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.

Emily is working on her novel, but is having no luck. When she meets up with her childhood best friend, Chess, for lunch, she is jealous of Chess’ fame. However, when Chess invites Emily to spend the summer at a villa in Italy, Emily wants the chance to reconnect with Chess and hopefully spark her some new ideas for her book. The Villa they are staying in may be beautiful now, but it is the place of a murder that took place in 1974, when a group full of artists spent the summer at the villa trying to inspire themselves. Emily & Chess spend the summer digging into old secrets, both of the villa and of their own lives.
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I enjoyed this thriller, but I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters — all of them were unlikable, in both the past and the present. I also felt like it took a long time to build up to all the tension. There were so many twists and turns throughout this book that kept me on my toes. I also loved all the descriptions of the Italian Countryside! It brought me back to my time in Italy! I definitely can’t wait to see what Rachel Hawkins writes next!
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Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for my eARC in exchange for my honest opinion!
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Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.25

Wow! This book might have been the fastest audiobook I have ever listened to. I did not want to stop for even a second. The best review that I can give is that my stomach was in knots throughout the entire story. The dread I was feeling with what happened in the past with what might be happening during the present had me glued to my seat!

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins is an engrossing thriller with two storylines at the same Italian villa, taking place decades apart but with striking similarities. The alternating perspectives were very well done, and it kept me guessing about what was real and what was the perspective of an unreliable narrator. throughout the whole book.

When a publisher’s blurb reads “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––The Villa welcomes you into its deadly legacy.…” it’s an immediate “YES!” from me. And “The Villa” by Rachel Hawkins did not disappoint.

Told in dual timelines and dual perspectives, about events in a beautiful Italian villa. When glimpses of the past begin to echo in the present, it makes you wonder if “houses remember”.

I was taken by this suspense drama right away and couldn’t put it down. Though the chapters are a bit too long, it was a quick and satisfying read.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved Reckless Girls and when I saw this pop up on NetGalley I had to try and get it early! This story is told in 2 different time lines. The past time line with Mari confused me at first, and then once Emily from the present became more interested in the crime from Mari’s time, it started coming together for me. I love that this book is set in Italy and the wild rockstar vibe from the past is incorporated. I love reading books set in the past! I also loved how writing was incorporated into the entirety, whether it was songs or books, confessions or truths. I’ve not read The Wife Upstairs yet, and a lot of reviews said it was more like that book than Reckless Girls, so I am going to have to check that one out as well! Overall a solid thriller, but I did enjoy Reckless Girls a bit better!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ebook ARC of this book! Happy Pub Day to Rachel Hawkins!

I enjoyed this psychological thriller, the third book of Hawkins' I've read. The dual timelines and POVs created for interesting parallels and made the overall plot more intriguing. I really enjoyed the two-part twist ending. Just when I assumed I knew what happened, I was shocked to read everything wasn't as it seemed. The inclusion of articles, stories within stories and the authors writing a book about a book/event was a nice touch to round out the intertwined storylines.

The house remembers.

Two summers in the same idyllic Italian villa. The summer in 1974 ended in a murder but the two women staying there found game. Lara wrote a hit album and Mari a groundbreaking horror novel.

Present day has two best friends spending the summer, each hoping to make progress on their next book. Chess is famous for her self help enterprise while Em does okay with her cozy mysteries. But will their summer end in inspiration or tragedy?

In addition to the two summers unfolding, we also get excerpts from various articles as well as the aforementioned album and novel. It makes it really interesting to see the pieces come together in the different formats.

As the summer of 74 inches towards known tragedy, you start to wonder if the present day will mirror it. I really got sucked in as the tension slowly built more and more which was wonderful. The present day story was fine, but I especially loved Mari's POV in the past as she writes her novel. Things didn't wrap up quite like I predicted, but I felt like it was a mostly satisfying ending.

Read if you like slow burns, complicated female friendships, and alternating timelines.

Thank you netgalley for the advance copy to review.

The Villa is another win from Rachel Hawkins. I couldn’t put the book down once I started! Emily, a cozy mystery writer recently recovered from a mystery illness and dealing with a nasty divorce, is whisked away to an Italian villa by her childhood friend. Chess, a self-help influencer with fame and fortune, says this trip will help with their writing and deepen their friendship. The villa is mildly infamous for a murder in the 70s, where a group of bohemian artists gathered to create and spawned a successful album and horror novel. What I loved most about this book was the allusions and homages to Switzerland 1816 and Mary Wollstonecraft’s life that led to Frankenstein. Mari is Wollstonecraft in disguise with her own Byron, Shelley, Clairemont, and Polidori. Hawkins adds murder, mystery, and an updated rock and roll glamour to a literary moment and makes it her own. The relationship between Emily and Chess, the love and bitterness, was also good. The structure and how it affects the climax and final twist is something I’ll be thinking of for a while. Overall, this book shows definite growth in Hawkins’ narrative finesse, and I’ll never complain about being entertained. Retreat into The Villa as soon as you can.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy. A longer, critical review can be found on my blog.

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

The Villa is a split-timeline novel centered around the history of Villa Aestas in Italy. The primary storyline revolves around two longtime friends Emily (cozy-mystery novelist) and Chess (lifestyle guru and chart-topping self-help author). The two set off to Italy after reuniting for a sort of writer's retreat. In parallel, we get the perspective of Mari (also an aspiring author) who was staying at the Villa in 1974 when tragedy struck and made the property infamous.

When Emily starts uncovering the darker history of the Villa through Mari's work, inspiration strikes for a new novel. However, not everything is what it seems.

While I appreciated the concept, I found the execution a bit lacking. I often found myself bored by one of the two parallel storylines, rushing to get back to the other. I liked the inclusions of excerpts from fictitious novels, magazines, and podcasts, but at times they felt a bit excessive and disruptive to the main plot.

Overall this was just an okay read for me. If you like slow-burn mysteries or books about writing/creation it still may be worth picking up, but it wouldn't make the top of my recommendation list.

Crossposted to Goodreads at: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5180418674

I very much enjoyed Hawkins’s prior books, especially The Wife Upstairs, so I had high expectations and this did not disappoint!

Emily and Chess are best friends in a complicated friendship. Mari and Lara are stepsisters with a fraught relationship. They’re separated by nearly fifty years but there are many parallels between their lives. Emily and Chess have rented an Italian villa for the summer to rekindle their friendship after some difficult years - Chess is looking for the next topic to write one of her self-help books, and Emily is coming to terms with her difficult divorce, healing from a mysterious illness and attempting to overcome writers block on the next book in her cozy mystery series. The luxury rental house is known as Villa Aestas, renamed after the seminal ‘70s album Lara wrote back during her time in the house - back when her and Mari spent the summer here with Mari’s boyfriend, up and coming musician Piece, and notorious rockstar Noel - that resulted in murder. As Emily dives deeper into Lara and Mari’s time at the villa, which also resulted in Mari writing one of the greatest horror books of all time, she begins to see the parallels between Lara and Mari and herself and Emily. And when she picks up a copy of Mari’s book off the bookshelf and further analyses the fictional story of a house and the murder that took place there, she begins to suspect that Mari might not have completely made up her story and has left clues to what really happened that summer in her writing. So when secrets begin to emerge between her and Chess, the lives of these women fifty years apart begin to overlap.

“Inspired by Fleetwood Mac, the Manson murders, and the infamous summer party Percy and Mary Shelley spent with Lord Bryon at a Lake Genova castle” The Villa is a perfectly paced suspense about the lies that bind us together and the secrets we keep and what we’re willing to do to save ourselves and our dreams and the ones we love.

The Villa
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Genre: Thriller
Format: Kindle eBook and Audiobook
Date Published: 1/3/23
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio
Narrator: Julia Whalen and Kimberly Wetherell
GR: 3.81

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

My Thoughts: The story is narrated by Emily, through her POV and also Mari in the past, through alternating timelines. The book pulls you in from the opening chapter. I read Hawkins last book, Reckless Girls, and was hooked. I knew I would have to read any future novels and when I got approved for both the audio and ebook, I was overjoyed. I really loved how Hawkins portrayed Emily and Chess as strong, empowering women, making there mark in the writing world. The backstory from 1974 instilled creepiness and awe in the Villa for the present day story. The characters were fleshed out well, even the 1974 characters, had depth, were mysterious, and creative. The author’s writing style was complex, suspenseful, creepy, and kept me absolutely engaged throughout the story. The author does a wonderful job at building up the characters, delivering the plot in various twists, and having a fantastic ending. This book would be perfect for those who love Ruth Ware or Lucy Foley (both of whom I also adore). This book releases today and I would highly recommend the audiobook.

Netgalley ARC Review

The Villa follows best friends, Emily and Chess, as they go on a summer trip to Italy. Their friendship has not been as close in recent years and they are hoping to change that on this trip. This book follows two time lines. The second one is 50 years in the past, when rock stars stayed in the villa and a infamous murder took place. Emily discovers the history of the villa and becomes obsessed with finding out what happened.

I absolutely adored this book. It has amazing true crime vibes and I kept almost feeling like I was reading a true crime novel. As Emily became sucked into the obcession of the past murder, so did I. I couldn't put this down and finished it in record time.

Rating: 5 stars