The Villa by Rahcel Hawkins is an atmospheric thriller with drugs, sex and rock n' roll...well, plus murder. Told from dual narrators with different timelines, but set in the same location, The Villa is the story of a house and the secrets it holds within. In present day, we have Emily and Chess, childhood best friends who have grown apart over the years. They rent a villa in Italy to reconnect and work on their crafts. In the mid 1970s, we have Mari and her stepsister Lara, who rent the same villa in Italy as a last minute get-away with a well-known musician. A murder happens in the villa during Mari and Lara's stay that goes down in infamy and plays a major role in Emily and Chess' story.

I liked the atmospheric sense of place in The Villa and the rock n' roll vibes. That usually draws me to a book. But overall, the plot had many holes. This is more of a slow burn murder mystery vs. a fast-paced thriller. There were times I had to re-read chapters, especially at the end, because I thought I missed a major part of the plot. It turned out, I hadn't missed it, but it wasn't fleshed out enough. I wanted to like this one more than I did, but it was poorly executed.

Definitely a slow burn and it took me a minute to really get into it but it’s a quick read. I didn’t find any of the characters particularly likable. Maybe Mari but I more so just felt bad for her. I didn’t dislike this by any means and if you like Rachel Hawkins’ other thrillers like I do, I think you’d enjoy this.

Sex, drugs, and rock and roll - and writing. This part of the blurb made me grab it - that and the fact that I've enjoyed several other books by Rachel Hawkins:
<i>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.</i>

The book is told in two timelines - 1974 and present day. Both timelines are interesting and come together in an interesting way. It alternated mostly from two points of view - Mari's and Emily's. I didn't get fully invested in this book, but overall it is a story within a story. And it gets rather complex and out of control. The characters all had issues. The history of the villa as a murder house was intriguing and mysterious. This is a decent mystery/thriller - not Rachel Hawkins' best, but still a good read.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for an advance digital copy. This book will be published on January 3, 2022.

Ohhh, this was so good. It was somehow both predictable and not but in absolutely the best way. The premise seems straightforward at first, and in some ways it is, but in others it's decidedly not.

The narrative switches between past and present during two separate vacations to the villa. The past narrative is ominous almost from the beginning, while the present narrative just has a constant sense of foreboding. Emily and Chess had such a fascinating friendship dynamic.

My favorite part about this was the atmosphere. I normally read through thrillers quickly, but I read this one more slowly, just to savor the atmosphere.

There's not much else to say without spoiling anything, but I absolutely loved this!

Talk about the perfect setting for a suspense novel! I loved the mysterious Villa vibes of the book. I also loved how it felt like a mystery version of Daisy Jones and the Six. The author did a great job with the dual POVS and timelines. Sometimes books with flashbacks and various POVs you can feel like parts of the storyline are repetitive but I didn't feel that way with this one. I enjoyed both Mari and Emily's storylines equally. How the storylines intertwine is interesting. The ending was a bit out of left field and felt slightly rushed. There isn't a lot of action or twists and turns during the first 75% of the book so it's a bit of a slow burn but I enjoy a thoughtful, suspense novel and this hit that mark for me.

Thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is released on January 3, 2023.

Read if you like:
-books about books/writing
-Daisy Jones and the Six
-thought provoking conclusions

Rachel Hawkins has quickly become a must read author for me. Her books are so quick and gripping, impossible to put down.
I didn't see where this one was going and the duel timelines kept me guessing.

3.35⭐

Featuring ~ dual 1st person POV, dual timeline ~ present & 1974, infidelity, murder, illness, miscarriage

Our narrators are Emily in the present and Mari in the past.

BFF's and author's Emily and Chess head to Italy to reconnect and write. They stay at a Villa where a murder took place decades ago that involves Mari, who is an author too. Emily is fascinated by this and wants to figure out what happened. It's a book within a book since we have multiple authors putting their two cents in. Wasn't super in love with any of the characters really.

Regarding the infidelity ~ I called who it was with and I didn't like it and I didn't like how Emily dealt with it.

Had a bit of an eye roll at this part
"So, maybe it wasn't completely crazy to think Mari came back here to hide one last thing. Maybe I just misinterpreted the riddle.
That's when I spot it."
seemed like she was in the right place at the right time to have this thought.

Overall, it was fine, not mind-blowing, with an eye catching cover.

I was fortunate enough to receive a kindle copy and the audiobook to review. Both ways were fine, but I did more listening than reading. The narrators are Julia Whelan, Kimberly M. Wetherell and Shiromi Arserio for 7 hours and 57 minutes and 44 seconds. I was very pleased with all of them and so happy there were three.

Told in dual timelines, The Villa is a tale of secrets, murder, intrigue and complex relationships. When Emily is invited by her childhood best friend to vacation at a villa in Italy, she jumps at the chance to reconnect while using it as a writing retreat. But while there, the mystery surrounding the infamous murders at the Villa consume Emily’s thoughts and writing. While uncovering some secrets from the past, she also begins to discover some things about herself as well.

Rachel Hawkins sucks me into every one of her books, and she did it again this time. Take dual timelines (70s and present day), books within books, a little Fleetwood Mac, and throw in some gothic horror for good measure, and you have a twisty thriller that keeps you guessing until the very end. I'm not sure I really even liked any of the characters, but I had to find out what was going to happen. Her storylines in each book are so different from one another, and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next! Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance digital copy!

I seriously love the way Rachel Hawkins writes and cannot believe the same author also wrote the Ex Hex. I know they are two completely different genres but I'm blown away. I love the way Mary Shelley's tragic life/story is brought into this and modernized (at least to the 1970s). The entire time, I loved picking up the little parallels between Mary and Mary and then Emily. Some of the characters were downright jerks but made in such a way I wanted to keep reading. I kind of figured it out ahead of time (and there's still a piece of me that wonders if there is a little bit hidden still with Chess and Em). But I love the idea of Em going to different homes that had tragedies and writing about them!

This is a dual timeline story - one of a murder in the 70s and then current day of two friends that vacation at the same villa. The stories end up intersecting. Two best friends (Emily and Chess) travel to Italy to each get a start on writing their next book are more like friend/enemies. They are both so very unlikeable that i enjoyed the other storyline more. Once at the villa Emily starts to look into the murders from years ago and we are told the story from Mari's point of view.. It alternates back and forth creating a bit of suspense. I will say that although parts were very predictable, other parts shocked me. SPOILER ALERT: i thought for sure Chess was the one drugging Emily, . I also thought it was obviously she was having an affair with Emily's husband. Like I said earlier, it was hard to like these characters and the story wasn't realistic at all. I did enjoy the other story line and following the muscians. I was surprised by the twist on who the actual murderer was. Once you think you know the story, they will pull the rug out from under you. It kept me reading and I finished the novel in less than 3 days. It would make a good plane or beach read where you're looking for something fast but this wont win any prizes. It was just middle of the road for me.

I received this as an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I never felt that on-the-edge-of-my-seat-reading-through-my-fingers kind of dread despite this book being advertised as a thriller. I definitely yelled, "don't do that you are so dumb" a few times, but it was less than I expected.

I truly e joy Rachel Hwkins, I think her writing style is engaging and fun. This just wasn't as scary as I expected from the synopsis.

I loved the villa it had a very good suspenseful story to it, which was very well written. I’m definitely going to recommend it to everyone.

Two long-time best friends who decide to spend the summer at a Villa in Italy find themselves in a Villa that once hosted a few rock stars in the 70s and their friends.
As the '70s were known for sex, drugs, and rock and roll, their trip had a not-so-happy ending.

There is more to both vacations in the Villa! Rachel Hawkins weaves a web that intertwines them all seamlessly.

There was something to love and hate about each of the characters, which I think is something that few authors can do as well as Rachel Hawkins. I wasn't sure who to cheer on, and who to be angry with!

As with all thrillers, the ending left me wondering exactly what was true and what wasn't!

The Villa, the new psychological thriller by Rachel Hawkins is fantastic. Told from two perspectives over two time lines, it held my attention from start to finish.

Emily and Chess are best friends. Emily, the author of cozy mysteries, and Chess, the author of self help books, decide to spend the summer in Italy at the Villa Aestas in Orieto. It is meant to be a time to relax, reconnect and each work on their current new books. But as Emily digs into the villas history and a murder that took place there in 1974, things begin to heat up.

In 1974 Noel Gordon, a rock and roll superstar, rents the villa for the summer and invites Pierce Sheldon, an up and coming musician, to join him in hopes of recharging his creativity. Pierce brings along Mari, his girlfriend, and Lara, Mari’s step sister. Also staying at the villa that summer is Johnny, a want-a-be musician and part time drug dealer. By the end of the summer, one of them is dead and one of them charged with the murder and all of their lives are changed for ever.

I read this in one day right before Christmas when I had a million things to do but I just couldn’t put it down. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers and dark mysteries

Very suspensful and better than I thought it would be! Fairly quick read as well! I couldn't put it down.

The Villa is a twisty turny book within a book, set in an Italian villa over two summers. The interwoven storylines involve Fleetwood Mac-esque musicians in 1974 and two friends, one a Brene Brown-ish influencer and the other a cozy mystery writer. The friendships are deeply felt and vividly drawn. Paula Hawkins is the author of The Girl on the Train and knows how to write mystery/suspense. I loved the house as a setting but would have liked more of Italy. Highly recommended to readers of Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley.

I really wanted to like this book, and going in, I was instantly intrigued. However, not only could I not connect with any of the characters, I felt that the plot just kind of dragged with minimal purpose. I have also realized that I prefer it when books don't have flashback chapters, so that was also an issue with this one.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Overall I really enjoyed The Villa. It started off a little slow and I had a hard time liking the characters, which could make it or break it for me, but the storyline kept my attention. It was full of tension, and I liked the element of mystery that kept me turning the pages. I was a little disappointed in the ending but then there was a twist at the end that I wasn’t expecting. I would recommend this book.

Well, I saw a bunch of reviews for this that were all over the place but, then I finished it and understood the variety of reviews. I don’t know if anything really happened in this book? It’s definitely not a thriller and more of a mystery/suspense. It was pretty predictable and none of the twists were surprising at all. I couldn’t understand why Emily was friends with Chess ever, let alone towards the end of the book. In fact, the ending in my head would have been much more enjoyable.