“The Villa” is more of a literary mystery that follows two female author best friends as they visit a villa with a history of murder. The start had me interested, but the historical flashbacks just didn’t do it for me. It was a little hard to understand the historical drama that the story was being linked to and I thought the present day mystery ended rather abruptly. It was an okay book for me, but overall, I wasn’t left very satisfied with the story. 3 stars ⭐️. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced copy for review.

The Villa is another excellent read from Rachel Hawkins. Emily is a writer, and her best friend Chess is also a writer, albeit more famous. Emily is going through a messy divorce and is late with her next book when Chess invites her to vacation in Italy for the summer, and they will both work on their writing. The villa they will be staying is home to a famous murder of a famous singer. The book alternates to the past in 1974 when Mari, her sister Lara, her older, married boyfriend, Pierce, a rocker, and some friends that have stayed in this home on vacation. It delves into the relationship between Mari, Lara, and Pierce, and details the events leading up to that tragic night. When Emily discovers some writings of Mari in the villa, Emily becomes obsessed with finding out what happened that night and begins to focus on telling that story.

An excellent read, fast paced, with a couple of shocking twists at the end!

Captivated by the story I neglected to make any notes or highlights so suffice it to say I liked it. From the first words “Houses Remember” I was in. Told in multiple timelines, the story goes from sex, drugs, rock and roll, to what that combination naturally conjures. In the summer of 1974, at an Italian Villa in Orvieto, music is being made, a book is being written, the players are exchanging ideas and partners. The mood is easy and then it isn’t and then it is deadly.

In the present, best friends very famous Chess Chandler and less well known Emily Sheridan, both writers, plan to spend a summer at an Italian Villa in Orvieto which happens to be a Murder House. The mood is easy and then it isn’t and then it is deadly.

The present was less interesting to me but necessary to unravel what really happened in the summer of 1974. But did it? There are choices and versions - which was it ? Love the questions raised and left. Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a copy.

This was an “okay” thriller, but felt predictable. One of the twists I predicted early on, and it made the rest of the story drag quite a bit.

Review is included in link that is listed here and attached: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4827108379

My second book by Rachel Hawkins and I loved it. I loved the setting of The Villa, the two timelines, the relationship between Chess and Emily. I found myself gasping at the twists and turns and rooting for Emily to make the right decisions. Also thankful to NOT have a friend like Chess or sister like Lara!
Great book and I’m looking forward to her next one.

The Villa A Novel by Rachel Hawkins @ladyhawkins released this week! I was given a complimentary copy to read and review and finally finished it up this week. Once I started it, I could not put it down. I devoured it in 2 days. It was a page turner. The book follows 2 time lines with the main characters at an Italian Villa that was the scene of a murder in the 70's as well as some other occurrences in the past centuries which has lead to some suspicions and stories about the house. I was riveted by both stories. I had guessed part of it but the "why" behind it was a huge twist and then there was another twist I was not expecting. I can't wait for more people to get their hands on this one because I need to talk about it!

Recommend if you enjoy mysteries and domestic thrillers!

The Villa is a thriller/mystery/drama told around two timelines. Emily is the present day main character who is a popular cozy mystery writer also going through a divorce with an ex husband that wants everything she has worked for. Emily’s childhood friend Chess has remade herself as a self help guru and offers Emily a summer away at an Italian Villa to get away from reality and focus on her writing.

This is no ordinary Villa though, there was a murder at this house in the mid seventies with some semi famous people involved. This timeline is told by Mari, famous writer of a very popular thriller novel published just after the tragedy at the Villa. Mari, her step sister Lara (also a famous recording artist, but not until AFTER the Villa), Mari’s musical boyfriend Pierce and a famous down and out rock star are spending the summer together in Italy. This timeline has a drugs, sex and rock and roll vibe that really contributes to the overall tragedy and storyline.

Emily feels a connection with Mari when she gets to the Villa and begins researching what really happened that summer so long ago. Do houses remember? Can they be unlucky and prone to tragedy?

I enjoyed both timelines and convergence of the stories. This was a super quick read for me! Easy to get into and kept me hooked throughout. I highly recommend adding this to your 2023 TBR.

Hawkins does it again! This book is captivating & sucks you in from the very first line. Such a great story & characters. Loved every minute, couldn’t put it down. Definitely recommend!

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I love Rachel Hawkins newest book! So many twists and turns coinciding between two different time periods with two groups of characters. So well written. Gripping story line. Fantastic read! One of my best reads of the year! 4.5 stars!!!!

5 Stars from me!! I could not put this down. I loved the dual timelines and the descriptions of the villa made me want to hop on a plane immediately. In true Rachel Hawkins fashion I had to feverishly turn pages to piece together the story.

This was a fast read, but was unfortunately disappointing. I really wanted to like this one as I liked Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins. The storyline sounded exciting when I read the blurb and I am a sucker for any book with the setting in Italy, but it certainly fell flat for me. I found myself skimming frequently and could have guessed the ending from a mile away :(

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's for the e-arc.
I probably would have enjoyed this more if I wasn't expecting a suspenseful thriller - it's definitely gothic in style. I enjoy Rachel Hawkins as an author but this one didn't do anything for me. I didn't like any of the characters whatsoever. I found it incredibly boring and really struggled to finish it. And you can see the ending coming from a mile away. Well, you can't like them all.

I’m so sad to say this wasn’t one of my favorite books by this author. I absolutely adored her thriller debut, along with her YA series, but something about this one didn’t work for me. I think the balance of the past timeline and the current one was a little off for me. I much preferred the present timeline and I wish we would have had more of that. I think if we had learned about the past while within the current timeline, it would have flowed better. I would still recommend for a fun summer read!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.

A new year is always something to celebrate especially when authors release new titles. The Villa is certainly on its way to being one of my favorite reads of 2023.

The location in question is found in Italy where two best friends and writers-Emily and Jessica(Chess) reunite for a vacation. Emily writes a series of cozy mysteries. Reeling from an aggressive divorce, Emily hopes she can pump out the tenth book in her mystery series. Chess is a highly successful self-help guru. Emily is a bit in awe that they're able to reconnect after more than a few years apart .But it only takes a matter of days before their friendship takes a seriously competitive and dangerous spin.

Because the villa they are staying at was the scene of a horrific murder in 1974. A young musician murdered by another. Emily becomes more and more drawn into the lives of the two women-Mari and Lara that lived there that summer. Both went on to have successful careers but would never speak of the events of that summer.

As the novel alternates between Emily and Mari, I felt myself permanently rooted to the couch and ended up devouring the whole story in one sitting. There's a good gothic fiction atmosphere that manages to hover over the story and even as it came to a conclusion, I can still feel that cloud hovering over me. Does that make me as dramatic as Emily or Mari? I guess I will let other readers be the judge of that.

Definitely lived up to my expectations.


Publication Date 03/01/23
Goodreads review published 08/01/23

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of The Villa.

The premise of The Villa sounded great- a blend between past and present, an Italian villa where murders took place decades ago, 2 friends away for the summer. Unfortunately, I found this book to be meh- the characters are unlikeable, the story takes forever to become interesting and by that point, I just didn’t care. There’s a slight twist at the end that was enjoyable but most of this book is predictable and lacks excitement.

The Villa
By Rachel Hawkins
Review and Rating 4⭐️

I loved It! Another brilliant story from Rachel Hawkins! The Villa is the tale of Emily and Chess, best friends who have become a little distant over recent years. Chess a self help author and influencer invites Emily a cozy mystery author to a beautiful Italian villa for the summer, hoping they can reconnect. Em accepts hoping it will be just the cure for her writer’s block.
The story within the story or dual timeline involves the 1970’s sex, drugs, and rock & roll scene. The villa is rented by a famous rock musician Noel Gordon, who invites an up and coming musician Pierce Sheldon as well as his girlfriend Mari and her sister Lara to stay. Noel is hoping to use the villa to fuel some creativity to write new music. It is not to be although Mari ends up writing one of the greatest horror novels of all time there and Lara writes her own platinum album.
Events unfold and tragedy strikes ending with the murder of Pierce Sheldon.
Back in present time, Em begins to investigate the secrets of the villa and what really happened during the summer of 1974 and in the process she uncovers secrets from her own life. Can she trust her best friend Chess?
So many twists and turns and I love Rachel Hawkins writing, I recommend you pick this one up! 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you #Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Rachel Hawkins for providing me with an eARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.



Book Rating Key
⭐️ Not Recommended
⭐️⭐️ Readable Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Good Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Excellent Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Near Perfect Book
***Note*** I seldom give ⭐️or ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ratings. If I feel a book is a ⭐️sometimes I just prefer to not finish reading it and not rate it. As for 5 ⭐️books, I think of those as books I would want to take with me to a deserted island 🏝️, and this means I read a whole lot of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️star books. Happy Reading!

The Villa was a fantastic read. Em is invited by her lifestyle guru best friend Chess to spend the summer at an Italian villa. Em, a mystery writer, is intrigued by the murder of an up and coming musician that occurred in this villa in the 70s. As Em and Chess’ friendship is strengthened and tested, their time at the villa begins to parallel the time spent at the villa by two women close to the murdered musician. Told in alternating viewpoints between Em and Mari, the writer girlfriend of the musician, the novel is interspersed with snippets of biographies, news articles, emails, and book excerpts. The twist at the end is fascinating and highlights the themes of friendship and women’s voices. This was an excellent novel! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Villa is a fast-paced dual-timeline thriller that leaves you wondering what really happened. Summer 1974 - the villa is rented by a rockstar to focus on writing music. He invites an up-and-coming musician, his girlfriend, and her stepsister as well as his "friend" Johnnie. By the end, a best-selling novel and hit record for the ages will be written and one will never leave the villa alive. Johnnie is charged with murder and dies by suicide in prison 6 months later. Was it just sex, drugs, and rock & roll or something else? Today, Emily and Chess spend the summer on a girl's trip rekindling their childhood friendship and working on their respective books, But is that the real purpose of the trip, or is something more sinister at play? As Emily unravels the mystery of Summer 1974, she unravels the mystery of her marriage breakup and her friendship with Chess. Nothing is what it seems, and only the house knows what really happened.

This is a cool thriller that isn't all tied up on a bow. There are a few questions left unanswered which will leave you speculating and asking, "did she or didn't she?". This is a perfect read for the "love triangle" prompt for the 2023 Popsugar reading challenge. So many triangles to choose from, lol! 4.5 stars!

The lemony cover is just gorgeous!

Thank you St. Martin's Press and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Rating: 3.5 stars (4 rounded up)

Two besties (or should I say frenemies) take a summer trip to Italy and stay in a villa where a murder occurred in 1974. Throughout their stay, they learn about what happened that deadly summer and use it to get over a writing slump.

This book is told through a duel timeline with multiple POV. I thought it was slow at first but it quickly grabbed my attention once all the characters and storylines were introduced. I really liked the parallels between the women’s characters from the ‘70s and the modern day timelines. I definitely liked the story line from the ‘70s better, but it came together nicely in the end with a little twist!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.