This book!!!! What a way to kick of a new reading year. This was a stellar read!

Thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the advanced readers copy. The Villa is out now for purchase.

Why did I love this book so much?

•strong creative independent women
•now and past timelines (I’m loving this more and more every time I read it)
•a murder mystery that isn’t what you think
•twists and turns that keep you guessing

Read it. You won’t regret it!

5🍋 (Normally I hold the lemons back for summer, but I couldn’t resist.)

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The Villa was an interesting book. The author reimagined the Italian summer of Lord Byron and the Shelley’s where Mary Shelley got the idea for Frankenstein, one of the premier horror novels of all time.

The book takes place in two time periods, 1974 and the present. In the present we have Emily and Chess, two lifetime friends who have grown apart and decide to rent a villa in Italy for the summer. Emily is the writer of cozy mysteries, currently going through an antagonistic divorce and writer’s block. Chess is her best friend who has found fame and fortune as a Gwyneth Paltrow Goop Guru type. The VIlla they rent was the scene of a famous murder back in 1974.

In 1974 we have famous rock star Noel Gordon, (Lord Byron) Mari Godwick and Pierce Sheldon (Mary and Percy Shelley) and Lara Larchmont (Claire Clairmont Mary Shelley’s step-sister) as well as Noel’s drug dealer pal Johnny. Noel and Pierce are supposed to be making music together but spend their time drinking and drugging. Meanwhile Mari and Lara become the true artists of the group with Mari writing her modern horror story Lilith Rising, and unbenownst to everyone, Lara is writing her album Aestas which is destined to be a major platinum selling album. As happens when a bunch of young people get together and drugs and drinking are involved, arguments break out and before the summer is over, one is dead and another is convicted of murder.

Emily becomes obsessed with the murder and starts to investigate and write her own version of what happened. Chess who is tiring of the wellness genre wants to be involved. This causes tenson between the two and before the summer is over, friendships will be tested and betrayals will be revealed.

I have to say that I enjoyed the 1974 storyline more than Emily and Chess’ storyline. Their friendship was amazingly toxic and uncomfortable to read.

I did enjoy this book immensely though. I really loved the retelling of the Byron/Shelley summer in a modern setting with a murder thrown in.

Thanks to Netgalley, St.Martin’s Press and the author for the chance to read and review this book.

I was such a fan of The Wife Upstairs and unfortunately the last two books of hers that I have read haven't been that same homerun. As this one started I thought who wouldn’t want to go to a Villa in Italy with her best friend to get over the break up of your marriage?

I really loved the present day story. I was caught up in the dynamic of the friends and my suspicions of what was really happening. I was a little less interested in the story in the past that throughout the book only seemed to be tied to the Villa. And then you lost me when you threw in the podcast. It was just a little much for me without any sort of payout until the end. I really did like that last twist but it was just a little too late for me and I need a little more a little sooner.

There are only so many plots. If you think about all the love stories that come from Romeo and Juliet. Maybe I’ve read too many toxic friends stories lately. Or it is time to take a break and read a different genre. I’m not sad I read it but I am sad that I didn’t love it as much as The Wife Upstairs.

As I switched back and forth from the ebook and audiobook, I really did enjoy reading a little more. Julia Whelan is one of my favorite female narrators and she did not let me down, but I wasn’t drawn into the narration of the gothic part of the story.

I’d like to thank St. Martins Press, NetGalley, MacMillan audio and Libro.fm for my advanced reading and listening copies.

The Villa, by Rachel Hawkins

Short Take: I. Can’t. Even.

(*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*)

Duckies, I am a little under the weather, so I’m going to just jump right into the review and not try to be too clever here. But you all know that I have loads of witty and clever and hilarious thoughts, right?

Way back in the ancient days of 1974, something terrible happened at Villa Rosato, a picturesque vacation home in Italy. A group of young bohemians had rented the house for the summer, and in a sordid mess of sex, drugs, and rock & roll, a young, up & coming musician was murdered. The rest of the group went on to varying states of fame, infamy, and forgottenness, as some go on to produce incredible works, and others complete their cliched downward spirals.

In the present, writer Emily is reeling from the quick decline of her health, marriage, and career when her best friend since childhood invites her to stay at the Villa (now renamed Aestas). Emily never could say no to Chess, so she heads to Italy for some sunshine, wine, and hopefully to break through her writer's block and finish her way-past-due latest book.

But the Villa is still holding onto some truths about what actually happened that night in 1974, and Chess has a few secrets (and an agenda) of her own.

Oh. My. GAWD, y’all!! This book is simply brilliant. First of all, it’s got the book within a book thing happening, which is a thing I adore. We get snippets of Lilith Rising, a legendary horror novel written by Mari Godwick, one of the 1974 group, as well as excerpts from other books written ABOUT Lilith Rising and the events of that summer.

There’s also Mari’s story, captivating and tragic, and her perspective on the horror at the Villa and its aftermath.

But there’s also the push-and-pull of the Chess/Emily relationship, the love-hate of longtime friends who might be rivals too, the petty jealousies that can build over decades into that nasty last bitter swallow at the bottom of every glass of lovely friendship wine.

Ms. Hawkins has an incredible way of showing all the fine nuances of relationships between women, the way even the deepest love and loyalty can be tested by everything else - what happens to single friends when one gets married? To hardworking friends when one becomes wildly successful while the other still struggles?

To writer friends, when one stumbles on a career-altering story?

Duckies, I devoured this book in barely a day. I can’t say anything other than just read it. And then maybe re-read it, because that final, devastating chapter will make you want to look at the whole thing again through an entirely different lens.

The Nerd’s Rating: FIVE HAPPY NEURONS (and a pasta dish I can’t pronounce).

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins starts with childhood friends and writers Emily and Chess going to Italy for the summer to work on their latest books. They stay at an villa that inspired a bestselling horror novel and chart-topping album from two sisters who witnessed a brutal murder while staying in that villa in the 1970’s.

Emily is interested by the history of the villa, and as she uncovers more about what happened that infamous summer, she is inspired to write a book outside of what she is known for. The book jumps from Emily’s POV to Mari writing her novel in 1974, with articles, interviews, song lyrics, and more giving insight to what happened in 1974.

The book has a very slow pace, but kept me interested to know what we would learn next. I wouldn’t classify it as a thriller, but more as a contemporary with a hint of mystery. I enjoyed the book and rated it 3.5, rounding up to 4 stars.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy to review. The Villa is out now.

Thank you so much to #Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC.

While its not my favorite from Rachel Hawkins, I still loved it! This has just enough creepiness and mystery to it. It was a fast read.
I love that it took place in Italy and the history surrounding the villa, wow I loved the spooky factor to it!

I didn't know what to expect from this one since I had seen mixed reviews, but sadly, it wasn't for me.

I thought there was too much going on in this book. We had past and present timelines as well as news articles, song lyrics, and excerpts from novels mixed in. I had to go back a few times to figure out what was going on. I also didn't care much about any of the characters, so that prevented me from getting too invested in this story.

I did like the setting of the Italian villa. I've also read other books by this author and enjoyed them, so I will definitely be reading her books again.

"She hadn't thought that perhaps houses hold on to the bad with the good, just as people do."

In The Villa, we jump back and forth between the present day and 1974. While the time periods and characters are different, the house where most of the shizzle goes down in both stories is the same - a luxury rental in Orvieto that was known as Villa Rosato back in the day but that peeps refer to as Villa Aestas now. In the present day storyline, we follow 30-something Emily - the quasi-successful writer of a cozy mystery series who just wants to get away from it all after her douche-nozzle ex husband abandons her and subsequently wants in on Emily's cozy mystery royalty paychecks. Emily is the guest of Chess, Emily's bestie and a famous self-help guru who had the brilliant idea that the two of them could go there to write their latest works and chillax in beautiful Italy for the summer.

Rewind to 1974, and we follow Mari, a 19-year-old writer who will eventually pen the famous horror novel Lilith Rising that she writes while spending time at Villa Rosato. In addition to Mari, we've got Mari's sister Lara (who writes the famous album Aestas while at the Villa - hence the future name change), Mari's boyfriend Pierce, famous rock-n'-roller Noel, and "the entertainment" Johnnie. Between the sex, drugs, and rock-n'-rolling happening at Villa Rosato that summer, jealousies emerge, tensions rise, and someone ends up dead (murdered?). Questions around what really happened that summer have never been answered... and it intrigues Emily enough that she starts investigating during her stay. But what will she be able to find out? And why does Chess seem to be acting a bit squirrelly? Will the secrets of the past somehow connect to the secrets of the present?

Usually when I read a book that jumps back and forth between two different timelines, I find myself more drawn to one of them over the other - skimming through the timeline I like less to be able to savor the one I like more. This was not the case with The Villa, as I found both storylines to be enjoyable reads. In Emily's timeline I wanted to know what shady things Chess was surely up to and what the connection was between the events of 1974 and the present. In Mari's, I wanted to know who was murdered and why.

This book was solidly good but not great. I didn't find either of the main characters to be particularly compelling, but I didn't find them to be off-putting either. I suppose I was rooting for both of them, but not enthusiastically so. I was engaged the whole time I read this book, but I wouldn't classify it as un-put-downable. And while I dug the twist at the very end of Mari's story, I found the almost-ending to Emily's story to be over the top and implausible. But! I'd still recommend this book to friends who dig murder mysteries.

The Villa is about two friends who go on vacation to a villa in Italy and get sucked into the story of what happened there 50 years ago that resulted in murder, and two very successful works of art. The story weaves the past and the present to slowly reveal what happened and its impact on present day.

This is the second Rachel Hawkins suspense book I’ve read, the other one being Reckless Girls. I found this book to be less atmospheric than Reckless Girls. I had some issues with that book, but it really did the sense of suspense and impending doom right. In this one, I didn’t get that much suspense, darkness or creepiness, and definitely not gothic suspense. It read more like a mystery to me, I don’t think this is a bad thing, but I think it helps to set your expectations from the get-go. I think it helped me that I went into the story without knowing anything about it, I didn’t read the blurb at all, I just knew it took place in a villa in Italy.

As far as the mystery, I thought it was very good. It keeps you guessing, and even the things you think you know, are not how they seem. You start suspecting each character, even the MCs, and keep trying to figure it all out.

I especially liked the mystery within a mystery aspect of things. There is the present story of two friends at a “murder villa”, there is the past, which covers what happened at the villa almost 50 years ago, then there are various books within the books. This dual timeline is done incredibly well. What I really appreciated was how the analysis of these mysteries by the characters within the story made you think about if any of it is actually a foreshadowing for the main mystery.

I really like how Rachel Hawkins always serves people their just desserts and highlights women empowerment. At the end you feel vindicated, like justice has prevailed somehow. I think those who didn’t like Reckless Girls because of how it ended will appreciate this one a lot more. I quite liked the resolution to the story, and how there were a lot of gray areas, and twists, of course.

I also appreciate that her characters are flawed, even the ones you root for are not always nice people. I loved the symmetry between the beginning and ending of the book and how the tables turned, though saying anything more would be spoilery.

It takes a bit at the beginning of the book for things to really get going, but I think reading this as an audiobook really helped with that as well.

Thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC!

Compelling, ominous, and unpredictable!

The Villa transports you into the life of cosy mystery writer Emily Sheridan who, after recently battling illness and a nasty divorce, heads to an Italian villa at the invitation of her childhood best friend and successful self-help author Chess Chandler, where the past will collide with the present, long-buried secrets will be unearthed, and the infamous murder that occurred on the property in 1974 and was the inspiration for the classic, celebrated horror novel, Lilith Rising may finally be solved.

The writing is taut and tight. The characters are self-indulgent, secretive, and vulnerable. And the plot using flashbacks and a back-and-forth, past/present style, intertwines and unravels effortlessly into a machiavellian tale full of manipulation, deception, lies, drama, jealousy, secrets, revelations, mayhem, and murder.

Overall, The Villa is a twisty, intense, sinister tale by Hawkins that does an excellent job of delving into the complex dynamics that exist between friends and highlights just how toxic, parasitic, and dangerous some of those relationships can turn out to be.

Gothic suspense in an Italian villa. Emily and Chess were inseparable as children and then Chess suggests the two of them take a trip to Italy. The villa has a complicated history and Emily and Chess are trying to find out the truth.

The Villa wasn't something I saw opening up my 2023, but we're here now, and I have to talk about it. This story is another case of a literary recap duping the masses. Even though it hits the points of what the synopsis dished out, reading the story was an entirely different feel.

The Villa is about a recently separated divorcee woman looking to reignite her writing career with her best friend in Italy. While trying to get her groove back, she stumbles on a classic horror story that she realizes took place in the house they're staying at. Within finding this remarkable discovery, she also uncovers secrets from her best friend that may make or break their 30-year friendship.

I wasn't in love with the book. It was a long slow burn. I almost DNFed it, but a tiny thread dealing with the present POV made me stick around. It started getting better 70% in.

I like every Rachel Hawkins book more than the last. I raced through this book. It combines all of the things I enjoy reading about right now-beautiful scenery, complicated female friendships, and true crime. The perfect wintery thriller-y escape.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for the ARC!

The premise of this book was so promising! A gothic atmospheric setting in Italy, yes please! But ooof, this one fell flat for me. 😬 I wasn’t very invested in the characters and the direction the story took. It felt like there was a lot of build up the first 3/4 of the book, then when things started to unravel I was left underwhelmed.

The past storylines I found myself very bored with and had to reread a few times because I kept loosing focus. The best way to sum up this book was it just wasn’t memorable for me. The story was just okay and didn’t leave any type of lasting impression on me.

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

What to expect:
✨ Italian setting
✨ Gothic villa
✨ Mystery
✨ Past/present storylines
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Go into this book blind - trust me!
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Ok, so you want a little more info? This dual timeline thriller includes best friends in an Italian villa, both authors, that stumble upon more information about a murder from almost 50 years earlier. All the principles from that event are dead, but legacies of music and writing have been left behind. I enjoyed all the nods to Mary Shelley and her authorship of Frankenstein but knowing all that was not necessary to enjoy the book. I also enjoyed the pieces of Mari's writing, Lara's lyrics, and even some modern media content sprinkled throughout. This book kept me wanting to know what would happen even as I guessed pieces and missed others.

Thank you @NetGalley for my review copy.

Emily and Chess are writers, and best friends, who head off to Italy to stay at what Emily describes as a "murder house". What is now considered the lap of luxury was once a fancy villa where a musician was killed, a woman was inspired to write a famous horror novel, and another woman penned a bestselling album. As both Emily and Chess work to find their own writerly inspirations, Emily begins to suspect that there might be more to the story of the murder house than anyone knows.

This book has so much going for it-a murder house, a horror novel, and a mysterious past laid out from flashbacks. Hawkins also, as she has before, expertly explores the roles and regulations surrounding women, and what happens when a woman tries to subvert the space she has been allotted. I have really enjoyed everything Hawkins has previously written, and this book was no exception.

Do you enjoy mystery and suspense? Do you enjoy gothic atmosphere and the claustrophobia of a small cast of characters? Do you enjoy alternating timelines steeped in betrayal? Would you like to transport yourself to sunny Italy during the bleak month of January? If any of these appeal, this is the book for you! I couldn't put it down and even allowed myself to peek ahead which I haven't allowed myself to do since I was in school!

As a fan of this author's work, this book is my favorite. The story unfolds over two timelines and centers around a villa in Italy. The earlier timeline leads us to the fateful gathering of a male rock star, a musician rising in popularity, his girlfriend/mistress, her stepsister and another man invited by the rock star in 1974. Someone dies. No one understands what happened or why and the survivors don't seem to remember the night it happens. The result of this time is a best selling horror novel and a best selling album. The other timeline takes place in the present and there are two friends who take a girl's trip to get some writing done.

I really enjoyed how the details from the two timelines, the bestselling book and album (and other sources) all come together to help us begin to piece together what happened. The first line from the book is "Houses remember" -- perfection!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and #NetGalley for the chance to read this book early!

I absolutely loved The Villa by Rachel Hawkins! Complex and flawed, well-developed characters with intriguing plot lines and great sequencing, I read this fast-paced book in one day! The story is told through two storylines/ timeframes and with news stories and clipping mixed in which was genius, The Villa by Rachel Hawkins gets all the stars!

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

What's it about (in a nutshell):
The Villa by Rachel Hawkins is a psychological thriller that threads two timelines together to create a spooky mind-bender that kept me glued to the page. Childhood friends, Emily and Chess, decide to take a trip to a villa in Italy. In this villa, a tragic death occurred in 1974, resulting in one of the most excellent horror novels ever written and a platinum album. Both friends are writers, and Emily finds the perfect inspiration for a new story by uncovering the 1974 events that led to Pierce's murder. But once the secrets of the past start coming out, so do secrets from the present, and it all may lead to yet another murder before the story is done.

Actual Reading Experience:
One of the inspirations for this story was Mary and Percy Shelley's stay at a Lake Geneva castle with Lord Byron. It was where Mary Shelley came up with Frankenstein. This inspiration and influence can be felt so clearly throughout the story. I loved that tense darkness that cast its net and held the whole story together. On the surface, the story within an unrelated story seems almost impossible to keep clear. Still, that feeling that binds both stories together also facilitates the clarity I marveled at.

The aspect I loved the most (and that was the reason for five clear stars) is how well this story is crafted. I don't think there are even words that can adequately describe what a marvel the technical aspects of the story are. I love how all the plot threads came together and created an utterly superb ending in every way.

The theme of friendship is a bit twisted, as you might expect in a psychological thriller. Still, it, too, comes to a satisfying, albeit unexpected, conclusion. Some twists I could see coming, but others – well, you could have knocked me over with a feather once I read them.

Also, both friends are writers, and I do love a book about books!

Characters:
Emily is the main character and 1st person narrator of this story. Her marriage has recently dissolved, the most recent book in her series is past due, and she is looking forward to reconnecting with her friend Chess. She is an easy narrator to follow, being calm and sensible, and she never keeps the reader trapped in her thoughts.

Chess, on the other hand, feels like Emily's polar opposite. She never tells any part of the story, and I am glad about that. She tends to be controlling and lacks self-confidence while projecting overconfidence in any given situation. She is not a very likable character, but she and Emily have a bond that spans most of their lives.

Narration & Pacing:
The narration is first person and focuses solely on Emily's POV. This worked very well as she is excellent at creating that darkness and suspense/tension that is very important to the story. It also kept the pace delightfully fast for me, and I couldn't take my eyes off the page and finished the book in one sitting.

Setting:
The setting is perfect. Absolutely. Positively. Perfect. It holds secrets past and present, is relatively secluded, and is the right mix of luxury and danger. I can't imagine a better setting.

Read if you like:
Dark and twisted thrillers
Twisted friendships
Books featuring writers as main characters

Emily is in a rut. She’s going through a divorce, has writers block, and honestly her life is nowhere near where she wants it to be. On the other hand, her best friend Chess is a Best Selling self-help author. When Chess suggests the two head to Italy for 6 weeks to reconnect and write – Emily jumps on the chance to get their friendship back to it’s glory days. The Villa the two stay at is picturesque, and quintessentially Italian. Intrigued by their lodgings, Emily decides to dive deeper into the Villa’s history. Turns out Villa Rosato is known as the murder house, after Pierce Sheldon was murdered during the 1970’s. As Emily explores the mystery of the murder further, she’s determined to uncover any secrets the survivors of the murder may have had. As she grapples with the Murder House’s secrets, Emily and Chess’s own secrets are starting to unravel.

I keep going back and forth on this story. Told in two distinct timelines (both present day with Emily and in the past through Mari’s POV) we get two very different stories and honestly, I liked Mari’s story better. But in addition to the two timelines, we also get snippets of interviews, magazine quotes, book excerpts etc. Maybe it was just the way my ARC copy was formatted but I found it hard to distinguish when we jumped over into these snippets and even listening to them confused me a bit. It gave me Daisy Jones and the Six vibes, but I didn’t think it added to the story in a meaningful way. I also didn’t feel that the two stories intertwined enough. Realistically, the only thing in common was the house, and these could have probably been separate stories.

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Personally, I actually liked Mari’s story depicting the events of the 1970s better than I liked the present day story of Emily. But the ending of Mari’s story had strong Verity vibes and well…I didn’t like it as much.

While I enjoyed the setting ( I mean I’m craving an Italian Villa vaca) and wanted to love this story, it fell a bit flat for me. There was an attempt at the story falling more in into the horror/gothic genre, but never fully committed to it. The twist/ending also felt hurried and maybe a little random to me, and left a few plot holes.

Maybe this one was too much of a slow burn thriller for me, but the more I remember about the story, the less I remember enjoying it. I also find myself disliking Chess and Emily. Chess, for being a self-help guru she’s actually the worst friend, and she made me uncomfortable. Emily just seems pathetic with no growth.

If you enjoyed Reckless Girls than you will enjoy this. 3.5 stars rounded down to 3.


The Villa is out now! Huge thank you to St. Martin’s for my advanced copy and McMillian Audio for my audiobook, in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof.books.