This was officially my first book of the year, and quite possibly my favorite by Rachel Hawkins!

I was so intrigued by everything. The cover. The synopsis. The Italian villa. The mystery of murder. Sold, sold, sold, sold.

Here's what I loved -
🍋 the setting (duh)
🍋 dual POV - I preferred the present timeline the most, but I will say about 60% in I found myself looking forward to the past because there was SO much mystery surrounding that summer
🍋 the premise that two best friends who were both authors were going to spend their summer in a villa to finish their next books
🍋 the 70's rock n roll vibe from the past timeline
🍋 the parallels between the two sets of women and the way their stories played out

Have you read this one?! It just came out last week, and I think it would make such a fun read!

4 ⭐️

This one was a bit dull for me, but still somewhat interesting so I stuck with it. I do think that parts of it were predictable, but there was at least one surprise that I can think of while typing this. It is two different stories of sisterhood told in an alternating format. We get the present day story of Emily and Chess and the past story of Mari and Lara. I definitely enjoyed reading Emily's story more, but most of the "action" takes place in Mari's. I would still recommend this to fans of the author, but it isn't at the top of my recommendation list by any means.

Overall, this was a really good popcorn thriller! I enjoyed the setting of a Villa on the countryside--who wouldn't?! It was very atmospheric and seemed like the perfect setting for this book. I was worried about how the plot would play out--it seemed fairly intricate--over it moved at a nice pace and kept my interest. I actually flew through this book in a day or so.

I wasn’t really surprised by any of the twists, but the story was engaging, and I didn't expect to be caught off guard by twists, so not a big deal. Also, I loved the Fleetwood Mac and Manson references. I will say that I wish the ending had a slightly different outcome; it just didn't feel like the best ending for Emily.


Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the #gifted copy!

This is my fourth book by Rachel Hawkins-- I've read Reckless Girls, The Wife Upstairs, and The Ex Hex (co-author with Erin Sterling), all of which have been 3 star reads except The Wife Upstairs. I'm starting to wonder if maybe she's just not the author for me.
I felt like there were some really great lines in this but the plot just didn't deliver. I think it was meant to feel very atmospheric with a meandering plot as things intensify, and that's a great concept that I can sort of see, but it really just felt like nothing was happening.
This book is told in alternating perspectives between present day and 1974. Unfortunately, the present day plot is significantly weaker than the 1974 plot. Emily's character felt a bit flat, and Chess is entirely unlike able. A personal pet peeve is when books have modern references like Taylor Swift and Bumble, and I think there were just enough of these that the book will feel dated in a year or two. Beyond that, the twist in this story is very obvious, and that's always disappointing.
The 1974 story is much more intriguing and it's almost frustrating to see bits of how well Hawkins can write. I was so intrigued by that group and the excerpts from "Lilith Rising." (Maybe this is Hawkins' sign to give up on subtlety and go straight into horror??) I'm still not sure if I liked the twist, but at least I didn't see it coming.
Overall this was an entertaining read, but I think it could've been stronger. I think it's worth pointing out that authors don't NEED to have a modern plotline when writing something historical-- it feels like a lot of them do this to have a parallels and a framing device, but it's literally twice the work to have an adequate plot and character development, and it's often totally unnecessary.
I was given a free eARC on exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭, 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬!

What a perfect way to start the year, another fantastic novel by Rachel Hawkins that will capture you and keep you at the edge of your seat. Twisty, gothic, unputdownable and fantastic!

Thank you @stmartinspress @librofm and @netgalley for this gifted copy.

https://www.instagram.com/booksandcoffeemx/

The Villa tells of two different pairs of women, about 50 years apart, and their summer at a villa in Italy. Mari and Lara, step-sisters, came with musicians Pierce and Noel. Emily and Chess, friends since they were 10, are spending the summer there to work on writing projects. Neither stay goes as the ladies planned. Mari and Lara’s stay ends in a murder, and the story of that murder captivates Emily and ultimately leads to revelations about her life.
The stories were gripping from the start and I went back and forth on which one had me most hooked; sometimes it was Mari’s, sometimes Emily’s. The way they wove together was very well done. The endings were satisfying, though Emily’s storyline has a lot left open (in a delightfully creepy way). The Villa was an outstanding read!

“The house remembers.”

And maybe it does. Told in two timelines with similar plots: in 1974, Mari, her musician boyfriend (Pierce), stepsister (Lara), an international rock star (Noel), and a “hanger on” (Johnnie) are vacationing at the Italian Villa Rosato; in present day, Emily and her lifelong best friend, Chess, are two writers vacationing at what is now known as Villa Aestas, an infamous murder house that directly stems from what happened when Mari was there in the 70s.

I really liked The Villa. While it took a bit to establish why it was a murder house and how the events took place in the 70s, the book had an easy, vacation feel to it. Emily was a meek character for most of the book and Chess was the competitive, pushy one. Both had secrets they didn’t share until towards the end that could have made or broke their friendship.

I thought Mari’s timeline was more interesting. The dynamics she had with Pierce, Lara, and Noel really made the book what it was. While it did meander, it easily drew me in. This book was about writers and muses and how stories are weaves together.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC. The Villa is out now.

I loved this thriller. It was fun with mystery throughout and both storylines kept me engaged the entire time. The writing kept me wanting for more and I read it really quickly.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy to honestly review.

I liked this story more than her last book. Unfortunately it was a little too slow of a burn for me. The present day characters, ‘Em & Chess, weren’t really likable and found myself not rooting for either woman. The late 70s story was more interesting to read and find out what really happened. What I felt about Rachel Hawkins other book, Reckless Girls, I felt about this one, there’s something that’s missing, I can’t put my finger on it. I was curious a little to see how both stories ended. Thank you for this fun ARC!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC!! I tore through this psychological thriller pitched to me as Verity meets Daisy Jones meets White Lotus season 2. Spot on! The entire book is just *vibes* and the synchronicities of the dual timelines kept me guessing to the very end. I couldn’t sleep because I was so haunted by the stories of the Villa - because “houses remember.”

Really quick and fast-paced thriller, I really liked it till the ending though.
Usually I like the dual timeline stories but I’m not sure the two timeline tie up nicely in this case.
Overall I thought it’s pretty entertaining popcorn thriller, not a huge fan of the ending.

3.7 ⭐️ roundup to 4

Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

You can always depend on Rachel Hawkins for a solid thriller. Her previous books have been popcorn thrillers, but this one is more gothic, which I particularly enjoyed. This novel was inspired by the Manson Murders, Fleetwood Mac, and the summer Mary Shelley spent in Lake Geneva writing her masterwork, Frankenstein. All things I am intrigued by.

The story follows childhood best friends, Emily and Chess, who have grown apart in recent years. Both women are writers, so when Chess invites Emily to Italy for a summer of writing, Emily agrees. The location for the summer of writing and mending their relationship is Villa Aestas, which has a dark past.

In the 1970s a rockstar and his group of friends went to the villa for their own summer getaway, but their trip ended with murder. This timeline explores the chain of events that led to the two women who were there with him, Mari and Lara, finding their own writing success. Mari wrote one of the most famous horror novels of that era and Lara composed a platinum album, all sparked by the brutal murder that took place at Villa Aestas.

In the present-day timeline, Emily becomes interested in the dark history of the villa and discovers that there is more to the story than anyone has ever realized. She starts to suspect there are clues hidden in the villa and she will stop at nothing to find them.

There is more to the story than that, but I don’t want to give anything else away. The character dynamics were great in both timelines, but I did prefer the chapters set in the present with Emily and Chess. I also enjoyed the parallels Hawkins drew between the two timelines. I just wish the setting of the villa had been more atmospheric than it was. Overall, this was a very enjoyable thriller to start off the year.

This was a better-than-I-thought book that was tight, well written with intriguing storyline. The wroting was spot on. I will look for more from her.

"Houses Remember."

What a great line in the gothic suspense novel The Villa by thriller author Rachel Hawkins. I think it really should be the title of this intriguing story with different timelines that all converge at the Italian villa that has more secrets than any government agency.

In present time Emily and her bestie from childhood Chess take a summer vacation to Italy renting The Villa known as The Murder House due to the violent murder of a famous bad boy musician back in 1974. When Emily finds the hidden diary of Mari who was there in 1974 it inspires her to write the truth about the murder instead of continuing her cozy mystery series that has her suffering writer's block. Emily also reads Mari's famous horror book which begins with those eerie words, "Houses remember." Emily realizes the book is based on the truth of the 1974 murder.

Emily's distress over her ex husband's greed and infidelity has led to severe physical illness and self centered Chess is maybe not the best friend she needs in her life. The same applies for Mari whose step sister Lara has her own agenda when she goes with her to the villa in 1974.

Narrators Julia Whelan, Kimberly M. Wetherell, Shiromi Arserio make this audiobook feel like a Masterpiece Theater play.

I enjoyed the similarities to Emily and Mari who find success outside of their men's notoriety and the tightrope balance often experienced with friendship. I wish the end had a scene of a particular revenge murder rather than telling us it happened and I was a bit confused by the twist at the end. I didn't understand the character's motive for the lie but I appreciated the thrill of the reveal. The Villa kept me listening and reading but I wouldn't want to visit this Murder House.

I received a free copy of this book/audiobook from the publishers via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

I am a Rachel Hawkins fan, especially of her YA series, and this (not YA) one did not let me down! The storyline is great and I love how the dual stories played out. Gothic setting and writers...count me in! I highly recommend for Hawkins' fans and fans of psych fiction and gothic suspense.

I devoured this book! I loved that dual timelines and the stories within the story. Emily and Chess and best friends that have drifted apart a bit. Emily is going through a divorce and has just started to get better after a mysterious illness that baffled doctors. So, when Chess invites Emily to Italy for a last minute writing retreat she jumps at the chance to get away. The villa they have chosen for this retreat has a sordid history of rock stars, drugs and murder. Emily quickly becomes obsessed with the murder that took place there in the 1970's and the 2 girls who became famous for the art they produced while at the villa. Past and present are woven together as more and more details are revealed and questions about what really happened all those years ago come to light. The ending of this novel does not disappoint!

🎸 When I heard this book was inspired by Fleetwood Mac, the Manson murders, and Mary Shelley’s time spent with Lord Byron at his castle, I knew I had to read it.

🎶 This is a dual timeline book. I can’t say I loved either timeline independently, but together they provided a solid story.

🎸 I disagree that this is a “gothic suspense” novel. Gothic doesn’t just mean castles and ghosts. True gothic is much deeper than that. This is a paranormal historical crime mystery IMO.

🎶 I’m not a fan of the sex/drugs/rock & roll trope because the stories are typically filled with despicable & selfish characters. I rarely engage with these types of characters or feel anything about them one way or the other, which makes my enjoyment of the book diminish greatly. I didn’t like Daisy Jones and The Six for the same reason.

🎸 Presumably “Lilith Rising” is the reference to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. I wish Lilith Rising was a real book because I’m kinda interested in reading that one!

🎶 I did like how everything came together in the end. While some events were quite convenient, I still appreciated how the historical murder was solved, how the present relationships were altered, and the ending was satisfying.

🎸 Overall, this book was reasonably entertaining. I don’t think I’ll find it particularly memorable - I already had to return to my notes to recall some of what happened, and I just finished the book a little while ago! That’s not a good sign. I felt similarly about one of the author’s other books – Reckless Girls. It was ok, but not particularly memorable. I clearly recognized the connection to Fleetwood Mac and Mary Shelley, so if that combination interests you, give this a shot.

Thank you @NetGalley and @StMartinsPress for an eARC of this book, which I have read and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

An entertaining and quick read! Very character driven which I don’t always love, but I liked here because the characters felt so well defined and interesting. The atmosphere and storytelling were amazing. I felt like I was in Italy right along with everyone!

Although I found this very enjoyable, I don’t think it was a typical thriller. More of an unfolding of the story of a murder! Thank you to St. Martins Press and Netgalley access this ebook.

Thank you @stmartinspress for this @netgalley ARC!
Publish date: January 3, 2023

🇮🇹 The Villa
Author: Rachel Hawkins @ladyhawkins
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Swipe for @goodreads synopsis! ➡️

I loved the dual POV between present day, Emily, and Mari in 1974. I enjoyed Mari’s story more than Emily’s, but only because it had more mystery to it! Chess and Emily’s friendship seems rocky and there’s a lot of secrets that the Villa ends up keeping. This is the perfect little cozy mystery with a side of friendship and relationship drama; but in a good way. I love this cover, I was instantly drawn to it on NetGalley. This book is a 180 from the last Rachel Hawkins read I read, The Ex Hex, but I loved the darkness of this in comparison!

The Villa is told from dual timelines between Emily and Chess in the present and Mari and her stepsister, Laura in the past. I found Mari and Laura's POV slightly more interesting. I was more eager to uncover the horrific murder mystery that unfolded in 1974.

The pacing of this story felt very fast and made for a quick read. I alternated between reading a digital copy and listening to the audiobook. The narrators did a great job bringing the characters to life, making it easy to distinguish between them.

I did not expect any of the twists that occurred during the story.

A few things I struggled with:

- I’m not sure I would have categorized this as a thriller; it read more like a mystery.
- Emily and Chess’s friendship.
- The ambiguous ending; it fell a bit short for me.