The Villa was a thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat. As it switches back and forth between a past event and present day, you wonder where are the ties between these two groups of people, asides from the obvious: The Villa. With an eerie feel that 'houses remember,' this story sweeps you into the Italian scenery with the feel of when is the next ball going to drop?

The tension Emily seems to have with everyone is a constant presence that she has to deal with. Between her navigation of a separation, writers block and conflicting feelings of her best friend, things just heighten to the point where you're waiting for the volcano to explode!

Thank you to @NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my advanced copy!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is my first Rachel Hawkins' book. I liked the dual timelines of the present day and 1970s. Ms. Hawkins did a great job weaving the 1970s murder to the present day. Throughout the book I had several theories going and none of them were right. She kept me guessing. I feel the Villa was a character itself. “Houses remember." Love how she wove this line into the story. I loved the narrator of this audio book. If you are looking for an intriguing mystery/thriller, give this one a try.

A trip to Italy with your bestie! What could go wrong? Oh you know, just the fact that the Italian villa is known as a murder house!

Emily & Chess have been best friends for 20 years, even through life’s ups and downs. Emily writes cute, cozy mysteries, but has been in a writing slump since dealing with separation and divorce from her husband Matt. Chess writes best-selling self-help books and has been on Oprah several times. Their storyline is told from Emily’s POV.

The alternating storyline is from Mari’s POV, who comes to stay at the villa in 1974 with her lover Pierce, step sister Lara, and rockstar Noel Gordon. This storyline is a bit confusing and has extra characters as well as fictional podcasts and news articles pieced together, all talking about the murder house.

I liked the past and present stories, but felt more attached to emily and Chess. The characters in the past storyline were a bit flat and unlikable. I definitely got the “sex, drugs and rock & roll” vibes, but I think I was expecting more horror. I was expecting Pierce’s murder to be built up more, but I did like the little twist in the end. Emily & Chess have a revelation in the end of the book, and those two are bound together for life, whether they like it or not.

Overall, I liked the premise of this book and the setting sounded phenomenal. I think I had too many expectations with the murder/horror aspect of the book, and I wasn’t surprised by some of the twists in the book. The flip-flopping storylines kept me engaged and wanting to read more & I enjoyed Emily’s POV.

Side note-I LOVE Julia whelan and I was so excited to listen to hear narrate this book!!

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martins Press for this ARC!!

Thank you to Rachel Hawkins, McMillian Audio and Netgalley for the ALC copy of The Villa.

3.5 stars rounded up - I enjoyed this book! It was a quick read, that jumps from past to present, and is told from two perspectives- Emily in the present and Mari in the past. This is one of those books where I found myself more invested in one perspective. I liked Emily’s more, as I found Mari’s perspective a bit confusing, especially at first.

This was overall an engaging read. I liked the setting, and the idea of two sets of friends living in a murder house. However, I did find the end disappointing. Without spoiling, the main ending for Emily and Chess was extremely disappointing. I didn’t like the “friends” over anything theme, and I think more was needed to fully flesh out what they did.

For fans of Rachel Hawkins, I think readers will enjoy this one, but if you are just starting out with Hawkin’s books, I liked Reckless Girls the best.

The Villa will release in early January 2023, so make sure you keep an eye out for it then!

I don’t read a ton of thrillers, but once in a while I grab one on audio in the hopes that it will be the perfect kind of story to capture my attention, and The Villa was perfect for that! Plus it’s narrated by Julia Whelan, so I knew it would be good.

This book takes place at the same Italian villa in two timelines - on a best friends writing trip in present day, and with a group of artists and musicians in the 70s when a terrible murder occurred.
The Italian setting was lovely (I pictured the house from Under the Tuscan Sun), and I found myself pretty equally invested in the different timelines and layers of this story. It was really easy to differentiate because one timeline is told in an American accent, and the other is British, which helped keep things straight! There’s also a book within a book element that I loved, plus some news articles, emails, and podcast episodes, that really added to the audiobook experience. Ultimately, I found the details of the 1970s murder a little less than satisfying, but the author leaves a few pieces unsaid at the end for the reader to put together, and I like how that made me keep thinking about the book after I’d finished. I don’t think this book is particularly groundbreaking, but I’d recommend it if you’re looking for a quick, entertaining listen that will hold your attention!

I loved this book! It checked so many boxes for me- friendship, love, true crime, mystery, literature. Rachel's words truly took me to the villa in my mind. The style of two timelines is one of my favorites to see, and this one is a can't miss.

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

The Cast:
Emily: cozy mystery writer going through a rough divorce
Chess: friend to Emily, social media star, writer of self-help books.

Mari: aspiring writer
Lara: aspiring musician
Pierce: Mari's boyfriend, musician
Noel: Famous musician

Emily and Chess embark on a vacation to Italy. Upon arrival Emily discovers that there has been a murder in this Villa in the 70's. She becomes very interested in the murder and the people involved.

Told in alternating timelines of now and back in the 70's

I loved the 70's feel to Mari's story and the mystery surrounding it.
I did not like the back stabbing vibe of some of the friendships, but they also helped make the story.

Overall, a good read.

I read the print book and listened to the audio book. The narrators were fantastic and helped to keep the characters and timelines separate. I got more out of the audio book version than the print version.

Thanks to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the arc.

I’ve been a Rachel Hawkins fan for a while, and “The Villa” does not disappoint! Full of the drama and thrill we can expect from Hawkins, this is a must read for all domestic suspense fans.

Thrillers are not the first genre I gravitate towards but I am fan of Rachel Hawkins/Erin Sterling so I jumped at the chance to check The Villa out early!

I listened to the audiobook while at work and the amount of times I audibly gasped and drew attention to myself is laughable. I was more enthralled with Mari's side of the story and it did take me a little time to get used to the back and forth but by the end I can't imagine the book being done any other way.

I did feel some of the new/magazine articles, PodCast and email exchanges were a bit disruptive while listening but would probably have been less so if reading the actual book.

The ending gives off Verity vibes which leaves you a bit "WTF just happened?"

I thought I had it all figured out but I didn't.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m so mad I didn’t read this poolside in Italy. Brilliantly paced and swiftly executed, THE VILLA grabbed me by the heart and didn’t let go! I was literally gasping with every twist!

Long time friends Emily and Chess have rented an Italian Villa in order to re connect as well as get some writing done as well. They are both successful writers, Chess being world renowned and even having been on Oprah, and Emily having written a successful 9 book series but is stuck on the 10th as she goes through a painful divorce.
There are also chapters told from the POV of the characters who lived in the Villa in 1974- young, star crossed lovers who were looking for musical inspiration, only things ended up taking a dark turn.
As Emily and Chess spend their summer trying to work on their projects and their relationships, they find that history often repeats itself.
I wanted to like this more than I did. It wasn’t terrible or anything, it just wasn’t anything super memorable. And the brief addition of podcasters that were never mentioned again was kinda weird.
The narrator did do a good job with differentiating the characters and keeping me engaged in the story.
Thanks to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for this audiobook arc in exchange for my review

This was an interesting story. I liked going back into time when the murder took place to present time for while the friends are at the Villa. I will say though that I really didn't care for either Jessica or Emily. Neither of them were real likeable characters and their relationship is so messed up. I did think it had an interesting plot though and kept my attention the whole time. I liked that narrator for this story too. Overall I enjoyed it.

Who doesn't love Rachel Hawkins?

I know for sure, I do.

Rachel Hawkins puts out some of the most gripping thrillers I have ever read and always leaves me fully satisfied and begging for future books! I can tell you that I loved this one so much, not only did I read it, but I also listened to it on audio and it was absolutely exceptional.

What I really appreciated was that the audio was told with three different narrators. Sometimes when an audiobook is done with one narrator doing multiple POVs and they just try to disguise their voice, it sounds a bit "corny" and it could be hard to follow because you really don't know which one is speaking. The way The Villa was narrated left zero room for error.

The plot was impeccable and left me completely engrossed in what was transpiring. The characters were multi-dimensional and really came to life and the twist was OUT OF THIS WORLD!!!

I will be shouting from the rooftops that everyone, and I mean everyone, needs to go out and purchase this book. The Villa is not one to miss!!!

I don't usually enjoy stories about famous people, but this book seems to be the exception, given that I finished The Villa in one sitting. Rachel Hawkins somehow managed to juggle multiple timelines and make it look good.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.

After reading both The Wife Upstairs and Reckless Girls and being underwhelmed, I was apprehensive to read this one. But turns out I LOVED it. I have been thinking about this book since I finished it. Told in dual timelines, you have a pair of friends reconnecting in an italian villa where an infamous murder took place. We bounce back and forth between the time leading up to the murder and the current timeline and for this story, it was very effective. There is also a lot about a fictional book within this book and I found myself really wanting to read it! It also has a Wylding Hall vibe to it which I loved.
It also explores toxic relationships and picking your life back up after it has fallen apart. The narrators did a great job and I was just so pleasantly surprised. Highly recommend!

THE VILLA by Rachel Hawkins and narrated by Julia Whelan, Kimberly M Wetherell, and Shiromi Arserio.

4.5 Stars!

This atmospheric story begins with cozy mystery writer Emily meeting up with her childhood best friend Chess who is now a best-selling author of self-help books. Emily's life is not moving in the same direction as Chess, and when Chess invites her for a 6 week stay in an Italian villa, Emily can't refuse. This particular villa has quite a backstory with a brutal murder back in the mid 1970's. Emily's curiosity wins over her cozy mystery block, and she begins to find clues that tie into the murder. What really happened back then? This newfound energy is offset by some new tension building with Chess. Is this villa cursed and about to claim another victim?

I really liked this suspenseful audiobook! First, the story was a fantastic mix of wondering if the two were friends or frenemies. The past murder story was a slow build worth nibbling. The dual timeline that slowly pieced the 1970's story into the bits that Emily discovered was delicious. It felt like a slow melting of narratives until the last when it was ripped back apart. I had to listen to the end twice. The equivalent of a double-take. I really liked the finish, and I wonder if there will be more (I hope not though - I liked it ending here).

I do think that questionable friendships are great fodder for stories, but I hope we all make better choices than some of these characters!

The cast of narrators were superb. The sinister undertone was perfectly placed within the almost innocent conversations. The voices captured the wavering trust in themselves and each other.

Thank you so much to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for this ALC. I thoroughly enjoyed this and recommend it to all suspense fans. Definitely put this on your list for January 3rd! We all need a bit of an Italian summer in January, right?!

So good! The ending was amazing, and had a twist I didn’t see coming. This book had multiple viewpoints, mixed in with podcast transcripts, articles, etc, fantastic!

Sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Another super fun psychological thriller from Rachel Hawkins! Told in dual timelines, this gothic thriller weaves together two separate stories that leave you guessing until the very end.

While the 1970s murder mystery will leave you wanting answers, it's the complicated present day friendship of Emily and Chess that I was especially drawn to. Best friends or bitter rivals? What exactly is going on here?

The audiobook narration was extremely well done. As always, Julia Whelan is superb. If this is your genre, go for it!

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

This is a unique story like nothing I e ever read before. Mystery and secrets intersect multiple story lines and provide many twists. The characters are written with depth and complexity.