I had a hard time getting into this one. It was slow moving and didn't keep my attention as well as Hawkins' previous books.

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins is a story within a story about manipulation. Em and Chess are childhood friends and published authors: Em writes cozy mysteries and Chess is an Oprah-approved self-help guru. Em, who is going through a divorce, accepts Chess's invitation to spend the summer at an Italian villa, where, in the 1970s, and up and coming guitarist was murdered. The 1970s story of sex, drugs, alcohol, and rock is mirrored with Em and Chess's present-day love-hate friendship. Readers will enjoy or despise Chess and how she pulls Em into her world and sways her life.

I really enjoyed this book . It did take me a while to get into. But overall enjoyed it. Thank you NetGalley for the free arc . My honest review is it definitely is a 4 stars and I would recommend

The Villa is a well crafted book with layered stories. It centers around The Villa in Italy where a famous murder took place many years before. Two friends rent it in present time. Tensions build. Trust is a central issue. Old and new stories are woven together to create a great ending.

This was a story about a novelist, recently separated from her husband, who visits Italy with her best friend. The villa they stay at was also the location where a celebrity murder occurred in the 70s and the main character gets swept up in to that story.
The book is told in dual time lines between the two eras and held my attention throughout. The ending was VERY disappointing, though.

I really didn’t like Chess and was upset that everything worked out for her in the end. She did not deserve her happy ending and continued success. I also was confused and thought she was poisoning Emily along with Matt and that the affair was more than she described. Was it not? This was very unclear.
The final twist with Mari’s character seemed unnecessary. The idea that she was the real murderer was already a surprise to the story, so to reverse the lie seemed odd.
I also found several typos in the book which was distracting.
However, I still send out a big thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this advanced copy. If you love a mystery, check this out when it is released in January!

Instagram post now linked!

I absolutely LOVED this so much!!!! Wow it is probably one of my fav reads for 2022 so far and I doubt it will be beat in the next few months. Just absolutely amazing.

Another hit from Rachel Hawkins! She does so well at building a sense of dread and drawing you towards the inescapable conclusion! Her thrillers are the perfect length to keep the readers’ attention, and the idea behind all her books really work for me. Although I loved all the parts included in this — including two timelines, a book, and manuscript/journal pages, it at times felt a little messy. But the intrigue these parts all provided more than made up for that.

The ‘villains’ were all cleverly crafted and deliciously hate-able. The ending didn’t tie everything up in a neat little bow and I always love that.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

While the rest of the family sat around on a holiday weekend to watch football, I read this is one day!

I loved the concept of The Villa and, ultimately, enjoyed the ride. I was way less invested in the plot that took place in the 70s - and was more interested in the present day, and how the past impacted/influenced the modern plot.

I will say, I saw the plot going in a different direction with the two "best friends." I definitely thought Chess was way more sinister - and I was frustrated that Emily ultimately sided with her.

However, I enjoyed this read and think others will as well.

The Villa takes place, obviously, at a villa in the Italian countryside, where you'd imagine everything to be charming and idyllic. However, at this particular villa, there is a certain darkness. Told between two different timelines, it feels like multiple stories that become intertwined in a truly seamless way. I loved the mysterious aspects, as well as the very relatable personal aspects between Em and her forever best friend, Chess. Just when I thought I had the book figured out, I was quickly proven wrong. My favorite part might actually be the unforseen ending! This book could have taken place anywhere as I didnt fully connect to it being in Italy, but I loved the story that was told!

I liked The Villa, but unfortunately I didn't love it quite as much as I had expected. The story is told between two different timeline (the 70's and present day) but take place in the same Italian Villa. I started by reading an e-copy of the book, but thankfully received an audiobook which made it easier for me to follow. Yes, at times it's atmospheric and mysterious, but I was left feeling like I wanted more from it. The story is told by three narrators. And as usual, Julia Whelan was amazing.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the arc and the alc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher (St Martins Press) for the ARC!

This was my first Rachel Hawkins book written under this name. (Also known as Erin sterling). I enjoyed the setting of this book, the dual timelines (past and present) and the ending was well written.

I give this 3.5 stars rounded to 4. While I liked the dual timeline it was confusing that the dual timelines were within one chapter, and it took some getting used to. I also found myself hoping for more “Italian atmosphere” and how this could have played into this gothic novel. I also wasn’t invested in the characters.

I still recommend this if you like gothic thrillers, and main characters who are writers.

Check out my Instagram @murphy_overbooked for a post of my review in the future when it’s closer to pub date.

Houses remember. The Villa was a suspenseful gothic novel about an Italian Villa cursed with tragedy. Two friends - Chess and Emily - decide to spend the summer at Villa Aestas to dedicate creative time to their writing careers. Chess is a successful self-help author and Emily is reeling from her recent divorce and stuck on the 9th installment of her cozy murder mystery series. While there, they dive into the villa’s tragic history involving the death of a famous musician in the 1970s. In the 1970’s - Mari, her boyfriend Pierce, and her stepsister Lara join famous rockstar Noel Gordon at The Villa to focus on his next album. It’s all fun until sex, drugs, and rock n roll turns deadly. As secrets come to life between storylines, it’s a rush to the finish to find out what happens!

I found this book to be very interesting! I liked the way the two timelines were woven together and loved the twists and turns along the way.

Thanks to #NetGalley, Rachel Hawkins, and St Martins Press for the e-ARC of #TheVilla in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Rachel Hawkins for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback and review.

Chess and Emily are two friends who agree to go to a villa in Italy to help them both get a new view and break up writer's block. Emily is coming off a health crisis and divorce. Chess is trying to find more of that self-help guru writing she's been doing. In an alternate timeline we have Mari, her boyfriend, and her stepsister joining a rock star at the same villa back in 1974. What unfolds is a mystery that will have you guessing.

I wanted to love this book because I have loved all of Rachel Hawkins books before. I was sucked in immediately then it seemed to hit a lull for me. So I requested the audio-book. Julia Whelan is a wonderful narrator and it hooked me back in. The only reason I'm giving it 3 stars is because I honestly expected a little more. I won't spoil any details but it did not go where I thought it was gonna go. I will still add this to my collection but I am looking forward to Hawkins' next book!

A villa in Italy and parallel storylines. Very well done. Two friends, writers, go to Italy and rent a villa for over a month to work on their novels. Instead, one of them discovers that the villa has an interesting history. In the seventies, 3 musicians and a writer rented the villa, and only 3 of them lived. The two stories progress and quickly intertwine making for a very good ending and adding to or repeating history in the villa. Definitely a great read!

Best friends and writers Emily and Chess head to Italy’s Villa Aestas for rest and relaxation and maybe get a little inspiration for their writing. Emily in a slump with her Petal Bloom mysteries and Chess trying to write another bestselling self help book to top “Things My Mama Never Taught Me”. However, Villa Aestas is more than just a house, it’s the famous murder house from the 1970’s where sex, drugs and rock & roll led to murder.

Back in 1974 London, Mari Goldwick and her step sister Lara are living with musician Pierce Sheldon. The three of them living a bohemian lifestyle end up at the Villa in Italy with famous musician Noel Gordon.

Alternating time lines take you back and forth between past and present. Everything is not as it seems and tensions build as the characters and story develops. Lots of drama and suspense as we learn more in every chapter and the parallels between Emily & Chess and Mari & Lara become more clear.

A great suspenseful thriller that leaves you wanting to know more.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

The slow build up of the plot wasn't doing it for me on this one. You can tell by the middle of the book how the end is going to play out between Emily and Chess (which is just a dumb name for a character if we're going to be honest), and then that's exactly what happened. I enjoyed the voice narrators of the book, they did a great job!

Thank you to Netgalley!

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.

For being a slow-burn thriller, I flew threw this! If you’re like me and struggle with long chapters, don’t worry. Chapters may be super long, but are broken up with the alternating timelines.

I enjoyed Emily’s character. She was trying to get her life together as she goes through a tough divorce with a loser of an ex husband that is out for her money. Chess is super suspicious.

I didn’t like Mari in the beginning, but as her story went it got darker and more interesting!

I have had so much hope for Rachel Hawkins books, as I continuously hear all the rave. However, this one did not do it for me. I can’t quite place what it is that I didn’t like… it just didn’t catch me.

I loved the dual timelines as we followed two groups of people staying att he same Villa in Italy, one group of the 1970s rock era, all about sex, drugs, rock & roll and murder. The other about two friends in the modern era trying to reconnect, amidst secrets, lies and betrayal.

As with any good thriller not is as it seems and I was drawn to both stories, anxious to see the resolution.

I love a dual time line and boy does this deliver. This book is "Chefs kiss" Fire!! I totally devoured this book! The unreliable friendship, secrets, and the House itself. I loved this! I love Rachel Hawkins writing style and she is definitely an auto bye in both her suspense and romance books, I am never disappointed. So now that this one is read bring on the next!!
I just reviewed The Villa by Rachel Hawkins. #NetGalley
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