The Villa is my first Rachel Hawkins book that I’ve read and I thought it was just okay. This book states that it is a mystery/thriller, but I found it to only be a mystery. The story reminded me of the Manson murders, and that part of it I was intrigued by.

This was a dual timeline happening during the 70s in Italy, and present day in Italy as well. Although I enjoyed the true crime aspect of the story, I didn’t really enjoy much else. I didn’t connect with any characters, and didn’t really care what happened to them. This book is filled with drama, in both timelines. I absolutely disliked Chess throughout the entire story, she seemed incredibly two faced and I feel like she was lying to Emily throughout the entire story. I think even after everything, she was lying and just in the friendship to gain fame.

I don’t really know what I dislike about it, but I think this just wasn’t for me. It was a quick read, and the plot keeps you interested but it’s just okay???

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martins Press and Rachel Hawkins for an eBook ARC of The Villa in exchange for an honest review. The Villa is available for purchase on January 3rd!

The Villa
By: Rachel Hawkins
Pub Date: January 3, 2023

eARC & Book Review
My Rating: 4/5 ⭐️

Houses remember.

In Hawkins’ newest thriller, The Villa, we meet present day Emily and 1974 Mari in this upcoming, dual-timeline, novel.

As kids, Emily and Chess were inseparable. Now in their 30s, they each have their own different lives, occasionally having the chance to meet up and catch up on their personal lives and writing careers. Emily, a fiction writer, is having a bout of writers block as she works on her latest cozy mystery, while Chess continues to ride the high of her successful self help books. When Chess suddenly asks Emily to join her at a villa in Orvieto, Italy, Emily thinks what the heck! She’s going through a divorce, her health is on the mend, and she could really use the writing inspo.

Mari, girlfriend of Pierce Sheldon, has just been invited to Villa Rosato in Orvieto, Italy to join Pierce, rock star, Noel Gordon, and Mari’s stepsister, Lara. What starts as a trip to reignite Noel’s creative spark, turns into much more when Pierce is brutally murdered. Blamed on sex, drugs, and rock and roll gone wrong, it seemed like your everyday murder of the 70s.

Now, staying at the same villa - since renamed Villa Aestas - Emily finds herself digging into the villa’s complicated history. As new details come to light, she begins to question what really happened that brutal night in 1974. Was it really just “sex, drugs, and rock and roll,” or something so much more? In the process, she uncovers secrets about her own marriage and friendships.

——
This was the second book I’ve read from Hawkins and I enjoyed it! I loved the Italian setting and how well the novel was written.

I did find myself getting bored during some of Mari’s timeline, but Emily’s was really intriguing and easy to read. Were some parts predictable? Yes, but the twists were also surprising and I’m glad they were included.

I cannot wait to read more thrillers by Hawkins!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

“Houses Remember”
“Does one murder a murder house make?”

In this book, there are two points of view in alternating timelines. The present-day story involves two best friends, or frenemies, who grew up together but have grown apart over the years. They are both writers of different genres, and decide to spend the summer together at a villa in Italy to work on their writing.

The 1970’s timeline gives me Daisy Jones vibes. A rockstar invites some ‘friends’ to a villa in Italy he rents for the summer to work on an album. Mari, the narrator, is trying to write her first novel, and also keeps a diary of events that summer – which include a famous murder.

This is my third book by this author, and in the past, I have felt a lack of connection to her characters. While the characters of The Villa were not particularly loveable, I think I felt more invested in them and their stories. I enjoyed the setting in Italy, the dueling timelines, and the stories within the story. I don’t think this book had quite the shocking twists or thrills of her other novels, but I love a good murder mystery! I was very curious how the two storylines were going to intertwine, and enjoyed the similarities between the two narrators. Although the book was slow to start, I found both stories compelling and finished the last half very quickly. I have some thoughts about the ending, but I think that is consistent with this author!

“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” (Publisher blurb)

Thank you @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the ARC!

There is a lot going on in The Villa by Rachel Hawkins. A book within a book meshed with news articles, podcasts, song lyrics, oh my!

There are two timelines within this novel, one set in modern times and the other in the 1970s. It was difficult getting into both of these timelines which is why I had to move over to the audiobook.

Had I not had the audio, I might not have finished this story because I could not seem to connect with the characters or their story. There were some parts of the story that still left me with questions but I did not feel so strongly in discussing or really thinking about what could have happened.

This is a story that I can see many people enjoying but I just get tired of the unreliable female character trope.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free ebook ARC of this title in exchange for my review.

I'm the outlier with this book. I've tried a few other titles by the author and didn't really enjoy them, and then this was offered to me by the publisher. I hoped for better and I really did try to get into the story. I just couldn't. It became a chore for me to read and I disliked all of the characters. My reading tastes have changed since I first tried the author, I'd hoped that would make a difference, but sadly for me, it didn't.

I really can't think of anyone to recommend this title to - or this author. Maybe it's just set for a much younger crowd. I didn't care for the jumping timelines nor the 'story within a story' concept. I hated Chess from page 1 and wanted to smack Emily. The whole thing was just too unbelievable. This author will be a hard pass for me from now on out.

1 star for 'did not like this'

I will not be giving feedback on this title. I dnf-ed it and found the writing style sloppy and the unappealing. I love lyrical, well thought out writing and from the start this book got on my nerves

5/5 stars. To be released January 2023.

The only thing disappointing about this book is that I can’t listen to Aestas or read Lillith Rising.

This is absolutely my new favorite Rachel Hawkins book. I’ve always liked her novels but this one knocked it out of the park. I was completely engrossed in the storyline, which is told through your typical first person chapters but with the addition of journal entries, emails, websites and scholarly articles, and even a podcast. The majority of the novel takes place at Villa Aestas in Italy, where two friends are spending the summer. While we learn about their friendship, both the good and the bad, we learn with them about a summer in the 1970s where an infamous murder occurred. Both the present day and 1970s cast of characters felt so real - this is easily one of the best books I have read in a while.

Amazing story! Rachel Hawkins doesn't disappoint! I will be recommending this new novel to all of my friends in 2023.

The Villa by Rahcel Hawkins is an atmospheric thriller with drugs, sex and rock n' roll...well, plus murder. Told from dual narrators with different timelines, but set in the same location, The Villa is the story of a house and the secrets it holds within. In present day, we have Emily and Chess, childhood best friends who have grown apart over the years. They rent a villa in Italy to reconnect and work on their crafts. In the mid 1970s, we have Mari and her stepsister Lara, who rent the same villa in Italy as a last minute get-away with a well-known musician. A murder happens in the villa during Mari and Lara's stay that goes down in infamy and plays a major role in Emily and Chess' story.

I liked the atmospheric sense of place in The Villa and the rock n' roll vibes. That usually draws me to a book. But overall, the plot had many holes. This is more of a slow burn murder mystery vs. a fast-paced thriller. There were times I had to re-read chapters, especially at the end, because I thought I missed a major part of the plot. It turned out, I hadn't missed it, but it wasn't fleshed out enough. I wanted to like this one more than I did, but it was poorly executed.

Definitely a slow burn and it took me a minute to really get into it but it’s a quick read. I didn’t find any of the characters particularly likable. Maybe Mari but I more so just felt bad for her. I didn’t dislike this by any means and if you like Rachel Hawkins’ other thrillers like I do, I think you’d enjoy this.

Sex, drugs, and rock and roll - and writing. This part of the blurb made me grab it - that and the fact that I've enjoyed several other books by Rachel Hawkins:
<i>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.</i>

The book is told in two timelines - 1974 and present day. Both timelines are interesting and come together in an interesting way. It alternated mostly from two points of view - Mari's and Emily's. I didn't get fully invested in this book, but overall it is a story within a story. And it gets rather complex and out of control. The characters all had issues. The history of the villa as a murder house was intriguing and mysterious. This is a decent mystery/thriller - not Rachel Hawkins' best, but still a good read.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for an advance digital copy. This book will be published on January 3, 2022.

Ohhh, this was so good. It was somehow both predictable and not but in absolutely the best way. The premise seems straightforward at first, and in some ways it is, but in others it's decidedly not.

The narrative switches between past and present during two separate vacations to the villa. The past narrative is ominous almost from the beginning, while the present narrative just has a constant sense of foreboding. Emily and Chess had such a fascinating friendship dynamic.

My favorite part about this was the atmosphere. I normally read through thrillers quickly, but I read this one more slowly, just to savor the atmosphere.

There's not much else to say without spoiling anything, but I absolutely loved this!

Talk about the perfect setting for a suspense novel! I loved the mysterious Villa vibes of the book. I also loved how it felt like a mystery version of Daisy Jones and the Six. The author did a great job with the dual POVS and timelines. Sometimes books with flashbacks and various POVs you can feel like parts of the storyline are repetitive but I didn't feel that way with this one. I enjoyed both Mari and Emily's storylines equally. How the storylines intertwine is interesting. The ending was a bit out of left field and felt slightly rushed. There isn't a lot of action or twists and turns during the first 75% of the book so it's a bit of a slow burn but I enjoy a thoughtful, suspense novel and this hit that mark for me.

Thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is released on January 3, 2023.

Read if you like:
-books about books/writing
-Daisy Jones and the Six
-thought provoking conclusions

Rachel Hawkins has quickly become a must read author for me. Her books are so quick and gripping, impossible to put down.
I didn't see where this one was going and the duel timelines kept me guessing.

3.35⭐

Featuring ~ dual 1st person POV, dual timeline ~ present & 1974, infidelity, murder, illness, miscarriage

Our narrators are Emily in the present and Mari in the past.

BFF's and author's Emily and Chess head to Italy to reconnect and write. They stay at a Villa where a murder took place decades ago that involves Mari, who is an author too. Emily is fascinated by this and wants to figure out what happened. It's a book within a book since we have multiple authors putting their two cents in. Wasn't super in love with any of the characters really.

Regarding the infidelity ~ I called who it was with and I didn't like it and I didn't like how Emily dealt with it.

Had a bit of an eye roll at this part
"So, maybe it wasn't completely crazy to think Mari came back here to hide one last thing. Maybe I just misinterpreted the riddle.
That's when I spot it."
seemed like she was in the right place at the right time to have this thought.

Overall, it was fine, not mind-blowing, with an eye catching cover.

I was fortunate enough to receive a kindle copy and the audiobook to review. Both ways were fine, but I did more listening than reading. The narrators are Julia Whelan, Kimberly M. Wetherell and Shiromi Arserio for 7 hours and 57 minutes and 44 seconds. I was very pleased with all of them and so happy there were three.

Told in dual timelines, The Villa is a tale of secrets, murder, intrigue and complex relationships. When Emily is invited by her childhood best friend to vacation at a villa in Italy, she jumps at the chance to reconnect while using it as a writing retreat. But while there, the mystery surrounding the infamous murders at the Villa consume Emily’s thoughts and writing. While uncovering some secrets from the past, she also begins to discover some things about herself as well.

Rachel Hawkins sucks me into every one of her books, and she did it again this time. Take dual timelines (70s and present day), books within books, a little Fleetwood Mac, and throw in some gothic horror for good measure, and you have a twisty thriller that keeps you guessing until the very end. I'm not sure I really even liked any of the characters, but I had to find out what was going to happen. Her storylines in each book are so different from one another, and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next! Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance digital copy!

I seriously love the way Rachel Hawkins writes and cannot believe the same author also wrote the Ex Hex. I know they are two completely different genres but I'm blown away. I love the way Mary Shelley's tragic life/story is brought into this and modernized (at least to the 1970s). The entire time, I loved picking up the little parallels between Mary and Mary and then Emily. Some of the characters were downright jerks but made in such a way I wanted to keep reading. I kind of figured it out ahead of time (and there's still a piece of me that wonders if there is a little bit hidden still with Chess and Em). But I love the idea of Em going to different homes that had tragedies and writing about them!

This is a dual timeline story - one of a murder in the 70s and then current day of two friends that vacation at the same villa. The stories end up intersecting. Two best friends (Emily and Chess) travel to Italy to each get a start on writing their next book are more like friend/enemies. They are both so very unlikeable that i enjoyed the other storyline more. Once at the villa Emily starts to look into the murders from years ago and we are told the story from Mari's point of view.. It alternates back and forth creating a bit of suspense. I will say that although parts were very predictable, other parts shocked me. SPOILER ALERT: i thought for sure Chess was the one drugging Emily, . I also thought it was obviously she was having an affair with Emily's husband. Like I said earlier, it was hard to like these characters and the story wasn't realistic at all. I did enjoy the other story line and following the muscians. I was surprised by the twist on who the actual murderer was. Once you think you know the story, they will pull the rug out from under you. It kept me reading and I finished the novel in less than 3 days. It would make a good plane or beach read where you're looking for something fast but this wont win any prizes. It was just middle of the road for me.

I received this as an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I never felt that on-the-edge-of-my-seat-reading-through-my-fingers kind of dread despite this book being advertised as a thriller. I definitely yelled, "don't do that you are so dumb" a few times, but it was less than I expected.

I truly e joy Rachel Hwkins, I think her writing style is engaging and fun. This just wasn't as scary as I expected from the synopsis.