Emily’s life has fallen apart: her husband cheated on her and left, she’s been mysteriously sick for months and still doesn’t know what with, and she’s got nothing for her next book, despite a dwindling chequing account and constant nudges from her agent. Then her friend Chess has an idea: they should go to Italy for the summer. Chess is a famous self-help influencer, with multiple books and a million-dollar brand. They haven’t spent much time together in recent years, but why not? Emily decides to go for it.

The Villa Aestas, their summer retreat, has a spooky story: it was the site of a murder in the 1970s, after a groups of artists stayed there. Pierce Sheldon, a guitarist, was murdered by Johnnie, a pal of the star Noel Gordon, who invited them all. Writer Mari Godwick wrote her first famous novel there that summer, and Lara Larchmont, her stepsister, wrote her famous album Aestas, which ended up lending its name to the Villa. Emily becomes obsessed with their story, and starts to see a way back to writing.

The Villa is told in alternating sections between Mari’s summer at the villa and Emily and Chess’s. Clips from books, emails, podcasts and other pieces round out the story. Mari’s summer honestly sounded a bit like the summer Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein - but I did have a good time with this one. It had a number of little twists, and didn’t quite follow the path expected.

I loved this book! I was intrigued from the very beginning in both Emily and Mari’s stories. I think that the storytelling was great and even though one of the twists at the end seemed a little predictable, everything else at the end of the book had me saying “omg”. The only issue I have with the book is the last chapter leaving me a little confused. I’m not sure I fully understand the ending, so I’m looking forward to reading others’ thoughts on the ending. I would definitely give it a solid 4.5/5 stars and I’m excited to read more books from the author.

Secrets and scandal are the themes of this murder mystery thriller, The Villa, by Rachel Hawkins! Travel between the present and the mid-1970s with Chess and Emily as they uncover the hard truths behind the Villa Rosato, their rental in Italy, for a summer filled with writing and rekindling of friendship. The Villa is a perfect late summer/early fall thriller with a hint of intrigue, suspense, and spookiness. I enjoyed the alternating points of view between the time periods as the details of the mysteries surrounding The Villa begin to come into view for the reader. You’ll fall in love with the strong female characters of the present and want to fight for the female characters of the past as each individual embarks on a journey to find her artistic outlet and solve life’s struggles.

Once inseparable, but now in a frayed relationship, lifetime best friends Emily and Chess take a trip together to a villa in Italy to both work on their books and repair their friendship. Emily soon starts to research the history of the house and discovers the story of Mari, who while staying at the villa the 1970s wrote an incredibly famous horror novel. Mari was also there when the murder of a famous star happens. As Emily researches the story she begins to uncover the true events of that night as well as what kind of person Chess really is.

This book is definitely a slow-burn story. It was a little to slow for my taste. When revelations are revealed they are a little anti-climactic and I began to lose interest. The story flows between the points of view of Emily and Mari. I felt that with the villa being called a Murder House the reveals good have been a lot more intense and satisfying.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Rachel Hawkins for letting me read this ARC.

Emily is at a low point in her life. Her writing career has stalled, her husband has left her and she is still recovering from a mysterious illness that doctor’s had never figured out. So when her famous, self-help guru best friend invites her to spend the summer in Italy at a Villa with a sketchy past, she goes for a change of pace.

In the 70’s, Mari also stayed at the same villa with her step-sister, her boyfriend, a famous rock star and the rock star’s friend. Amid drinking, drugs and art creation, tragedy strikes. But what truly happened that night?

The Villa alternates between Emily’s and Mari’s perspectives. I was really invested up until about 80% through where I started to not really like where it was going. The twisty parts were not jaw dropping and many of the characters are just really unlikable. I was expecting a much different cause of Emily’s sickness and I found the character of her husband Matt a little confusing. Is he evil? Did he ever really love her?

Thank you to Net Galley for the advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

After loving The Wife Upstairs and thinking Reckless Girls was just ok, I wasn’t sure what to expect with The Villa, but this is Hawkins’. best novel yet! Atmospheric, or possibly more accurately claustrophobic, a creative plot, and totally engrossing.

The book is set at a villa, but vacillates between 1974 and the events surrounding a murder, and present day, when two childhood best friends take a trip together and stay at the Villa. Both timelines unfold to reveal stories of toxic friendships and betrayal, and connect flawlessly. The ending was unexpected but not outlandish- the clues were there but they were cleverly spaced and included as seemingly casual details and didn’t stand out until the puzzle was completed, A fast, excellently written read- highly recommend!

Emily is a cozy mystery author who has been struggling with finishing her latest novel after splitting up with her husband. When her childhood BFF, Chess, suggests a summer get-away in Italy she decides it might do her some good. Emily soon learns that their rental, Villa Aestas in Orvieto, was once called Villa Rosato and was the location of a well-known murder in 1974. Emily begins researching the events of 1974 but as she gets closer to discovering the truth, tensions rise between her and Chess, and secrets from their past are soon revealed.

The Villa is a brilliant new mystery/thriller by author Rachel Hawkins. The story transitions between present day and events leading up to a murder in 1974. The reader soon discovers that their getaway local is said to be cursed and was home to an infamous murder. The events of 1974 are told by a young woman, Mari, who was the girlfriend of the victim. After the murder, Mari went on to write one of the greatest horror novels of all time Lilith Rising. Emily becomes obsessed with the murder and discovers clues in the novel that lead to uncovering Mari's hidden journal in the house. This is a fun double mystery in which Emily and Mari's lives seem to connect despite the years separating the events. The Villa was an engaging read that was difficult to put down including a fun twist I didn't see coming. A must read for 2023!

Rachel Hawkins is an automatic author for me. Any book by her I have to have. They NEVER disappoint. This was awesome! And the fact that it included Italy as the setting- sold even more. A must read!

I really loved the plot of the book and how it followed multiple sets of characters in the same location at different times. I loved the connections between all of them and how all of them were slightly different as well. I also really liked the characters and how even though there were a lot of them, they were well developed and easy to keep track of who was who. Only giving this 4/5 stars because I wasn't super surprised or wow'ed by the ending. There was a minor plot twist at the very end, but it did leave me wanting a bit more.

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
The Villa by Rachel Hawkins
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 288 / Genre: Psychological Thriller / Release Date: Jan. 3, 2023

From the Publisher’s Description: 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.

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins is a keep-you-on-your-toes psychological thriller that swings between two sets of women and their experiences while staying at a beautiful villa in Italy. The futures of both sets of women are changed forever based on what went down in the villa.

This is the perfect read for when you’re in the mood for a really good mystery with a twisty ending and wish you were on vacation in Italy. It comes out Jan. 3, 2023, so be sure to add it to your #TBR!

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the advance copy of this book. I loved it!

I loved this! “ The Villa” tells the story of two sets of women 50 years apart and how their lives forever changed while staying at a vacation home in Italy. I love the parallel stories, while similar play out very differently. Rachel Hawkins does a great job of creating complex characters quickly so you care about where the story is going from the onset. While there wasn’t some big twist I didn’t kind of see coming this was still an amazing book so well written you won’t be able to stop turning the page.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This story was full of twists and turns until the very last page! The characters backgrounds were built so well I felt like I knew them. The story is told from two different points of view, and on separate time lines, which kept things constantly interesting. The time lines aspect allowed many chapters to leave us on a cliff hanger! It was hard to put this book down!

A picturesque summer in the Italian countryside at a beautiful Villa with a haunted past? Yes please!

Rachel Hawkins has officially become on of my go to thriller authors! The Villa had everything I could have wanted and more. If you enjoyed Reckless Girls, you’ll like this one!

I’ve come to expect some wonderful female characters out of this author and I was so happy to see that in this one. Emily, Chess, Mari, and Lara are all women that haven’t been dealt the greatest of cards in their lives. They all have a sort of ‘awakening’ at the Villa and take matters into their own hands to craft a better future for themselves.

I thoroughly enjoyed the dual timelines, especially as they were broken up by snippets of emails, novel excerpts, and news articles. By the time I got half way through this one, I was dying to know what happened at the Villa in the 70s! My brain was going all over the place trying to guess what was going on and I absolutely loved the twist ending. I could easily go on and on about this book, but I don’t want to give any spoilers away. It was just so much fun to read!

The Villa is like Fleetwood Mac meets the Shelleys and Byron and the Year Without a Summer and I am HERE FOR IT. I didn't love the present day story as much as the one set in the past, but this was the perfect summer read and I can't wait to recommend it at my library.

I loved this book! It is my favorite read by Rachel Hawkins so far. The suspense was just right. I loved the strong female characters, and how the story unfolded in each of the two different timelines. It is well written and I couldn’t put it down. Highly enjoyable

This is a breezy dual timeline domestic thriller that I read in a day. I enjoyed the portrayal of female friendship and the idyllic, not-so-very-gothic setting of the Italian villa.

In the modern timeline, Emily, a moderately successful cozy mystery writer going through a bad divorce, is invited to the villa by her friend Chess, a bestselling self-help author. The villa was the scene of a murder in the 1970s when a rock star stayed there with an entourage, including two stepsisters - one of whom goes on to write a Tapestry-like hit album while the other writes a cult horror novel. (This section is based on Mary Shelley writing Frankenstein in Italy, but I didn’t catch onto that until I read the reviews.) Modern-day Emily switches from cozies to true crime as she discovers diary entries and other sources that are included throughout.

I thought the two timelines blended rather well. It was maybe a little cluttered with all the extraneous material, which included excerpts from the album and horror novel, but it all fit together. The earlier timeline has a bit of a head-scratching twist at the end that I felt was okay but unnecessary. However, I was quite disappointed in the resolution of the modern story - Emily deserved a better friend, IMO.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.

Emily & Chess, both best-selling authors and best friends since childhood, embark on a summer long getaway to an idyllic Italian Villa just outside the walled hill town of Orvieto. Emily, reeling from illness and pending divorce, sees this trip as a way to reconnect with Chess and catch up on writing her tenth cozy in her well loved series.

Villa Aestas has a dark & complicated history as the location of a 1970’s sensational murder involving rockstar Noel Gordon, step-sisters Lara & Mari, Pierce & Johnnie.

Emily is inspired by the Villa’s history and digs into the past of sex, drugs, rock & roll and what actually happened all those years ago and how it ends up relating to her life now.

I loved the dual timelines told through the help of song lyrics, newspaper clippings. I loved the moody, gothic setting with the promise of sinister vibes. This was a solid four stars for me and my favourite by Rachel Hawkins yet!

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press & Rachel Hawkins for the review copy. Book is slated to be released in January 2023.

This book tells a multi-dimensional story from the point of views of Emily and Mari with excerpts from a novel written by Mari. Emily is set in the present day and Mari in the 70s-90s with the main focus on the 70s. When I first started reading, I struggled to keep up with the multiple timelines. I would get Mari and the novel mixed up as well as a few of the characters. Once my brain was able to sort it all I appreciated the setup and how the different timelines started to connect.

In my last book review, I mentioned adoring every character. This book was the opposite. No one was likable. I didn’t mind that and felt it made for an interesting read. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Emily and Chess’ friendship, Emily’s divorce, and Mari’s dysfunctional life and relationship.

This was almost a 4 star read for me until the very end. I felt underwhelmed and that there was potential to make it much more twisted/creepy.

Overall a good slow-paced thriller that I think is worth giving a shot.

This book is written in two different timelines with very little dialogue. The plot wasn’t really interesting to me. This book was not for me, unfortunately but I have enjoyed her previous books.

Rachel Hawkins thrillers are some of my favorite books. This is by far my favorite book by her yet. An endless story of unexpected surprises, I couldn’t put the book down.