I loved the villa it had a very good suspenseful story to it, which was very well written. I’m definitely going to recommend it to everyone.

Two long-time best friends who decide to spend the summer at a Villa in Italy find themselves in a Villa that once hosted a few rock stars in the 70s and their friends.
As the '70s were known for sex, drugs, and rock and roll, their trip had a not-so-happy ending.

There is more to both vacations in the Villa! Rachel Hawkins weaves a web that intertwines them all seamlessly.

There was something to love and hate about each of the characters, which I think is something that few authors can do as well as Rachel Hawkins. I wasn't sure who to cheer on, and who to be angry with!

As with all thrillers, the ending left me wondering exactly what was true and what wasn't!

The Villa, the new psychological thriller by Rachel Hawkins is fantastic. Told from two perspectives over two time lines, it held my attention from start to finish.

Emily and Chess are best friends. Emily, the author of cozy mysteries, and Chess, the author of self help books, decide to spend the summer in Italy at the Villa Aestas in Orieto. It is meant to be a time to relax, reconnect and each work on their current new books. But as Emily digs into the villas history and a murder that took place there in 1974, things begin to heat up.

In 1974 Noel Gordon, a rock and roll superstar, rents the villa for the summer and invites Pierce Sheldon, an up and coming musician, to join him in hopes of recharging his creativity. Pierce brings along Mari, his girlfriend, and Lara, Mari’s step sister. Also staying at the villa that summer is Johnny, a want-a-be musician and part time drug dealer. By the end of the summer, one of them is dead and one of them charged with the murder and all of their lives are changed for ever.

I read this in one day right before Christmas when I had a million things to do but I just couldn’t put it down. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers and dark mysteries

Very suspensful and better than I thought it would be! Fairly quick read as well! I couldn't put it down.

The Villa is a twisty turny book within a book, set in an Italian villa over two summers. The interwoven storylines involve Fleetwood Mac-esque musicians in 1974 and two friends, one a Brene Brown-ish influencer and the other a cozy mystery writer. The friendships are deeply felt and vividly drawn. Paula Hawkins is the author of The Girl on the Train and knows how to write mystery/suspense. I loved the house as a setting but would have liked more of Italy. Highly recommended to readers of Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley.

I really wanted to like this book, and going in, I was instantly intrigued. However, not only could I not connect with any of the characters, I felt that the plot just kind of dragged with minimal purpose. I have also realized that I prefer it when books don't have flashback chapters, so that was also an issue with this one.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Overall I really enjoyed The Villa. It started off a little slow and I had a hard time liking the characters, which could make it or break it for me, but the storyline kept my attention. It was full of tension, and I liked the element of mystery that kept me turning the pages. I was a little disappointed in the ending but then there was a twist at the end that I wasn’t expecting. I would recommend this book.

Well, I saw a bunch of reviews for this that were all over the place but, then I finished it and understood the variety of reviews. I don’t know if anything really happened in this book? It’s definitely not a thriller and more of a mystery/suspense. It was pretty predictable and none of the twists were surprising at all. I couldn’t understand why Emily was friends with Chess ever, let alone towards the end of the book. In fact, the ending in my head would have been much more enjoyable.

Yet another amazing read from Rachel Hawkins! “The Villa” may be my favorite of her works to-date. Set in the Italian countryside, this book travels between 1974 and present day, centering around groups of friends who are creative types, and harbor deadly secrets.

I feel that describing the similarities between sisters Mari & Lara and best friends Chess & Emily could give away too much of the plot, but getting to know these characters was my favorite part of the book. While the sisters lived out their horrors in the ‘70s, the friends made their mark in 2023. All four women lack moral fibers but also exhibit strong characters when it comes to protecting the women in their lives. Their personalities & actions were created so well by Hawkins and I loved how both sets of characters came full circle before the end of the book.

A perfect thriller to keep you warm on a cold winter’s night!

I enjoyed the dual timeline and the prospect of “sex, drugs, and rock n roll” intrigued me; but the book fell a little flat.

The characters were hard to like. Mari a little more than her sister. That being said, I enjoyed the present timeline more than the past.

Chess and Emily are going to spend the summer at Villa Aestes in Italy, writing and mending their fractured friendship. Emily is a cozy mystery writer but finds the real-life mystery of the villa they are staying at fascinating. The villa still holds secrets from the murder that took place in the 1970s and Emily is determined to find them. The book combines two different stories and two different timelines, hopping back and forth between the present day and the 1970s.

This is my sixth book by Rachel Hawkins and my favorite so far! The dual timeline really kept me interested in the story. It was intriguing to see the similarities and differences between the two different points in time. I like the way Hawkins slowly unfolded the history of Villa Aestes as Emily slowly discovered more about the murder that took place. I also like that Hawkins included podcast excerpts and newspaper articles in the story. I highly recommend it to any thriller fans! This is Hawkins’ best work yet! 4/5 stars.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 1/2
I love Rachel Hawkins. She’s always a must read for me. Although I did get through The Villa fairly quickly and it held my attention, I must say it was my least favorite of hers written under this name.
There were a lot of “main” characters and none of them were really likable. The parallels from the two stories had more of a contemporary/female fiction feel than that of a thriller/mystery vibe. It was mostly predictable and felt very rushed at the end. I will say, I did enjoy the ending from Mari’s POV.
Love the cover art, would still recommend this read, and so ready for her next release!

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read a book I was so excited for!

As you have already seen countless reviews for this IG darling I will spare you my in depth thoughts. I will say that this is probably my favorite of the Hawkins books Ive read.

This novel was inspired by Fleetwood Mac, the Manson murders and the birthplace of Frankenstein you know I was all about it. I liked that the story was broken into two timelines, although I enjoyed the 1970’s timeline more. I love that this was a story about creatives. Our main characters are either writers or rock stars which is always interesting to me.

I will not give any spoilers but I loved the setting and I really appreciated the ending! IThank you to Netgalley for my advance copy!

Loved this gothic suspense/murder mystery! Imagine Daisy Jones but with a murder mystery in the middle of the action and that's The Villa. The two timelines were perfectly woven together and I can't recommend this enough.

You know when you're reading a multiple POV book and you don't like one of the POVs? Well, that's how I felt with this book. Mari's perspective in the story was so slow-moving and boring that I wanted to put the book down every time the perspective shifted *internal groan*
And, can you say whiplash? Who's the murderer? Who's the bad guy here? I understand the attempt to mislead the reader and then redirect to create a dramatic shift, twist, or reveal, but I felt like this one bounced all over the place. Towards the end of the book, we get a "big reveal" but in the final chapters, we're told that the "reveal" wasn't the truth. Who did it? And why does the story and the culprit keep changing?
These characters were portrayed as above the consequences of their actions; as if success comes regardless of the choices we make in life. I know this story wasn't attempting to be a commentary on life, but I think multiple characters found success and happiness despite their despicable actions. Overall, this book was a hot mess, bouncing from story line to story line with a very unsatisfying ending. Definitely not her best, in my opinion.

I have been a fan of Rachel's work since the Hex Hall series, and I don't know how she does it, but every new book she writes exactly hits the itch I need to scratch.

I really loved the setting in this book. Italy itself and the house were distinct characters. I enjoyed the weaving of the past story with the present and how they intersected. I found Emily a compelling character, and the interplay between her and her best friend/frenemy Chess was so interesting. I enjoyed the kind of Behind the Music aspect of the past story. I loved the intertwining of inspirations here (Manson murders, Fleetwood Mac romantic relationships, and the writing of Frankenstein) and thought that these influences were very present while at the same time the author created something completely new.

The twist at the end revealing the true story of what happened to Pierce took me by surprise, which was nice because I can usually see a twist coming a mile away. Overall, this was a delicious read. It felt like a slow, lazy summer without dragging, and the action moved slowly but surely with a feeling of dread towards the conclusion. I very much liked the ending with Emily and Chess, and without staying too much, how that kind of frenemy-ship continued to trap both of them. I absolutely loved this book, and think it's one of Hawkins' best.

There are some great elements in this story, that I truly enjoyed. Like the girl friendship. It felt realistic: though these ladies love each other, there's still some jealousy and competition, but in the end it is a friendship you fight for.

I loved that this also had a historical fiction aspect to it - a true crime retelling of a murder that occurred inside this Villa. We get to go back in time and learn how these people destroyed each other. History repeats itself, as these ladies are living under this same roof, and it feels like they are trying to destroy each other all over again.

It was suspenseful, atmospheric, and not as popcorn-thrillery as I was expecting, so it was a nice touch for me. I did like the tuned down, gothic story telling done in this book.

Thank you to Libro.fm for my ALC.

Emily and seemingly best friend Jessica or "Chess," decide to spend six weeks in a murderously famous Villa in Italy to get away from their complicated lives and finally write those books they have promised their agents and editors. Both have their own agenda, and both harbor their own secrets.

Rachel Hawkins is a master of suspense and thriller. She weaves a wonderful back story to the Italian Villa where two rock stars, two women followers, and one drug dealer spend a summer in a haze of music, drugs, and other extra curricular activities. There is jealousy, love, and hate. Mari has found her muse for her writing as she gets tangled in the web of lies and secrets her lover and step-sister share. Then in the present, Emily channels Mari as she begins delving into her own new novel. The secrets that are kept between her and her best friend are unraveled. The phrase, "Houses Remember" takes on its own life in this story.

The Villa is a wonderful mystery readers will not want to set aside. I could not wait to find out what happens. The method in which Hawkins reveals the climax is superb, and then of course get ready for the twist! This read will not disappoint!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the digital ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

I ended up giving it about a 2.75 but I’ll give it 3 on goodreads. This is the fourth book I’ve read of this author and I continue to be unimpressed. I just feel like the writing is amateur and anticlimactic.

I will say the writing itself seems to be getting stronger but this plot just was under developed. I feel like she just told me everything like laid it out and I want to feel like I’m on a journey with them.

This was the least thrilling thriller I’ve ever read. At 60% in still nothing had happened and the climax was extremely disappointing and I knew what the ending was a quarter in. I’ve read this author three times previous making this my fourth and I knew she wasn’t my cup of tea so it’s my own fault for trying again.

The writing is amateur at best and I just don’t understand how they keep getting published.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The covers get me. They are absolutely gorgeous covers. I don’t know why I can’t give up on her. I think I can feel potential and I just think maybe this time she’s done it. I can’t promise I won’t try again 😂 it’s the covers. And the fomo. Lol

I was so excited when I received this ARC and it did not disappoint! I really enjoyed how the chapters included both Emily’s and Mari’s storylines. This was a fun read that kept me up past my bedtime because I had to know what happened next.