Thanks so much NetGalley and St Martin's Press.

Emily and Chess were inseparable as kids. Now in their 30s, they haven't been able to catch up because of life. Chess suggests that they escape to a villa in Italy, and Emily agrees. The villa has a complex history, including a death that resulted in a novel. Emily thinks there's more to the story, so she investigates. She feels the tension grow between her and Chess and she reveals what really happened.

This book had a lot going on. I wasn't sure how much I liked the style of it, and it didn't feel like a thriller to me. It felt very long, and I kind of figured out where this was going based on negative feelings towards one of the characters. However, the writing is pretty good and I kept going. I would read this author again even though this wasn't a favorite!

Stories inside stories hiding secrets within secrets - betrayal, love, jealousy, obsession - the past and present meeting. Ultimately the bonds of enduring friendship and how it twists and turns over time.

This was an interesting book right from the start. The book moves back and forth from the current time to what happened in 1974 at the Villa. While normally I am not a huge fan of the back and forth, it doesn't do it so often that you get frustrated. The book moves at just the right pace. The only part of the book that I did not like was how passive Emma was to "Chess". Chess was not a good friend to Emma and did a lot of things that I found unforgivable. Yet, she simply tells Emma that she did it all for her and Emma forgives her. If it wasn't for that particular piece at the end of the story, I would have given this book 5 stars. I also feel that the whole story line about Emma being sick was left empty and rushed to just come up with a reason. Then ending was absolutely the best part, when you get a flash back to 1980 and Mari went back to the villa to write the true story and hide the pages. I didn't see that coming at all and had a jaw dropping moment. Great read by Rachel Hawkins again and I will look forward to the next book that comes out from her. This is a great read and I think everyone will enjoy it!

4.25 stars!!! A summer in Italy with your best friend!!!! A murder mystery plot in an Italian Villa??!!! Past and present day storylines!?? Count me in!

I realllyyy enjoyed this one. It started off strong and never let up. The three-dimensional plot of the story was unique and kept me on my toes the entire time.

Thank you to NetGalley and SMP for this ARC!

The Villa is a story of two times that are twisted together with one commonality… a house. Emily finds herself at a crossroads in her life. On the verge of divorce, recovering from an unknown illness and a writer with writers block. She’s given the opportunity to spend the summer in Italy with her childhood best friend in a villa! When she arrives she discovers it’s also the location of a terrible murder in the 1970’s. Emily begins to dive down into what transpired at the villa in the past, but is everything and everyone who they seem to be? This was a fun, twisted story. A few ends were left loose though which always bothers me but otherwise a good read!

Atmospheric and gripping. There are dual story lines set in the same house, decades apart. I don’t always enjoy this narrative style, because I tend to get caught up in one story and want to skip through the other. The was not the case in The Villa! The only thing that would make this book better is if Aestras could have been the real and playing while I read.

Let me be (not the first or last) person to say The Villa is FAR BETTER than Reckless Girls.

Nestled on the outskirts of a traditional Italian town, Villa Rosato/Aestas, has a lot to remember. Namely, it serves as the location where both the lives of Pierce and Matt were lost (who honestly, no one will miss very much). The stories of Emily and Mari are seamlessly intertwined in the dual narrated story of how such tragedies came to be, and how the events held within the Villa’s walls came to shape the rest of their lives as newly freed women from their narcissistic partners.

I’m still marinading on my opinion of Chess, but without her, so much of what is uncovered would never come to pass. I found the concept of her and Emily’s co-authored book being the actual book I was reading to be a really cool spin on the storyline.

All in all, I give this book four stars and look forward to more to come from Rachel Hawkins!

Wow! I can’t believe what I just read! This was dual storylines and I loved them both sooooo much! This is my favourite book by this author hands down! Man, what I wouldn’t do to actually read Lilith Rising. I wish it were a real book. Thanks to NetGalley, St Martins Press, and the author for this arc copy.

I will be buying this book for sure to re read for many years to come!
Great atmospheric thriller.
Loved that ending.

Thank you Netgalley for approving me for this ARC!

Houses remember.

I read The Villa in less than 24 hours. The story gripped me from the start. I highly recommend this read to anyone looking for some drama surrounding an old house in Italy and friendships where you’re not sure who you can trust.

Lastly, there are a few trigger warnings: suicide, abuse, alcohol, and drugs.

The Villa wasn't a bad book,but really didn't live up to Rachel's previous books. The premise was interesting,but I was really just expecting an aha moment that never came. #thevilla #netgalley

Rachel Hawkins does it again. This wasn’t the same type of twisty thriller but it had an interesting plot and a slow burn I felt paid off. It was a quick read and I would describe it as languid. I enjoyed the setting and characters I would recommend.

A twisted thriller taking place in dual timelines, the mid ‘70’s and today. Rich, complex, and some really unlikeable characters drives a story about friends, lovers, and betrayal. Dark, atmospheric and brooding, this is a tale not only of keeping friends close and enemies closer, but also knowing who’s the friend and who’s the enemy.

So many twists and turns that have your wondering what is happening at the Villa Aestras. A very good dual time read that keeps you guessing all the way through. Em and Chess, and Mari and Lara were all characters that I loved and did not care for throughout the book based on some of their actions, but they made for a great read. I could not put this book down!

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. This is my honest opinion.

I started off LOVING this book, thinking it was going to be my favorite thriller of the year, but then something happened that took a turn that leaned towards something else… I am now flipping back and forth between 3.5 and 4 stars.

The Villa has the past story of Mari (1974), which I loved! In this story we learn of the first visit to the villa in Italy with her boyfriend Pierce, and her sister Lara. Lara was not one of my favorite characters in this story. In fact, I think we were supposed to feel sorry for her, but I didn’t. I didn’t have any feelings for Mari’s boyfriend Pierce either. Noel was a rock star who invited everyone to stay at the villa back in 1974, and I think he was the only one who had any sense in his head (even if he was a bit arrogant).

We now come to present day, and two “best friends” Emily and Chess go to the villa for a six week vacation. I despised the character of Chess so much, I think that’s when the feelings for this book started to go down. This is also when the book took a turn to being about how girls should stick together no matter how bad they screw each other over. Sorry- but I don’t play like that! If you are an evil, conniving, manipulator, then stay away from me!

We then go to the ending of the book that seemed to leave some open ends and gave you something to think about… I may not have loved this book as much as The Wife Upstairs by Hawkins, but I still highly recommend reading it as the writing is so strong and Mari’s story is impeccable!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this book. Publication date January 3, 2023.

I loved this book. It was eerie and beautiful. The characters were very vivid and real. The plot twists were thought provoking. This book tells two stories so intertwined; amazing! The Villa was better than Reckless Girls!

The Villa was a fast paced, quick, intriguing read for me. I couldn’t put it down! It follows multiple timelines, taking place between the present and the 1970s. The present timeline follows two childhood best friends, turned writers, who take a trip to a villa in Italy, where a murder has previously occurred. The 1970s timeline follows a rockstar, a writer, and groupies, who stay in said villa, where one of them is murdered.

The two timelines were woven together perfectly for me. I loved the present characters and their storyline the most. I was rooting for Emily the whole way, while secretly hating her best friend Chess, who most definitely did not have Em’s best interest at heart. The 1970s timeline was bland for me. I felt like it dragged on up until the reveal of the murder, but in the best way possible.

However, I wasn’t satisfied with the ending. I kept thinking I missed something and even re read the last handful of pages. I wanted to know more about Emily and Chess's relationship. I wanted to know if Emily had found more clues at the house. The final relationships between the group of friends from the 1970’s was confusing. I ultimately felt like too many ideas were crammed into the end of the book, and I needed more answers.

Thank you to St Martin’s Press, Netgalley and Rachel Hawkins for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I am in love with this new story from Rachel Hawkins! If you enjoyed her previous books or have been intending to pick up one of them, this is the one to read!! Highly recommend!

This is my second book that I have read by Rachel Hawkins and it won't be my last however....

The Villa didn't really read like a ghostly type book or a thriller to me. It felt repetitive and there was no real twists. The writing was great and I loved the character Emily.

That said, I look forward to her next book

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for allowing me to read this book and give an honest review.

My thoughts and opinions are my own and have not been influenced by anyone else

The Villa takes place in dual timelines in the same Italian Villa. The present timeline revolves around Emily and Chess, long-time friends who are both writers and agree to spend the summer together to reconnect and write. The past timeline is set in the 70’s and focuses on a group of musicians and a writer spending the summer at the Italian Villa where a murder occurred. Emily starts digging into the Villa’s secrets, while uncovering some secrets in her own life.

The Villa kept my attention throughout the book, and it was easy to immerse myself in the story in between reading sessions. I wish there had been a little more development and description of the actual Villa because I love a
wonderful gothic creepy house setting. Overall, the dual storylines worked well together and I enjoyed the inclusion of articles, song lyrics, and podcast transcripts throughout the story to provide additional information.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

This book is absolutely brilliant! It has so many layers.
-Dual POV
-Dueling time periods
-Books within books
-Many unique characters whose relationships with each other are a tangled knot.
-The Villa, Lara’s album Aestas, and Mari’s book Lilith Rising are the threads that tie the two time periods together.
-Endings and more endings, leaving you guessing what is truth and what is fiction.

I loved reading the different articles and podcast segments between each time jump. It gave you that added extra information that joins Mari with Emily. The pieces are about Mari, but you can imagine Emily searching for them on the internet and reading them in the present day. Their stories are so seamlessly interwoven.

A book this elaborate with so many characters and relationships and the dueling time periods could easily wind up a jumbled mess, but Rachel Hawkins pulls everything together with gripping and unpredictable twists that lead to an epic conclusion. This is hands down my favorite of her novels!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.