The Villa by Rachel Hawkins is a story within a story . In the present day story we have Emily, who is going through a divorce, and gets the chance to go on a trip of a lifetime and spend the summer in an Italian villa with her best friend Chess. Chess and Emily have been friends since they were young, and both have become published writers, Emily of cozy mysteries and Chess is a mega-famous self help guru. Emily and Chess will be spending their trip at the famous Villa Aestas, which was home to a famous murder in the 1970's. A famous rock star and some friends had been spending a summer there when a murder happened. As Emily spends more time in the villa she begins to learn more and more about Mari, one of the women involved in the 1970s murder and ends up finding parts of a story she wrote throughout the house. I went back and forth with which timeline I was more interested in, but ended up needing to know what was going on with Emily and Chess in the present day which really drove me to finish the story. Overall, definitely a slower paced thriller, but the dual timelines made it more interesting and layered than many of the thrillers out today.

I have so many good things to say about The Villa! I was able to connect with all of the characters both past and present. I have to admit that I connected with Em the most, like her I could also use a hard reset at a Villa in Italy, just maybe not one that is nicknamed the "Murder House".
The Villa definitely had me pulled in from beginning to end. I couldn't put it down, ended up finishing in 2 sittings.
Before reading ask yourself if you would stay in a "Murder House" to try and reset your live after having a very hard couple of years? Then after finishing the book ask yourself the same question.

Rachel Hawkins is an auto-buy for me at this point. The authors writing is breezy and I love the themes within her thrillers. At first, I felt like the inspiration (the trip Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein on) was too similar to the story but I came to enjoy its uniqueness. I loved the the Villa itself and honestly want to hear the album and read the novels created within the pages. All in all, this story had some serious meta aspects and I'm wondering when the movie for it will come out. Aside from a few minor discrepancies among the historical characters, The Villa by Rachel Hawkins was a delightfully dark read with gray women protagonists which I fully enjoyed and would love to see more of!

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins is a slow-burn thriller and drama. While most slow burns are suspenseful and time their information just right, this one had me putting the book down several times throughout the first third of the book. The book not only alternates between different narrators but also past and present. Throughout the book I found Emily not relatable and very dull. Her storyline was confusing and dull. I found myself skipping her parts. Mari's storyline had me engaged and wanting to know more and find those secrets. It was almost as if two different authors were writing the book.

Enjoyed this novel written with duel perspectives from the present and past. Loved how there was a story within a story. This was more non-fiction with some suspense. Focused more on relationships and how much they impact peoples choices and how far control and obsession can go. Enjoyed it overall but the ending was a little too good to be true and tying everything up. Almost a mirror image of the past.

When I think of mystery, I think of books just like this one, that gives all the thrills. This is a perfect book to snuggle up with on any day.

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.

The Villa pulled me in from the start. Told from two different points of views and two different time frames but woven together into a great novel. While I really loved the book, I felt a bit let down by the ending.

Emily’s life has been full of struggles recently between going through a divorce, suffering with writer’s block, and a mysterious illness. When she has the opportunity to join her friend Chess at an Italian villa for the summer, how could she say no? And this isn’t just any villa- this villa has a history of murder and tragedy.

I was SO excited for this book based on the plot and I really enjoyed the dual timelines. Unfortunately, I found the pacing to be off and the ending quite abrupt. I had to actually look back to check and make sure I hadn’t accidentally skipped a chapter because the ending was so quick and seemingly random. I also wouldn’t say this was particularly suspenseful. I loved the concept of this book, but unfortunately the pacing had me wishing for a more developed plot.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest review!

THE VILLA follows two points of view and timelines: the first is Emily, a writer in the near future who travels to a villa in Italy with her best friend Chess while trying to finish her cozy mystery novel, and the second is Mari, a writer in 1974 who traveled to thr same Italian villa with her boyfriend and sister while trying to write what would become a legendary horror novel. The blurb reveals that someone from 1974 was murdered (I wish we didn't know who) at the villa and now, Emily feels a connection to the author who spent the summer there before her and begins to try to unravel what might have really inspired Mari to write her best-selling book.

I would classify this as more of a light thriller or even a domestic thriller, bordering on contemporar fiction, as it doesn't elicit many feelings of anxiety or fear, and is really more about the complex friendship vetween Emily and Chess. Regardless of genre, THE VILLA had me hooked from the start - I wanted to keep reading to find out what would happen next and finished the novel in two days. I enjoyed reading about the friendship between Emily and Chess. I found myself relating to parts of their friendship and Emily's character - we share an alma mater! - and I loved that they were from Asheville, where I recently visited. Some of the chapters were bit long for my taste (only 15 chapters make up the entire book) and I found parts of the story a little predictable, but overall I really like Hawkins writing, was entertained by the plot, and enjoyed the beautiful Italian setting.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

What a fantastic book. I loved the dual plotline, the gothic feel when we went back to the 70's. I love all the twists, the writing was fantastic, I could picture the villa so vividly. Highly recommend!

An incredibly compelling read from Rachel Hawkins - with a disappointing ending. Longtime (yet estranged) friends Chess and Emily take a summer vacation to a villa in Italy with a storied past - which intrigues both of them, as writers. As Emily discovers more about the villa and the deadly events which took place there in the 70s, we the readers are treated to a thrilling backstory involving a rockstar, his protégé, and the two women sharing their lives. Tensions boil to the surface as Emily and Chess hash out their problems with each other in the present and the residents of the villa come to blows in the past. While I thoroughly enjoyed the lead up and back story, I don’t feel Hawkins treats her present-day characters as fairly as she should by the time the book is over. Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for an advanced copy!

THE VILLA by Rachel Hawkins

OVERALL OPINION

A fast and fun read with two timelines that have unexpected connections.

MY HISTORY WITH THE AUTHOR

The first book I read by Rachel Hawkins was “The Wife Upstairs,” which is a fun, modern, and twisty take on “Jane Eyre.” My enjoyment of that book led me to read her next book, “Reckless Girls,” which I also enjoyed. So it was a no-brainer that I was eager to check out “The Villa.” I was not disappointed. Rachel Hawkins has officially been added to my list of “must-read” authors.

One of the things I particularly like about Hawkins is that she mixes things up with each of her books and explores different plots, locales, and professions with each book. In other words, you know you’re reading a Rachel Hawkins book (especially with the lovely continuity of the covers), but you won’t know exactly what you’re going to get until you start reading.

PLOT SYNOPSIS

“The Villa” has two alternating timelines that are interwoven throughout the book. This is an increasingly common trend in books (including in “Reckless Girls), and I think it works well for this particular story.

The modern-day timeline focuses on the “best friendship” between our narrator Emily and her childhood friend Chess. Although their friendship has been strained lately, they decide to take a vacation to Villa Aestas in Italy as a way to reconnect and work on their writing. Emily writes moderately successful cozy mysteries, while Chess is a famous “life coach” type author (think Rachel Hollis). Villa Aestas is notorious for a brutal murder that occurred there in 1974 involving a famous rock star.

The other timeline is set in the 1970s and tells the story of the events that led up to the 1974 murder at the Villa. The primary narrator for this part of the book is Mari—who wrote one of the greatest horror novels of all time during her stay at the Villa during that infamous summer. (Interspersed with Mari’s narrative is “archival” information from “books” that were written about the murder.) In addition to Mari’s book being written during her stay at the Villa, her stepsister Lara also created a best-selling album during the same stay called “Aestas.” (In the book, the album is likened to Carole King’s “Tapestry” in its style and influence.)

These two timelines begin to intersect when Emily begins researching and discovering new clues, details, and information about the 1974 murder while staying at the Villa. Her discoveries eventually lead to significant events in the modern-day timeline that change Emily and Chess’s lives forever.

REVIEW

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and finished it in about two days. However, I thought the ending could have used a bit more work as it felt a bit rushed. (Also, perhaps there was pressure to have multiple twists?) Still, I think the book is a fast and fun read that would appeal to a variety of readers and Hawkins fans.

One of the main themes of the book is female empowerment and creativity—with all four of the main female characters being creative types (three writers and one musician) and how these women’s relationships with men influence their creative pursuits.

The book also explores the dark side of women’s friendships, especially when competing for the same men or in the same career space. The push and pull of the relationship between Emily and Chess rang the truest to me. Who hasn’t had a long-time friend who you sometimes don’t actually like or feel jealous of? These are difficult emotions to manage, and I think Hawkins does a good job with the dynamic between Emily and Chess.

However, I wish there had been more development of the relationship between Mari and Lara. This relationship is also critical to the book’s plot but felt less detailed. I wish I could have gotten more information on Lara’s musical pursuits because they are barely sketched in. However, this makes sense as it is told from Mari’s point of view. However, I think the book would have been richer had we gotten to spend more time in Lara’s head.

As a thriller/mystery, the plot is somewhat predictable, and I honestly think the “twist” at the very end made the book worse. I think it would have been a better book if the final twist had been removed. As I mentioned earlier, the ending felt a bit rushed and made the book weaker. I wish authors wouldn’t feel like they have to keep adding twist upon twist. Sometimes it is OK not to keep adding them in!

All that being said, I enjoyed reading “The Villa” and would recommend it to others. To me, this is a perfect “palate cleanser” book—one that I enjoy reading between heavier or more literary reads. With these types of books, you get to just sit back and let the author take you where she wants to go and don’t have to think too hard. Sometimes that is all I want in a book, and “The Villa” fits the bill nicely.

This book was great. From the very first page, it was a bit of a slow-burn, but when things picked up, it was definitely worth the wait. Hawkins always delivers and this newest novel is no different. The dual narrator was such a good way to weave through the story, I loved getting to read the different perspectives. The twist at the end caught me off guard in the best way possible. Highly recommend!

Rachel Hawkins’ newest book, The Villa takes place in Italy when two friends, Emily and Chess decide to take an extended summer trip to a villa with a dark history. While there, Emily does a deep dive into the story of what happened there years ago, determined to learn more and find out what really happened.

I was hoping this was going to be a bit faster paced than it was, but the story was well worth the wait.
I loved the multiple timelines and storylines, and seeing how the shared location ties the two together. A great book for lovers of mystery/true crime. I did find it somewhat hard to follow at times because it would jump from the present day, the past, and quotes from magazines, podcasts, etc all in the same chapter without super clear breaks, but maybe that is just on the eARC and won’t be on the finished version?

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! 📚

Atmospheric thriller with a bit of a limp ending.

Cozy mystery writer Emily is having a hard time: she had an undiagnosable illness for a long time during which her husband left her and now he’s after her money. So when long time friend Chess Chandler invites her to spend the summer in an Italian villa, she jumps at the chance. To add some spice, there was a murder in the villa in 1974.

The novel switches between the Emily/Chess time in the villa and 1974, when rockstar Noel Gordon (as an old Brit I was a bit confused by this as I was thinking of the actress who played Meg Richardson in Crossroads) is staying in the villa with friends and hangers on. Told from the perspective of teenager Mari, this thread builds up to the murder of her boyfriend Pierce, a rising rock musician. Mari herself uses the time to write what becomes an international bestselling horror novel, which weaves in elements of the tragedy at the villa.

So far so enjoyably intriguing. The dynamic between Emily and hugely successful self-help author Chess is niftily drawn and the author does a great job of seeding Emily’s niggling resentments which blossom into something darker. This slickly parallels the dynamic between Mari and her stepsister Lara, another guest at the villa.

But, as is not infrequently the case, all the terrific build-up in both stories just sort of abruptly fizzles to a somewhat unsatisfying ending. In Emily’s case, a not particularly unexpected twist is followed by an offstage resolution. In Mari’s story, the slow and woozily decadent lead up to the murder promises more than it delivers.

One disadvantage of reading on a Kindle is that often there’s no guide as to how far through a book you are. In this case, I had a real feeling of metaphorically looking for more pages with a definite sense of “Is that all there is?” I have enjoyed the two previous novels I’ve read from this author and she definitely has a skill for building vivid characters and nicely ambiguous endings, but I felt this one just needed another 10 pages to round it off.

Note: I have a grumble relating to a major but not critical plot point when a character refuses to go to a doctor because it is too expensive. However, this is England in 1974 where the NHS was pretty much the only option and this would not have cost anything.

Thanks to St Martin's Press and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

Told in alternating storylines from past to present, Rachel Hawkins has created a wonderful, suspenseful mystery that had me turning every page. Emily and Chess, long time best friends, decide to vacation at Villa Aestas for the summer to unwind and spend time together. While at the Villa, Emily discovers secretes she never knew existed, and tries to out together a murder that occurred over 50 years ago, one that still scars the house. Add in a famous author, rockstar rock 'n' roll, and overlapping timelines, The Villa creates a perfect destination mystery,

I liked this novel much more than Hawkin's previous works. The setting plays such an important part of the story and Hawkins does a great job. The rock 'n' roll vibes from the past and the mystery playing in both times really kept me engaged the whole time. Emily and Chess are two complicated friends and their relationship throughout the story keeps you on your toes. This is a great choice for fans of the author or mysteries in general.

Wow!! This was such an engrossing read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was the kind of book that I wanted to slow down and savor, but also couldn’t stop myself from finding out what happens next

It’s told in alternating timelines, but located at the same Villa in Italy. You have present day friends, Chess Chandler and Emily McGhee. The former is now a famous non-fiction writer and the latter is a cosy thriller writer. They have their differences and not sure they’re really still best friends, but they go on this 3-4 week trip to the villa Chess has through connections, to work on their writing.
Flashback to 1974, you follow a group of friends that consists of Mari, her lover Pierce, her stepsister Lara, a famous musician Noel, and another friend johnnie. You already know that that summer lead to the death of one of the friends, but as you read on you find out what exactly happened. There is a mini twist at the end so prepare yourself!

HOUSES REMEMBER is the tagline to this book and it really does serve as the grounding phrase for this whole story. You follow the group of friends back then and see parallels to present day em/chess. I went into this book blindly but was blown away by how absorbed I was in both storylines, and loved how it tied together in the end.

This is my second book by Rachel Hawkins but now it’s making me want to pick up her second book, reckless girls!

3.5 stars rounded up
I would call The Villa a dramatic mystery rather than a thriller. It is told in two parts: one by Mari in 1974, and one by Emily in present day. Mari and her stepsister, Lara, are staying at a beautiful Villa in Italy with a rock star, a song writer, and a drug dealer. Their story revolves around “sex, drugs, and rock & roll.” Someone is murdered which turns the Villa into an infamous “murder house.”
Nearly 50 years later, Emily and longtime BFF Chess decide to spend the summer at the same Villa in Italy to help spark ideas for their writing to help with writers block. Emily ends up uncovering old secrets from the 1974 murder while discovering things going on in her own life as well.
The writing was great with a good storyline. Everything was so descriptive you can really picture all the events unfolding. I was thinking the ending would be different…I think I like my own guesses better than the actual ending. I was also hoping for more spooky or creepy vibes since it was suppose to be a house of horror, but it was really just a house where bad things happened. No spookiness.
It was still an interesting and quick read that I would recommend especially if you’re a fan of this author! Thank you to Netgalley and St Martins Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
The Villa is available January 3, 2023.

Underwhelming. Anticipated it being more horror leaning that mystery/thriller leaning. Didn’t like either character or their reasoning/actions. I couldn’t connect with them.

I was more interested in the Mari timeline than the Emily/Chess timeline. Underwhelming ending. Just a little too convenient of an ending to be satisfied.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.