I have read all of this author's work. Thanks to NetGalley, I had an ARC of this book. My honest review is that this book is different from her others, so maybe it did not live up to what I expected. Two forever friends and the twenty years of history were the backdrop. This was not my favorite work of the author, but it did tell a story and revealed lots of things that led up to the ending.

My goal book! My goal was to read 40 books this year & I’ve already hit it. I’ve read so many great books so far this year (and a few not-so-great, but we don’t focus on that!)📚

The Villa is my second Rachel Hawkins book and it didn’t disappoint! I loved the twists that came in The Wife Upstairs and The Villa gave me the same thrill.

Emily & Chess are childhood best friends who grew up to be writers. Chess writes books like Rachel Hollis while Emily writes more to the tune of VC Andrews. The summer after Emily separates from her husband, Chess plans a trip for them to a beautiful Italian villa so they can both focus on writing their next books. This Italian villa isn’t just beautiful, it’s also where a famous murder took place in the 70s. The Villa tells the story of Emily & Chess alongside the story of Mira, Lara, and the others involved in the murder. I loved the way the two stories intertwined.

The Villa comes out in January 2023! Thank you to @netgalley & @stmartinspress for this ARC 🎉

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance digital copy of this book. I enjoyed this slow-burn, twisty tale that takes places in two different (but not so different) time periods. How far will friends go to protect the ones they love? Who can truly be trusted? And how would you rewrite your life differently? Rachel Hawkins writes yet another book that leaves you guessing and wondering all of these things!

Incredible storyline. I crushed this book in a day, it simply could not put it down. I’ve never read a book like this… it was just SO good!

Rachel Hawkins' THE VILLA is her most tantalizing suspense novel yet. Interweaving the past and present, set in a spot every summer-reader will long to visit, and peopled with wonderfully crafted characters, this is a don't-stop-reading-until-the-final-word novel.

Many thanks to St Martins and to Netgalley for the opportunity of an early read.

Wow! This book! It is my favorite Rachel Hawkins book yet.

Would you stay at a Villa tucked away in a quaint town of Italy if a murder took place there in the 1970s? That is what Chess and her best friend Em do in order to make progress on books that they are each writing. Chess is a self help author who has risen to fame over the past few years. Em is a cozy mystery writer who is having a very hard time writing her next novel in the midst of a nasty divorce. While staying in the villa, Emily gets caught up in the details of the murder that happened in the villa in 1974. She vows to learn the truth about what really happened and discovers clues throughout the summer.

In between the story of Chess and Emily, we learn about the five young artists that stay in the villa during the summer of 1974. I was caught up in Mari's timeline. These artists definitely gave me Fleetwood Mac vibes.

Throughout both timelines there are twists and turns that you don't see coming and find yourself at the end of the book going...NO WAY.

I highly recommend this book!

My favorite thing about this book was definitely the mysterious, kind of gothic vibe! I was immediately taken in and got through this one very quickly. However, the ending was not my favorite - it just got a little too crazy for me, and I ended up disliking all the modern day characters. Overall, it was still an enjoyable read and I'm a fan of Rachel Hawkins. I've learned to accept that I'll probably never agree with how her books end, but I always enjoy the first 90% of her books, so that definitely counts for something!

If you're looking for an easy-to-read murder mystery with plenty of drama and crazy twists, this is a great pick for you! If you're a little pickier about your thriller/mystery books, then you may want to pass.

This is by far my favorite Rachel Hawkins book! The setting, the characters, the multiple POVs & timelines all made for a really interesting gothic suspense story. The story mostly takes place at a Villa in Orvieto, Italy- where two friends Emily & Chess stay for several weeks at a beautiful villa that was once the site of a brutal murder back in 1974. Emily and Chess’s stay is full of twists and turns, while the author is also giving you insight to the history behind the murder.

This was an enjoyable read, I couldn’t put it down! Highly recommend if you enjoy reading about friend drama & relationships, murder, mystery, and a dash of rock and roll. This comes out 1-3-23, be sure to add it to your TBR! Thanks to Net Galley for the review!

I enjoyed the depth of the characters and the suspense of the story as it developed. It had me intrigued until the last minute! Highly recommend!

I love everything Rachel Hawkins does, and this was no exception. A fantastic thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. I already can’t wait to read her next book!!

Rachel Hawkins knows how to write women. Each book develops the characters more and more into completely believable and relatable versions.

The actions of Lara and Mari at age 19 are particularly relatable. We're so full of hormones and idiocy at that age, it's a wonder any of us survive.

All of us have had a toxic friend, or have BEEN a toxic friend. I like that with Hawkins, you can't ever tell who the villains are. Maybe we are all villains in someone else's story.

This quirky domestic style mystery/thriller switches between two present day friends, and a group of artists in the 70s. Emily and Chess have decided to spend the summer at a villa in Italy - which is also the site of a murder that took place in the 70s. The way the stories are interwoven and how the narrative switches back and forth kept me intrigued and I couldn't wait to find out what happened next in both stories.

This is a unique book in that I didn't end up really loving any of the characters. I felt for all of them, I could see the ways in which they were flawed and they were trying -- but ultimately I didn't love them. Often when this happens I end up disliking the book -- but in this case I actually really liked the book despite these characters.

I studied abroad in Italy, not too far from where this book takes place, when I was 19 -- the same age as Mari and Lara are when they are at the villa -- which made me love it even more.

Overall, I always love being transported to Italy, and I loved the twists and turns in this one -- definitely an enjoyable read!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

I was drawn immediately into this book. I loved the dual timelines but then it just got a little two strange for me.

Lots of language and too much sex for my liking.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for letting me try it out!

I enjoyed The Wife Upstairs but enjoyed The Villa much more! Though it took me a few chapters to get into the story, I was hooked and finished most of it in a day.
The dual storylines were well done, and I was invested in both of them. There were the obvious parallels we were meant to notice, but were different enough to remain interesting. I actually wanted to hear the songs and read the books (well, not Chess') that the characters wrote. I enjoyed the snippets of media (newspaper articles, podcast transcripts) peppered throughout that give more context.
The "twists" were not very hard to predict, and a few seemed to wrap up a little too neatly. The present day characters were all pretty unlikable, however they were interesting and well written so I wanted to keep reading. I was rooting for the characters from the 1970s, so their tragedies made me feel in the ways the present day characters did not. It was a pretty good balance.

I really enjoyed the parallel stories and opposing view points. I felt that Hawkins did a good job painting the scene in the past and present, as well as providing character development in both timelines throughout the story. I definitely was not expecting either twist along the way and enjoyed how everything came together in the last pages.

Villa Aestas has the reputation as the murder house. In the 70s, a group of musicians and artists gathered to write some music together. Musician Noel was famous and was collaborating with up and comer Pierce. Pierce was with a writer named Mari and brought along her sister, Lara, who was hooking up with Noel. The girls were basically groupies, but after a murder occurs during their stay, the girls end up the most famous. Mari writes a best selling horror novel and Lara writes a top charting album. Fast forward to the present, writers and estranged BFFs Chess and Em stay at Villa Aestas as a reuniting writers retreat. As they dig into the history of the house and their friendship, big secrets come out.
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💭Thoughts💭
Usually in a book with duel timelines, you end up preferring one over the other. Not the case here. I loved the drama with Chess and Em and the horror of the lead up the murder with Lara and Mari. Author @ did such a nice job of wrapping the two stories together and there were so many cool parallels.
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⌛️Favorite Moment⌛️
The process of Mari’s writing and the excerpts from the book itself were some of my favorite parts. She was definitely misunderstood and learning about her life and how sad it actually was really opens your eyes to how she for herself into this strange situation.
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🎉 Theme Ideas 🎉
Watch a horror movie or read a scary thriller- Steven King is always a good choice! Or, listen to some moody 70s music. Think Stevie Nicks and Joni Mitchell.

This dual-timeline thriller has strong female protagonists, even if not many of them are very likable (or even relatable). I expected the house (The Villa) to be more of a character or at least a presence than it actually was. The plot twisted and I admit I did not expect the ending!

The Villa
By: Rachel Hawkins
Narrated By: Julia Whelan
Review Score: 3 1/2 Stars

Five Key Feels

-I love the dual timelines.

-The setting is absolutely beautiful, I could imagine myself there.

-It was interesting to learn more about each character, as none of them were really likeable.

-The tie in between the two timelines was really well done.

-I found some of the twists to be a bit predicable, but it was still well written within the story.

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The Villa was kindly provided as an ARC by Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press. Thank you for allowing me to read this wonderful book!

Release Date: 1/3/23

The Villa follows two different storylines. The first is a girl named Mari, who goes to the Villa with her step sister, boyfriend, and a musician they all know (and his dealer). The second follows Emily and her friend Chess, an “influencer” who writes Self Help books.

A horrible murder happens while Mari and her friends are there, and Emily wants to learn more about it.

There is ALOT of drama in this book. A lot of lies and infidelity. Some of it really added to the story, but some of it was, in my opinion, a little too much.

I did not find any of the characters to be particularly likable, and some of it felt a bit forced. No spoilers, but there is a particularly crazy moment between Chess and Emily, and the resolution seemed too quick for how I think most people would react.

There is also quite a bit of trauma in this book. Death, physical abuse, emotional abuse, and infant death. Obviously, thrillers are meant to be intense, but there were more triggers in this book than I was expecting.

Still, I did enjoy this book. The scenery was beautiful, and I loved the jumps between the timelines. As the story unfolded, I was on the edge of my seating, reading breathlessly to know how the story ended.

#bookstagram #books #readingnow #boogiereadsbooks #fivekeyfeels #audiobooks #audiobook #fiction #arcreview #netgalley #stmartinspress #thevilla #rachelhawkins #juliawhelan

Unputdownable is the best way I can describe this book. I devoured it in one day, The Villa is a phenomenal read. I didn’t want it to end.

Typical run-of-the-mill story. I felt like it was flat; both stories inside the book were. I was expecting some slam in ya face with the line, “House remembers”. It is such a sinister line with nothing to back it up. Fun read, just not memorable.