This book had it's moments. Not quite a momentous thriller as some others I've read - but good. I feel like there just could've been a little more. It just seemed like there was something missing. However I did like this one better than the previous 2. 3.5 * for me

Set in Italy with concurrent timelines- we learn about the events of summer 1974 when two stepsisters, Mari and Lara, along with Lara’s partner Pierce rockstar Noel and dealer Johnnie stay at Villa Rosato to give us a twisty story including complex characters and relationships, passion, art and what happens when everything comes to a boiling point.

In current day, Emily and best friend Chess give us a peak into their dysfunctional relationship. Emily is dealing with recovering from a mystery illness while going through divorce. She is broke from missing deadlines for her novel and thinks Italy is the perfect place to reset and get some work done. Chess is also working on writing - her self help book but has been keeping a secret from Emily.

I found this novel was enjoyable from the very beginning. While it is a bit of a slow burn, I found the writing about the characters and relationships with each other that set the tone for the book very well-done refreshing. While I did guess Chess’ secret quote early on the book definitely did not end in a way I saw coming and I am pretty good at spotting twists from a mile away so I loved that!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this ARC to provide an honest review.

This was a tough book to read. It was a book within a book within a book. Emily and her best friend Chess are both 'famous' authors - Emily writing a cozy mystery series and Chess writing self-help books. They both have books due but decide to head to Italy for a little vacation and to hopefully get their friendship back on track.

There is also the story of Mari from 1974, staying at the same Villa where a murder took place. Plus Mari is writing a book called Lillith Rising about Victoria and her family that stayed in a similar villa. Plus there are also various new articles and podcast transcripts. I felt like this other stuff was about 50% of the novel and it just felt very disjointed and made the story very slow.

At about the halfway mark, I felt like things started to pick up. I understood the connection between Mari and Emily's stories and had a grasp of the characters. I'm happy I kept reading because I did enjoy the twist at the end... unexpected. It was just a bit of a struggle to get there.

‘’Houses Remember.’’⁣
⁣
This is a dual timeline read, that read pretty quickly and was entertaining enough. ⁣
⁣
Emily is a cozy mystery writer, who’s recently been unable to complete the next book in her series; her husband has divorced her; and her best friend since she was a child has become fairly famous for her own nonfiction personal development books. ⁣
⁣
Emily is struggling so she goes to Italy to this Villa with her bestie, only to find old papers written by an old famous horror author, the famous horror novel, and an old album from a famous singer songwriter who both happened to be in this house at the time of the murder of 1974.⁣
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The timeline goes between present with Emily and Chess and the past when Mari and Lara were musés in this same villa, where the murder occurred. ⁣
⁣
I loved the premise and dual point of views of this story. I couldn’t tell what was a truth and what was a lie throughout and which characters were reliable, which I like in a thriller. Overall I enjoyed the story.⁣
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I think this book has done the impossible and made me a thriller fan. I was so hesitant to start this book because I knew it would be good, but thought it might terrify me and keep me up at night. It did keep me up, but because I was dying to know what would happen next.

This book is full of suspense, secrets, mystery, complicated relationships, some romance and just a tiny bit of revenge. It’s set on an absolutely dreamy Italian country side, in a villa brimming with secrets. There is so much to decode- songs, novels, confessions, hidden diary entries. I could go on, but I don’t want to spoil it. It’s well written and kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I’m still thinking about it.

Thanks to @netgalley @stmartinspress and @ladyhawkins for this amazing eARC. It comes out on January 3rd!

Honest review: It took a lot for me to finish this book. I did not find the dual story line compelling, and much preferred the contemporary story to the 1970s story. I think either plot needed more development to really capture the reader and pique suspense. In the end, I ended up skipping much of the 1970s story line in favor of the contemporary one. I had high hopes, but The Villa was not my favorite read.

This my third book by Rachel Hawkins and I'm still living off of how much I loved her debut, The Wife Upstairs. Her books that followed have not achieved the same magic from that novel. 

This was a bit different because it had two drastically different storylines. One set in present day, at a Villa in Italy; and 1974 at the same Villa. The present day storyline was pretty slow, Chess and Emily go on a girls weekend after Emily has gone through a tough divorce. While at the Villa, Emily gets sucked into the story of what happened in 1974- an infamous murder. 

What I did like about this novel was the different mediums used to tell the story. There is a podcast, letters, and book within a book used to keep the reader guessing. I enjoyed the present day storyline more than the 1974 timeline, it just didn't keep my attention. 

The ending was a bit strange to me. I thought it went on for a bit too long, and expected a certain event to be the ending...but the book had about 10% left after that, that really didn't do anything for the story. 

Overall it was just ok. 3/5 stars

The Villa By Rachel Hawkins is an intertwined story told through two different timelines. that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
First we have Emily and Chess, childhood friends who are reconnecting for the first time in years by taking a holiday together to Italy.
Then we have a group of artists who spent time at the very same villa in the 70s.
From there we end up with a deep story and mystery that will keep you turning the pages while you wait to find out what happened and who dun it!
Please feel free to also check out my spoiler free youtube review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaTvWrCOtpc

I received a copy of this book on Netgalley for an honest review. No spoilers here, but I highly recommend this book. I loved the dual timelines with the dual protagonists and the way both storylines play out. It’s a real work of art. Best Rachel Hawkins book yet!

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins has some good twists for a slow burn mystery thriller.

One of my favorite things about Rachel Hawkins’ books is how you can like and dislike the characters at the same time. The Villa is no different. The characters are loving and selfish, dishonest and truthful, wild and safe. It’s wondering which part of them is going to surface in the moments that matter that kept me turning the pages.

I also really enjoyed the dual timelines with the Villa being the central location. Whether it was Em’s time in the Villa or Mari’s, I was hooked on what was going to happen.

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

Houses remember.
Best friends Emily and Chess were inseparable as kids, but by their 30s, their bond has been strained by the demands of their adult lives. Both have become well known authors, but write very different types of books. When Chess suggests a girls trip to Italy for the summer, Emily jumps at the chance to reconnect with her best friend.
Villa Aestas in Orvieto is a high-end holiday home, but in 1974 it was known as Villa Rosato, and was rented for the summer by notorious rock star, Noel Gordon. Up and coming musician, Pierce Sheldon is invited to the villa as well, with his girlfriend Mari, and her stepsister, Lara. That summer sets in motion a chain of events that leads Mari to writing one of the greatest horror novels of all time, Lara composing a platinum album, and ends in Pierce's brutal murder.
As 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.
Yet the closer that Emily gets to the truth, the more tension she feels developing between her and Chess. As secrets from the past come to light, equally dangerous betrayals from the present also emerge—and it begins to look like the villa will claim another victim before the summer ends.

I think that Hawkins had some great ideas here and if put together in a different way, it would've been a very intriguing gothic suspense. However, the first half (or maybe even more than half) dragged on and on so much, it took me forever to get through. Then, the ending and "twists" were so rushed and motivations were not as explored as they could have been. I think the focus on this part would have been much more interesting than both the present day and past characters meandering around the villa and town. I did not feel the "suspense" at all. I wish I could give a more positive review, but I'll definitely still check out this author in the future because I do think she had some very creative ideas.

This is my third book by Rachel Hawkins and the first one I didn't enjoy. I couldn't get into the story at all. I figured out what was going to happen fairly early on which is always disappointing. I was so bored I struggled to focus on what was happening. The progression was too slow and the characters were just blah to me. It just wasn't for me at all.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 I loved this one! It’s not a Thriller, it’s a slow burn mystery. It’s told in two timelines, set in a Villa in Italy, In the 70s there was a group of people there and present day, two friends are in the Villa and they are discovering what happened to that group of people from the 70s.

such a good read!!! The story was captivating and I honestly finished it in one day because I could not put it down. The author is now going on my must buy list forever because I need more books like this in my life!

The Villa
by Rachel Hawkins
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’ve looking forward for Rachel Hawkins’ books every year since I read “The Wife Upstairs”. There are two stories going on here. One in the past and one in the present. And both happen in the same house: Villa Aestas in Italy which is a high-end holiday home now but back in 1974 when it was known as Villa Rosato, bad things happened.

1974. Villa Rosato in a small town in Italy, notorious rock star, Noel Gordon rents a house for summer and invites the musician, Pierce Sheldon to join him, as well as Pierce’s girlfriend, Mari, and her stepsister, Lara. Lots of things happen in that summer, but what marked it was Pierce’s death, Mari writing one of the greatest horror novels of all time and Lara composing a platinum album.

Then book tells the story of Emily and Chess. They used to be best friends as kids but now that they’re adults other things have gotten in the way. Emily got married and writes cozy mysteries and Chess is famous and a self-help guru. Chess invites Emily to spend 6 weeks at the Villa, to get inspired and run away from the world for a bit. But as Emily learns more about the history of the house, she starts digging some secrets and betrayals between her and Chess.

This was a great book! Page turning and gripping. My favorite character was Mari. I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins was truly a page-turner! I read it in one sitting. I am a sucker for dual-timelines and the anticipation of when they finally merge. On one hand you have the 1970s storyline with the musicians, love triangles, and murder. Then the present day storyline features a female writer going through a messy divorce off to stay with her best friend in a seemingly exquisite villa in Italy. It just happens to be the same villa that a murder took place in the 1970s. I truly love the gothic aspects in Hawkins’ writing. This is my third book I have read by her and definitely won’t be my last!

This is the second book that I've read by Rachel Hawkins. I loved her book 'Reckless Girls', but I didn't enjoy 'The Villa'. I found this book to be very confusing and all over the place. I almost DNF this book, but I wanted to get to the ending. I was hoping that it would get better, but it didn't for me.

I was confused by the constant time shifts and character shifts. By the end, I don't know what actually happened in the story. There were a lot of twists and turns and misdirects, and I feel confused about this book.

I loved the premise of it, but the execution wasn't there for me. I was really hoping for a dark mystery book, but this isn't what I found in 'The Villa'.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book.

3.25🌟 we are following two sets of visitors to an italian villa, one in seventies and one in present day. the storyline from the seventies was reminiscent of a Daisy Jones-type story, as we followed three up-and-coming musicians and a novelist on a deadly summer vacation. the present storyline follows Emily and Chess, "best friends" that go for an italian summer to reconnect and work on their own novels. Emily decides to dive further into the lore of the house and discovers that there may be more to the story than is publicly known.

this book was just fine for me. i didn't feel super connected to any of the characters and the twists were unsurprising. I also don't know if this functions as a "suspense" or "thriller" as billed; it comes off more as a domestic drama. i did enjoy the dual timelines, because it added a lot of necessary texture to the story and to the villa's history. the exploration of complex and borderline toxic relationships was also interesting, since oftentimes thriller-type novels neglect deeper relationship development. this overall was not a super memorable read, but i still found myself wanting to keep reading as we got deeper into the story.

thank you netgalley, libro.fm & st. martin's press for the eARC!

Thank you @libro.fm @netgalley for a copy of The Villa. I enjoyed the setting of a beautiful Italian villa that Chess and Emily spend the time to both write their books. I enjoyed the story within the story aspect and how it complicated Chess and Emily's relationship.

I enjoyed the 3 POV of Chess and Emily and Mari in the past. All 3 of the narrators did a great job. I wasn't a fan of the ending of the story but overall I enjoyed seeing how Chess and Emily's relationship played out.

Thank you NetGallery and Ms. Hawkins for giving my the opportunity to review "The Villa." This is the second book that I have read by Hawkins and she never fails to give her readers an exciting book. At first, I believed that I knew what was going to happen, but boy was I wrong. Hawkins fills this book with twists and turns. Two story lines entwine as one and Hawkins keeps the reader guessing. Highly recommended.