The Villa by Rachel Hawking is more than one mystery, it is two mysteries in one. I found the storyline between Chess and Emily to be the most interesting. The two girls have been best friends since they were young. Life in their thirties divided them because of their busy lives as writers. Now getting divorced and her writing stalled Emily gets an invite from Chess to join her in the Filla Aestas in Italy. What an opportunity for Emily (a mystery writer) to get her creativity going again. The house contains a long lost mystery.

In 1974, there was another mystery in the villa. Mari, Lara and Pierce are involved in creating along with lots of sex, drugs and rock and roll. Mari writes her greatest book ever. Pierce Sheldon however ends up getting brutally killed.

There is a lot of intense mystery in this book. I did not like all of the switch back and forth as much as I would have just liked one story.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for an opportunity to read and review this book.

Looking for a good book, this book is released January 3.

Having loved RECKLESS GIRLS (good beach read), I was excited to read THE VILLA! This story is told in two time periods. Present Day: Emily and Chess were childhood friends and are now well-known writers who are spending the summer in an Italian villa. Emily, our present-day narrator writes cozy mysteries and while going through a divorce to Matt, she has writer’s block while writing her latest book. Chess is a successful writer of self-help books. The second time period takes place in the 1970s and five “friends” are staying at the villa. Rock stars Noel Gordon and Pierce Sheldon along with his girlfriend Mari, a writer, her stepsister Lara, a song writer, and Johnny, the drug supplier. According to the blurb about the book, they represent the Manson murders and Fleetwood Mac. Sounds good!

This 288 page book felt like a 400 page book. It definitely is not a beach read. I found after reading about 30 percent of the book, I had to start again and take notes. I became confused between the characters and who belonged to what time periods. Around 45 percent of the book, I became invested in the story and found myself totally invested. The resolution came rather quickly and I was not impressed. I think there was work to do on the ending, I also think there is work to do on the Emily and Matt back story. My thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

I was so intrigued by this book before I started it and it didn’t disappoint. Emily and Chess were inseparable when they were younger but the pressures of adulting got in the way so they take a girl’s trip to Italy to reconnect. With a plan to stay in a beautiful villa, they soon find out that the villa is also a known murder house - being the setting for the murder of an up and coming musician, Pierce Sheldon back in 1974.
The more I read, the more I was hooked by the characters. It can seem a bit confusing at first because you’re bouncing between present day Em & Chess, the 1974 crew (Mari, Lara, Pierce, Noel, and Johnnie), parts of Lilith Rising (the book written by Mari), and Aestas (the album written by Lara). The present day timeline was always yanking me back in: Emily’s interest in the murders, Chess’s self-centered vibe, and Matt - Emily’s ex who is dragging her through a messy divorce; they kept me quickly turning the pages.
I was able to deduce where the story was going but I didn’t mind. The important part is the journey to get there. And we’re given some twists along the way from both present day and 1974.
Definitely a page turner and I had to sit on the ending for a minute to determine how I felt about everything that unraveled. The answer, I feel good. An great first read of the month!

Emily and Chess have been best friends for years, but, as the girls get older life throws curveballs their way, and things start to get complicated. Emily became a famous fiction writer, who mysteriously got sick during the height of her career. Her sickness led to a slowdown in writing, her husband left her, and overall, her life is a mess.

Chess took another route- the self-care spiritual journey. Becoming a huge bestseller, she continues to get blonder and richer as her success climbs. When Chess suggests she and Emily take a writing retreat in a villa in Italy, Emily buys a plane ticket and takes off!

Luckily for Emily, the Villa is a writer's dream. Villa Aestas was once known as Villa Rosato and was used as the writing place for one of the most poignant women-written horror stories of all time. It was also the scene of a brutal murder. Moving away from her breezy fiction, Emily delves into the Villa's history and is amazed at what she finds.

The more she writes, the more strained her relationship becomes from Chess. What secrets will the Villa reveal in their relationship? Will there be another murder before summer's end?

While I'm usually not a fan. of the multiple plot lines and jumping from past to present, this one kept me intrigued. A quick-paced thriller, this one will keep you guessing until the very end!

The Villa tells the story of Emily, a successful author of a series of cozy mysteries who is stuck trying to complete No. 10. It doesn’t help that one of her main characters is based on her husband, whom she is divorcing. Emily’s best friend (frenemy?) invites her to The Villa, in Italy, for the summer. Intertwined with this story is one from about 40 years ago, involving a murder that happened at The Villa. I enjoyed both storylines.

This is a fast-moving, quick read. I was not crazy about some of the choices made by the MC in the current day timeline but the ending redeemed it for me and makes it a solid 4 star read.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read what will sure to be another popular book.

I think I love everything I have ever read written by Rachel Hawkins and The Villa was especially delightful! Not only did I not read the synopsis before starting (I'm hooked by a good cover), but I was pleasantly surprised by the two stories included and wish I could read Lilith Rising in real life?? (IYKYK). I loved the deeper aspects of this book (sisterhood, friendship, relationship trauma, with little murder?) and found myself not really knowing how it was going to end. This comes out tomorrow, and I think is the perfect book to transport you from January weather to warm Italy.

Thank you to Net Galley, St. Martin’s Press and Rachel Hawkins for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

“Houses remember.”

Both the evocative first line of this book and one if the fictional books written within this story, “The Villa” offers tightly plotted suspense that explores the complexities of friendships between women.

Told in dual timelines, the book follows Emma and Chess in present-day: childhood friends who are both successful writers – albeit in very different ways – and who decide to spend the summer at a villa in Italy.

But it isn’t any villa – it’s one that inspired a best-selling book, a seminal album, and a high-profile murder back in the ‘70s. As Emma and Chess start digging into their respective projects and each other’s lives, they also become interested in the story of that summer in the ‘70s – when stepsisters Mari and Lara were muses for a rockstar and up-and-coming musician.

As the unsettling stories of Emma and Chess, and Mari ans Lara unfold, themes of toxic relationships emerge and we see the jealousy and competitiveness that can be inherent to intimate, long-term female friendships threatening to boil over.

The plotting here is taught, and as the tension built, I often found myself physically reacting. And though neither of the stories told in this book end in ways that are necessarily surprising, they are still immensely satisfying – and in ways that did take me by surprise.

3.75🌟
1🌶️

The Villa - Rachel Hawkins

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.5 out of 5)

I felt connected to this book from the beginning. One of the main characters during the “present” sections is named Emily McRae. My first name and my best friend from colleges last name. Then, I read on and the historical section has a main character named Lara (the name of my best friend from high school - only hers is LaRa). Coincidence? I think not.

This books was such a quick easy read - more of a drama than any other genre. Sometimes I found the storyline to be challenging - it’s told from 3 different perspectives - one being that of letters, articles, song lyrics, etc - and sometimes it got a little confusing! But this book was an excellent book to start of 2023 with!

Out tomorrow January 3, 2023!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an eARC of The Villa in exchange for an honest review.

Emily and her lifelong friend, Chess, set out on a summer long vacation in Orvieto to write and relax. The Villa alternates between present day and the 1970’s during a time that a gruesome murder of a famous rockstar occurred in the same location. Emily is intrigued by the events that transpired in 1974, and soon similarities from the past start to become Emily’s present reality.

It is hard to sum up my thoughts on The Villa because I found it to be equally intriguing as it was flat. I would be entirely invested in the story one moment and a bit confused the next. The premise was there, but the various time jumps and choppy pacing made it hard to follow at times. Overall, it was entertaining, but don’t expect shocking twists or super eerie vibes. To me, this was more so a mystery or drama.

A captivating novel, suspense built so subtle that I was completely surprised by the climax.

In this book, we hear from two women. Mari Godwick, prolific horror novelist during the summer she wrote her infamous novel, Lillith Rising. We also get to know Emily, best-selling author of a cozy mystery series who has writers block, among other personal life tramas.

Both women write from a beautiful Italian villa. When Mari is a guest she comes with her boyfriend, Pierce, and her step-sister Lara. They're guests of rock star legend Noel Gordon and upon arrival they meet another guest, Johnnie who seems to be something between a friend and a drug dealer. She's on the cusp of writing something, words rattling around in her head, on the edge of inspiration but not quite able to focus. Lara is Lara, mooning after Pierce, and now Noel and pretending to be a musician.

Emily is there with her best friend, Chess Chandler. Emily's interest is piqued by the infamous murder that happened at the Villa. Such a tragic summer seems to have brought about the success of Mari and Lara, both having produced their greatest works the that same summer. Emily feels a pull toward not just Mari's horror novel, but the inspiration behind it.

In Lillith Rising, Mari writes: "houses remember." and so it seems does this villa. Because, Emily becomes a woman possessed, she has the inspiration and the words she has lacked for so long. She's not sure what she's coming up with, part memoir, part biography, part think-piece? But whatever it is, it's good.

As Emily continues to write, it seems the story around her also builds. You become untrusting of the people around her and wonder just what is going on at the Villa. The same can be said for Mari, as we hear from her, the reader is trying to figure out just what brought upon a murder and who could have done it.

I was really unprepared for some of the twists and turns that were revealed with this book and loved every minute of it. The writing was excellent -- engaging. Each character clearly had their own distinct voices and allowed you to fully immerse into each timeline as you read about it. I can forsee this book getting a lot of buzz.

I really enjoyed this book, which is basically two thrillers in one - one told in the past (1974) and one told in the present day. The audio was excellent, narrated by a favorite, Julia Whelan, as well as Kimberly M. Wetherall and Shiromi Arserio and I thought they all did a fantastic job. This is a quick and entertaining read, inspired by Fleetwood Mac, the Manson murders, and the birthplace of Frankenstein. I loved how the two timelines wove together, and how atmospheric and it was (the house is basically a character itself). This is my favorite book by this author so far!

Thank you to LibroFM for the ALC to review and to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC to review.

This is a story that gets you fully involved from the first page. Emily and Chess were best friends from the fourth grade. While Emily is struggling with health issues and a divorce, Chess thrives in her role as a successful author and influencer. Emily is the author of a cozy mystery series. Her latest book is overdue, her husband is demanding a substantial amount of her earnings in the settlement and she is experiencing writer’s block. Chess’ solution is getting away for six weeks to a villa in Orvieto, Italy. When Emily researches the villa she discovers that it was a murder house. In 1974 it was the scene of a murder attributed to sex, drugs and rock and roll.

Mari was a teenager when she ran away with her step-sister Lara and moved in with Pierce, a married musician. When Lara meets Noel, a rock star, he invites them for a summer at the villa. It is here that Mari will write a best selling horror novel and Lara will compose the music that will launch her career. It is also where events lead to Pierce’s murder and a sensational trial. Emily discovers a copy of Mari’s book at the villa and begins to see how some of the events are reflected in the story. She puts her latest cozy on hold and begins writing about the events of 1974, the connections to the novel and her own impressions of the villa. Chess had once suggested that they work together on a book, but this is Emily’s project and she begins to hide her work from Chess. Tensions begin to build between the two friends and lies are revealed, leading to another death.

Rachel Hawkins alternates Mari’s story of the events of 1974 with Emily and Chess’ current visit to the villa. Mari made one final visit to the villa before her death. What she reveals is one final twist that will change everything that you believed to be true. The Villa is a definite recommendation for fans of Ruth Ware. I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for making this book available for my review.

The Villa is another hit for Rachel Hawkins, and possibly my favorite of her books to date. The Villa in Italy was the setting of a vicious murder in 1974 when a group of friends and lovers spent the summer at the house. Out of this, step sisters Lara and Mari create a legendary album and book respectively. Fast forward to present day and best friends Emily and Chess spend the summer at the same house. Secrets are revealed, history is repeating itself and Emily and Chess’s friendship is tested. A five star read that proves that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

This is my new favorite Rachel Hawkins book! I loved the alternating timelines. The story slowly unfolded and kept me guessing. I was surprised with the turn of events and thought the ended was perfect. Overall a great gothic style mystery that is also about friendship and more.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book!

3.5ish To start, I’m honestly not sure if I liked this or not.

We start with an empathetic main character who’s basically hit rock-bottom and is constantly comparing herself and being compared by others to her childhood best friend—a successful, self-help book author who seems to have it all.

From the beginning, it’s pretty clear that the friend is sketchy for several reasons, not the least of which being that she is manipulative and clearly puts less thought and effort into her relationship with the main character. “Chess” is the star of the show and Emily is a recurring guest star who floats around in the background but contributes little to the overall story—at least in Chess’s mind and apparently in Emily’s, too.

I was proud of Emily for about the first two-thirds of the book as she decided to upend some plans and do something that she enjoyed, but when she let her “friend” take over and even become subservient to her, I had to force myself to finish the story.

I especially hated how the book they write is meant to be about feminism and sisterhood while their relationship is toxic and only “empowers” one of them. I also didn’t appreciate that the OG author, Mari, ‘takes back her narrative’ in the end by basically tricking everyone with a fake version of the murder because she’s supposedly ‘taking back her power’ or some shit but in actuality takes the blame for something that wasn’t her fault and ultimately absolves arguably bad people of their crimes but shouldering the blame for mens bad deeds—not very down with the patriarchy of her.

This was echoed with the whole storyline about Matt coming between them and needing to be eliminated as a result—let’s be real. Chess did not need to sleep with him and then blow up Emily’s life to reveal what an asshat he was. She also didn’t need to play mind games with Emily and continue to treat her as inferior or less-than.

I could say more, but I want to move on from this book that was interesting, BUT SO INCREDIBLY FRUSTRATING. Like, what was the chapter Emily didn’t share with Chess? What was the point of the fake ending to Mari’s story?

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

Houses remember.

The Villa is a book about books and writers (of words and music), friendship, betrayal, toxicity, and intrigue - and it worked for me. Split between two timelines, and occasionally sprinkled with podcasts and articles, The Villa has two voices - Emily, in present time, and Mari, from 1974.

After dealing with a failed marriage and a stalled career, Emily says “yes” to her on-again-off-again bestie, Chess, when a summer in Orvieto, Italy, is suggested. The Villa Aestas is gorgeous and surrounded by the beauty of Umbria - and also happens to be the site of a 1974 murder. Mari, her sister, and her lover were three of the people staying there at the time of the murder.

Reading through the story, it’s hard to say if the villains in either timeline are as clear cut as it seems (except the man engaging in relationships with 15 and 16 year old girls in the 1970s, he is a terrible person.)

Anyway, I don’t want to give too much plot away. Highly recommend this one! I loved the slow burn and the twists and turns. Before I knew it, I was at 80% and didn’t want the book to end!

This book had some really good twists and I dig the dual timeline aspect but overall it just didn’t wow me like I expected it too.

The Villa held my attention throughout. I enjoyed the past mystery within the current day thriller aspect. I had my predictions on how each story would turn out, and was partially right on both. I'm not fully on board for the ending of either thread - can't say more without spoiling it. There was a sense of incompleteness for me at the end. Regarding formatting, I would have liked shorter chapters, preferably broken up when the narrative changes between the 1970's story and the present day story. There were headers to separate timelines, but some chapters seemed really long.

I liked the Villa much more than her last novel (Reckless Girls), but not quite as much as The Wife Upstairs. Overall, I enjoy this author's style and voice and will continue to read her work in the future. I would recommend The Villa.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press via Netgalley for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

I know this is a story I’m going to be thinking about for a long time. At no point was I blindsided by a twist, but the interpersonal relationships added a depth to the story that I wasn’t expecting and leaves so much to continue unraveling as I process everything that happened.

This was my first Rachel Hawkins book and I enjoyed it and it’s made me interested in picking up some of her other books.
It was a bit of a weird book to read, it reminded me a bit of a Daisy Jones and the Six meets Verity.
I’m not sure if it’s a pro or a con but the book is written from so many perspectives. You’ve got present day Emily and 1970s Mari. Then you get snippets from podcasts, emails, Mari’s book, Lara’s songs, biographies, etc.
It’s a lot of bouncing around from one medium to another, but it kept my interest throughout. I thought I had things figured out, but she threw in some final twists that caught me off guard.
I’d give it a 3.5/5 stars (rounded to 4).

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the copy of this eARC.