"Houses remember."

That is the opening line in this book... as well as the book within this book. The Villa is half about two childhood friends/ writers, Emily and Chess, who spend the summer in (you guessed it) a villa in Italy in the present day and half about some artistic and famous people who lived in that same villa for a summer in the 1970's, where tragedy befell them. The stories interlock as Emily, in the present day, becomes absorbed in the murder which took place there within the group in the 1970's. Mari and Lara from the 1970's timeline emerge from a horrific situation to write what becomes an infamous horror novel (Mari) and one of the biggest selling records of their time (Lara). Emily becomes embroiled with uncovering whether these two timeless works of art have hidden meanings to what really happened that summer day in 1974. And she also starts to wonder if she can trust her friend, Chess, who is currently at the villa with her...

There is so much subject matter and inspirations for this book that immediately appealed to me... 1970's time period, musicians and inspiration from the likes of Fleetwood Mac, murder, mystery, and Rachel Hawkins also cites influences from the Manson murders as well as the legendary summer Percy and Mary Shelley spent with Lord Byron at a Lake Geneva castle. Noting all of that, I was ready to dive headfirst into this book.

I'm used to books nowadays bouncing back and forth between different times and/or characters: it's not my favorite thing and feels tedious sometimes for me, but it's pretty standard anymore, particularly in this genre. This book is no exception. For instance, it not only bounced between Mari in the 70's and Emily in the present day (which were more clearly stated), but there were also excerpts from interviews and articles, excerpts from Mari's book, and even a transcript from part of a podcast at one point. It wasn't my favorite aspect of the book (though this is more because of personal preference), and it led to me not falling as quickly into the book until about halfway through when I got into the rhythm of it better and also when the story really started to pick up the pace in both timelines.

On another personal level, I felt myself filling more and more with rage at Chess in the present day timeline. I had a toxic friendship growing up, and her name was the same as in this book so it was a lot of unwelcome memories flaring up as the book progressed. I felt so much empathy for Emily because I *was* Emily in the past. Emily says at one point, "It's true that I haven't thought nearly as much about Lara as I have about Mari- choosing, I suppose, to be loyal to the woman I feel the most kinship with." And that exactly sums up how I felt between Emily and Chess. I was rooting for Emily stronger than anyone else in the book. Between her divorce, her insecurities, and Chess, I really wanted her to win by the end.

So what really happened that fated summer in 1974? Was something more sinister than drugs in play for Pierce's murder? Are there secrets and truths hidden in a best-selling book and classic record? Will the villa claim another life between Emily and Chess in the present day? You'll have to come stay at the villa yourself on January 3rd and find out!

(A very special thank you to Net Galley, St Martin's Press, and Rachel Hawkins for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!)

*The Villa will be available on January 3, 2023.*

“Sometimes we don’t really know we’ve won until we see the reflection of that win in the loser’s eyes.”

Two friends that used to be inseparable growing up decide to take a girls trip to Italy to the famous Villa Rosato. The Villa is known for its famous history from Noel Gordon and the tragedy that happened while he was there. Told from two different point of views in time, The Villa has secrets to share, that are just waiting to be uncovered.

This book seems right up my alley. With suspense and murder throughout the books. I feel as though I struggled with it because it was dragged on and the plot was very slow. I loved the character development and was actually very surprised by the ending. However, the beginning and most of the middle of the book seemed repetitive and nothing like a thriller.

If you’re looking for a thriller that is not scary, but still has some action packed in as well as great character development, and two different view points this books is for you!

When I received this book from the publisher on NetGalley I had really high hopes. I have been a Rachel Hawkins fan since reading The Wife Upstairs. I remember when reading Reckless Girls I felt like it was lacking in some areas for me. I was really hopeful for this story, I wanted to love it as much as I did The Wife Upstairs. Unfortunately, this book fell a little short for me! It was still a solid 3.5 stars for me, but I wanted more. I would still recommend this book to anyone who has enjoyed Hawkins in the past.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

I really enjoyed the writing on this one, but it reads more of a contemporary fiction with thriller-esque storylines. The ending was so rush I almost thought I was missing pages in my e-copy. I really enjoy her other works, but I really did not care about the characters, even the main one. I did love the setting, and it is a quick read, but beyond that, this seems more like a rough draft than a book that is ready. I will continue to pick up her books though!

THE VILLA

Emily, a “cozy romance” writer, joins her successful best friend,Chess, at an infamous villa in Italy. A miserable divorce has Emily seeking a new perspective on her life, as well as her writing. In 1976, the murder of a rock singer makes the Villa infamous. As Emily finds clues to the earlier murder, she changes the focus of her writing. The dual timeline story, anchored by the murder, successfully weaves the two stories together. It’s an intriguing read,with interesting characters.

Taking place between the 70s and present day, this book is really two mysteries packed into one. Throughly enjoyable, I found myself getting absorbed into each story separately. It is a mixture of Daisy Jones and the Six meets Manson murders and It Girl.

Emily and Chess were best friends growing up but haven’t seen much of eachother in their 30’s. Emily is going through a messy divorce and Chess is a celebrity self-help guru. Chess offers up a girl’s trip to Italy and Emily can’t resist. The home that they are staying at was once the scene of an infamous yet gruesome murder. The story fluctuates between present day Emily and Chess and the 1974 summer of murder. I really enjoyed the beginning of the book and was sort of hoping it was a haunted house story but eventually things started to go south for me. I have read Rachel Hawkins other books and have enjoyed and I didn’t not like this book but I had hoped to like it more. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of the book.

I was very into this book for the first 80 percent of it, but the ending fell completely flat for me. It's been a long time since I've been this disappointed with a conclusion. Hawkins was trying to make it twisty and surprising, but the characters' decisions at the end didn't make sense to me.

I was thoroughly excited to read Rachel Hawkins new book, as the plot sounded promising! And I was right! I enjoyed the setting in Italy, as well as the back and forth between past and present. The parallel storylines pulled me in and kept me guessing till the end!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Another excellent Rachel Hawkins read. I plowed through this one in a day, it was that good...I am always up for a Hawkins novel and this one did not let me down. It was a cross between Daisy Jones and the Six and Single White Female... The dual plotlines merged effortlessly and I can't wait to read her next book. Run and get this now! My only problem with it is that I can't read it for the first time again.

SPOILERS BELOW:
In this book we find a recently separated writer and her wildly successful best friend taking off for the summer to Italy to reclaim themselves, their friendship, and their career deadlines. The house they have rented has a past of its own being the location of an infamous murder in the 70s.
Emily becomes obsessed with the historical aspect of this house and decides to write a book. She is portrayed as a mild and timid type character, while the friend, Chess, is a strong, wild, free spirit. Emily is some how so loyal to her. There is no mention of a shared trauma in the past that often binds characters like this. A simple normal childhood friendship. Yet Chess continually puts her down, steals her book, sleeps with her husband while they are still married, continues to have a relationship with him and somehow Emily still goes along with whatever she says? While I could MAYBE believe this part of the story, what was not believable was that this meek character who gets physically ill under stress, somehow then just kills her ex husband and is ok with it. The reader only knows about this killing because of a newspaper article so you don't even see any conflict or anything. It literally goes from he pulls up in a car to he's dead. And the two women go off with this book about the previous murder in the house and become wildly successful.

I was really excited about the premise, but the content didn’t live up to my expectations. It’s a dual timeline and I couldn’t get invested in past one at all. It got more interesting towards the very end but then it was so absurd. Overall, it was underwhelming for me.

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for sending this book for review consideration.

I was thrilled to read an advanced copy of this book, Rachel Hawkins is one of my favorite authors and I usually read her books in one sitting.

This one thrilled me even more! I am a big fan of books set in Italy and I adored the parallel stories of past and present.

I was hooked in from page one and was hungry to find out the truth of what happened that summer. I will be buying a physical copy at release for sure!

I was hoping this would be the first Rachel Hawkins novel that I really loved, but like The Wife Upstairs and Reckless Girls, this was three stars for me. The thrills in The Villa don't happen until the end of the book, and the entire time you're going back and forth between two storylines, one interesting and the other tedious. Reading about Emily and Chess was mostly fine, but the 1970s storyline was so dull with no likeable characters that I would dread the parts of the book where it would come up. But the gorgeous cover gets five stars. Thank you St. Martin's Press/Netgalley for the ARC!

Thanks St.Martin’s Press for the advance copy of this book. I liked the pace of it. It’s two women that have been friends for years. Chess is a famous self help guru and Emily is also an author, but recently divorced and sick. They take a 6 week trip to Italy and end up staying in a villa that had a celebrity murder in it. They decide to write their own tale about it.

Chess and Em have a very toxic relationship. It’s interesting to see how much they fight but still stay together. Chess has control of that relationship and I feel bad for Emily that she doesn’t see it. At the end, you realize the truth about the murder and maybe what these two did 40 years later wasn’t the best advice.

This book is fantastic! Oh ny gosh I loved the lore of the Villa mixed with the two time lines. Each character was perfection. Thank you for this early copy!

What a great and exciting read. The way Hawkins weaves the past and present seamlessly, a d gets us intrigued in both stories, and mysteries. It’s terrific and intend to tell everyone.

So, so, so good! This "double-story" entwines plots from the present and the past into an absolute masterpiece. I love Rachel Hawkins and this is without a doubt her best yet!

The dual timeline and storyline was interesting. Especially since I was way more invested in Mari’s storyline and then by the end switched to enjoying Emily more.

I will say the villa was a bit of a let down. It wasn’t nearly as gothic or creepy as it should have been according to the lead up.

To be honest, I was a bit bored as it’s a VERY slow burn and I found both main characters a bit annoying the entire read.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publishing team in exchange for my honest review.

Rachel Hawkins did it again! An incredibly unique dual tale, one with secrets, sex drugs and rock & roll.

Set 50 years apart, best friends who are like sisters and sisters who try to be best friends but have a man in between, have many similarities.

All set in an old Villa in Italy. In an over saturated thriller genre, Hawkins manages again to find a unique angle.

Thanks for the ARC!