Emily is focused on her new book and finding the truth behind a murder that happened at the villa 50 years prior. In true Hawkins style, the ending is explosive and someone pays for the excesses of imagination.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing an e-Arc of The Villa by Rachel Hawkins for my review.

A unique story that grasped my attention from the start. Did not know where the story was going, and I'm usually good at guessing the twist ending. But didn't see anything coming and really enjoyed it.

This was not my favorite book and in the long term I do not think it will be all that memorable for me.

Emily and Chess have been friends since childhood but they don’t have the most balanced friendship. When Chess rents an Italian villa where a murder occurred Emily goes with to escape her life.

The book follows the dual story of Emily and Chess as well as Mary and the crew that was in the house during the 1974 murder. It alternates between Emily and Mary- who are both struggling to write a bit with Emily examining the murder and Mary living the events leading up to it.

I found that this was a bit unfinished for me and I didn’t understand motivation of characters at times. Several unresolved items at the end of the book linger.

I appreciated the opportunity to read this in advance.

I’m hit or miss with Rachel Hawkins books. I loved The Wife Upstairs, but hated Reckless Girls. This was a good, solid read for me. When I read that it was partly inspired by the Manson murder, I was sold. I was immediately sucked into this story and I equally liked the present timeline with Emily and Chess and the past timeline. I knocked off a star because I felt that the ending was kind of random and didn’t fit with the rest of the story. Overall, I really enjoyed this quick, dual timeline thriller!

I was excited to read this story, but I was disappointed by the overall book. There was little suspense and they mystery just wasn't that interesting. I did enjoy the dual timeline telling of the story. I really love the premise of the book, it just didn't work for me.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This is my third Rachel Hawkins book and the third time I've felt "meh" about her book. I think this might be okay if you don't read many mysteries or just want something entertaining to get through in an afternoon, but I'm finding that her mysteries aren't particularly intriguing.

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

✨Book Review✨

The Villa
By Rachel Hawkins (@ladyhawkins)
Release Date: 1/3/23
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

This book is a dual timeline, dual POV mystery that’ll leave you curious for most of the book. The present-day timeline features two 30-something friends, Emily and Chess. Their friendship felt more like frenemies to me, even though they’ve been friends since childhood. Chess is a self-help guru, and Emily a cozy mystery writer. They decide to take a 6 week girls trip to an Italian villa, which it turns out was home to a mysterious murder in the 1970s. They both hope to further their writing, but the mysterious murder may be the plot twist that turns their trip upside down.

The second timeline features a group of young people who stay in the villa. This is where and when the murder takes place, alongside lots of drugs, alcohol, sex, and tension.

I spent a lot of the book wondering when something exciting was going to happen. But all of the curiosity paid off because the ending was stunning! You purposely don’t trust any of the characters, and I loved that. I definitely recommend it!

Thank you @netgalley, @stmartinspress and @ladyhawkins for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

And thank you @lyndsey_reads for the buddy read! I’m so glad to have you to always read and non-stop chat about our Rachel Hawkins buddy reads! 🤣

My review as posted on Goodreads:

I’m grateful that the publishers gave me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I was hooked right away! I was super intrigued by this particular dual timeline and was curious how it would all connect in the end. While I was slightly disappointed in the way the Emily and Chess story wrapped up (it seemed a little rushed), I loved the last chapter about Mari! Great twist!

*** Best friends since they were kids Emily and Chess spend a girl's trip in Italy to reconnect

Villa Aestas in Orvieto is a high-end holiday home now, but in 1974, a horrific murder took place.

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. Perhaps the murder wasn’t just a tale of sex, drugs, and rock & roll gone wrong, but something more sinister might have occurred––and there might be clues hidden in the now-iconic works that Famous Author Mari and Musician 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.

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.***

I have loved Rachel's 2 previous books they were action-packed, fast-paced, and hooked me early on in the story.
Unfortunately, this one didn't have the same effect. it's much slower paced and switches between 1974 and the present time. The characters weren't particularly likable, especially Chess but then maybe that was the point. there were a couple of twists that weren't that shocking and the last one had me felling let down.
I wanted to love it but this one wasn't for me,

The Villa alternated between timelines and perspectives. Some parts felt rushed but overall a decent mystery thriller. Not as twisty as I had hoped. I felt I was more invested/interested in the present timeline rather than the past. 


Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ebook for an honest review.

I have always loved Rachel Hawkins’ books, but this was my favorite! I hung on her words, and stayed up wayyyy too late as I couldn’t but it down. If you like thrillers, you have to give this one a try.

I highlighted this book on my Booktube channel. The video can be accessed here: https://youtu.be/uiqwuZFoM5s

I quite enjoyed the back and forth of this story. In fact, it made me want to visit this villa for myself. A pleasant read that will have you flipping pages until it’s done.

Set in Italy spanning two timelines, something about The Villa just never quite clicked for me. We have aspiring writer Mari’s recollection of a drug-fueled murder in the 1970’s mirroring present day novelist Emily’s struggle to pen her next read following a contentious divorce. The parallels between the two trips to villa were obvious in many ways, leaving the big reveal at the end not exactly a surprise. More than that, I struggled with reading excerpts from Mari’s book along with detailed accounts of the murder in the 70’s along with the present day accounts of Emily and Chess. It felt like a lot going on and nothing going on at the same time. I also found the strained friendship between Emily and Chess a little TOO strained to believe how the rest of the story panned out. Overall, just not the book for me.

Emily and Chess, ex-BFF's, now more frenemies, both writers, spend the summer together at an Italian villa to jumpstart their writing projects. The house has a history, that spawns the dual timelines. I found that I wasn't that vested in the past narrative, finding the current story more compelling. Overall, the story is a bit of a slow burn, but has some nice twists at the end. Overall, a solid beach read, and I would recommend for anyone looking for such.

Published Jan 3, 2023 - Available now! Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely love Rachel Hawkins and will read anything she writes. This book was no different. It had me guessing until the very last second, Her writing is completely captivating, and I can't love it enough.