Emily and Chess were childhood friends who are spending the summer in Italy at Villa Aestas. Emily is a mystery writer who has been suffering writer’s block, going through a divorce. Chess is a self-help therapist. They’re taking time in Italy to reconnect. Both have issues as far as jealousy and envy. Soon Emily finds out that Villa Aestas is the scene of a murder and begins to investigate what actually happened there. Emily uncovers secrets and the tension grows between her and Chess. Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the advance ecopy.

Thank you St Martins Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins is pure redemption after the dumpster fire that is Reckless Girls (sorry, loved The Wife Upstairs, hated Reckless Girls).

The plot is entertaining and engaging with its murder and toxic relationships, and with its mystery and intrigue.

My loves:
• “Houses remember”
• Creepy vibes
• Unexpectedly spicy with fluid relationships
• Up until the last chapter, I was leaning towards a 3 star rating. But that plot twist…wow. It made me giddy. I didn’t see it coming.
• Muses becoming artists

My dislikes:
• the additional excerpts - there are two stories going on which I like BUT then there are these added excerpts from podcasts, etc. I don’t know if it is because I read a digital galley but it feels choppy and unnecessary.

I definitely recommend this horror story to horror/thriller readers. Go into it blind and have fun. You won’t be disappointed.

The Villa is a story within a story within a story… dual timelines with an extra fictional storyline playing out.

Emily and Chess were childhood best friends, but a few decades later, how well do they still know each other? Each are successful authors– Emily writes a popular cozy mystery series and Chess is a Glennon Doyle-ish guru. Emily is stuck in a rut–writing, working through a messy divorce, and recovering from a mystery illness. Chess invites her to spend the summer together at an Italian villa with a notorious past.

In 1974, another group of friends spent the summer there, but one ended up dead, another in prison. Despite the tragedy, two step sisters went on to giant creative success after finding inspiration at the villa.

The Villa sparks something inside of Emily– but instead of cozy mysteries, she’s obsessed with writing about the house.

We go back and forth, filling in the blanks from that fateful summer in 1974, while present-day secrets start coming to light between Emily and Chess. It’s addictive, intriguing, immersive, with an ending that, while bizarre, is super satisfying.

One thing I really enjoy about Rachel’s thrillers is the underlying theme of (I guess you would say) girl power? It seems like there’s always a lot to unpack about the nuances of female friendships. Always hits the spot! This was a great way to start the reading year. Thanks to SMP and NetGalley for a review copy!

I know 2023 has only just begun, but this is already one of my favorite books this year!

Chess and Emily plan a trip to Italy to rebuild their once inseparable friendship. But the villa they stay in, Villa Aestas, has a dark past. In the summer of 1974, up-and-coming musician, Pierce Sheldon, is murdered at what was once known as Villa Rosato. Emily digs into the villa’s complicated history and discovers the sinister truth behind Pierce’s brutal murder. Stepsisters, Mari and Lara, left behind clues that hadn’t been uncovered until now, but these new revelations cause tension between Chess and Emily. The walls of the villa are filled with deadly secrets and it looks like it may claim another victim.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The way the past intertwined with the present was so intriguing and I couldn’t put my kindle down until I knew every last detail of this troubled tale. Highly recommend for anyone who loves a suspenseful mystery/thriller!

*Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing a copy of this book to review.*

I've heard mixed reviews about The Villa, but regardless, I was very excited to receive this e-ARC after loving Reckless Girls! I didn't like this one as much as Reckless Girls, but it was an interesting story. It definitely makes you feel like you're in warm sunny Italy! It's interesting to me how there are kind of 2 separate stories, but they're woven together really nicely. I would have liked some more details about some things, but a good read overall.

I absolutely loved this book and enjoyed both timelines. I liked how the timelines touched because of the house, but each time had its own story.

I thought the use of small snippets of a true crime podcast and blog were perfectly place to move the 1970s story along.

And all the morally gray characters are great!

I enjoyed most that while there were twists in both stories they were jarring like a jerky roller coaster, but subtle and ongoing in both storylines until literally the last page of the book!!

Estranged-ish childhood besties Chess and Emily decide to travel to an infamous (but gorgeous) Italian Villa for a getaway, hoping to spark creativity in the books they're working on. The Villa has a complicated and bloody past & mixing with the unresolved conflicts in the friendship between Chess & Emily, it creates a twisty and eerie Gothic thriller.

I have typically enjoyed books from this author- The Villa wasn't as exciting as I'd hoped but I didn't dislike it. I never liked any of the characters- I found they were quite mundane and self-absorbed, and all their relationships wanted to make me puke. The dual POV and timeline was intriguing, however I felt at times it was hard to keep track of who was who and where I was and when. The twists definitely did surprise me but at the end I still felt like something was missing or unresolved IMO.

I downloaded the discussion guide for The Villa and was liked the inspiration that sparked the writing of this novel.

This latest novel from Hawkins is a very taut, suspenseful novel. The reader may think they know what is going on but everything is just slightly out of sight.

The story of two friends, Emily and Chess, who spend a vacation at an Italian villa that was the site of a famous murder. Emily is an author of cozy mysteries while Chess writes self help books. The novel has both their experiences while also going back in time to the summer of the murder.

It is a very atmospheric novel and the storyline about the earlier murder is somewhat reminiscent of the Mary Shelley story about the summer she wrote Frankenstein. There is a good level of tension even when you think you know what is going on. Almost predictable but it does not matter. Very well done.

This was officially my first book of the year, and quite possibly my favorite by Rachel Hawkins!

I was so intrigued by everything. The cover. The synopsis. The Italian villa. The mystery of murder. Sold, sold, sold, sold.

Here's what I loved -
🍋 the setting (duh)
🍋 dual POV - I preferred the present timeline the most, but I will say about 60% in I found myself looking forward to the past because there was SO much mystery surrounding that summer
🍋 the premise that two best friends who were both authors were going to spend their summer in a villa to finish their next books
🍋 the 70's rock n roll vibe from the past timeline
🍋 the parallels between the two sets of women and the way their stories played out

Have you read this one?! It just came out last week, and I think it would make such a fun read!

4 ⭐️

This one was a bit dull for me, but still somewhat interesting so I stuck with it. I do think that parts of it were predictable, but there was at least one surprise that I can think of while typing this. It is two different stories of sisterhood told in an alternating format. We get the present day story of Emily and Chess and the past story of Mari and Lara. I definitely enjoyed reading Emily's story more, but most of the "action" takes place in Mari's. I would still recommend this to fans of the author, but it isn't at the top of my recommendation list by any means.

Overall, this was a really good popcorn thriller! I enjoyed the setting of a Villa on the countryside--who wouldn't?! It was very atmospheric and seemed like the perfect setting for this book. I was worried about how the plot would play out--it seemed fairly intricate--over it moved at a nice pace and kept my interest. I actually flew through this book in a day or so.

I wasn’t really surprised by any of the twists, but the story was engaging, and I didn't expect to be caught off guard by twists, so not a big deal. Also, I loved the Fleetwood Mac and Manson references. I will say that I wish the ending had a slightly different outcome; it just didn't feel like the best ending for Emily.


Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the #gifted copy!

This is my fourth book by Rachel Hawkins-- I've read Reckless Girls, The Wife Upstairs, and The Ex Hex (co-author with Erin Sterling), all of which have been 3 star reads except The Wife Upstairs. I'm starting to wonder if maybe she's just not the author for me.
I felt like there were some really great lines in this but the plot just didn't deliver. I think it was meant to feel very atmospheric with a meandering plot as things intensify, and that's a great concept that I can sort of see, but it really just felt like nothing was happening.
This book is told in alternating perspectives between present day and 1974. Unfortunately, the present day plot is significantly weaker than the 1974 plot. Emily's character felt a bit flat, and Chess is entirely unlike able. A personal pet peeve is when books have modern references like Taylor Swift and Bumble, and I think there were just enough of these that the book will feel dated in a year or two. Beyond that, the twist in this story is very obvious, and that's always disappointing.
The 1974 story is much more intriguing and it's almost frustrating to see bits of how well Hawkins can write. I was so intrigued by that group and the excerpts from "Lilith Rising." (Maybe this is Hawkins' sign to give up on subtlety and go straight into horror??) I'm still not sure if I liked the twist, but at least I didn't see it coming.
Overall this was an entertaining read, but I think it could've been stronger. I think it's worth pointing out that authors don't NEED to have a modern plotline when writing something historical-- it feels like a lot of them do this to have a parallels and a framing device, but it's literally twice the work to have an adequate plot and character development, and it's often totally unnecessary.
I was given a free eARC on exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭, 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬!

What a perfect way to start the year, another fantastic novel by Rachel Hawkins that will capture you and keep you at the edge of your seat. Twisty, gothic, unputdownable and fantastic!

Thank you @stmartinspress @librofm and @netgalley for this gifted copy.

https://www.instagram.com/booksandcoffeemx/

The Villa tells of two different pairs of women, about 50 years apart, and their summer at a villa in Italy. Mari and Lara, step-sisters, came with musicians Pierce and Noel. Emily and Chess, friends since they were 10, are spending the summer there to work on writing projects. Neither stay goes as the ladies planned. Mari and Lara’s stay ends in a murder, and the story of that murder captivates Emily and ultimately leads to revelations about her life.
The stories were gripping from the start and I went back and forth on which one had me most hooked; sometimes it was Mari’s, sometimes Emily’s. The way they wove together was very well done. The endings were satisfying, though Emily’s storyline has a lot left open (in a delightfully creepy way). The Villa was an outstanding read!

“The house remembers.”

And maybe it does. Told in two timelines with similar plots: in 1974, Mari, her musician boyfriend (Pierce), stepsister (Lara), an international rock star (Noel), and a “hanger on” (Johnnie) are vacationing at the Italian Villa Rosato; in present day, Emily and her lifelong best friend, Chess, are two writers vacationing at what is now known as Villa Aestas, an infamous murder house that directly stems from what happened when Mari was there in the 70s.

I really liked The Villa. While it took a bit to establish why it was a murder house and how the events took place in the 70s, the book had an easy, vacation feel to it. Emily was a meek character for most of the book and Chess was the competitive, pushy one. Both had secrets they didn’t share until towards the end that could have made or broke their friendship.

I thought Mari’s timeline was more interesting. The dynamics she had with Pierce, Lara, and Noel really made the book what it was. While it did meander, it easily drew me in. This book was about writers and muses and how stories are weaves together.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC. The Villa is out now.

I loved this thriller. It was fun with mystery throughout and both storylines kept me engaged the entire time. The writing kept me wanting for more and I read it really quickly.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy to honestly review.

I liked this story more than her last book. Unfortunately it was a little too slow of a burn for me. The present day characters, ‘Em & Chess, weren’t really likable and found myself not rooting for either woman. The late 70s story was more interesting to read and find out what really happened. What I felt about Rachel Hawkins other book, Reckless Girls, I felt about this one, there’s something that’s missing, I can’t put my finger on it. I was curious a little to see how both stories ended. Thank you for this fun ARC!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC!! I tore through this psychological thriller pitched to me as Verity meets Daisy Jones meets White Lotus season 2. Spot on! The entire book is just *vibes* and the synchronicities of the dual timelines kept me guessing to the very end. I couldn’t sleep because I was so haunted by the stories of the Villa - because “houses remember.”

Really quick and fast-paced thriller, I really liked it till the ending though.
Usually I like the dual timeline stories but I’m not sure the two timeline tie up nicely in this case.
Overall I thought it’s pretty entertaining popcorn thriller, not a huge fan of the ending.

3.7 ⭐️ roundup to 4

Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

You can always depend on Rachel Hawkins for a solid thriller. Her previous books have been popcorn thrillers, but this one is more gothic, which I particularly enjoyed. This novel was inspired by the Manson Murders, Fleetwood Mac, and the summer Mary Shelley spent in Lake Geneva writing her masterwork, Frankenstein. All things I am intrigued by.

The story follows childhood best friends, Emily and Chess, who have grown apart in recent years. Both women are writers, so when Chess invites Emily to Italy for a summer of writing, Emily agrees. The location for the summer of writing and mending their relationship is Villa Aestas, which has a dark past.

In the 1970s a rockstar and his group of friends went to the villa for their own summer getaway, but their trip ended with murder. This timeline explores the chain of events that led to the two women who were there with him, Mari and Lara, finding their own writing success. Mari wrote one of the most famous horror novels of that era and Lara composed a platinum album, all sparked by the brutal murder that took place at Villa Aestas.

In the present-day timeline, Emily becomes interested in the dark history of the villa and discovers that there is more to the story than anyone has ever realized. She starts to suspect there are clues hidden in the villa and she will stop at nothing to find them.

There is more to the story than that, but I don’t want to give anything else away. The character dynamics were great in both timelines, but I did prefer the chapters set in the present with Emily and Chess. I also enjoyed the parallels Hawkins drew between the two timelines. I just wish the setting of the villa had been more atmospheric than it was. Overall, this was a very enjoyable thriller to start off the year.