I just finished this so I'm honestly still just trying to wrap my head around it all. In true Rachel Hawkins style, The Villa had so many different angles that I'm sure I could read it again and pick up on something new.

Emily and Chess take off on a summer trip to a villa in Italy so that both of them can work on their writing. Emily is separated from her husband, Matt, and Chess has secrets. While there, Emily starts looking into the history of the villa, which has secrets of its own. Will the darkness that is Villa Aestas take over this strained friendship?

I really enjoyed this novel, as I do all of Rachel Hawkins novels. Every once in a while some subplot confused me for a minute, but it was easy to catch back onto. There were twists and turns I never expected, but it all works out when you think of the journey it took to get there. I would recommend this to other fans of Rachel Hawkins. *Releasing January 3, 2023

There is a lot going on in The Villa by Rachel Hawkins. A book within a book meshed with news articles, podcasts, song lyrics, oh my!

There are two timelines within this novel, one set in modern times and the other in the 1970s. It was difficult getting into both of these timelines which is why I had to move over to the audiobook.

Had I not had the audio, I might not have finished this story because I could not seem to connect with the characters or their story. There were some parts of the story that still left me with questions but I did not feel so strongly in discussing or really thinking about what could have happened. Thank you to Julia Whelan; Kimberly M. Wetherell; Shiromi Arserio for making this a more bearable read that I was able to tackle in one sitting.

This is a story that I can see many people enjoying but I just get tired of the unreliable female character trope.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Reckless Girls and was super excited to be approved for this ARC.
This story is told in two different timelines:
1974: Mari is the daughter of famous authors Marianne and William Godwick.. Through her writing we learn about her boyfriend Pierce Sheldon, her step-sister Lara, a famous rock star Noel Gordon, and an entertainment director Johnny and their summer vacation spent at Villa Rosato. We learn about the events that lead up to Mari writing a world famous horror novel, Lara becoming a platinum artist, and a murder that takes place in the summer home.
Current day: Emily and Chess, who have been best friends since childhood, have slowly drifted apart over the years, but out of the blue Chess contacts Emily and asks her to go on a vacation to Italy for the summer and stay at Villa Aestas formerly Rosato, a high-end vacation house. When the girls arrive, Emily begins to look into the history of the villa and starts to wonder if there is much more to the story of the famous murder that took place there in the summer of 1974.
As the story goes along it seems everyone has a secret, and the villa could just be waiting to claim another victim because "Houses remember".
In my opinion this wasn't what I would consider a thriller. It was more of a drama or maybe a cozy mystery. Nothing super exciting ever happens and a lot of this was pretty dull to me. I had a hard time connecting with the main characters. The story itself was a nice idea and it did all come together nicely but their weren't any mind blowing twists for sure. Both narrators did an amazing job and helped bring all the characters to life and this is honestly a big part of what held my interest. I would say if you are into more drama based, slow burn type mysteries definitely give this one a try but this wasn't my favorite.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Rachel Hawkins for allowing me to listen to an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley!
I loved Reckless Girls so I had to give this one a try. I liked this one even more! I thought I knew the plot, but boy was I wrong. I am usually about 85% accurate in guessing the ending so when I find an author that stumps me I have to keep reading. I loved the characters and how opposite they were but how they managed to stay friends after 20 years when it seemed like they really didn't like one another. The plot was excellent. I will definitely recommend this to others; hopefully, we can do it for book club. I would like to hear others' thoughts on the book and if they tripped up on guessing the end. I can't wait to see what Hawkins writes next!

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.

Inspired by Fleetwood Mac, the Manson murders, and the infamous summer Percy and Mary Shelley spent with Lord Byron at a Lake Geneva castle––the birthplace of Frankenstein––The Villa welcomes you into its deadly legacy.

I love Rachel Hawkins and this book did not disappoint!!! It is a wonderful written mystery thriller with a creepy plot line of two stories about friendship, betrayal, and murder.
Two best friends Chess and Emily set out for a trip to Italy for the summer. They stay at the Villa Aestas which is also the site of a famous murder in the 70’s. This villa has secrets and the girls find themselves trying to find out the truth of what happened in the past. They also unearth truth and secrets about themselves.
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC!

3.35⭐

Featuring ~ dual 1st person POV, dual timeline ~ present & 1974, infidelity, murder, illness, miscarriage

Our narrators are Emily in the present and Mari in the past.

BFF's and author's Emily and Chess head to Italy to reconnect and write. They stay at a Villa where a murder took place decades ago that involves Mari, who is an author too. Emily is fascinated by this and wants to figure out what happened. It's a book within a book since we have multiple authors putting their two cents in. Wasn't super in love with any of the characters really.

Regarding the infidelity ~ I called who it was with and I didn't like it and I didn't like how Emily dealt with it.

Had a bit of an eye roll at this part
"So, maybe it wasn't completely crazy to think Mari came back here to hide one last thing. Maybe I just misinterpreted the riddle.
That's when I spot it."
seemed like she was in the right place at the right time to have this thought.

Overall, it was fine, not mind-blowing, with an eye catching cover.

I was fortunate enough to receive a kindle copy and the audiobook to review. Both ways were fine, but I did more listening than reading. The narrators are Julia Whelan, Kimberly M. Wetherell and Shiromi Arserio for 7 hours and 57 minutes and 44 seconds. I was very pleased with all of them and so happy there were three.

Another riveting thriller from Rachel Hawkins, The Villa is about 2 friends who have grown apart over the years, until they embark on a summer trip to a villa in Italy, which they later find out has quite a history! This introduces some gothic elements to their story.. it's a bit hard to follow at first due to the number of timelines and characters but quickly comes together to reveal lots of surprise twists.
The audiobook narrators are one of the reasons I requested this book from NetGalley - Julia Whelan is one of my favourite narrators, and Kimberly M. Wetherell and Shiromi Arserio rounded out a fantastic cast who really brought the story to life.

Within a few chapters of listening to the audible, I was a bit confused, then figured out that there were a few storylines going on.

Two long-time best friends who decide to spend the summer at a Villa in Italy find themselves in a Villa that once hosted a few rock stars in the 70s and their friends.
As the '70s were known for sex, drugs, and rock and roll, their trip had a not-so-happy ending.

There is more to both vacations in the Villa! Rachel Hawkins weaves a web that intertwines them all seamlessly.
As with all thrillers, the ending left me wondering exactly what was true and what wasn't!

The narrators did a fantastic job of bringing this book to life!

The Villa is part gothic, part mystery, part karmic-payback drama, with a dash of aspirational Italian vacation, and it all combines to a really delicious and enthralling read.

I listened to it on Audible, and Julia Whelan is a spoken-word rockstar as usual, moving back and forth easily from Emily's angst to Chess's Southern drawl. I also appreciated that the narrative moved into distinct British accents that helped navigate Orvieto's timelines. Tense and stylish, and a great listen. Thank you NetGalley.

The Villa, the new psychological thriller by Rachel Hawkins is fantastic. Told from two perspectives over two time lines, it held my attention from start to finish.

Emily and Chess are best friends. Emily, the author of cozy mysteries, and Chess, the author of self help books, decide to spend the summer in Italy at the Villa Aestas in Orieto. It is meant to be a time to relax, reconnect and each work on their current new books. But as Emily digs into the villas history and a murder that took place there in 1974, things begin to heat up.

In 1974 Noel Gordon, a rock and roll superstar, rents the villa for the summer and invites Pierce Sheldon, an up and coming musician, to join him in hopes of recharging his creativity. Pierce brings along Mari, his girlfriend, and Lara, Mari’s step sister. Also staying at the villa that summer is Johnny, a want-a-be musician and part time drug dealer. By the end of the summer, one of them is dead and one of them charged with the murder and all of their lives are changed for ever.

I read this in one day right before Christmas when I had a million things to do but I just couldn’t put it down. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers and dark mysteries

I really enjoyed The Villa by Rachel Hawkins. Dual timelines generally aren't my thing but it worked really well here, with both timelines being equally interesting. The narrators did a wonderful job as well! 4 stars.

Wonderful book by Rachel Hawkins! Kept me guessing until the very end. Loved the setting of the Villa and the character development was spot on. Can't wait to read another one soon!

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

Timeline #1 - Musicians and writers all spending time together in a Villa in Italy makes for a lot happening. The 70's is a excellent setting for Mari's timeline, an important story serving as the backdrop for another taking place at The Villa.

Timeline #2 - Emily and Chess are spending 6 weeks in Italy at this same Villa where the famous murder took place 50 years ago that we learned from Mari's story. Emily is going through a nasty divorce and Chess seems to have it all together, but we sense right from the beginning that something is off. They were both working on writing their books separately but the mystery of the Villa was too hard to resist.

Being a child of the 70's and a lover of music, The Villa's opening story ticks all the boxes for what keeps me turning pages. And being set in Italy was extra icing on the cake! Though it was a struggle at first to connect with Mari on audio, the tangled web of drama that is her story unfolds in a well crafted timeline.
Fast forward to the present day, Emily has some pretty challenging problems in her life making her very relatable. It's hard to know what to make of Chess and I didn't trust her from the beginning. Both being writers, they are focused on their own projects, but the history of the villa they are in, Mari's history, demands their attention. This book was a fun mystery set in an ideal place and was a great audiobook. I absolutely loved the narration!

Thank you Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for an advanced copy.
Publish date: January 3,2023

#thevilla:⁣
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“…I find extremely annoying given that you’re already young and beautiful. Being talented on top of that just isn’t fair.”⁣
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Thank you @stmartinspress @macmillan.audio @librofm for the gifted copy!⁣
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This book has it all! You have a book within a book, a podcast insert with some hilarious commentary, a beautiful and heartbreaking album, unfinished business between childhood besties, a [bit of a stretch but] vacation gone wrong, I mean let’s just check every box we need to get this shit done!⁣
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The audio is amazing. Julia Whelan, of course, killed it. There are different types of media in the book and how that played on audio is phenomenal. Kimberly M. Wetherell and⁣ Shiromi Arserio also read The Villa and both knocked it out of the park. I highly highly highly highly highly recommend the audio. ⁣
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Overall, another solid Rachel Hawkins read. I felt the beginning truly pulled me in, the middle was just a middle, and the ending had me gripped! I love when reality is blurred and this was a wonderful (and super toxic) read.⁣
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Thank you again @stmartinspress @macmillan.audio @librofm for the gifted copies! The Villa is out 1/3!

Thanks to Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for the ALC copy.

The narrators were incredible in this audiobook. It was very clear when the dual timeline was happening, and the production when their was media coverage or podcasts wasss so so cool. I definitely recommend the audiobook.

While the audiobook was amazing, the book did not wow me like I thought it would, but don't get me wrong I did enjoy it. The friendship between Emily and Chess was confusing to me, and Emily's relationship with her husband was also confusing. I did enjoy the past timeline quite a bit and was very interesting. I found the ending fell a bit short for me. Without any spoilers, the ending did just not do it for me.

I would still recommend picking it up and giving it a try, if the synopsis interests you! I highly recommend the audiobook

Emily and Chess have been best friends for years. They share a lot of common interests... their love for vacationing, wine, writing, and possibly boys? Chess hit it big with her self-help books and wants to vacation to a murderous villa with Emily. Since Emily has been down in the dumps since getting a divorce, she was all in.

Once they arrive to the Villa, Emily starts to dig more into the murder that took place on the property in 1974. The property was owned by Noel at the time and Mari was vacationing there with her boyfriend, Pierce, while her stepsister Lara tagged along. Noel and Pierce were famous rock n' roll artists, while Mari was Pierce's girlfriend.
During their time at the Villa, Pierce ends up dying, but who did it?

Mari was a writer who had a famous novel. Emily picked it up while staying at the Villa and found a lot of similarities between the novel and the murder. She also found journal entries Mari hid in the Villa that may contradict the verdict of Pierce's death.

I loved the premise of this book- sex, drugs, rock n' roll. There was girl time, cheating, adultery. But it just fell flat for me. I thought there were plenty of opportunities were the story line could have had more spice, more drama. I give this book 3 stars.

I think I’ve found a new auto-buy author. I liked The Wife Upstairs and Reckless Girls, but I LOVED The Villa! With this thriller, I think the author has really hit her stride.

Told in two alternating perspectives, we follow two friends in present time and another group from the past. They all visit The Villa, this gorgeous yet unsettling mansion set into a gorgeous Italian mountainside. Slowly, the plot reveals increasingly haunting occurrences we start to see reflected in the present.

Once I started this one, I couldn’t put it down. I finished it only a couple days (fast for me! I average a book per week), and was dying to find out how it would all come together in the end.

Thank you to @netgalley @stmartinspress @ladyhawkins for this early digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rachel Hawkins is back again with another addicting thriller! I enjoyed her last two books and was excited to read The Villa. This book follows to childhood best friends, Emily and Chess, who travel to Italy to spend the summer writing at a beautiful villa. The villa was the location of a horrible murder in 1972 and Emily finds herself investigating the event.⁣
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⁣I enjoyed this book- especially the modern day storyline. I’m always a fan of the “rich behaving badly” troupe. The 1974 timeline was a little bit stilted and I found my mind wondered a bit. ⁣
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⁣Word’s I’d use to describe this book: multilayered, smart, twisty, absorbing and suspenseful. ⁣
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⁣I really enjoyed the audiobook! It is extremely well done.⁣
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⁣Four stars! ⁣
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⁣Thank you to @netgally and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of The Villa in exchange for my honest review. This one publishes on January 3, 2023.

Thank you to NetGallery, Rachel Hawkins and Macmillan audio for the advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review. This is by far my favorite Rachel Hawkins book! What’s not to love, moody artists, lemoncello, mystery, suspense, Italian countryside. The cover art is gorgeous and from start to finish this book had me. I liked the two separate time frames and didn’t get annoyed moved back and forth because it was done seamlessly and both story lines were equally interesting to me. I needed more from the ending. A lot felt just wrapped up quickly in the end. The “deadly legacy” of the Villa did not disappoint.

Emily is a cozy mystery writer who is just recuperating from a long illness and her husband leaving her. Chess was her best friend in high school who found success as a wellness/self help writer. They haven’t been close for a while, but Chess decides to invite Emily to spend the summer with her at an Italian villa.
The villa is a famous one because a murder occurred there in 1974: a couple of musicians and a writer were spending the summer there, and one of them turned up dead. From then on, the story is told in two different timelines: 1974 and present day.
The goal of this trip was to rekindle their friendship, but Emily and Chess find more and more things separating them, and some ugly truths will come to the surface.

I half read and half listened to this one, and I must say the narrator does an amazing job bringing these characters to life. I particularly enjoyed the 1974 timeline with all the complicated characters and intricate stories, but I can’t say the same for the present-day protagonists, who were both extremely annoying and immature. I could not understand Emily and Chess’ choices, and I absolutely did not buy their reasoning.

I don’t want to spoil anything, so I will only say that although this was not much of a thriller, it still would’ve worked great with a plausible present-day story. As it was, I will only give it 3 out of 5 stars, but I will continue reading what this author writes next!