I love a Rachel Hawkins thriller and I was not disappointed in this one. Absorbed it in just a couple of days. I loved the different timelines and the gothic feel despite it being summer in Italy. I loved the information unfurling slowly, imperfect and the narrators unreliable. The end gave me similar feelings to Reckless Girls. I’m glad I’m a vindictive way, even though I shouldn’t.

Like Rachel Hawkins previous books, The Villa is a real page turner. I couldn't put it down and ripped through it in two days. Emily and Chess have been best friends since childhood, but now in their thirties, their relationship is quite strained. Chess is a successful self-help author hanging out with Oprah, while Emily is struggling to write her next cozy mystery and going through a nasty divorce. When Chess invites Emily to spend the summer at a villa in Italy,, she jumps right in, hoping to fix her relationship with Chess and get her writing groove back. It turns out the Villa is the site of an infamous murder in the 1970's. The murder filled with rock and roll royalty and mystery begins to intrigue Emily and the more she learns, the deeper she gets into what really happened at the Villa. Filled with twists and turns and several versions of one story, you'll ask yourself, "Do Houses Remember?"

Although I did find this book gripping, the back and forth timelines were slightly confusing. I wanted to know about the murder in the past so it kept me hooked and intrigued to keep listening but then finding out that there was actually a different ending tot hat then they made you believe was true several chapters earlier was confusing. Overall it was 3 stars but I think it could have been 4 stars if it was slightly different and also did not have the murder in present time.

I loved how atmospheric this one was, however the ending did not sit well with me. The story within a story narrative is one of my favorites though, and the cover is stunning!

This is one that I enjoyed the experience of listening/reading more than the actual story itself. I was uncomfortable and fully expecting twists and turns the whole time which kept me engaged and very curious. However, while there were a couple twists, I felt like a lot of potential was left unused with this one. The ending could've been much stronger and while the past and present timelines presented a fun mystery within a mystery kind of feel, it wasn't enough to blow me away.

Emily has been battling an undiagnosable illness, a stalled career as a cozy mystery writer, and a nasty divorce. So when her on-again-off-again best friend, and famous positivity influencer, invites her to Italy for the summer so jumps at the time. She hopes to use the time to focus on the next book of her series, but is instead captivated by the history of the house and the famous murder that took place there decades ago.

In alternating storylines we get Emily's viewpoint in current day and Mari's- one of the inhabitants of the Villa when the murder occurred. Dispersed throughout are also excerpts from Mari's book written in the house, excerpts from magazine interviews and stories about the murder, and lyrics from Lara's album.

This was my second book by this author. I must admit I was not crazy about the first I read so I was hesitant going into this one, but I ended up really liking it. I thought some of Emily's decisions were questionable, but overall I liked the build of her story. Some of the details were a little out of place, but for the most part I liked the build of the story and all the mysteries. I appreciated the pacing and I especially liked the ending entries from Mari's perspective.

A girls trip to Italy! What could go wrong? In their villa a man who they become close with dies.. Was is random? It didn't seem like a robbery gone wrong. Are the girls in trouble?

Another winner from Rachel Hawkins! It took me a bit to get my bearings in each of the dual POV in this book, but once it got going I was pulled right in. The twists and turns in this thriller were a lot of fun and I flew through it - highly recommend!

Thank you @stmartinspress for the #gifted eARC of THE VILLA.

Rachel Hawkins is back with another creepy slowburn. One thing I love about her books is how much the location plays a role in the story. In THE VILLA, our dual timelines are set at the gorgeous Villa Aestas fka Villa Rosato. Emily and Chess are childhood BFFs who rent Villa Aestas to reconnect and write over the summer. While there Emily slowly becomes obsessed with the murder of rockstar Pierce Sheldon that happened at the villa in 1974 and his girlfriend turned famous novelist, Mari Gotwick.

I found the 1974 timeline much more compelling than the present day one. I found Mari’s character fascinating as she struggled to write her first novel, grieved the loss of her child and navigated her complex relationships with her boyfriend and stepsister. I also really wish that the horror book Mari writes while at the villa actually exists because it sounds so good!

The tensions that Hawkins wrote between Emily and Chess in the present timeline perfectly mirrored the tensions between Mari and Lara. This is definitely a book about toxic relationships.

Some other early reviewers didn’t love the ending, but I actually really liked it. It’s not a shocking twist but it flipped some of the narrative on its head and I loved that.

THE VILLA is out 1/3/23!

Cw: death of an infant (off page), suicide (off page), drug use

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4804703456
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CmPHwh2p3S7/

As a fan of Rachel Hawkins, when I saw The Villa was coming out - this was a no brainer for me. I had to get my hands on this book..... and I'm *so* glad I did. I loved The Villa.

Told from a dual timeline (which was done well) we follow Chess and Em as they take a summer retreat to a Villa. But this Villa isn't an ordinary Villa, there is a murder that took place there. As Em starts to dig in, she starts to realize things may not be as they seem.

This book sucked me in and while there wasn't a lot of likeable characters, I found I couldn't put this down. And the twist at the end was unexpected.

Thanks, Netgalley for this ARC!

I appreciate the complimentary e-arc but this story was just not for me! I could not finish it. It did not keep my attention. I typically like a dual time line in a suspense but this just didn’t do it for me.

The Villa is another intriguing story with a gorgeous cover from Rachel Hawkins. The Villa sucked me in quickly - I couldn’t wait to be absorbed by the atmosphere: a gothic suspense set in an Italian villa with a dark, sordid history. Emily and Chess have their own dark, sordid history but they still set out on a girls trip to Italy together. They’re staying at the infamous Villa Aestas, the place where famous rock legend Noel Gordon stayed during the summer of 1974 with up and coming musician Piece, Pierce’s girlfriend Mari, and her stepsister Lara. What comes out of their stay is Pierce’s brutal murder and some of the best art of all time. In present day Emily works hard to uncover the truth of what happened here in 1974 - but while she is pursuing that she has issues of her own to manage with Chess. Will they fall victim to the deadly legacy of Villa Aestas, or will they get out alive?

Overall, I loved the concept and the atmosphere of this novel - no one creates an environment quite like Rachel Hawkins. That being said, the revelations and ending missed for me - I felt like it was a bit obvious and I wanted more. I really enjoyed the characters and so I would recommend this read - I think many readers will enjoy it and be pleased with the choices the author made at the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC - The Villa will be out 1/3/23!

My favorite by this author, by far! I loved the mix of genres here and the bits and pieces of other media we get (podcasts, excerpts, etc). Book within a book is one of my favorite tropes. This would be a great vacation read!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for a review. All opinions here are my own.

This book took three stories and combined them flawlessly. The starting of the book was a bit difficult to understand how the plot was developing but once I got into the story, I loved it. The dark setting of the villa and the Italian architecture was very well done. The excerpts of other forms of media throughout the book really helped set the book. As far as character development, I do think the animosity between sisters was showcased really well alongside the twisted lover relationships. Only part I was let down about was, I did think that the ending was a bit rushed and could have been more captivating. The lead up to this point had quite a bit of tension and hope, that it didn't feel like it got the justice it deserved.

Em is stuck in a rough patch of her life. Her job, relationships, health, etc have taken a toll on her and brought her down. Comparing herself to her very successful childhood best friend Chess Chandler has her feeling worse about herself. This is until Chess offers her friend to spend the summer with her in a Villa in Italy. Em becomes compelled to research more into the history of the murder that took place in this villa years ago and may get her spark at writing back after delving down this path. Writing an entirely different book based on this research has Em finding a deeper understanding into the artists that lived in this house during a summer years ago. Between the drugs, music, love triangles, and twisted family relationships, what is left in history and what could repeat itself? As we all know - the house remembers!

I devoured this book in about 1 day. It's a dual timeline, women's fiction/historical mystery story that morphs into a can't-put-it-down gothic suspense, with a bit of thriller thrown in. I enjoyed the characters, even if I didn't like all of them. Emily, a writer of cozy mysteries, is suffering writer's block while going through a divorce when her very successful best friend and self-help guru, Chess, invites her to spend 6 summer weeks at an Italian Villa. Not just any villa, but one that was the scene of a brutal "rock & roll" murder in the 1970's. The second timeline takes the reader back to the events leading up to that murder, when Mari and her step-sister Lara spend the summer at the villa with their musician boyfriends and Mari writes one of the greatest horror novels of all time while Lara composes songs that become a platinum-selling record album. As Emily delves into what happened 1974, she starts to find parallels with Mari's novel and is inspired to start a new book of her own. Chess wants in on the story, but Emily is already jealous of her friend's success and wants to keep this to herself. The tension between the friends becomes palpable, as it was between the villa's guests in 1974 before the murder took place. I enjoyed the pace of the story and thought the switching between timelines was deftly done to keep the story moving and provide morsels of information that were like breadcrumbs leading me to the ending.

This is my third Rachel Hawkins novel, and sadly probably the weakest one. That is not to say that it was bad, or unenjoyable by any means, but I found it to be very slow to start, and I don't think I was as invested as I should have been until at least 5o-75% in. I enjoyed the parallels to the Manson murders, and other true crime allusions, but I just think the main plot got lost. I think The Wife Upstairs and Reckless Girls were both a lot more engaging and twisty.

I absolutely loved this book! Rachel Hawkins has been a favorite of mine for a long time and this book didn’t disappoint.

Absolutely her best yet! With gothic Daisy Jones vibes, I loved the old school rock and roll murder storyline and the modern old friends trying to solve the mystery. It was dark and creepy and really kept me guessing.

Just when I thought I had the plot twist figured out (and it was revealed), the author had one more twist in her back pocket!

The characters are surprisingly complex for a thriller and there is definitely a large women's fiction genre-type component to this thriller!

I absolutely binged this book when I started it. I loved the dual timelines of the past and the present. It kept things going and interesting throughout the story. I didn’t feel like there was ever a slow part but rather the two timelines meshed perfectly.

Chess and Ems relationship was completely toxic but relatable. I started catching on to the plot twist but only one, the rest I was completely shocked. The ending was so creepy and toxic (but I loved it).

Thank you Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the eARC! I will be posting on my bookstagram @talkgoodbookstome closer to pub date.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for granting me an advance copy of The Villa, the upcoming work of Rachel Hawkins, out 1/3/23 in exchange for my honest review!

I really enjoyed Reckless Girls from last year, and wasn’t the biggest fan of Wife Upstairs, so I went into The Villa hoping that Hawkins could strike the same magic from last year - this one is such a cool concept, and gave me major Manson murder vibes, which was a story that fascinated me once upon a time. This one flips back and forth between Emily and Chess in present day, and Mari’s viewpoint from the 70s (and then later 80s and 90s) and while I enjoyed it eventually, I did prefer Emily and Chess’s storyline at first - one of the risks with switching narrators and timelines.

I’m going to settle on a 3.5 rounded up for this one, because I was expecting a little bit more of a spooky connection with the girls staying at the Villa and rediscovering the truth of what happened prior - when I’m reflecting on what genre I’d call this, I’m having trouble, because it’s not really a thriller, not a romance, maybe some sort of women’s fiction? I wouldn’t call this her best, but I still enjoyed it more than Wife Upstairs, and I’ll definitely still check out her future works.

Again, thank you so much NetGalley and publishers for this ARC in exchange for this review - publishing date is 1/3/23 if you think this one would be something you want to check out!