The Villa
by Rachel Hawkins
3 stars

A beautiful house in Italy
Two old friends.
One book idea.

I loved the setting for this book summer in Italy, two girls getting together and enjoying summer while trying to write. I couldn't stand Chess she just got under my skin and drove me crazy. Emily, I didn't fully like her either, but she seemed more relatable. The present part of the book kept my attention the most, the past with Mari lost me, I understand why it was connected but I just wasn't a fan. By far the middle was the main part I enjoyed.
The ending was way too rushed for me and just reminded me of reckless girls.

Thank you, Net Galley and St Martin's Press for the eARC for an honest review

Some great parts, some disappointing parts. Overall, not as good as I had hoped. This was my first by this author.

Unputdownable! Rachel Hawkins does it YET AGAIN. The atmosphere building in her writing is truly unmatched. Loved. Loved. ABSOLUTELY LOVED. Must read!

I binged this book and loved it! I was hooked quickly and literally listened to it in one sitting because I couldn't put it down. The story is compulsive and really sinks its teeth into you and doesn't left you go until the end. Highly recommend the audiobook for this one too. There is a cast of narrators, Julia Whelan, Kimberly M. Wetherell;, and Shiromi Arserio, which added to the tension and various media within the story. All of the narrators were terrific and I have listened to several Julia Whelan narrations and she never disappoints.
One of the prominent features of this story is the stories within the story, including a podcast that one of the characters listens to while staying in the villa for the summer. The villa is a location where a group of rock musicians from years before were staying and a murder takes place. The story begins when two writer friends decide to stay there for the summer and one of them goes down the historical rabbit hole trying to learn more about the events of the past. As current events start to mimic some of the historical events, things go from good to great.
I thoroughly enjoyed this and recommend it to thriller lovers and highly recommend the audiobook version. I was able to read along with the audiobook and this is a winner either way!
#TheVilla #NetGalley #StMartinsPress #MacMillanAudio

Delighted to include this title in the January edition of Novel Encounters, my regular column highlighting the month’s most anticipated fiction, for the Books section of Zoomer magazine. (see column and mini-review at link)

Excellent mystery especially if you are a fan of or have interest in IFleetwood Mac, the Manson murders, and the infamous summer Percy and Mary Shelley spent with Lord Byron at a Lake Geneva castle. This book includes them all

It's an exciting storyline at times. Jess is an annoying character. The flashback at a time can be confusing. I had to push myself to finish the book. However, the ending makes up for the storyline's slow pace. There's not too much I can say without giving away the story.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for letting me read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Coming off an unexplainable illness, Emily still has her next book deadline looming and her cheating almost ex to deal with. When her childhood best friend Chess, who is famous in her own right as a living-your-best-life guru, offers Emily a chance to spend the summer at a gorgeous villa in Italy, she can’t resist. Once there, she gets caught up in a murder that happened almost 50 years earlier and the novel that was written during that time. Unfortunately, long-brewing jealousies and insecurities are exposed and Emily no longer knows who she can trust even as she’s finally feeling good and the best book idea she’s ever had is giving her hope.

This book was so fun! I needed a good thriller and, no joke, my heart was pounding during the last few chapters. The fact that Emily was coming off of her illness just added to the suspense and the not quite solid ground feeling of the whole thing. I felt badly for Emily but I never thought she was pathetic, just dealt an extremely bad hand. The alternating storylines between present day and the 1970s, plus song lyrics, and podcast transcripts worked so well together. It was all very creepy. Yes, I still really want to go to Italy and stay in a villa, but maybe I’ll leave the research on its history alone. Because, after all, “houses remember.”

I've been following Rachel Hawkins for years - from her YA work to today's adult mystery/suspense fiction - and she remains a lowkey favorite of mine. This book sealed the deal for me and she is still cemented as an auto-buy author. 

Some early reviews are a bit mixed but I actually liked both timelines: one takes place in the 70s during the original murder and the other is present day with two best friends staying at the villa. The book was very tense throughout, where you know something bad is going to happen in at least one timeline but probably both. I really loved the ending: it totally surprised me. It's not really a true mystery or thriller but more of a suspense novel, which is definitely still a fun ride. I couldn’t put it down and was always so curious to see what would happen next.

The mashup of comps at the bottom of the synopsis ("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") all feel accurate based on m limited knowledge of those three. I would say my own personal comparison is like a much darker version of Daisy Jones and the Six haha.

I will start off by saying I am not the biggest fan of thriller/suspense/mystery. I decided to give this one a try since the cover absolutely caught my eye! I kept waiting for more suspense. I enjoyed Mari's story as well as Emily's. Both were interesting and I enjoyed the dual time lines. I did not feel like there was any shock factor here. I was a little disappointed in the lack of story line.

When I read the synopsis for The Villa I was immediately intrigued. I really enjoyed the twist and turns of The Wife Upstairs, but Reckless Girls fell short for me, so I wasn't sure where Rachel Hawkins newest book would fall for me; I am happy to report it was great and I enjoyed it as much as I did The Wife Upstairs. It does get off to a slower start, setting the backstory of Mari and Emily as told from their own points of view and bouncing between past and present. This back and forth in narrators and time created a slow build for me, where you knew something was happening but couldn't quite piece it all together. Once the plot started picking up speed, I had a hard time putting the book down. Fans of Hawkins shouldn't wait to pick this up when it comes out on January 3, 2023!
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Instagram review post was published on December 27, 2022 - https://www.instagram.com/p/CmrAu9vrpJ_/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Emily and Chess have been best friends almost their whole lives. But as they have grown older and their lives have gotten busier, their friendship has been a bit strained. Emily’s life has taken a bad turn with a divorce and her writing has completely halted. She jumps at the chance to spend the summer with Chess in an Italian Villa. But, this villa has a past. It is the home to one of the most famous murders ever.

This villa really stirs up Emily. She starts to investigate and discovers quite a bit of information. And this leads to some issues between her and Chess. And here is where the fun begins! You will have to read this to find out…with all these twists and turns. You will not be sorry!

I enjoyed so much about this novel. The famous people, the murder, the location and Emily and Chess all come together to make a twisted tale. I am still thinking about all the lies and betrayals!

This novel is narrated by a few different narrators. I do love a tag team. And this tag team included Julia Whelan. She is one of my favorites.

Need a murder mystery inspired by real murders…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

When Emily and Chess were younger, they were inseparable. Now...not so much. So when Chess invites Emily for a girls' trip for an entire summer in Italy, she's all too eager to accept. Especially because things have been a bit rough lately. But while researching the trip before she leaves, Emily discovers it's the site of an infamous murder. Will their trip be sunshine and gelato? Or will the past consume the future?

What I liked:
- The description of the Villa: It felt quintessentially "Italian Countryside" while still keeping an edge of darkness so it was believable as an infamous mansion.
- The interaction between all the characters - both past and present. They felt real and believable.
- The pacing and the revelation of different details. I'm beginning to learn I'm a sucker for what I've begun calling "bread crumbs". I love the way authors have started to put answers in, and it always starts to slowly form the bigger picture.

What I wasn't so fond of:
- Mainly the past timeline. While it was in the 70s, and they were musicians, it sometimes felt stereotypical.
- I was left wanting a little more from the ending. It wasn't completely ambiguous, which was a relief, but it felt a little messy.

I have really enjoyed the two books I've read of Ms. Hawkins', so far. I love her fun, fast paced, always a little juicy thrillers. Between Reckless Girls and The Villa she has definitely become an author I will always be drawn to - no matter what the situation. Whether I'm going to Hawaii, Tahoe or just staying in on a rainy afternoon, her writing style and pacing is perfect.

I enjoyed this book more than I originally thought I would. The setting of the Italian Villa was so unique and interesting. It was also inspired by Fleetwood Mac and the Manson murders - which was fascinating. Although this one doesn’t have rollercoaster twists, it does have surprised that keep you on your toes till the very end.

The Villa left me conflicted, review-wise. I loved the idea of centering on women. Women in horror. Women in music. Women in writing. The two women writers who head off to the Villa once made notorious by a murder that occurred there sounds right up my alley.

The part that made it difficult was that these women remained defined by the men in their lives, even after becoming successful in their own right. Was this a feminist book that missed the target for me or some sort of message that no matter what we do we will still be defined by the men in our lives?

The fact that I’m still thinking about it bumps my rating up a little bit.

Thank you to Rachel Hawkins, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advance reader copy of The Villa.

I have read many of Rachel Hawkins’ YA books, from Rebel Belle to Royals. So, I thought I would give one of Rachel’s adult mystery/thrillers a try. This book is a bit out of my comfort zone, but I found the premise intriguing. Overall this was not for me though.

Check out my more detailed thoughts below…
Characters: This story follows two sets of characters, modern-day and back in the 1970s. Our modern characters are Emily and Chess. Emily is in a rough go a cozy mystery writer not ready to meet her deadline as she’s still recovering from an unexplained illness and her husband left her. Em is presented in stark contrast to her best friend Chess, a self-help author who is extroverted and bombastic. I did not really connect with either character and I had a similar issue with the 1970s characters. The lead in the past is Mari: an easily swayed, naive, inspiring writer who as an older teen is the other woman in her relationship. Mari is dating Pierce, an inspiring musician who is cheating on his wife with Mari. They bring along to the villa, Lara, Mari’s step-sister, an aspiring singer-songwriter who is just as naive as Mari but a bit more bubbly. They all get invited to the villa by Noel, an established musician, who seemed to me the “Lord Byron” of the group who was a bit lost and much more sensual than the other characters. None of these characters were good people, there is so much adultery and cheating in this group, and no redeeming qualities that made me cheer any of them on.
Setting: Chess whisks Em off to Italy. Specifically, Orvieto which is in Umbria. It is a real Italian city! I really liked that Rachel Hawkins worked in real touches. My little bit of research brought back the places the characters visit such as the Well of St. Patrick is a historical landmark. Setting a story in an Italian villa is a great idea and I just felt like the setting was underused, as if the way in which this story is written it could have been set anywhere.
Pacing: I loved the premise, so I went into this book with high hopes. I was ready to be swept away as I have always been fascinated by the infamous writers’ retreat Lord Byron took to Geneva with Percy and Mary Shelley. So, I was disappointed when the beginning dragged on quite a bit. If this was not an ARC I requested I may have put this book down. The story picked up as secrets were revealed but the ending felt quite anti-climatic. Throughout the book, there are different textual elements: text messages, snippets from newspaper articles, and song lyrics. This could have just been an ARC issue but it was not very clear when the medium changed, but I like to think this was fixed in the finished editions.
Mystery: Some things were more predictable than others. I am an easily surprised person so I was surprised when I got some things right. Once the facts were all on the table I was not left in awe at the mystery that unfolded. I was not satisfied with the ending. But I am also very aware that this is not my typical genre and I would not say that this changed my mind on that at all.

At first I was not onboard with the pacing of this one but after I really dug in and read thru for a bit; Chess, Emma, Lara, and Mari all had me hooked. Once you immerse yourself this book is excellent seriously the last bit and the decision making of all the women…whew. Sex, drugs, rock and roll, the 70s and then popping back and forth to present day besties it’s a wild ride and an interesting mystery that kept me guessing both in the present day timeline and the past. Per usual Hawkins’ prose is delightful and haunting, I felt like I could hear each character’s voice so clearly

This book blends two stories - past and present. Both equally intriguing. The opening line - Houses remember. Do the tragedies (or joys for that matter) remain embedded in the essence of a house, and do they influence future events and the behavior of its residents? Think about that as you read this well crafted book filled with secrets, lies, murder and maybe a little madness set in a beautiful Italian villa.

The Villa is my favorite of Rachel Hawkins’ most recent adult novels (the others being Reckless Girls and The Wife Upstairs). This book has suspense, hilariously messy main characters, and two different timelines—all elements I enjoy. In particular, Hawkins has this way of writing complicated women and female relationships that make you wince at the honesty. There’s love, and there’s also… a lot of baggage the characters would rather not admit is there. It’s so real. The characters aren’t necessarily likable, but they aren’t meant to be. And it’s all wrapped up in a neat little bow of southern charm.

This book is a sort of “light” thriller, which is actually to it’s credit. There’s a small, low stakes mystery that unfolds from the past, with a suspenseful overtone in the present. Nothing too high stakes, but when you put all the pieces together, it’s really flipping clever. The flashbacks and flash forwards are narrative parallels to each other, and the book itself is an embodiment of the main character, who is a writer of cozy mysteries. However, this is where the cleverness gets a bit too contrived, which you find out as the book reaches a head.

I don’t think the conclusion/twist is bad. However, it’s also not my favorite thing ever. The final chapter, however, is incredibly interesting and really redeems any misgivings I have with the twist. It lends a lot of agency to a character who doesn’t have much, and I loved it.

I feel like Hawkins has really found her stride with these books, and I’m looking forward to lots more. I’ve been a fan of her since I was a teen, so I feel grateful to have quite literally grown up alongside her books. If she writes them, I’ll read them.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Absolutely in love with this one! 5/5. This is Rachel’s best work yet IMO. I loved the dual stories!