I enjoy this author so I was excited to get my hands on this. It didn’t disappoint. Good storyline with some unexpected twists. The dual timelines was interesting.

I didn’t like the friend Chess. For starters, the name? I cringed every time I read it.

But overall, I really enjoyed this and would recommend to others.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

There are so many things I liked about this fast-paced read!
1) The 70s retrospective
2) The dual author storylines (as a writer, the struggles resonated a lot!)
3) Emily's hunt for the real story of the villa and coming into her new/true self

I was going to give it 5 stars until I got to the end. 😞 Some things were wrapped up too nicely (Matt) and I was disappointed about where Emily ended up. I thought it was too similar to where Mari/Lara ended but maybe that was the point.

I couldn’t believe I got approved for this title! I did a little happy dance when I got the email 😂

I enjoy Rachel’s novels, however, I was a little hesitant about the synopsis. It said it had a more gothic theme to it, which isn’t really my cup of tea. But nevertheless I jumped right in.

To me it didn’t seem like there was a gothic theme at all. There are basically two stories within this book. One in the present and one in 1974. There are very few chapters but in each chapter there is the telling of both past and present.

I absolutely loved the 1974 story, I was so invested. You find out halfway through what happens but you don’t know how. But I wanted to keep reading to see how it all went down.

The present, wasn’t as exciting I found as the past, but nevertheless, it still was building into something you knew wouldn’t end well…


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

The Villa is available January 3

This book was very intriguing with 2 time lines but multiple story lines happening all at once. You had the current day Em and Chess story, the past Mari, Lara, Pierce, Noel, and Johnnie story, the articles about the Villa and the tragedies that happened there, the Lyrics from the Aestas album, and the books being written by Mari and Em in their own lives. It was a lot to keep track of but it all.came together in a way that wasn't as confusing as I first thought. This book is a well woven tapestry of love, fame, fortune, lies, and secrets. It is Firefly Lane meets Mexican Gothic meets Daisy Jones and the Six, and it is all good.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for both the audio and ebook ARCs of The Villa. I enjoyed the multiple timelines of the novel, especially since they were read by different audiobook narrators. Each story kept you hooked and guessing at what might happen, although a few of the plot points were a little predictable. I enjoy Rachel Hawkins writing and look forward to what else she puts out.

3.5⭐️ Told in two timelines:

1974: follows a love triangle of talented young people who rent and Italian Villa only to fall on tragedy. A few musicians and then Mari who is a writer and on her road to writing the next great American horror novel.

Present day: follows Emily and her childhood best friend Chess. Both are writers, Emily writes cozy mysteries and Chess is the new self help guru. Chess rents the same Italian Villa and invites Emily who is way behind on her new book, to spend the summer to relax and write and be inspired.

The book switches perspectives between Emily and Mari and is also told through different news sources such as articles and interviews.

It is not a fast paced thriller, but does leave you wanting to know what happens. I did find the characters a little hard to connect with, but that is just my opinion. I was also expecting the book to be a bit creepier since it was inspired by the Manson murders.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the ARC.

Thank you, NetGalley for providing me with this ARC. This was the first time I read from this author and it did not disappoint! This book was PHENOMENAL! It was unputdownable! I loved the language, the way it was written (usual narrative style, fragments of diary entries, podcasts, and articles), the plot, the imagery, the twists and turns, the characters, the dual timeline narrative, the parallels between them, the feminism, and everything else! By far one of THE BEST BOOKS, I have ever read!

I need to preface this by saying that I am so happy that I don't choose books based on reviews, because the lackluster reviews of this novel on Goodreads would have turned me off. However, I choose books based on A) the premise B) the author (if I know who the author is and have read them before, although the premise is always the most important) and C) the cover (I know, I know). Thankfully reviews don't really do much for me, because I would have missed out on one of my favorite books of 2022!

I loved everything about this book - two besties in the present day who have a complicated relationship. Two stepsisters in the 70s, also with a very complicated relationship. All are creative types, all are trying to rise above the men that try to hold them back, and they are tied together by one villa - known is the 70s as Villa Rosata, known in the present day as Villa Aestas.

Like Emily in the present day, I found myself quickly falling into Mari's story in the 70s. I almost felt like I was there with both women, in a beautiful villa in Italy, discovering myself and discovering secrets. I felt for Emily, marrying someone and thinking her life was going to be a certain way, and then finding herself blindsided and unmoored. And so maybe that's why I fell so deeply in love with this book - I am a woman who has been held down by the men in my life, and I want to discover my powerful, true potential (my goodness, I sound like Chess).

This book has so many good things. So please don't go off the lackluster reviews. You need to check it out for yourself.

Unless you're scared...

Loved this one! It was a mixture of Daisy Jones and The White Lotus. It kept me on my toes and surprised me with a twist at the end.

Thanks so much to the author, St. Martin's Press, and Netgalley for the gifted advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts. And thanks as well to Macmillan Audio and Libro.fm for the advanced audio copy. { partner } All opinions are entirely my own. All of my reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on my blog at tacklingtbr.home.blog

TW: death/murder, mention of suicide, loss of children, violence, drug use, infidelity

It is no secret to folks who look at my Instagram or list of finished books on Goodreads that I love Rachel Hawkins books, so I was THRILLED when I got early access to her newest story. And y'all, when I say that this book did not disappoint, it is an understatement.

I DEVOURED this book. Along with the galley that I received via Netgalley, I also received an early audio copy from Libro.fm and Macmillan Audio. So this morning I thought it would be a perfect thing to start while working away on filing and mindless tasks throughout my work day, and that I would likely go back tonight and continue reading it in it's written form, curled up on the couch.

But instead I listened to the entire audiobook cover-to-cover, for lack of a better term, throughout my day. I couldn't put it down.

I loved the dual timeline, set in the present with Emily and Chess and in the past with Mari and her famous group. I thought that the two stories wove together in such a seamless way, and I equally enjoyed both - which I don't always feel is the case. I think in books with more than one story I tend to have a favorite, and no matter how much I enjoy the others I always feel a bit like I'm waiting to get back to what I've decided is my primary timeline. That was not at all the case with this book.

I also thought that the different mediums in which the story was told made it incredibly engaging. There were the more typical chapters with Emily and Chess, but then there were also different tidbits throughout - there were excerpts from Mari's novel, and lyrics from Lara's songs, and background information from podcast episodes and biographies all centered around them and their time in the villa. I would read an entire series written in this way, and I would love every minute of it.

The characters were all imperfect, but I found them really interesting to read about. And a note on the audiobook itself, the acting was really great! All of the characters felt really distinct and separate, and it sounded as much like I was listening to a fully cast show as anything else. While I enjoyed this book enough that I will be buying a copy to keep on my bookshelf, I would highly recommend this one in it's audio format as well.

It will come as no surprise that I will absolutely recommend this book to readers, friends, and basically anybody who will listen. There are obviously some pretty serious trigger warnings that I've listed above, and while few of them are really delved really deeply into, I would still keep those in mind if you choose to pick this one up. But otherwise I have very little negative to say about it.
I think that the perfect way to read this book would be with a very large glass of a deep red wine, next to a roaring fire, and listening to the rain pounding on the windows. It would set just the right mood for murder.

mily and Chess were best friends growing up and have drifted apart and come back together over the years. Emily and Chess are both authors, although Chess has had more success than Emily. Chess has rented a villa in Orvieto, Italy for the summer. She invites Emily to spend the summer with her. In 1974, the villa was rented by a rock star and a murder took place there. The story goes back and forth between 1974 and Chess and Emily. However, in 1974, there was another author there, who wrote a book that went on to become a bestseller. A song writer was there also and she wrote an album that went on to become one of the best known albums of all time. Chess and Emily are hoping they can have the same success writing this summer.

The story bounces back and forth between each timeline. There are also some parts of the book that was written at the villa in 1974 thrown in as well as some reviews of the book and the album from 1974. Actually made it a little confusing instead of adding to the story.

While the ending was good, if not a little confusing, it was an OK book. Not exactly a thriller but you aren't sure what's going to happen. Keeps your attention but not an edge of your seat book.

“People are never just gone, after all. There are always marks, always signs.”.

Emily has hit a rough patch in her personal and professional life, and when she reunites with her best friend, Chess, she agrees to spend six weeks at the infamous Villa Aestas. It’s well-known for the place where musician Pierce Sheldon was murdered in 1974. Subsequently, two of the women who stayed there produce two massively important works. Emily can’t help but dig into the story and analyze the boiling tension between herself and Chess.

I loved the dual timelines and the addition of podcast transcripts and magazine articles. It was easy to fall into Emily’s point of view. Staying in a house that was the site of a gruesome murder proves to be creepy, but it sends Emily down a rabbit hole as she tried to uncover what really happened in 1974. She becomes increasingly paranoid about Chess and her motives for the trip, dissecting the things she says and how she acts. There are a lot of moving parts, but that only served to keep me invested.

The 70s parts were some of my favorite parts. I was so fascinated by the juxtaposition of the true story and Emily trying to figure everything out in the present. The combination works so well. Having Mari and Lara produce such important works following the murder added such an interesting depth. Not only are we, as readers, trying to figure out what is happening in the present, we’re trying to figure out what happened in the past and how Mari’s book and Lara’s album could provide insight. It’s a question of how much is autobiographical and what was sensationalized.

Emily and Chess’s relationship is so interesting. They seem so different on the surface, but there are things that keep them tied together. It’s easy to see why Emily is so paranoid around Chess; she seems so fake. The build up of their tension, the story from the last, and the ending really tied the story together and kept me interested through the end.

I will say it was a but slow going for me at the beginning and I didn’t feel invested until I was about a third of the way through, but once I was invested, I flew through the rest of the book. Some smaller plot points are a hit predictable and there were some things I wish had been expanded on a bit more. But, overall, I really enjoyed this one.

2.5 stars

It took me a while to get into this book, but it was intriguing once I did. I enjoyed the jumps in time, the articles & book pages and that it featured an author. + the setting was perfect.

However, for being under 300 pages, it felt too long and I should have DNF'd after falling asleep numerous times while trying to read. Parts of it were interesting and well done but overall it just didn't work for me in either format.

Thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press & MacMillan Audio for advance copies in exchange for an honest review.

"Emily and Chess were inseparable. But by their 30s, their bond has been strained by the demands of their adult lives. So when Chess suggests a girls trip to Italy, Emily jumps at the chance to reconnect with her best friend.
Villa Aestas in Orvieto is a high-end holiday home now, but in 1974, it was known as Villa Rosato, and rented for the summer by a notorious rock star, Noel Gordon. In an attempt to reignite his creative spark, Noel invites up-and-coming musician, Pierce Sheldon to join him, as well as Pierce’s girlfriend, Mari, and her stepsister, Lara. But he also sets in motion a chain of events that leads to Mari writing one of the greatest horror novels of all time, Lara composing a platinum album––and ends in Pierce’s brutal murder". Unfortunately it seemed to be all over the place, the pacing was bit slow as well. . I liked one of her books wee better than this one but not by much unfortunately. Had good insight with story but think need to be executed a little better.
Thanks to netgalley, St Martin Press, and the author in exchange for a review.
Published Jan 3rd 2023.

Happy New Year! It is crazy to think that A Book A Week began way back in 2012, but I'm so excited to continue my goal of reading a new book every week and sharing my reviews with you. Over the years, my reading tastes have grown and evolved to encompass various genres and authors. My soft spot, though, will always be with mysteries and thrillers. I began last year by reading Rachel Hawkin's popcorn thriller, Reckless Girls. This year, I was pleased to once again accept a copy of her latest book/audiobook from her publisher. The Villa sees Hawkins apply her signature style to a multigenerational thriller, which is a fantastic way to kick off this new year of reading.

The year is 1974. The place is the gorgeous Villa Rosato, Italy. Rock superstar Noel Gordon has rented the estate as an artists' retreat. He hopes that his time in the home will yield his next bestselling album. Noel has invited songwriting hopeful Pierce Sheldon to join him, and Pierce brings his mistress, the young Mari, and her sister Lara. Sex, drugs, and rock and roll ensue, but not in the way you might expect. By the end of the summer, Mari will write one of the most influential horror novels of all time, and Lara will record a bestselling album. The art that flows from that time is notable in its own right, but this is not what the Villa is best known for. You see, that summer also ends up with Pierce being brutally murdered in a killing that will forever stain the reputation of the Italian chateau.

In the present day, the villa, now renamed Villa Aestes, is playing host to a new generation of creatives. Emily and Chess were inseparable childhood friends who both ended up with varying degrees of success as authors. Chess is a bestselling self-help guru, who has taken the world by storm. Emily has had more moderate achievements as the author of a series of cozy mysteries that are largely inspired by her own personal life. Both friends have drifted from each other over the years, focussing on their own lives and careers. This girl's trip to Italy serves as a chance to reconnect while also putting in the hours needed to stave off both authors' impending deadlines. Emily's curiosity about the place they are staying leads her to discover new aspects of the famed murders that occurred there decades ago. Secrets about the past, both of this place and of their friendship, come to light, causing tensions to mount between the two best friends. Before the summer's end, the villa may just claim another victim.

The Villa marks Hawkins's third foray into thrillers and is her most unique and intriguing novel to date. She takes inspiration from Fleetwood Mac, the Manson murders, and the creation of Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, combining these seemingly eclectic elements into a story that brims with tightly wound suspense. This is much different from the popcorn reads she has previously presented. While there are still plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing, The Villa spends more time building atmospheric chills by alternating past and present perspectives. I simultaneously read and listened to this book, sucked into the spell that it cast upon me. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, Hawkins threw in one more twist that I genuinely didn't see coming. The Villa is another solid page-turner from an author who is becoming one of my go-to writers for this genre.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: January 3, 2023

This slow burn thriller/drama is told through a dual timeline of present day and 1974. Each timeline’s cast spending a summer at The Villa in Italy. While this took a while to get into, the 70s/Fleetwood Mac/Manson/Helter Skelter vibes were immaculate!

The story is inspired by Fleetwood Mac, the Manson murders and the summer Percy and Mary Shelley spent at Lake Geneva Castle. The Villa is told via alternating timelines from the present day with best friends Chess and Emily to 1974 following Mari at a well-known villa called Villa Aesta’s in Orvieto; referred to as the murder house. I love alternating timelines, and this did not disappoint! I preferred Mari’s chapters (1974) as they take us through the history of crime and just overall, I found it much more interesting than Emily and Chess whose friendship is SO toxic it just drove me up the wall. I enjoyed this book full of lies, drama, deception and darkness. Through Mari’s chapter’s I couldn’t stop thinking of the Rumors album from Fleetwood Mac and the process the band took while writing it; it seemed very on brand for this novel.  
 
Thank you St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for an ecopy in exchange for an honest review.  

Pub Date: January 3, 2023!

Emily and Chess are childhood besties who both ended up being writers. But the similarities stop there. Emily writes cozy mysteries while Chess is a self-help guru who writes nonfiction empowerment books -- think Girl Wash Your Face or Untamed. Up until recently, Emily lived in her hometown with her husband and they talked about having kids. Chess is as single as they come, living the big city glamorous life.

Their friendship is one that has evolved through the years, but as any of us know who have had friends that long, you love them and hate them at times. It's all a bit more complicated. So when Chess invites Emily to an Italian Villa to write for the summer, Emily is tentative but eventually goes along with it. Yes, Chess can be a lot. But how can she turn down a summer in Italy? Small twist, they'll be staying in a murder house.

The Villa has major Sharon Tate, Helter Skelter vibes, in the best possible way. Hawkins switches between present day, Emily and Chess, and Mari who stayed at the house in 1974 with a rockstar, her boyfriend and her step sister. This is a good one, for anyone who ever had a slight fascination in celebrity murders and the slightly ominous drug and rock and roll scene of the 1970's.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martins Press, and Rachel Hawkins for a early copy of this book.
This is a book of sisters, friends, love, and murder. The book switches from the points of view of Emmy and Mari. We stitch from current time to 1964 both in Orvieto, Italy at Villa Aesteas. Emmy is a writer who just got divorced from her husband Matt who left her after being sick and not wanting to have a baby. Matt her husband wants money from her Petal books that she started writing when she met him and who she put in the acknowledgments. Her best friend Chess who writes self help books suggests a summer at a villa in Italy and Emmy agrees since she needs to write her next cozy mystery book. It is soon discovered that there was a murder that took place years ago and two survivors became famous for a album and horror novel that was being worked on the summer they stayed there. Emmy begins to look into the past with Mari, her sister Lara, boyfriend Pierce, rock star Noah, and druggie Johnnie. Emmy begins to write a book about what happened in the villa before and all the craziness that surrounded it, a threesome, a pregnancy, and a murder. Mari reveals that her son died while she was on tour with pierce and he doesn’t talk about it and when Lara discovers that she is pregnant Pierce wants her to keep it and one night he breaks Lara’s guitar while drunk and Mari kills him. Meanwhile, Chess wants to write a book with Emmy and at first she says no. Then Emmy discovers that Chess has been talking to Matt and has written down what Emmy has talked about with Mari and the murder. Then Emmy discovers that Matt was trying to kill her after Chess tells her and how she was stringing Matt along to keep him away from her. So Emmy shows her Mari’s letters and how she murdered Pierce and the invite Matt out to the villa. Matt dies in the pool and Emmy and Chess write a book that becomes a bestseller and it is revealed that Mari went back to the villa before she died and wrote down what really happened that summer. I love the relationships between the sisters and friends, both sets of women would do anything for each other even when toxic things try and ruin it. I was not a fan of the fact that Pierce used Mari and Lara against each other . It makes what they did kind of satisfactory and justified both murders once you learn the truth and their backstories

Brief summary: In the 1970’s, five people visit an Italian Villa hoping for a fun vacation and get much more than they bargained for. Fast forward to the 2020’s, best friends Emily and Chess are vacationing in the same villa where tragedy struck years ago. What secrets will be uncovered during their stay?
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In my opinion, The Villa is Hawkins’ best work thus far!
I loved that this book took place in two different timelines and being able to compare the 1970’s timeline with the present day. Getting glimpses into the past and catching similarities between the two eras (yes, I’m a Swiftie) made this aspect of the book all the more interesting.

I also really liked that this story relied on women and made them, and their relationships with each other and the men in their lives, a central focus.

The mystery of Villa Aestas was enjoyable (if it were a real place I would be listening to all the podcasts about it just like Emily did), but I did wish the space itself played more of a role in the plot. More detail on the home itself, I think, could have lended some additional spookiness which I would have liked to see.

That being said, there was plenty of suspense in this book! I initially did not expect this story to go where it did, and even once I figured out one crucial plot point, I was still surprised with where things went from there. Even after the very last page, I was left with my jaw dropped.

This one was a definite page-turner, and I would highly recommend giving it a read.
Publishing day is January 3rd, so be sure to get your hands on this unique and exciting thriller when you get the chance!