Set in two time periods two sets of women's lives change dramatically after staying at a villa in Italy.

I loved how you got to see the similarities in the two stories, and the tension and mystery surrounding what was happening in both kept this book moving.

In both stories I feel that the events at the villa may have helped the women but also trapped them in a way maybe the more present day one more than the one set in the past.

In the past both Mari and her step-sister Lara have had a relationship with the same married man. Now Lara has moved on and in a relationship with another older married man. Mari and Lara have always had a competitive relationship usually around men. First their father then it moved on to lovers.

Emily and Chess have had a similar rivalry. Both writers, Emily writes cozy mysteries and Chess has attained national status as a self help guru. Emily covets Chess's life and Chess believes that Emily is the one that has it all.

Emily has been dealing with the fall out of a messy divorce and Chess invites her to spend the summer at a Villa in Italy to hopefully get her writing juices flowing again. However there seems to be some secrets and mistrust between the two long time friends that culminates in a tragic situation.

Both stories centered around how the men in their lives manipulated and ultimately were the catalyst for their success. But I also see it as a story of how toxic women can be toward each other and how those toxic relationships grow and cultivate. It's a fascinating story. Definitely worth the read.

Read if you like: best friends, authors, past and present timelines, Italy setting

As kids, Emily and Chess were inseparable. Now they are in their 30s, their bond has been strained by the demands of their adult lives. Chess suggests a girls trip to Italy, Emily jumps at the chance to reconnect with her best friend because she is in the middle of a nasty divorce, book deadlines, etc

Villa Aestas in Italy is a high-end holiday home now, but in 1974, it was known as Villa Rosato. It was 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. A chain of events leads to Mari writing one of the greatest horror novels of all time, Lara composing a platinum album, and Pierce’s brutal murder.

Emily starts to dig into the villa’s complicated history and it leads to her branching outside of her normal cozy mystery writing. She wants to write a story about that Summer. I received the audiobook of this. It's so good. I love the different narrators. This story is unique because within the book is another book being read. There are lots of ups and down and unlikeable characters. It's hard to pick someone to root for. I highly recommend this book and audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and MacMillan Audio for the gifted audiobook! ❤️

HAPPY PUB DAY! 🎉🍋

Okay I’m not gonna lie I was worried going into this book! The 2 previous Rachel Hawkins “thrillers” weren’t for me. I wanted to give her one last try so I picked this bc honestly that cover did it for me 🥰

BUT I’m happy to report I actually really enjoyed this book! There’s something about multiple perspectives and multiple timelines that I really enjoy. I liked that we got to follow writers along their writing journey. Emily discovering life after her marriage/life fell apart was a nice journey to follow. I felt like maybe some of the writer struggles that Emily was speaking about with wanting to switch from cozies to more thrillers felt like self insertion with Rachel Hawkins (not confirmed but I can see the parallels)

I really loved the past timeline. I was INVESTED in Mari’s life. I loved getting to see the development from living with her boyfriend and sister to this extravagant Italian villa. The rock n roll lifestyle with Noel and Pierce was fun to read about. I was just so invested in the past timeline that when we switched back to the current time I wasn’t as invested. Don’t get me wrong I still cared but I could see who the other woman was from page one so I didn’t need the build up there but that’s more personal preference.

My one complaint was the ending, I guess really it left me a little confused? Idk how to say more without spoilers 🤷🏻‍♀️ buttttt this book did make me curious to see what Rachel Hawkins does next!

THE VILLA
Rachel Hawkins
https://bit.ly/3BFJYE6
Mystery Thriller
Release Date: January 3, 2023

When Chess and Emily go to the Villa Aestas to try to rebuild their lifelong friendship. The secrets that both they and the house are harboring will either be a friendship deal breaker or knit them together with a tight bond.

Rachel Hawkins does not disappoint in her upcoming new book. There are shocks all around them and the Villa’s dark past. This book will leave you guessing even after you stop reading it. I give this book a solid 5 out of 5 stars!

Although the premise of this book was great. The characters were annoying, but also very well thought out. I found this book to move way too slowly. I wanted more drama, more mystery, more romance than the book gave. It wasn't until the last 30% of the book that I found it to be an un-put-downable read. That being said, the ending, although so frustrating, was well played and definitely left the reader wondering what actually happened and which story they should believe.

Emily and Chess are best friends, enjoying a summer in Italy. The Villa they are staying in was the location of a brutal murder, while being rented by a famous rock star. While staying in the Villa, Emily starts digging into the villa's history and finds clues left behind by the women staying there at the time. Emily is also struggling with her relationship with Chess and their ever growing tension. Will these two women survive the Villa?

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copies.

The Villa started off as a slow meander through the Italian countryside. We followed two timelines: Emily and Chess, present day and Mari, Pierce, Lara, and Noel, 1970's. Both take place at the same villa.

Emily and Chess are almost more frenemy then friend, and it starts to come out as things progress in The Villa. Both are writers (cozy mystery vs non fiction) and territorial. Emily is going through a tough divorce and Chess just wants time away. As they go about their business they dive into the murder that happened at the house in the 70's,

Through Emily and Chess we see glimpses of what happened at the house in the 1970's, and how intertwined those lives were.

I liked both story lines, but when they finally blended together at the end it was magic.

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins is another suspense filled thriller that kept me guessing! Unfortunately, it wasn’t my favorite of hers.
The story is told in two different times about two different sets of friends. I did like the characters and the story kept my interest for the most part but just fell a little flat for me.
I’m still sure many will really like this one.
I definitely recommend it on audiobook! The narration was incredible.

Received this book from Netgalley for an honest reveiw.....

I listened to this as an audiobook, I find for mystery/thrillers I pay more attention to the story and can usually spot the twists and turns, boy was this not the case with this book.

The narration was great and kept you interested in the story, the characters were well developed and was easy to love some and hate some.

About midway through this book I thought I had everything figured out and then the story took a twist I did not see coming and I was blown away.

This book follows a current times and a crime that happened in the past and somehow they merge and the past becomes the present, and when I finished this book my jaw was on the floor with shock.

Would recommend for sure

This is probably my favorite Rachel Hawkins yet! I loved the dual timelines, and how the author wove the two stories together. I also enjoyed the addition of the podcast on the audio version! I would have liked more of that angle, I think, and maybe more with the current day timeline, but overall I was pleased with how this one turned out! I finished within 24 hours of starting.


I received an advance audio and digital copy. All thoughts are my own.

Every relationship comes with some give and take, some good moments and bad. And the audio edition of The Villa by Rachel Hawkins explores a number of troubled relationships that come to a head over two different summers more than four decades apart at a charming home in Italy.

Full review published on NightsAndWeekends.com and aired on Shelf Discovery

The beginning was slow, but then when it picked up, it really picked up. I enjoyed the dual narration and the added content. It would have been a 5 star read if the ending as more shocking, I felt like it was all too rushed and felt very unsataifeied.

Childhood besties Emily and Chess, have taken different paths in their adult lives, but they hope to reconnect during a Summer trip to Villa Aestas in Orvieto, Italy. Upon arrival Emily learns that the villa was the location of a horrible murder in the 70s which leads her on a true crime investigation of sorts and thoughts of turning it into a book. The story is told via two timelines, the present with Emily and Chess and then the flashbacks to the previous murder.

Having read Hawkins' last two books, I could tell that her style is alive and well in this book. I was more invested in the current timeline with Chess and Emily's frenemy game of cat and mouse. I never got fully invested in the 70s story. At less than 300 pages, the ending wrapped things up a little too quickly for my liking. I'll pretty much listen to anything Julia Whelan has a role in narrating, and she didn't disappoint here; Kimberly M. Wetherell and Shiromi Arserio did a good job as well.

Rating: 3 stars

Special thanks for @macmillan.audio @netgalley and @libro.fm for the ALC of The Villa for review purposes.

Another fantastic audio book by Hawkins. Beautifully narrated story that switches between timelines seamlessly. When Chess invites her best friend Emily to a beautiful Italian villa she accepts the offer. While they were very close as kids they weren’t as close as they got older. Emily is recovering from a mysterious illness and a failed marriage and has hopes of finishing a novel that is past due to her publisher and reconnecting with Chess. While at the villa Emily researches it’s mysterious origins which include murder, a best selling classic horror novel, and a record that has been deemed one of he best ever. Beautifully written story full of mystery and twists. Highly recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for the ARC and audioARC of this!

Wow, I did not see the end of this coming at all. For such a small book, a lot was packed into it between the summer of the murder, the horror novel, and the present day. Definitely kept me wondering where it was going! For fans of books about writers behaving badly, true crime, and books in books, this gave me some subtle Verity vibes.

The audio was really well done, and I enjoyed swapping back and forth between versions.

✨𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜 ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨✨

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: The Villa
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: Rachel Hawkins
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis: 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. 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.

ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛs:
With this being only my second Rachel Hawkins book, the jury is still out on whether her style is for me. With alternating POVs, I found myself enjoying the present timeline, but getting very bored with the old “rock and roll” story. I also struggled with an unresolved story line.. you just aren’t going to tell us what happened with the last guest?! Overall, the last chapter was very twisty but still left me wanting a little more. Thank you NetGalley for the early copy to review!

Emily and Chess (interesting story about that name) have been best friends forever and now in their 30s they still try to carve out quality time together. When Chess suggests a trip to Italy, Emily quickly agrees but the Villa Aestas in Orvieto were the site of a murder connected to a rock group in the 70s. Emily is intrigued by the story but the more she finds out the more tension builds between her and Chess. Will another murder result?

This story is giving me a White Lotus vibe from season 2. I am enjoying the audio about Chess and Emily but the narrator for the 1970s chapters sound too old timey - maybe it's the English accent? It's also a bit unbelievable to me that both these women have become bestselling authors. Is it that easy!?

This book was slow in parts - especially the 1970's parts - but the last third of the book had me interested and I was surprised at the ending.

I’m mixed on this one. I listened to the audio version and enjoyed the narrators, especially having the different narrators for each timeline. There were some parts of the storyline that felt obvious and some twists and turns. Parts of it were amazingly suspenseful but others slow. I’m still not sure I would recommend this one or not.

The Villa is an adult thriller set in a beautiful Italian Villa. Emily and Chess, BFFs, who have grown apart in recent years, spend the summer in Italy with hopes to spark their creative juices and work on their respective books. Emily jumps at the chance to join her wildly successful friend in Italy to get away from her broken marriage and messy divorce. The villa they stay in is not only beautiful but infamous due to a murder that occurred there in the 1970s when a famous rock star and his entourage stayed there for the summer.

The story’s perspective alternates between Emily in the present day and Mari in the 1970s. I enjoyed how the author alternated between the past and the present. However, the first 30% of the book was a bit slow and not very “thriller-like.” It read more like a domestic drama for both characters, Emily and Mari. I anticipated many of the “plot twists” and so I was not surprised at any point. However, I did think the writing was well done and I also enjoyed the narrators (I listened to the audio).

Overall, not a bad read if you are looking for a quick read, you’ll just have to push through the first 30% of the book.

4⭐
I listened on audio, and read some of the ebook. This one was a great mystery/Thriller, however, it did not catch me as Reckless Girls did. I still enjoyed the ride, and the narrator is wonderful.
I preferred the present day story of Em and Chess a little more than Mari's past story. I enjoyed how they two came together at the end, and I really enjoy Rachel's writing. She knows how to keep you drawn from start to finish. This was a short book. I listened to most of the audio in one day while cleaning. I cannot wait to see what comes next from this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Two lifelong writer friends go on a "girls trip" to a villa in Italy that has a shady history of murder. One friend is trying to get over a potentially financial disaster of a divorce on the dime of her self-help writer pal. But is she really her pal? Will history repeat its violent past in this old house. Riveting and engaging, without producing too much anxiety...highly recommend!