I really enjoyed the modern “Jane Eyre” tale in Rachel Hawkins’ previous book, “The Wife Upstairs” and was excited to receive this ARC for review from St Martin’s Press and Netgalley.
Best friends Emily and Chess are spending the summer writing together in Italy at the Villa Aestas in Italy, the site of a brutal murder for previous visitors in 1974. The parallel situations in the Villa weave back and forth over the course of the book until we finally discover what happens at the end of both timelines.
I was riveted by this book right from the start. I thought it was going to be a solid 5 stars but the ambiguities at the end really didn’t work for me. I’m hoping that there’s still time in the editing/publishing cycle to tweak the endings a bit to make them flow better with the overall vibe.

**Disclaimer: I received a free advanced readers copy of The Villa by Rachel Hawkins through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this opportunity.

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins is an adult mystery thriller.  It covers two timelines: one where a struggling writing travels to Italy with her childhood best friend, and another where some young troubled people spend a summer in the same villa in Italy but it ends in tragedy.  It is set to be published on January 3rd, 2023.  I rated it 5 stars on Goodreads.


Here's the summary from Goodreads:

From New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins comes a deliciously wicked gothic suspense, set at an Italian villa with a dark history, for fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware.
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.
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. That perhaps Pierce’s murder wasn’t just a tale of sex, drugs, and rock & roll gone wrong, but that something more sinister might have occurred––and that there might be clues hidden in the now-iconic works that Mari and 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 really love Rachel Hawkins' thrillers, but I think this one was my favourite thus far!  It had a lot of elements to it, but all of those elements were things that really worked for me and I found myself incredibly immersed in the world.  I especially liked the dual timelines and getting snippets of the present and the past.

I found Emily a really compelling character, and I really felt for her as she struggled with her divorce and her writer's block.  She had some interesting background to her, and I liked that she was an author.  I found her dynamic with Chess really interesting, and problematic but that was clearly the point.  Rachel Hawkins handled it with a delicate hand that was just so well done.  

When it came to the 1974 storyline, I was really intrigued by what was going to happen.  The start of the book really built up to this tragedy that happened and it makes you really want to know what is going to happen.  I appreciated the multimedia included with snippets of articles about it.  It really added to my sense of suspense.  Mari was a really interesting character, and although I didn't know a lot about Mary Shelley and Percy Shelley and Lord Byron, I still had fun drawing the parallels between them.  

I love stories about celebrities so that was a fun aspect of both the present and past storyline.  They really encompassed two different aspects of celebrity and it was really fascinating.  It was a very interesting juxtaposition.

The tension increased quite well as the story progressed and I really had no idea where things were going to go.  However, I really enjoyed the journey.

Overall, I highly recommend this book. and suggest that you get yourself a copy when it publishes in January.

I didn’t feel the suspense of this book. In general , I think Hawkins writes more in the style of “how will this end” versus packing in twists and this was no exception. I won’t lie, I was a little disappointed at how the majority of the novel played out. It felt like much more of a general fiction than a thriller to me. That said, the ending wasn’t something I saw coming, which was a Hawkins’ thriller first for me!

This book was amazing. I loved the dual plots and how they intersected. The characters were well developed and realistic, as were the relationships. The setting of the villa and the town in Italy were great.

Pub Date January 2023 - I was excited to receive an ARC of The Villa and planned to wait until fall to read and review. However, I opened the doc to see how it started and was hooked! I loved the gothic element in this new suspense by Hawkins and found it to be spooky which led to page turning but not too scary. I also enjoyed the smart writing. My experience was the author intended on the reader guessing certain plot points instead of coming up with a big twists. The suspense of the story was the build up to the resolve. HOW is this story going to end? I also felt there were SO MANY possibilities for the ending. This book would make a great bookclub selection with fun discussions of the ending and alternate endings. Some people will like and some will hate. The structure is dual timeline (1974 and present day) with well developed characters some likable and some not which also lead to in-depth discussions. This book is the third I’ve read by Hawkins and my favorite by far. Big thanks to St Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and Rachel Hawkins for the early and excellent read. I will also post this review on the Modern Mrs Darcy bookclub site and in several Facebook reading groups closer to release date.

I’m still reeling from this book…like, I need to go read it all again. 😧 It’s like Verity (with the writing vibes) + Daisy Jones & The Six (with the music vibes) had a baby and birthed this fabulous dark gothic novel. I loved the weaving of past and present timelines + different POVs..both of whom are authors in the book. I was very much invested in both timelines once I figured out the narrative.

The beginning is a bit slow burn (though still very intriguing), but once I got about 45% in I didn’t stop until I finished the entire thing. There are secrets, tested loyalties, murder mystery..all set at a dark Italian Villa. 🫣 I love a spooky setting! I still have a few questions and/or thoughts regarding the ending, so I’ll just be over here playing this one over and over in my head.

I read an advanced reader copy of this book from Netgalley.

A lovely feminist gothic with twists and turns aplenty. The story alternates between two writers, one a highly fictional Mary Shelly removed from her time, but not all of her circumstances, the other a modern cozy mystery writer. Both storylines are engaging and full of dramatic tension. A perfect beach read if you like something dark and thrilling, also perfect fall read with all that gothic tension.

Some good book discussion meat in all the complex relationships and decisions made.

I loved The Wife Upstairs! So i came in having high hopes, and Rachel delivered. It was creepy, very feminist, and different than any other story. I didn’t love it as much as i thought i would, i thought the tales would’ve unfolded a bit differently?

This book started off strong for me, stayed strong throughout and then, the ending completely threw me for a loop. I sit here now, trying to figure out how I really feel about it.

The Villa weaves two stories together; one in the past and one in the present. In the present two best friends, Chess and Emily, go on a vacation together to a beautiful Italian villa that was also once the site of a brutal murder. Both writers, the two hope this trip will reignite their waning friendship and bring writing inspiration, as Emily is going through a tough time with a nasty divorce and having a hard time finishing the current book she's writing.
Their story intertwines with the story of Mari, Pierce and Lara, who also visited the villa in the 1970s; a summer full of sex, drugs and music ending in murder.
Great writing and an interesting storyline kept me turning pages until I had reached about the last three chapters and then things kind of took a strange turn.
Without giving away too many spoilers, I'll just say that the whole "best friends should stick together no matter what, even in absolute betrayal" did not work for me. And then the ending got a little confusing and now, as I said before, having finished it, I really just don't know how I feel about it!

Overall though, I do have to say I did enjoy the story, and so I'm giving it 4 stars.

In Rachel Hawkins' newest thriller, The Villa, two female relationships are juxtaposed while staying in the Villa Aestas in Italy. Mari and Lara are sisters who are caught up in a complicated love triangle while Emily and Chess are childhood best friends staying at the villa many decades later. Emily begins digging into the mystery of Mari and Lara's famous stay which only complicates her own friendship with Chess.

The Villa has an interesting plot, but I did not find the characters to be very likable. I would definitely recommend the book, but it is unusual that I don't genuinely like at least one of the characters. That is the case with The Villa. Even though several of the characters are in terrible situations, I didn't really empathize with them. That being said, the plot has some great twists, and the book is entertaining.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of Hawkins' newest thriller.

I have read many of Rachel Hawkins other books and always admire their creativity, suspense elements and descriptive settings and this novel is no different! The setting is a gorgeous villa on a beautiful hillside in Italy during 2 different periods of time. A murder happens at the villa in the 1970s and then 2 friends go to this same villa in present day and get immersed in the mystery. Besides the setting, I loved the dual storyline at the villa. I enjoyed the feminist vibe that was spread thru this story with the female characters. This was a fast paced, can't put down thriller that I fully enjoyed and will recommend to others. 4.5 stars.

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins
Publishing Date - January 3rd 2023
Rating ( 3.5 / 4 ) ⭐️⭐️⭐️ . 5

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this arc. The Villa is set in Italy and follows 2 POV’s one in 1974 and one in present day. A terrible murder happened at the house in 1974 ; which sparks in present day sparks Emily and Chess to embark on an adventure to find out the truth of what really happened in 1974.

I personally enjoyed the storyline in the past better than the present day. Overall it’s a good mystery thriller ; just not one of my favorites by this author.

Houses Remember.

This story follows Emily as she spends the summer with her best friend in a Villa in Italy writing a novel, Intrigued by a murder that took place in the Villa decades prior.

I absolutely loved everything about this book, every twist and turn right down to the last page! The way Hawkins uses the style of the book to mimic what I assume Emilys original manuscript for the Villa was such an interesting choice and really helps immerse the reader into the world!

It was a short and sweet novel and super easy and fun to read! I loved how even though I thought things were easily predictable, but in fact they weren't we were being misdirected!!

You can’t go wrong with a Rachel Hawkins book in your hand! This one is so good! Loved it from the start! Huge fan of hers and I can’t wait for the next one!

Houses remember.

A great story within a story, with a setting that is as much of a character as the people themselves. The characters are engaging, and there's a wonderful sense of unease not entirely out of place in the story where we don't always know exactly who to trust and which version of the story is the truth. The ending is satisfying and the themes of sisterhood and friendship resonate. An enjoyable read.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my advanced reader's copy.

This was a surprising treat. Struggling artists, confused writers, complex relationships, dual timelines with mystery and suspense afoot. So much of it was more up my alley then I could’ve ever predicted.

I love being in the mind of artists, especially when they’re in a challenging stage of life, and it felt very authentic in this one as Hawkins crafted several distinct narratives with unique voices.

I was unsure if the build up would truly pay off in the end, but the murder was climactic and introspective in a way I found fascinating. I was a bit let down by the main character’s ending as I suspected the modern timeline to blow up in the way the past did. Chess never fully got what was coming for her or truly understood her wrongdoing which I was dying to see.

Further the end twist with the past timeline was recently done in a hugely popular book, so it didn’t land quite the impact I think it was going for.

All that said, however, I found myself continuously remarking excitedly to my mom, “This book is goooooood,” and I devoured it in two days. I loved the internal battles of Emily and Mari, and even in their worst times had sympathy for them. Enjoyable.

***Thank you to netgalley, Rachel Hawkins, and the publisher for this advanced reader copy.

Rachel Hawkins has been on my must-read list since "the Wife Upstairs", and "the Villa" is a smashing follow-up. This story is dark, moody, suspenseful, and an all-around perfect read for domestic suspense and thriller fans.

This is my third Rachel Hawkins book and definitely my favorite. Two best friends, both with successful writing careers and one in the throes of divorce, settle into an Italian villa for a working vacation together. The villa has a history and because "houses remember", there is some foreboding but the house wasn't creepy enough for my Gothic taste. I was, however, satisfied with the parallel stories of Emily & Chess and the rock star villa visitors from the 70s, and especially the clever book within a book.

Neither story held as much suspense as it could have, but I was turning pages pretty quickly anyway, and I appreciate that the art of writing was integral to both stories. The characters weren't deeply drawn and most were unlikeable, but that's expected in a thriller. I loved the ending, it was actually perfect.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Two women take a summer long trip to a villa in Italy. Emily and Cass are both authors, but very different genre. Emily writes cozy mysteries while Cass is quite famous and wealthy from her self help books.
While at the villa, Emily discovers it is the site of a murder of a rock star and the book that was written by once of the guests is now in the house. Emily gets quite excited when she realizes there is so much more to this old story and begins her own research. Betrayal and secrets begin to unfold and the tension between Cass and Emiy is heightened.

3.5 starts possibly 3.75
After reading Reckless Girls I was apprehensive about reading this book by the same author. However, I must say I was pleasantly surprised. As I reader that
completely and utterly disliked Reckless girls, Rachel Hawkins redeem herself with this book . The Villa in aspects of thrillers is definitely not an edge of your seat
thriller, but Rachel Hawkins brilliantly and effectively interweaves together past and present, artfully luring readers into an intriguing dark tale filled with twisted secrets, suspect loyalties, and deadly encounters.

Emily's life has suddenly started collapsing. Her career as an author of cozy mystery has paused, she is having health issues with no known etiology, her husband, Matt, has left her after more than 5 years of marriage.
On the contrary ,Emily's childhood best friend, Chess, has a successful career writing self-help books and being motivational social media influencer. Chess decides to invite Emily to spend the summer together in
Italy at the luxurious Villa Aestas. Shortly after arriving at the Villa Emily is swept up in the mystery of a murder that occurred in the villa during 1974. What follows is a cleverly- narrated dueling past and present timelines
sexual tension, questionable friendship , longstanding resentment and betrayal
This was a very quick read I tore through this haunting thrill ride during a 5 hour flight. I really appreciate how the The Villa was a great depiction on the effects of toxic relationships, and how these relationships can push ordinary people beyond their breaking points. I did wished it had more of the the thrillingly experience I have come to expect of thrillers. Regardless, I would still recommend this book as I believe its worth reading.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read an advance readers copy.