Emily and Chess have been friends for decades and like many friendships, they see each other less and less. When Chess offers to pay for Emily to follow her to Italy for the summer to get out of a writing slump, Emily rediscovers what it's like spending time with her best friend. While in Italy, they discover more about the crime that happened in the villa in the 1970s.

I love a good dual timeline story! Typically I find one that is more interesting than the other, but I actually liked Emily and Chess' story as well as Mari and those who experience the murder first hand. I also really enjoyed the small interviews that were tucked in along with some of Mari's book, Lilith Rising. I would definitely recommend this to some of my students who enjoy true crime and mystery/thriller fiction.

I loved this mash up of Daisy Jones and the Six and a thriller! I loved both storylines! The sex, drugs, rock and roll, and murder and the two writers on vacation. I loved, loved Emily - the fact that she was a cozy mystery writer turned into a true-crime junkie by the Villa and its history. I loved it all! The ending was probably a bit rushed, but I honestly enjoyed this read so much I couldn't give it anything less than 5 stars! I absolutely devoured it!

“Houses Remember.”

And I will, too. This was an excellent book, and I love the way the author mixed the dual time lines. Loved loved loved. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Really enjoyed this latest novel (coming out in a few days - January 3, 2023!) by Rachel Hawkins.

The novel centers around the Villa Aestas, and Ms. Hawkins uses dual narratives to tell the story. In the present, Emily is struggling trying to write her latest novel while going through a divorce from her husband. She agrees to go to Italy with her best friend Chess and stay at the Villa where a notorious murder happened in the 1970s. The second narrative is that of Mari, and that infamous summer of 1974.

As the pages turn, the two narratives weave back and forth and the Villa almost becomes its own character. I liked the gothic vibe and the way the two timelines worked together, I just didn’t want to stop reading. Ms. Hawkins throws twists in throughout, and just when you think you’ve got things figured out, another one comes right along.

Pick this one up - it’s a fun book to kick off the new year!

It took me a while to really get into this book but once I did, I couldn’t put it down. The characters and story line were so detailed that you felt like you were there watching it unfold. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars because I had a hard time following at some points in the book.

A slow burn thriller focused on the power women have and why they choose to wield it or not. Once things started coming together about 2/3 of the way in I was gripped, but honestly the climax was such a let down.

Also Chess is the worst character.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

It took me a little bit to get into The Villa, I wasn't loving the story or characters. It's very much a slow burn and more of drama than thriller. I was pulled in near the ending but I was really hoping for more.

I had the audio version as well as the ebook and I greatly preferred and recommend the audio.

This description alone: "Inspired by Fleetwood Mac, the Manson murders, and the infamous summer Percy and Mary Shelley spent with Lord Byron at a Lake Geneva castle" HELLO.

Rachel Hawkins is officially an auto-read author for me after this book. I enjoyed The Wife Upstairs but skipped reading Reckless Girls for some reason -- I need to remedy that situation asap -- and love her witchy romance books written under her pseudonym, Erin Sterling.

This is a slow burn, which I am usually not a fan of at all, but the building tension and back-and-forth timeline work beautifully here. I loved everything about this book.

Highly recommend!

Not what I was expecting although I'm not sure what I was expecting.

I think Chess was a vile friend. I don't particularly love the book. Which is hard for me to say. It reads fine it just lacked something for me.

I do like the twist for Mari at the end. I prefer that storyline.

I just finished this so I'm honestly still just trying to wrap my head around it all. In true Rachel Hawkins style, The Villa had so many different angles that I'm sure I could read it again and pick up on something new.

Emily and Chess take off on a summer trip to a villa in Italy so that both of them can work on their writing. Emily is separated from her husband, Matt, and Chess has secrets. While there, Emily starts looking into the history of the villa, which has secrets of its own. Will the darkness that is Villa Aestas take over this strained friendship?

I really enjoyed this novel, as I do all of Rachel Hawkins novels. Every once in a while some subplot confused me for a minute, but it was easy to catch back onto. There were twists and turns I never expected, but it all works out when you think of the journey it took to get there. I would recommend this to other fans of Rachel Hawkins. *Releasing January 3, 2023

Rachel Hawkins has became one of my go to authors. The Villa is a slow burn, mystery, murder, touch of true crime read.

It started out slow for me, but still kept my interest. When I hit the 1/2 way mark, I didn't want to put it down. (I did fall asleep reading, but that's just because I am getting over being sick, one reason it took a few days to read, I probably would have finished it in a day otherwise.) The villa was described wonderfully. The characters kept me engaged in the book. It does go between two time lines. I feel you need to know that because some people don't like reading books like that. We float between Emily and her best friend Chess and the summer of 1974 when a murder happened at the Villa the stay in in Italy.

I don't know how Hawkins did it, but she basically wrote two suspense stories in one book. When you read it, you will understand what I mean. If you like murder mysteries, true crime or a little suspense, I think you will enjoy this book. Just remember, everyone reads a different book with the same title, just because one person loves it, doesn't mean you will. But, I think this is going to be a great one for you to read.

It publishes January 3, 2023!

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Rachel Hawkins for the Kindle Version of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

🙂 Happy Reading 📚🙂

#netgalley
#stmartinspress
#rachelhawkins

Sex, drugs, rock and roll and murder…

The Villa is a slow burn. I wouldn’t call it a thriller but more of a women’s fiction/drama. Told through POV’s from 1974 and the present day.

In 1974 stepsisters and their musician boyfriends rent a villa in Italy for the summer to get away and find inspiration. The summer ends with a murder.

Present day: Friends Emily and Chess, both writers rent the same villa for the summer. They try to reconnect their friendship and work on their books. Emily becomes interested in the murder that happened in 1974.

I honestly struggled with this one. I felt like nothing was happening in both timelines until the very end. There was no suspense and the ending was just ok. I l did enjoy the setting and there was one twist that I didn’t see coming which was perfect. If you enjoy slow burns and dual time lines you might enjoy it, but this one wasn't for me.

Thank you to the publisher for my #gifted copy.

The Villa is my first Rachel Hawkins book that I’ve read and I thought it was just okay. This book states that it is a mystery/thriller, but I found it to only be a mystery. The story reminded me of the Manson murders, and that part of it I was intrigued by.

This was a dual timeline happening during the 70s in Italy, and present day in Italy as well. Although I enjoyed the true crime aspect of the story, I didn’t really enjoy much else. I didn’t connect with any characters, and didn’t really care what happened to them. This book is filled with drama, in both timelines. I absolutely disliked Chess throughout the entire story, she seemed incredibly two faced and I feel like she was lying to Emily throughout the entire story. I think even after everything, she was lying and just in the friendship to gain fame.

I don’t really know what I dislike about it, but I think this just wasn’t for me. It was a quick read, and the plot keeps you interested but it’s just okay???

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martins Press and Rachel Hawkins for an eBook ARC of The Villa in exchange for an honest review. The Villa is available for purchase on January 3rd!

The Villa
By: Rachel Hawkins
Pub Date: January 3, 2023

eARC & Book Review
My Rating: 4/5 ⭐️

Houses remember.

In Hawkins’ newest thriller, The Villa, we meet present day Emily and 1974 Mari in this upcoming, dual-timeline, novel.

As kids, Emily and Chess were inseparable. Now in their 30s, they each have their own different lives, occasionally having the chance to meet up and catch up on their personal lives and writing careers. Emily, a fiction writer, is having a bout of writers block as she works on her latest cozy mystery, while Chess continues to ride the high of her successful self help books. When Chess suddenly asks Emily to join her at a villa in Orvieto, Italy, Emily thinks what the heck! She’s going through a divorce, her health is on the mend, and she could really use the writing inspo.

Mari, girlfriend of Pierce Sheldon, has just been invited to Villa Rosato in Orvieto, Italy to join Pierce, rock star, Noel Gordon, and Mari’s stepsister, Lara. What starts as a trip to reignite Noel’s creative spark, turns into much more when Pierce is brutally murdered. Blamed on sex, drugs, and rock and roll gone wrong, it seemed like your everyday murder of the 70s.

Now, staying at the same villa - since renamed Villa Aestas - Emily finds herself digging into the villa’s complicated history. As new details come to light, she begins to question what really happened that brutal night in 1974. Was it really just “sex, drugs, and rock and roll,” or something so much more? In the process, she uncovers secrets about her own marriage and friendships.

——
This was the second book I’ve read from Hawkins and I enjoyed it! I loved the Italian setting and how well the novel was written.

I did find myself getting bored during some of Mari’s timeline, but Emily’s was really intriguing and easy to read. Were some parts predictable? Yes, but the twists were also surprising and I’m glad they were included.

I cannot wait to read more thrillers by Hawkins!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

“Houses Remember”
“Does one murder a murder house make?”

In this book, there are two points of view in alternating timelines. The present-day story involves two best friends, or frenemies, who grew up together but have grown apart over the years. They are both writers of different genres, and decide to spend the summer together at a villa in Italy to work on their writing.

The 1970’s timeline gives me Daisy Jones vibes. A rockstar invites some ‘friends’ to a villa in Italy he rents for the summer to work on an album. Mari, the narrator, is trying to write her first novel, and also keeps a diary of events that summer – which include a famous murder.

This is my third book by this author, and in the past, I have felt a lack of connection to her characters. While the characters of The Villa were not particularly loveable, I think I felt more invested in them and their stories. I enjoyed the setting in Italy, the dueling timelines, and the stories within the story. I don’t think this book had quite the shocking twists or thrills of her other novels, but I love a good murder mystery! I was very curious how the two storylines were going to intertwine, and enjoyed the similarities between the two narrators. Although the book was slow to start, I found both stories compelling and finished the last half very quickly. I have some thoughts about the ending, but I think that is consistent with this author!

“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” (Publisher blurb)

Thank you @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the ARC!

There is a lot going on in The Villa by Rachel Hawkins. A book within a book meshed with news articles, podcasts, song lyrics, oh my!

There are two timelines within this novel, one set in modern times and the other in the 1970s. It was difficult getting into both of these timelines which is why I had to move over to the audiobook.

Had I not had the audio, I might not have finished this story because I could not seem to connect with the characters or their story. There were some parts of the story that still left me with questions but I did not feel so strongly in discussing or really thinking about what could have happened.

This is a story that I can see many people enjoying but I just get tired of the unreliable female character trope.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free ebook ARC of this title in exchange for my review.

I'm the outlier with this book. I've tried a few other titles by the author and didn't really enjoy them, and then this was offered to me by the publisher. I hoped for better and I really did try to get into the story. I just couldn't. It became a chore for me to read and I disliked all of the characters. My reading tastes have changed since I first tried the author, I'd hoped that would make a difference, but sadly for me, it didn't.

I really can't think of anyone to recommend this title to - or this author. Maybe it's just set for a much younger crowd. I didn't care for the jumping timelines nor the 'story within a story' concept. I hated Chess from page 1 and wanted to smack Emily. The whole thing was just too unbelievable. This author will be a hard pass for me from now on out.

1 star for 'did not like this'

I will not be giving feedback on this title. I dnf-ed it and found the writing style sloppy and the unappealing. I love lyrical, well thought out writing and from the start this book got on my nerves

5/5 stars. To be released January 2023.

The only thing disappointing about this book is that I can’t listen to Aestas or read Lillith Rising.

This is absolutely my new favorite Rachel Hawkins book. I’ve always liked her novels but this one knocked it out of the park. I was completely engrossed in the storyline, which is told through your typical first person chapters but with the addition of journal entries, emails, websites and scholarly articles, and even a podcast. The majority of the novel takes place at Villa Aestas in Italy, where two friends are spending the summer. While we learn about their friendship, both the good and the bad, we learn with them about a summer in the 1970s where an infamous murder occurred. Both the present day and 1970s cast of characters felt so real - this is easily one of the best books I have read in a while.

Amazing story! Rachel Hawkins doesn't disappoint! I will be recommending this new novel to all of my friends in 2023.