This book did not seem like the usual writing style of Rachel Hawkins. I found the storyline to be dry and slow-moving. The elements of surprise and mystery were lacking.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Villa by @ladyhawkins . It just worked for me - the Italian setting, the dual timelines, the rock and roll, and the book within a book.

There are definitely twists and turns in this one with lots of surprises. The ending was exactly what I would expect from Hawkins - it left me a bit unsettled.

Definitely recommend this one!

This was my first Rachel Hawkins book and it won't be my last! I read this one very quickly and it kept me engaged the entire time. Will highly recommend this book!

Emily, an author struggling with illness and a recent divorce, accepts her childhood friend Chess's offer to spend time at an Italian villa. Although the two are not as close as they used to be, they venture to the Villa Aestas, formerly known as Villa Rosato, where rock star Noel Gordon once rented and where a murder occurred in the early 1970s involving musician Pierce Sheldon. Mari, Pierce's girlfriend, wrote a famous horror novel following the incident, and her stepsister, Lara, composed a famous album.

The novel, THE VILLA, is a captivating page-turner, with multiple layers of stories interweaving through the present and past. The narrators and their stories are complex and often unreliable, making it difficult to discern the truth. The gothic setting of the Villa adds to the suspense and intrigue. While the characters are not entirely likable, their dark and twisted personalities make for an interesting read. I gave this book a 3 star rating.

Loved the premise behind this book. I needed a little more action to keep me interested . Will definitely try this author again.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy of The Villa by Rachel Hawkins.

Everything in cozy mystery writer Emily’s world has fallen apart beginning with a mysterious illness that led to her husband leaving and a difficult writing slump that she can’t seem to shake. So when her best childhood friend, Chess, suggests a month-long vacation at a villa in Orvieto, Italy, Emily jumps at the chance for a change of scenery and the possibility of rekindling their friendship. But Villa Aestas holds some dark secrets within her walls, which will cause Emily to question everything she knows about friendship, fame, and betrayal.

I am way late in my review of this book, to the point that my ARC expired – so I ended up purchasing The Villa on Audible. Listening to Julia Whelan is always a treat, and, honestly, the whole audio cast of this book is amazing. I really liked the story, but at times, I wanted to take Emily by the shoulders and shake her. The dual timelines were interesting, but I thought the connection between them could have been stronger. My thoughts on Chess would give away too much of the story, but I was thinking the ending would take a different turn with her. I still have some unanswered questions as to why Emily’s sickness really returned while in Italy, and that phone call in the kitchen… however, I do recommend The Villa for those looking for an easy thriller beach read.

First, this cover is amazing! Second, I will read anything by Rachel Hawkins and I was excited to dive into “The Villa.”

Unfortunately, this was not my favorite novel by Hawkins. There was a lot of characters and timelines to keep straight. I enjoyed the plot but personally it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

Emily is a cozy mystery writer who has a bit of writer's block. She has just recovered from a mysterious illness and is dealing with a divorce from a man who hadn't "signed up for this". He is now suing her for a major cut of her royalties and income from her books, stressing out both Emily and her bank account. When her on again, off again BFF, Chess, invites her to Italy for a summer of writing and being a tourist, she agrees to go. Chess is a successful self help author, so they have that in common. Doing some research on the Villa Aesta before going, Emily finds out it is a murder house. The second timeline in the book is set in 1974 where Mari and her stepsister, Lara, arrive at the Villa Rosato that had been rented for the summer by a notorious rock star, Noel Gordon, and his guest, Pierce Sheldon another musician. They are in for a summer of parties, drugs, sex and rock and roll. Before the summer is over, someone is dead. Emily finds this story fascinating and begins her own research. What really happened in 1974 and how does that affect Emily and Chess now?

The Villa is a thriller, but it has a gothic vibe with the house and the mystery surrounding it. The story is told in dual POVs of Emily and Mari. Mari was also a writer and became famous writing a horror classic while staying at the Villa. There are also a few podcasts interspersed in the story. It was interesting to see how obsessed Emily became with Mari's story and found clues in the villa to what might have really happened. With Emily and Chess in the present, there seems to be something going on, but I couldn't figure out what it is and why did Chess really invite Emily to Italy? The setting of a gorgeous villa in a small Italian town was inviting. This is a story of friendship, romance and secrets with a couple of huge twists that kept me guessing right to the end. This one started slow, but picked up as the story progressed and it pulled me in. If you enjoy a good psychological thriller, I recommend you pick up The Villa.

[Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for allowing me to review this ARC with honesty.]

This story is told in different time frames and with numerous POVs that link together as the story progresses. I found some of the characters a bit obnoxious at times and others, more sympathetic. I don't know why I preferred the older timeline (aside from characters) but I seemed to want more time with the flashbacks then I did present day with Emily and Jessica.

I will say that the story was interesting enough that I didn't want to put the book down until I read enough chapters to have some answers, only to be finding more questions - which is a good thing.

Overall, I did like the story, there were some times that I felt it dragged a bit or it seemed the characters were just a tad unrealistic (more towards the end but I will not specify as I don't want to spoil) in certain situations but still had fun with it.



My Rating: 4 Star Read

great book and such great characters. I enjoyed the mystery and some romance. I also enjoyed the journey of the characters. I didn't know what to expect with this book but I enjoyed it .

I really enjoyed reading The Villa. I love how Rachel Hawkins writes her characters, they all seem so real yet at the same time romanticized and larger than life. I couldn’t put this book down. I loved the interwoven stories. It is a mix of gothic horror, domestic thriller, beach read and 1970s rock n roll. This was the perfect read for me to pick up after reading Daisy Jones and the Six. Mari is not somebody’s muse, she’s the somebody.

First off, thank you to netgalley, the publisher and author for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. These opinions are my own.

I have read Rachel Hawkins books in the past, I LOVED "Reckless Girls" but for some reason the Villia just missed the mark for me. I have tried three times to pick it up and each time I just find it lacking the gripping feeling I need from a thriller. I ended up DNF'ing at 30%. One of these days ill pick it up and try again. Sad to see this one being a miss for me as I love Rachel Hawkins.

I received this e-book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the author/publisher for the copy!

Emily is at a hard time in her life. She can't find inspiration to write her next contracted books and she's going through a divorce, When she reconnects with a childhood friend, Chess, she suggests that Emily joins her in Italy to maybe help spark some inspiration and have a break from what she's going through. During their stay at the villa, where a murder happened in the 70's, Emily starts to dig deeper into the history of the people that were staying in the villa at the time of the murder. Throughout the book, we are taken through Emily's life and struggles and we get a look into Mari & Lara's lives before, during and after their stay at the villa and murder in the 70's.

When I first started this book, I wasn't sucked in immediately like I wanted to be. Reading this as an e-book proved a bit difficult because this book had so many different parts to it. It goes between Emily's life, Mari & Lara's lives, several different books and even newspaper clippings. It was hard to keep track of what was happening at some points, although once I got a handle on what was happening, I did get sucked into the story at about halfway through. I liked that I thought I knew what was going to happen, but it didn't turn out to be like I thought! I did enjoy reading this one and look forward to more Rachel Hawkins books!

*I received a free copy of this novel from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my honest review.*

Emily and Chess grew up together, but as adults have grown apart. Chess has reinvented herself several times and is now a self help guru with millions of followers while Emily has a cozy mystery series with several more books to write for the series. Emily is also going through recovering from an illness and now a divorce. Chess suggests going to a villa in Italy to reconnect their relationship. And the house that she rents turns out to be where an infamous murder occurred in the 1970s. Emily starts digging around the house and writing a story about the murder and it seems that Chess has lost her muse.

I could very much relate to Emily being in the shadow of Chess and being suspicious of her actions. I enjoyed how the story unfolded, but I felt like the novel could have just stayed within the current and 1970's storyline and left the third out of it. The third storyline was a little confusing and I am not really sure how it was resolved. I did enjoy the setting of the villa and the twists at the end. I wish things had resolved in a slightly different way because Chess was such an unlikeable character. But it also tied Emily and Chess together. Forever. So Creepy!!

I was so excited for this book. 70s vibes? Check? Rock and roll? Check MURDER HOUSE? Check.
Now, first things first, let's talk characters. The only ones I enjoyed reading about were Mary and Laura but even they fell flat in places. Chess and Emily? Honestly, why are they even friends? Apparently neither of them like the other very much. And if my "best friend" had done that to me? I would have gone home right then and there and never spoke to them again.
Where's the humor? I think when I heard that Erin Sterling AKA Rachel Hawkins wrote this book I was expecting it to be funny like the Ex Hex series was and was sorely disappointed. Yeah, maybe I shouldn't have expected that from a drama/suspense novel but a girl can hope. Listen, I can forgive crappy plots if I'm having a good time, and I just wasn't with this book, which is a bummer.
The murder part wasn't very murdery. A swing and a miss on both accounts.
Also, the ending of this book was a mess. I feel bad writing this negative review, but this is my honest opinion

I'm sorry to say that this was not one of my faves. Didn't really feel like a thriller and it was such a s-l-o-www burn. I did finish it so there's that.

I had a really hard time getting through this book. I just got a bit board before I could get to the really exciting parts. Not my fave!

Thank you so much @StMartinsPress for gifting me this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 03 January 2023)

SYNOPSIS | In 1974, Mari is invited to spend the summer at an Italian Villa with her lover (Pierce), stepsister (Lara), famous musician (Noel) & his drug dealer (Johnnie), however their time together results in a tragic death. In present day, Emily is struggling to write another cozy mystery as she is going through a divorce so her old best friend (Chess) invites her to a summer getaway at the same Italian Villa.

WHAT I LIKED:
- how the dual timelines slowly unfolded
- the big reveal (which will make it an excellent book club choice)
- mystery within a mystery vibes
- the snippets of song lyrics, book segments & articles

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- the jumping around between past & present as it kept pulling me out of each timeline
- I typically don't like stories that aren't set in modern day

Entertaining and propelling, I read this thriller pretty quickly. While it was at times bloody and violent, it didn't feel like a bloody and violent thriller if that makes any sense. I enjoyed both timelines equally which is kind of unusual and hard to do in a dual timeline book. I hope if they make this into a series they don't ruin it like they did Daisy Jones and The Six. This feels like a thriller version of that.

I think the pros are that this book kept me turning pages, I felt like the story had great potential, and I freaking love the cover. The cons are that I didn’t feel connected to any of the characters, the ending felt rushed, and the central theme of friendship went off the rails.

I think I enjoyed The Wife Upstairs so much that her thrillers since then haven’t lived up to the hype in my mind. But whoever designs her covers is brilliant - I’ve loved all 3 of them!