I really enjoyed this audiobook. Julia whelan does an amazing job of narrating this story. my only problem was her voice for Chess; I felt that it sort of waned in and out of a standard American accent into a thick "southern belle" accent. it was a little confusing at times. As for the story, I really liked it. The Villa felt more of a mystery than a thriller, and kept me wondering until the end.

There was a lot to love about this novel - friendship, an amazing setting, multiple time periods and points of view, a mystery, and backstabbing.

It took me a bit to get into Mary's story - the story from the 1970s. I would have thought a timeline focusing on sex, drugs and rock n' roll would have enraptured me, but I often felt my attention wandering during her parts.

I loved Emily and Chess's story. The friendship felt so authentic - loving each other and hating each other in equal measure. Some twists and plot points felt obvious but I did like the way everything worked out in the end.

I love books that make me second guess myself and really surprise me and The Villa definitely did that. Admittedly, a lot of the story felt familiar - like I had read pieces of it elsewhere - but really it did fit together nicely and made for a very entertaining read.

I listened to this novel on audio and the narration was great. I always love Julia Whelan and she really delivers her, per usual! The narrator for Mary did a good job but between her accent and soothing tone, I think it was easier for me to let my mind wander during those parts.

All in all, this is one I definitely recommend and I'm excited to see the well deserved hype roll in!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, MacMillan Audio, NetGalley, and Libro.FM for the copy.

I finished listening to this audiobook this morning, and all I have to say is...wow! Layers upon layers upon layers to this book. I loved listening to it all as it was unraveled.

The dueling timelines, the similarities and how the older timeline seemed to influence the newer timeline was incredibly interesting. The reveal at the end? Genius.

Rachel Hawkins has a beautiful writing style, and I will never hesitate to pick up one of her books.

I would definitely recommend this book.

‘The Villa’ by Rachel Hawkins, set in Italy and told in alternate timelines with Mari in the past and Emily in the present, was such a unique, twisty, entertaining read. Full of rock, writing, love entanglements, friendship, and murder—this was a story that was suspenseful and full of mystery, yes, but it was also dedicated to, at its heart, storytelling, and I really, really loved that.

I did feel that certain things were left a little too vague (but that choice DID fit with the rest of the story) and rushed, but I also loved the ending. This was an absolutely amazing, absorbing story with a great premise it lived up to, and the audiobook, read so splendidly by Julia Whelan, Kimberly M. Wetherell, and Shiromi Arserio, absolutely made the story, the characters, come to life.

I highly recommend this one!

As per Rachel Hawkins last two reads The Wife Upstairs and Reckless Girls, I was left disappointed with the ending on all accounts. I saw this book pop up on NetGalley and was determined to give her a third and final try. Lucky for me, this book made it up out of my “3 star slump” and into the 4 star range! I was very pleased by this and found this book to be much more my style of a mysterious book.

First things first, the cover is beautiful. That’s the thing with Rachel Hawkins’ covers - they are gorgeous and I am a huge sucker for pretty covers so I always buy them lol! Anyways, the dual timeline throughout this story was done really well! I found both Emily and Mari to be a little whiney at times, but otherwise they were very well written women who have been through the ringer.

Some of the other characters did things that actually had my jaw drop open because like, you just don’t do those things! Even if you’re trying to prove a point, you don’t do those things. Looking at you Chess and Lara….

The narrators for this book were perfect, they totally hit the emotion in the voices of their characters and even some more of the sass for Emily's narrator. I could see her eyes rolling as she was speaking about Chess' books lol.

Overall, I actually quite liked this book and really loved the gorgeous setting that it was told from. As someone who is planning on visiting Italy sometime, this made me even more excited to look up places to go! If you need a slowburn mystery with a twist at the end, this is the book for you.

⚠️TW: murder, child death, drug abuse, miscarriage, suicide, adult/minor relationships, drug use, infidelity

Thank you @netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review! All of the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Definitely enjoyed the audiobook more than the book itself. It helped me get into it more. Not my favorite from Rachel Hawkins but I'm a loyal fan so I'd still recommend it. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

I'm giving this 3.5 stars and rounding down to three Here's why:

Reasons I enjoyed it:
A self-help and A cozy murder mystery author are on a retreat and stumble across inspiration for a new novel, An alternate timeline unfolds as the authors investigate the infamous death of a rock legend that happened 50 years before, and the villa itself a character, reveals its own secrets.

Where I think it missed the mark:
The sideline story. One of the authors is going through a messy divorce in the background. In general, that storyline is overdone and too predictable. I wish the author would have added more embellishments on the characters living their best life while spending the summer in beautiful Italy. That is the story I was hoping to lose myself in after reading the book summary and it just didn't quite get there.

Adored this duel timeline suspense novel. The narration was pitch perfect and I enjoyed the plot without being overly anxious.

I am low key obsessed with this book

The Villa follows two separate timelines - which I normally am not a fan of but here it was done really well - one in 1974 following Mari, a 19 year old girl who's grown up too fast thanks to her boyfriend, wanna be rockstar Pierce. She, Pierce, and her step sister Laura have been invited to stay in the Italian Villa by the rockstar Noel Gorden. While Pierce hopes to ignite a creative spark by working with Noel, Mari works on her novel and Laura works on her own music.

Meanwhile in the present day, writer Emily has been going through a rough divorce and recovering from a mysterious illness. She's been writing a cozy mystery series and has a lengthy contract that still needs two more books before her deal is complete. Unfortunetly for her, one of the major characters in the series is based off of her now-ex, which is putting her further in the dump. Meanwhile her childhood best friend, Chess, has become a decently famous self-help book guru. Despite the jealously and some old hard feelings, when Chess invites Emily on a summer long trip to Italy, Emily surprises herself by saying yes.

Soon after arriving to Villa Aestas, Emily becomes obsessed with Mari's horror novel, "Lilith Rising". Despite the book being set in England, Emily realizes right away that Mari had used the visuals from within the Italian Villa inside the novel. Not only that, but Emily begins to notice that Mari has set up clues from within the book to secrets inside the Villa...

What made this novel stand out from others in its genre is the fact all plot twists make sense and/or were foreshadowed to us in the earlier parts of the book, which makes the story feel more real

Overall a cozy (sorry emI am low key obsessed with this book

The Villa follows two separate timelines - which I normally am not a fan of but here it was done really well - one in 1974 following Mari, a 19 year old girl who's grown up too fast thanks to her boyfriend, wanna be rockstar Pierce. She, Pierce, and her step sister Laura have been invited to stay in the Italian Villa by the rockstar Noel Gorden. While Pierce hopes to ignite a creative spark by working with Noel, Mari works on her novel and Laura works on her own music.

Meanwhile in the present day, writer Emily has been going through a rough divorce and recovering from a mysterious illness. She's been writing a cozy mystery series and has a lengthy contract that still needs two more books before her deal is complete. Unfortunetly for her, one of the major characters in the series is based off of her now-ex, which is putting her further in the dump. Meanwhile her childhood best friend, Chess, has become a decently famous self-help book guru. Despite the jealously and some old hard feelings, when Chess invites Emily on a summer long trip to Italy, Emily surprises herself by saying yes.

Soon after arriving to Villa Aestas, Emily becomes obsessed with Mari's horror novel, "Lilith Rising". Despite the book being set in England, Emily realizes right away that Mari had used the visuals from within the Italian Villa inside the novel. Not only that, but Emily begins to notice that Mari has set up clues from within the book to secrets inside the Villa...

What made this novel stand out from others in its genre is the fact all the twists make sense and/or were foreshadowed to us in the earlier parts of the book. The overall flow between timelines felt pretty seemless, and the comparisons between the women in 1974 and those who came nearly 50 years later are all more similar to one another than they ever would have thought.

Literally recommend, great cozy thriller (if there is such a thing)

Thank you NetGalley, Rachel Hawkins, and MacMillan Audio for giving me an audiobook recording of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The narrator, Julia Walen, does a beautiful narration on this audiobook, considering she does several voices, with half of them having an English accent. I enjoyed her reading.

I was excited to read this book, based on the information from the publisher, and other things I'd heard from my fellow bookstagrammers. From the print material I received from the publisher: "[this book was inspired by] Fleetwood Mac, the Manson murders, and the infamous summer Percy and Mary Shelly spent with LORD Byron at a Lake Geneva castle-- the birthplace of Frankenstein..." I mean, that just sounds terrifying to me!

And the book was great. Not terrifying, but great. I absolutely adored the conflict Hawkins built between all the characters. The two female main characters staying in The Villa in present day are horrid-- not unsympathetic, but still completely ugh, both of them. They rub each other raw with their ragged edges. Don't even get me started on the husband. I honestly could not get enough of this crinkle-tense story.

THE VILLA with its form is one of the times I understand the stylistic choice for multiple timelines and perspectives. Hawkins executes this aspect of the narrative fairly well.. It isn't elegant, but it isn't clumsy. Nor does Hawkins give in to being gimmicky...until she does, right at the end. Chapter fifteen should have ended after the first scene. It doesn't really matter though; the ending relatively holds up to this error in design.

Regardless of the final (extra) scene, I loved this book.

Rating 4.5 stars rounded up
Finished November 2022
Read this if you like:
🙀 Thrillers / mysteries
⏳️ Dual timelines
👥️️ Dual perspectives
💔 Bitter heartbreak / divorce
👭 Best friends
📚 Bookish / meta

I liked this book however for me its not one of her best books. I do thank you for the opportunity and I am glad i read it

If the publisher's blurb, citing the novel to be a blend of Fleetwood Mac, the Manson murders, with a twist of Percy and Mary Shelley aren't enough to sway you, do you even like thrillers??

This was a fantastic audiobook. The two stories interwoven of chess and em in 2023+, and the story of Mary and Lara in 1974-1993, about staying in the same Italian villa, where in the earlier timeline there's a murder that leads to great oeuvres for the women.

A story to deceive you and get you all twisted and turned, the important thing to know is: houses remember.

Chess and Emily have been best friends since they were little girls. Both in their 30s now, they have drifted apart over the years as Chess’ career took off as a self-help author, while Emily struggled with a divorce, a mysterious illness and being the author of a mediocre detective series. When Chess phones her up and asks her to come to Italy with her for a month, Emily jumps at the chance to escape her depressing life. Only thing is, Chess has booked a villa as their accommodations that is infamous for a murder that happened there years ago.

I have read all of Rachel Hawkins’ books so far and I knew eventually there had to be one I didn’t love. Unfortunately, it was The Villa. I did love the Chess/Emily dynamic as it was very complex. I also really liked the setting - Hawkins’ seems to be really good at picking unique locations. However, there was just too much going on here. She clearly pulled from several real life inspirations and it just felt cluttered, as though not enough time was given to anything to fully develop it. I also didn’t feel like there was enough tension. I think if she would have picked one major influence, it would have been better!

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins is a gothic mystery that pushes the boundaries of how far friends and family will go to remove the things in their life they feel are standing in the way of their success and happiness. Although I would not consider this book a thriller, the historical mystery pulls you in as we dig to find the truth about the murder in Villa Aestas.

I enjoyed the dual timelines in this story as it bounced between Emily in current day and Mari in the 70's. The multiple POVs in the 70's timeline were difficult to keep up with from time to time. The book was fast paced which I always appreciate, but somehow it left me feeling like I still had questions as some issues were not properly discussed or resolved.

The narration for this book was enjoyable. Multiple voice actors with different accents were used for the dual timelines which helped differentiate between the two. This was my first Rachel Hawkins book and although I liked it, I didn't love it.

I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to read this book early as it is one of my most anticipated books of 2023, and I love Hawkins' writing. This one was definitely a slow burn. I did anticipate some of the big reveals but this still has some good twists. I will say that I definitely enjoyed one of the timelines much more than the other. I enjoyed it though! ⭐⭐⭐

Emily has lost her husband, her health, and she might lose her career if she can’t end her writers block. When she is invited to spend the summer in Italy with her best friend she thinks it might be just what she needs. The Villa Aestes is beautiful but it has a dark history. It was the scene of a murder in the 1970’s. Emily starts digging into the history of the Villa and learns that it is hiding a dark secret that wasn’t revealed during the investigation.

The Villa is a dual timeline split between the present and the 1970’s. The story also includes parts of a podcast and news updates which added a fun element to the story.I loved the Italian setting and all the 70s vibes in this novel. I also enjoyed the cast of narrators, including the amazing Julia Whelan. While I never got board with this story, some of the twists were a little underwhelming and the ending felt a bit rushed.

This novel is perfect for fans of Ruth Ware or Lucy Foley and will be available in January!

The Villa is the third book I've read by Rachel Hawkins, and was realistically just as good as the first two. The narrators for The Villa are stellar and definitely keep you engaged as a listener; the story is also just as good if not a bit predictable. Not exactly an edge of your seat thriller, but, good enough that I didn't want to stop listening to it.

Overall I think I enjoyed it but I’m not sure who I would recommend it to. I’ve found I really enjoy listening to thrillers so I was excited for this, but the beginning was a bit hard to get into. It is my own fault for not knowing it was two consecutive narratives, but there was still such a cast of characters introduced without backgrounds within the first 10-15% that it was a bit much to wrap my head around. That being said, I was pretty engrossed in the story. Both stories actually, I loved how they both grew as their own stories while showing some parallels. My biggest critique would be the way that the ending plot twists unfolded. There were so many details that I felt easily could and should have made an impact on the ending that didn’t, which would have been okay except I feel like the ending wasn’t as strong on its own. I can understand how it was supposed to be shocking, but I feel that the story was so full to have the ending fall short. Without spoilers, my biggest question remains about a location detail that doesn’t add to the mystique of the ending, so I’m more just confused why mention it to not let the reader know.

"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. That perhaps Pierce’s murder wasn’t just a tale of sex, drugs, and rock & roll gone wrong, but that something more sinister might have occurred––and that there might be clues hidden in the now-iconic works that Mari and Lara left behind."

Hawkins has crafted a story that balances between the present and the past. There are intricate clues that the reader and present characters are able to follow to determine the past. I loved reading the story of the past because there was so much depth and even character growth despite their lifestyle. I loved the multi layer aspect to the story but the present day characters really ruin the big picture. Present day Emily and Chess are both insufferable MC's and it caused the whole book to be a rather average read. They just felt too messy and not enough ground for the big actions that happen in this book.

I think this book works great for people who tend to like thrillers, but I don't think it is a great start for someone who has never read thrillers. I think this particular book may turn them off from the genre. However, I do have some great comparisons for people who did enjoy the book and think there are many people who would love this one.

I did not enjoy the audio narration for this book because it felt like I was constantly turning up the voluming, turning it down, or just flat out could not hear/understand some of the characters.
Thank you NetGaley for an earc of this book, all opinions are my own.

The Villa was an interesting book told from multiple perspectives. It switches between a modern story and a story from the 70s. There were also a few fun interludes like a snippit from a fictional podcast episode. The book had lots of themes and interesting character relationships.

I did feel like this dragged in some parts and then glossed over other important sections! Overall it was a good book it just left me wanting a bit more from it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to an advanced copy of this book. The audiobook read by a cast of characters was excellent!