I tried listening to this one on audio and unfortunately it was a DNF for me. Something about the way it was written just did not excite me, I found myself struggling to pick this one up.

Once again Rachel Hawkins knocks a thriller out of the park. Emily and Chess are best friends who decide to spend a summer in Italy, reconnecting after many years of lost time. But the murder that occured in this villa decades ago seems to haunt Emily, and she becomes obsessed with learning more about the tragic events that occurred where she's sleeping. As she learns more, things between Emily and Chess start to become heated.

Rachel Hawkins is a master at thrillers and once again does rural Italy jsutice. She manages to take a place associated with serenity and relaxation and stage a perfectly excuted murder.

How deep are you willing to let your relationships run?

I have been obsessed with every thriller I’ve read from Rachel, and this one was no different. I flew through it in less than two days and couldn’t help but get hooked from the first chapter or so. The suspense and atmosphere created in The Villa was absolutely amazing, and I kept guessing at what I thought would happen because my brain was spinning with so many theories and ideas. There are two timelines woven in the story, as well as some podcast clips and articles, and they did a great job complementing each other and building the various mysteries. There were truly moments that had me gasping out loud, and I loved how the ending was not at all happy but rather quite sinister for our main character. Once again, Rachel has done a great job getting me hooked on her plots and sometimes unlikeable characters, keeping me tuned in to the storyline and wanting to know what would happen next.

CW for violence, murder, blood, mention of miscarriage, loss of child (in past), cheating, sexual content, emotional/verbal abuse and manipulation, divorce, drowning, mention of suicide.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of The Villa by Rachel Hawkins!

I loved The Villa. I've long been a fan of Rachel Hawkins, and her new book was fantastic. I loved the backdrop, the mystery. Every page you could sense the forbidment. I loved the story, the dialogue, and the background! The Villa is so well written that I could envision the Italian landscape. The story is so good!
The suspense... the mood... this is another great book from Rachel Hawkins!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of The Villa by Rachel Hawkins in exchange for an honest review. The Villa is a slow burn thriller that will keep you turning the page until you're at the end!

As kids, Emily and Chess were inseparable. But by their 30s, their bond has been strained by the demands of their adult lives. So when Chess suggests a girls trip to Italy, Emily jumps at the chance to reconnect with her best friend.

Villa Aestas in Orvieto is a high-end holiday home now, but in 1974, it was known as Villa Rosato, and rented for the summer by a notorious rock star, Noel Gordon. In an attempt to reignite his creative spark, Noel invites up-and-coming musician, Pierce Sheldon to join him, as well as Pierce’s girlfriend, Mari, and her stepsister, Lara. But he also sets in motion a chain of events that leads to Mari writing one of the greatest horror novels of all time, Lara composing a platinum album––and ends in Pierce’s brutal murder.

The Villa will keep you guessing and that twist!? Will leave you wanting more from this author.

This was a great read. Love the duel perspective. Love the history. Love the ending. Definitely recommend.

Rachel Hawkins writing is so immersive. I have now read every book by her and I will continue to read them all. The friendships and relationships that are crafted are so real and so intense. Fuck Chess for sure, but I ate this up.
Thanks so much for the ARC!!

I was very interested in the modern day story in this book but I feel like the one taking place in the past was a bit contrived. I thought the modern story was cool because it showed a type of female friendship that I don't see portrayed convincingly very much. The atmosphere of this book was very tangible. Even when I wasn't a fan of the flashback story, I still very much enjoyed being immersed in the world.

Another title where I was unable to read before pub date and waited to read it in print. While I liked it, I saw the minor plot twist coming (or maybe I just wished it would arrive...) which I recall being slightly disappointing, but not enough to make me want to stop reading future Rachel Hawkins,

The Villa written by bestselling author Rachel Hawkins is a dual timeline gothic suspense novel set in a sumptuous Italian villa with a history of murder within its walls. It is an intriguing story of friendships and betrayals that had me turning pages into the wee hours of the night.. There are twists I saw coming, was supposed to see coming so that I missed the slight of hand.

I received a drc from the publisher via NetGalley.

THE VILLA🍋

“The Villa” is a story within a story to get the background of “The Murder House” Told in dual timelines giving us the present and in 1974

I almost feel like I don’t know how to describe my thoughts for this one… I liked it, but also didn’t? I really liked the plot and ideas behind the story but sometimes I found the story within the story a little too long and took meaning away from the main story. I understand the need and purpose for it, but I just wish those parts were shorter and the present parts were longer and more developed. By the end, I still feel like I don’t know much about the main characters.

I have seen reviews for this one on bookstagram and many that listened to this one on audio really enjoyed it, so I would definitely recommend that!

I also need to give a shout out to this gorgeous cover!

Thank you St. Martins Press for my copy in return for my honest review!

I love everything Rachel has written! Unfortunately I read this book so long ago. I no longer have access to it, so I cannot go back and re-read it so that I can mention specific things in this review. But I definitely remember enjoying it!

It was fine. Not great but not terrible. I wish it were better, there was definitely potential but I was bored. Also where was the plot twist? Not even a little unpredictable. I wasn’t very interested in the 70s timeline, wish the characters were a little more interesting.

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins has the perfect setting for a girls beach read. Who else dreams of going to a villa in france with your best friend and just focusing on their creative pursuits while a breakup looms in your life? That’s the setting that we find ourselves in with best friends Emily and Chess. As the weeks go on though, a rift between the two women begins to form as tensions rise. While Chess is flaunting her perfect life and career, Emily is focused on her new book and finding the truth behind a murder that happened at the villa 50 years prior. In true Hawkins style, the ending is explosive and someone pays for the excesses of imagination.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing an e-Arc of The Villa by Rachel Hawkins for my review.

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.