This was the best book! I read it in one sitting! I would definitely recommend this book! It had such good twists and very well written!

I really like Hawkins’ stories but this one I’m not sure if I do or don’t. I didn’t really care for Chess, thought she was a person who used Emily at times and wasn’t very nice. I didn’t like Mari’s story too much although it did take place in the 7o’s where a lot of unusual free love took place. I didn’t find this haunting or mysterious. The ending to Emily’s story was rather unbelievable too. 3.5 stars

“Houses remember.”
This theme gets interwoven from the past to the present in The Villa by Rachel Hawkins. I so enjoyed the moody setting of Villa Aestas (previously Villa Rosato).in Orvieto, Italy. Why the change in name? Why, due to notorious murder of rockstar Pierce Sheldon in 1974. The how, why, and whodunnit of the murder is juxtaposed through alternate timelines, Mari in the past and Emily in the present day. I raced through this book, so eager to get to the bottom of Pierce’s murder and understand what was truly going on with present day guest Emily uncomfortable relationship with her self-help guru bestie Chess. I adored the atmosphere, the mystery, and the troubled characters, not to mention the ending that had me guessing as well as finally understanding how, “Houses Remember.”

Another fast-paced fantastic read from this author. The story moves quickly but still gives the reader a strong sense of development and fully fleshed-out characters. Fans of both Rachel Hawkins and the mystery/thriller genre in general will love this one.

3.5. I enjoyed this story a lot, however, I found the execution on it, to be a little weak. I thought many things could've been improved had the written been different. The story was very intriguing, however, the entire time I was reading it felt like there was something missing. I did enjoy the 70's rockstar of it all though. Despite my feelings on this book, I will definitely continue reading Rachel's books in the near future.

Thank you, netgalley for my copy of this book.

I have enjoyed other books by this author and also liked this one.

Dual timeline + rock n roll + a little mystery. This one was a quick and easy read that kept me wondering how it was going to end.

I read this one in two days and would recommend it!

The book had a little slow start for me and it got better around 25-27% in. After that I couldn’t stop reading. I loved the gothic/creepy atmosphere of the book, 2 totally different POV and timelines. I ended up liking this book a lot.

The Villa was nothing like I expected but everything that I needed. Rachel Hawkins delivered yet another one of my favorite reads. Looking forward to seeing what she publishes next.

Not a fan. I was on the fence about this one before I even started it, but I liked The Wife Upstairs so much that I decided to give it a try. I shouldn't have.
Told in two different storylines, this book is about writer Emily, who finds herself stalled in both her career and her personal life, and about Mari, a teenager who has attached herself to a struggling musician. Both of these women find themselves at a Villa in Italy in an attempt to turn their lives around. Mari arrives at the villa in the early seventies with her married lover and fragile stepsister, in order to spend the summer with a has-been musician who definitely lives the stereotypical rocker life-style of the time. Emily goes there with her best friend Chess, who has a successful lifestyle and self-help brand. What the reader and Emily know, that Mari doesn't, is that Mari's stay at the villa will result in a scandalous violent crime that will led to the successful, if strange, careers of both her and her sister. The book seems to unfold to the climax of what happened at the end of Mari's stay and Emily's discovery of exactly what events took place on that tragic evening.
It's a promising premise, but it wasn't well-executed. It seemed that a lot of time was devoted to the seventies story-line, but none of these characters were well-developed enough to inspire sympathy. They lacked depth and felt wooden, even when the author was trying to convey how emotional and dramatic they were. It felt trite, especially when they all devolved into the old tired "rockstar" tropes.. To me, it made them even more unlikable. The whole Frankenstein/Mary Shelley vibe felt inorganic, wooden and forced.
And then Emily's storyline in the present suffered. More emphasis should have been placed on this. But as a result Emily felt naive and frustratingly blind to her situation. I wanted to yell at her to trust no one. And she seemed to know she should trust no one. But her actions did not go along with that. At all.
The setting seemed strange, as well. With the subject matter, the reader might be expecting a dark, gloomy, creepy crumbling castle, or something along those lines. But a bright sunny villa during a hot Italian summer is where this story takes place. Perhaps the author was trying to juxtapose the setting with the actions and make it feel unexpected and jarring in an ironic and clever way. But it just came across as jarring--in a bad way,
But what really got me was the ending. I won't give away any spoilers, but Mari's last "letter" just made me feel like, "What was the point of all of this?!" And then the decisions that Emily makes at the very end are just plain ridiculous. I'm not sure if these actions are supposed to make her seem more like an "independent" strong women who was taking control of her life and her future, but they actually had the exact opposite result. Why would she go that?! I just got mad.
I would absolutely not recommend this book. When I finished I was just mad that I'd wasted time reading it.

I did enjoy this book. The historical parts not so much. I was actually bored during the past parts. The cover of the book is beautiful, the story predictable. I did love the authors other 2 books so I thought I would also love this one.

The Villa takes readers to a beautiful Italian Villa to watch the summer play out for two life long friends who are both hiding something. But their home for summer has a story of its own. I personally loved the way the story switched between timelines and would have loved to spend even more time in the past with Mari. I managed to finish this story in just two sittings. This was my first Rachel Hawkins story and it will not be my last.

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins is a suspense novel about friends, Emily and Chess. They decide to go on a girls trip to Italy. Their destination is Villa Rosato, and it has a very complicated history. When Emily starts researching the villa's history, Chess starts to make Emily nervous. The history that these two share is very tangled, and the reveals get more and more complex. This was a fun read, especially since it was a story within a story. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

I was hesitant to start The Villa because I loved The Wife Upstairs but then found Reckless Girls disappointing so I was nervous I’d be let down again with The Villa. That was thankfully not the case. This book was great! It gave me Daisy Jones vibes but in an Italian Villa instead. I enjoyed the two timelines and found myself just as invested in both story lines. I liked that both stories involved artists (musicians and writers) and the struggles/emotions/backstabbing that come with creating.
I would definitely recommend this one and will pick up the next Hawkins book that comes out.

I really enjoyed this one. I loved the story within the story, the parallels that happen throughout, and the friendship that is front and center.

I loved Hawkins first book,the second was kinda meh for me, so I was happy when this one hit its mark with me.

I always enjoy when there are historical aspects and background storylines that come into play. I liked the way Hawkins intertwined the toe storylines and did a true crime-like aspect that our MC's get involved in. So fun.

Ok I would be remiss to not start this off by acknowledging the beautiful cover, I mean c'mon. Next, and I know I will probably sound like a broken record here, but I have a pretty high threshold and standard for thrillers since that is the main genre I read so it takes a lot to impress me. That being said, I though this book was fine, decent even. It was a classic psychological thriller that was very bingeable and had some decent twists. Unfortunately, it also had some extremely predictable ones in my opinion and became redundant and predictable at points. I do think if you're one of those people who doesn't read a ton in this genre that you might find it less predictable and more enjoyable so I'm fully acknowledging that this may be a me problem. I also want to add that I read this one with my eyes but I've heard the audiobook is a full cast so I think if you're going to read this one, audiobook might be the route to go. All in all, the book was fine and I will definitely read more by Hawkins even if this wasn't my favorite.

A solidly enjoyable suspense novel with an easy-to-drop into setting. I loved the chapters in the past and the suspense of finding out what happened at the notorious house and I loved the present even though I feel like that was more predictable. I really liked it -- not so much LOVE but just really solidly enjoyed.

2.5 - 3 stars...
...and I feel that's generous, and mainly given for the last 15-20%; when something finally happened.

I wish this book was as solid as the author's last two (LOVED! The Wife Upstairs), h0wever, I found this sooooo slow & boringggggggg. I couldn't care less for the flashback chapters. Em & Chess were both annoying.

Stars for the cover & the atmospheric Italian scenes, other than that - snoozefest. Def not a thriller.

Review of The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

I was super excited to get approved for this title and it did not disappoint. I remain a huge fan of this author and she is an auto buy for me. My favorite things about this one was the setting (an Italian Villa!) and the dual timelines. I couldn’t figure out where it was all going but throughly enjoyed the ride.

Quick synopsis: Emily is excited when her long time friend Chess invites her to spend several weeks in an Italian villa. It’s a little bit vacation and a little but work as they are both authors on a deadline. The Villa was the site of a brutal death decades before when some musicians lived there. Emily finds herself intrigued by this and the story unravels in both timelines

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.

Special thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

I have loved Rachel Hawkins books before but The Villa was amazing! It was so good I didn't want it to end and you get 2 stories in one.

I almost cried when it ended bc I knew I had to find a book to top this and that would be extremely hard. 5 stars