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!

The line between friends and enemies is thin for Emily and Chess. Attempting to get back their close relationship from the past, Emily agrees to a vacation with Chess in a historic Villa with a murderous legacy. Sins of the past come back to curse the present. Emily becomes obsessed with the infamous murder. Will she unlock the hidden secrets of the past, or will her discoveries lead to tragedy in the present? Betrayal, revenge, deception and lies describe this intriguing thriller that alternates between crimes of the past and evils of the present. This thriller is atmospheric and haunting with an ever growing sense of foreboding. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my copy.

I read The Villa awhile ago and realized I never reviewed it. This was my first book by Rachel Hawkins and I loved it. I was immediately drawn in by the plot, the edginess of the characters, and the dual timeline of the story. Bonus points for the setting being in Italy. Thank you so much NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the digital copy!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This was ok. This genre of books is always tricky, either its amazing or just ok. This was just ok. The cover is beautiful, though

Two best friends since childhood have grown apart as one has a crumbling marriage and a lackluster writing career (Emily) while the other is a world famous self-help writer (Chess). After a quick coffee, Chess invites Emily to spend the summer in Italy at a villa she is renting. It turns out that this villa was the seen of celebrity murder in the mid-70s. This fact gets both of their creative juices flowing but it the mystery really what it seems and do they have secrets from each other that could ruin everything.

The Villa is one of those page turner mysteries where you don't really like any of the characters but you are intrigued to find out what happens. The characters are a combination of charming manipulators or people who cannot find their own internal voice and stand up for themselves. You want more from the latter and hope the former get an ass whopping. The plot of this book is intriguing and leaves you guessing even at the end.

Definitely recommend for fans of this genre.

#shocker (!!!!) I’m behind on my TBR pile and I had every intention to finish this #advancedreaderscopy before publication , but that clearly did not happen 🤦🏼‍♀️
I loved this book - I may have needed extra coffee to get going this morning , but it was totally worth the #latenight binge . @ladyhawkins weaves a really interesting tale of friendship , love , and murder that kept me entertained until the very end . A solid 4⭐️ quick read that is told in dual perspectives between past and present , but also is seamlessly woven together in such a way that had me second guessing the entire timeline .

From @goodreads :: As kids, Emily and Chess were inseparable. But by their 30s, their bond has been strained by the demands of their adult lives. So when Chess suggests a girls trip to Italy, Emily jumps at the chance to reconnect with her best friend.

Villa Aestas in Orvieto is a high-end holiday home now, but in 1974, it was known as Villa Rosato, and rented for the summer by a notorious rock star, Noel Gordon. In an attempt to reignite his creative spark, Noel invites up-and-coming musician, Pierce Sheldon to join him, as well as Pierce’s girlfriend, Mari, and her stepsister, Lara. But he also sets in motion a chain of events that leads to Mari writing one of the greatest horror novels of all time, Lara composing a platinum album––and ends in Pierce’s brutal murder.

As Emily digs into the villa’s complicated history, she begins to think there might be more to the story of that fateful summer in 1974. That perhaps Pierce’s murder wasn’t just a tale of sex, drugs, and rock & roll gone wrong, but that something more sinister might have occurred––and that there might be clues hidden in the now-iconic works that Mari and Lara left behind.

THANK YOU @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the opportunity the read this - I promise to read the next BEFORE publication day 😘

#bookstagram #bookreview #rachelhawkins #thevilla #tbr #netgalley #arc #bookreviewer #lifegetsbusysometimes

Such a good book.

I really enjoyed the story and the dual timeline. But i feel like the dual timeline is over used now. And in this case I don't think the second (1970s) time line added anything to the current one. I typically love this author but this one wasn't a win for me personally.

Y’all know my love for this author runs deep! I loved the modern domestic suspense take on Jane Eyre that was THE WIFE UPSTAIRS and I was here for it in RECKLESS GIRLS when a group of people find themselves docked at the same remote island with a murderous past. So obviously when I heard that THE VILLA was inspired by the summer in Italy where Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein while staying at a villa with Lord Byron and Percy Shelley, I was READY! This book delivered.

There are multiple timelines: in 2023, Emily is reeling from a contentious divorce when her longtime bestie and self-help guru Chess invites her to spend the summer at an Italian villa. The two will reconnect in the scenic countryside and work on their next books. But instead of writing the next cozy mystery in a long-running series, Emily is drawn in by the mysterious crime that occurred at the very same villa back in the 1970s. A group of musicians and writers spent a summer there before a shocking act of violence tore them apart. The two women who were there - Mari and her stepsister Lara - ended up creating a bestselling novel and album respectively, inspired by the tragedy. We get to read Mari’s story in flashbacks and watch as Emily searches for clues as to what REALLY happened long ago…

I liked the dual timelines and found this to be an engaging read. It’s always interesting to me when a writer plays with the trope of unreliable narratives in fiction. This is another great suspense read from Rachel Hawkins and I recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an early copy in exchange for my honest review!