For fans of Daisy Jones and the Six! Maybe not really, but guaranteed to be much more so than any other book blurb declaring the same.

In all honesty I’d probably read the phone book if no other material were available to me, but the original marketing for Rachel Hawkins’ new release declared it to be a Fleetwood Mac/Manson murder/Mary Shelley her hubs and Lord Byron’s summer in Lake Geneva and I was like SOOOOLLLLLLLDDDDDDDDD! Full disclosure: As soon as I saw the Shelleys/Byron thing my mind immediately went to that particular episode of Drunk History – because I'm a nerd.

So the story here is about lifelong friends Emily and Chess. Emily has made a name for herself penning a cozy mystery series, but Chess has made a mint writing self help novels. When Chess offers up the summer of a lifetime/impromptu writer’s retreat/BFF catchup at an Italian villa, Emily is all in. They are planning a summer where they will “drive a fucking Fiat, wind in our hair, full Under the Tuscan Sun shit, bitch.” Under the Tuscan Sun? Oh that's a you had me at hello!

Readers then get to timehop back to the summer of 1974 and the summer Mari spends at the same villa which has been rented out by rock star Noel, along with her significant other (relatively unknown but hoping to make it big) musician Pierce and her stepsister Laura that ended in murder . . . .

Told via the two female narrators and interspersed with various news articles and podcast episodes, the two timelines eventually come together into a new release that I REALLY dug. Please note you have to be in the mood for little action and a lot of atmosphere (is this what makes a novel “gothic”? probably not, but to me it is) as this story unfolds.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

The Villa is a dual timeline, gothic mystery that is quintessential Rachel Hawkins. Told in the summer of 1974 and present day, it follows the tragic events that led up to musician Pierce's demise, and the tale of two frenemies who vacation at the Italian villa where Pierce was murdered.
This story is complex. Mari and her sister Lara's relationship mirrors that of the modern day Chess and Emily, in terms of jealousy and betrayal. I'm always fascinated by authors who can take a contentious relationship between two women and give them a common adversary that brings them together. Take this intriguing story and add in a mysterious old house, dueling artists, lover betrayals, and drugs and you have a good old fashioned murder mystery with a very sinister twist.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this title.

Chess and Emily have been friends forever. They’re both writers and setting off to Italy for the summer following Emily’s divorce. The House Remembers - a haunting reminder of what happened in the Italian villa in the 70s.

I enjoyed the dual timeline between Mari and Emily. Chess annoyed me as a friend, but that may have been on purpose! Overall, I liked this book and didn’t guess the twists or ending. 4 Stars!

Thank you to Net Galley and St Martins Press for an advanced copy!

My third Rachel Hawkins novel, The Villa, was so addictive and fast-paced that I was thrilled it was one of my very first books of the new year. I was captivated by both the current drama between Emily her old best friend, Chess, as well as the nearly 40-year-old mystery with sisters, rock-stars, and wannabes set at the same Italian villa. One of my favorite tropes is when a book can carry two separate mysteries set in two different time periods and both be engaging. That was the case here. While every reader will have a favorite of the two mysteries, no one will be saying Hawkins short-changed either one. I found the resolution to both storylines satisfying, though the older mystery offered one too many twists for my preference. The last twist almost took me out of the story a bit, but that was The Villa's only flaw in my opinion.

I would recommend The Villa to anyone wanting to quickly get hooked on a book but who doesn't want to be tied down for too many pages. The Villa is the perfect vacation novel and will make readers want to rent their own mysterious villa to get away!

*Arc provided by Netgalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.*

"Inspired by Fleetwood Mac, the Manson murders, and the infamous summer Percy and Mary Shelley spent with Lord Byron at a Lake Geneva castle––the birthplace of Frankenstein––The Villa welcomes you into its deadly legacy."

The Villa is a story within a story. Emily and Chess two distant best friends and writers decide to spend the summer in an Italy villa with a sordid past. In 1974 Villa Rosato was the scene of both inspiration and tragedy. Famous musician Noel Gordon invites Pierce Sheldon, Pierce's girlfriend Mari and her stepsister Lara to the villa to create music for an up and coming album. The summer ends with Pierce murdered, Mari producing a horror novel the likes of Shelly, and Lara producing a platinum album. Dealing with her own complicated relationship with Chess, Emily can't help but compare her life and relationship to Mari and Lara.

There were times this book felt really slow and times it just felt like a speeding train. Emily was likable, but man I could not stand Chess from the moment she was introduced. The dual prospective of Emily and Mari was a bit jarring at first. because so much of their stories parallel it was hard to remember who was narrating at times. I definitely felt more drawn into Mari's parts of the story and had mixed feelings about Lara. Frankly, Pierce was trash. Not saying the man deserved to be murdered, but I wasn't sad when he was killed. I enjoyed the twist to the twist ending.

This novel has two storylines. Today, mystery author Emily suffers from writer's block. She goes to Italy with her friend Chess to spend the summer at Villa Aestus, where a murder took place in 1974. The 2nd timeline is a summer of sex, drugs, and music in 1974 as Mari writes a horror novel, her stepsister Lara works on music, and someone is murdered. Although a bit predictable this was a decent three-star read.

I loved this book and will be back to leave my full review as soon as possible.

Thank you #NetGalley for this ARC…

5 huge stars and I do highly recommend.

The premise of this book sounded so intriguing! A high-end holiday villa in Italy that has SEEN some things throughout history serves the ideal location for two childhood writer (and rival) friends (Emily and Chess) to reconnect and reignite their complicated relationship as well as provide the time for both writers to focus on their upcoming books.

I was immediately pulled into the present day storyline of Emily and Chess - I sympathized with Emily who is reeling from a recent breakup of her marriage and struggling to finish the next book in her popular cozy mystery series. I remained very skeptical of Chess - the seemingly perfect and almost fake friend - who specializes in self-help books.

The alternating storyline from the past (197os) that follows notorious rock star Noel Gordon who invites up-and-coming musician Pierce along with his girlfriend Mari and her stepsister Laura to join him at his fancy villa for the summer was much more difficult to get into. Primarily because most of the characters in this storyline were difficult to relate to and a bit unlikeable.

However, I'm so glad that I kept reading because when the two storylines beautifully came together, the payoff was oh so good! I really enjoy novels that mix mediums and pull newspaper articles, books, songs, etc to draw out the story. These elements really add to the 'realness' of the story and authenticity! One of my favorite reads of 2023 so far.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for a digital ARC.
After reading the synopsis, I wasn’t sure if this was the kind of book that would appeal to me. I don’t read a lot of thrillers, but this dual timeline story that takes place in an Italian villa was pretty interesting. There are two POVs, Mary who was in the Villa Rosata in 1974 and Emily who is in the same villa, now named Villa Aestas in the present day, with her best friend, Chess. I found myself enjoying the 1974 timeline more, I guess because it has the allure of the 70s rock and roll attitude and love triangles. Emily & Chess weren’t characters I particularly cared for, but I think this was an intentional. This is a big assumption, but I feel like the author leaves clues throughout the story to explain some things that aren’t blatantly on the page. I finished this book around midnight and the next day, I couldn’t stop thinking about. I’ve read two of Rachel Hawkin’s previous thrillers, but this one is definitely different. In my opinion, it’s incredibly smart.

I was so beyond excited about a new Rachel Hawkins book, but this one just didn’t do it for me. I thought the setting was great, but I was just bored. I didn’t really feel like much happened and I didn’t love the characters. I may just have not been in the right mood for it. Thank you netgalley for my free review copy.

I am a super fan of Rachel Hawkins. I see a book by her and never read the description, I know that book will be amazing and the less I know the more fun I have while reading. The Villa was amazing!

Rachel jumps from past to present and back again effortlessly. There was so much in this book, part female friendship drama part thriller part historical fiction so many moving parts that kept me glued to my kindle.

Great book and I look forward to read more from Rachel!

First, thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this entertaining book prior to its publication in exchange for an honest review.

I had read Hawkins’ The Wife Upstairs and really enjoyed the suspense in that book and not knowing until far along who the real “bad guy” was in the story. In this book, there is also a surprise at the end of the book – which was a great plot twist.

The book is written in two time periods: Present day and 1974. In each case, there are two women and at least two men that make up the primary characters in each time setting. The physical setting of the book in present day is the Villa Aestas in Orvieto. In 1974 it was known as Villa Rosato. Writing plays a big part in the lives of the characters in both present day and 1974 – whether it’s writing books (both present day with Chess and Emily, and in the 1974 timeframe with Mari) or songs (1974 – Lara and Pierce)

Present day characters are Emily and Chess. Both are writers and head to the Villa to rekindle their writing spark and their childhood friendship. Emily is in the midst of fighting an undiagnosed illness (lots of interesting theories on what is causing this!) and struggling with a greedy soon to be ex-husband in a divorce settlement. She write “cozy” mysteries (I didn’t even know this term – and am glad it’s come to light for me as I’ve read several series), and is struggling to produce the next in the series (probably because her husband wants 50% of the proceeds from her books – post divorce!) Chess is a rather famous author of self-help books. Chess seems to be more of a frenemy to Emily. She lusts after her husband and lies about it; and is jealous of her writing, despite her success in her own genre.

Emily becomes fascinated with the story of 1974 Villa Rosato and decides to divert from writing cozies to writing about the past events at the Villa. Matt is made out to be the bad guy because he wants money – but maybe he’s not as bad as we think. Emily is weak and naive, and easily led. She is the perfect foil for Chess and her pettiness.

1974 time period characters Mari and her stepsister Lara tag along for a getaway to the Villa with musician Noel Gordon and Mari’s boyfriend Pierce Sheldon. Also along for the ride is Johnnie – Noel’s dealer and gopher. Mari is the primary narrator of these sections….and goes on to write a book, Lilith Rising, about her experience at the Villa, a time that ends in a murder.

I did find the back and forth between the 1974 period and present day a bit confusing but once I really got into the book that went away.

Overall it was a great book – with a twist at the end between Emily and Chess and Matt.

I enjoyed this book. Hawkins puts together a story that is intriguing and clear cut. The way she morphed the two story lines, one of the present and one of the past, perfectly enhanced the story in a way that kept the reader going for more.
I didn't love the end, it felt a bit rushed. While Mari was clearly remorseful for what occurred at the Villa, Emily and Chess were not and moved on rather quickly in a slightly bizarre fashion.
Overall, I think my patrons who read mystery will enjoy this book. It was fast paced and I honestly could not tell where the story was going.

i hate to say it, but this book was BORING!! I would categorize this book as a thriller, since nothing thrilling really happened. I feel the one part of the book that was "thrilling" was incredibly rushed and overlooked. I usually enjoy books that go back and forth from present to the past, but both timelines were incredibly boring and felt like they read as their own books.
I wish the author's writing was equally as satisfying as the cover of the books.

This book hooked me with its moving plot, female friendship, historical fiction, and intrigue. However, I did not find many of the character to be believable or have the correct motivations. While I kept reading because I wanted to see where the story went, I would not say that I enjoyed it as much as I anticipated that I would.

I really enjoyed this layer thriller with the two main stories occurring in different timeframes! The first timeline takes place in 1974, when Mari was invited to an Italian villa with her partner (Pierce), sister (Laura), and other musicians. The present timeline follows Emily, who was invited to spend a portion of the summer with her friend Chess at the very same villa. Of course each character is layered with events occurring in their lives and background plots that impact their decisions, but upfront the reader is aware that this Italian villa will play a large role within the book.

Throughout this book, you can feel the slow burn and anticipation as the plot grows to its climax in both storylines. As one of the main characters, Emily, starts to connect herself to Mari, and her friend Chess to Laura, the book really comes together.

In one timeframe it is clear upfront that **something happens**, but the reader is unsure how it all wraps up together, or if **something** also happens in the second timeframe. I think this is what intrigued me the most: while I was waiting for one foot to drop, I was trying to figure out where the other foot even was.

The only part of this book that did not meet my expectation was the ending. There was such a buildup that the final chapter felt unclean, it felt a bit random. It is a good plot idea, but the whole book felt so polished until I got to the ending, if felt like a last minute idea. I would still recommend this book to anyone that likes thrillers!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

This is my first Hawkins novel, but I have read Erin Sterling. I was pleasantly surprised when I found out they were the same person. Overall, I liked this book more than I expected. It was not at all like the typical thriller, and this makes it even more enjoyable. The pace is fast, but keeps the readers attention, without giving up too many details. There were aspects that I did not find enjoyable, like the podcast part. It felt forced and there for little to no reason, as it does not add to the overall plot. It was also a little predictable, but I did not mind because I still wanted to find out how it ended. The ending made me question everything I knew, and everything that happened. If "houses remember," then which of journal entry is the truth?

I will be going back and reading more Hawkins novels.

I want to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book, and Macmillan Audio for an advanced audiobook.

Such a chilling book that was hard to put down once I got into it! I love Rachel Hawkins’ writing and this book did not dissapoint.

I will admit that this is 100% my fault. I’ve previously read The Wife Upstairs and The Ex Hex by this author and am continually unimpressed. Hawkins’ writing style is very elementary, which does allow for an easy read. However, there is always so much going on with the plot and I never feel like it forms a cohesive narrative. The pacing was also off for me. The first 84% of the book is slow and then the climax and resolution is crammed into the last 16% of the book. This left me constantly putting down the book and not really reaching to pick it up again. Overall, it took me 17 days to read 288 pages, which is highly unusual for me.

For this novel specifically, I felt like there was too much going on with the plot. We have Emily’s perspective taking place in the present day. She’s a cozy mystery writer that’s struggling to find inspiration to write after essentially writing about her love life but is now going through a divorce. Her childhood best friend, Chess, who is a successful self-help author – think Rachel Hollis and Glennon Doyle (which is always an immediate turnoff for me) - takes her on a trip to Villa Aestas in Orvieto, Italy. There is then a timeline and point of view shift to Mari in 1974. She’s staying at the villa with a group of problematic musicians. A murder occurs. We also have random interviews and articles related to the murder sprinkled in at the end of some of the chapters and I’m not sure that they really added value to the story. I think we could have incorporated that into either Mari or Emily’s perspective for simplicity.

One of my biggest issues with this book is the focus on toxic relationships. Toxic romantic relationships, I can take it or leave it. Toxic female friendships, I truly hate reading about them, and I don’t think it should be used as a plot device. Women struggle so much with friendships because we are constantly pitted against one another. I think it would have been powerful if Emily and Chess were childhood best friends that grew up to actually like each other. They do come together at the end of the novel to make a truly horrific decision that is not rooted in logic or reason.

Spoilers ahead…

To continue the above thought, Emily finds papers written by Mari that Mari left in a hidden part of the house when she visited the villa again in 1993 before her death. In these papers, she details what she feels should have happened when Pierce was murdered, i.e., taking it into her own hands to kill him. In actuality, Johnnie murdered Pierce and was sent to prison for it. Personally, I’ll let Mari off the hook because everyone that was involved at the villa that summer is dead, and she doesn’t believe that these papers will actually hurt anyone.

Enter Emily.

Instead of letting go of her relationships with her best friend and her husband after finding out that they were having an affair, she allows Chess to manipulate the entire situation. Chess convinces her that her husband is trying to kill her (not be actually poisoning her but because he causes her stress) and that they should invite her husband to the villa under false pretenses, where he is then involved in a “tragic accident”. This is completely glossed over in the novel and they both completely get away with it due to the reputation of the villa.

Ultimately, Emily takes Mari’s fictional account of Pierce’s murder and uses it as justification for murdering her husband. To be clear, both men are terrible human beings and neither of them deserved to die because of how shitty they were. She then goes on to write a book with her best friend, who she still doesn’t actually like or trust, even by the end of the novel. This isn’t terribly shocking because of how truly horrible Chess ends up being but she could have walked away at any point.

Overall, this book would have been a three-star read for me, but I absolutely cannot get over the ending. This includes the choices that were made and how rushed everything felt. If you enjoyed this book, you should check out the author’s other works. I will likely be staying away.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the Advanced Reader’s Copy.

Two childhood friends- one a newly divorced cozy mystery writer, the other a Gwyneth Paltrow/Rachel Hollis/Brene Brown hybrid with an endless supply of linen leisure sets- take to an Italian villa for the summer, slowly unraveling the dark story of a group of famous musicians and writers who stayed in the villa decades before.

If you’re looking for something to read by the pool at your own Italian villa, this is a page-turner with a setting you won’t mind losing yourself in for a while. The text within the text references the importance of place (a house remembers) and Rachel Hawkins delivers, painting the picture of a house that’s equal parts luxurious and claustrophobic. It’s fast, it’s a little creepy, it’s a good time.

As for the story, which is essentially split between two timelines, I found myself disappointed by one and entertained by the other. The 1960s timeline follows a group of sexually, romantically, and professionally intertwined artists. We know from the beginning that their stay in the villa ends in murder, but get to watch their messed up group dynamics play out as our current day protagonist learns more about the crime. If you enjoyed Daisy Jones and the Six, you might like these badly behaved bohemians. I certainly found this the more interesting story, even though the family dynamics were… weird as hell, to put it mildly. The step-sisters are a lot more chill than they should be.

I could not get myself interested in the main/current day storyline. Making fun of self-help books and their authors is a favorite pastime for me, but even the opportunity to laugh at a Rachel Hollis joke didn’t make this part of the story enjoyable. There’s a bit of a twist in the end, but only enough of a twist to make me annoyed when it didn’t pay off or make sense (the explanation for the protagonist’s sickness felt especially under-thought).

Overall, this is a quick, fun, minimally suspenseful read that someone is sure to enjoy this summer- I just might not be that someone. The attempts at subverting the predictable endings in both stories just left the author’s message confused (friendships between women are… fake and/or violent?). But the hate-able men were very hate-able, and I appreciate that. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the digital ARC.