A unique story that grasped my attention from the start. Did not know where the story was going, and I'm usually good at guessing the twist ending. But didn't see anything coming and really enjoyed it.

This was not my favorite book and in the long term I do not think it will be all that memorable for me.

Emily and Chess have been friends since childhood but they don’t have the most balanced friendship. When Chess rents an Italian villa where a murder occurred Emily goes with to escape her life.

The book follows the dual story of Emily and Chess as well as Mary and the crew that was in the house during the 1974 murder. It alternates between Emily and Mary- who are both struggling to write a bit with Emily examining the murder and Mary living the events leading up to it.

I found that this was a bit unfinished for me and I didn’t understand motivation of characters at times. Several unresolved items at the end of the book linger.

I appreciated the opportunity to read this in advance.

I’m hit or miss with Rachel Hawkins books. I loved The Wife Upstairs, but hated Reckless Girls. This was a good, solid read for me. When I read that it was partly inspired by the Manson murder, I was sold. I was immediately sucked into this story and I equally liked the present timeline with Emily and Chess and the past timeline. I knocked off a star because I felt that the ending was kind of random and didn’t fit with the rest of the story. Overall, I really enjoyed this quick, dual timeline thriller!

I was excited to read this story, but I was disappointed by the overall book. There was little suspense and they mystery just wasn't that interesting. I did enjoy the dual timeline telling of the story. I really love the premise of the book, it just didn't work for me.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This is my third Rachel Hawkins book and the third time I've felt "meh" about her book. I think this might be okay if you don't read many mysteries or just want something entertaining to get through in an afternoon, but I'm finding that her mysteries aren't particularly intriguing.

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

✨Book Review✨

The Villa
By Rachel Hawkins (@ladyhawkins)
Release Date: 1/3/23
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

This book is a dual timeline, dual POV mystery that’ll leave you curious for most of the book. The present-day timeline features two 30-something friends, Emily and Chess. Their friendship felt more like frenemies to me, even though they’ve been friends since childhood. Chess is a self-help guru, and Emily a cozy mystery writer. They decide to take a 6 week girls trip to an Italian villa, which it turns out was home to a mysterious murder in the 1970s. They both hope to further their writing, but the mysterious murder may be the plot twist that turns their trip upside down.

The second timeline features a group of young people who stay in the villa. This is where and when the murder takes place, alongside lots of drugs, alcohol, sex, and tension.

I spent a lot of the book wondering when something exciting was going to happen. But all of the curiosity paid off because the ending was stunning! You purposely don’t trust any of the characters, and I loved that. I definitely recommend it!

Thank you @netgalley, @stmartinspress and @ladyhawkins for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

And thank you @lyndsey_reads for the buddy read! I’m so glad to have you to always read and non-stop chat about our Rachel Hawkins buddy reads! 🤣

My review as posted on Goodreads:

I’m grateful that the publishers gave me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I was hooked right away! I was super intrigued by this particular dual timeline and was curious how it would all connect in the end. While I was slightly disappointed in the way the Emily and Chess story wrapped up (it seemed a little rushed), I loved the last chapter about Mari! Great twist!

*** Best friends since they were kids Emily and Chess spend a girl's trip in Italy to reconnect

Villa Aestas in Orvieto is a high-end holiday home now, but in 1974, a horrific murder took place.

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. Perhaps the murder wasn’t just a tale of sex, drugs, and rock & roll gone wrong, but something more sinister might have occurred––and there might be clues hidden in the now-iconic works that Famous Author Mari and Musician 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.***

I have loved Rachel's 2 previous books they were action-packed, fast-paced, and hooked me early on in the story.
Unfortunately, this one didn't have the same effect. it's much slower paced and switches between 1974 and the present time. The characters weren't particularly likable, especially Chess but then maybe that was the point. there were a couple of twists that weren't that shocking and the last one had me felling let down.
I wanted to love it but this one wasn't for me,

The Villa alternated between timelines and perspectives. Some parts felt rushed but overall a decent mystery thriller. Not as twisty as I had hoped. I felt I was more invested/interested in the present timeline rather than the past. 


Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ebook for an honest review.

I have always loved Rachel Hawkins’ books, but this was my favorite! I hung on her words, and stayed up wayyyy too late as I couldn’t but it down. If you like thrillers, you have to give this one a try.

I highlighted this book on my Booktube channel. The video can be accessed here: https://youtu.be/uiqwuZFoM5s

I quite enjoyed the back and forth of this story. In fact, it made me want to visit this villa for myself. A pleasant read that will have you flipping pages until it’s done.

Set in Italy spanning two timelines, something about The Villa just never quite clicked for me. We have aspiring writer Mari’s recollection of a drug-fueled murder in the 1970’s mirroring present day novelist Emily’s struggle to pen her next read following a contentious divorce. The parallels between the two trips to villa were obvious in many ways, leaving the big reveal at the end not exactly a surprise. More than that, I struggled with reading excerpts from Mari’s book along with detailed accounts of the murder in the 70’s along with the present day accounts of Emily and Chess. It felt like a lot going on and nothing going on at the same time. I also found the strained friendship between Emily and Chess a little TOO strained to believe how the rest of the story panned out. Overall, just not the book for me.

Emily and Chess, ex-BFF's, now more frenemies, both writers, spend the summer together at an Italian villa to jumpstart their writing projects. The house has a history, that spawns the dual timelines. I found that I wasn't that vested in the past narrative, finding the current story more compelling. Overall, the story is a bit of a slow burn, but has some nice twists at the end. Overall, a solid beach read, and I would recommend for anyone looking for such.

Published Jan 3, 2023 - Available now! Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely love Rachel Hawkins and will read anything she writes. This book was no different. It had me guessing until the very last second, Her writing is completely captivating, and I can't love it enough.

I didn’t know how I’d like the varying points of view but I truly enjoyed how the dual timelines and various points of view meshed together and flowed. This is such a greatly formed book and the setting is pristine as well.

I enjoyed this one! Especially the audio which was narrated by one of my favorites! It started out slow, but slowly built up to an excellent story. I must say I had the twist figured out, but it didn't disappoint. Love the setting, story and characters.

4 1/2 STARS!

My favorite Rachel Hawkins book to date! A book within a book, two authors who are frenemies, an Italian villa, and Julia Whelan narrating. Loved it all.

Emily and Chess are lifelong best friends but have grown apart as their lives have taken different paths. Emily is suffering from anxiety and writer's block, so When Chess suggests spending time in Italy, Emily agrees. Did I trust Chess? Not completely but I had a feeling there was at least one unreliable narrator here!

At Villa Aestas, their home in Orvieto, Italy, Emily uncovers what seem to be clues about the villa's tragic past. Formerly known as Villa Rosato, it was the setting for a high profile murder in the 1970's. But what also occurred during that summer was the creation of one of the best horror novels of all time and a wildly successful album.

I love a dual timeline, and I especially loved the 1970's timeline here. The characters staying in Villa Rosato in 1974 were not entirely likeable but all fascinating. The book does get off to a slow start but the ending absolutely delivered in terms of surprises! Narration by Julia Whelan was, as always, perfection, and I enjoyed the other narrators as well. I devoured this thriller!

(I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook from Macmillan Audio through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.)

Overall, it was an interesting novel, however, the idea of the house as a character was lost. The Villa was important to each character, however, it did not seem to be more than a place for the story to happen. It needed more presence - a presence.