Wow.. This is a very compelling, very complex mystery that had me very intrigued. There are various timelines and characters that are interwoven well throughout the novel though it took me a little while to get things straight in my head at first. The writing is very good.

I loved the description of the villa set near Ovieto in Italy and wanted to go there. The relationships in both the 70s and the present day were complex and interesting. I certainly didn't guess what happened with one of the murders though I did suspect with the other. I couldn't put this book down and, if you like a good mystery with interesting characters, you'll likely enjoy it as much as I did.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an eARC of this book, though I did end up reading it much later in hardcover from my library.

I always enjoy anything by Rachel Hawkins. The beginning was a little slow for me I had to push myself through it , and there wasn't as much suspense, or tension happening. About half way through it definitely picked up more and the rest of the book had me hooked! I enjoyed the plot, but not so much the characters. I would 100% still recommend this book, I think its more of a low class thriller or mystery than a suspenseful on edge thriller. Overall I would rate this book a 4/5.

This was my least favorite Rachel Hawkins book. I loved her first two but this one fell flat for me. Getting into the book was really hard and I just found it to be confusing and not very exciting.

This is a dual timeline suspense told from two perspectives, this slows down the pacing but does help with a plot that keeps you guessing. There a lot of intrigue, a cast on unreliable and unlikeable characters and a great setting in 1970s Italy.

The Villa explores a dual timeline narrative revolving around a gorgeous Italian villa and the secrets that are both revealed and created within it's walls.

Present: Hawkins takes us on the present day journey of Emily, a woman in her 30's who has created a successful cozy mystery series, fought off an unknown illness and is dealing with the divorce from her husband Matt. When her best friend Chess, who she hasn't talked to in ages, invites her on a holiday to Italy Emily jumps at the chance to throw her problems behind her for 6 weeks at Villa Aestas.

Past: It's 1974 and famous musician Noel invites up-and-coming musician Pierce to the then names Villa Rosato along with his girlfriend Mari and her step-sister Lara. What starts out as a stay full of peach, love and rock-n-roll slowly devolves into chaos and murder, but who is really responsible?

Rachel Hawkins novel was solidly written, however; the dual timelines felt disjointed with neither feeling fully fleshed out. The past POV was more underdeveloped, but both left many loose ends untied and question unanswered.

I love this one. It kept me guessing and I thought the characters were relatable. The setting and the atmosphere of the story completely drew me in. This book was a fast paced and could easily be read in a few sittings.

I usually love Rachel Hawkins books. This story is supposed to be a slow burn but it is too slow. I started to not really care about what happened to anyone. Unfortunately, I this book just wasn't for me.

I really enjoyed reading this book with dual storylines about the Villa. There were a couple twists I didn't expect at the end! Was not cookie cutter! Good job Rachel Hawkins!

We love a semi-haunted gothic villa in Italy. This book was a little too “mean girl” for my liking, but I would indefinitely still recommend. Loved the pacing

I really loved Reckless Girls so I was excited to read more from Rachel Hawkins and The Villa did not disappoint!

Emily is a writer and Chess is a famous influencer. When Chess invites Emily to a famous villa in Umbria, she jumps at the chance with the hope that this will revive her writer's block. Full of secrets, twists, and danger, I could not put this book down and didn't want it to end. I would recommend this to everyone who's a fan of thriller/mystery novels.

What can I say about Rachel Hawkins? She consistently delivers books that are completely addictive to me. THE VILLA is no different. It perfectly combines the gothic darkness and the twists of a perfectly developed thriller.

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins is a novel that is far above any other she has written before in the mystery thriller genre and very well be the best read of the year and it has only just begun!

Summary -

"...Houses remember.
That was what Mr. O'Hare had said to Victoria the first day she and her family came to Somerton, the day that began the end of everything.
At the time, she liked the sound of that. Somerton was an old house, after all, and the idea of its papered walls and mullioned windows holding the secrets and dreams of all who had walked its halls appealed to her. She hadn't thought that perhaps houses hold on to the bad with the good, just as people do.
But why would she ever have thought that there might be bad memories in such a place? That summer, the last good season of her life, was such a glorious one, full of blue skies and lemon-yellow sun, and there was no sign of all the horror to come. There were only warm, lazy days, the soft hum of bees in tall flowers, the silky feel of grass against her calves as she walked through the fields surrounding the house.
She had forgotten, as we all do, that beautiful things can contain their own darkness..."

Growing up, Emily and Chess were best friends. But as adults their relationship has become strained and distant. Career and a failed marriage are making demands on Emily's life and the seemingly easy success that Chess has achieved has created a simmering jealousy. But they were once the best of friends and when Chess suggests a girl's trip to Italy Emily jumps at the chance to get away.

Villa Aestas in Orvieto is a beautiful high end rental home now but in 1974, it was known as Villa Rosato and the notorious rock star Noel Gordon rented it for a summer. Gordon invites up and coming musician Pierce Sheldon and well as Pierce's girlfriend Mari and her stepsister Lara.

"....This place will be good for him, Mari thinks. Noel will make him focus on actually producing something. She looks up at the villa, the windows winking in the sunlight. And it'll be good for me, too.
Later, she'll look back at this moment and wonder why there was no warning, no sense of the horrors that would unfold in that house.
But on that bright June afternoon in 1974, Mari just basks in the promise that here, in this beautiful place, things might finally be different..."

That summer changes their lives forever. Mari writes one of the greatest horror novels of all time. Lara composes a platinum album and Pierce is brutally murdered.

"...What are you two gossiping about?' she asks, and Guilia laughs, gathering up her purse.
'She wanted to know all about the muuuuurder,' she replies, wiggling her fingers like claws, and Chess shoots me an indulgent look that makes my teeth itch.
'Are you still thinking about that?' she asks.
'I'm writing about it, actually,' I say. 'Already have a couple of chapters.'
I don't know why I tell her, and it's not technically true, anyway-what I've got so far is mostly freeform, nothing organized into sections yet. But saying it out loud makes it feel real, and I want desperately for this to be real. An actual book, a thing I've made..."

Emily dives into the history of the Villa and begins to realize that there was much more to the tragedy of the summer of 1974. Just maybe it wasn't just sex, drugs and rock and roll. Just maybe it was sometime far more sinister. How is it that only the women came out of that summer and became two of the most successful women in their field and the men ended up in jail, forgotten or dead.

But the further Emily digs into the past, the clearer the present becomes. Betrayals from lovers and friends turn this idyllic vacation into a cruel and tense time. Emily begins to wonder, was the tragedy of 1974 really due to drugs and sex or is it to with Villa itself?

Review -

The Villa is actually two stories in one and Rachel Hawkins weaves them together into one tense and moving thriller. The story of Mari and Lara and the summer of 1974. The story of Emily and Chess and what happens to the women in the Villa. There is a murder mystery here that seems to be solved that unravels to reveal an even deeper truth. There is also the world that Emily lives in and the part Chess played in it spiraling out of control.

Rachel Hawkins has written several really good novels but with The Villa she has taken it up to another level. This is a one sitting, can't put down, going to miss supper and pour me another glass of red kind of novel. Read it. Enjoy it. You will love it.

Various timelines, a murder, women's friendship tested, all at the same Villa. Who could ask for more? I began by listening to this, but that wasn't fast enough! I had to check out the book so I could keep reading!!

3.5 stars

Even though I finished this book there were times I wanted to dnf it. Book has two timelines past and present. At times I was confused whos POV I was reading. But I did finish it!

Fun and twisty, enjoyed the ending. Kinda was able to guess at part of the twist, but thought it was going to go another way.

This one was okay. I think there were just too many things going on. I didn’t care for how the book ended. I will still read more from this author but I wasn’t wowed by this one.

The Wife Upstairs will reign supreme for me. I found this plot to be a little slow and wasn’t really invested in the characters.

Em and Chess are best friends. Chess is a best-selling self-help writer. Em writes cozy mysteries. Em has had an unknown chronic illness and is now getting a divorce because her husband has been cheating. Chess invites Em to Italy to write at a villa where a murder occurred in the 1970's.

Mary & Laura are sisters who've been invited to stay at an Italian villa with some rock stars. This part of the story my brain would zone out during the audio book and I would have to remind my ears to listen.

This mystery/thriller was good. I kind of guessed a lot of it. The writing kept me engaged in parts. The narration was good especially the Julia Whelan parts. Overall, a good listen to a good thriller.

initial thoughts: really enjoyed this one! liked the multiple timelines, and the podcast/newspaper/magazine articles that tell different parts of the story from different POVs and the setting.

I have lots of unanswered questions about Chess, but maybe that’s part of the point of the second timeline.

quick read, short chapters.

I thought this was fine, but I was ultimately underwhelmed by it. I just didn’t really care about the relationship between Emily and Chess, and I expected more out of the past-tense story line. I would like to read more of this author’s thrillers to see what I think, but this one didn’t land for me.