Excellent mystery especially if you are a fan of or have interest in IFleetwood Mac, the Manson murders, and the infamous summer Percy and Mary Shelley spent with Lord Byron at a Lake Geneva castle. This book includes them all

It's an exciting storyline at times. Jess is an annoying character. The flashback at a time can be confusing. I had to push myself to finish the book. However, the ending makes up for the storyline's slow pace. There's not too much I can say without giving away the story.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for letting me read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Coming off an unexplainable illness, Emily still has her next book deadline looming and her cheating almost ex to deal with. When her childhood best friend Chess, who is famous in her own right as a living-your-best-life guru, offers Emily a chance to spend the summer at a gorgeous villa in Italy, she can’t resist. Once there, she gets caught up in a murder that happened almost 50 years earlier and the novel that was written during that time. Unfortunately, long-brewing jealousies and insecurities are exposed and Emily no longer knows who she can trust even as she’s finally feeling good and the best book idea she’s ever had is giving her hope.

This book was so fun! I needed a good thriller and, no joke, my heart was pounding during the last few chapters. The fact that Emily was coming off of her illness just added to the suspense and the not quite solid ground feeling of the whole thing. I felt badly for Emily but I never thought she was pathetic, just dealt an extremely bad hand. The alternating storylines between present day and the 1970s, plus song lyrics, and podcast transcripts worked so well together. It was all very creepy. Yes, I still really want to go to Italy and stay in a villa, but maybe I’ll leave the research on its history alone. Because, after all, “houses remember.”

I've been following Rachel Hawkins for years - from her YA work to today's adult mystery/suspense fiction - and she remains a lowkey favorite of mine. This book sealed the deal for me and she is still cemented as an auto-buy author. 

Some early reviews are a bit mixed but I actually liked both timelines: one takes place in the 70s during the original murder and the other is present day with two best friends staying at the villa. The book was very tense throughout, where you know something bad is going to happen in at least one timeline but probably both. I really loved the ending: it totally surprised me. It's not really a true mystery or thriller but more of a suspense novel, which is definitely still a fun ride. I couldn’t put it down and was always so curious to see what would happen next.

The mashup of comps at the bottom of the synopsis ("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") all feel accurate based on m limited knowledge of those three. I would say my own personal comparison is like a much darker version of Daisy Jones and the Six haha.

I will start off by saying I am not the biggest fan of thriller/suspense/mystery. I decided to give this one a try since the cover absolutely caught my eye! I kept waiting for more suspense. I enjoyed Mari's story as well as Emily's. Both were interesting and I enjoyed the dual time lines. I did not feel like there was any shock factor here. I was a little disappointed in the lack of story line.

When I read the synopsis for The Villa I was immediately intrigued. I really enjoyed the twist and turns of The Wife Upstairs, but Reckless Girls fell short for me, so I wasn't sure where Rachel Hawkins newest book would fall for me; I am happy to report it was great and I enjoyed it as much as I did The Wife Upstairs. It does get off to a slower start, setting the backstory of Mari and Emily as told from their own points of view and bouncing between past and present. This back and forth in narrators and time created a slow build for me, where you knew something was happening but couldn't quite piece it all together. Once the plot started picking up speed, I had a hard time putting the book down. Fans of Hawkins shouldn't wait to pick this up when it comes out on January 3, 2023!
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Instagram review post was published on December 27, 2022 - https://www.instagram.com/p/CmrAu9vrpJ_/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Emily and Chess have been best friends almost their whole lives. But as they have grown older and their lives have gotten busier, their friendship has been a bit strained. Emily’s life has taken a bad turn with a divorce and her writing has completely halted. She jumps at the chance to spend the summer with Chess in an Italian Villa. But, this villa has a past. It is the home to one of the most famous murders ever.

This villa really stirs up Emily. She starts to investigate and discovers quite a bit of information. And this leads to some issues between her and Chess. And here is where the fun begins! You will have to read this to find out…with all these twists and turns. You will not be sorry!

I enjoyed so much about this novel. The famous people, the murder, the location and Emily and Chess all come together to make a twisted tale. I am still thinking about all the lies and betrayals!

This novel is narrated by a few different narrators. I do love a tag team. And this tag team included Julia Whelan. She is one of my favorites.

Need a murder mystery inspired by real murders…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

When Emily and Chess were younger, they were inseparable. Now...not so much. So when Chess invites Emily for a girls' trip for an entire summer in Italy, she's all too eager to accept. Especially because things have been a bit rough lately. But while researching the trip before she leaves, Emily discovers it's the site of an infamous murder. Will their trip be sunshine and gelato? Or will the past consume the future?

What I liked:
- The description of the Villa: It felt quintessentially "Italian Countryside" while still keeping an edge of darkness so it was believable as an infamous mansion.
- The interaction between all the characters - both past and present. They felt real and believable.
- The pacing and the revelation of different details. I'm beginning to learn I'm a sucker for what I've begun calling "bread crumbs". I love the way authors have started to put answers in, and it always starts to slowly form the bigger picture.

What I wasn't so fond of:
- Mainly the past timeline. While it was in the 70s, and they were musicians, it sometimes felt stereotypical.
- I was left wanting a little more from the ending. It wasn't completely ambiguous, which was a relief, but it felt a little messy.

I have really enjoyed the two books I've read of Ms. Hawkins', so far. I love her fun, fast paced, always a little juicy thrillers. Between Reckless Girls and The Villa she has definitely become an author I will always be drawn to - no matter what the situation. Whether I'm going to Hawaii, Tahoe or just staying in on a rainy afternoon, her writing style and pacing is perfect.

I enjoyed this book more than I originally thought I would. The setting of the Italian Villa was so unique and interesting. It was also inspired by Fleetwood Mac and the Manson murders - which was fascinating. Although this one doesn’t have rollercoaster twists, it does have surprised that keep you on your toes till the very end.

The Villa left me conflicted, review-wise. I loved the idea of centering on women. Women in horror. Women in music. Women in writing. The two women writers who head off to the Villa once made notorious by a murder that occurred there sounds right up my alley.

The part that made it difficult was that these women remained defined by the men in their lives, even after becoming successful in their own right. Was this a feminist book that missed the target for me or some sort of message that no matter what we do we will still be defined by the men in our lives?

The fact that I’m still thinking about it bumps my rating up a little bit.

Thank you to Rachel Hawkins, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advance reader copy of The Villa.

I have read many of Rachel Hawkins’ YA books, from Rebel Belle to Royals. So, I thought I would give one of Rachel’s adult mystery/thrillers a try. This book is a bit out of my comfort zone, but I found the premise intriguing. Overall this was not for me though.

Check out my more detailed thoughts below…
Characters: This story follows two sets of characters, modern-day and back in the 1970s. Our modern characters are Emily and Chess. Emily is in a rough go a cozy mystery writer not ready to meet her deadline as she’s still recovering from an unexplained illness and her husband left her. Em is presented in stark contrast to her best friend Chess, a self-help author who is extroverted and bombastic. I did not really connect with either character and I had a similar issue with the 1970s characters. The lead in the past is Mari: an easily swayed, naive, inspiring writer who as an older teen is the other woman in her relationship. Mari is dating Pierce, an inspiring musician who is cheating on his wife with Mari. They bring along to the villa, Lara, Mari’s step-sister, an aspiring singer-songwriter who is just as naive as Mari but a bit more bubbly. They all get invited to the villa by Noel, an established musician, who seemed to me the “Lord Byron” of the group who was a bit lost and much more sensual than the other characters. None of these characters were good people, there is so much adultery and cheating in this group, and no redeeming qualities that made me cheer any of them on.
Setting: Chess whisks Em off to Italy. Specifically, Orvieto which is in Umbria. It is a real Italian city! I really liked that Rachel Hawkins worked in real touches. My little bit of research brought back the places the characters visit such as the Well of St. Patrick is a historical landmark. Setting a story in an Italian villa is a great idea and I just felt like the setting was underused, as if the way in which this story is written it could have been set anywhere.
Pacing: I loved the premise, so I went into this book with high hopes. I was ready to be swept away as I have always been fascinated by the infamous writers’ retreat Lord Byron took to Geneva with Percy and Mary Shelley. So, I was disappointed when the beginning dragged on quite a bit. If this was not an ARC I requested I may have put this book down. The story picked up as secrets were revealed but the ending felt quite anti-climatic. Throughout the book, there are different textual elements: text messages, snippets from newspaper articles, and song lyrics. This could have just been an ARC issue but it was not very clear when the medium changed, but I like to think this was fixed in the finished editions.
Mystery: Some things were more predictable than others. I am an easily surprised person so I was surprised when I got some things right. Once the facts were all on the table I was not left in awe at the mystery that unfolded. I was not satisfied with the ending. But I am also very aware that this is not my typical genre and I would not say that this changed my mind on that at all.

At first I was not onboard with the pacing of this one but after I really dug in and read thru for a bit; Chess, Emma, Lara, and Mari all had me hooked. Once you immerse yourself this book is excellent seriously the last bit and the decision making of all the women…whew. Sex, drugs, rock and roll, the 70s and then popping back and forth to present day besties it’s a wild ride and an interesting mystery that kept me guessing both in the present day timeline and the past. Per usual Hawkins’ prose is delightful and haunting, I felt like I could hear each character’s voice so clearly

This book blends two stories - past and present. Both equally intriguing. The opening line - Houses remember. Do the tragedies (or joys for that matter) remain embedded in the essence of a house, and do they influence future events and the behavior of its residents? Think about that as you read this well crafted book filled with secrets, lies, murder and maybe a little madness set in a beautiful Italian villa.

The Villa is my favorite of Rachel Hawkins’ most recent adult novels (the others being Reckless Girls and The Wife Upstairs). This book has suspense, hilariously messy main characters, and two different timelines—all elements I enjoy. In particular, Hawkins has this way of writing complicated women and female relationships that make you wince at the honesty. There’s love, and there’s also… a lot of baggage the characters would rather not admit is there. It’s so real. The characters aren’t necessarily likable, but they aren’t meant to be. And it’s all wrapped up in a neat little bow of southern charm.

This book is a sort of “light” thriller, which is actually to it’s credit. There’s a small, low stakes mystery that unfolds from the past, with a suspenseful overtone in the present. Nothing too high stakes, but when you put all the pieces together, it’s really flipping clever. The flashbacks and flash forwards are narrative parallels to each other, and the book itself is an embodiment of the main character, who is a writer of cozy mysteries. However, this is where the cleverness gets a bit too contrived, which you find out as the book reaches a head.

I don’t think the conclusion/twist is bad. However, it’s also not my favorite thing ever. The final chapter, however, is incredibly interesting and really redeems any misgivings I have with the twist. It lends a lot of agency to a character who doesn’t have much, and I loved it.

I feel like Hawkins has really found her stride with these books, and I’m looking forward to lots more. I’ve been a fan of her since I was a teen, so I feel grateful to have quite literally grown up alongside her books. If she writes them, I’ll read them.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Absolutely in love with this one! 5/5. This is Rachel’s best work yet IMO. I loved the dual stories!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced reader's copy of The Villa by Rachel Hawkins. This suspense novel kept me interested from the beginning. It is a murder mystery, story of friendship and thriller wrapped into one. It was at times somewhat predictable but nonetheless an enjoyable read. Perfect for fans of Ruth Ware and Gilly Macmillan.

If you’re into the rock and roll era of the 70s this one is for you. I enjoyed The present timeline more than the past, but this didn’t work for me overall.

The Villa is now the third book I have read from Rachel Hawkins/Erin Sterling, and now I'm not sure if I'm either rushing to pick up another of her books, or putting off reading my next from her a little longer.

I think my issue with this thriller was that I wanted a different ending. When I sat down to write my review, I listed off all the things I enjoyed about this book, but then I came back to "but I think my biggest gripe was that I would have been happier with a different outcome." Do I understand why the ending is as it is - yes, absolutely! - but that still doesn't make me wish it wasn't just slightly different! So this is my big hang up, and I just can't get past it.

There was a main character (a non-narrator) that I absolutely despised. I can understand how this person is written this way, and it was very intentionally done, but I can't get over my dislike for them. At all. Which is pretty sad, because it absolutely played a part into me not enjoying the book's conclusion.

On the flip side, there are always things I can appreciate or like about a book, and there was a lot of good within this thriller too!

The opening really set the tone, and I loved the added element of a villa having a dark and mysterious history. It was super atmospheric, and I could picture the estate really easily. The holiday home absolutely played a major part in this novel, and I liked how it was intertwined into the two different timelines. There was almost a slight horror aspect included within the pages as well, which I really liked.

Both of these timelines (one takes place in 1974 and the other is present time), were equally compelling to me. Mind you, at first I wasn't expecting the dual perspectives, and I was caught off guard a bit, but once I had a grasp on things I had no issues. There were a lot of characters, but I never once had an issue distinguishing story lines or keeping the characters straight.

There was a point at about 60% in, that I had to put the book down for the night, as I knew I wasn't going to be able to stop once I went any further. And the next day of course, I finished the book at a rapid speed. I really loved the momentum that was building.

Is my review slightly all over the place? Yes. I actually really enjoyed this book, but there's just the minor fact that I disliked the ending!

Thank you St. Martin's Press for the complimentary copy to read and review.

Emily McCrae has had a difficult year. She’s been struggling to write new latest book, number ten in the Petal Bloom cozy mystery series. She’s been sick with a mysterious illness that no doctor can diagnose or cure. And her husband left her. And to make it worse, her ex is demanding a cut of her latest book’s royalties as well as any future royalties she earns from the series, since she had started writing it when they were still together.

Emily’s best friend is Cress Chandler, self-help guru and bestselling author of You Got This! and Things My Mama Never Taught Me. She has hundreds of thousands of followers on social media, thanks to her popular advice column, her TED talk, and her interview with Oprah. It’s her idea to sweep Emily away to Italy for six weeks, to stay at Villa Aestas. The villa has a reputation, due to the murder that happened there back in the 1970s, but Chess is not bothered by the past. She wants to relax with her friend and look toward the future.

Emily knew a little bit about what had happened at the villa, but it’s not until she gets there that she is really drawn into its history. Their first night there, Chess plays Lara Larchmont’s Aestas, the famous album that the villa was renamed for, based on the fact that the songs had been written there. While they had both heard the songs many times through their lives, listening to it in the villa infuses the evening with a gravitas that takes hold in Emily. So when she finds a copy of Lilith Rising, the novel that Mari Godwick had written that summer, Emily has to read it. Between those works and her many internet searches, she finds herself drawn into the events of the summer of 1974.

Mari was only 19 that summer, as was her stepsister Lara. Mari had been with Pierce Sheldon for three years, when she had left her father’s house to be with him. Pierce was married already and had a son, but he had left them behind to go to London and be a musician. After years of hard work, he is finally noticed by rock star Noel Gordon, who invites Pierce and Mari to spend the summer at an Italian villa, while he writes material for his new album. Part of the reason they met Noel is because of Lara, who had been seeing him. So they all went to the villa, Lara and Mari and Pierce. When they get there, they also meet Johnnie, who is also a musician, but more importantly, he is Noel’s dealer.

Mari is hoping that this time in Italy will good for her and Pierce. If Pierce can write some music with Noel and play on his upcoming album, that will push his career ahead by leaps and bounds. And she is hoping to get some time to write. But she also realizes that there are a lot of distractions—the Italian wines, the drugs, and the flirtations. She tries to keep an eye on the guys, to make sure that they’re getting some work done, but she is also finding herself taken in by an idea she’s had. She starts constructing a story about a teenage girl who moves to a country villa with her parents and falls in love with a young priest.

As Chess works on her latest self-help book, Emily finds herself struggling to get back to Petal Bloom. But her deep dive into the murder that happened at the villa is fascinating her, and she finds herself writing about it instead, a mix of memoir and true crime, a blending of Mari’s story with her own. But when Chess suggests that they write it together, Emily finds herself questioning their relationship and what she really wants for her future.

As the summer goes by for Mari, she is getting a lot of writing done on her gothic novel, but she’s also seeing that things at the villa are not going as well for everyone else. Johnnie is feeling pushed aside as a musician, the sexual tension is rising throughout the house, and Mari finds Pierce stoned more often than she would like. When Pierce gets tired of it all and wants to leave, Mari is so close to finishing her novel, and she’s worried that if they go back to London now, she’ll never be able to finish it. So she convinces him to stay. And that’s when the trip devolves to murder.

Emily becomes convinced that Mari left behind hints in her book about what really happened that summer, and maybe even left behind some of her writing in the villa. And if she can find that, the book she’s been working on will be life-changing. But she also has to decide if she’s going to share any of it with her best friend Chess. And when things come to a head at the villa once again, Emily will have to decide how much of herself and her story to give to this new book, and to the villa itself, because it is said that houses remember.

The Villa is the latest thriller from Rachel Hawkins, and it is breathtaking. Told in alternating timelines, between the present summer and the fateful summer of 1974, this story asks questions about art, relationships, jealousy, and love and comes up with answers that are sometimes uncomfortable. It compares the 1970s lifestyle of sex, drugs, and rock’n’roll with the lifestyle of today that emphasizes social media, self-actualization, and success at any cost.

I thought the premise of The Villa was interesting, but the storytelling in it is absolutely beautiful. These characters spring to life from the pages, and the way the stories intersect and overlap is so skillful that I hardly noticed time was passing as I read. There are snippets throughout of articles, song lyrics, podcast transcription, and bits of Mari’s book, which offer up a different perspective of the crime or a bit of gossip, adding layers of humor and insight into the story.

I adored this novel. It’s possible that this will turn out to be my favorite book of the year, which is strange to find only three days in. But it’s just that good. I will be thinking about this one for a long time, savoring the stories and the characters and asking my own questions about the price of art and the sacrifices we make in relationships. This book is fun and layered, so it would be great for a book club, but it’s also just an amazing read for a weekend by the pool or curled up on the sofa in front of a roaring fireplace.

Egalleys for The Villa were provided by St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley, with many thanks.

The Villa was not what I was expecting. In fact, it was even better than I could've expected. I was fully invested by 20% into the book and then proceeded to devour the book. The mystery was fantastic. The relationships we follow are outstanding. The writing is spectacular. We follow Emily (present day) and Mari (past) throughout the entirety of the book.

Emily is going through a terrible divorce and an even worse spout of writers block plus problems with her heath. Her mega famous friend, Chess, comes in clutch by inviting Emily to whisk away to a villa in Italy. This trip comes with its baggage unloading, her past, as well as her exploration of herself, the tragic history of the villa and the future she's trying to get back on track.

Mari is a young girl who got caught up in a bad relationship (she fell for a much older married musician and then proceeded to run away with him), has recently suffered from the tragic loss of her son while on the road touring, and gets rung into a musician getaway with a famous rock star. She herself ends up writing the most notorious horror book that mysteriously coincides with that summer's murder at the villa.

Both girls stories are messy. Both struggle with a lot of shit. Both gave the most intriguing plots that melded beautifully together. Emily becomes obsessed with unveiling the truth from that summer and things just get crazy! I sighed, gasped, and "oh sh*t" countless times in this book. I loved it. If you love contemporary murder mysteries, you have to give this one a go!