This is a fun, moderately paced thriller! <em>The Villa</em> finds protagonist Emily Sheridan (née McCrae) at loose ends. Her loser husband Matt has just left her, she has writer's block for her latest cozy mystery, and she's been dealing with a mysterious illness. When Emily's childhood best friend Chess offers her a chance to spend the summer at Villa Arestas in Orvieto, Italy, she's eager for a fresh start. In proper thriller fashion, it turns out that the villa in Orvieto was the site of an infamous murder in 1974 when a group of musicians and writers gathered at the house.

Rachel Hawkins alternates the action between the present day with the distraught, somewhat wet blanket Emily and Chess, who is an obnoxious Rachel Hollis-style influencer and self-help book writer. I think the dichotomy between the innocent Emily and the irritating Chess was too neatly drawn, but it's clear that the toxic, complicated nature of their friendship is part of the book. I was more so interested in the 1974 scenes from the perspective of Mari Godwick, a 19-year-old woman involved with a married musician who's in the process of writing her feminist gothic horror novel. It was fun to see how the past and present interweave in the book. Some of Hawkins's character and plot devices were well-trod and predictable, though, so the thriller isn't altogether dazzling. Overall, it was easy reading — though the pacing could have been a bit quicker in spots. And while some of the plot twists were easily predictable, some of the ending twists were the kind of delectable fun I hope to see in easy-reading thrillers like this.

The Villa has a super interesting premise and engaging characters, but didn't quite live up to its potential for me. The story is very layered, and includes two eras in the same house, as well as transcripts from a podcast, documentaries, historic excerpts, and more. While I wanted to love this book, I found it to be not quite satisfying in the end. A fun read along the way at times but it did leave me disappointed.

I have never read a story by this author, but I have heard a lot of good things about the way the author presents a story, allowing the reader a unique view into the lot and how the stories come to fruition. I can now see why her stories are so popular. This one was so much fun. It was not only entertaining, unique, and easy to digest but it had the right amount of intrigue, spookiness, feminism, and downright gripping moments.

Murder, music, mystery, rock stars, ego, and more, this story is sure to delight. The setting was about perfect. I mean an isolated villa in Italy in the mid 1070’s with sex, drugs, rock, and roll? What more is there to want?!

What a story this was, no spoilers, just grab yourself a copy and enjoy the ride.

*I will say this story is not a Gothic story, in my opinion, and leans much more towards women fiction than anything else.

I received an ARC via Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press and I am leaving an honest review. 3.75 stars.

Thank you for this copy of The Villa in exchange for my honest review.

Rachel Hawkins has written several really good books, including The Wife Upstairs and Reckless Girls. I expected quite a bit from this book but unfortunately, it left me hanging. Page by page, I was disappointed with this book. While Rachel has very strong techniques as an author in terms of her attention to detail, the storyline was less enthralling than I thought it would be. This will not be a book that I add to my library.

When two friends rent an Italian villa, nothing seems amiss, aside from Emily's contentious divorce and writer's block. When Emily discovers the journal of an author who used to live there, suddenly she's writing again, and with a fervor that shocks even her. But darkness lurks in the villa. Fans of psychological suspense will enjoy this twisty tale.

The Villa
Rachel Hawkins
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The past always has a way of repeating itself, and sometimes best friends aren’t the people you really think they are ( after reading this I’m glad my best friend is true!). If your looking for a good summer read ya know before all the hustle and bustle of mom lives take back over with school, and sports running. I would totally recommend this book! It was a fun read but had it moments…. I did figure out what was going to happen but it was still a great read!

I have read several of Rachel Hawkins's other books so I was very excited to receive an early copy of "The Villa". I was immediately drawn into the story, a mysterious murder in an Italian villa. Several perspectives of the story taking place through different time periods and different elements of poetry, articles and fiction. I really enjoyed the characters of Mari and Lara and how their relationship shifted over time. I understood how Rachel wanted to find a similar experience in Chess and Emily's relationship, not quite sisters, but much more than best friends.

I found the story to be a bit too predictable. Perhaps that was the author's intent, however, I wanted a little more of an explanation. The last 15% of the book felt a little rushed. I wanted more to be drawn out about Matt and Chess' relationship. And more on what happened with Matt at the villa. I loved the setting of an Italian villa with secrets. I would've liked to hear more about Elena and the women who kept the house and witnessed so much.

Overall, I will definitely recommend this book. I loved the theme of women taking back their power against men and creating something out of it.

Rachel Hawkins is such a delight to read. I've enjoyed all of her books! The Villa was a great read, even a bit creepy! A fun book, well written, atmospheric and some good twists! Terrific ending!

Wow, I stayed up way too late last night to finish this book! The Villa is my first Rachel Hawkins read, and it certainly didn’t disappoint! This story follows the story of two lifelong friends taking a summer getaway to an Italian villa that has a dark history. As the main character, Emily begins uncovering the secrets of the villa’s past, she also begins to realize that maybe her “best friend” has some secrets of her own.

I love how this book not only gave the “present day” storyline of Emily and her friend Chess, but also the 1974 storyline of what exactly happened at the villa when someone was brutally murdered years ago.

I didn’t know how this book was going to have an ending that I was happy with, but Hawkins pulled it off, and I really enjoyed it. Definitely recommend!

Read if you like:
•Mysteries/Suspense
•Dual time periods
•Books about books/writing
•A bunch of plot twists

And a huge thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the gifted ARC and opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review!

I may be the only person left on this 🌎 who hasn't read The Wife Upstairs or Reckless Girls.

When I hear the word villa, I think of sun and sand and water and I'm sorry, did someone say Italy?!?! ✔️ please.

I liked this one.

Some didn't care for the dual timelines and the way they were organized (within the same chapter), but it didn't bother me.

I enjoyed the premise of this book. A murder house? Come the hell on...let's go!

It was a short, quick read and anything under 300 pages gets a chef's kiss from me. 💋💋💋

There were a lot of characters, but I thought they were weaved into the story well. I didn't find things confusing and we all know that's a MF miracle.

I found the writing atmospheric at times and did feel some suspense, however, things lost a little bit of luster for me at the end. I was left wanting more and I did feel like there was a missed opportunity with this story, but all in all, still an enjoyable read.

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

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Emily and Chess (the latest name chosen by her long time best friend) became friends as children and only grew apart after they were out of college. Emily married and Chess became a well-known author. Emily's dream was also to be an author and she did write a series of mystery books that brought her a steady income but by no means the fame of friend Chess.

Emily became bogged down in a marriage that was falling apart and a husband who wanted all the money she had or would have. When wealthy Chess offers Emily a free trip to a famous Italian villa, she jumps at the chance to get away. The villa was the scene of a scandalous murder years ago and that's the story within the story. That murder involved a rock band and two sisters--both of whom became famous and both of whom were involved with the same man. Emily finds notes in the house about the murder and decides to write about it instead of working on continuing her series. Chess finds out and wants in. She's tired of her self-help books and wants to do something different. Emily doesn't want to share, especially after she learns she's already been sharing more with Chess than she ever wanted to share. The plot thickens as the two women battle for control over the things they share and unravel more of the story of the mysterious villa.

Recommended for those who enjoy mysteries like du Maurier's Rebecca.

Thanks St Martin's Press and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is not my first Rachel Hawkins book, having read The Wife Upstairs last year. I honestly did not like that book as I found it a bit stodgy and almost hokey. I even skipped Reckless Girls.
However, the Villa is a MASTERPIECE!!!

Love, sex, and rock and roll, all wrapped up in a stately villa in Italy. What can go wrong when a famous young musicians, a drug dealer, and their female muses rent a villa in Italy over a summer in 1974? Better yet, we have the present day, insanely famous, life coach, Chess, and Emily, her struggling bestie from grade school, spending a summer in the same villa present day.

The story seamlessly switched back and forth between the 2 timelines in such a way that the past and present fed off each other, which sounds insane but there is no other way to describe it! There were so many twists that I had anxiety reading this....it was only alleviated by reading faster to find out what happens!

Great plot driven story with characters developed so well, you have a mental picture of them which I loved. This is a story easily plucked from the headlines with true crime, drug fueled mayhem, jealously, infidelity, and of course, murder!

This is a 6+ star book and kudos to Rachel, its a winner!!!

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins's has so many twists and turns. that. It will have you wondering what is really happening at the Villa Aestras!

There are dual story lines set in the same house, decades apart. The present timeline revolves around Emily and Chess, who are long-time friends. They are both writers and agree to spend the summer together reconnecting and writing.
The past timeline is set in the 70’s, and it revolves around a group of musicians and a writer who are spending the summer at the Italian Villa during the time that a murder occurs. Emily starts digging into the Villa’s secrets, and while doing so uncovers some secrets in her own life.

I thought the dual storylines worked really well together. Really enjoyed how the past and present come together. I definitely will recommend this thriller! Look for it on 01/23/2023.

Thank you to St Martin’s Press, Netgalley and Rachel Hawkins for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

If you are looking for a book written my 2 very different perspectives... in 2 very different decades this might be the book for you! Being told from different perspectives leaves the reader with many questions, which do eventually get answered. I found this novel to be intriguing, thought provoking and exciting.

Thank you, Net Galley, for the ARC in exchange for a review.

I have read Rachel Hawkins previous work (The Wife Upstairs and Reckless Girls) and was excited to read The Villa!

This story is set in Italy and is told from alternating points of view (past and present). I loved reading about Emily and Chess and their current point of view, as well as learning about their friendship. I felt that some of the past perspectives were very slow for me.

I felt that some of the plot was predictable, and the ending was definitely interesting! It kept me on my toes and I enjoyed the book overall.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

This was a great one! Rachel Hawkins is a great author, and I usually love her books. This was no exception. I liked the mix of the current story with the one from the past and how the two stories correlated but balanced each other out as well. I loved the tension and complicated feelings of Emily and Chess and found their dynamic to be interesting and complex.

I’ll be honest, this book was really hard to get through. It jumped from one year to the next in the middle of a chapter and I felt as though it was choppy and really hard to keep up with what was going on.
The storyline was bland and the twists/turns were predictable from the beginning.

Thank you so much to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book follows our main character Emily, a struggling author as she goes on a girls trip with her best friend Chess to Villa Rosato in Italy. It also follows a past timeline following Mari, a young writer, also in beautiful Villa Rosato. Unfortunately, Mari’s trip ends in the brutal murder of her partner, Pierce. The more Emily learns about the past of the villa the more she realizes things aren’t quite as they seem and there’s more to the story of Villa Rosato.

This book was fantastic! 4.5 stars! Rachel Hawkins has a hit on her hands! I’ve never read anything like this thriller book, with timelines in the past and present. I also really enjoyed the music aspect of this book.

The twist and turns always kept me guessing. I really never knew what was going to happen next but I had so much fun making predictions! I was on the edge of my seat and read the majority of this book in one day, I just ate it up!

I also enjoyed the mixed media aspect with the podcasts and articles mixed in there as well. Just a super unique read, I was genuinely so sad when it was over.

This book pulled me in from the first line with Emily’s story and the same goes for Mari’s story!

I am looking forward to reading her other books and would recommend this to anyone who loves a good mystery and thriller!

I just can not say enough about this book! Mark your calendars for the 3rd of January 2023 and make sure to pick it up!

I loved this thriller with a dual timeline story. The book shifts between current day Em and Chess, and Mari and her friends ~50 years ago. Em is trying to rediscover her love of writing, and herself, while on a picturesque Italian summer vacation - complete with cliches (which the author acknowledges). She discovers secrets and deep betrayal by those who were supposed to love her (I, as the reader got mad!) and discovers secrets and betrayals in Mari’s story. The two timelines both reach closure but although revelations and resolutions are reached, they’re slightly unsettling - which can also be true for real life; things aren’t always wrapped up with a happily ever after bow. Well paced story and a quick read.

4.5 stars - This was such a great read, and possibly the best book I've read by Hawkins. I loved both the Mari and the Emily story lines and found everything easy to follow. I read this in one sitting, but if I took the time to speculate I think I would have guessed at least one plot twist. Overall great read!