I have such a mixed bag of ratings for this author but her books are so entertaining and atmospheric that I will always pick up her newest release

Emily is struggling. Struggling to rid herself of her greedy ex-husband, struggling to finish her next book in series by her deadline, and just struggling to find happiness in her life. Then her best friend of over two decades calls her up and offers the escape Emily needs: six weeks in a beautiful Italian villa, with nothing to do but soak up the beauty, drink wine, and write freely. Emily immediately takes Chess up on the offer, despite knowing that there’s tension in their friendship after many years of their paths diverging - and despite knowing the history of the villa. In 1974, in the exact home the women plan to stay in, a murder occurred. Five friends had vacationed together, but only four had survived. While Chess brushes off the infamous murder, it sticks with Emily, and as their stay in the villa progresses, she finds herself immersed in the story.

I’ve always loved the way that Rachel Hawkins writes: simple, straight-forward, but well spoken. The style of this book was fascinating, as it goes back and forth between present-day first-person narration from Emily, third-person perspective of Mari from the past, and articles and emails from the both then and now. When Hawkins does this, she has a way of very subtly intertwining the different stories, so you slowly start to see their connections. I loved the way the story jumps around, causing you to second guess what really is going on at the villa.

I absolutely BINGED this one. This is my first true Rachel Hawkins book (I read her 2 books released under a faux name) and it did not disappoint. Now, i will warn you, it may not be for everyone with the slow burn. But that was actually the part that kept me hooked! I HAD to know how the story ended.

With that being said, I enjoyed the multiple viewpoints. Hawkins did a great job intertwining the past and present characters with their similarities. I could just see myself in Italy at Villa Aestas with Emily and Chess! And the ending… I did not see that coming! Multiple shocks, twists and turns.

Perfect read for vacation, summer time, or any time of the year honestly!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the digital ARC of “The Villa”.

Wow what a great page-turning story. Loved it from start to finish. Rachel Hawkins is becoming a fav author of mine. Highly recommended!

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. I’ve read two other books by Rachel Hawkins and was excited to read her new one. It did not disappoint! Past and present were well developed and cohesive. The author pointed out the obvious connections between Mari and Lara with Chess and Emma, without being too cliche. Everything wrapped up satisfactorily at the end and I’ll continue reading more by this author in the future.

I quite enjoyed this book. It was interesting and I definitely could not put it down. The plot, characters and overall writing was amazing!I READ IT IN A DAY. Thank you so much to the publisher and net gallery for this advance copy.

This is a wonderful story that alternates between the 1970s and present day - both primarily at a villa in Italy. Mari & Lara are sisters from the past while Chess and Em are best friends, may as well be sisters. This story has it all - sisterhood, love triangles, betrayal, and murder (more than one!). Interesting from beginning to end.

I was thrilled to realize a few chapters in that this story is a reimagining of the haunted summer of 1816 when Mary Shelley, her lover Percy, legendary poet & rake Lord Byron and others from their bohemian circle lived together in Geneva and Mary conceived her most famous work, Frankenstein.
I’ve always been captivated by this bit of literary history and Hawkins does a brilliant job creating a different version of an already fascinating story. Told from the perspective of Mari (Mary) and taking place in the 1970s in Italy instead of 1800s Switzerland, the story stays mostly faithful to actual events as they’re known until it comes to the ending.
While I loved the summer flashbacks told from Mari’s point of view I connected less with the modern-day plotline and characters and found myself racing through Chess and Em’s chapters to get back to Mari’s story.
There were a few twists at the end that took me by surprise that I won’t spoil but I will say I was felt Mari’s fate was infinitely more just than that of the author she emulates.
I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend checking it out especially if you like layered mysteries with a gothic undertone.

This is my third Rachel Hawkins' book, and like the two others, I immediately took to the story. In my book, you can never go wrong with a Rachel Hawkins book! She is on my auto-purchase list and she will stay on this list after this book!

The Villa involves two parallel stories: one that takes place in the present, and the other that takes place in the 1970s. It is the place in which the story takes place - an Italian villa - that is a common variable between the two storylines.

Several of the characters are also writers, and some of their own writing comes into play in this mystery. There are two mysteries taking place - one in the contemporary timeline, and another in the 1970s timeline. While I found this particular plot somewhat predictable, I thought the characters were interesting and I was invested in what was happening until the very last page. I will say I enjoyed the contemporary storyline a bit more and would have liked to have had more backstory with those two characters. I could even see reading a prequel with those characters.

If you are looking for a quick and engaging thriller that has a cast of interesting female characters, this book is definitely for you.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Macmillan Audio for an advanced reader copy of The Villa.

This story was told in two separate timelines and followed two sets of women. Both involved love, friendship, sex, betrayal and of course, murder. I did find the link between the two sets of women interesting. I think the book had a lot of potential. However it fell flat for me. I was waiting for a huge plot twist and it just didn’t happen. I felt like there were holes in the story that should have been filled. The book was anticlimactic. I do typically enjoy the books by Rachel Hawkins, and will continue to read her work. I believe she has a very unique perspective and I do enjoy her style of writing.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

As soon as I saw the cover for this one, I was intrigued. I have read a few of Rachel Hawkins' books before and the synopsis for this one sounded pretty interesting, so I was excited.

This story follows two friends, Emily and Chess, on their girls weekend. They are both writers and are hoping not only to spend time with each other, but also to get some inspiration for their latest drafts. The villa they rented i gorgeous, but also has a dark past. There was a murder there in 1964. Emily is intrigued by this, while Chess doesnt care much for it. As Emily begins to unravel the story of what really happen, tensions rise between the friends, and their own secrets are revealed.

This story is told from 2 perspectives: Emily in the current day, and an author from the past. I felt that the alternating timelines were done really well in this one! I felt that both the past story and present were interesting and I wanted to read both.

I did feel that the twist was a bit underwhelming though. I felt like there was a huge lead up to the ending and then didn't feel like the twist was worthy of it. It was still interesting, but I felt the twist just didn't match the story well.

Overall, I did really enjoy the book. Like I said, I enjoyed both the past and present stories, and I personally love the 'detective' stories where you are finding out what happened along with the character. Will be recommending this to friends for sure!

“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.” Come on, after reading that can you seriously say you aren’t intrigued? I know I certainly was.

Trying to keep this as spoiler free as possible. Using dual storylines/timelines, Rachel Hawkins weaves a wild and complex thriller. (I suppose you could actually say two thrillers.) Life is a little rough at the moment for childhood BFFs Emily and Chess. Hoping to reconnect/reset, the two head off on a trip to a villa in Italy. A villa that they discover has quite history. As Em explores the mysteries and twisted secrets of the past, she realizes there are equally shocking secrets to be uncovered in the present. This is a solid thriller with a lot of twists, many you’re not likely to see coming. Between this and The Wife Upstairs I am definitely becoming quite the fan of Ms. Hawkins. I’d like to thank St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to rad and review an eARC of The Villa.

https://www.amazon.com/review/REM5QNRANNKLQ/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Thank you to @netgalley and @Stmartinspress for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to @macmillian.audio for a free download of the audiobook.

I really enjoy the stories and thrill from @ladyhawkins novels. Even better, I have been to Ovierto, Italy. I could picture the narrow streets and the majesty of the cathedral in the center of town.

Emily and Chess make a summer getaway to Villa Aestas to enjoy Italy and both work on their current manuscripts. Emily is in the process of divorce and Chess has been come a national bestselling author. While Chess is making headway on her book, Emily is not inspired, so chooses to spend time digging into the history of the Villa. She cannot get enough of the story or the death that occurred here in the 70s.

I couldn’t put this book down and was glad to keep the story going with the audio when I couldn’t read. I recommend picking this one up!

4 stars

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #stmartinspress #macmillianaudio #ltbreaderteam #thevilla #rachelhawkins #smpinfluencers

I wasn't sure how I felt about this one throughout most of the story, but I think the fact that I couldn't put it down says a lot about how I felt about this story.

This was a mystery within a mystery and I actually loved that both timelines were more about relationships between women than any romance. In the present, Emily and Chess have a very complicated friendship where Emily both hates and loves her friend. As the story progresses, I can understand why.

Emily and Chess decided to spend a summer in a house in Italy to focus on their respective books. This house was the scene of a murder years ago and that brings us to the mystery within a mystery.

There was a mystery happening with Emily and Chess and as Emily gets more intrigued by the murder that happened in the 70's, there are a lot of parallels between Emily and Chess's relationship and Mari and Lara's. It was a very intriguing mystery and I loved the Italian setting. The end also showed how complex the story was and it was very surprising.

Great read by this author!

This story was riveting, I read it in one sitting! I read this somewhere else but it actually has some Helter Skelter/Mary Shelley vibes all set under the Umbrian sun. Rachel Hawkins is a clever thriller writer, all of her stories are so unique and surprising. Can’t wait to see what she comes up with next! Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book released January 3, 2023 and is available now.

Wasn’t a huge fan of half of the ending (likeable characters or at least a happy ending without an unlikeable character is important), but overall it kept me reading to the very end. Loved the dual timeline, the fact that it is set in Italy, and most importantly, the suspense. Very well-written novel, will definitely recommend to others.

Houses remember.

Wow, this book was fantastic! I loved the paralleling stories of Chess and Em writing books in this beautiful house outside of Orvieto and Mari writing Lilith Rising! The author does a brilliant job of weaving the past and present storylines!

The house and scenery are described so beautifully! While reading the book I had a slow burning and simmering nervousness wondering what will happen to the characters. So many scenarios running through my head! And in the end all my theories were wrong!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for the digital advanced readers copy!! Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The ending of the book was great! The twist I didn’t see coming!
The relationship of Emily and Chess was just kind of odd throughout the whole book, but I did enjoy the dual storylines.
It felt a little long and drawn out, with some information that wasn’t really needed in my opinion.

The weaving of Chess and Emily’s story with Mari’s story was done well. It took my a few chapters to fully grasp all the characters, but then the story started flowing.

Overall, I enjoyed Emily and Mari’s stories and how they weaved together. The twists and turns were unpredictable, which kept it fun.

Rachel Hawkins keeps getting better with every book she writes.

3.5 stars rounded up. I thought the back and forth of the series was interesting, especially the flashbacks . However I really ✨hated✨ the best friend character and it was hard to get past.