I really enjoyed this book it was super fun and a super fast read I would definitely recommend to others and purchase a copy as well

Rachel Hawkins has done it again! Yet another book that captured my attention and took me for a ride. This tale gives so much to its readers: love, friendship, music, suspense, MURDER- all set in picturesque Italy. 10/10 recommend!

I love Rachel Hawkins so was thrilled to get an ARC of "The Villa!" Thank you to NetGalley, and the author, for the chance to read it in exchange for an honest review.

I rarely love books that are told in two different time periods, but this book was the exception. "The Villa' in present day is about frenemies, Chess and Emily. Both are authors. Emily writes fiction books, and Chess writes self-help books. When Emily's marriage falls apart, Chess invites her to come live in a villa she rented in Italy for the summer. Is Chess being a good friend, or does she have other motives?

The other storyline in the book takes place in the 1970's and centers around Mari, a talented writer in her own right. Mari, her stepsister, Lara, and boyfriend Pierce, are invited to go live in notorious rock star, Noel's, villa in Italy. (Yes, the same exact Villa.) Sadly, the summer vacation they all hoped for turns out deadly when Pierce is murdered. What happens? Well, you need to read to find out!

This book almost had me in a trance as I read it. I felt like I had escaped to Italy and was truly living through the characters. My favorite part of the story was the meaning behind it. To me, this books message is it is never too late to rewrite your own story, and you can achieve anything you want on your own. Don't let others hold you back! I won't give anything away, but I will be thinking about this story for a long time. It was beautiful, with many layers, and I highly recommend it.

I’ve read two of her previous books and enjoyed them, but the dual storylines in this one have made it my favorite. Both take place in an Italian villa, one in 1972 where a horrific murder took place and the other in the present day when two friends, both writers, rent the Villa for the summer in order to work on their respective books. When one of the women begins to research the events in 1972, parallels begin revealing themselves that speak to female friendships and betrayal and lead to a twist I didn’t see coming.

Recommended.

I've been thinking about what I wanted to say for a few days. I was headed for giving it 4 stars until the end. The sudden change in one of the characters was so extreme it was hard to believe. I also thought the Villa itself was going to be giving sinister, Gothic vibes that affected the story, but it did not.
Still a Rachel Hawkins fab. And the cover is gorgeous!
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

Houses remember.

A page-turning, slow-burning story within a story. Emily and Chess, once inseparable as school girls, have grown apart in their adult lives. Emily has had a rough few years. A divorce, a mystery illness, writer's block. Things however seem effortless for Chess. She lives an instragrammable existence as a wildy successful self-help author.

When Chess suggests the two spend the summer in a stately Italian villa, Emily couldn't be more excited. Lazy afternoons by the pool, sipping crisp Tuscan wines, reconnecting . What could be better?

But the villa has a dark and deeply troubled past. In 1974, it was rented as a high-end holiday home by similar creatives, including three musicians and a budding horror writer. Not everyone survived.

A gothic ghost story about friendships, fame, jealousy and ultimate betrayals.

This is another winner by Hawkins! In 2023, Emily and Chess have become distant, not the wonderful friends they had years ago. Emily is now a cozy mystery writer and Chess a famous influencer (whom Emily is always comparing herself to in a negative manner). So, when Emily is invited by Chess to a famous villa in Umbria she rented for six weeks, she jumps at the chance with the hope that this will revive her writer's block. The notorious history of the villa dates to the seventies with all the references to the time added to make it a fascinating read! Two of the women involved in the troubles ended up being famous for one of the best horror novels ever written, and the other for a platinum album. (Shades of Stevie Nicks!) Secrets, twists, and dangerous encounters kept me turning the pages and not wanting it to end! Excellent storytelling - thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of The Villa.

Book Review 📚

⭐⭐⭐⭐

First I'm sending Thanks to @netgalley for this ARC of The Villa by Rachel Hawkins ♡

**I really, really liked this. I love a book that gives me all the feels of a different time, a history. **

This book was inspired by the infamous summer Percy and Mary Shelley spent with Lord Byron at the Geneva Castle (Frankensteins Birthplace, Fleetwood Mac and The Manson Murders. (Absolutely met its mark, I felt all the vibes)

Emily and Chess Vacation in the Villa Aestas for the Summer. Both Writers/childhood besties looking to reconnect, relax and write. Em finds original papers from Mari the author of The book Lilith Rising, a novel written in the Villa while a murder happened in the 70s.

What an incredible story. I really liked how the characters from the different time settings really resembled each other. Both being sisters/friends, the competition between them, and jealously. The back and forth between present and past was executed perfectly and very easy to follow.
I loved watching Emily unfold this story from history, it was so exciting and engaging for me. Some things were pretty predictable 🤷‍♀️ especially with Em and Chess' relationship, but I had to know how the story unfolded!! Followed by a nice twist in the story this was a great read! Highly Recommend!

Publication January 3rd, 2023 ♡♡

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This book sits in both the thriller and drama category! It was a slow burn with longer chapters, but I honestly didn’t mind. I found myself preferring the modern day character storylines at the beginning, but got hooked on Mari & Lara’s stories about halfway through.

You can definitely see the inspiration from Fleetwood Mac and the Manson Family murders. It felt glamorous and spooky all at once.

Pub date: January 3, 2023

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review :)

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/89927720-gemma-darr

Ooohhhh The Villa was STELLAR! I couldn’t believe I was approved to read it so I gobbled it up fast so they couldn’t take it back before I finished😂🤣

I loved this thriller, you get 2 stories in one book and WOW. I love all her previous titles but I think this is my new favorite.

The Villa kept me on my toes the entire time and I got seriously attached to the characters. I loved the extra twist at the end but I was not ready to say goodbye to this story!

Absolutely excellent thriller and a major thank you to @netgalley & @stmartinspress for my arc!

The Villa intertwines a present day friendship with a summer spent in the same home many years prior that involved a murder. The two stories intertwine with the writing of two novels, most importantly the one from the earlier group with the premise, houses remember.

There were times throughout the novel that I loved it and other times that I was confused. Overall I was extremely dissatisfied with the ending of the Em and Chess part of the story. Overall it read as very “dumb women” rather than the macabre and eerie fate I think the author was trying to portray. I just wanted something more at the end. The book feels unsettled in a way that is too cookie cutter.

The writing was good and the book was enjoyable. It was a quick read that kept me engaged but I hate when in the end I’m just disappointed. The creativity of the premise and style throughout The Villa far exceeded the ending, sadly leaving me just “meh” about the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin's Press for the ARC! I really enjoyed reading this novel and loved the dual storyline. The story is told from the perspective of Emily in the present day and alternating with Mari and the events of 1974, which included the murder of Piece Sheldon. I felt that the characters in the sections from 1974 were very well-developed and I loved reading those sections. I also enjoyed the mystery unfolding in the present-day sections where Emily was beginning to uncover that maybe there was more to what happened in 1974.

You will love this book if you like "book within a book" stories and are interested in the book world. I have always been interested in books that include details about the book publishing world because I find it fascinating, so I really liked seeing that in this book. I found the premise of this book very original! And I have to say, the twists in this book were definitely unique and not what I was expecting! Perfect gothic suspense! I can't wait for this to come out and see if a reading guide was included. This would be so fun to discuss with a book club.

3.5 stars. The Villa was an interesting read. Best friends/writers Emily and Chess venture off to Italy to work on their new books. While there they face unresolved resentments that have lingered over the years. They stay at an Italian villa infamous as a murder scene. Simultaneously, there is a storyline following the actual murder of 1974.

The dual storylines made the book so intriguing. I really enjoyed reading about the past. That whole group was so outlandish and toxic. You just knew it was building up to a chaotic ending. The present day storyline was easier to follow, but felt darker. These two "friends" were both sneaky and distrustful.

The ending feel a little flat to me. The built up tension kind of fizzled out. There were a few twists that I didn't see coming but I still had questions. It felt rushed and I needed a more in-depth closure.This was a fairly quick, enjoyable read that I would definitely recommend.

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

A gripping and fun read, yet while I loved reading about what unfolded with Mira and her friends, the current storyline with Emily/Chess was a struggle to get through.

Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4899126677?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

5 stars!

I loved The Wife Upstairs, really liked Reckless Girls and really really loooooved The Villa!

I highly recommend!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4898883091

Though The Villa is billed as a thriller, I find myself wanting to categorize it more as a slow-burn contemporary fiction, with a thriller undertone.

This intriguing book grabs you right from the beginning. Set in two different timelines, I was definitely drawn more to the 1974 initial story of the murder of Mari, which became the stuff of legend. The present day timeline follows a girl obsessed with the murder and her friend, as they stay in the same villa as the initial murder for six weeks. As the friends investigate the decades old crime,, they discover hard truths and consequences and secrets about the villa.

I did find myself wanting far more of Mari’s story than Emily and Chess though the story kept me engaged throughout. This is a slow paced book, but not quite 300 pages, so it was easy to get through.

Wow. I found this to be an amazing book. You know when a book is so good you can’t put it down, but at the same time you don’t want it to end? This is that book. Phenomenal.
Thank you so much NetGalley for this opportunity to read & review!

The Villa follows two storylines, one set in the present day, the other in the 1970s, both of which take place in the villa for which the book is named. There are several stories within each story, which worked better than I would have expected. The storylines are more circular than anything, and the echoes of the past in the present are fairly obvious, although there were a few unexpected turns along the way that I really enjoyed. A very fast, fun, interesting read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

My thanks to St. Martin's Press, Rachel Hawkins and Netgalley.
After reading and loving Ms. Hawkins last 2 books, I was eagerly anticipating this one. Her book Restless Girls, was my favorite book of 2021!
This one though? It sadly missed the mark for me.
I still had a good time reading it.
So, I'm giving this just 3 stars, but be sure that I'm still on-board the Hawkins train! Even my favorite authors have a misfire occasionally.

A great read with a vintage feel as this story moves back and forth in time. A creative concept wrapped in suspense and mystery. This one is a great ready that is fun and lighthearted in parts and equally gruesome and dark. The atmosphere gives this book have a vibe that really takes it to the next level.
Over all a great read.