I have very mixed feelings about this book. I feel like the dual timeline could have been done better- it got a bit convoluted at times. I *hated* the theme of girls sneaking around with the other’s significant other & then being like “oops, I did it for us”. Major eye roll there. However this book held my attention.

I was pleased to learn that I was correct in guessing that Fleetwood Mac & Mary Shelley served as inspiration. .

I appreciate the publisher & Net Galley for allowing me an ARC in exchange for my review.

“The Villa” by Rachel Hawkins is a duel tale, set in a beautiful Italian home during two separate eras. Present day Emily is trying to move on in the midst of a messy divorce and her friend suggests the trip as a get away so Emily can get back to her job, writing novels. In the past, Mari is invited to the Villa along with her boyfriend and sister so that her boyfriend can collaborate some music with a famous rockstar. But as the two friends Emily and Chess dig into the past they discover that there’s something more to the tragedy in this house and that history might find a way to repeat itself.

This book was different than how I imagined it going. Emily and Chess have a lot of past history and potential issues to work through (okay, so I guessed some of their issues), but I found myself most captivated by Mari. Normally flashbacks and the past storyline doesn’t tend to keep my interest, but Mari became this character that was completely fascinating to me.

This book was twisty and filled with drama all around. Emily and Chess seem to be so distant and yet so close at the same time, it makes their friendship feel mildly uncomfortable, meanwhile the past is such a tangled mess of relationships it feels odd. In the middle of all the turmoil though remains one mystery and it was worth every second to figure it out!

Overall, it was really the ending that did it for me. That last little twist, really pushed this book over the edge for me to give it a solid five star ranking. Sometimes it’s the most simple twists that can really throw a person!

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

For fans of Daisy Jones & The Six, but with some major twists - I definitely recommend The Villa, a dual timeline mystery/thriller that takes us to Italy to question loyalties, reminisce about youth and question the motives of those closest to us.

I REALLY enjoyed this book by Rachel Hawkins (more so than her previous "The Wife Upstairs"). The rock and roll component really drew me in, and I loved the inclusion of clues in the artists' work of the past. I wasn't super keen on the ending, which took away the fifth star for me, but this was still a fun read that I had a hard time putting down!

Thank you @netgally for the ARC!

I struggled to get through this one. While I can understand that it would appeal to some people, it was not my cup of tea.

This book is full of unlikeable characters in both timelines.
The twisty plot lines keep the story moving. The plot lines go between 1974 and present day with two main characters POV. The plot twists are good and I thought it was a great read!

Inspired by Fleetwood Mac, Gothic heroines, and the fateful summer that Percy and Mary Shelley spent on Lake Geneva with Lord Byron — this book had so many things going for it that are right up my alley. In fact, I could've lived in an even longer version of this book, which is I think what kept it from being a completely 5-star read for me. The slow burn pacing suddenly accelerated very quickly, and before you know it you're at the end shortly thereafter. I would've enjoyed at least 100 more pages dedicated to spooling out the twists and turns. But I really enjoyed the dual timelines, the emphasis on female friendship, and the undeniable Shelleys/Byron AU RPF. Hawkins' thrillers are always engaging for me, and this one was no exception to that rule.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Dual timelines are usually enjoyable. Unfortunately for The Villa, I only enjoyed one the timelines. The current timeline with Chess and Em was only 🌟🌟🌟 for me. The past timeline with Mari and Lara was 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟. This story what the whole book should have been.

Readers can decide for themselves, but I’m disappointed that I read the whole book to find I only liked one of the storylines. Rachel Hawkins is turning out to be hit-or-miss for me.

“Houses remember.” (1 & 276)

Thank you NetGalley for sharing this with me.

3.5 stars

I really hoped that more would happen in this book and I did enjoy the writing and it held my attention but I think that's because I just kept waiting for more. I even bought the audiobook cause I was enjoying it so much I wanted to continue to read while doing other things and while still being a good book it did fall a little flat for me.

Emily, I don’t know if you are just a hurt woman who figured out the genius way to make people who hurt you, belittle you pay for what they have done or if you are a psychopath who knows how move hurdles from your way. Knowing that you hid last bit of story written by Mari and understanding what it says, I’m not sure what to make of you.

Emily didn’t want a baby, but her husband wanted. He forced her to be domesticated cat. Emily started to get sick and no one could tell why. Eventually her husband losing all hope that Emily would make him father of so many started to cheat on her and finally leave. But since he couldn’t get his babies out of this marriage, he wanted loyalties from Emily’s books. Emily was it up for any of it. When her bff from childhood asked her to stay with her in the villa in Italy, she jumped on the opportunity. Her friend was foreign to her all this time with her wellness empire, but this could be a time to get back together.

This villa they are staying at was a murder scene in the 70s. Rockstars lived and murdered. New rockstars and aware wimping authors were born from the ashes of that murder scene. With the mystery surrounding Her and her friend, Emily found the opportunity of a life time in pages hiding in the villa and at the tip of her fingers. I still cannot get over what’s in the last pages Emily found and I hope you won’t either.

I always love a great gothic suspense novel and what could be better than one set in an Italian villa?

Emily's husband filed for divorce and she cannot seem to get her life and career back on track so when her childhood best friend and hugely successful writer, Chess. suggests they spend a summer together in an Italian villa where they can write and reconnect what could go wrong?

Oh, did I mention the mansion has a history that includes murder? This is one of the new book releases from January that I read and loved.

I decided to give her writing another go after only semi liking Reckless Girls last year, and I’m glad I did! It was a fun ride and I really liked the twists throughout.

It took me a bit to keep all of the characters straight from each storyline, but once I did, I became invested. Especially in Mari’s story. What a wild time, the 70’s!

The friendship between Em and Chess is a kooky one. I don’t know how I feel about them being friends after everything that happened, but I’m glad they came together the way they did.

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the arc in exchange for my thoughts!

Wasn’t a fan of this. Pretty much guessed the twist less than halfway through. It was a quick read but not shocking.

I read The Wife Upstairs and just knew I'd enjoy this one. Unfortunately, dual timeline is not for everyone, me included, and that's okay. I could not get into what happened at the villa in the 70s. I enjoyed Em and Chess' timeline. Their friendship is one for exploring. Are they just friends or is it more? Overall, it was an okay read.

Enjoyable enough for people who like easy to read thrillers.

I think for me, the most jarring thing was having the present day story told in first person and the past story be told in third person. In the end, I understand the reasoning behind it, but that didn’t make it any easier to read.

THE VILLA is a stunning, partially haunted Italian mediaeval mansion serves as the location for yet another epic-scale psychological thriller. Two best friends who also happen to be authors spend the summer in this villa working on their next books. Nevertheless, they find out that a well-known murder occurred in villa 99, and one of the best friends is determined to discover the truth about what actually transpired during that fateful, enigmatic summer... while being extremely cautious of her best friend the entire time.

I read this in one sitting since it was intriguing, enjoyable, and I was interested to know how it turned out. I enjoy books with two points of view, and this one switches between the present and the infamous murder in the summer of 1974. In a nutshell, I liked it, but not loved it. The resolution of the mean-girl-jealous-bestie plot was a little unexpected, as was their main struggle (to avoid giving anything away). I had a harder time getting into the previous POV, but I ended up like it more than the present! I'm not sure if the final chapter was required after the way it ended. love this

The Villa is a slow burn, page turning thriller set in both the past and present. This novel was so interesting with it’s unreliable narrators and leaves you questioning if you really know all that happens by the end of the book.

I don’t know how I feel about this, some of the writing I really enjoyed. Mari’s story was much more interesting than the story in the current timeline. I didn’t get the relationships or Chess’s character. The development of the characters in the 70’s far exceeded the newer timelines. I’ve read every book Hawkins has written including her YA series. This one wasn’t my favorite but won’t keep me from reading everything else she writes!

Rachel Hawkins is one of my auto-read authors and she delivers once again with The Villa! I could not put this book down !!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

When Emily’s best friend Chess suggests a trip to an Italian villa to spend the summer working on their writing, Emily jumps at the chance. In the summer of 1974, the house was known as Villa Rosato and rented by world famous rock star, Noel Gordon. Noel invites up-and-coming musician Pierce Sheldon, to join him, along with his girlfriend, Mari, and her stepsister, Lara. No one expected the summer to end with Mari writing the next greatest horror novel, Lara writing a platinum album, or Pierce being brutally murdered. As Emily continues to dig into the villa’s complicated history and close in on the truth, the tension between her and Chess begins to grow.

I loved Reckless Girls and I was so excited when I got approved to read this one on NetGalley! But unfortunately, The Villa missed the mark for me and I’ll tell you why. I don’t always mind a slow burn, but this one was S L O W. For being such a short book, I expected the pace to be a lot faster than it was. I wish the twists and turns had been more shocking for me but I just felt like it didn’t wow me the way I thought it would. But let’s talk about what I DID like! For one thing, the setting was absolutely stunning. I mean, an Italian villa?? Yes please! I also loved the alternating POVs/dual timelines and found myself enjoying Mari’s POV more than I did Emily’s. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and St. Martin's Press for my gifted e-ARC!

The Villa was another binge able novel by Rachel Hawkins. I absolutely love how easy Rachel Hawkins thrillers are to read. She sucks you into her characters lives so easily.

I really enjoyed parts of this novel. I enjoyed the past pov more than the present one. The idea of a horror novel found in a villa weaving this incredible web was so fun to figure out.

Unfortunately I didn’t really enjoy the ending of this one. I felt a bit let down. The entire book is building us up for this one moment in history and that part of the story felt rushed. I wanted more from that moment. It was suppose to shape the entire outcome of these people lives. I also wasn’t a huge fan of how the main povs story ended. I wanted more for her than being stuck in history all over again.

Overall I still would recommend this one. I just love how fast pace and easy it felt to read. I love to binge a thriller and this one is an easy one to do that with. I will continue to pick up any new releases from Rachel Hawkins in the future.
3/5 Stars

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an arc copy in exchange for my honest review.