The book had a little slow start for me and it got better around 25-27% in. After that I couldn’t stop reading. I loved the gothic/creepy atmosphere of the book, 2 totally different POV and timelines. I ended up liking this book a lot.

The Villa was nothing like I expected but everything that I needed. Rachel Hawkins delivered yet another one of my favorite reads. Looking forward to seeing what she publishes next.

Not a fan. I was on the fence about this one before I even started it, but I liked The Wife Upstairs so much that I decided to give it a try. I shouldn't have.
Told in two different storylines, this book is about writer Emily, who finds herself stalled in both her career and her personal life, and about Mari, a teenager who has attached herself to a struggling musician. Both of these women find themselves at a Villa in Italy in an attempt to turn their lives around. Mari arrives at the villa in the early seventies with her married lover and fragile stepsister, in order to spend the summer with a has-been musician who definitely lives the stereotypical rocker life-style of the time. Emily goes there with her best friend Chess, who has a successful lifestyle and self-help brand. What the reader and Emily know, that Mari doesn't, is that Mari's stay at the villa will result in a scandalous violent crime that will led to the successful, if strange, careers of both her and her sister. The book seems to unfold to the climax of what happened at the end of Mari's stay and Emily's discovery of exactly what events took place on that tragic evening.
It's a promising premise, but it wasn't well-executed. It seemed that a lot of time was devoted to the seventies story-line, but none of these characters were well-developed enough to inspire sympathy. They lacked depth and felt wooden, even when the author was trying to convey how emotional and dramatic they were. It felt trite, especially when they all devolved into the old tired "rockstar" tropes.. To me, it made them even more unlikable. The whole Frankenstein/Mary Shelley vibe felt inorganic, wooden and forced.
And then Emily's storyline in the present suffered. More emphasis should have been placed on this. But as a result Emily felt naive and frustratingly blind to her situation. I wanted to yell at her to trust no one. And she seemed to know she should trust no one. But her actions did not go along with that. At all.
The setting seemed strange, as well. With the subject matter, the reader might be expecting a dark, gloomy, creepy crumbling castle, or something along those lines. But a bright sunny villa during a hot Italian summer is where this story takes place. Perhaps the author was trying to juxtapose the setting with the actions and make it feel unexpected and jarring in an ironic and clever way. But it just came across as jarring--in a bad way,
But what really got me was the ending. I won't give away any spoilers, but Mari's last "letter" just made me feel like, "What was the point of all of this?!" And then the decisions that Emily makes at the very end are just plain ridiculous. I'm not sure if these actions are supposed to make her seem more like an "independent" strong women who was taking control of her life and her future, but they actually had the exact opposite result. Why would she go that?! I just got mad.
I would absolutely not recommend this book. When I finished I was just mad that I'd wasted time reading it.

I did enjoy this book. The historical parts not so much. I was actually bored during the past parts. The cover of the book is beautiful, the story predictable. I did love the authors other 2 books so I thought I would also love this one.

The Villa takes readers to a beautiful Italian Villa to watch the summer play out for two life long friends who are both hiding something. But their home for summer has a story of its own. I personally loved the way the story switched between timelines and would have loved to spend even more time in the past with Mari. I managed to finish this story in just two sittings. This was my first Rachel Hawkins story and it will not be my last.

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins is a suspense novel about friends, Emily and Chess. They decide to go on a girls trip to Italy. Their destination is Villa Rosato, and it has a very complicated history. When Emily starts researching the villa's history, Chess starts to make Emily nervous. The history that these two share is very tangled, and the reveals get more and more complex. This was a fun read, especially since it was a story within a story. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

I was hesitant to start The Villa because I loved The Wife Upstairs but then found Reckless Girls disappointing so I was nervous I’d be let down again with The Villa. That was thankfully not the case. This book was great! It gave me Daisy Jones vibes but in an Italian Villa instead. I enjoyed the two timelines and found myself just as invested in both story lines. I liked that both stories involved artists (musicians and writers) and the struggles/emotions/backstabbing that come with creating.
I would definitely recommend this one and will pick up the next Hawkins book that comes out.

I really enjoyed this one. I loved the story within the story, the parallels that happen throughout, and the friendship that is front and center.

I loved Hawkins first book,the second was kinda meh for me, so I was happy when this one hit its mark with me.

I always enjoy when there are historical aspects and background storylines that come into play. I liked the way Hawkins intertwined the toe storylines and did a true crime-like aspect that our MC's get involved in. So fun.

Ok I would be remiss to not start this off by acknowledging the beautiful cover, I mean c'mon. Next, and I know I will probably sound like a broken record here, but I have a pretty high threshold and standard for thrillers since that is the main genre I read so it takes a lot to impress me. That being said, I though this book was fine, decent even. It was a classic psychological thriller that was very bingeable and had some decent twists. Unfortunately, it also had some extremely predictable ones in my opinion and became redundant and predictable at points. I do think if you're one of those people who doesn't read a ton in this genre that you might find it less predictable and more enjoyable so I'm fully acknowledging that this may be a me problem. I also want to add that I read this one with my eyes but I've heard the audiobook is a full cast so I think if you're going to read this one, audiobook might be the route to go. All in all, the book was fine and I will definitely read more by Hawkins even if this wasn't my favorite.

A solidly enjoyable suspense novel with an easy-to-drop into setting. I loved the chapters in the past and the suspense of finding out what happened at the notorious house and I loved the present even though I feel like that was more predictable. I really liked it -- not so much LOVE but just really solidly enjoyed.

2.5 - 3 stars...
...and I feel that's generous, and mainly given for the last 15-20%; when something finally happened.

I wish this book was as solid as the author's last two (LOVED! The Wife Upstairs), h0wever, I found this sooooo slow & boringggggggg. I couldn't care less for the flashback chapters. Em & Chess were both annoying.

Stars for the cover & the atmospheric Italian scenes, other than that - snoozefest. Def not a thriller.

Review of The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

I was super excited to get approved for this title and it did not disappoint. I remain a huge fan of this author and she is an auto buy for me. My favorite things about this one was the setting (an Italian Villa!) and the dual timelines. I couldn’t figure out where it was all going but throughly enjoyed the ride.

Quick synopsis: Emily is excited when her long time friend Chess invites her to spend several weeks in an Italian villa. It’s a little bit vacation and a little but work as they are both authors on a deadline. The Villa was the site of a brutal death decades before when some musicians lived there. Emily finds herself intrigued by this and the story unravels in both timelines

This is probably my favorite Rachel Hawkins book!

I liked the whole “murder house” theme surrounding Emily and Chess’s girls trip. I also really enjoyed the dual time lines and getting the actual story of what happened from Mari’s perspective.

Chess was, in my opinion, unworthy of Emily’s friendship. But this book did showcase the struggles of friendships and forgiveness.

Special thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

I have loved Rachel Hawkins books before but The Villa was amazing! It was so good I didn't want it to end and you get 2 stories in one.

I almost cried when it ended bc I knew I had to find a book to top this and that would be extremely hard. 5 stars

I truly loved this book. The start was a bit slow, but by the last half, I couldn’t put it down. I was so invested in both Emily and Mari’s stories, and I genuinely didn’t see the ending twist coming. Definitely my favorite from Rachel Hawkins so far.

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins is a thriller set in a beautiful, but sinister, villa in Italy– where a murder took place in the 70s. When Chess, a famous self-help book author, wanted to spend the summer with her best friend Emily, in Italy, Emily felt like it could be the perfect getaway that she needed. When Emily finds out that there was amurder in the house in 1974, she becomes intrigued with the murder and wants to piece together the past. Will something sinister happen in the Italian villa again this summer? What truly happened in this villa so long again?

This book was a very fast read. The book hooks you in right from the beginning. I loved the alternative perspectives from Mari in 1974 and Emily and Chess in the present day. I found myself flying through the book wanting to know how the story was going to piece together and what was going to happen in the past. The past story of a rock n’ roll legend spending the summer together in a villa in Italy which ends in a murder was so intriguing to me. There were so many twists and turns throughout the backstory. There were a few things I could figure out throughout the book, but I truly did not know how the story with Mari and summer 1974 was going to end.

I also loved the setting of this book. The beautiful Italian villa with a haunted past made for the perfect backdrop. I loved hearing the past through the characters spending time in the villa during the present.

One thing I really struggled with in this book was the two main female characters Emily and Chess (although I disliked Chess way more than Emily). Emily made some very poor decisions in this book, especially towards the end. I feel like she was very easily manipulated by Chess and went along with whatever she said and I wish she was able to stand up for herself more throughout the book. Chess was self-absorbed and I am unsure if I can believe anything she said.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. I was hooked on the book right away and loved the premise of the book. It was different from other thriller books that I have read.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was a huge fan of The Wife Upstairs, and while this book wasn’t quite at that level, I still very much enjoyed it. The author is able to write her characters in a way that makes you react exactly how she wants you to. Some are annoying, others to be pitied, and a few to champion. I’m not sure I would categorize this book as a genre, but I appreciated the various reveals throughout, with the ending having the most impressive one.

This book was great! Rachel Hawkins writing style just meshes well with me. She pulls out all the stops and has unreliable narration, shocking twists and unforgettable atmosphere. Read ALL of her books!

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins is an interesting book concept. I like the idea that the author used to come up with the idea for this book. The plot itself is full of twists and turns that should keep you reading. However, I never felt a connection with the characters, and this really was a drawback for me and made it difficult to keep reading. Shocking events would occur and I felt unconvinced and unconcerned. Overall, not my favorite book. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

I always enjoy this author and got really swept up in the lives of two best friends with their strained relationship