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.

I didn’t know how I’d like the varying points of view but I truly enjoyed how the dual timelines and various points of view meshed together and flowed. This is such a greatly formed book and the setting is pristine as well.

I enjoyed this one! Especially the audio which was narrated by one of my favorites! It started out slow, but slowly built up to an excellent story. I must say I had the twist figured out, but it didn't disappoint. Love the setting, story and characters.

4 1/2 STARS!

My favorite Rachel Hawkins book to date! A book within a book, two authors who are frenemies, an Italian villa, and Julia Whelan narrating. Loved it all.

Emily and Chess are lifelong best friends but have grown apart as their lives have taken different paths. Emily is suffering from anxiety and writer's block, so When Chess suggests spending time in Italy, Emily agrees. Did I trust Chess? Not completely but I had a feeling there was at least one unreliable narrator here!

At Villa Aestas, their home in Orvieto, Italy, Emily uncovers what seem to be clues about the villa's tragic past. Formerly known as Villa Rosato, it was the setting for a high profile murder in the 1970's. But what also occurred during that summer was the creation of one of the best horror novels of all time and a wildly successful album.

I love a dual timeline, and I especially loved the 1970's timeline here. The characters staying in Villa Rosato in 1974 were not entirely likeable but all fascinating. The book does get off to a slow start but the ending absolutely delivered in terms of surprises! Narration by Julia Whelan was, as always, perfection, and I enjoyed the other narrators as well. I devoured this thriller!

(I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook from Macmillan Audio through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.)

Overall, it was an interesting novel, however, the idea of the house as a character was lost. The Villa was important to each character, however, it did not seem to be more than a place for the story to happen. It needed more presence - a presence.

The Villa is about two best friends who rent a villa in Italy and end up discovering the secret and complicated history of that villa. The story is told in dual timelines, which I am always a fan of. One story takes place in the present day and the second is told in the 1970s. I thought this was a fun thriller and I loved seeing where the story was going to go!

This was the palate-cleanser book I needed right now. Told from alternating timeframes, between modern-day Emily and best frenemy Chess since childhood, whose paths have diverged - Emily to writing a modestly successful cozy mystery series that her soon-to-be ex-husband is shaking her down for her meager royalties in perpetuity, and Chess a wildly successful self-help author and guru touted by Oprah. As a pick-me-up to Emily, Chess suggests a summer in an Orvieto villa where Emily discovers is the site of a 1974 murder.

We also go back to 1974, where we meet Mari, a 19 year old caught up in a toxic relationship with Pierce, an aspiring musician who moves from one under-age girl to another, first his wife, and alongside Mari, some dalliances with her stepsister Lara.

Overall enjoyable, though nothing very new - I feel like I've read versions of both stories before, and the co-dependent and toxic relationships and friendships were pervasive throughout and felt a bit icky at times. Without giving spoilers, I found the ending required a good bit of suspension of disbelief, and a few holes. But, a swift read that didn't require too much mental effort, which was just what I was looking for now, so a solid 3 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you for the ARC! I feel like this book was a bit messy and not super oringinal but that is just my personal opinion. Does not reach the caliper of other Hawkins books. Too many POVs and timelines for my liking as well

This was an interesting thriller in that it changed viewpoints between past and present and was different than most other books i typically read! Was perfect to read on vacation.

Rachel Hawkins does not disappoint! I’ve enjoyed her other books, but this one may just well be my favorite. I loved the dual timelines and the nuances of both. Hawkins did an excellent job of blending these two stories together. The ending fell slightly flat for me, but overall it was an engaging and excellent read.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a solid thriller with all of the ends tied up by the last page, but it did have trouble finding its identity and the part of the plot set in the present felt rushed. I

I finished this book in one night. I needed to know what happened between Emily and Chess, what happened to Mari. Then it was over. And I felt all the build up vanish beneath me. All this to say, I was let down.

Emily’s marriage is ending and her career is stalled after suffering from a mysterious illness. When her successful self-help-guru best friend invites her to stay in a villa on the outskirts of a quiet town in Italy, she surprises herself by saying yes. When she arrives, she finds herself enthralled and inspired by the villa’s dark history.

50 years earlier, Mari an aspiring writer, is invited to the Villa by a rockstar friend, only to be struck by tragedy when her partner is murdered. As we unfold the secrets behind the crime, we get glimpses into the ways this dark turn propelled her own success.

My main issue: Everything was tied up cleanly and in a hurry. Hawkins did such a great job of building up the tension and suspense in the villa; it made me want a no-holds barred face off or a detail-filled revenge plot. Instead, the plot just fizzled out for me.

This was an "all-in" for me and I couldn't put it down. What's not to love about about lifelong friends vacationing in an beautiful Italian Villa and location, interpersonal drama and a dual story line with "sex, drugs and rock and roll" from the 1970's. I really enjoyed it.

Emily and Chess have been friends since childhood, but their lives and careers have put a bit of a strain on themselves and as well as their friendship, so when Chess suggests a trip to Italy Emily sees it as a chance to reconnect with her best friend and maybe get some writing done too. Soon Emily finds her creative juices flowing when she discovers that the villa she and Chess are staying at has a bit of a history. It seems that in the 70s a rock star named Noel Gordon, also looking to find some creative inspiration, stayed at the villa with three others: Pierce Sheldon, his girlfriend Mari, and her stepsister Lara. By the end of their stay one had written one of the greatest horror novels of all time, and one composed an album that went platinum, and one was murdered. It seems the villa has a deadly past. Will Emily’s attempts to unbury the truth lead to history repeating itself?

The story was just ok to me. I liked that there were duel timelines, as well as excerpts from things like writings and podcasts. I felt I had a more complete picture of the characters and what happened/was happening, and I found it interesting how the two timelines connected to, and mirrored, each other. Lara and Mari’s history was more interesting to me. I found Emily and Chess to be rather annoying–I didn’t really like either character–which took away from the story. Parts of the ending surprised me, but other parts seemed unnecessary and to almost come out of nowhere. I wanted more from The Villa.

"The Villa" is unputdownable! (Is that even a word?) I finished it in less than 24 hours and instantly started my next Hawkins book.

I found myself completely captivated by the dual timelines. Lara and Mary find themselves living a chaotic rock 'n roll life during the 70's while Emily and Chess are currently on a girls' trip in Italy, in hopes of getting Emily back to writing after health and marriage woes. The dual timelines cross paths at Villa Rosato in Italy. The setting makes "The Villa" a bit Agatha Christie, which I find compelling in novels.

What unfolds is a crime of passion, a confession, and choices that completely change the course of each character's lives. The moral dilemmas make for a layered read. There're horribly flawed characters (I'm looking at you Chess - what a gross human!), massive amounts of gaslighting, and just enough "what the Hell" twists and turns to make this an excellent mystery.

This was definitely an intriguing concept. While I really didn’t care about Mari’s POV at the beginning, the ending was necessary to have her POV. I felt the first half dragged a bit, but the end wrapped up in a nice bow and I appreciated that. I kind of wish Emily wouldn’t have “chosen” Chess, and just chose herself, but it was super interesting that she compared herself to Mari and fully believed Mari’s story. It kind of reminds me of Verity, except we the reader knows the truth, and the characters don’t. Super interesting concept!

This author continues to set the bar high and give amazing books to her loyal and new fans. A really magical read, perfect for a lazy day. Beautiful.