This might be more of a 3.5, but I'm rounding up because the pros outweigh the cons for me.

This book is a twisty, turny good time. I've read another book by Rachel Hawkins (Reckless Girls), and I can say she has certainly improved between the two.

I think what satisfied me the most about this book were all the layers to it. We have the current story, the one of Emily & Chess, two best friends off on a luxurious vacation to an Italian Villa where they plan to each work on their respective novels. There are occasional tensions, but that is just the cycle of their friendship, and the ebb and flow is natural - or at least that is what Emily thinks.

Meanwhile, we are presented with another story from the 70s, that of Mari Larchmont. She too stayed at the villa, and while she was there a murder occurred. Her story charts the conflicts, the layered emotions of love, hurt, and betrayal. Emily learns of this murder, and it intrigues her.

Mari also wrote a novel during her stay, and this is yet another tale. <i> Lilith Rising </i> is the title of her famous horror tale, and excerpts from this novel are peppered in, adding a gothic flavor to the text. Of course a copy of this book is at the villa, and Emily becomes enchanted by it.

Chess meanwhile, has become fascinated by the other Larchmont sister, Lara, a musician who created breath-taking music when she too was in the villa. It is her story that lingers in the background, often overlooked by Emily. Emily, who seems to miss so very much.

I think that perhaps, my favorite part of all was the nods and winks to the original tale of Frankenstein and its creation - the time Mary Shelley spent with famous creatives and wrote a story that haunts us to this very day.

Overall, it was really well done with only a few moments that took away from the overall experience for me. (In the end, it felt like there were one or two twists too many.)

I'd like to thank Netgalley for the ARC. In exchange, I present my honest review.

( 3 stars )

The characters were very hard to follow in the beginning, but Mari began to intrigue me and kept me somewhat interested. I was expecting a little more history or darkness about the Villa. This book was more of a drama than a thriller to me. I struggled to finish,

Many thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

| About |

As kids, Emily and Chess were inseparable. But by their 30s, their bond has been strained by the demands of their adult lives. So when Chess suggests a girls trip to Italy, Emily jumps at the chance to reconnect with her best friend.

Villa Aestas in Orvieto is a high-end holiday home now, but in 1974, it was known as Villa Rosato, and rented for the summer by a notorious rock star, Noel Gordon. In an attempt to reignite his creative spark, Noel invites up-and-coming musician, Pierce Sheldon to join him, as well as Pierce’s girlfriend, Mari, and her stepsister, Lara. But he also sets in motion a chain of events that leads to Mari 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.

Inspired by Fleetwood Mac, the Manson murders, and the infamous summer Percy and Mary Shelley spent with Lord Byron at a Lake Geneva castle––the birthplace of Frankenstein––The Villa welcomes you into its deadly legacy.

| Thoughts |

Gripping, slow burn, suspense filled gem.
Pieces infamous aspects from real life horror into a summer at The Villa. Couldn’t put this down. I devoured it entirely in one afternoon. The depth of the characters and the world woven so vividly, I could imagine myself watching this play out in front of me like a fly on the wall. friendship’s, sorrows and betrayals are twisted into this mystery; Four women, two time periods interweaving to tell this chilling tale. The end was a complete 360 from what I thought I knew!

This book is a masterpiece. The Villa intertwines the story of a 1974 murder at an Italian villa, the book one of the residents was writing during her stay there, the book her mother wrote before an untimely death, as well as the story of two best friends who stay at the Villa Aestas years later and their own book projects. I know, I know, that sounds super confusing and like it’s a lot to keep up with. But it’s not! Rachel Hawkins does a brilliant job of weaving all of these stories together into one seamless tale of friendship, family, love and betrayal. This was the first book I had the honor of reading by Hawkins, and now I can’t wait to read more. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC!

Thanks to NetGalley for this great read! I had no expectations when I started reading except for how much I enjoy stories from Rachel Hawkins! This one did not disappoint.

When two childhood best friends reunite for an epic adventure to an Italian villa to work on their upcoming books, they find more than they bargained for. Chess is the celebrity, famous for her motivational books, while Emily is known for her simple, cozy mysteries.

What was supposed to be a relaxing trip away to reconnect and spur the creative juices, turns into a mystery as the friends begin to unravel the murder of a 70s rock star in the very villa they are currently residing.

I loved the back and forth between the two decades, piecing together multiple mysteries, and I didn't predict the ending or twists that Hawkins dished up. Very enjoyable!

It pains me to give anything by Rachel Hawkins 2 stars but this books just wasn’t “it” for me. I loved the premise of the book but it just fell flat. It was very obvious where all of the build up was leading to and I had figured out all the “twists” halfway through the book so towards the end I was reading it just to get the book over with.

The characters were also super bland. Chess and Emily, Mari and Lara were all just super toxic “frenemies” that needed to grow up and walk away from one another in the first chapter. In all honesty, the book could have just been about Emily researching the story of the villa minus all the Chess drama, and this book would have been 10 times better.

I JUST finished The Villa by Rachel Hawkins. It alternates between present and past--in the present, Emily and Chess are old best friends. Both are authors, Emily writing fiction while Chess writes non-fiction and is basically a new guru for her readers. Coming off a bad break-up with her now-ex-husband, Emily is invited to join Chess in Italy for the summer, and she decides to go!

BUT.... the place they are staying has a history. Years ago, five people stayed there together, and it ended in one's murder. The present and past stories are told side-by-side and definitely have a bit of a creepy vibe. I LOVED the present interaction especially.

I was not expecting the ending, but dang, was it satisfying! I recommend!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for e-ARC of the book.

Two childhood friends, Emily and Chess, in attempt to reconnect, have some girl time together while on vacation in Italy. They stay in a gorgeous villa with a captivating history - involving a scandalous murder in 70s.
The book goes between two story lines - the present with Emily and Chess, and the 70’s, which involves the lead up to the murder. Almost each chapter made me question my feeling towards the characters and my mind was constantly trying to guess what will happen next. This story is one of those thrillers that you can’t put down until you find out how it ends.
And of course I adored the marvelous book cover, with its warm Italian Summer vibes - but as the cracks in the facade begin to reveal, there’s much more beneath the surface.

I really like Rachel Hawkins. She’s a great author and I will try any and every book by her. With that said-this book was just an ok for me. I personally found Emily’s character to be dull, Chess character was too over the top. The back story was great-until it wasn’t. It was the big build up that was a let down. If you are a Rachel Hawkins fan you will want to read it. If not I would skip.

I received a copy of this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Oh my goodness gracious. I haven’t stayed up past 1am to finish a book in quite a while. Chess and Emily… Lara and Mari … Pierce and everyone… I felt for all of these characters in different ways. Some things I figured out early on and some of the mystery hit me later but I devoured the entire story. Jaw dropped and hand to mouth several times. I don’t know.. I was super into “The Villa” in all the ways! Great book!

The Villa follows two timelines - one is two best friends in present day, traveling to Italy to stay in an opulent villa in hopes of finding inspiration for their respective next books. The other timeline is from 1973, when a group of friends stayed at the same villa, and sadly it ended in tragedy. The modern-day main character, Emily, is inspired to tell the story of the house, experiencing her own challenges along the way.

This book really felt like it wanted to be a thriller, but it just didn't quite get there. That might have been my own misjudgment based on this author's previous books. It certainly didn't go the way I expected at the end, but ultimately I liked it. The visual imagery was good and immersive. I loved the format of each chapter checking in with each timeline. I connected with the main characters in both timelines and rooted them on throughout.

Thanks to Netgalley for this advanced copy!

This is a story that takes some time to unfold. There is a lot happening here - horror, creepy gothic castle, sisters, jealousy, writing, and more. However, I still felt myself getting bored and wondering what does the author want me to feel? It was a miss for me but I have liked the authors other work.

“Houses remember.”

“The Villa” takes place in an Italian – you guessed it! – Villa. The story is told in dual timelines, one from the 1970s, and the second from present day.

I really enjoyed “The Villa” and the dual timelines between Mari and Em. I oftentimes enjoy one timeline better than the other, but in the case of “The Villa”, both were equally enjoyable and engrossing. The plots of both timelines are creepy, dramatic and complex, and it was interesting to see how they mirrored each other.

This book had a slow start for me, but once I hit the 30% mark I found it hard to put down. There were some predictable plot twists, while others genuinely made me gasp!
Rachel Hawkins has definitely found a formula that works for her, and fans of her previous novels “The Wife Upstairs” and “Reckless Girls” will definitely enjoy this one as well.

Thank you to both Netgalley and and St. Martin’s press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Musicians. Authors. Sex, Drugs, and Murder. All of these are at the center of Rachel Hawkins most recent novel, The Villa. Hawkins does a fantastic job of weaving together two timelines- one of the events leading up to a murder in the 70’s, and the other of present-day friends vacationing in the same setting as they work on their next novels and find themselves wrapped up in the story of the villa.

This book was beautifully written and the parallels between the two timelines were seamless. It wasn’t really the twists that kept me hooked, and there were some interesting ones, but the story itself was gripping. At times, I didn’t feel the relationship between the present-day friends was fully developed and the final resolution felt a bit rushed, but overall, I enjoyed it and would still recommend this for an easy, mystery read.

"Houses Remember" wow what a line. This was my first Rachel Hawkins, but based on this read, i will be going to the back catalog. This book was a solid 5 stars for me.

The flashback chapters I found to be incredulously boring. Chess and Emily's arc was much more interesting.

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

I have been a big fan of Rachel Hawkins since reading her "Hex Hall" series as a teenager. When I first discovered her adult novel, "The Wife Upstairs" I was thrilled she had moved to adult thrillers. I loved "The Wife Upstairs" and devoured "Reckless Girls" as well so it is safe to say that I couldn't believe it when I was approved to read "The Villa." I loved the way the book intertwined Mari and Emily's stories and I felt like I could imagine the villa and its guests throughout. The plot was fast paced and kept me guessing throughout. The twist at the end involving Chess and Emily was a bit shocking, but I think it fit the novel overall. I loved how the ending wasn't a sweet wrap up but left a slightly sinister feeling for the reader. Another great Rachel Hawkins book! She has become a must read author for me at this point.

Likes: Double storyline between the villas past and current tenants, will hook you in and is a breezy read, and well written
Dislikes: Not much of a surprising thriller and unlikable characters

loved the different story lines of this book! the history of the villa combined with the letters and current day story really intertwined nicely and kept me wanting to read more.

Chess and Emily are childhood friends and authors who take a girl's trip to Orvieto, Italy, and stay at Villa, which was the scene of a brutal murder decades before. In 1974, a famous musician rented the Villa and invited friends to come and visit. But, before that summer was over, one of them was murdered. However, the two women who stayed there went on to creative success. One writes the greatest horror book of all time, and the other, a platinum album.
Emily, a writer, suffering from writer's block, begins to look into the murders, causing increasing tension between her and Chess. Dangerous secrets from the past and present come together, and it appears the Villa might claim another victim before this summer ends.

"Houses remember," the opening line draws you into this slow-burn mystery/thriller. Inspired by the events that led to the classic novel Frankenstein, the Manson murders, and the band Fleetwood Mac this was atmospheric with gothic and rock and roll vibes. Told in multiple POVs and timelines, the past and present eerily mirror each other's toxic friendships, secrets, rivalry, and betrayals. The intriguing plot unfolds using a book within the book, song lyrics, podcasts other mixed media to tell the story. The Villa came alive on the strength of Hawkins's skillful writing, which had me rapidly turning the pages to discover what would happen to these pretty dysfunctional characters. And being a Frankenstein fan, the Mary Shelley-inspired character, Mari, was fun for me to read!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to review this ARC.