Two friends stay in an Italian villa one summer. With one being a highly successful influencer/self help expert and the other a mystery-writer going through an acrimonious divorce, the vacation is intended to allow the friends to reconnect. The villa has a history, with a famous murder, during the time that rock musicians were there in the 70s, taking place there years before.

The novel alternates between two timelines, showing the events that led up to the murder in the 70s as well as showing the relationship between the two friends in current times.

The premise of this novel was interesting, and there were lots of gothic details that gave it an eerie atmosphere. However, I found it a little slow at points, and guessed the ending quite early.

An enjoyable read, and my favourite of this author’s novels, this thriller is recommended for fans of twisty murder mysteries.

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC! I’ve read other books by Rachel Hawkins but this is the best one yet.
The book is about two best friends who go on a trip to Italy for the summer. One is a successful self-help author and the author is a cozy mystery author struggling through a divorce. Their story unfolds along with a story that took place in the same location 50 years earlier.
I thought I had it all figured out but then a couple of unexpected twists completely threw me off! Along with the great thriller elements there is also a sadness that each character is working through and in the end their situation changes but I’m not sure that sadness is gone. This book is a must-read!

I absolutely loved this book! The characters were all intriguing and flawed but still likeable and I found myself immediately invested in them and in their stories. I loved the interconnection between Emily and Chess, Mari and Lara, and Mari's book Lilith Rising. Highly, highly recommend this one.

This book was not for me. Set in an Italian villa, best friends Chess and Emily vacation there to write their books. However, Emily knows this villa as a famous murder house due to events in the 70’s. We also follow Mari, who travels to the villa in the 70’s with her musician boyfriend and her step-sister, invited by a famous rock star. Emily and chess begin to find clues that contradict the Italian court’s ruling of the 70’s murder and we watch events unfold in both the present timeline and the 70’s timeline.

Ultimately, I found this book boring. Barely anything happens until the final climax, and the final climax is such a let down. This book felt like it was trying to be slow and more of an atmospheric read, but the atmosphere just wasn’t there. I think some people may enjoy this book, but in a sea of thrillers, this book doesn’t do anything special.

“The Villa” is a mystery by Rachel Hawkins. I would say that it’s basically three stories combined into one book. The first story centers on a group of people (Lara, Mari, Noel, Pierce, and Johnnie) who go to Italy to work on music (loose interpretation there). Something happens and it affects everyone in different ways. The second story focuses on Emily and Chess childhood friends who decide to go to the same place to work on their separate books. The third story is, basically, the story of what happened to the first group of people, but told both in a fictional based-upon and diary entry manner. Ms. Hawkins makes it pretty easy to keep track of which story is which when - though the book also includes a podcast, emails, articles, and song lyrics. I must admit to having a few “Daisy Jones and The Six” meeting a Stephen King novel vibes - in other words, something up my alley. There’s a lot of foreshadowing, which I didn’t mind for once. I did feel some of the storylines were explained a bit too easily (such as a mystery illness) and one part had me mentally yelling at one of the characters because something was resolved a bit too neatly for my taste. And the ending - well, there are three endings - maybe four, depending upon how one wants to count the endings. I’m not sure how I feel about the “ending ending” - sometimes, sadly, things happen because, well, they do. I’d recommend this book to people who like Ms. Hawkins’ other books (this is my first book by her, although I’ve a few others marked as “to be read”) and this book interested me enough that I’m most likely going to move her other books higher onto my reading list.

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this book. I did not enjoy Hawkins’ last novel, Reckless Girls, and unfortunately I didn’t like this one very much either.

This book alternates between a group of bohemian friends in 1974 staying at a beautiful Italian villa & then 2 best friends (Emily and Chess) staying at the same villa in the present day. In the past, one of the young women, Mari, also writes a horror novel so we also read parts of that novel.

In the present day, Emily is also a writer and after reading Mari’s novel, becomes interested in the book and the events that took place in the 70’s which led to a tragedy.

The beginning/middle of the book were actually pretty good, the atmosphere and surroundings were really evocative. However, the last third of the book is ridiculous. There is a MAJOR event that takes place that is so out of character but it’s just glossed over, and the “twists” at the end seem like a cop out rather than a fun and interesting plot twist. I’d skip this one.

This was not my favorite book by Rachel Hawkins but I did love the twists and turns!! I also love the cover, it fits in well with her other books!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

Wow- this lady is just getting better and better! Her books are weird and wacky and I love it. Dark lady shit.

A story within a story within a story ...
Reading this is like descending down the rabbit hole--completely addictive!
Just like with the book's fictional authors, this is definitely the author's best work yet.
Too bad that this book is expected to be published in January '23--it's the perfect summer read!

With great thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for this e-ARC!

A bail-biting dual timeline novel about a rock and roll band visiting an Italian billa and then two present day modern authors who happen to be best friends visiting the same villa with a lurid past. Keeps readers on edge.

I love the way her books always make me feel!! I thought this book was pretty predictable but there were some twists and turns that I didn’t catch. I think there are some loose ends that should have been tied. I haven’t decided if I liked the ending or not. I read this in two sittings and I felt fully immersed in the story! I absolutely love how complicated Chess/Em and Lara/Mari were. Overall, a good story!

This was such a great novel. I loved The Wife Upstairs and Reckless Girls by Hawkins so I was really excited to start her new release. I have to say this exceeded my expectations! There are several different timelines in this novel. Present day, Chess and Emily are longtime best friends and both successful writes. The more successful of the two, Chess, invites Emily to come to a Villa in Italy that she rented for the summer. They learn the history of the place involving the murder of a young man who stayed there in the 70’s. The story jumps to the past timeline when a group of writers and musicians stayed at the Villa. We hear Mari’s story of the summer of 74 and the disturbing and tragic events that took place. Switching back and forth between timelines, the two stories blend together with equal amounts of deception, passion and greed. This was an exceptional story with an extremely satisfying end. Solid 5 stars for me.









https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4832082065

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 ☆ rounded up for The Villa by Rachel Hawkins.

Set in Italy, this book tells the story of Emily and Chess, best friends who decided to spend weeks at a summer house. But this house isn't like any other: in the 70s, a horrifying murder took place, to which the details are still unclear. And readers, don't forget - houses remember.

I know this book isn't necessarily a Feminine Rage story per se, but it gave me such strong vibes. The writing was amazing and I devoured it in 24h.
But I must say, although I generally enjoyed it, I could see some of the plot twists coming from a while away. Nonetheless, this was such an entertaining read and I reckon would make an amazing movie/series.

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins will be published in Jan, 2023.

It seems like 2022/23 is the era of Italy-- everyone I know is or has been vacationing there, and I've read at least 3 books that have chosen the country as their settings. Am I a tiny bit bitter that I'm not posted up in Positano while reading this? Mmmmaybe.

The Villa is a quick, enjoyable read. It has great pacing and manages not to get bogged down in too many flowery descriptions of the magnificent views, as I find is often the case with these types of travel novels. Hawkins understands the assignment: we are reading because we want character building (of morally ambiguous/devious women, specifically) and a mysterious plot, not a literary portrait of the Italian countryside. I also quite liked the events and characters in both timelines, which is not always the case in dual-timeline stories.

My favorite thing about this book was the ending-- it's not a jaw-on-the-floor twist, but it's clever and thought-provoking in a way that really makes you question the 'truth' of all stories. The lines between fiction and memoir are blurry at best, as we are all constantly crafting our own narratives.

Yessss, this book! I loved it. Perfect blend of mystery and suspense. I’ll recommend this one for sure.

Fans of Rachel Hawkins will be extremely disappointed when they realize that this book will not be released until January 2023. Those who were lucky enough to receive an advance copy will most likely agree that THE VILLA is her best book to-date. I read it in one day because I literally couldn’t put it down.

W-what?! What did I just read? Well, the queen of mystery does it again. Chess Chandler, self-help guru, and Emily Sheridan née McCrae, cozy mystery writer extraordinaire, have been best friends forever. So when Chess suggests a summer vacation to Italy, Emily’s ready to leave her shit show of a life in the dust. Staying at a proper murder villa, the location of an infamous murder in the 70s, the two writers reconnect and are reminded of why their friendship has lasted for decades.

I absolutely loved the two-in-one story of Mari’s Lilith Rising mixed with Emily’s story. At one point I actually Googled to see if Mari was an actual author (sadly, she’s fictional). The ending was superb and, as always, completely caught me off guard. I loved every minute of it!

Rachel Hawkins new novel, The Villa hits all the right notes.

Chess and Rachel have been friends forever. Both writers, Chess is riding high on the success of her nonfiction books, and Rachel is trying to write the next in her cozy book series. Rachel is going through a divorce, and slowly recovering from health issues. When Chess suggests going away to a villa in Italy, and spending time together, Rachel decides it's just what she needs to hit reset on her life.

The villa is beautiful, but has a dark past. There was a murder there, and some mystery still swirls around it. Told from multiple POV's, from the 1970's, and today, the story flows well, and both timelines are brought together seamlessly by the end of the book.

Very enjoyable, smart, and surprising, a definite read. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this ARC!

I received this book as an ARC and I was so excited to get it early. I have been looking forward to it for a while now.

Emily and Chess are two best friends who have lost the connection over the years. When Chess mentions staying at a Villa in Italy for the summer, Emily jumps on the chance. Hopefully to forget about her impending divorce and failures as a writer. Little did Chess and Emily know that a murder took place at the Villa. As Emily dives into the truth of the murder, her creative juices start flowing and a new book has come to light through all of it. Chess starts to get a little jealous and wants in on this deal. Will Emily let her? Even with her soon to be ex husband getting royalties from all the books she has written..why should Chess get a bit of it too?

Emily is a wonderful character and Chess eventually had me convinced she was a good person too...but the little twist at the end has me questioning...what were Chess's true intentions? Was she actually as successful as everyone made her out to be? There seems to be a missing puzzle piece and I wanted more!

Sally Hawkins' newest thriller offers a compellingly dark story featuring dual timelines, multiple POVs and a story within a story. The result is a delicious Gothic mystery and fascinating characters all around.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.