3.5 stars for this book. I enjoyed the story and found myself hooked from the beginning. I enjoyed the two timelines and narratives unfolding. The transition between the two timelines did at times feel abrupt and choppy. I really wanted to give this one 4 stars, but the last third if the book fell short for me. I felt like the ending was rushed and wrapped up way too quickly. I wanted more and was left with questions. Great audiobook narration and enjoyable to listen too. Thanks NetGalley and McMillan Audio for the ARC of this audiobook.

I am a huge Rachel Hawkins fan, so I was delighted to receive an ARC of The Villa. This one brings childhood friends together in Italy (fabulous setting!), and there's great perspective with a dual timeline.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

Rachel Hawkins never fails to keep you guessing. This duel timeline story will have you hooked from the beginning. A friendship with undercurrents of distrust and jealousy, an old murder with several players, and an Italian Villa where it all happened. Two friends, one highly successful, and the other struggling for her next story, staying in a dream villa where the earlier famous murders took place. What really happened in the past? What is really going on in the present? You won't have a clue until the very end.

Thinking it may have just been wrong book, wrong time, but just didn’t love this one like I’d hoped. A fun and unique mystery, but just moved a bit slow for some reason.

Authors and Childhood friends Emily and Chess decide to go on an extended girl's trip to the Villa Aestas in Orvieto, Italy. Emily and Chess seemed to have grown a bit apart in adulthood but are taking the time to reconnect on their girls trip. Even though the Villa is gorgeous, it has a dark past. In the summer of 1974, a group of friends stayed at the Villa, and history was made. Not only was it the site where one of the most famous horror novels was written but The Villa was also the scene of an infamous murder that same summer. As secrets come to light and the friendship between Emily and Chess begins to fray, will history repeat itself?

The story alternates between the present through Emily’s point of view and the past through an author who stayed at The Villa in 1974.

The gorgeous cover art and the setting is what drew me into this story. I mean who wouldn't want to vacation at an Italian Villa! The story focuses a lot on the power of female friendships, the good and the bad. I enjoyed the setting and the story was atmospheric at times. I also really enjoyed the stories pov from the 1974 decade where the murder originally happened.

Unfortunately I was a bit disappointed with this one. The twist was underwhelming and the ending felt a bit hurried. The plot and thriller elements have been done before but nevertheless I still found the story entertaining. I would have loved to of seen something unique or original to make this one stand out. But I still see this one being very popular and a bit when it is published.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you to Netgalley for my early review copy of Rachel Hawkins’ new thriller! Even though I am almost a year late, that’s better than never!

I needed a book for my alphabet challenge for the letter V to complete it, and I needed something quick and fast paced to cleanse my palate a little. This book definitely delivered that. I was hesitant going into it because I did not like her last book, Reckless Girls, so I didn’t really know what to expect. Overall, I liked it. It wasn’t anything super impressive but it was still good. I probably wouldn’t read it again 🤷🏼‍♀️

This book is super short (276 pages) and the chapters are short. The chapters go between the present and then from a character in 1974’s POV, and how it all connects. Not only are the chapters short, but they draw you in right away.

While all of the above made the book enjoyable, Chess was absolutely an awful character and friend and made me so irritated at times, it was hard to get past the page. She treated Emily like actual crap.

The ending was a little confusing to me at first and blended the two timelines, so it took me a second time to reread it see if what I was reading was accurately there because I could not process it for the life of me.

Rachel has always been a “meh” author for me but I do keep picking to her books. Probably because the covers are always so pretty and colorful. We shall see what I think of the next one. This is my third book by her and I’m not super impressed, so the next one will probably be the deciding factor for me if I continue with her.

I loved The Wife Upstairs a few years back so I was excited to receive The Villa as an ARC and dive into it.

I found the pacing to be a bit slow for my taste initially though it does pick up significantly in the final third. I love books that delve into the dynamics of friendships, especially long-term ones, and how those evolve over time…for better or in some cases worse. The MC wasn’t my favorite as she at times came off naïve and weak which annoyed me at points.

The ending felt a bit rushed though I did enjoy the ultimate conclusion.

I gave this a 3.5 (rounded up).

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this novel.

I had a hard time connecting to this book. I found the plot a bit confusing. I expected to like the characters more. It was not my favorite.

Staying at the villa became about women, power, betrayal and survival.

A double narration of a Villa in the heart of Italy. Where a group of artists stayed. Set in the 1960's, the music industry was exploding. Mari and her group of friends were staying to reset their art. It all goes wrong when a terrible accident results in a murder. Does anyone know what happened. What lead to it and how it affected everyone that was staying in the villa. In current time, Em and her best friend take a vacation at the Villa to reboot writing a new book. Knowing the history of the Villa, Em uses that knowledge to get a new ideal on a book. However, she is pulled by Mari's story when she finds her manuscript. Art seems to repeat itself. The narration has ironies on the relationships of women. How women compete with each other and support each other in the end.

The stories pulled you in the parallels of Mari and Em's past. Their insecurities and their strengths. There is always the question who is the victim and who is the manipulator.

A special thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review

It was difficult to connect with the characters that I felt were unlikeable and the story line fell flat for me. I loved her debut novel but this one fell flat for me.

I found this book very hard to get into. It wanders from past to present, but doesn't seem to get anywhere. I did not feel that I was in Italy. The characters and story seemed familiar to books i have read before.

Incredibly engrossing! This book is one you won’t be able to put down. The two stories in one keep you entertained with twists that keep you reading! The #audiobook is narrated by three amazing talents:
@justjuliawhelan @voxkimberly @Shiromi.Arserio.

Thank you, Rachel Hawkins, MacmillanAudio & netgalley for my copy! All opinions are my own.

Enjoyed this book, loved how there was a story inside of a story makes it more interesting! I definitely enjoyed getting to know the different characters and how it all summed it up at the end.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book! It was slow to start and took a while to get into. Overall it was okay. Not my typical read, but I would try this author again!

I'm a little divided about this book. It's told in dual timelines and I liked the present timeline much better than the past one. That part of the story I really enjoyed and loved the storyline and the twists. I was a bit confused about the past storyline, maybe it was just me, maybe the different accents made me lose the thread, but overall, I really enjoyed tis book.

Thank you Netgalley for my free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am going to be totally honest here, I started this book twice on ebook and just couldn't get into it. I didn't give it much of a chance and had so many other things I wanted to read, so I set it aside. I ended up waiting until the book came out on audio at my library, hoping the narrator would pull me in. She does a fantastic job with the narration! This is a story within a story, and I was bored with both of them in the beginning. I didn't really start getting into the book until about 30-40% in, and then I flew through the rest wanting to see where the story was going. I figured out quite a few things on my own before they happened, but there were a few twists. I think I enjoyed this one more than Hawkins last book.

Bottom Line: Even though it started off slow, I am glad I hung in there because I quite enjoyed the second half and found it interesting.

**I received a copy of The Villa from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.**

The Villa is a slowburn thriller with two contrasting timelines of present day and the 1970s. The plot had a decent amount of suspense and thrill, however still seemed to lack a little something. Sometimes it felt a little slow and the plot a little shallow. Sometimes it felt as there was too much detail around certain aspects of the plot. Still an entertaining read.

Two inseparable childhood best friends have slowly lost touch due to differing careers and just adult life in general. So when one of the friends, Chess, suggests a girls trip to a grand villa in Italy, Emily is eager to join to hopefully strengthen that bond that they had so long ago. We soon discover the villa has a history of it's own.

While I love the story within a story theory, this one took me quite a while to get into. I did love reading about the house's history and mystery that Emily discovered. However, the one main character, Chess, irked me to know end to read about. She's very fake and deceitful and I couldn't understand why Emily wanted to continue to mend their friendship. It seems like to me that friendship would have been better off severed.

Thank you Net Galley for the e-ARC!

This mystery/thriller combines a crime from the past and intertwines it into the future. The beginning was a bit slow but I enjoyed the excerpts from the manuscript, music and truths/confessions.

Wonderful storytelling by a wonderful author. Very compelling and captivating story. This novel is one you will not want to put down and will stay with you for a while. I highly recommend it.