Interesting and well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Just a little slow and unbelievable at some points. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Villa is another twisty suspenseful novel by Rachel Hawkins and as with her previous books, I was sucked in right away and was swept away by the story the whole way through. The Villa follows two timelines that occur in the same house in Italy. One story line takes place in present day, when two best friends, Chess and Emily, head to the Villa for a summer of writing and bonding. The other story line takes place in the 70s when Mari and her step-sister Lara, and 3 men head there for a summer where they planned on making music and having a blast. Both storylines have their own mysteries and tragedies. However, the second storyline is very much wrapped up in the original one, as one of the women tries to uncover what truly happened in the house all those years ago. This was a very creative, original novel. I love Hawkin's writing style and she creates characters you can truly see in your mind's eye and care about.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this e-galley in exchange for my honest review.

A great story of a house that was part of two writer's lives in a tragic, but rewarding, way. A house that remembers it all.

I loved the way this was written, having Mari's story of the past unfold alongside Emily's story of the present. Emily picking up on the clues and finding motivation in her discoveries really pushed this story along. It added to both writer's inspiration at the villa. There were several times I stopped to Google if this was based on a true story. The twisted ending that revealed what we think we knew versus what we now know made for a strong ending that really wrapped up both stories.

I found myself enjoying the story of the past more than the story of the character's of the present, possibly because Chess was made to be so unlikable and selfish while Lara was made to be more sympathetic. Overall, really great read.

I love Rachel Hawkins and was very excited to read her latest thriller, The Villa. Unfortunately, it fell a little flat for me.

The story goes back and forth in time between a current trip to Italy with best friends Emily and Chess and a trip in 1974 with Noel Gordon and several friends. I found it to be very slow in the beginning and difficult to keep track of which story I was reading about. Interspersed throughout the story were excerpts from interviews over the years, podcasts, and the original thriller story Lilith Rising that was written by Mari, one of the attendees in 1974, which also added to the storyline confusion.

I didn't particularly like any of the characters except for perhaps Mari and found the story line to be predictable with not enough "thrill" for me. All in all, not one of my favorites from Rachel Hawkins.

**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!**

I enjoyed this book and, for much of it, would have given it a five star rating.

The start is a bit difficult but by staying with it, you’re able to catch on quickly so by chapter 4 you can flip between the decades and who’s who easily.

A good knowledge of the romantics is quite useful, and I don’t know how really one would actually understand it easily otherwise.

The background for Mari, though it is fine as far as it goes, does not deal with the enormity of Wollstonecraft’s influence on the women's movement nor give any context as to the shift the romantics were involved with on a larger scale- pushing the edges of political, social and gender experimentation. European world was erupting with revolution, a precursor to the sixties, so Hawkins has it right there, but doesn’t quite talk about that much here. She just sets it in rock and roll. Sort of. And focuses on haunted houses.

The idea that the time of the romantics as an alternate time to the sixties is a valid and often thought of topic. That we are seeing a resurgence of the impulse today toward equality, egalitarianism and freedom in the contemporary novel of Chess and Emily is stretching it a bit. We probably aren’t there yet. And I do not really see it reflected in their story, either.

But I think this is a novel not weighted down with ideas, but simply trying to tell a spooky story.
I have to hand it to Hawkins for trying such a difficult structure, rather than doing just a contemporary read on an older book, like her previous one. It works.
It’s great until, unfortunately, we get to the climax.

I would have loved to see more on Mari’s group’s involvement in a revolutionary/ utopian undertaking, rather than it all seeming so random and lost.
The melding of plot in the denouement leaves something to be desired.

I may revisit this review later, as I find it an admirable attempt to put a historical event into a contemporary landscape.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is my third Rachel Hawkins read (fourth if we’re counting Erin Sterling) and it might just be my favorite! I absolutely adore her writing style and this story was just what I was in the mood for. There’s a lot going on with the plot, but it worked for me and everything ties together really well.

I think Hawkins really shines in writing this book. I loved reading about her inspiration for The Villa: “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.”

This wasn’t exactly what I’d classify as a thriller, but there’s a decent mystery here and I couldn’t put it down. I loved the mixed media narrative (those podcast girls were hilarious!) and alternating timelines, especially the sections set in the summer of 1974. The characters are not good people, but I’ve come to expect that from Hawkins at this point. The Villa explores complex friendships, toxic relationships, and betrayal. While there are definitely some gothic themes, this isn’t an overly dark read and I devoured it in a day.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book; all opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to be an early reader.

Any Gothic fan already knows that “houses remember.” So, when Rachel Hawkins uses that line to open her latest novel, The Villa, expectations are immediately raised. The dual-narrative moves from present to past and back again, each time jump revealing more intricacies of the relationships in both eras.

In the present, childhood best friends, Emily and Chess, both successful writers, decide to rent a villa in Orvieto, Italy to relax, recharge, and reconnect. Em, a mystery series writer in a slump, is intrigued by the idea of living in the infamous Italian murder house. Chess writes aspirational, live-your-best-life non-fiction. Her name is her brand and she has a bazillion followers hanging on every word of advice, but an imperfect person can only write perfection platitudes for so long before the well runs dry.

Almost fifty years earlier, another group of young, creative artists spent the summer seeking inspiration in the same villa. It ended in one horrific murder and two legendary artistic achievements. Teen-aged Mari and her married lover, struggling musician Pierce. Noel Gordon, dissipated and disillusioned long before age 30 and the most famous rock star on the planet. Poet Lara, Mari’s stepsister, desperate for Noel’s attention. Johnnie, who loves Mari and despises the selfish Pierce. The phrase “sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll” might have been invented to characterize that summer and these young creatives who are as damaged as they are gifted.

As Em settles into life at the villa, she finds subtle signs of Mari’s presence and is mysteriously led to discover some explosive unpublished writing about that infamous summer. Meanwhile, Chess finds hidden meaning in Lara’s lyrics. Secrets about the disturbing nature of friendship, love, and betrayal are revealed in both timelines.

In this modern Gothic, Hawkins poses the question, what does it mean to create? What happens to the blood, sweat, and tears expended during creation? Do they reside within the final product or do they remain perpetually embedded in the atmosphere of the creative space, undiminished, waiting. Long after the artist is dead and buried, the art survives, and houses remember.

Thank you St. Martin's Press ​and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.
I loved the setting and the dual timelines. There was a bit of ambiguity woven into the story but (mostly) everything was resolved in the end. I think this will do very well when it's released next year. My favorite Rachel Hawkins book to date.

Great read!

Dual timelines - is this a cool literary device or a writer who is writing two stories and finds a way to link them together to make a complete novel? I don’t care. I love it. And this one was just as good as any that I’ve read - maybe better.

Shifting between the 1970s and present day, both stories are fascinating and kept me guessing. Without giving anything my away, the last twenty or so pages made me go from four stars to an enthusiastic five.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

** spoiler alert ** I was ready for a good thriller and this just wasn’t it. It felt predictable almost from the very beginning. I didn’t really like either the present or past storylines because I just didn’t care about the characters.

I received an ARC from NetGalley.

This book was not one where I was ready to review immediately after reading. I really had to take in the ending and decide on what I thought it meant. I mean, I knew what it meant but I was hoping that my mind didn’t land there. But it did. If you saw the movie Inception with Leo DiCaprio you kind of get the jist. The ending is amazing, but it also leaves you with unanswered questions. This book did that for me. Not to the fullness that Inception did, but it reminded me of how I felt after I watched that movie. This is not a bad thing at all. This is great thing. A book that gets your mind working in overdrive. I love those types of books. And this book did just that. I’m a fan of Rachel Hawkins and this book delivered.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

A big thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for providing an advanced copy to read and review.

This was my favorite from Rachel Hawkins yet! I think it’s the epitome of what a modern gothic fiction should be.

I loved the mirroring of the historical story with the present. Both stories were captivating and included interesting and quirky characters. It also really made me want to read the other “books” and listen to the “album.”

I enjoyed the dual time lines of the lives at the Villa. This was one of her better books but I do still find her a bit wordy and can easily put the book down and pick it back up later, sometimes even a week or two later before i finish it. i do recommend this book as it was enjoyable.

What a fun thriller! I had a wonderful time with The Villa, and have enjoyed several of this authors previous titles as well. The story is presented in dual timelines, both taking place in an atmospheric villa near Orvieto, Italy with reflections of past events showing up in the present day timeline. I really connect with Rachel Hawkins writing style. It feels easy-going and breezy and the humor very much connects with me.

If you like stories about famous people or toxic friendships/relationships, this is definitely a good one to try! Even though all of the characters in the book were part of the rich and famous, something still felt relatable about them.

As far as plot development goes, nothing much in this story came as a surprise. It was pretty easy to surmise what was going to happen in the end. However, the strength of this book lies within the ominous, suspenseful atmosphere and toxic tensions between the characters and I felt that I didn't really need a good plot twist in this book.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. May favorite aspects were the lush Italian setting and the sheer amount of toxic behavior within the friendships. Oh, and I forgot to mention before,. there is a murder mystery! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. 4.5/5 stars

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

⭐️⭐️⭐️

* Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for providing a digital copy of The Villa in exchange of a honest review.

A great suspense, without a big twist but so enjoyable to read! I love reading books about books. It was a very good summer soft thriller.

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This was a great story within a story. I love the similarities and also the ambiguity to what really happened. I have enjoyed Hawkins other novels and this did not disappoint.
Thank you to NetGalley and thr publisher for thr advance reader copy.

“Houses remember.” What a great opening line that will keep you on the edge of your seat in this whodunit. It is reminiscent of the phrase, “if only the walls could talk.” Besties, Emily, a cozy fiction writer and (Jessica) Chess, a writer of self-help books are spending the summer at an Italian Villa that is notorious for being the place of a horrific murder in the early 70’s. Having grown distant, both are looking for time away to reconnect with each other what with Chess’ fame and Emily’s dissolution of her marriage amidst her dry patch in writing. They need a break and inspiration to write their own next book. In the library, Emily finds a book, written by Mari who was present during the famous murder of her musician boyfriend in 1974 and becomes obsessed with the connection to the Villa. Emily feels there may be more to the story than drugs and sex triangles involved, and believes that the house has clues. Chess is looking for new direction and wants to cowrite a book with Emily, which Emily resents. The more Emily becomes immersed in the mystery, the greater the tension blooms between Emily and Chess. Both Emily and Chess have secrets, but will that help them reclaim their close friendship or end it all?
I felt it was interesting to have a story within a story and one where they intertwined. This is a story that grabs you almost immediately and makes you second guess what you think you knew. What the author tells you is not always the actual story, introducing parallel narratives. Hawkins feeds you a bit of the story from one, only to switch narratives and have you find the connections and then later return to add more. The characters are well developed and lead to surprises you don’t see coming. I read this book fairly quickly as I couldn’t put it down. I was not disappointed. Grab this one today, it will be a great one to cozy up with and enjoy.

Many thanks to #netgalley #thevilla #rahcelhawkins #st.marinspres for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Loved reading this zippy engaging story set in Italy while I’m n Italy. Hawkins again delivers a well told story about two friends. In a villa an hour from Rome that has a murder in its past. Switch to a group of rockers in the 1970s and someone is sure to be in deathly trouble

This is not my favorite Hawkins book. I really liked Reckless Girls and The Wife Upstairs. I didn’t like any of the characters in this one. And, Em made my head explode. I could not stand that she stayed friends with Chess and shared the book. I didn’t believe a word that came out of Chess’s mouth.

The back story of Mari and co. was slow and a bit boring. And, ultimately very confusing. Why write a false narrative? I don’t get it.

I was also frustrated that we never found out what was making Em sick.

And, Matt? What, are the police in Italy dumb or something? No tox screen/autopsy? No way they get away with that.

Overall, just ok.

Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Villa is a can't put down read that easily fuses two plot lines in a single thrilling tale. Hawkins easily transitions the reader between the events at "the murder house" in 1974 and those taking place in the present day summer as two best friends visit and investigate the history of the Italian Villa.

The writing is beautiful and the characters are each mesmerizing; the reader cannot help but empathize with each of them, no matter how flawed. The historic, cultural, and literary nods are perfectly woven with the narrative, so as not to seem forced. Although the plotline of the 1970s foreshadows some of the present day events, there are enough twists and turns to keep the reader wanting more.

This is my first Rachel Hawkins novel, but it surely will not be the last. I cannot wait to pick up her earlier works. The Villa is a winner!