Though The Villa is billed as a thriller, I find myself wanting to categorize it more as a slow-burn contemporary fiction, with a thriller undertone.

This intriguing book grabs you right from the beginning. Set in two different timelines, I was definitely drawn more to the 1974 initial story of the murder of Mari, which became the stuff of legend. The present day timeline follows a girl obsessed with the murder and her friend, as they stay in the same villa as the initial murder for six weeks. As the friends investigate the decades old crime,, they discover hard truths and consequences and secrets about the villa.

I did find myself wanting far more of Mari’s story than Emily and Chess though the story kept me engaged throughout. This is a slow paced book, but not quite 300 pages, so it was easy to get through.

Wow. I found this to be an amazing book. You know when a book is so good you can’t put it down, but at the same time you don’t want it to end? This is that book. Phenomenal.
Thank you so much NetGalley for this opportunity to read & review!

The Villa follows two storylines, one set in the present day, the other in the 1970s, both of which take place in the villa for which the book is named. There are several stories within each story, which worked better than I would have expected. The storylines are more circular than anything, and the echoes of the past in the present are fairly obvious, although there were a few unexpected turns along the way that I really enjoyed. A very fast, fun, interesting read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

My thanks to St. Martin's Press, Rachel Hawkins and Netgalley.
After reading and loving Ms. Hawkins last 2 books, I was eagerly anticipating this one. Her book Restless Girls, was my favorite book of 2021!
This one though? It sadly missed the mark for me.
I still had a good time reading it.
So, I'm giving this just 3 stars, but be sure that I'm still on-board the Hawkins train! Even my favorite authors have a misfire occasionally.

A great read with a vintage feel as this story moves back and forth in time. A creative concept wrapped in suspense and mystery. This one is a great ready that is fun and lighthearted in parts and equally gruesome and dark. The atmosphere gives this book have a vibe that really takes it to the next level.
Over all a great read.

I was disappointed by the ending of this story. It felt lazy and unfinished. I also found the central friendship in this story unbelievable - it is hard to elaborate without spoilers - but I think most people who were betrayed in this way would not continue a relationship with the person who betrayed them.

I did like the premise of past and present reflected in the memory of a house, but it felt poorly executed and contrived. The summary teaser of the book was great, but the actual book didn’t deliver. One murder doesn’t make a deadly legacy.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and probably will be my last.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for the ARC.

Rachel Hawkins is one of those authors where I know I’ll love the book even before I read it. I had high expectations and The Villa surpassed them! I finished reading it 3 days ago and cannot stop thinking about it. I love how the book tells the story of 2 time periods & characters and weaves them together. The ending, which I always think makes or breaks the book, was perfect! I will be telling everyone about The Villa!

I couldn’t put this book down once I started reading. It’s a crime/thriller based on two friends in the present and two sisters in the past and how their futures are influenced by the events that take place at the villa. Houses Remenber ❤️ This is definitely a book I will recommend to fellow readers upon release. The story had likeable characters and flowed with good pace. I totally loved it and this will be a book that will stay with me for a long time. The author definitely tells a good story and this was beautifully written. It was the first book I had read by Rachel Hawkins, but will definitely not be my last.

to start I love Rachel Hawkins and was so excited to get this arc! As soon as Em started to get more and more interested in the previous murder I knew this was going to get intense! While the suspense was slow building, the flipping back and forth between the different times made it so worth it! The ending was so intense I couldn’t put this down because I had to figure out how it concluded! This was a quick and entertaining thriller.

Absolutely fantastic! Could not put the book down. Going to recommend to everyone to check out this book!

The Villa is a psychological suspense novel about female friendship, creative ambition and the lengths to which women will go to achieve freedom. The story has two strands, both revolving around creative types vacationing at the Italian villa of the title. In the present day, our viewpoint character is Emily, the author of a successful series of cozy mysteries. Emily is in the middle of a contentious divorce with Matt. She’s also struggling with financial difficulties and under a deadline for her next book, writers’ block. Her lifelong best friend Chess is a wildly popular self-help author. When Chess invites Emily to join her for the summer at Villa Aestas, Emily decides it’s the perfect thing to jolt her out of her rut.

The other strand of the story follows the lead up to an infamous murder at the villa in 1974. It’s told from the viewpoint of Mari, the writer girlfriend of an up and coming rock musician, Pierce Sheldon. Both Mari and Pierce are stuck in a creative rut just like Emily, and Mari and Pierce’s relationship is shadowed by tragedy. When world famous rock star Noel Gordon (also creatively stuck) invites Pierce to spend time at the villa, Pierce and Mari are thrilled. Mari isn’t so thrilled when her half-sister, aspiring musician Lara, comes along for the ride. Noel’s drug dealer pal, Johnny, lurks at the edges. Pierce, Mari and Lara have been embroiled in a web of creative and sexual competition for years. The addition of Noel and Johnny exacerbates the tension and creates new points of drama.

The novel alternates between these two timeframes and occasionally adds press coverage of the careers of the 1970’s characters that hint at what becomes of them. There are obvious parallels between Emily and Chess in the present and Mari and Lara in the past. As Emily and Chess learn more about what happened in 1974, the competition between them threatens to erupt. Similarly, the tension between the 1974 characters escalates toward the murder.

I enjoyed this novel but was disappointed in the ending. The characters and their relationships are well-drawn and satisfyingly nuanced and complex. The interplay between the present and past is well done and there’s definitely suspense in wondering what’s going to happen in both timeframes. I loved the way Emily found clues in the villa about what really happened in 1974.

The resolution of the 1974 plot is fairly satisfying and believable. A last-minute twist is interesting, but not jaw-dropping or shocking. I was less satisfied with the ending of the Emily/Chess plot. There were some developments that weren’t credible. There’s also a very important scene near the end that is only referred to in passing that I think should have been described in detail. It was like the author got tired and didn’t feel like writing any more. We need to know how the characters decided to do this thing and how they felt about it. Instead it’s just skipped over even though it’s huge and determines the outcome of the book. How Emily and Chess’ relationship ultimately lands doesn’t have that much force partly because of this omission. The ending is framed as a bad thing but I don’t think the story adequately prepares us to see it that way. So I kind of shrugged when it was clearly supposed to be the ultimate ending for the characters and some sort of twist.

I recommend this book as a fun, psychologically suspenseful page-turner that has some interesting things to say about female friendship and creativity, with the added spice of seventies sex, drugs and rock and roll, all in a beautiful villa in the Italian countryside. My one caveat is that the ending of the present-day story fell a little flat for me.

I had high hopes for this latest novel from Hawkins. While it definitely had potential, I feel like it fell a bit flat. Wrapped up too quickly, unlikable flat characters...overall 3/5 stars from me.

The newest thriller from Rachel Hawkins is AMAZING! This has all the great gothic vibes that she is so good at, but I think she took this to the next level. She weaves so many interesting dynamics, both past and present, into these characters relationships. You have the lifelong best friends on a summer trip to Italy, but there is a hint of competition and something even darker brewing. There is the story of stepsisters who share too many things, even when they don't want to. There are musicians working together for the summer, hoping the other will give them what they need to increase their success. Of course, there is a murder. On top of everything else, all of this takes place in a beautiful villa in a small town in Italy, which adds to the atmosphere.

I don't want to give anything away, but the twists were really good in this one. I had my thoughts of what was going on, but I love it when I'm wrong! This is my favorite of the author's books and I HIGHLY recommend.

IF HOUSES TRULY REMEMBER, THIS ONE COULD USE A CASE OF AMNESIA.

Upon her arrival at Villa Aestas and subsequent discovery of the details surrounding a homicide, author Emily intends to share the notorious story with the world. But will the 1974 murder of Pierce, a wannabe rock star, be the last heinous act committed on the property?

When Emily’s best friend, Chess, discovers her intent and insists she coauthor the book, Emily reluctantly agrees, but the covenant comes at a lethal cost—which adds just another malevolent layer to the villa’s already wicked history.

I enjoyed THE VILLA, but I have to admit I was expecting more attention paid to the house itself—in the form of spine-tingling paranormal activity/bizarre supernatural occurrences. Regardless, I do recommend the novel, and I suspect Ms. Hawkins hasn’t washed her hands of Villa Aestas, entirely. Not just yet. Because there’s so much more those walls could say. Thank you, NetGalley, Rachel Hawkins, and Macmillan for the ARC.

This light thriller combines a murder that occurred in the past with present-day events. It was a quick read, but nothing too thrilling. It had the potential to have some big twists, but just didn’t quite leave me with my jaw open. This story within a story weaves present-day events with the past. I found the plot intriguing and could see the inspirations Rachel Hawkins described for writing the book.

Childhood friends Emily and Chess reconnect with a trip to Italy for six weeks, both with plans to finish their upcoming books while staying at Villa Aestas, (former Villa Rosato) or The Murder House as Emily referred to it. It doesn’t take long for Emily to be drawn into the history of the house as she seeks to find out what happened that summer day in 1975 that left a musician dead. Through book passages, podcasts, online articles, interviews, and discovered journal pages the events of that fateful night are revealed. The events in the summer of 1975 were full of jealousy and deception. There was a dose of darkness behind the characters and even a closed-door spicy scene. I have to say I enjoyed the story behind the murder much more than Emily’s story.

This is a story about toxic relationships. Those in the past and those in the present. The writing style was easy to get into and the alternating timelines and pieces of embedded written work used to piece together the history immersed me into the story.

The Villa is my first book by Rachel Hawkins but it will not be my last! Once I got about 1/4 into it, I couldn’t put it down. It’s a smart, fast, easy read - and highly addicting! I will be purchasing this when it is released, and I thank NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy. Opinions are all my own.

Wow. Apparently I have been living under a rock and have never read a Rachel Hawkins book before. This was superb! At first I wasn't sure but by 40 pages in I was hooked. Usually jumping back and forth between timelines is a little jarring but for her it's seamless and perfect for the storyline. Although I sort of hated the character of chess, it really did make the story come full circle.

Thank you to net galley for the advanced copy of this book, I may or may not have read this in one day!

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this ARC from one of my favorite authors!

I really enjoyed following along with Em and Chess' story. As usual with Hawkins' novels, I was sucked in immediately. While the story didn't have too many shocking twists, it was eventful and exciting. I will definitely be recommending this to my thriller loving friends and secretly hoping it is picked up as a Book of the Month so I can snag it to shelf with my other Hawkins!

"Houses remember."
As kids, Chess, best-selling self-help writer, and Emily, cozy mystery writer, were inseparable. But in their 30s, they are pulled apart by life. So when Chess suggest a summer trip to Italy, Emily, whose health is finally better and on the verge of a divorce, jumps at the chance to reconnect with her best friend, and they both decide to take this time away to write. But the villa Chess has rented is well known because it's where a murder took place there decades ago. As Emily digs into the villa's, Mari's, Noel's and Pierce's history, she thinks there might be more to it. But the closer she gets to the truth, the more the tension grows between her and Chess, who would love to co-write a book with her, but Emily wants to keep this story for herself.
This was a slow-paced thriller told in a dual POV/timeline that was easy to follow. I did however prefer the Emily-Chess-present timeline, outlining the complex friendship between the women. The twists were no big surprise, but I enjoyed the ride. I read it in one sitting, I simply couldn't put it down!
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I was hooked from the start, Hawkins writes with an easy flow and catchy dialogue. She clearly painted pictures of all the characters and I could envision their journey through the book with vivid detail! I loved that about it. I felt the tuscan sun, sipped the limoncello cocktail and typed at the desk along with Em and Chess. I liked the dark patchwork underneath the bright atmosphere that the story was set against.

SPEAKING OF PLOT POINTS (potential spoiler warning):
This book certainly took a different turn than I was expecting. I felt like the end was somewhat sped up - the incident with Matt happened so out of the blue, and the fraught connection between Em and Chess at the end wasn't as highlighted - I feel like being through that together would make it even more so...? And Emily's illness...what was that? Why does Chess still wear the bracelet? She never 'really' addressed why she was on the phone crooning when Em spied. I feel like there were a lot of either unanswered questions, or answers that felt flimsy. I liked the unreliable narrator aspect, but I wish it had have been amped up a little bit more.

As well, perhaps it is the format in which the arc copy comes for the e-reader, sometimes it was hard to distinguish between past and present publications.

Overall I liked this book, just felt a little adrift and it left some questions unanswered when finishing it with that ending. I wasn't ready for it to be over.