This book was dark in the best ways possible! Definitely didn’t see all those twists and turns coming!

requested and received an egalley copy of The Villa for review as I have seen it on many ‘Most Anticipated Books of 2023’ lists. Thanks so much St.Martin’s Press, Netgalley, and Rachel Hawkins for the opportunity to read it ahead of time!

As soon as the main characters were introduced, I was hooked! Two writers, old best friends who now see each other maybe once a year, decide to reignite their friendship and careers by renting a gothic-style villa in Italy for the summer with a stirring history.

I loved the setting of Orvieto, and how the author put in some landmarks I could look up and learn about. It set the tone for me.
I became a bit impatient around the halfway mark. Not used to reading this genre, I was hoping it would have been a bit more dark, gritty, and atmospheric to start. It was around then I had learned that Christine McVie had passed away, and I found it odd to be simultaneously reading a book proclaiming to be partly inspired by Fleetwood Mac. I picked it up again and read the rest in one afternoon with wide eyes and only a pause to stretch.

This was my first time reading Rachel Hawkins and I definitely hope to get my hands on more of her books!

**Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Rachel Hawkins for an ARC of this book!**

Emily remembers the good old days with her BFF Chess. The two used to be inseparable as a pair could be, and although they are now both writers, their lives have gone off in different directions. Chess has found success as a modern self-help guru (a la "Girl, Wash Your Face", "Untamed," etc.) and Emily is the author of a popular cozy mystery series. However, Emily is also dealing with an impending divorce and her writing has come to a grinding halt.

When Chess suggests a glamorous girls trip to Villa Aestas (formerly known as Villa Rosato) in GLORIOUS Italy, Emily jumps at the chance to rekindle her friendship, jump start her next book, and soak in the sun. After the two arrive, Emily dives into the history of the villa...and doesn't exactly feel thrilled with what she discovers...Villa Rosato is actually a murder house. In the 70s, rockers Noel Gordon and Pierce Sheldon arrived at the villa with Pierce's girlfriend Mari and stepsister Lara in tow looking for some inspiration of their own. While the two ladies end up writing a horror book and a hugely popular album, Pierce's career---and life---ends abruptly.

As Emily delves deeper into the mysteries of the past, searching the villa for clues, she begins to realize that the survivors of that tragic summer may have left more in the Murder House than meets the eye...and perhaps Chess had her OWN reasons for bringing Emily to the Villa. Are these two friends in it to the bitter end...or is the villa ready to claim yet ANOTHER victim?

Ever since Hawkins' The Wife Upstairs, I've been waiting for one of her books to recapture that sort of magic.

Well...Reckless Girls and The Villa both are set in beautiful locations....but bring little else to the table.

At first, I was hopeful I'd be sucked into the story once it got going for a bit. I didn't mind the byplay between Emily and Chess, and it's always fun to read an author's reflections on writing through their writer characters. The lead-in to the Villa was exciting, and the first section of the book moved along well enough.

And then we went back in time to hear from Mari...and things came GRINDING to a halt.

The timeline from the past was not only confusing but was littered with SO MUCH extraneous detail. Many of the conversations between the characters seemed unimportant and it was so hard to resist the urge to skim these sections. These characters were unlikable, flat, and felt almost like stock characters...basically, the stereotype of British rockers/artists from the time period, but without any of the charm.

Even though there are only 4 or 5 characters that are really important in the 70's timeline, I kept getting confused by their connections to one another, and I honestly don't feel like any of the 'scandal' Hawkins kept trying to add to these sections made the plot more interesting. On top of this, there are several fake 'book excerpts', articles, a transcript of a rather obnoxious podcast, etc. that are interspersed throughout just to focus EVEN MORE on the events of the 70s. I also found it hard to believe that Lara's album Aestas would have been a hit with the excerpts of the 'lyrics' provided... but trust me, Fleetwood Mac, it was not.

After all of this time and involvement with the Villa's past, I was HOPING at least Emily and Chess' story line would have an enticing end...but all I found were a couple of plot holes (or plot points that were skimmed over, conveniently) and a rather predictable ending. Once again, Hawkins was trying so hard to push a 'female empowerment' story line...but as with Reckless Girls, it just didn't work for me.

Although once again her choice of setting was ideal and I am JUST as eager to bask in the glow of the Italian sun as I am to get to Hawaii as soon as humanly possible, I think Fleetwood Mac might have said it best. That is, when it comes to me and the likelihood I'll be grabbing Hawkins' next book?

"Been down one time
Been down two times
I'm never going back again"

3 stars

Here is a list of things I enjoyed in The Villa:
- A horror novel being written at (about???) the villa
- It is partially set during the 70"s
- It switches perspectives and timeline
Even though there were elements of this book, some plot points that felt sudden and jarring in the book, I really enjoyed this read. It might be one of my favorites from Rachel Hawkins so far.

The Villa was very unique and, for the most part, intriguing read! I liked the dual timelines and the twists. There were only a few parts that fell a little flat for me but overall I enjoyed it!
I’m rating it 3.5 stars!

Oh my! I was fortunate enough to read The Villa by Rachel Hawkins while traveling to Rome. I may be a bit bias in my reactions to this book, but I really enjoyed it. For starters, the descriptions made me truly feel like I could envision the villa. Second, and perhaps most importantly, this book kept me guessing about how things would work out. The Villa follows a dual-timeline of women traveling to a villa in Italy. Emily and Chess used to be attached at the hip, but time has driven a wedge between them. When Chess proposes a trip to Villa Rosato in Orvieto, Emily jumps at the chance (albeit a bit reluctantly). Her book deadline is passed and she has to get something to her publisher ASAP. What they find at Villa Rosato is a dark history. In 1974, rockstar Noel Gordon rented the place with his friends and lovers, which included Mari and her stepsister Lara. By the end of their stay, murder was afoot. Through the dual timelines, the stories of these four women is played out as revelations are made both new and old.

The ending was such an unexpected twist! I loved The Wife Upstairs, but found Reckless Girls a bit lackluster. The Villa was slow to start, but I really enjoyed the two storylines and the way the book wraps up is worth the read!

The Villa
by Rachel Hawkins
Pub Date: January 3, 2023
St. Martin's Press
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
From New York Times, bestselling author Rachel Hawkins comes a deliciously wicked gothic suspense, set at an Italian villa with a dark history, for fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware.
This story alternates between timelines, Mari in the past and Emily in the present day. At first, I didn't like being in the 1974 timeline because I've never been fond of wild rock and rock lifestyles and loose ways but those loose ways are not presented graphically which I appreciated. I wouldn't have been interested in this timeline except that Emily was interested in it. Then there is the present-day timeline, which is more interesting to me, with Chess acting strangely and me hoping the ruthless almost ex-husband of Emily would get some kind of comeuppance for being such a lawyer-happy brute. For me, it was a middle-of-the-road read.
4 stars

This was my first Rachel Hawkins novel, but now I completely get the hype and know I need to go back to the others and catch up. The Villa was an atmospheric page-turner. The setting was gorgeous - a genius alternative to the usual “English country house mystery” that is referenced in the book as the setting for Lilith Rising. The characters were complex and the relationships were compelling. Both storylines were equally interesting. I would definitely recommend this one to anyone who loves a good mystery - it was not too gory/scary.

Thanks to the publisher, NetGalley, and LibroFM for eGalley and ALC.

4.25/5

Well I think this one will be best read in Italy with an aperol spritz in hand, but if that’s not possible inside with coffee will do just fine.

The plot started out slow, but once it started going it moved quickly. I liked the mix of present day and past set in the Villa as well as the inclusion of song and book excerpts from the 1970s setting.

Chess is a horrible friend so Chessie from Parent Trap is still the best Chess around.

Overall, if you like thrillers set on vacation, with books, friendship, and questionable motives: this one is for you.

What happens when two friends stay the summer in a villa that holds the secret of a tragedy from the past? The Villa is about two friends reconnecting, as life has taken them down similar but diverse paths, in the Italian Countryside. When one friend starts to become engulfed in the tragedy that the Villa holds from its past, the other friend starts to compete to share this story with the world.

This book was full of twists and turns that I did not see coming from a mile away. The dual storyline between the Villa’s present and past kept me wondering how the two storylines were connected until the very end. This book did not fail to maintain my attention, keep me on the edge of my seat, or make it a struggle to put the book down. This has been one of the more fun books that I read lately and I look forward to reading more books from Rachel Hawkins now.

Slightly predictable, but an entertaining and atmospheric thriller nonetheless! I enjoyed the dial timelines and the compelling depiction of a toxic female friendship.

I finished this book in one day and sat in silence after because it was absolute perfection. The Villa is a gothic thriller with two (or arguably three) stories wrapped into one. Each story is interesting alone but even stronger together. The characters are weird (in a good way). They don't fit into neat little boxes or your run-of-the-mill thriller characters. I loved the cover also. I'm officially a Rachel Hawkins stan. Thanks for the advance review copy.

A slow burn with limited twists and turns. It was simply… an “okay” read. Quite reminiscent of “The Last Thing He Told Me,” I was waiting endlessly for a massive climax (or a set of them) and the book kind of fell flat.

Rachel Hawkins sure can write a vacation novel! Dual timelines explore the same creepy gothic villa, both with exciting stories. One in 1974, a group of friends (“friends” is a loose term though) are staying through the summer. what starts as a summer of sex, drugs and rock n roll ends in a twisted and shocking murder. I’m present time, two best friends reunite at the villa, and hope their friendship can survive the summer. Fast paced, twist ending, and a wonderfully woven story about strong women, I loved this book!

I was so excited to read The Villa, after having loved The Reckless Girls by the same author. This book started out slow and I was interested in the two different POV and the articles between the chapters from various newspapers and podcasts. I was expecting it to pick up a little and to have a little bit of suspense. But it never really did. This book was a very slow burn that had a surprising twist, that I found myself to not really care about. I felt that the chapters were long and drawn out, and the characters were not very likeable in my opinion. I ended up listening to this one as an audio and did enjoy the performance of the narrators. The audio definitely helped me get through this book faster than if I had read it.

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and Rachel Hawkins for providing me with this gifted ebook and audio in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book! I can't believe it's by the same author that wrote Reckless Girls (which others loved, but I just thought was ok). The blending of the past and present, the different storylines - SO SO compelling! Admittedly, I did enjoy the sections from summer 1974 more than I did the present, but then the ending was perfect! I'm not going to say much more, because I don't want to ruin it for others.

"As kids, 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.

As Emily digs into the villa’s complicated history, she begins to think there might be more to the story of that fateful summer in 1974. That perhaps Pierce’s murder wasn’t just a tale of sex, drugs, and rock & roll gone wrong, but that something more sinister might have occurred––and that there might be clues hidden in the now-iconic works that Mari and Lara left behind.

Yet the closer that Emily gets to the truth, the more tension she feels developing between her and Chess. As secrets from the past come to light, equally dangerous betrayals from the present also emerge––and it begins to look like the villa will claim another victim before the summer ends."

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

In Rachel Hawkins latest, readers are treated to a slow-burn thriller told in dual timeline of a murder in the 70’s and present day of two friends on a trip to the villa.

I’ve really enjoyed the previous books Hawkins has put out and was so excited to dive into this one but felt it was less of an enticing and suspenseful thriller and more of a gothic drama. In general it was rather anticlimactic and felt rushed. With expectations managed and my idea of style being adjusted this could’ve been a better read if I was in the mindset.

I got through this one fairly quickly; I really needed to know what happened in the end.

Two best friends who have had majorly different life paths come back together to have a summer together at an infamous villa where a grisly murder took place. Will they find themselves? Refresh their friendship? Or finally reveal the true story behind the history of the villa?

I was getting so into this story and it’s back and forth between present day and the past and the different relationships between all of the characters; there’s so much potential within each of their backstories. Hawkins did a nice job reflecting the tone and mood of the snippets of story as it related between the two timelines.

Although there were bright and beautiful backdrops to the story, she did weave in a nice dark undertone. I still wish to further explore the villa and it’s hidden secrets and town though. The end seemed to come so abruptly that perhaps I was not completely ready for it. There are potentially more questions than answers from when I finished it compared to when I started it. Hence my middle of the road ranking as it’s still on my mind; although, to have a book still be on the mind is a great result!

Thank you so much to the author, Rachel Hawkins, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the eARC of The Villa!

When two friends take a month long trip to Italy to stay in the rumored Murder House what could go wrong?

Em's best friend Jessica (aka Chess) and fellow writer has invited her on a month long trip to stay in a Villa in Italy to reconnect as friends and to help work on their respective pieces they are writing. Dealing with her divorce and recent health problems Em agrees to go and starts to research more about the house they are staying in, what the town calls the Murder House.

Is this trip really what the two friends need or will the history the house holds and Em's ex husband tear the two friends apart??

I enjoyed the two timelines between Em and Chess and the past with Mary and her time at the Villa.

I had high expectations for this book as I loved Rachel Hawkins' The Wife Upstairs.

I liked the concept of how the book was written as a story within a story, within a story. Although I greatly appreciated the dynamic between Emily and Chess in the present day part of the book, the characters set in the 1970s portion of the story unfortunately didn't draw me in quite as much.

The Villa also had a very different feel to it compared with classic suspense novels. The story felt original, intriguing, had some great humor and was overall a very enjoyable read, it just wasn't my favorite. I did, however, love the ending which came with an unexpected twist!