Rachel Hawkins book are an instant read for me everytime. She's best sunshiney goth writer of all time.
This one though- This one was better than the others. This exceeded expectations.
How do you reconcile betrayal by your own sister and the love of your life? How do you move forward when things fall apart?
This story follows two timelines and two heroines as they cope with their sisters/best friends and the men they love. There are many surprises in both of their stories.
It made me grateful that my best friend and I are not competing artists or anything like that. We are just boring people who work for the disabled or disadvantaged and we don't like men enough to try to steal them from one another. Or whatever.
Every woman I know should read this one. It is so good!

Slow beginning, wasn’t sure where the book was heading and never felt like it quite got there. Also didn’t have any twists I was hoping for. Good concept, nice setting, quick read that I still enjoyed

The spooky quote at the beginning of “The Villa” got me hooked. I didn’t want to put it down.
“Houses remember”
In 1974, a group of musicians rented the “Villa Aestas” in Orvieto Italy for the summer to work on their songs. Mari was a writer who wrote cozy mysteries. She was hoping that she would be inspired to write another one. There were arguments, drugs, sex, and a murder that summer. While Mari was there, she wrote “Lilith Rising" telling the story of their time at the villa and the murder that occurred. I loved the two-story lines. Mari in the past writing her book about what happened in the Villa in 1974. Emily in the present reading “Lilith Rising”, listening to the music from “Aestas” and getting inspired to write her own book about the mystery and murder that happened in the Villa. Some say the Villa is haunted and is there another murder by the end of summer.

Thank you NetGalley, St Martin’s Press, and Rachel Hawkins for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have only read two others of the authors books. “ The wife upstairs” and “reckless girls”. This one is by far my favorite. There was different POV and from different times. It didn’t get confusing at all. I highly recommend this book if you like fast paced thrillers.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a Cody of the book for my honest opinion.

I rate this book 3.25 stars. The author does an excellent job reeling you in and making you care about one of the main narrators, Emily. This isn't a typical quick-paced thriller, but rather a slow-burn mystery/drama.

Emily has been going through it - she's been mysteriously sick, is currently in the process of divorce, and has a bad case of writer's block. Chess and Emily, best friends since childhood, decide to go on an Italian getaway to clear their heads and promote inspiration for their writing. Chess is a famous self-help, women's guru author, while Emily writes cozy mysteries about a gal named Petal Bloom. While in Italy, Emily discovers a gothic horror novel written by a former inhabitant of the Villa Chess and her are currently staying in. Moreover, she knows that the author of this novel, Mari, stayed at this same villa at a time a gruesome murder occurred. The story captivates Emily's attention and she is the most inspired to write in months. After making some connections between the fictional story of "Lillith Rising" and their vacation Villa, Emily is on the hunt to determine what REALLY happened in the summer of 1974. Could there be more to the story?

The Villa is narrated in two POVS - Emily's (present day) and Mari's (1974). It was hard to like Mari's storyline. I ended up being consistently frustrated by the men in her life and how she continued to stick around. She remained haunted throughout her entire life. Emily's storyline was a little more exciting and she was easier to like in some aspects. In other aspects, she ANNOYED me. Overall, I wish the story was darker and twistier. I had hoped for an element of surprise, but everything was too predictable. I really enjoyed the story's concept and development of the characters throughout, but it fell flat.


I received an advanced reader's copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Domestic drama mystery set in a beautiful villa in Italy, The Villa tells the story of two women, years apart that struggle with their talent, friendships, romances and life. Hawkins books are always relationship driven and this book set in current time and in 1974 ,explores the lives of two women writers, both visitors to the small Italian town of Orvieto on the invitation of a friend. In current times, Emily has lunch with her old friend Chess (actually Jessica). Emily is the writer of a cozy mystery series and is currently in divorce proceedings with her soon to be ex husband who also wants to sue her for a portion of her book royalties. Chess is the wildly popular author of several self-help books along the line of "Girl, do this" type content. Chess has always been the fun friend who has great ideas and energy but not loyalty or consistency. Chess suggests Emily join her for a writing holiday in the Villa which was the scene of a murder in the 1970's. Emily needs to get away and thinks this villa will give her a chance to finally finish book ten in her series.

In 1974 Mari who is nineteen is madly in love with Pierce a musician. Mari grew up with a stepsister named Lara and the three of them (Mari, Lara and Pierce) join popular musician Noel and his friend Johnnie at the villa for a vacation. The group is part of a freewheeling group of writers and musicians where sex, drugs and music come together in unexpected and changing directions. Mari is inspired to write a gothic horror novel, while Lara who has always been in love with Pierce, becomes a well known singer and songwriter. A death happens and we don't find out the true details until the very end of the book.

As Emily finds a copy of Mari's book "Lilith Rising" and finds some diary pages from Mari, she gets the idea of a very different kind of book than her usual cozies. Chess becomes jealous of the thought that Emily might have written a best seller and when Emily finds out Chess has been sleeping with her husband, the women struggle with their relationship and with thoughts of their future. I liked Emily but couldn't stand Chess who seemed self-serving and sneaky. I did enjoy the present timeline more than the past because it seemed more relatable. I did find it strange that in the 1974 timeline, both Pierce who was 22 and Noel who was 26 were supposed to have had previous lives where they were married and had children and it appeared that years past since they left those lives; yet they were still so young when they arrived at the villa.

There is some suspense and people die in both timelines but the story overall is about creativity and the relationships of the women who were the writers. I enjoy stories about writers and liked hearing about the creative processes of both Emily and Mari who both faced obstacles and betrayals in their quest to write their books.

This book is two separate stories that occur in the same villa. The first is set in the 1970s and the second in the present day. I found it hard to like and/or connect with the characters in the first story, though I liked the plot. The characters in the second story are easier to relate to, though I would've liked to have known more about their backstories. The author gives hints about tension, but I think it could have been more fully developed. The end of the second plot is quite abrupt and more detail would have added to the book's overall quality.

This book did take a while for me to get into, but when I did I enjoyed it. With that being said, I really did enjoy the dual POVs. This book takes you into 1974 and brings you back to the present day. The house truly does remember all. This book was a trip but so much of me wanted more. More of what, that I’m not too sure of. Just more.
Mmmm 3.5/ 4 stars from me.

Thank you to Net galley and the publisher for allowing me to read the ARC of this book. AND a huge thank you to the author for all her hard work she puts into her stories.

I have liked every book by Rachel Hawkins and this one may be my favorite! The two timelines are both interesting and worthy of having a separate book. There’s some good twists and turns and I highly enjoyed reading this book.

Holy smokes - once I got going on The Villa I could not put it down to save my life. There is SO MUCH going on here, and the bulk of it is messed up. Chess seems like a raging condescending B from pretty early on (and really, I'm not wrong by the end), but even I didn't expect her to be quite so awful. And Em has just enough mettle to keep it interesting. This is probably my favorite Rachel Hawkins, and that's saying quite a bit.

The Villa starts off with the haunting quote “Houses remember” which intrigued me, being a fan of good horror/thriller novels. However, The Villa didn’t horrify nor thrill me but did offer a few interesting twists so overall wouldn’t say you shouldn’t give it a try.

Childhood friends, (Emily and Chess) who have drifted apart, plan a trip to Villa Aestas in hopes to get some writing done as both are published writers however have had different levels of success with their work. The Villa happens to be the site of an infamous murder. Emily discovers hidden clues to what really happened during the ill-fated stay in 1974 of a group including a few famous musicians and step sisters, Mari and Lara (who eventually become famous in their own rite after the murder) and is inspired to use as the subject matter for a book. Tensions rise among Emily and Chess but culminate in a new tragedy at The Villa.

Overall a solid 3.5 for me. The story goes back and forth from Emily’s (current) POV and Mari (1974) but didn’t flow well in my opinion. I felt it was a slow build and struggled to keep my interest but the twists in the end do make it a worthwhile read.

Thanks to NetGalley and McMillan

The lemons on the cover enticed me to read this book--but of course, lemons on a cover are not going to keep anyone reading a bad book. So what kept me reading? The setting--Italy, hence the lemons--was part of it. I love visiting Italy, thinking about Italy, reading about Italy, and thinking about visiting Italy, so the setting played a big part. Even so, I'm not sure even a great setting like an Italian villa could have kept me engaged. But this STORY, ya'll . . . this story. There aren't that many books that I get so involved in that I skip lunch and other life events, but I just dropped out of life while I finished The Villa.

The author has deftly woven two stories from different eras but in the same villa together. Not really together, I suppose, but the first story has a strong impact on the second. Close friends Chess and Emily go on a girls' trip to a villa in Orvieto, staying in a villa with an infamous and mysterious history. While there, Emily gets drawn into the events from 1974, putting the present at risk.

I really didn't like the ending, to be honest, but it wasn't my story to tell, so I won't take away any stars. Aside from the ending, this book was darn near perfect.

ARC Review: The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

publication date January 3, 2023

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️ 5 stars

“Houses remember.”

I absolutely loved this book. It was a fast paced read that I kept finding myself picking up because I just couldn’t get enough.

This novel takes two stories (past and present) and intertwined them together in a way— surrounded by The Villa. Best friends/writers go away to Italy for the summer to draw inspiration. While there, they not only come to realize there was a murder here many years ago, but there are some similarities in a particular novel and the details surrounding that murder.

It did not disappoint! Put this one on your reading list.

The Villa will be available on January 3, 2023.

Thank you NetGalley, St Martin’s Press, and Rachel Hawkins for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Emily’s life seems to have taken a nosedive— divorcing her cheating husband, disillusioned with her writing career, recovering from a mysterious undiagnosed illness — when her best friend Chess invites her to Italy for a summer girls’ trip. The two stay at a “murder” villa where a musician was killed in the 1970s, and as Emily finds inspiration for her writing by digging into the dark history of the place, she begins to uncover what really happened in the summer of 1974. Meanwhile, the tension developing between Emily and Chess hints that there may be more betrayal brewing within the walls of the villa.

“Houses remember.”

The book switched between past and present timelines, which I don’t always like, but I found the use of it here to be very effective. All of the main characters were compelling, and even though I wasn’t crazy about the ending, this was an enjoyable read. Definitely a thriller worthy of binge-reading in one sitting!

Read this if you’re interested in:
🕯 Gothic suspense
🫶🏻 Female friendship
🎸 1970s rock stars
🔍 Mystery
💔 Betrayal
🪦 Murder
🍋 Spooky Italian villa

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
3.5/5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an advance review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

First of all thank you Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sadly, I didn’t really connect with this book unlike other Rachel Hawkins novels. I was not drawn in to the novel and I struggled to connect with the characters. I do like reading about characters who write, however I was not impressed until about half way through the book. I guess you can call this book a slow-burn thriller. It started way too slowly for me, but in the end I am satisfied. Rachel Hawkins has a way with her words that will leave readers guessing who did what incorrectly. She knows how to write a good thriller, I just wish I liked this one more.

3 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel Hawkins, and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this book!

Like many others, the beginning of this book had me hooked and got me very excited but some aspects were a touch predictable. I really enjoyed the dual storylines. It's not my favorite book by Rachel Hawkins but was easy to read through in a day.

First of all THANK YOU SO MUCH to NetGalley for allowing me to ready this ARC!!! This is a definite 5 stars for me. I absolutely loved this storyline. Loved the characters and how the author kept me on the edge of my seat in both timelines just wanting to know how everything was going to turn out. I had all kinds of emotions on this one and I felt like I knew these characters. The twists and turns were so good and that is why I love this author. I have read all of Rachel Hawkins' books and she continues to get better and better with every release!!! WELL DONE RACHEL

Despite the incredibly long chapters, I tore through The Villa. It was a fast-paced story of a writer who is trying to rediscover her writing while on a vacation in Italy with her best friend. But the house they are staying at was the scene of a gruesome murder years before. With the present-day perspective of Em and Chess and the past perspective of Mari, Lara, and the gang of rock-n-rollers, there's a lot of good story here. The twists at the end happen at break neck speed and the ending was one I truly never saw coming. Push through the first few chapters, and you'll find a 4.5-star story you can't put down.

A thriller with a great cover and a vivid cast of characters. 👏🏻 (@stmartinspress #gifted)

This is like DAISY JONES & THE SIX but with murder. Rachel Hawkins WENT THERE with this one. Towards the end, I was saying, “Is she really going to do this?!” She did.

I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about it in the beginning, but I was pleasantly surprised. Around 40% in, it started to become a page-turner and some crazy theories began taking shape in my brain. It’s a very layered story, which worked in my favor and kept the wannabe detective in me at bay. I always predict things too early in thrillers and THE VILLA confused enough to keep that from happening. Hallelujah!

I ended up enjoying the past chapters most and could have read an entire book about those characters. I have nothing but raves about that side of the book. I had such fun!

Bonus points: there are fictional books in this story (a story collection and a true crime) that I desperately wish I could read.

This author is quickly becoming one of my favorites. I don't always love books told in more than one time line, but it really worked in this book. I found myself racing towards the ending, yet disappointed that it was over. I full on plan to reread this one again to see what I've missed. 10 out of 10.