After previously LOVING The Wife Upstairs and feeling very "meh" about her most recent release of Reckless Girls, I was excited to see where this book would land in my overall author ranking. I am happy to report that while it wasn't as high as a 4.5 stars as TWU, I definitely enjoyed it overall and gave it a solid 4-star rating, landing right in the middle of her three mystery thrillers so far.

The Villa was set in an extremely scenic Italian villa and alternated timelines and POVs, which kept me hooked throughout and kept the overall story moving quickly. It was extremely atmospheric and I enjoyed the all too familiar relationship dynamics that were woven into both timelines. Some of the characters I really wanted to punch in the face sometimes, but overall I still really enjoyed this one. If you enjoyed previous books by this author, I definitely recommend picking this one up when it publishes in January!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for my review copy!

Childhood friends Emily and Chess were a besties, but as with adulthood, lives changes and people have other obligations. Chess is doing well and offers her friend Emily a trip of a lifetime, to stay in a Villa in Italy to reconnect.

1974-The Villa has an interesting history and there have been a murder involving sex, drugs and rock and roll and one eventful summer.

Emily becomes intrigued with the Villas past and the people involved in that summer have written a novel and an album. Emily finds clues in what is left behind and this causes more tension in her relationship with Chess. What secrets will they find out? Will someone else be murdered? Is the Villa to blame?

Thanks to NetGalley for sharing a copy of this book with me.

I've only read one other Rachel Hawkins book, and both that one and this new one gave me the same reaction: Well, that escalated quickly!

I enjoyed this dual narrative, one set in the 1970s in an Italian villa, and the other set in present day at the same location. Both female narrators are going through romantic difficulties. The 1970s storyline ends in a murder. I liked how these two stories tied together, with the present-day narrator Emily doing some investigative work to figure out what really happened. In each storyline, there are also female friendships put to the test.

I won't spoil the ending, but it was definitely a shocker that made me re-read the last portion to make sure I was understanding everything correctly. Well done, Rachel Hawkins!

This was my first Rachel Hawkins read and i have to say i was actually surprised with the suspenseful plot twist. I felt it to be slow at times but it picked right back up when it needed too. I will definitely be grabbing more of Rachel’s books to read soon.

I have a love/hate relationship with Chess... and Emily is... well, she needs to find herself I think. I loved the twists in this and how the center of the novel truly is friendship. The duel timeline definitely mixes things up, but is well written and not confusing. I must say, I hadn't seen those twists coming either... Another winner from Rachel Hawkins.

I simply adored The Wife Upstairs so I was looking forward to this latest novel. It started off strong but then just kind of fell flat for me. I didn’t really like the story within a story. I read both the e-copy of the book and listened to the audio. Three stars is my rating

I was intrigued to read THE VILLA as I enjoyed RECKLESS GIRLS, but THE WIFE UPSTAIRS was a miss for me. THE VILLA was a little convoluted but I enjoyed the premise. It’s definitely a slower burn than THE WIFE UPSTAIRS and RECKLESS GIRLS but a unique plot and engaging for readers. Definitely recommend if you have enjoyed Rachel Hawkins’ previous work.

This is a unique and enjoyable read with dual time periods. I loved the Italian villa setting and the murder mystery which was interwoven with a present day examination of a friendship gone awry. Hawkins deliberately reveals secrets throughout, adding intrigue and suspense.

The Villa is such an interesting read with a unique suspenseful plot. I enjoyed the twist, which I didn’t see totally coming. It was interesting to see where this story was going and I was pleasantly surprised.

I’m a big fan of Rachel Hawkins books. And once again she did not disappoint. This is a dual time line story going back and forth between the 1970’s when a murder took place and current times. It’s mainly told from the point of view of Mari in the 1970’s and Emily in current times. It is a bit slow paced for my liking and I didn’t feel like it picked up until about halfway through the book. But it did hold my interest. Also, given the title of the book, I thought the Villa itself would be the main focus of the book. I was expecting more of a creepy haunted house vibe. But the Villa itself didn’t really have much role in the book. It was just the location where the lives of the characters intersect. Overall, a good read.

“The Villa” by Rachel Hawkins is a novel about two friends who decide to stay in Italy for the summer in an attempt to reconnect their friendship. The place they are staying at is a historical Villa home to famous writers and musicians, some who were murdered in 1974. While they chose the location to get inspiration, they start to get a lot more than they bargained for when artifacts from the past start showing up. What really happened that lead to the murders 1974?

This review contains spoilers.

What it got right: I really enjoyed the dual timeline in this book. It added depth and I love the idea of picturing a location in both the present and the past to get a sense of history.

Chess and Emily’s friendship is one that most people will be familiar with. It was well written and it really captured the dynamic between old friends who have grown somewhat apart while they’ve aged. There’s still the fond memories and inside jokes, but there’s also a competition of sorts, and harmful comparisons to each other.

In terms of Emily’s undiagnosed chronic illness, I would say her symptoms could definitely be caused by an acute reaction to stress. It also seemed that it could be a very mild form of a conversion disorder, but the symptoms of acute stress reaction fit better. In times of stress the mind controls the body, so with everything going on in her life this is a plausible condition for her to develop. This would also appear as a lack of physical findings that are causing her illness (which was stated by her doctors). Therefore I would say all medical / psychological information in the novel seemed accurate to me.

What it could improve on:
I did find some swaps between the past and present to be a little abrupt or confusing. For the most part they were distinguished by headings which helped, but a few transitions seemed a little rough. I loved the inclusion of quotes from ‘famous’ magazines, books, documentaries and podcasts within the book itself.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book!

I read The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins in 2021, and I really enjoyed it. How much I enjoyed The Wife Upstairs mixed with the super iterating synopsis of The Villa, I knew I had to read it.

I'll try my best to briefly explain what the book is about, but I also want to say - this book is all over the place. It's a dual timeline story, with different characters and POV for both timelines. The story centers around a Villa in Italy. At one point, there was a brutal murder that took place at the Villa. In one timeline, we meet a group of singer/songwriters that vacation at the Villa to spark creativity in their writing. There are two girls (teenagers), and three young adult men. In the present timeline, two best friends are visiting the Villa for a best friend reunion trip. Both friends are authors. One starts researching the history of the murder that took place in the past during the trip.

I usually enjoy dual timelines, but this one was too all over the place for me. I also didn't love the fact that Mari and Lara, the two girls from the past, were teenagers - and there was quite a bit of sex, drugs, and deception going on between everyone that stayed at the Villa in the past.

I enjoyed it enough to continue to the end, and I ended up being satisfied with the ending.

It's definitely a slow-burn mystery with a lot of character focus.

Overall, it was a good read in my opinion.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for sending me an ARC on Netgalley.

This was way too predictable and I’m wondering what the reason was for everything. Why the flashback scenes? Why the quick explanation for the murder. I don’t think I can give this author another chance

*Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced audiobook copy*

Rachel Hawkins novels are always interesting and original. She writes her settings and characters with a uniqueness that instantly appeals to me.
The Villa is no different, considering that it won't be released until 2023 and I've already finished reading an advance copy of it. The Villa is less of a thriller and more of a moody, atmospheric thriller which is different from her prior thrillers. Think of Ruth Ware's novel The Turn of the Key.

The story's narrative includes a story within a story as well as a number of various time periods of focus. Childhood best friends Emily and Chess have drifted apart, but when Chess intends to revive their friendship on a writing retreat to Italy, Emily resolves to do the same.

Chess convinces Emily to go to Villa Aestas with her. As authors, they will use this lovely apartment as a getaway to unwind, get some writing done, and strengthen their friendship. However, Villa Aestas has a highly troubled past that is just now starting to come to light.

The Manson Murders, Fleetwood Mac, and the setting of Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein served as inspiration for this work. We learn about the villa across the two timelines (both the present and the 1970s), and the house has a distinct personality. More than Hawkins' earlier works, the novel is incredibly engrossing and atmospheric, and really changes up her tone with this one in a great way. However, it did drag on a bit and the ending wasn't as twisty as I was expecting. However, I feel that was intentional as this book is very different from Hawkins' previous work

I thought this was written well but the Mari storyline I just was not into as much. Then I had predicted much of the book so no real thrills for me. I just thought it was okay. Didn’t feel that I wasted my time, but wouldn’t say it was an amazing book. A good read but nothing spectacular.

Thank you St. Martin's Press, NetGalley and Rachel Hawkins for the ARC!

This was a twisted, secrets filled, historical thriller that had you guessing until the end. Two besties go on a girls trip to Italy when they find out that the villa they are staying in is well known for a murder from decades ago. We cross timelines from then and now. Rachel manages to make it all work into the present and has that murder mystery at the forefront of the plot. But it's not without other pressing issues that start to become unraveled. I really enjoyed this one and loved the twist at the end!

Such a fun read! I loved this! I enjoyed the back and forth of the timeline back to the 70s. I think i preferred the present days story tho, even tho it was less drama. Sooo much craziness tho in the backstory. I liked the mystery of it all and wondering what happened back then and solving that puzzle with the MC and being surprised by it too in the end.

I wasn’t totally shocked by all the twists tho. Some i suspected. Some evil characters here. Maybe just a couple. But it was a fun popcorn thriller that was a quick read and i couldn’t put it down!

Emily and Chess were inseparable growing up, but their friendship has drifted and is strained. Emily jumps at the chance to have a girl's trip to Italy when Chess suggests one. Their location, Villa Aestas in Orvieto (once known as Villa Rosato) has a dark past. In 1974, rock star Noel Gordon, invited an up-and-coming rocker, Pierce Sheldon to join him at the Villa along with his girlfriend, Mari and her stepsister, Lara. The trip ended in murder.

Emily, a cozy mystery writer, who has been ill and dealing with her soon to be ex-husband's greedy demands, needs the time away. Chess is a famous author of self-help books. They both will use their time at the Villa to reconnect, write and get their creative juices flowing. Emily is inspired to learn more about the Villa, it's murderous past and history. While at the Villa, Emily, and Chess, are having issues/tension/strain in their relationship. Secrets are about to come out not only about the Villa but about the women's lives.

This book is told in two timelines. Mari went on to be the author of the feminist horror novel masterpiece, Lilith Rising. Mari was at the Villa that fateful summer when a murder took place. Emily is telling the present day. Both women have a connection in that they both spent time at the Villa, both are inspired by their time there, and both are dealing with issues with men in their lives.
I enjoyed both the past and the present storylines but at times enjoyed the past one more. I thought it was a nice touch having both Mari and Emily sharing details. I did enjoy the tension between Chess and Emily, former best friends who have a strained relationship as adults.



I thought this book was very nicely done and enjoyable. I look forward to reading more of Rachel Hawkins books in the future!

QUICK TAKE: didn't love the flashbacks, but I enjoyed the cat-and-mouse friendship at the center and ultimately enjoyed the twist ending. Hawkins doesn't always stick the landing, but she did here.

I loved this book! It had it all for me— friendship, secrets, relationships, lies, love, deceit. I loved the writing, the story and the characters. Emily and Chess are best friends, or are they? Can we love people and not trust them? A great story told in 2 timelines— both equally intriguing. Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC copy.