The Villa by Rachel Hawkins was a most compelling audiobook. It was told in alternating timelines. Over the years, I have become a big fan of Rachel Hawkins and so I was excited to see that she had written a new thriller. The Villa certainly lived up to my expectations! Rachel Hawkins was able to develop intense and intriguing characters for both time lines within her book. The Villa was well plotted and paced just right. I found it interesting and appealing that Rachel Hawkins had chosen to base the earlier time line of The Villa (1974) on the influences of the music of the 1970’s especially resembling that of Fleetwood Mac and the poetry and literary influences of Mary Shelley, Summer Percy and Lord Byron. Having had spent those years of the early 1970’s at college, I can agree that 1974 was definitely a time known for rock ‘n roll, drug experimentation and sex. The other time line was present day. Rachel Hawkins had chosen to set The Villa in Umbria, Italy at a villa originally called Villa Rosato and later changed to Villa Aestas. The Villa was located in Orvieto, a quiet, beautiful and romantic spot. As I mentioned, I listened to the audiobook that was very well narrated by Julia Whelan, Kimberly M. Wetherell and Shiromi Arserio.

Emily and Chess (Jessica) had grown up together and were best friends all during their younger years, through high school and even through college. Then their lives took different paths. They still remained friends but they tended to get together less and less and their correspondence was in the form of text messages. Both Emily and Chess became authors. Emily wrote cozy mysteries that centered around the character of Petal Bloom. Chess had gotten herself involved in a podcast and she had written a self help book entitled, “Things My Mama Never Taught Me” which became an instant best seller and made Chess a small fortune and very popular. Emily had married the man of her dreams but she learned the hard way that she was very mistaken. She found herself dealing with her divorce, writer’s block and an illness that she was finally recovering from. When Chess called Emily and proposed that they do a girl’s only trip to Italy for the summer so they could reconnect, concentrate on their writing and relax, Emily was all in. A change of venue would do her good she thought until she discovered that Chess had rented the Villa where a murder occurred back in 1974.

In 1974, Rock musician Noel Gordon rented out Villa Rosato in Orvieto for six weeks and invited Pierce Sheldon, an up and coming singer songwriter, along with his current and much younger girlfriend, Mari Godwick and her step sister, Lara Larchmont. Noel was hoping he and Pierce might write songs together. Mari was just sixteen when she met the already married Pierce Sheldon. She had had a good upbringing and came from a family that was quite wealthy. Mari’s mother was an author and had written and published a book. Mari left the comforts of her home and joined Pierce on the road where he was performing. Pierce was talented but had little ambition. Mari and Pierce had had a son together but he had died from a respiratory illness that might have been avoided if they had had the money to consult a doctor and if Pierce had taken it more seriously. Mari never really recovered from the loss of her son. He was always in her conscious thoughts. Then one day, Johnny appeared. He made it no secret that he was attracted to Mari but Mari’s heart belonged to Pierce. Mari began writing that summer. She authored a book which she titled, “ Lilith Rising”. Although the characters were different, the plot of Lilith Rising mirrored the summer at Villa Rosato. Lara, Mari’s stepsister, also proved to be a very talented singer songwriter. Her album, Aestas, was comprised of sad lyrical songs. Both Mari and Lara eventually found fame from their accomplishments. That summer, though, changed the lives of all those that shared the Villa. There were drugs, music and sex. There were arguments and physical and verbal violence. There was a murder. Pierce Sheldon died that summer. Who killed him?

Emily had always been an avid reader. Was it a coincidence that a copy of Lilith Rising was one of her favorite books and that she chose to reread it while she and Chase were at Villa Aestas? Emily’s thoughts began to question the type of books she might want to write. She was tired of Petal Bloom and cozy mysteries. Could she figure out what really happened all those years ago by dissecting Lilith Rising. Suddenly, her motivation came to fruition and she found herself pounding away at her keyboard. She had written more in just a few hours than she had in a very long time. There was one problem, though…Chess! Although Emily was the one with the idea of changing genres to true crime and writing about what really occurred at Villa Aestas in 1974, Chase wanted to coauthor it with Emily. What would Emily decide to do? Emily suspected that Chase was keeping secrets from her. Was she? Why had Chase really invited Emily to join her for the summer at Villa Aestas? What would they discover about the events that led up to the murder in 1974?

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins was suspenseful and even chilling at times. It was twisty, creepy and dark at other times. The Villa was about friendship, betrayal, secrets, strong female artists, jealousy, influences from literature and music and inspiration. I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook of The Villa and highly recommend it highly. Publication was January 3, 2023.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to the audiobook of The Villa by Rachel Hawkins through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of the book is intriguing and set in a beautiful village in Italy made me want to book a trip. The characters fall short of feeling fully fleshed out. I did enjoy the minor twist toward the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review! I liked this story that intertwines murder, mystery, and a toxic relationship (or two). The Villa hops back and forth between two story lines in different times - and paints the full picture of The Villa, and it’s background. This read like a slow burn dramatic murder mystery that was enjoyable enough to read. Overall, I would recommend this book.

This is probably my favorite Rachel Hawkins book!

I liked the whole “murder house” theme surrounding Emily and Chess’s girls trip. I also really enjoyed the dual time lines and getting the actual story of what happened from Mari’s perspective.

Chess was, in my opinion, unworthy of Emily’s friendship. But this book did showcase the struggles of friendships and forgiveness

Rachel Hawkins knocked my socks off, with her book The Wife Upstairs. I jump on every chance to get her new books once they are released for ARCs. While I loved the Wife Upstairs, and like the Reckless girls, I found this title: The Villa, Quite boring and dull.

Two life long friends, separated by everyday life, finds themselves wanting to reconnect in a girls trip to italy. However, both being "famous" and writers could cause more turmoil than rekindling anything. Once they get to the old mysterious villa where the famous rock-star Pierce had once stayed, More spirals into play than just writing or rekindling old friendships. Thank You to Netgalley for allowing me to read this title in exchange for my honest feedback.

Kept my attention. Thoroughly curious and intrigued. Juicy right up until the end. A real lascivious guilty pleasure kinda read.

I tried really hard to get into this one! It was a DNF for me. I do not think it was the story by any means, I just was not in the mood for this type of book. I am giving it 4 stars, since I have to rate it. But again, it was me not the book.

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins follows Emily and her friend Chess who are both authors. The girls take a summer trip to Villa Aestas in Orvieto, Italy to write their next projects and rekindle their childhood friendship. While there, Emily uncovers the secrets of famous horror writer Mari and the mystery surrounding the home and the tragedy that befell it in 1974. The story has a dual timeline between now and then from the perspectives of Emily and Mari. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and the layers Hawkins weaves within the tale. The fast moving and intriguing story kept me interested until the end. I highly recommend!

What have I learned? This author just isn’t for me.. This is the second book from Rachel Hawkins that I just didn’t vibe with. This story was SO slow and I caught myself skimming the pages after getting bored. I had to DNF it at 40% because I was completely miserable and begging for another book to get my mind off this terrible one.

Rachel Hawkins has done it again. I absolutely love her writing style and I was on the edge on my seat in this slow burn thriller. It kept me interested and entertained through the entire book. I could not wait to see what twists and turns she had in store. Would definitely recommend

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

In the summer of 1974, there was a group of five staying at Villa Rosato: Mari, an aspiring author; Lara, Mari's sister and an aspiring musician; Pierce, Mari's husband and up-and-coming musician; Noel, a world-famous rock star; and Johnnie, whose reasons for being at the villa are not immediately clear. The summer of 1974 ends in one of the group being murdered, and inspires two of the most influential works of the century: Mari's groundbreaking horror novel and Lara's platinum album.

Cozy mystery author Emily is recently divorced and struggling to write her next book, so when her childhood best friend Chess suggests a girls trip to Italy, Emily jumps at the chance to get away for the summer. When they arrive at the villa (now known as Villa Aestas) in present day, Emily starts looking into the murder and begins to suspect there was much more to the story than sex, drugs, and rock and roll.

The story is told in alternating timelines, which is a trope I absolutely love in mystery/thrillers and certainly worked for me in this case as well. In terms of the 1974 storyline, I really liked that we started off the novel knowing a murder took place but not knowing the identities of the victim and murderer, nor their motive. I was really engaged as we went back in time and pieced together the chain of events leading up to that notorious crime. In the present day chapters, we gained insight into Emily and Chess's toxic friendship. These chapters often made me really mad as I thought Chess was absolutely intolerable, but it's to the credit of the book that it was able to make me experience such strong feelings towards her character.

The aspect of this book that I arguably loved most was the setting. I could easily envision the beautiful Italian villa and it made me desperately want to be there. This is a perfect beach or poolside read and although I think it's worth reading at any time of the year, I would highly recommend reading this novel this summer!

I also appreciated the message of the story, which boiled down to the men in 1974 treating Mari and Lara like side characters in their story, when ultimately it is Mari and Lara who end up having the most important impact on culture. I thought there was a lot of unique commentary surrounding this concept.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time reading The Villa! If you like mystery/thrillers with toxic friendships, novels with feminist commentary, or are just looking for a good beach read for this summer, I would highly recommend this one.

I was lucky to get The Villa on Netgalley. I'm a fan of two stories interweaving and both having a mystery of sorts. While I saw a few things coming, other things kept me engrossed. The manipulation around every corner and not knowing who to root for or who to trust was infuriating, yet again, kept me reading! Interesting, unsatisfying, overall hard to put down.

This book was very meh for me personally. I tried doing the book and the audio to see if it would help move the story along for me, but the time jumps were jarring through the beginning with the different stories and I went into it expecting more of a thriller theme and it definitely wasn’t very “thrilling”. I think others could like this, but it just wasn’t a book for me.

Thank you NetGalley and st. Martins Press for my ARC in exchange for my honest feedback!

I was slow to start this one because I'd read some mixed reviews, but I really liked it! I was invested in the present day storyline and LOVED the Gothic feel of The Villa (past and present). If you're looking for a good mystery with a creepy vibe, a bit of sex, drugs, and rock and roll, or (my personal favorite) a girl-power (seriously, do not mess with these women) book, look no further than The Villa.

I read quite a bit of it and listened to some. The narrators did a fantastic job of bringing the characters to life.

Thanks for NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for the advanced review copies.

I have enjoyed reading Rachel Hawkins' novels. I really enjoyed the set up with this one. I liked the element of a past event occurring in the villa and the connections with the current visitors. I also enjoyed the old rocker element of the story. I liked how there were articles as well as snippets of a book interspersed throughout the novel. These elements added to the story for me. I felt that I was able to imagine the villa and put myself right alongside the characters. The women were well formed and interesting and their tense relationship added to the suspense of it all. I would recommend this as a great beach read or for fans of a suspenseful novel.

This one took me awhile to get into and had to put it down around 44% into it. It wasn’t holding my attention, slow, and didn’t care for the characters.

I loved it. It’s a slow burn thriller. I just like the build up of information and discovery. Some people say that the ending was rushed and unbelievable but I enjoyed it

In Rachel Hawkins latest book she shows that a house can remember and affect many things:

In 1974, five people enter the Villa Rosato in Orvieto Italy but only 4 will make it out alive. But in the time that they were in some great artistic works were made during that time and some of those works continues to inspire those in present day. Emily's life is in shambles, after a strange bout of sickness no Doctor seems to be able to explain, her husband wants a divorce and the next novel in her book series is due and she unable to write it. When her lifelong friend Chess, who is a successful self help author, suggests a summer in Italy to get away, Emily jumps at the chance. The place that Chess chooses the same place of the famous 70s murder and though it may be strange Emily is finding inspiration in the Villa. But Chess is acting really strange and she's not sure why but the Villa is sure to change her life.

This is the third book that I have read by Hawkins and it was not the book that I was expecting but I’m okay with that as I became wrapped up in the both stories of the women in two different times. This book is a slow burn of the book and I do not think that it is a thriller/haunted house (villa) as some people have touted it to me. I would classify it more along the line of a contemporary novel with a side of murder, as you know someone is going to get murdered in the 1970s, its more about how it will happen.

I think this book was so much more than the house and the murder in the 70s, it really was about these two women trying to find themselves. For Mari in the 70s this was trying to find her voice in a male dominated environment and her life being dominated by men and for Emily in the present trying to find herself again after her life has imploded around her as well as find a new voice that she never had before.

This book has two main characters and dual timelines and I really liked the way that it was presented in the book and even the interaction with the past and present. Especially how the past shapes the present throughout that timeline. I like both of the main leads, and I feel like you get to know them very well and how similar they are even though decades separate them.

I was able to figure it out most of the twists that Hawkins was going to throw my way in this book but that is okay as I wrapped up in the characters and the Story.

I think my one criticism of the book is that I wish that Hawkins would have went a bit darker in the present time, especially with the ending.

I really enjoyed this book and really have enjoyed all the books that I have read by Hawkins so far (I have not read her YA books) and I look forward to reading another book by her and what story she is able to come up with next.

Enjoy!!!

Well, this book certainly kept me engrossed in every chapter. You're really getting 2 mysteries in this book. The present day involves 2 best friends trying to reconnect in a gorgeous Italian villa and the other story is in the 70's with 2 stepsisters, great music references and murder, The book is thrilling and has just the right number of twists to keep you guessing.

A paranoia filled slow burn thriller set in dual timelines with two alternating points of view. Told by Mari in 1974 and Emily in the present day they both tell of their stay in Villa Rosato/Villa Aestas It is written as a story within a story. While staying at The Villa Emily becimes obsessed with revealing the truth about it's scandalized past of murder while staying there.

I was much more intrigued by Mari's story. Her story unfolded slowly but the characters and issues were much more entertaining than Emily's.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and it was an easy read. Though I didn't have much attachment to the characters I still was interested in what would be revealed about the haunted Villa.

I am grateful to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read a digital copy of this book filled with friendship, betrayal and murder in exchange for my honest review.