“The Villa” is a literary thriller that is set in a beautiful Italian home - and the house remembers. In the 1970s a young writer Mari, her rock musician partner Pierce, and half-sister Lara are guests of famous rock star Noel at this villa. The events that take place inspire Mari to write a haunted bestseller. This story is revealed within the greater plot of “The Villa” and inspires present day Emily, now staying at the villa with her influencer best friend Chess, to write her story based on the secrets held within. This plot is a story, within a story, within a story. The structure of the novel is unique and impressive, but at times got confusing.

Such a fast and easy read. The two stories blended together so well and the ending totally threw you off.

It gives off “The Family Upstairs” vibes.

THE VILLA has cemented Rachel Hawkins an an #autobuyauthor for me. Having really enjoyed THE WIFE UPSTAIRS (but yet to read RECKLESS GIRLS) I was super excited to get my hands on an #arc of this one. Plus, I'm a total sucker for the "book within a book" trope.

THE VILLA is definitely a Gothic style slow burn, so don't expect too much action until near the end. I enjoyed the dual timelines (past and present) as well as the ...weird? interesting? toxic? ..friendship dynamics between Emily and Chess.

Cause y'know...what happens at The Villa, stays at the Villa.

Thank you to Netgalley for my #arc

5 star read!! In The Villa, you get to experience love, heartbreak, beautiful scenery, and of course, an binge read worthy thriller. I loved how throughout the book you experience what’s happening in the past and the present. The main characters in both timelines have you feeling like you are walking right beside them. The twist at the end will leave you speechless. I will honestly be thinking about this book for days!! Thank you Rachel Hawkins for this book, and for sharing Emily and Mari with your readers.

This book was very intriguing and kept me wanting more. I really enjoy dual timelines which was well done in this book. I liked how the two stories worked so well together. At first I was more interested in the story of Mari but as time went on I became invested in Emily’s timeline as well. I enjoyed the twists and turns during the last 1/3 of the book!

The Villa is dark, twisty and unpredictable. I developed theories early on and couldn’t wait to figure out if I was right. Rachel Hawkins did a fabulous job of making you think you were on the right track only to snatch that feeling away in the end. I don’t usually like an ending that’s left open to interpretation but this worked for me. Proving that there’s always two sides to every story, The Villa is a must read thriller.

Rachel Hawkins newest slow-burn thriller, The Villa, is a gripping mystery/ women ´s fiction tale. Childhood best friends, and now grown writers, Emily and Chess reconnect to spend a summer in an Italian villa to help break Emily´s writers ´ block and ignite new ideas. Told from bouncing past and present settings, we start to see how these ´friends´ developed their rivalry, and the history amongst their families pasts. I would not necessarily classify this as a thriller as most Hawkins books are. There was an obvious mysterious aspect of the characters, and how their personalities shape and drive their relationships - sometimes to the death.
I was excited to learn that the Villa was inspired by the true historical events of Percy and Mary Shelley´s (Frankenstein!) stay at the Lake Geneva castle.

While I definitely enjoyed Reckless Girls more than the Villa, this is a solid read that you will fly through. Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin´s Press and Rachel Hawkins for the eARC.

The Villa is Gothic Literature meets Daisy Jones and The Six…. and it's incredible.

Emily's life is a disaster; writer's block, a messy divorce, undiagnosed health problems, and financial disarray. Her long-time best friend and self-help author, Chess, seems to have her life almost *too* together. Chess rents an Italian villa for the summer and invites Emily to join her. While staying in the Villa, Emily uncovers the secrets of the house and the famous murder that took place there in the '70s.

In an alternate timeline, we read about Mari's defining summer as an artist when she wrote her acclaimed feminist horror novel, Lilith Rising (inspired by the real life of Frankenstein author Mary Shelley). Mari and Emily's lives become a little too similar as they spend their summer in the Villa, 50 years apart, writing their masterpiece works and discovering the dark secrets of the people closest to them.

The literary allusions in this book are insightful and delightful. I loved the 70's inspired retelling of Mary Shelley's real-life drama. Hawkins weaves magazine articles, book excerpts, a murder podcast, interviews, and song lyrics into the story. I can't wait to read more from this author!

Content warnings for toxic relationships, mild violence, substance use, and sex.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sending me this book for review. All opinions are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Whoa, you know what’s fun? When you have a book that is a mystery wrapped in another mystery. The Villa by Rachel Hawkins features lifetime besties who decide to spend a month’s vacation at an Italian villa where over 20 years ago there was a murder of a famous rock & roll singer…hence two storylines. Chess (Jessica) and Em (Emily), are authors & successful writers, so they agree to spend a “working” vacation together to finish their pending but overdue new novels. The story alternates between modern day and the 70s with the backstory of the rock-star murder featuring two different female characters. Lara, working on a music album, and Mari, writing a novel when the murder occurred. The four women in this story have some commonality, and their stories intersect to a very successful conclusion. Secrets, lies, and jealousy make for an entertaining read. The Villa was a well-written thriller with exciting lead characters. This book will be a huge hit for the author Rachel Hawkins. #murder #mystery #jealousy #celebrity #artists #marriage #infidelity #loss #love #MYSTERY #italy #TheVilla @netgalley #netgalley #beautifulcover @stmartinspress #arc
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I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to NetGalley, and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this book. Pub Date: Jan 3, 2023.

#bookaddict #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #bookstagramer #bookshelf #booksbooksbooks #readersofinstagram #reader #booklove #bookreader

This book proves that Ruth Ware has a knack at giving new tropes for thriller fans. This one has a little bit of everything, different timelines, drama, murder, sex drugs and rock and roll. Very atmospheric and a good read.

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this eARC! I loved Reckless Girls so I was really excited when I got approved for this one.

With that said, I do not feel like this story was as dark as the synopsis frames it out to be (which, tbh, I was okay with me since my horror tolerance has gotten significantly less as I’ve gotten older.) I was expecting this to be similar to The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas, but it ended up more like We Were Never Here by Andrea Bartz. Basically, do not expect this to be an intense, full-of-twists, type of thriller.

I did LOVE the setting, the personalities of each character, the dual timelines, and that ending! 🤯 How everything tied together in the end was something I never could have predicted.

And the biggest lesson to learn from this book: check to make sure a murder didn’t occur at any vacation home you are staying at. 🙃

What an interesting read! I love when a book captures me and I can't put it down and just want to get to the next page!

I was so excited to get an ARC copy of Rachel Hawkins "The Villa", thank you Net Galley for the opportunity.
This was my first Rachel Hawkins, but many of her books are on my TBR - and I will be moving them up after finishing The Villa.
Super engaging story, with Emily and Chess being relatable and empowering.
There is a slow burning sense of dread while you make your way through the story, you feel almost claustrophobic inside the villa.
I had a bit of trouble as an ADHD reader with the dual storylines, but I found keeping a small note pad nearby and making annotations really helped.

I’m a big fan of Rachel Hawkins, so I was excited to get an ARC of The Villa. An author goes on a trip to Italy with her best friend and stays in a house that holds many secrets from the past. She discovers journals from the 1970s that chronicle the events that happened in the Villa, and murder and mystery are rampant. It was an interesting plot, but overall I gave it 3/5 ⭐️‘S.

Here is not a book review but I STILL WANT TO KNOW.

Ok but… WHERE are the second set of Mari’s papers were hidden?

The Villa is dual storyline about a house in Italy, Villa Rosato, that has been home to sinister events. In 1974 a famous rockstar rents the Villa and brings with him a small entourage to spend the Summer with him. Meanwhile, present day two friends in their 30s head off to Italy to reconnect. Things take a turn in both instances and, well… you will have to read to find out!

I’m not always a fan of dual storylines because I am usually invested in one more than the other, but I found myself equally loving what was going on in both timelines!

If you love atmospheric, twisty and mysterious reads, this one is for you!

Many thanks to Rachel Hawkins, St. Martin’s Press, and Goodreads for a digital copy of this book. I read and reviewed this voluntarily and opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own. This book is available for purchase on January 23rd, 2023!

"The Villa" is a fun, original, twisted thriller, full of heartbreak, intrigue, and trust built and broken. The alternating timelines and perspectives combine to tell a story with no victors and plenty of wreckage. Well-written and fast paced, it is easy to get pulled into the world of this book and difficult to leave before the end.

Houses Remember. Wow! Past and present intertwine in this creepy mystery. It was a great read!

Emily and Chess were BFFs as teens but they drifted apart when they reached adulthood. Emily went on to marry Matt, but is now going through a messy divorce after he cheated on her.
Both girls are professional writers-Emily writing fiction and Chess is a self-help guru. When Chess offers Emily a trip to Italy to stay in a villa for the summer, she hopes it will be a chance to reconnect and to get her writing back on track.
It turns out the villa was the scene of a murder in the 70s, with a famous singer present. Step-sisters, Mari & Lara, end up producing a famous book and album after that fatal trip.
Emily starts looking into the events of that dreadful summer and begins writing again. As she gets closer to the truth, the past and present collide. Will the villa claim another victim? 

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Don’t you just love when you have a very thoughtful review written up… only to have it freeze without saving? The Villa review. Take 2!

“Houses remember.” This sentence bookends the story of an Italian Villa that is the centerpiece for this book. 2 lifelong girlfriends reconnect on a summer holiday at Villa Aestas, formerly known for a grisly murder that took place there in the 70’s.

What is to come is a retelling of the past in journals, magazine articles and newspaper clippings, and the future where one character digs more into the story of what actually happened.

I truly thought there would be some more suspense to either story and in the end both timelines fell a bit flat. Honestly what I wanted m more of was the Lilith Rising horror novel, written by one of the main characters from the “past” timeline.

A twisty, multi-layered and timelines thriller, I normally don’t enjoy a slow burn paced take but loved this book!

With themes of choices, friendship, deceit and romance, it’s hard to know who to trust which only makes this read so compelling. Loved it!