Well that was delicious. Definitely my favorite of Rachel Hawkins thus far. The characters were perfectly flawed without absolutely despising them. And that can be difficult to do. Dare I say, it had low key Verity vibes. Nothing near as wild or crazy, and it wasn’t a “romance” at all—if you can call Verity that. But as far as the plot and the book of Mari’s and Emily reading it. And the TWIST at the end. I could have done without the Mari/Pierce/Noel part (if you know, you know). But I thought the Emily and Chess relationship was so relatable to long term friendship dynamics so often turning sour (minus the huge fame). And of course the narration is top notch! Julia Whelan is the best around!

The Villa, by Rachel Hawkins, is a stunning novel that absolutely captivated my attention and held it throughout the entirety of this fast-paced thriller. This dark, gothic mystery is told from two points of view and two timelines that blend together seamlessly to create a complete and enthralling story of the secret events that occurred at a picturesque villa in Italy. This story is not only atmospheric, but also eerie and chilling in it’s unique plot.

We get one perspective from 1974 that tells the tale of a group of young creatives, three musicians, an author and an extra, odd-man out, who spend a summer at a Villa in Italy. We have love triangles, sordid behavior, manipulation, drugs, sex, ambition and jealousy. You know it can’t end well and it doesn’t. But you can’t help but feel empathetic towards some of the characters and their predicament.

We also have the present day perspective with two estranged friends. One, a wealthy, renowned self-help author, and one a successful, though less well-known cozy mystery writer. The two are unexpectedly drawn back together and decide it’s high time to reunite and enjoy a summer together to refresh and reignite their passion for writing at a villa in Italy…the same notorious one known as the murder house.

This story has layers, surprises, deceit and well-placed twists and turns. It’s well-written, nicely paced, creatively plotted and deliciously entertaining. The Villa is a definite 5 star read for me and Rachel Hawkins is now an auto-buy author for me!

I was privileged to be able to listen to the audio-version of this book and it was exquisitely narrated by Julia Whalen, Kimberly M. Wetherell, and Shiromi Arserio. They truly set the tone of the story and made it so impactful and immersive.

I am kinda over the moon for Rachel Hawkins' thrillers. There is something charmingly atmospheric about them. Add in the dark history of the location on this one and it was a recipe for success.

The Villa, by Rachel Hawkins, is a well-written mystery that will draw you in and keep you reading into the night. The dual timeline connects the history of the home to the current situation and the detailed description of the home pulls the reader into the story making them feel like they are actually part of it. I am a fan of novels written by Rachel Hawkins and this one did not disappoint. Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for an ARC audio version in exchange for my honest review. I used both the ebook text and the audio version of this book. I really enjoyed the narrator on this one!

I will say the audiobook was not bad at all. I appreciated the multiple cast narration for this, but the overall story I did not enjoy.

I received an ARC of this audiobook via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to netgalley for this copy of The Villa.

I found The Villa to be a steadily paced thriller. The book parallels two stories in two different time lines, the present and the 1970's, and both timelines are set at the same Italian villa. I enjoyed both timelines equally and was invested in the outcomes for the characters in both.

Wow, I loved The Villa by Rachel Hawkins. This is a great read. In the book, we travel with best friends Emily and Chess on a trip to Italy, to a home with a murderous past. While we are learning about the love/hate relationship between these lifelong friends, we are introduced to another story which took place at the villa in 1974. Mari and her stepsister Lara are also involved in a love/hate relationship. There is jealousy, betrayal, envy, destructive men, and many other emotions as well as a mystery to be solved. The comparison between the two stories makes for a very interesting read. Finally, all the women come to terms , both personally and professionally, and learn who they are and what they must do to save themselves. Have already recommended this to friends.

I'm always up for reading anything Rachel Hawkins writes. I loved the dual timeline of this story, but was especially drawn to the story from the past and found myself anxious to hurry and get through the present day story and back to the past story. So I definitely had a preference for the historical fiction part of this book, but as the two timelines started to connect, I couldn't put it down. Excellent character development, although many of the characters were very unlikable - they were unlikable in their own unique ways. The description of the setting and scenery was fantastic - I could picture myself right there. I did alternate between the e-copy and the audiobook and the narrator of the audiobook was great. I had no difficulty switching between the two and for me, when I hear the narrator's voice in my hear while reading the book, I know they're a good narrator, and that was the case here. If you're a fan of Rachel Hawkins other books, or just a fan of mysteries, give this a try.

I really enjoyed this book. I constantly found myself intrigued by our main character and wanted to keep picking it up to follow her story. I was, however, a bit disappointed with the ending. I was anticipating this book to be a bit more of a thriller, but the murder of the main character’s husband happened off page and felt kind of glazed over. It felt like there was a lot of build up for something to happen that I never quite got out of this book. Of Rachel Hawkins' three books, this one wasn't my favorite, but I’m still a fan of this author and I’m excited to see what she writes next.

I enjoyed this book. I loved going back to the past and then to the present. Mari's story was so interesting. So was Emily's story. I did not see that ending coming at all. This has the books within books that I love and true crime. If you too enjoy those things, check this one out. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio arc in exchange for my honest review.

The Main character is a gothic Italian Villa. The descriptions of the house and surrounding Italian countryside are lovely. There are dual storylines of visitors: a group of rock and rollers in the 70's and two best friends, reconnecting in present day. Each storyline features a pair of women, both storylines are filled with relationship explorations, jealousy, and death. The characters are well developed and the women likable. The phrase "Houses Remember" recurs and helps to create the eerie atmosphere and paranoia that run through both storylines especially when the two start to connect and history appears to repeat itself on an emotional level. This is a compelling read that keeps the reader on edge and turning pages.

#TheVilla is another fantastic book from a #rachelhawkins. A big thank you to #netgalley and #macmilliamaudio for the chance to listen to this audiobook. It’s a terrific mystery/thriller about a villa that two best friends rented for a month during the summer. They were there to work on their books. Secrets are found out. This is a audiobook I’ll be telling my friends about it and suggesting they buy and give it a listen.

A fantastic, paranoia-filled romp in Italy following two sets of women over two timelines. I really enjoyed watching the dual-dramas of The Villa unfold. I started off LOVING this book, thinking it was going to be my favorite thriller of the year, but then something happened that took a turn that leaned towards something else… I am now flipping back and forth between 3.5 and 4 stars.

When Emily is going through a rough divorce, her lifelong best friend, and fellow author, Chess invites her on a once in a lifetime trip to Italy. The only catch is that they will be staying a villa where a gruesome murderof a famous rockstar took place almost 50 years ago. Once Emily arrives in Italy, she can't help but be capitvated by the murder story, and she begins some investigations of her own. But will the past repeat itself? Jumping back and forth between the present day story of Emily and Chess, and the 1970s story of rockstars gone wrong, an unbelievable story unfolds, begging the question - is the villa destined to be a murderhouse?!

I loved Rachel Hawkins book, Reckless Girls, so I decided to pick this one up. I did not love this book nearly as much as, and the main reason why is because I could not connect with the characters from the 1970s storyline. The sex, drugs and rock 'n roll story brought about by the British rockstars was not my cup of tea. But this is also why I never read "Daisy Jones and the Six". I just don't find this hedonistic lifestyle story glamourous and usually it's just sad. I can't relate to any of the characters and I found myself just waiting for the next chapter with Emily and Chess to come about.

I did listen to this book on audio, and the narrators did a great job.

Special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, MacMillan Audio, for this advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the almost Gothic setting to this story. Fun read. And the narration was great!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy in a change for an honest review

Childhood best friends Emily and Chess take an unforgettable trip to Italy where lies, secrets and the history of The Villa threaten what seems to be a girls writing trip. Set with dual perspectives of the murderous history of The Villa and present day, it leaves readers wanting more as the pages pass by.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Julia Whelan, Kimberly M. Wetherell and Shiromi Arserio. I listened at a 1.5x speed which is my usual speed and the pace was good. I enjoyed the emotion they each brought to the story and found the character voices to be clear and entertaining without being annoying. I listened at a 1.5x speed which is my usual speed and the pace was good.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review!

In a Daisy Jones & the Six meets Verity style book, Chess (a big time celebrity memoir author) and Em (a big time cozy mystery author) spend a summer in an Italian villa rekindling their friendship and working on their respective novels. The girls get wound up into the villa’s tragic past when a rock star was murdered at the villa 50 some years before.

This book was great, I somehow chose to read it while I was in Italy lying on the beach reading and the backdrop and overall vibe could not have been more perfect.

I loved Em and hated Chess and loved that the book didn’t end in a way that was satisfactory to me, I wanted to get in there and yell at everyone involved (I don’t know why I always say this, I have never and would never yell at someone in real life).

The book provided interesting commentary of friendships and relationships, and I loved that it was told through real time, diary entries, news articles and songs. It was unique and I’ll be remembering it a lot longer than most mystery/thrillers I read.

Could be great for the screen too? 👀

Just as Chess and Emily’s story began to pique my interest (RATHER QUICKLY), Hawkins reveals a parallel storyline from the past that deepened the hook for me. Intriguing and conniving through and through.

I was kept guessing as the women’s time in Italy became more intentional, serious and they surprised me in return.

I found myself consumed in what felt like a mashup of the Manson murders, best friends and Under the Tuscan Sun. I could not wait to see the conclusion and I imagine you’ll be unsolving the mystery as quickly as you can too.

The Villa is a slow-burn thriller that at some points felt more like a combination of mystery and historical-fiction with a heavy interpersonal relationship focus. There are dual timelines/storylines that mirror each other throughout the book, which I actually really enjoyed. I personally had a little bit more interest in the storyline set in the 70s but overall, I think they went well together.

Pros:
Loved the build in paranoia in both timelines
The parallels between Mari and Mary Shelley
I loved the creepy house vibe
The complexity of Mari and Laura’s relationship
The narration of the audio version was really well done

Cons
I do wish the house or the community played a little more of an active role in unraveling the story than it did at points
Emily and Chess’ relationship. I did not care about them staying friends throughout the book, which I do think hurt my interest in that timeline
This is a bit of a slow-burn and the pacing at the end is a bit quick, so the final twist can get a little muddled

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins is an excellent novel telling the story of two close friends who vacation in Italy at the site where a famous murder had taken place years before. This novel tells the two stories in alternating timelines and both are engrossing. Don't miss it!

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.