I read an advanced reader copy of this book from Netgalley.

A lovely feminist gothic with twists and turns aplenty. The story alternates between two writers, one a highly fictional Mary Shelly removed from her time, but not all of her circumstances, the other a modern cozy mystery writer. Both storylines are engaging and full of dramatic tension. A perfect beach read if you like something dark and thrilling, also perfect fall read with all that gothic tension.

Some good book discussion meat in all the complex relationships and decisions made.

I loved The Wife Upstairs! So i came in having high hopes, and Rachel delivered. It was creepy, very feminist, and different than any other story. I didn’t love it as much as i thought i would, i thought the tales would’ve unfolded a bit differently?

This book started off strong for me, stayed strong throughout and then, the ending completely threw me for a loop. I sit here now, trying to figure out how I really feel about it.

The Villa weaves two stories together; one in the past and one in the present. In the present two best friends, Chess and Emily, go on a vacation together to a beautiful Italian villa that was also once the site of a brutal murder. Both writers, the two hope this trip will reignite their waning friendship and bring writing inspiration, as Emily is going through a tough time with a nasty divorce and having a hard time finishing the current book she's writing.
Their story intertwines with the story of Mari, Pierce and Lara, who also visited the villa in the 1970s; a summer full of sex, drugs and music ending in murder.
Great writing and an interesting storyline kept me turning pages until I had reached about the last three chapters and then things kind of took a strange turn.
Without giving away too many spoilers, I'll just say that the whole "best friends should stick together no matter what, even in absolute betrayal" did not work for me. And then the ending got a little confusing and now, as I said before, having finished it, I really just don't know how I feel about it!

Overall though, I do have to say I did enjoy the story, and so I'm giving it 4 stars.

In Rachel Hawkins' newest thriller, The Villa, two female relationships are juxtaposed while staying in the Villa Aestas in Italy. Mari and Lara are sisters who are caught up in a complicated love triangle while Emily and Chess are childhood best friends staying at the villa many decades later. Emily begins digging into the mystery of Mari and Lara's famous stay which only complicates her own friendship with Chess.

The Villa has an interesting plot, but I did not find the characters to be very likable. I would definitely recommend the book, but it is unusual that I don't genuinely like at least one of the characters. That is the case with The Villa. Even though several of the characters are in terrible situations, I didn't really empathize with them. That being said, the plot has some great twists, and the book is entertaining.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of Hawkins' newest thriller.

I have read many of Rachel Hawkins other books and always admire their creativity, suspense elements and descriptive settings and this novel is no different! The setting is a gorgeous villa on a beautiful hillside in Italy during 2 different periods of time. A murder happens at the villa in the 1970s and then 2 friends go to this same villa in present day and get immersed in the mystery. Besides the setting, I loved the dual storyline at the villa. I enjoyed the feminist vibe that was spread thru this story with the female characters. This was a fast paced, can't put down thriller that I fully enjoyed and will recommend to others. 4.5 stars.

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins
Publishing Date - January 3rd 2023
Rating ( 3.5 / 4 ) ⭐️⭐️⭐️ . 5

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this arc. The Villa is set in Italy and follows 2 POV’s one in 1974 and one in present day. A terrible murder happened at the house in 1974 ; which sparks in present day sparks Emily and Chess to embark on an adventure to find out the truth of what really happened in 1974.

I personally enjoyed the storyline in the past better than the present day. Overall it’s a good mystery thriller ; just not one of my favorites by this author.

Houses Remember.

This story follows Emily as she spends the summer with her best friend in a Villa in Italy writing a novel, Intrigued by a murder that took place in the Villa decades prior.

I absolutely loved everything about this book, every twist and turn right down to the last page! The way Hawkins uses the style of the book to mimic what I assume Emilys original manuscript for the Villa was such an interesting choice and really helps immerse the reader into the world!

It was a short and sweet novel and super easy and fun to read! I loved how even though I thought things were easily predictable, but in fact they weren't we were being misdirected!!

You can’t go wrong with a Rachel Hawkins book in your hand! This one is so good! Loved it from the start! Huge fan of hers and I can’t wait for the next one!

Houses remember.

A great story within a story, with a setting that is as much of a character as the people themselves. The characters are engaging, and there's a wonderful sense of unease not entirely out of place in the story where we don't always know exactly who to trust and which version of the story is the truth. The ending is satisfying and the themes of sisterhood and friendship resonate. An enjoyable read.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my advanced reader's copy.

This was a surprising treat. Struggling artists, confused writers, complex relationships, dual timelines with mystery and suspense afoot. So much of it was more up my alley then I could’ve ever predicted.

I love being in the mind of artists, especially when they’re in a challenging stage of life, and it felt very authentic in this one as Hawkins crafted several distinct narratives with unique voices.

I was unsure if the build up would truly pay off in the end, but the murder was climactic and introspective in a way I found fascinating. I was a bit let down by the main character’s ending as I suspected the modern timeline to blow up in the way the past did. Chess never fully got what was coming for her or truly understood her wrongdoing which I was dying to see.

Further the end twist with the past timeline was recently done in a hugely popular book, so it didn’t land quite the impact I think it was going for.

All that said, however, I found myself continuously remarking excitedly to my mom, “This book is goooooood,” and I devoured it in two days. I loved the internal battles of Emily and Mari, and even in their worst times had sympathy for them. Enjoyable.

***Thank you to netgalley, Rachel Hawkins, and the publisher for this advanced reader copy.

Rachel Hawkins has been on my must-read list since "the Wife Upstairs", and "the Villa" is a smashing follow-up. This story is dark, moody, suspenseful, and an all-around perfect read for domestic suspense and thriller fans.

This is my third Rachel Hawkins book and definitely my favorite. Two best friends, both with successful writing careers and one in the throes of divorce, settle into an Italian villa for a working vacation together. The villa has a history and because "houses remember", there is some foreboding but the house wasn't creepy enough for my Gothic taste. I was, however, satisfied with the parallel stories of Emily & Chess and the rock star villa visitors from the 70s, and especially the clever book within a book.

Neither story held as much suspense as it could have, but I was turning pages pretty quickly anyway, and I appreciate that the art of writing was integral to both stories. The characters weren't deeply drawn and most were unlikeable, but that's expected in a thriller. I loved the ending, it was actually perfect.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Two women take a summer long trip to a villa in Italy. Emily and Cass are both authors, but very different genre. Emily writes cozy mysteries while Cass is quite famous and wealthy from her self help books.
While at the villa, Emily discovers it is the site of a murder of a rock star and the book that was written by once of the guests is now in the house. Emily gets quite excited when she realizes there is so much more to this old story and begins her own research. Betrayal and secrets begin to unfold and the tension between Cass and Emiy is heightened.

3.5 starts possibly 3.75
After reading Reckless Girls I was apprehensive about reading this book by the same author. However, I must say I was pleasantly surprised. As I reader that
completely and utterly disliked Reckless girls, Rachel Hawkins redeem herself with this book . The Villa in aspects of thrillers is definitely not an edge of your seat
thriller, but Rachel Hawkins brilliantly and effectively interweaves together past and present, artfully luring readers into an intriguing dark tale filled with twisted secrets, suspect loyalties, and deadly encounters.

Emily's life has suddenly started collapsing. Her career as an author of cozy mystery has paused, she is having health issues with no known etiology, her husband, Matt, has left her after more than 5 years of marriage.
On the contrary ,Emily's childhood best friend, Chess, has a successful career writing self-help books and being motivational social media influencer. Chess decides to invite Emily to spend the summer together in
Italy at the luxurious Villa Aestas. Shortly after arriving at the Villa Emily is swept up in the mystery of a murder that occurred in the villa during 1974. What follows is a cleverly- narrated dueling past and present timelines
sexual tension, questionable friendship , longstanding resentment and betrayal
This was a very quick read I tore through this haunting thrill ride during a 5 hour flight. I really appreciate how the The Villa was a great depiction on the effects of toxic relationships, and how these relationships can push ordinary people beyond their breaking points. I did wished it had more of the the thrillingly experience I have come to expect of thrillers. Regardless, I would still recommend this book as I believe its worth reading.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read an advance readers copy.

I got an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley. The Villa was a quick read—I read it in less than a day! It was an easy book to jump into. There was a twist at the end that I didn’t expect, but in the end I was still left wishing it had been more.

All in all, a great pool or summer read!

I loved this book. Lifelong best friends, Emily (recently divorced, cozy mystery writer) and Chess (best selling women's self help author) head to a villa in Orvieto, Italy for a summer of writing and friendship. The villa where they are staying was the scene of a famous gruesome murder in 1974. And although Emily is supposed to be writing her next cozy mystery, she starts to dig into the mystery of what happened that Summer in 1974. Was it just simple sex, drugs, and rock and roll that lead to the death of an up and coming musician? There are secrets and layers of friendship between Emily and Chess that come undone while Emily is uncovering the secrets in the Villa and it's famous residents in 1974. Will Emily find answers to her current problems by learning about the past?

The Villa is written from 2 points of view: Emily (current day) and Mari in 1974 (and through her life after). The twists and turns were well done. This thriller combined a beautiful setting, complex by likable characters, friendship, the idea of historical fiction, writers, and musicians, all of the things that make me love reading. It was the perfect book for me.

4.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Rachel Hawkins for an advanced copy.

Wow! Before I knew it I was 79% into the book and I was eating it up! Chess and Em are great parallels to Lara and Marie. I thought the ‘74 story was so captivating and I definitely thought Emily was being poisoned and somehow stories would converge and it would all make sense. Which it kind of did when Chess and Em pull a page out of Marie’s book (the unpublished one found in the house thought to be journal entries) but when Marie reveals what those pages actually mean?! I was floored!!!

I love a good back and forth thriller with two timelines and this books is exactly that. The setting of a luxurious Italian villa is perfect! The story jumps back and forth between 1974 (when a brutal murder occurred) and present day. The relationships between the inhabitants in 1974 were much more interesting and you felt more sympathetic towards those characters. The modern day characters are childhood best friends who have always had tension between them. Maybe because I have a low tolerance for friendship drama between women, or maybe because Chess is, as she calls herself in the book, a “see you next Tuesday,” I didn’t enjoy many of the parts with her in it. She’s a wholly unlikable character, although perhaps that’s the point? There are a few twists here and there in the 1974 timeline that made things even more intriguing! Overall, the book was good and I enjoyed reading it!

Thank you to #netgalley for this ARC of #thevilla

I love Rachel Hawkins and this book did not disappoint!!! It is a wonderful written mystery thriller with a creepy plot line of two stories about friendship, betrayal, and murder.
Two best friends Chess and Emily set out for a trip to Italy for the summer. They stay at the Villa Aestas which is also the site of a famous murder in the 70’s. This villa has secrets and the girls find themselves trying to find out the truth of what happened in the past. They also unearth truth and secrets about themselves.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Matin’s Press for a gifted copy!

I so love Hawkins' books and this one was excellent as well! It focuses on longtime childhood friends, Chess and Em vacationing in Italy at a villa that has a gothic feel from the beginning! Chess has become a bestselling author of non-fiction self-help books but Em finds some scraps of history exploring the villa that intrigue and resonate with her. Still reeling from an ugly divorce and an ex who wants money from her own cozy mystery series, she digs deeper and this is intertwined with the present as her relationship with Chess shifts when truths come to light. I was fascinated by both past and present and how they intertwined and merged to create such a vivid story (that would make an incredible movie)! Will continue to read all her books!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!