I really wanted to love this book but I just couldn't. It started off interesting with the story being told in the past tense and the present. How could Em be such a pushover with not just her BFF Chess but with her husband or rather soon to be ex husband, for that matter.
Chess didn't care for anyone but herself. She didn't care that she ruined Ems trust by sleeping with her husband to "prove a point" or to use her in her book as a loser sort of speak. Then Em for not standing up to her asshole of a husband or her supposedly BFF Chess. Like what the hell happened to make her feel like she owed Chess anything? Why did she put up with it all? Then we got like we got 0 detail as to why they both came to share their "BIG secret".
What was the point? Did they want to be like Mary and Laura from the past? Who's idea was it? Why did it happen and how?
Then the random "truth" from the past of Pierces death? So damn random! I have so many questions left and no answers. It felt sort of rushed at the end for me with no real closure.

Rachel Hawkins is a marvelous storyteller, and the tale she weaves in The Villa sucked me in right away and had me turning pages well into the night. Two friends reconnect in a beautiful Italian villa made famous by a gruesome murder and a novel written there during that summer in the 70s. Told as a story within a story within a story, the reader is pulled in to the mystery of the fateful night of the murder, as well as the suspicious friendship between Emily and Chess. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, Hawkins pulled a fast one on me and left my head spinning. Such a fun read.

Thank you to Net Galley, St. Martin’s Press and Rachel Hawkins for an advance copy for my honest review.

Hawkins is a successful American author of "The Wife Upstairs" and of many YA novels including the Hex Hall and Rebel Belle series. This new release is another suspense thriller. Emily is going through a divorce and trying to write her tenth cozy mystery in a series that has proven moderately popular. When her childhood friend and now a successful self-help author, Chess, invites her to spend the summer with her at a villa in Italy for some bonding and to finish their latest books, she jumps at the chance. Emily soon realizes that the villa was the location of the murder of a famous rock star in 1974. She quickly gets distracted from her cozy mystery and starts to write a book about the murder. Told in two timelines the story jumps back and forth from 1974 to the present, each time revealing more secrets about the lives of the characters. The story has suspense, friendship, romance with a small dose of "sex, drugs and rock & roll' and is a great recommendation for customers looking for a fun read, with some flawed characters

I’ll start out by saying, I was fully engaged the entire time! Two sisters, who haven’t had it easy, are in love with men who only see them as muses. They all spend an entire summer in a beautiful villa in Italy to live the Rock & Roll life style (we all know the one). But things definitely don’t go as planned.

This is a dual timeline story bouncing between the sisters in the villa to two best friends spending their summer in the same villa many years later. How much can a house remember?

I wanted to know what happened and who was involved and how everything ended. It was an engaging book and well written. I just had a really hard time with the characters. I didn’t like a single person. I wasn’t rooting for the MC or hoping for all to be resolved. I don’t think I’ve ever felt like that while reading.

I really enjoyed the storyline, the dual timeline, and the setting made me want to hop on a plane and spend the summer in Italy! It was overall an entertaining read but it didn’t rock my world.

“Boy, don’t you know? The brightest stars that lit your sky, were the ones you couldn’t see.”

The Villa is a slow-burn thriller that at some points felt more like a combination of mystery and historical-fiction with a heavy interpersonal relationship focus. There are dual timelines/storylines that mirror each other throughout the book, which I actually really enjoyed. I personally had a little bit more interest in the storyline set in the 70s but overall, I think they went well together.

Pros:
- Loved the build in paranoia in both timelines
- The parallels between Mari and Mary Shelley
- I loved the creepy house vibe
- The complexity of Mari and Laura’s relationship

Cons
- I do wish the house or the community played a little more of an active role in unraveling the story than it did at points
- Emily and Chess’ relationship. I did not care about them staying friends throughout the book, which I do think hurt my interest in that timeline
- This is a bit of a slow-burn and the pacing at the end is a bit quick, so the final twist can get a little muddled

I was intrigued when I heard the premise for this story! The Italian countryside made a good setting for this Gothic story. I enjoyed how the two stories were told throughout this story, giving background to the history of the house. They both kept me turning the pages to see how each would come to a resolution and about who was telling the truth! I found myself rooting for Emily the whole way! The details about music writing and story writing give me insight into both of these crafts but not too detail heavy that it distracted. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

Rachel Hawkins (@ladyhawkins) has done it again! With 2021’s The Wife Upstairs and 2022’s Reckless Girls, the author is making a name for herself in the thriller genre.

The Villa (published today) is a captivating story of two childhood friends, Chess and Emily, who spend a summer at a villa in the Italian countryside while working on their latest novels (and on mending their friendship).

During the summer of 1974, stepsisters Mari and Lara stayed at the same villa while working on their own creative outlets that went on to become famous (a sensational horror book and a folk album that rivals Carole King’s Tapestry). Equally as famous is the murder of a musician (Mari’s boyfriend) during that summer at the villa. “Everyone knows the story. It was one of rock music’s biggest scandals, a dark and lurid tale of sex, drugs, and murder involving one of the most famous men…”

When Emily reads Mari’s masterpiece written years ago, it inspires her to start writing a new novel about the tragedy at the villa. Her research leads her to new information found within the house. Can she trust Chess with it? By the end of the summer, another death will take place.

I loved the glimpses and stories behind Mari writing her famous novel in one timeline and being read and questioned in the current timeline. I was equally interested in both storylines and thoroughly enjoyed the writing and attention to detail by the author. There’s a lot going on in all the stories which brings the characters to life and makes you question everything!

Newspaper articles, song lyrics, and a bit of a podcast episode are sprinkled throughout the novel. I started listening to the audiobook and found myself a little confused, so I switched to the ebook.

Likes:
🍋Dual Timelines
🍋Interesting Setting
🍋Gothic Thriller
🍋Well-crafted mystery
🍋Creative storytelling
🍋Stories within a story

The twists felt a bit underwhelming and yet I’m not complaining. I was still entertained and thought the story and approach was unique.

Man, did these pages turn quickly for me. This cat-and-mouse thriller was thoroughly enjoyable and highly intriguing. Although I did find it to be somewhat more drama than mystery/thriller, that doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s a well-done book well worth the read. Yes, there were twists and turns. And yes, if you like thrillers you’ll enjoy it. I’m starting to realize “cat-and-mouse” is kind of my thing.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy.

2.5 stars rounded up. This book had a lot of potential but just fell flat unfortunately. I enjoyed the look into the past, but the mystery just didn’t live up to anything.

This book was pretty good. I liked it way more than Reckless girls. I normally don't love when we do flashbacks or other storylines in a book but this was done very well. I like how the author seems to be evolving in her writing for sure. Well done for sure.

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins was a slow burn of a mystery, where two friends (both writers) go stay at an Italian Villa, where a murder took place back in the seventies.

This was a quick read, but Mari and Chess weren’t particularly likeable and I questioned some of their actions and ended predictably.
I found this pretty meh, but it was a quick read at least.

3 stars

This book was a solid read. Nothing super exciting about it was kind of predictable, I enjoyed reading it, It was a good use of my time.

I liked the setting, and the characters were fine, I like Rachel Hawkins writing style. To be fair I honestly don't remember much about it at this point. There were two settings one in the present with Chess and Emily and one in the past that revolves around a murder in 1974.

A house remembers. That's what they say, right?
Emily and Chess were best friends growing up, but life drew them apart until Chess suggests a girls trip to Italy and Emily jumps at the opportunity. But, this home, this villa, has a morbid history. What happened all those years ago? What is happening now? Why is Chess acting the way she is? What is Emily uncovering? Will history repeat itself?
As with all the novels I've read from Rachel Hawkins, The Villa draws you in on many levels. Mystery, thriller, friendship, life stress, and more. All those things we love from life, and fear.
Rachel Hawkins paints a vivid picture of life at the villa and how stories are intertwined.
You won't regret picking this title up to read. Think of it as a trip to the Italian countryside, where anything can happen.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and the author for an advanced copy of The Villa!

Reviews being submitted to Amazon and B&N (awaiting approval), as well as to my bookstagram account this coming week.

In this page turning thriller we met Emily, a writer who is struggling after finding out her husband is cheating on her and a mysterious illness. Emily's childhood best friend Chess, a self help guru thought she was saving the day by inviting Emily to a villa in Italy for six weeks to get her our of her writing slump. The thing is, the villa is infamous in being the house in which an up and coming musician was murdered in the 1970s while staying with his lover, Mari, who went on to become a best selling horror writer, and her step-sister Lara, who created one of the best selling albums of all times following their stay in the villa.

Rachel Hawkins has delivered a fantastic read in The Villa. I love a dual time line story, and Hawkins' does a fantastic job working through each story line seamlessly. This book sucked me in from the first moment, with its face paced story telling through both plot lines, and the writing made me feel like I was in Italy with both parties. I feel like she described the friendship between Emily and Chess so perfectly; doesn't it seem like we all have those friends who teeter so close to being enemies? Loved that dynamic. I also loved the story of Mari and her life struggles; hers felt the most poignant and tragic, and I loved how that story line wrapped up. My only complaint is that I felt like the ending was almost too abrupt. I feel like there are some aspects we didn't get a lot of clarity on, namely Emily's illness which I felt could have been interesting to explore. That being said, I did very much enjoy this book and read it in almost one sitting. I will be recommending this to my friends!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

My third thriller by Rachel Hawkins!

Emily is invited by her childhood best friend Chess, to spend some time in Italy to write. While she’s excited to reconnect with her famous best friend, she also finds that the villa they are staying in has a dark past… A young musician was killed while staying there with a group of his friends in the 1970s. Going back and forth between the timelines of 1970 and present day, we learn what really happened at The Villa.

While I am a Rachel Hawkins fan this one wasn’t my favourite of hers! I was waiting for a bit more shock and awe and this one felt like a slow burn instead. Some people may prefer that so still a solid read, but I felt like there wasn’t much to hook onto!

I did find the heavy amount of toxic relationships interesting! Toxic friendships, sisterhoods, romantic relationships… they were everywhere and so I was hooked on all that drama.

I also always love a setting that almost feels like a character itself! The Villa was the real star of the show here (and not just cause it sounds gorgeous AF). It holds all the secrets and the mystery so it was my favourite part!!

I started out reading The Villa and honestly was not loving the dual timeline. I found myself not fully invested in the characters from 1974 and just wanting the current day story. But as the story progressed I got sucked in and enjoyed the ride! The twist at the end- DID NOT SEE THAT COMING! Highly recommend this thriller!

Title: The Villa
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Pub Date: Jan 3, 2022 OUT NOW!

This is the story of 2 storylines. One set in 1974 with Mari and her friends and another set in present day with Emily and Chess, but both storylines collide to make a suspenseful story.

Mari, her boyfriend, and her step sister join a renown musician in a Villa in Italy with a beautiful landscape and time to just get away and be creative. Mari, an author, has started writing a book that is inspired by the house they are staying in. When Mari's boyfriend, a guitar player, is killed, Mari is able to complete a well known story.

In present day, Chess is a self help author who has rented the villa for 6 weeks during the summer and invites her friend, Emily, to come with her. Emily is currently going through a divorce and could use the separation from her life in the states. She also becomes inspired by the villa and the story of the murder years ago. As an author, she finds her love for writing again. As Emily continues to feel a connection to Mari and her tribe. Once she reveals her secrets to Chess, more and more connections are made to the story of the past.

What I liked:
- I felt that the story lines ebbed and flowed well. Both storylines were able to have their moments of intrigue at different times.
- About 1/3 of the way through this book the story lines both picked up quickly.
- The ending did leave for a big surprise!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this pre-released digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This gothic thriller novel was intriguing and exciting. The start was a bit slow for my taste, but it truly picked up. Hawkin's writing style is mesmerizing. This was my first book by her and I can't wait to dive into more!

Rachel Hawkins is at the top of my instant buy list. She could publish her grocery list at this point and I would say "thank you, may I have another?" Every book she writes keeps me on the edge of my seat and guessing until the very last page and The Villa is no different. I devoured this in one sitting.

I pride myself in guessing the twist, but Rachel knows how to throw me for a loop. I loved the back and forth between past and present. The premise of a "house that remembers" always draws me in. The atmosphere, the energy, the history, it is all incredibly fascinating and sets the tone. And I knew I would be in love with this from the blurb alone:

“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.…”

While The Villa didn't hit me as hard as her previous two works, this was a fast paced, quick and entertaining read that I could not put down.

The Plot: Told through two timelines, The Villa is told through the perspective of Mari, a 19-year-old soon-to-be author of feminist horror in the 1970s, and Emily, a cozy mystery writer in the present day. Mari and a group of other creatives spent the summer of 1974 in the villa - a summer that would end with Mari's genre-shaking gothic novel and her step-sister's debut album. The summer also ended, however, with the death of Mari's lover.

Decades later, Emily is spending the summer in the same villa with her childhood best friend, Chess, now a best-selling motivational author. Emily and Chess begin to uncover connections between Mari's time in the villa in the 1970s and theirs in the 2020s, resulting in a thriller full of travel, creation, and reflection on gender roles.

The Review: I really enjoyed this one!! It was an incredibly atmospheric thriller - I felt like I was reading about Fleetwood Mac spending a summer in Italy. I enjoyed the 1970s timeline more than the present-day one, and found it to be a really enjoyable read!

Thanks so much to Rachel Hawkins and St. Martin's Press for this ARC through NetGalley! The Villa is out now :)