I loved this book! I read it in one afternoon, I had to know what happened!
Chess and Emily are besties, or are they? They decide to take a summer vacay to the Italian countryside to write and get their friendship back on track. They are staying in a Villa that has quite the past.
The story is told in several points of view and different time frames, but it is easy to follow. Atmospheric and dark, but with light touches as well.
Highly recommend! 4.5/5 stars

Rachel Hawkins is quickly becoming a must read author for me. I am a sucker for multiple points of view as well as multiple timelines.

I loved the way she wove in the past as well as parts of books, songs and podcasts to explain the story of the murder in the 1970s and how it wove in to the present day friends, Emily and Chess, who are staying at the Villa.

The house remembers….

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I’m not a huge fan of thrillers, but something about the premise of this book really drew me in. It grabbed me from the start - when I wasn’t reading this book, I was thinking about how much I was looking forward to picking it up again and trying to guess how it would end. It is SO good.

I was the slightest bit less interested in the 70s portions of the book until about 65% of the way through, but both storylines were interesting. I read this as an ARC/unedited text document via Kindle, so I don’t think some of the formatting came through like it should have - namely the excerpts from “other sources.” That being said I really loved when books add in those bits from — such as the ‘podcast’ and ‘book excerpts’ included here. It very vaguely reminds me of Courtney Summers’ “Sadie” which is written as a podcast.. not sure why, but that type of added commentary from outsiders really does it for me.

One of the “twists” near the end felt fairly obvious/easily guessed to me, but otherwise I had no idea where this would end up and I was so pleased with the ending for Mari’s plot line specifically.

Two best friends that are both writers go on a summer long trip to a beautiful villa in Italy, what could go wrong? Well, it just so happens this same villa was the location of a well known murder almost 50 years earlier. Even knowing this, Emily and Chess go in hopes to spend a summer in the sun. This book follows the journey of these two best friends as well as telling the story of Mari and Lara, the two step sisters that spent a summer in the same villa in 1974. Pepper in some articles from the 70s, lyrics from Lara’s famous album (written that summer at the villa) and inserts from Mari's now famous horror novel Lilith Rising, and you have a recipe for a mysterious story. Emily is feeling down on her luck after a nasty divorce from her husband Matt and a long spell of being sick so she decides that a trip away from North Carolina is what she needs to help her write her next book. Her childhood best friend has the perfect solution when she springs the trip on Emily. While in Italy, Emily can't help but get pulled into the mystery of the murder at the villa in 1974.

Like Rachel Hawkins' other two books, Reckless Girls and The Woman Upstairs, she does an incredible job of painting this interesting tale in two parallels. One we have a "summer of love" that starts with good friends, sex, drugs and then ends in a horrible murder. However, it brings the success of an author and songwriter. On the other side, she writes about two best friends that clearly have some animosity towards one another. Chess is a very successful self help writer that lives a perfect life and her best friend, Emily is a down and out author that is not happy with how her book series is going. What will happen when they spend a whole summer together? The Villa tells all and so much more, because houses remember.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, like Rachel's others I found it was very well written and had a resolute ending. I couldn't help, but feel the hurt of the characters by the end. Anyone who loves murder and the 70's era should read this book!

Unfortunately, this book did not work for me. It felt like something that was hurriedly thrown together. The story was not all that interesting and quite confusing/convoluted, and I did not find any of the characters likable. If the book was not short, I would have probably DNFed it.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

(4.5 stars)
Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the ARC! Rachel Hawkins has become a must buy author for me since “The Wife Upstairs” and this did not disappoint! I will also say, as I know most were disappointed with “Reckless Girls” that this is much better (though I did give that one 4 stars)! In true Hawkin’s fashion, so many characters in this are truly unlikable. I think that’s one of the things I enjoy the most about her books. The truly despicable characters where you are rooting for someone who is also awful. The villa in the Italian countryside made for such a dreamy setting-I’m a sucker for books set in Italy! The use of 2 timelines with 2 storylines worked really well and kept me captivated! My one complaint would be that there were some things left up in the air, but I think that was done intentionally so the reader can form their own conclusions. This book is out January 3, 2023 and I would definitely recommend it!

I just want to say how much I can’t stand Rachel Hollis.

I know this isn’t what the book is about but I’ve got it off my chest.

Two best friends, one a writer of cozy mysteries going through a divorce, another a “girl boss” writing self help books. They take a trip to an Italian Villa, interweaves is a story from the 70s. Mari and her want to be rock and roll lover spent the summer at the same villa with her step sister and her on and off rockstar boyfriend. We see Mari’s writing interspersed. All three stories take sinister twists and friendship that keep you guessing what or who a villain is.

Loved this.

Em is getting divorced and is stuck on the next book in her cozy mystery series, so when her childhood best friend Chess says they should spend the summer at a villa in Italy Emily hopes it can be a fresh start away from her troubles. The book alternates between their stay at the villa and a group in the 1970s staying at the villa. That group is really paralleled off of the summer Mary Shelley and her group stayed together and she infamously wrote Frankenstein. I really enjoyed this book and read it very quickly because I wanted to know what happened.

Two dramatic storylines where one directly influences the later. What a great drama filled story, and you can positively feel the Italian sun radiant off the pages.

I was so excited to read another Rachel Hawkins book. While somewhat predictable, I enjoyed the fast pace and the characters. This is a quick read and an easy thriller to fall in love with.

I received an ARC of, The Villa by Rachel Hawkins. This was on ok story, I just did not like the language, it took away from the story. I did not care for Chess or Matt at all.

Best friends and authors travel to Italty for inspiration and stumble on a decades old mystery. Will the new story bring them together or tear them apart. This story was great! Told in modern day and flashbacks, it tells the story of an iconic murder in the 1970s that lauched the artistic career of two sisters. Now, two best friends travel to the villa to write for the summer...one a self-help auther and one who writes cozy mysteries. The "murder house" begins to fascinate both of them. But will the house's secrets end thier friendship?

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC.
Wow, I loved this book! It was my first read by Rachel Hawkins, but it certainly will not be my last.
The setting of the Villa was very atmospheric, both in the 70's and today. The rock & roll vibe in the 70's took me back to that time, I could visualize the group quite vividly and felt sorry for the two sisters, they were so out of their depth, until...
The two best friends in the present made me feel uneasy at times, can you love and hate your friend at the same time? But again, the atmosphere was vivid, at times creepy, but totally absorbing.
Great book, highly recommended!

I really enjoyed this! I love Rachel’s Hawkins writing style, as it keeps me engaged. I loved the Wife Upstairs and liked Reckless Girls, and I would place this right between them. I guessed some of the plot twists but it was entertaining enough that I enjoyed being along for the ride. After 3 solid books for me, I will read anything this author writes in the future.

The Villa is fantastic! I would venture to say it is probably Hawkins’ best book to date.

This story has a dual timeline with a three dimensional feel. It takes place in a beautiful Italian Villa situated in the countryside of Umbria. In the 1970’s, a grisly murder took place here, and in the present time, another tragedy will occur.

Mari is a young girl who fancies herself in love with an older, married man. When they are invited to vacation in Italy with Mari’s stepsister and her Rock and Roll love interest, they jump at the chance. The vacation has its usual allure of drugs, sex and rock and roll, but Mari is more interested in digging deeper into past events that occurred at the very same Villa. When a group of artists drink too much, drug too much and fancy being in love with the wrong person, bad things happen.

In the timeline of today, Chess and her best friend, Emily, take a trip to the very same Villa hoping to find inspiration for their newest books. They have a somewhat strained relationship and are getting on each other’s nerves while trying to work through their writer’s blocks. Emily gives up on her book and starts a new one after reading a book she finds in the Villa’s library, “Lilith Rising”, written by Mari, the bestselling author and prior visitor of the Villa.

The two timelines are woven together perfectly and will keep you turning page after page late into the night.

I am giving this book 5 stars. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. This is my honest review.

Rachel Hawkins easily solidifies herself as one of my favorite authors with her new book The Villa! Could not put this down and the final two chapters left a chill down my spine! Alternating between the past and the present and telling two stories in one - Hawkins masterfully combines and intertwines the two plots in a suspenseful and chilling web. Her setting descriptions made me feel like I was right alongside our narrator in the sunny, but dark, Villa! Thank you so much for the advance copy - I will be recommending to everyone!!!

Loved this one! This is my 3rd by Rachel Hawkins and it definitely surpassed the others! Two best friends go away to Italy for the summer, wouldn’t you expect some interesting things to happen? Loved reading from so many different views it kept me pulled in until I was done, couldn’t put this one down!

Em and chess have been friend since they were kids, where they would do everything together as adults not so much.Chess as she goes by becomes a star writing self help books, while Em write Cozie mysteries. The two girls
Not very close anymore take a trip to Italy ans stay in the famous villa where a murder took place in 1974.

The murder of pierce sheldon, is the most talked about horror of 1974. When 4 friends stay in a Italy villa for the summer. Mari and Lara are stepsister having leave there life for love and fame, that ends deadly.

The story is told in a dual time line, I was kept guessing though our the book about who did what and often thought things about who did it and what and was always wrong! While at times it was a bit confusing I absolutely love it! The characters were developed properly and kept me interested that I would stay up late just to know what happened!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC for my honest review.

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

Damn, this was good.

I read Reckless Girls earlier this year and it was creepy, so wanted to give this a try. I love that Hawkins’ thrillers really do sort of creep up on you, by slowly introducing so many unsettling ideas until the final twist ending.

This one, though… The Villa tells two parallel narratives: one is present day and features Emily, the other is in the 70s and features Mari. I got really invested in Mari’s story, because I am a nerd.

Let me explain: Mari’s story is a retelling of Mary Shelley’s bio - specifically, the personal life events that led to Frankenstein. I read Frankenstein again recently for PhD exam stuff and am on an adaptation kick, so this re-imagination was a coincidence and a pleasant surprise. I loved matching Hawkins’ characters to their historical inspiration.

That being said, you don’t need to know anything about Mary Shelley or Frankenstein to like this. I didn’t quite see the twist at the end, but Hawkins readers might because it’s very on-brand (in a good way!!).

I might even try to teach this some day. Very cool book, 5/5 from me.

Thanks to Netgalley for the change to listen to this audiobook early.

This was just ok. I really liked the concept but it fell flat. It was slow and kind of boring until around 65% and then it finally picked up and got a bit intriguing. I guessed one of the reveals but not the twist.
The characters are supposed to be rock stars and singers and it just didn’t give off that vibe at all. It was actually overall not very atmospheric. They were in Italy in a villa. I would have liked for it to feel more that way.
It was just underwhelming most of the time. I did like it more towards the end and how it ended.
I think I would really prefer this as a show or movie.