Emily is going through a rough time - her husband has left her and asked for a divorce, she’s experiencing a mysterious health crisis, and her career is in a bumpy patch due to lack of inspiration - when her lifelong best friend Chess invites her to spend the summer recharging in Italy. The Villa they’re staying in quickly pulls Em in with its history: a mysterious death, a successful album penned here, and a book written within the walls as well. Em has come for inspiration so she can meet her book deadline but realizes that Chess has grown into someone who kind of grates on her nerves. Will these two be able to crank out their books by their deadlines or will they get caught up in the mystique that is Villa Aestas?

This was a crazy story inside a crazy story inside another crazy story. It was slightly chaotic but I couldn’t put it down. I was pulled into the intrigue of the house, Em and Chess’ storyline, and Mari and Lara’a storyline. It had enough of a gothic vibe to make it interesting and delivered an infinitely satisfying mystery that kept you reading. I highly recommend!

In the beginning of the story, we're introduced to a semi-popular author of a series of "cozy" murder books named Emily. Truth be told, Emily is struggling both professionally and personally. She's fighting against her ex husband who is trying to take credit for all of her writing, past, present, and future. Her health was spiraling downward until recently and she's afraid one misstep will send her into a relapse of health issues no doctor could find a cause for. Professionally, she feels stuck. She has a series of books that are doing well, but she's not inspired by it. Emily is meeting with her childhood/lifelong best friend, Jessica, or better know to her followers as "Chess". Chess is super popular now in the empowerment, self-help realm and really making a name for herself. But Emily has always felt that Chess is flighty and however nice their lunch feels, she knows that she will be alone to face her issues once again. However, Chess surprises her best friend by inviting her on a vacation away to Villa Aestas and Emily thinks this is a golden opportunity to restart their friendship and escape the monotony her life had become.

Villa Aestas is a modern day air BNB with a murderous past. The story flips between the past and modern day, and also integrates some of the modern day research Emily does once she gets intrigued by all the stories she finds at the house from the soon to be famous people present at the murder.. Theres Pierce, the deceased, Johnnie, the accused murderer, Mari, a soon to be legendary horror thriller, her step sister, Lara, who would be world renown for her music, and the semi washed up rock star of the time, Noel. Originally, the murder was written off as a summer of sex, love and rock and roll gone wrong, but the more time Emily spends in Orvieto, she realizes theres more to the story than anyone knew.

The stories weave a tale of lies, deception, both in the past and the present and has the reader at the end wondering what's the truth and what was fiction. Is the legacy of the villa all to blame or did the evil lie in the inhabitants? I wish there was some additional closure to some of the storylines but overall, I found the book highly entertaining and I enjoyed my stay at the Villa. Highly recommend!

I both enjoyed this book and don't really know why I liked it? It's not really a thriller, though I guess it was mysterious. At the end I was still left with questions - like what DID make Emily sick? Did she or didn't she, what was real and what was a story? Art imitating life imitating art.

(Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review)

My very last book finished in August… and I think this was my first ever Rachel Hawkins book. What a story! There was a whole other novel within this novel which I always find impressive!

I had practically visceral reactions to some of these characters…. The book kept me guessing, that’s for sure.

But that ending. No, it was just all wrong… for me! I truly would’ve preferred to see it go in a different direction in the end. And I can’t really say more than that without spoilers!

I will still try some of her other books. I do have Reckless Girls on my shelf already!

Rachel Hawkins writes really compelling mysteries. This is the second one I’ve read of hers, and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. This is the story of a villa in Italy, where an aspiring musician died in 1974. Today it’s hosting two friends who are authors - one writes cozy mysteries, the other writes self-help books. The timeline flips between now and then - both stories are compelling on their own, and together they are magic.

Rachel Hawkins knocks it out of the park with this thrilling story! I couldn't put it down! There are so many lies and twists that this story keeps you on edge. I also loved the dual timelines. Great read! Thank you so much for my advanced copy!

Another great book from Rachel Hawkins who is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors! I was so thrilled ro get this ARC because I usually devour her books in a day and this one did not disappoint. Told in dual timelines but the same setting, this book flips between Mari who stayed at the beautiful Italian villa in 1974 in the heyday of drugs, sex and rock n roll with 4 friends and Em in the present day who takes a vacation to the same villa with her best friend, Chess. Tragedy befalls Mari in 1974 and while Em is staying there she finds herself compelled to research the murder. While digging through the house searching for clues and inspiration to write a story, Em starts to wonder if everything happened as the news reported.

With a lush setting, fast moving chapters and intrigue, this book was a quick but thought provoking read. Many thanks to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC.

Ms. Hawkins does it again! Fantastic twisty thriller at such a good pace, yet still suspenseful. I loved the dual point of views and the dual timelines, and although I assumed a few twists, it was such an enjoyable read!

The Villa tells the story of Emily and Chess, best friends who have had their share of distance and problems in the past, coming together to spend the summer in an Italian villa. There is no shortness of drama and secrets in this villa and between the girls friendship, which makes for a page turning read. Bravo, 4⭐️!

A big thank you to NetGalley, St Martins Press, and Rachel Hawkins for sending me an advanced readers copy in exchange of my honest review.

This was objectively great, just not my cup of tea! It was a little complicated to follow at times but it was a good, quick read.

This book weaves its story with three perspectives. 1974 Italy where five people share complicated love and life that ends in tragedy … modern day best friends spending the summer in the same Italian villa where their relationship is put to the test … and the horror book written by a young woman who lived through the 1974 tragedy. This book kept me hooked, but I did have to get used to the switching of stories and characters. For a short blip there were even two podcasters thrown in …
This is definitely a heavy, somber read, clear your palate from rom-coms, but did leave me with some questions.

I started off LOVING this book, thinking it was going to be my favorite thriller of the year, but then something happened that took a turn that leaned towards something else… I am now flipping back and forth between 3.5 and 4 stars.

The Villa has the past story of Mari (1974), which I loved! In this story we learn of the first visit to the villa in Italy with her boyfriend Pierce, and her sister Lara. Lara was not one of my favorite characters in this story. In fact, I think we were supposed to feel sorry for her, but I didn’t. I didn’t have any feelings for Mari’s boyfriend Pierce either. Noel was a rock star who invited everyone to stay at the villa back in 1974, and I think he was the only one who had any sense in his head (even if he was a bit arrogant).

We now come to present day, and two “best friends” Emily and Chess go to the villa for a six week vacation. I despised the character of Chess so much, I think that’s when the feelings for this book started to go down. This is also when the book took a turn to being about how girls should stick together no matter how bad they screw each other over. Sorry- but I don’t play like that! If you are an evil, conniving, manipulator, then stay away from me!

We then go to the ending of the book that seemed to leave some open ends and gave you something to think about. I may not have loved this book as much as The Wife Upstairs by Hawkins, but I still highly recommend reading it as the writing is so strong and Mari’s story is impeccable!

Another fun, quick thriller from Rachel Hawkins. I'm normally skeptical of dual-timelines, but she made them come full circle, and I enjoyed reading about each character. It did lull a bit in the middle, but I loved the atmosphere and setting.

The Villa is a complex story of Mari and Lara, woven into Emily and Chess's. The stories run almost parallel and bring you through Em and Chess's friendship while telling the tale of what took place with Mari and Lara so many years prior at the Villa.

This book was well composed and had many twists and turns told mainly from Em and Mari's viewpoints. Altering between 1974, when Mari stayed at the Villa and current day, and current day, when Em found herself vacationing in Italy at the Villa to focus on her writing.

The first 60% of the book is definitely a slow burn. I loved the horror theme - the stories the house holds, the book Mari eventually published inspired by her time at the Villa and how it all comes together at the end. I found myself more intrigued and invested in Mari's POV and feel like her story was well developed. I can't put my finger on it but I felt at times the Chemistry between Em and Chess was lacking and bits of it rushed.

In the final stretch I couldn't put the book down, the ending was perfect. While some things were predictable, I think they were all tied up in a unique way that provided a deeper meaning to the story. Giving this book 3 stars - I enjoyed it, had good creepy vibes, and well developed plot.

Thanks to NetGalley and St.Martin's press for providing a digital reviewer copy for my honest opinion.

Full review closer to publication date!

I'd like to thank the publisher, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good one! I enjoyed the different timelines and the twists and turns. The character development was great. The mystery to it all and then the twisty ending was enjoyable and I couldn’t put this book down. I will be recommending this book to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for an ARC of The Villa! Publication date is January 3, 2023.

It’s 4.5 stars for me. This book was intriguing and kept me glued to the pages for its entirety. The dual timelines were excellent and as an avid thriller reader the final twist was one I did not see coming. I will say that what kept this from being a 5 star for me was a big event in the third act of the novel - it didn’t sit right with me and while I don’t like pitting women against women it was a hard sell for me to pivot from that for two of our characters. More than her other works I’ve read Hawkins does an excellent job of fleshing out our female characters and making me love or hate them accordingly. I expected the mystery of the house to be more suspenseful and I’m not entirely sure I’d call this a true thriller but that’s what I enjoyed most, a mixing of genres that kept me interested and always engrossed in our characters and what would happen next.

So! Good!
The story was a bit hard to follow at points, but overall it was a great plot with twists, turns, and great narrative style. The two women and the dual narrative style was absolutely brilliant and I fell in love with the narrator, even if she was unreliable. Overall, very good writing and a great story.
Goodreads review to come!

This book has two timelines that take place in the same villa. The two timelines eventually intertwine and it was interesting to follow along.

Ultimately for me, I was left feeling underwhelmed. I felt like most of the book was pretty standard and predictable. Toward the end there was too much going on and the ending was just confusing.

I thought that this book was a little disorganized and all over the place. There are two storylines - one in the present day of Emily and her friend Chess who go to a villa in Italy over a summer where a murder had taken place years ago. The other story is of Mari and her sister Lara back in the 70's who were there at the villa at the time of the murder. I kind of felt like both stories were incomplete and unrealistic. I kept wanting to yell at all of the female protagonists because they all seemed clueless about everything. I don't know - I just thought that the story was going to come together at the end and for me, it really didn't.

I enjoy this author's previous work and was thrilled to receive this new release for 2023 for review. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity.

The Villa captures the reader right away with duel timelines. One set in 1974 and the other in present time. Add in a gorgeous Villa in Italy and two old friends reconnecting together through a mystery and its a fun interesting read. The scenery is very atmospheric and enjoyable. Being swept away to italy is always a enjoyable read.
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