The Villa by Rachel Hawkins (book review)

Wow! This is a banger! It is a pleasure reading this book! Rachel.Hawkins did a fantastic job creating believable characters. You are immersed in the atmosphere and taken by the scenario.

Synopsis:
Emily and Chess have been best friends since childhood. Having the chance to reconnect with Emily as adults, Chess suggests a girls trip to Italy.

Currently known as Villa Aestas, Villa Rosso was built in 1974 as a high-end holiday home. It is now called "Murder Mansion" after up-and-coming musician Pierce Sheldon was brutally murdered there.

Emily, a writer, discovers the villa's complicated history. This fateful summer of 1974 may have had more to it than meets the eye. In addition to sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll gone wrong, there might have been something sinister behind Pierce's murder.

This is my favorite work by Rachel Hawkins. The novel is intriguing and holds your attention. Her books have been enhanced by this excellent addition.

The Villa.is available on January 3rd. (4.25/5)

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for allowing me to review this delightful book!

The Villa is the third thriller novel I've read by Rachel Hawkins and for now will hold the lowest rank for me. I became disconnected with the 1970s POV of the story early on as well as the Lillith Rising portions of the book. These two plot lines coupled with the present timeline didn't feel cohesive until over halfway into the book. As someone who never succeeds at guessing endings, this book was a little too on the nose with plot twists and was easily predictable. It didn't give off thriller vibes either, which could be why this one fell short for me. And the ending swept way too many vital plot points under the rug. I did enjoy the atmospheric setting she describes though as the two main characters spend the summer at an Italian Villa! The present timeline was by far the most enjoyable of this book and I wished we stayed more within this timeline rather than expanding back into the 70s/80s. I get the feeling the author was trying to go for a mashup of Verity and Daisy Jones with this story, but I don't think this combination fully worked.

Reckless Girls will continue to hold the number one spot for me in regards to Rachel's work and I still look forward to what she has up her sleeve next. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for an early edition of The Villa.

I can't get enough of Rachel Hawkins!
This was one of those... I didn't want to read as soon as I received it because I knew I would go straight through it. And I did! I demolished it!

The Villa is the perfect gothic suspense novel to sink your teeth into!
Rachel is a master at creating the best character driven stories.
Her latest page-turning thriller/mystery is unputdownable.
Hawkins does what she does best, so much so that trying to put the book down is futile.
The setting of an Italian villa was just genius and very compelling.
The tension was palpable and chilling… mind blowing… One of the best books I have read.
A story which kept me thoroughly entertained from start to finish THE VILLA is one book everyone should add to their TBR list.

Hawkins..... You own me now! I'm sold! I'll read anything you got!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

St. Martin's Press,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this eARC!

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins is coming out in January! I was so excited for it after loving The Wife Upstairs and Reckless Girls.

The Villa is told in two perspectives. There’s a current perspective of a writer who begins to rekindle a friendship with her best friend. They go away to a Villa in Italy. A murder took place there and she begins to want to know more about it. The past perspective follows a different friendship and the murder that occurred at that Villa. There’s also kind of a book/story within a story element.

❤️Review❤️

I think I may have set my expectations a bit too high after loving her previous novels. I didn’t love this one as much as I wanted to. I still was able to read it in one day, but I didn’t find myself as compelled to it as I thought I was going to be. At times I found myself a bit lost and confused in the past timeline. I think the kindle format didn’t exactly help because there were times I was reading a perspective from an interview segment, but I didn’t realize it was an interview segment until the article was cited. So I’d be confused as to what was happening only to realize it was part of the mixed media. I want to give the book the benefit of the doubt that I may not have had that problem if I was reading the book physically. I did like that the book had some twists and turns. It currently kept you on your toes. So even though this wasn’t my favorite by her, I’m excited to share this book with you and to keep reading her books!

Thank you again to @netgalley for providing me an ARC copy of this book!

3.5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

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OH. WHAT. FUN.

Let me say one thing before I talk about all the good. This book took a while to get going for me. I thought NOT ANOTHER DUAL TIMELINE. But this, dear Readers, is a lesson in how one is done.

Emily and Chess have been BFF's since they were kids. Emily had the safe life - college, moved home, got married, started writing cozy mysteries, etc. Chess became the next Gwyneth Paltrow. Emily gets divorced, goes down a rabbit hole and Chess suggests they summer at the Villa Rosato to get her book writing mojo back.

Except, Villa Rosato is sort of a murder house where a bunch of famous artistic types from the 70s (massive Fleetwood Mac vibes here) had a bit of a rager. Legendary rock start Noel Gordon, sisters Mari and Lara and Mari's beau Pierce Sheldon decided to summer there as well. And some random guy named Johnnie. Big time murder, Mari then writes the horror novel of the century and Lara goes on to be the next Stevie Nicks with her album she wrote that summer. No one is faithful, lots of drugs and rock-n-roll, so what on earth happened? And did they catch the actual killer?!?

For fans of Ruth Ware, Colleen Hoover's Verity, Alex Finlay and Liv Constantine. This just all works. Couldn't put the last 100 pages down.

Wow! I really enjoyed this book! There was great character development and I felt myself rooting for certain characters. This is the second book I have read by this author and I enjoyed it very much!

"Houses remember..." A strong opener followed by a little bit of a slow start. The narrative is winding but it keeps you hooked. The story follows two women across time, Emily and Mari, both (mostly) within the space of the villa; I found Emily's POV more captivating than Mari's, but both are absolutely necessary and beautifully intertwined.

I did feel like the jumping in time and quotes from external "sources," was confusing, but it played out and the novel was overall really, really good. It was hard to put down, and I finished it in a day... BUT the ending was unsatisfying. Emily truly was taken for a ride, taught a lesson, yet ultimately not allowed to reclaim her own agency. Frustrating but captivating, and a bit like real life in the way that it isn't just cleanly tied up in the end.

Emily and Chess were best friends growing up but adulthood has seen them grow apart so after a failed marriage and a strenuous few years, Emily jumps at the chance to spend the summer with her successful former best friend at Villa Aestas in Italy! But, the friends are both harboring secrets and The Villa itself has been rocked by controversy after an infamous murder that occurred in the 70's! The Villa recounts what happened in the summer leading up to the murder as well as Emily's quest to uncover the secrets the house still harbors while questioning the motives of Chess! You'll be questioning and guessing till the end!!

The Villa has a lot going on! From the cast of characters from that resided in The Villa in the summer of '74 leading to the murder that changed all their lives to the story of Emily and her failed marriage and her distrust of her best friend, Chess! I really enjoyed all the characters and both the storylines, however, the transitions between stories were a bit confusing and hard to follow at times! It also seemed that as soon as you got into one story, it would jump to a boring part of the other story! Overall, interesting and you'll have to read to the end to see what happens!

I love a good slow-burn novel that builds anticipation throughout the whole book. The way in which this author told the story from alternating past and present storylines made me very intrigued. This drama was full of suspense and twists that made every chapter interesting and the unique setting in Italy that has the 'rockstar' theme was different than anything I have read before.

I previously loved Rachel Hawkins' book 'The Wife Upstairs' but this one takes the top spot of being my new favorite!

Thank you to NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press for letting me access The Villa in exchange for my honest review.

This was easily my most favorite Rachel Hawkins suspense! I couldn't put it down. The two stories worked so well together. Was some of it predictable, yes, I saw it coming a mile away. That did not take away from the surprises I did not see coming. This was a suspenseful thriller set in a villa in Italy. It is the story of life long best friends, but it is also the story of 1970's sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll. My favorite quote from the story says "People are never just gone, after all. There are always marks, always signs." That is so true. #netgalley #thevilla #suspense #thriller #pageturner #justgoodbooks

To say I loved this story would be putting it mildly. Loved both time lines and the intersection of the two. Loved the pages from the book. Loved how the characters start as heroines but possibly become villainous all so much. The ending was the perfect cherry on top! Always a fan of this author and this ranks near the top of all of her books for me!!

I read the book over a few days as it was an easy read, with a decent pace. There were a few small twists in the story that were different than I expected. For someone that is looking for a distraction and interesting story I would recommend this book. If you are someone who reads alot of thrillers and want something a little different then you may enjoy this. This is the third book that I read by Rachel Hawkins and I will continue to read her books.

The Villa was an intriguing slow burn mystery with multiple plot lines. You have Emily and Chess in the present day vacationing at an Italian villa to rekindle their friendship as well as their writing. It's not just any villa though, it's the villa where a horrific murder occurred in the 70's, which thus inspires the 2nd plot line involving Mari, Lara, Pierce, Noel and Johnnie. And then you have a 3rd plot line which is the book that Mari writes while staying at the villa in the 70's. The spooky mysterious atmosphere was definitely there, but I honestly felt a little confused in the beginning with all the different plot lines. Interesting idea here, but perhaps not the smoothest execution. Thanks for the e-copy Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Rachel Hawkins. I appreciate the opportunity!

This was sadly a miss for me. I’m used to fun, fast paced thrillers from this author and The Villa was unfortunately none of those things. I didn’t particularly care for either of the timelines and the various relationships between all the characters made absolutely no sense. These people were awful to themselves and each other, and NOT in a fun to read way. Without going into spoilers, this book being marketed as “gothic suspense” is wildly inaccurate. There was hardly any mystery to the story at all and most of the twists were soooo predictable. I’ve had such a good time with the authors previous work that I will continue to read from her, but this one was a flop. Honestly, the only reason I’m rounding up a little from a 2 is that queen Julia Whelan is one of the audiobook narrators and we all know she makes everything better.

Emily's life seems to be spiraling.  Her husband had an affair and they are in the middle of a divorce, she seems to be stuck with writing her next novel and she's broke.  When her best selling author and childhood best friend Chess suggests a trip to Italy to escape and write, Emily thinks it's the perfect way to reset.  But The Villa they rented has a history. It's the location of the murder that took place in the 70's.  It seems that it's holding a lot of secrets about that murder and maybe Chess is hiding something of her own. 

Hmmm.  The best way for me to describe my thoughts about this one is that.... It's complicated. The story is dual perspectives and dual timelines which is something I love but at times I struggled to connect to the story and found certain aspects a little confusing. I felt like there were a lot of moving parts. Admittedly, I did do audio and it's easier to sometimes miss certain parts of the story.  At the same time, I did feel engaged the entire time and wanted to know where the story went. I particularly loved the ending, I didn't at first, because it makes you ponder. Overall I don't regret reading it and I recommend it.  I still really love this author and look forward to more novels.

This one was just okay for me. Loved RecklessGirls but this felt a little all over the place. I found myself skipping chunks because the dual timeline felt unclear at times. I’m sure there will be plenty of women who feel empowered by it but it wasn’t a love for me.

Vacationing in Italy seems to be a deadly decision for guests of the Villa. The Villa is a story within a story. Author Emily is stuck in a writing rut when her best friend, and fellow author, Chess drops a summer vacation to Italy on her. Desperate to get out of her current life situation, she agrees to join her friend. The villa they rented for the summer turns out to be a “murder house” and Emily becomes obsessed with learning about the past murder of a rockstar who stayed there in the 1970s. Emily begins to write again but this time with the help of “ghosts” left behind from the tragedy. You’ll learn the story of the rockstar murder from the research Emily is doing while also hearing Emily’s story. It starts off a bit slow but the endings of both stories being told will definitely catch you off guard. Does Emily get too involved in the past and does it change her future? The twists will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Thank you to Rachel Hawkins, NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC copy I received early for an honest review!
The Villa by Rachel Hawkins. #NetGalley

This novel flips between then (the 1970s) and now with the connection between the two timelines a villa in Italy. Emily finds herself drawn into the story of Mari and Lara, 2 young girls who spent time at the villa in 1974. Their stay ended in the murder of Pierce Sheldon, a musician who they both had a relationship with.

Emily is there as an escape from the nightmare back home where she is divorced, recovering from a mystery illness, and worried she can not write the novel that is owed to her publisher so she can pay her bills. Along with those worries is the uncomfortable feelings she has had with her longtime friend Chess who invited her to Italy.

Plenty of twists and turns in this captivating tale.

I had not read any of Rachel Hawkins other titles, but after this one I have added them to my reading list!

3.5 stars

This was an interesting read… but I didn’t feel any connection to any characters.

Emily is dealing with some health issues and the crumbling of her marriage when her best friend since childhood and fellow author, invites her to an Italian Villa for six weeks. Emily has a book due and can’t find it in her to write another cozy mystery… but this gorgeous setting may be just what she needs to write and to nurture the friendship.

This switches back and forth between current time with Emily and back in the 70s with Mari, telling the story of her, boyfriend Pierce, her step sister, Lara and their time with Noel Gordon, a rockstar who all spent a fateful summer in the very same Villa.

The real connection and similarities between the two timelines take a while to connect, but when they do, it’s riveting. And while I could see a lot of this coming for a while, it was still so entertaining. Mari’s past timeline and the events that happened then were the part of this that I felt the most disconnect with, though.

Ultimately, this was an intriguing and engaging mystery, though (unfortunately) my least favorite of the books I have read from this author under this name (and I have read them all).

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

1974 - Five people, two, no, three are musicians, one or two are writers, and the last is a resentful fifth wheel. All spending time at Villa Rosato in Orvieto. Too much drink, drugs, and doing it with anyone makes for a bad mix. It might be good for the creativity of a few but it's bad for the health of others. If only a different choice, here or there, had been made, everyone might have been able to go home.

Present day - Best friends and a greedy, almost ex-husband in the background. Spending six weeks at Villa Aestas (once known as Villa Rosato) in Orvieto. The same villa where a musician was murdered almost fifty years ago. Emily and Chess are here to revive their writing juices. Emily's recent undiagnosed illness and messy divorce have dried up all her creative thoughts. She's the author of a successful cozy series but with her ex wanting half her proceeds now and forever, it's no wonder she can't bring herself to put word to paper. Chess is her famous and wealthy self help author friend and wants to get Emily out of her funk. The vacation is just what they need although Chess is acting strange. At least Emily is able to use the villa and it's sordid past to revive her interest in writing. She may not be writing the next book in the series that she should be working on but she is starting something new. A book on this very villa and she has the help of those from the past.

This story alternates between timelines, Mari in the past and Emily in the present day. At first I didn't like being in the 1974 timeline because I've never been fond of wild rock and rock lifestyles and loose ways but those loose ways are not presented graphically which I appreciated. I wouldn't have been interested in this timeline except that Emily was interested in it. Then there is the present day timeline, which is more interesting to me, with Chess acting strangely and me hoping the ruthless almost ex-husband of Emily would get some kind of comeuppance for being such a lawyer happy brute.

Writing is involved in all of the story. The writing of books and songs, truths and confessions, hidden and seen. For me, this was a case of the parts not being all that interesting but coming together to make them something better.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.