I love this author! I seem to enjoy all books she has written. I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.

I loved this book! "Houses remember" is the prevailing quote here, and Rachel Hawkins did a fantastic job of weaving this tale of a murder house, best friends reunited, paranoia and real time life drama.
I breezed through this one in a night! I couldn't put it down!
Something about it just sucked me right in and I did not predict some of the twists that occurred.

A solid four star read for the mystery/thriller/women's fiction buckets.
Thankful for the ARC !

Two best girlfriends take a summer trip to Orvieto, Italy -- but things don't go exactly as planned.

Emily and Chess are in their thirties now, but they have a bond that has kept them connected even with life's ups and downs. Emily is recovering from a broken marriage and is struggling to finish a cozy mystery installment she owes the publisher. It seems that Chess's star is on the rise as her self-discovery books have made her a supernova, but she's also dragging her heels to complete her own nonfiction book.

As the women settle into Villa Aestas, they discover that their luxurious accommodation was once rented by a group of young people -- a famous rock musician and 4 others who were there to create music, write, and relax -- with the help of some drink, drugs, and sex. Their sojourn ends in tragedy and what happened there becomes part of the villa's history.

Emily is fascinated by the events from summer, 1974, and as she explores the villa and digs deeper into the past, she finds herself coming alive even as her relationship with Chess becomes strained. Long held secrets come to light and it seems that there will be a reckoning between the two friends.

I enjoyed this novel that simmers with tension and a bit of gothic influence that enhances the suspense. The twists and turns were interesting as well as how the author wove the story of the past with what was occurring in the present. Although I really didn't care for either Emily or Chess as characters, the plot was interesting and kept me engrossed. I did wish for more details about the villa itself and about Orvieto.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-book ARC to read and review. 3.5 stars rounded up.

This was my third book from Hawkins. All of which have been in this genre, and each time I think they can't get any more out of pocket they do.

I really enjoyed the juxtaposed of Emily and Mari's stories and how their relationships paralleled each other. I do wish we had more depth with each of these characters. Something was lacking in the modern timeline. Especially with Emily's friendship with Chess.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an eARC of The Villa in exchange for my honest review!

This was my first time reading a Rachel Hawkins book, and it was quite the absorbing time. It's appropriate that her Gothic thriller has been marketed as being evocative of the Manson murders, Fleetwood Mac, and the notoriously grim summer vacation of 1816 at Lord Byron's castle near Lake Geneva that included Percy Shelley and Mary Godwin (who would be known as Mary Shelley after the two of them got married) in the group. All of those inspirations can be strongly felt throughout the atmospheric novel as we follow a roster of morally gray characters who possess varying levels of unlikability and keep us on our toes over the mysteries unfolding in both timelines. The Italian backdrop and the theme of the desire to reimagine our lives to suit our own idealistic preferences are pluses, too.

Overall, if you're looking for some good old Gothic entertainment, I think The Villa would be an appropriate choice.

You know what I love about author's who have two pen names? There are multiple releases throughout the year, and 2023 is off with a bang, thanks to Rachel Hawkins!
The Villa is a dual timeline slow burn that left me turning pages late into the evening. Scenes set with similar backings, but a story split between 40 years. Untrustworthy friendships are the primary focus within the pages of this slow burn mystery, and Hawkins delivers likeable and non likeable characters like the master she is. In the current timelines there are situations that leave the reader wondering if they're actually friendly, or just basically dealing with each other for the perk of a trip to Italy. While is the past we're following a group of friends, family and lovers when tragedy occurs, and someone is found murdered changing their lives forever.
The setting is GORGEOUS, and I found myself reminiscing about my trip to Italy while reading this book. Bohemian lifestyle, revenge, murder, and the twists and turns left me wanting more. I really also enjoyed how the book Emily was writing brought everything together. While I was a LITTLE mad about the ending, I understood why Hawkins chose to go that way... it absolutely left me wanting more. Thank you as always to the publisher for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

Twisty and had me guessing until the end of the book! Couldn't put this down and I love how the two different timelines mirrored each other and fed into the mystery of what would happen. Rachel Hawkins best so far!

THE VILLA by Rachel Hawkins will keep you guessing with interesting twists as she transports the reader between 1974 and present day, with a beautiful Italian villa providing a backdrop and inspiration. Emily has had a rough time lately and needs to get back to her writing. When a lunch with her childhood best friend Chess, who is also a successful self-help author, leads to the chance at spending six weeks in an Italian villa to regroup, reconnect with Chess, and get back to writing, she jumps at the chance. While researching her trip, she finds the Chess has booked them into a villa infamous for a murder in the 70’s. In 1974, Mari and her stepsister Lara arrive at the Villa with Pierce, Mari’s boyfriend, an up-and-coming musician. They are guests of a Noel, a musician who needs a new direction to get his career on track. While Noel and Pierce’s creativity seems to take a back seat to other distractions, Mari and Lara find their inspiration, each creating a career-defining work before the murder changes their lives. Now, Emily finds herself drawn to Mari’s novel and what seems to be the mystery surrounding what really happened in 1974, finding a new direction and excitement for her writing but finds herself at odds with Chess and questioning everything.
Told in dual timeline, with Mari and Emily narrating their respective timelines, we follow both through the twists of their summers that leave the reader wondering what really happened. The two storylines parallel, and I found myself continuing to think of the novel days after I finished. I enjoyed how Hawkins developed the characters and storyline, and a look at how different writer work. Chess and Pierce gave me the feeling that something was never quite right with them, and that added to the twistiness of the story. The only negative I really have is that I think there were a few things that seemed to be set up that Hawkins did not follow through to completion. This is a solid read that will keep you on your toes.
Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of the novel. All opinions are my own and freely given.
#TheVilla #RachelHawkins #StMartinsPress #housesremember

I was expecting more twists, reveals, suspense, and thrills, but ultimately this story felt more like a historical fiction to me. I did enjoy the characters and the setup, but I went in expecting a thriller and left disappointed with the slow-moving storyline and lack of thrills.

When I was 75% in the story, I was surprised I was so far in and there was such little left in the story because I felt like so little happened.

I feel like this story would be good for fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid, and may benefit from being marketed as such.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me access to an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Stuck between the past and present, fiction and reality, this book ended up surprising me more than I expected. At moments I truly wanted to stop reading and more often than not I was mentally cursing Emily and Chess for the stupidity of their conversations but at the same time I had a hard time letting go. I truly wanted to know what was actually going on and how everything was going to be developed. It was very interesting watching/reading the process of how everything lined up together and more or less gave us a whole picture. In my very own personal opinion, there were way too many loose ends and not enough answers. I get the appeal of cliffhangers and unanswered questions but, it gives you the feeling that this book was rushed and written in a very careless way, as if the author didn't have it in her to actually connect the dots in her own story. Maybe that is part of her plan but I would've definitely loved it more if I had more answer like "What was actually making Emily sick?". Overall the story was super interesting and intriguing. Very pleasant read. Give it a try.

Thank you Netgalley, Rachel Hawkins and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity.

The Villa is a tale of two moments in time, one in 1974 and the other in 2023. Mari, a 19 year old has been whisked away to an Italian villa for a summer of lounging by the pool, writing her novel, and continuing the role as muse to her boyfriend Pierce. Emily (Em) is a soon-to-be divorced author who has been whisked away to the same villa by her best friend Jessica (Chess) as a getaway that will allow them both to write.

Except in 1974, the unthinkable happened. Pierce was murdered and from the tragedy, came new lives for the two sisters there. Mari's biggest success was a fictional novel Lilith Rising, that seems to have some parallels to the villa. Once down the rabbit hole, Em is determined to find out what really happened that summer in 1974. Was there more to the story than what was publicly told? Is it true that houses remember?

The Villa was my first Rachel Hawkins novel and it was an extremely quick read for me. I really enjoyed that you were essentially getting two books for the price of one, with stories that intertwined. The writing very much would appeal to those interested in Ruth Ware or similar novels. I have a few of her other books on my TBR shelf, and I'll be placing holds for them at the library to see what she puts out next.

A thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing me with a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are purely my own.

The Villa is a Gothic suspense novel told in dual timelines and dual points of view. I loved the Italian Villa setting and all the references to Mary Shelley and Frankenstein.

One timeline was present day and involved a toxic friendship between two authors. The second timeline was set in the summer of 1974 with a group of musicians and a writer. I was most interested in this past timeline and the dynamics of the group. You could feel the tension building as the summer passed. I liked how the author connected the two timelines in the end.

This was a fast-paced novel that I binged in 2 days! Thank you to the publisher for my e-copy of this book..

This book was just okay for me; I wanted to like it because the book -and the author- are hyped up on TikTok and BookTube but maybe this author just isn’t for me. I started this as an ebook and couldn’t get into it at all. What sold me was the audiobook because I listened to it while I was at work. It was interesting but you could tell where the story was going and lost interest. Despite enjoying the audiobook, I was bored in this book.

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins is a fantastic gothic suspense.

Set in an Italian Villa, there was a dual timeline that i think really added to the story.

The characters were well written and fleshed out.

This was well written and kept me guessing.

This story was very well done. I'm not usually a huge fan of split timelines and dual POV's but it worked well in this case. Both POV's were interesting and kept me reading but they also ended at good points were I was ready to slip into the other timeline. Both mysteries were great, I loved the way they concluded. The end was a tiny bit open ended but it worked. Overall I loved this book and recommend it.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that when Rachel Hawkins writes an unhinged popcorn thriller, I will read it. 😂 [laughing emoji] Thank you to the publisher for passing along her latest…⁣
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THE VILLA is the story of Emily, a struggling writer in the midst of a messy divorce, who travels to Italy with her childhood friend Chess who is now a wellness guru and inspirational writer. The villa they stay at with once the site of a brutal murder in 1974 when notorious rock star, Noel Gordon invites up-and-coming musician, Pierce Sheldon to join him, as well as Pierce’s girlfriend, Mari, and her stepsister, Lara. ⁣
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After that fateful summer, Mari wrote one of the greatest horror novels of all time, Lara composed a platinum album and Pierce was very dead… Once Emily starts uncovering the past, her present relationship with Chess takes a rocky turn…⁣
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THE VILLA takes its inspiration from the summer Percy and Mary Shelley spent with Lord Byron where Mary first wrote Frankenstein and mixes it in with Fleetwood Mac-esque 70s drama and a touch of murder. The setting is fabulous and Hawkins’ writing is just entertaining as always, but I must confess this is not my favorite of her novels. The plot is a bit predictable aside from one concluding zinger that I’m still chuckling over. And although I share Hawkins’ dislike of Percy Shelley (aka Pierce), I also dislike Byron and felt like the reimagined character of John Polidori got the short end of the stick. (He wrote the first vampire novel! Give him some credit!) ⁣
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I’ll always be here for stories about sisterhood, female friendship, and revenge but this one was just 3 stars for me. (Also please note this is an adult novel with plenty of graphic content including drug use, sexual situations, and language.)

Another great story from this author. I loved the flashbacks and the excerpts from Mary’s book as well as reading about her time at the villa. I didn’t know where this one was going but thought it was great and well told.

This was such a great read for me! I usually feel like books need to be edited down, but I actually wanted more time with theses characters. I loved the dual timelines - the quippy, modern friendship of Chess and Emily and the slow and thoughtful timeline of Mari. I appreciated the exploration of art - writing and music, the Italian setting, and the murder mystery all wrapped in one. Rachel Hawkins is quickly becoming one my favorite authors with consistently enjoyable, unputdownable reads.

The Villa is a fun, easy, compelling romp that will keep you entertained and then surprise you with startling twists. If you're looking for an enjoyable thriller that celebrates the importance of female friendships despite jealousy and competition, this one's for you.

The plot of the novel is a delightfully complicated envelope in an envelope, with the modern-day characters-- bff writer friends staying in an Italian villa for a summer -- looking back on stepsisters, a writer and songwriter, who stayed in the villa in the 1970s -- one of whom is writing a novel of her own about yet another character staying in that same villa. The best part is that this sounds confusing but is actually easy to follow because Rachel Hawkins knows how to juggle.

The narration of the audiobook is a whole production with three actors reading the different parts. (Perhaps this helped with keeping the different stories easily separated.) I am grateful to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an advance copy of the audiobook and to St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of the ebook. (I preferred the audiobook for this one.) Enjoy!

In 1974 rockstar Noel Gordon, rents Villa Aestas with his new upcoming musician buddy and his girlfriend and her stepsister. What’s supposed to be a summer of rock n roll ends in a gruesome murder, that no one to this day knows the exact details of. When aspiring writer Emily is offered to stay at the villa with her successful best friend, there’s only one thing on her mind, Yes! But soon Emily starts to dig into the past and sometimes the past is better left untouched.⁣
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What a book! I really enjoyed The Villa it was easy to immerse myself in the story and I even found it haunting. The relationships in this story are very complex and at times toxic, which adds to the appeal of the novel. ⁣
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I definitely prefer The Villa over last years novel Reckless Girls, if you’re a Rachel Hawkin fan make sure to grab yourself a copy on release date!