I was disappointed by the ending of this story. It felt lazy and unfinished. I also found the central friendship in this story unbelievable - it is hard to elaborate without spoilers - but I think most people who were betrayed in this way would not continue a relationship with the person who betrayed them.

I did like the premise of past and present reflected in the memory of a house, but it felt poorly executed and contrived. The summary teaser of the book was great, but the actual book didn’t deliver. One murder doesn’t make a deadly legacy.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and probably will be my last.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for the ARC.

Rachel Hawkins is one of those authors where I know I’ll love the book even before I read it. I had high expectations and The Villa surpassed them! I finished reading it 3 days ago and cannot stop thinking about it. I love how the book tells the story of 2 time periods & characters and weaves them together. The ending, which I always think makes or breaks the book, was perfect! I will be telling everyone about The Villa!

I couldn’t put this book down once I started reading. It’s a crime/thriller based on two friends in the present and two sisters in the past and how their futures are influenced by the events that take place at the villa. Houses Remenber ❤️ This is definitely a book I will recommend to fellow readers upon release. The story had likeable characters and flowed with good pace. I totally loved it and this will be a book that will stay with me for a long time. The author definitely tells a good story and this was beautifully written. It was the first book I had read by Rachel Hawkins, but will definitely not be my last.

to start I love Rachel Hawkins and was so excited to get this arc! As soon as Em started to get more and more interested in the previous murder I knew this was going to get intense! While the suspense was slow building, the flipping back and forth between the different times made it so worth it! The ending was so intense I couldn’t put this down because I had to figure out how it concluded! This was a quick and entertaining thriller.

Absolutely fantastic! Could not put the book down. Going to recommend to everyone to check out this book!

The Villa is a psychological suspense novel about female friendship, creative ambition and the lengths to which women will go to achieve freedom. The story has two strands, both revolving around creative types vacationing at the Italian villa of the title. In the present day, our viewpoint character is Emily, the author of a successful series of cozy mysteries. Emily is in the middle of a contentious divorce with Matt. She’s also struggling with financial difficulties and under a deadline for her next book, writers’ block. Her lifelong best friend Chess is a wildly popular self-help author. When Chess invites Emily to join her for the summer at Villa Aestas, Emily decides it’s the perfect thing to jolt her out of her rut.

The other strand of the story follows the lead up to an infamous murder at the villa in 1974. It’s told from the viewpoint of Mari, the writer girlfriend of an up and coming rock musician, Pierce Sheldon. Both Mari and Pierce are stuck in a creative rut just like Emily, and Mari and Pierce’s relationship is shadowed by tragedy. When world famous rock star Noel Gordon (also creatively stuck) invites Pierce to spend time at the villa, Pierce and Mari are thrilled. Mari isn’t so thrilled when her half-sister, aspiring musician Lara, comes along for the ride. Noel’s drug dealer pal, Johnny, lurks at the edges. Pierce, Mari and Lara have been embroiled in a web of creative and sexual competition for years. The addition of Noel and Johnny exacerbates the tension and creates new points of drama.

The novel alternates between these two timeframes and occasionally adds press coverage of the careers of the 1970’s characters that hint at what becomes of them. There are obvious parallels between Emily and Chess in the present and Mari and Lara in the past. As Emily and Chess learn more about what happened in 1974, the competition between them threatens to erupt. Similarly, the tension between the 1974 characters escalates toward the murder.

I enjoyed this novel but was disappointed in the ending. The characters and their relationships are well-drawn and satisfyingly nuanced and complex. The interplay between the present and past is well done and there’s definitely suspense in wondering what’s going to happen in both timeframes. I loved the way Emily found clues in the villa about what really happened in 1974.

The resolution of the 1974 plot is fairly satisfying and believable. A last-minute twist is interesting, but not jaw-dropping or shocking. I was less satisfied with the ending of the Emily/Chess plot. There were some developments that weren’t credible. There’s also a very important scene near the end that is only referred to in passing that I think should have been described in detail. It was like the author got tired and didn’t feel like writing any more. We need to know how the characters decided to do this thing and how they felt about it. Instead it’s just skipped over even though it’s huge and determines the outcome of the book. How Emily and Chess’ relationship ultimately lands doesn’t have that much force partly because of this omission. The ending is framed as a bad thing but I don’t think the story adequately prepares us to see it that way. So I kind of shrugged when it was clearly supposed to be the ultimate ending for the characters and some sort of twist.

I recommend this book as a fun, psychologically suspenseful page-turner that has some interesting things to say about female friendship and creativity, with the added spice of seventies sex, drugs and rock and roll, all in a beautiful villa in the Italian countryside. My one caveat is that the ending of the present-day story fell a little flat for me.

I had high hopes for this latest novel from Hawkins. While it definitely had potential, I feel like it fell a bit flat. Wrapped up too quickly, unlikable flat characters...overall 3/5 stars from me.

The newest thriller from Rachel Hawkins is AMAZING! This has all the great gothic vibes that she is so good at, but I think she took this to the next level. She weaves so many interesting dynamics, both past and present, into these characters relationships. You have the lifelong best friends on a summer trip to Italy, but there is a hint of competition and something even darker brewing. There is the story of stepsisters who share too many things, even when they don't want to. There are musicians working together for the summer, hoping the other will give them what they need to increase their success. Of course, there is a murder. On top of everything else, all of this takes place in a beautiful villa in a small town in Italy, which adds to the atmosphere.

I don't want to give anything away, but the twists were really good in this one. I had my thoughts of what was going on, but I love it when I'm wrong! This is my favorite of the author's books and I HIGHLY recommend.

IF HOUSES TRULY REMEMBER, THIS ONE COULD USE A CASE OF AMNESIA.

Upon her arrival at Villa Aestas and subsequent discovery of the details surrounding a homicide, author Emily intends to share the notorious story with the world. But will the 1974 murder of Pierce, a wannabe rock star, be the last heinous act committed on the property?

When Emily’s best friend, Chess, discovers her intent and insists she coauthor the book, Emily reluctantly agrees, but the covenant comes at a lethal cost—which adds just another malevolent layer to the villa’s already wicked history.

I enjoyed THE VILLA, but I have to admit I was expecting more attention paid to the house itself—in the form of spine-tingling paranormal activity/bizarre supernatural occurrences. Regardless, I do recommend the novel, and I suspect Ms. Hawkins hasn’t washed her hands of Villa Aestas, entirely. Not just yet. Because there’s so much more those walls could say. Thank you, NetGalley, Rachel Hawkins, and Macmillan for the ARC.

This light thriller combines a murder that occurred in the past with present-day events. It was a quick read, but nothing too thrilling. It had the potential to have some big twists, but just didn’t quite leave me with my jaw open. This story within a story weaves present-day events with the past. I found the plot intriguing and could see the inspirations Rachel Hawkins described for writing the book.

Childhood friends Emily and Chess reconnect with a trip to Italy for six weeks, both with plans to finish their upcoming books while staying at Villa Aestas, (former Villa Rosato) or The Murder House as Emily referred to it. It doesn’t take long for Emily to be drawn into the history of the house as she seeks to find out what happened that summer day in 1975 that left a musician dead. Through book passages, podcasts, online articles, interviews, and discovered journal pages the events of that fateful night are revealed. The events in the summer of 1975 were full of jealousy and deception. There was a dose of darkness behind the characters and even a closed-door spicy scene. I have to say I enjoyed the story behind the murder much more than Emily’s story.

This is a story about toxic relationships. Those in the past and those in the present. The writing style was easy to get into and the alternating timelines and pieces of embedded written work used to piece together the history immersed me into the story.

The Villa is my first book by Rachel Hawkins but it will not be my last! Once I got about 1/4 into it, I couldn’t put it down. It’s a smart, fast, easy read - and highly addicting! I will be purchasing this when it is released, and I thank NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy. Opinions are all my own.

Wow. Apparently I have been living under a rock and have never read a Rachel Hawkins book before. This was superb! At first I wasn't sure but by 40 pages in I was hooked. Usually jumping back and forth between timelines is a little jarring but for her it's seamless and perfect for the storyline. Although I sort of hated the character of chess, it really did make the story come full circle.

Thank you to net galley for the advanced copy of this book, I may or may not have read this in one day!

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this ARC from one of my favorite authors!

I really enjoyed following along with Em and Chess' story. As usual with Hawkins' novels, I was sucked in immediately. While the story didn't have too many shocking twists, it was eventful and exciting. I will definitely be recommending this to my thriller loving friends and secretly hoping it is picked up as a Book of the Month so I can snag it to shelf with my other Hawkins!

"Houses remember."
As kids, Chess, best-selling self-help writer, and Emily, cozy mystery writer, were inseparable. But in their 30s, they are pulled apart by life. So when Chess suggest a summer trip to Italy, Emily, whose health is finally better and on the verge of a divorce, jumps at the chance to reconnect with her best friend, and they both decide to take this time away to write. But the villa Chess has rented is well known because it's where a murder took place there decades ago. As Emily digs into the villa's, Mari's, Noel's and Pierce's history, she thinks there might be more to it. But the closer she gets to the truth, the more the tension grows between her and Chess, who would love to co-write a book with her, but Emily wants to keep this story for herself.
This was a slow-paced thriller told in a dual POV/timeline that was easy to follow. I did however prefer the Emily-Chess-present timeline, outlining the complex friendship between the women. The twists were no big surprise, but I enjoyed the ride. I read it in one sitting, I simply couldn't put it down!
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I was hooked from the start, Hawkins writes with an easy flow and catchy dialogue. She clearly painted pictures of all the characters and I could envision their journey through the book with vivid detail! I loved that about it. I felt the tuscan sun, sipped the limoncello cocktail and typed at the desk along with Em and Chess. I liked the dark patchwork underneath the bright atmosphere that the story was set against.

SPEAKING OF PLOT POINTS (potential spoiler warning):
This book certainly took a different turn than I was expecting. I felt like the end was somewhat sped up - the incident with Matt happened so out of the blue, and the fraught connection between Em and Chess at the end wasn't as highlighted - I feel like being through that together would make it even more so...? And Emily's illness...what was that? Why does Chess still wear the bracelet? She never 'really' addressed why she was on the phone crooning when Em spied. I feel like there were a lot of either unanswered questions, or answers that felt flimsy. I liked the unreliable narrator aspect, but I wish it had have been amped up a little bit more.

As well, perhaps it is the format in which the arc copy comes for the e-reader, sometimes it was hard to distinguish between past and present publications.

Overall I liked this book, just felt a little adrift and it left some questions unanswered when finishing it with that ending. I wasn't ready for it to be over.

Thanks to Net Galley for providing me with an advanced copy; I LOVED this book. I read it in two days; would have finished it in one if life didn’t get in the way!

What an original concept- a sorry within a story within a story. I loved the parallels between the 1970s storyline and present day storyline and, also, their differences. The influence of music and books as well as the symbolism of a getaway in a foreign country being both the best and worst things to happen to all the characters was fascinating. The story could have gone more predictable routes yet truly stayed unique and surprising until the end. Dark at times, the author really got to the core of how close relationships can bring out the best and worst in people.

This is the third book I have read by Rachel Hawkins; I find her to be a very talented suspense writer and I look forward to more titles. Highly recommend.

It's hard to give ratings sometimes.

A book that you don't want to put down means a good thing right?

....not necessarily.....

I struggled with the general premise of the book. While I love differing timelines, it is interesting when you hate one and enjoy the other. No seriously. One timeline (that influenced the entire story) had a borderline pedophilia relationship, a threesome, and no majorly likeable characters. The modern day timeline had more of a predictable story (although I really did enjoy the main character's voice, her plight, and her inner struggles with writing).

The Villa does check all of the boxes when it comes to suspense fiction. Fans of Ruth Ware, Megan Miranda, and Lucy Foley would enjoy this book. Individuals who like "books about books" would enjoy this book. If you want transported to an Italian villa, a villa with SECRETS, you will enjoy this book. I also did not fully guess the outcome of the "origin story"...So, Rachel Hawkins did what she set out to do.

I just could have done without the fluid morals and meh characters.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced review copy of this book (in return for an honest review

This is a repeat author for me this year as in January one of the first books I read was "Reckless Girls" by Rachel Hawkings. That book was a slow burn but, and my quote for that review was, "But then things go off the rails quickly and the ending is a explosion of WTF moments." It was entertaining so I was very happy to get to read this early copy of "The Villa" by the same author.

This one we have poor Emily, a successful cozy thriller writer who is recently separated and suffering from writers block. Her bestie from way back when Chess invites her to spend the summer at a Italian Villa and she jumps at the chance to repark her writing and just live a little outside of her ex who is pressuring her to keep writing (He is trying to get a portion of the royalties in the divorce. Loser alert!)

But this particular Villa, in the 70s was also rented for the summer by Rock Star Noel Gordon who invites his fellow Rockstar Pierce and his girlfriend Mari, sister of Mari: Lara. Noel is also looking to repark his music career by going to the Villa to write music. But during that time period Pierce was brutally murdered and Mari writes her debut book, a genre defying horror book.

And the sparks fly from here. Emily ignores her thriller commitment and instead starts a non-fiction book of what really happened in the 70s. And we have two timelines: The 70s and current timeline.

Positives: This book, like her earlier book, is very well written. Between the two timelines we almost have two different books. Both intertwine with each other until the end. The story is very engaging and sucks you in.

The Bad: If you are not into one of the timelines you will not be into the book at all. While there are plenty of thrillers written this way, this one has so much meat on it that you can't just gloss over one. You will lose interest. Plus, its a really slow burn and more so the first 25%. Like mentioned above, however, it's very engaging, but if you are not into it by page 80 or so just give up. Also, experienced thriller readers will predict one of the "twists" pretty easily.

Overall, I enjoyed it. I can't rate it 5 stars and I have to attribute that to the really slow burn and long chapters but understand that will be a positive for others. Go for it! This one has a publication date of January 3, 2023.

Advance Reader Copy Given Free for honest review.

I read the Villa all in one night - I was really engrossed in the story and the different threads of the past woven in with the present. I thoroughly enjoyed it overall, especially Mari’s story. Emily’s story was more difficult for me. So much of the action in her story was off page (especially the final action) so I was left wanting more information and insight into what happened. The climax fell a bit flat for me. As a reader, I was led not to trust certain characters throughout the book, so I kept waiting for one more final twist/betrayal, not believing that the resolution and mystery could be tied up so neatly, especially regarding Em’s mysterious illness. Perhaps that was the point, that what Em was telling us was an edited version of events, much like Mari’s ending(s) - that history is written by the victors.

I loved the frenemies aspect of our two main characters and the dual, almost parallel timelines was a nice touch. At times I did think that the 1974 story line felt like it dragged on or stalled out, but I was still so invested and had to know how it all came together.

While various sub-plots were predictable, I never once felt like that was a bad thing at all. I enjoyed problem solving and finding the clues to the mystery and putting all the pieces together. I really liked the macabre and dark ways Hawkins wove the two timelines together.