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.

I read this thru NetGalley. Absolutely enjoyed it, finished it in two days. This is my first time reading Rachel Hawkins work and I will definitely pick up another one of her works after reading The Villa. The Villa was perfectly paced, making me wanting to read "just one more chapter". She creates a story within a story and keeps the reader guessing until the very end.

Two friends embark on the summer of a lifetime in The Villa by Rachel Hawkins. Emily, a mystery writer, is going through a harrowing divorce and recovering from a mysterious illness. When her best friend, famous self-help guru Chess Chandler, suggests that she come with her to Italy for a summer of sun and relaxation, Emily decides it will help get her motivated to move on with her life and rejuvenate her flagging career as a serial mystery writer. But Villa Aestas comes with secrets and is haunted by a murder that took place in 1974.

The story flips back and forth from present day where Emily and Chess explore the Italian countryside and to 1974, when a motley bunch of bohemian artists group together. All the while, you're wondering about the murder. What happened? Could it have been prevented? Are the ghosts still lurking about the home?

I preferred the 1974 story because the characters were way more interesting. Sisters Mari and Lara take off with Mari's married musician boyfriend Pierce and hole up with a famous rock star and his strange companion. It makes you think of Fleetwood Mac and how the album Rumors came about and could be a good companion book to Sister Stardust by Jane Green and Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (coming out on Amazon Prime in March 2023, BTW). In fact, Mari writes a wildly popular horror novel while Lara writes her groundbreaking album during their time there.

The present day storyline is more of a domestic thriller and a clash of secrets being revealed. The problem is, most of those secrets stay hidden until the last few chapters, so some parts of this story feel sluggish. And it doesn't feel like the most solid or heartwarming friendship. I feel like this part of the book could have been more fleshed out. And it didn't read like a thriller at all, so if you're looking for suspense, this may not satisfy you.

Plus, the ending of the present day tale could have been way more suspenseful. More explanations were needed to strengthen this side of the story. It fell a little flat to me.

So, if you're looking for a twisty thriller, this may not be it, but I enjoyed the 1970s era story. I wish the author focused more on that part and went into more detail with those characters and their storylines. Either way, this book held my interest--enough so that I ran out to get The Wife Upstairs by the same author.

I could not put down this one down! I loved the dual timelines and perspectives, and the plot of a mysterious house where dark things keep happening. There's some hilarious commentary on rock stars and influencers, and two suspenseful stories that have you constantly guessing what happened. If you love atmospheric European vacation locations, shady friend groups and scandalous murder, add this to your list right now!

Loved the set up of this- two “frenemies “ go on a luxe writing retreat in Italy. It just so happens to be the site of an infamous murder years ago. I liked the present day POV much more than the flashbacks, and thought the setting was underused. So much missed potential. Overall, a fast read but pretty forgettable.

Another wonderful novel by Hawkins! Excellent multi layered story that seamlessly takes you between several timelines. When Chess invites her best friend Emily to a beautiful Italian villa she accepts the offer. While they were very close as kids they weren’t as close as they got older. Emily is recovering from a mysterious illness and a failed marriage and has hopes of finishing a novel that is past due to her publisher and reconnecting with Chess. While at the villa Emily researches it’s mysterious origins which include murder, a best selling classic horror novel, and a record that has been deemed one of he best ever. Beautifully written story full of mystery and twists. Highly recommend.

A slow-burn story set in two different timelines in the same Italian villa. I enjoyed both timelines up until close to the end. I was expecting an intense, exciting ending in line with the references in the plot to the horrors that had gone on in the villa in the earlier timeline. However, the endings of both timelines fell flat for me which was a shame as I had enjoyed the story up until that point. This was labelled as gothic suspense but it was more of a story about friendships, love, betrayal, and female empowerment with some mystery thrown in. Rounded up to 3.25 as i did enjoy most of the story.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley & St Martins Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
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I went into reading this book thinking it would be a light, easy, vacation read and boyyyyy was I pleasantly wrong! The Villa is mysterious & thrilling. Emily & her best friend Chess are both authors, who were inseparable best friends as young girls, who decide to reconnect as professional adults and take a vacation to Italy for the summer. Here - Emily finds inspiration for writing from the history of the villa they are vacationing in…there may be more to the story of the summer of 1974 “sex, drugs, & rock and roll tragedy...” and in comes the jealousy and tension between Em & Chess… as Chess finds the same inspiration. Slowly come to realize there are many comparisons between Lara/Mari and Emily/Chess 😳
…Houses Remember…
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I quickly became fully absorbed into all the different relationships and story lines in this book - not knowing what was going to happen next. Hence this book being a thriller! 😂 Also just to mention - the cover of this book is so cute! 🍋
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Overall 4/5 ✨
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This book is set to be published January 3rd and I recommend getting yourself a copy once available!

This is the third book that I have read by Rachel Hawkins so I was super excited to review it.

This is a book set in 2 different timelines, the first is set in the past in 1974 that centers around a group of friends on a trip to Orvieto, Italy to Villa Rosato and among them are 2 Musicians Noel and Piece, and Noel’s girlfriend Mari and her step sister Lara. There is also a fifth friend Johnny with the group as well. The second is the present day which centers around Emily and her best friend Chess. Emily is facing a divorce and health issues and at the same time she is under pressure to write a new book. Her best friend Chess, who is also a writer, invited her on an extended trip to the Villa Aestas (formerly Rosato) to get away from it all and try to get their creative juices flowing and also help rebuild their friendship as over the years it has drifted apart. I definitely preferred the present timeline over the past timeline which really slowed my reading progress down as I do not really connect with the rock star lifestyle, nor do I understand how people were/are so easily influenced by it either and in general, I relate more and enjoy present timelines in most fiction novels.

A lot of this book focuses on tragic events unfolding in 1974, and then in the present day Emily uncovers pieces of a book and notes that Mari wrote that details the tragic events that happened in the Villa from Mari’s perspective and it shifted to some challenging events in the present day that could lead people staying in a Villa with a dark past down a dark path. I will say the Villa’s past added to the air of mystery and I think it helped build the tension and highlight the fractures of the present day relationship between Emily and Chess and it guided Emily towards unfolding current situations that threaten her wellbeing and her relationships include her relationship with her Husband.

I thought that because I like the books I previously read by Rachel Hawkins, The Wife Upstairs and Reckless Girls, that I would breeze through this book but it actually took me quite a while to get through it and it was definitely a slow burner. I wasn’t really a fan of the two story lines and how long it dragged out because not a lot was happening for the majority of the book, and then, for as long as this book dragged out, the ending was very accelerated and underwhelming at the same time. I felt like I was just getting into it and it was starting to build up to something big, and it ended. I do not feel like I connected with the characters like I normally do. Emily was the closest but I ended up not liking her or anyone else by the end of the book.

Thank you St, Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing a copy to review. I still plan to check out the next novel Rachel spins up, because 2 out of 3 ain't bad and I do enjoy her writing style which is why I still give this 3 stars! In the future, I will stick to the Audiobooks for stories with multiple timelines. It really does help me.

I enjoyed this slow burn mystery. I would not qualify this one as a thriller. It reads more like contemporary/historical fiction with a little mystery thrown in. I thought the beginning was very slow burn, and it took me to about the halfway point to feel invested in the story. The end was a minor surprise but not shocking. Overall I enjoyed the book, but it did not wow me.

#thevilla:⁣
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“…I find extremely annoying given that you’re already young and beautiful. Being talented on top of that just isn’t fair.”⁣
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Thank you @stmartinspress @macmillan.audio @librofm for the gifted copy!⁣
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This book has it all! You have a book within a book, a podcast insert with some hilarious commentary, a beautiful and heartbreaking album, unfinished business between childhood besties, a [bit of a stretch but] vacation gone wrong, I mean let’s just check every box we need to get this shit done!⁣
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The audio is amazing. Julia Whelan, of course, killed it. There are different types of media in the book and how that played on audio is phenomenal. Kimberly M. Wetherell and⁣ Shiromi Arserio also read The Villa and both knocked it out of the park. I highly highly highly highly highly recommend the audio. ⁣
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Overall, another solid Rachel Hawkins read. I felt the beginning truly pulled me in, the middle was just a middle, and the ending had me gripped! I love when reality is blurred and this was a wonderful (and super toxic) read.⁣
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Thank you again @stmartinspress @macmillan.audio @librofm for the gifted copies! The Villa is out 1/3!

A very interesting concept and take on a classic thriller. Really loved the juxtaposition between present conflict and past, unrelated conflict. Also really liked the way the villa was such an integral part to both stories and had its own secrets. My biggest complaint was, again, the resolution just moved way too fast and felt quite unfinished and confusing.

I’d like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Rachel Hawkins’ novel and I saw quite a few good reviews before I cracked it open.
The story is dual time line. It’s primary focus is current with Emily and Chess and their attempt to reconnect with each other and their writing at an Italian Villa. It also concentrates on Mari in 1974 and the fast lifestyle she lived.
See full review via Instagram @kels_shelf
Neither timeline was great.
Moreover, I was slightly disappointed in this read. The synopsis and cover were enticing, but I didn’t find myself caring about the story or characters at all.
2.5/5 (I rated 2 on Goodreads just because they don’t have .5 ratings).

This book was not what I expected and that surprise alone made it a truly satisfying read. Told through duel timelines of writers staying the same villa forty years apart, both looking for inspiration to get back into writing, both caught up in complex relationships with their closest friends, The Villa is a slow-burn suspense where the twists are all but plainly written on the wall. But the true story is one of ambition and creation and the roots of art, more than about who killed who and why.

Yes, there are still twists and surprises, but unlike other thrillers, they feel beside the point. The point the book makes about muses and artists and women is much juicer than any murder mystery.