Rachel Hawkins’, The Villa is an unforgettable and unputdownable tale of women, their influence on each other, and the men in their lives. Written across two timelines, set in the same location with a dark history, both stories evoke speculation. A searing chain of events merges and unfolds, leading you to second guess people’s motives carefully clothed in the sweet and comforting guises of “care”, “love”, and “support.” It’s dark, unsettling, and exciting. And I adored it.

5/5, I recommend this book.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press , Rachel Hawkins, and NetGalley for an Advanced Review Copy in exchange for an honest review. My review/reaction is voluntary, all thoughts are mine and unbiased, and receiving the ARC does not influence my rating and/or recommendation.

"Houses remember"

I'm not a big reader of gothic novels but I am a fan of suspense novels and Rachel Hawkins so I thought I might enjoy this gothic suspense novel.

I did!

I had a review copy of the e-book as well as the audiobook for this novel which was really nice. Sometimes I really wish I could have both for all books.

A gripping storyline with many well developed characters.

Rachel Hawkins is definitely on my must read list and I can't wait to see what she writes next!

I'd like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.

Special thanks to the publishers for my egalley in exchange for my honest review.

Two best friends go and stay at a "murder house" called Villa Aestas in Italy for a girl's trip. During their stay they discover secrets galore and find themselves entwined in a decades old mystery resolving in history repeating itself and thereby unfolding a whole new tragedy.

This book was so different for me. It was unlike anything I've ever read before and for that reason alone I thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved that there was almost this mysterious scavenger hunt and a story within a story. I have always loved hearing real-life stories where someone finds something in an old house's walls or floorboards and this had that which I thought was so unique and well thought. I think the only thing I did struggle with at times was identifying when the story was in the past or present. I almost wanted it to be divided up as: one chapter from the present and the next in the past..etc. Other than that I really enjoyed this one.

This was my first book by Hawkins and what a treat. I'll certainly be reading the rest of her works after this and look forward to what she comes up with next.

4/5 stars!!

3.5 stars

This is definitely a different kind of Rachel Hawkins book. Told in parallel timelines we learn the unfolding stories of two sets of women with complex relationships with each other and the men in their lives over two summers in an Italian villa. The parallels between mari and Emily and chess and Lara. I must say I was much more drawn into the Daisy Jones and the Six esque messy 70’s musician drama that you know ends in murder than the tense relationship between besties who often can’t stand each other (although that is the more relatable storyline lol)

I didn’t love this book nor did I hate it. I wanted to like it more than I did. It had such hope and promise but something was missing. Mari’s ending is probably my favorite of the bunch.

But can we also just take a moment to say this is another absolutely fabulous cover. Her books are always so pretty.

Emily and Chess have been friends since childhood. They are both published authors, but Chess is now famous for her self help books. When Emily is going through a divorce and in a writing slump, Chess suggests a trip to Italy for the summer to reconnect and get their writing juices flowing. Turns out the villa where they are staying was the site of a murder. We learn the story of Mari, Lana, Pierce, Noel and Johnnie and how one of them ends up dead. Emily is able to get rid of her writers block when Mari’s story inspires her.
Personally I want engaged with the story from the 70s leading up to the murder. I enjoyed reading about Chess and Emily’s friendship and the many faces that took on throughout the book. This is one I enjoyed but didn’t absolutely love.

Emily and Chess were best friends in elementary school but have grown apart. Emily is an author of cozy mysteries and in the middle of an expensive divorce. Matt, Emily's husband, is claiming that he has rights to some of her book royalties,

Chess has a life that appears freer and more glamorous to Emily. Chess is an influencer on social media. When they meet after a long separation, Chess suggests that Emily go with her to visit a house in Italy where a famous murder took place. .

In 1974, a group of flower children stayed at the Villa, and one of the two men murdered the other. The group included a rock star, a musician, the musician's girlfriend Mari, and her stepsister Lara. The killer died in prison. After the murder, the sisters ended up composing well known works - a best selling horror book and an album that went platinum.

The events at the villa have always been a mystery and Emily and Chess hope to gain some insight from staying there. Emily is hoping for inspiration as she is having trouble writing. Then Matt shows up, and I will give no spoilers about what happens next. Emily does write a book about the house and the events of 1974, with her friend Chess named as co-author.

This book is well written and well plotted, but it left me with questions. I didn't understand the close relationship between Emily and Chess, as after they grew up, they had little in common. I also could not understand why Emily shared rights to her books, and she did it with two different people. She is the one who created the characters, plotted each book, wrote the thousands of words, did the editing, and ensured continuity between books. To me, that was one of the biggest mysteries.

Thanks to the publisher St. Martin's Press via NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book. I voluntarily read and reviewed it, and all opinions are mine.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy of The Villa by Rachel Hawkins. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC

This book kept me invested despite my dislike for many of the characters. Almost everyone showed a level of selfishness that kept me shaking my head. Despite not liking the life choices of most of the characters, I became invested in finding out what happens in the end. Surprisingly the story didn't go as dark as I was expecting, but I left still satisfied. I might have liked the current story arc to be a bit creepier, but that is my one complaint. I give The Villa a solid 4/5 stars. Especially if you want something a bit edgier than a cozy mystery but not super graphic.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

For the most part I enjoyed this book. I thought the dual storyline kept it interesting. I really only liked one character in the book and she often got in my nerves. But, the story was unique.

3.5

TITLE: THE VILLA
AUTHOR: Rachel Hawkins
PUB DATE: 01.03.2023

THOUGHTS:

I was so excited to pick up THE VILLA by Rachel Hawkins having read and enjoyed, two of her previous thriller books, The Wife Upstairs and Reckless Girls. Hawkins’ thriller reads are perfect to enjoy on a cold night and binge read over a sitting or two.

The Villa is a twofer of a story, set in the same Villa in Orvieto, Italy - with the initial story line about childhood friends Emily and Chess set in the present, while the other story line is set in the 70’s where rockstar Noel Gordon and his musician friends stay and a murder takes place. I was so happy to pick this book up having just spent the summer in Italy, while I was really feeling the intense hangover. The Villa certainly transported me right back to Italy - the sights, sounds, and suspenseful atmosphere makes this a fantastic read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this atmospheric thriller from Rachel Hawkins. It was dark and twisty with some definitly turns that I didn't see coming. As much as I liked The Villa, I didn't like any of the characters very much. I rarely like a book where I don't like the character but in this sense it's what really makes the book work. The dual time lines and the extra excerpts made the story a little hard to get into at first but it didn't take too long to get the hang of how it was written and submerse myself into both timelines. I found the ended most intriguing and it really rounded out the story. I appreciate that Hawkins toned down the language this time around. It's still there but isn't overdone like usual.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy to review. What a ride! While I didn’t read this consistently enough for the first third, I was a little confused with the various stories (present day Emily, past Mari, fictional Lilith Rising) but once I stopped putting it down as much, I kept turning pages. I needed to know where the story went. I don’t know if I’m truly satisfied with the ending, which is why this gets 4 stars. I enjoyed how the various stories were entwined. I definitely preferred this book of Hawkins’ last, Reckless Girls.

The story of this book was ok. It was good enough to mostly keep me entertained, even if I wasn’t thoroughly invested in it. The characters were more annoying than anything, and overall everything was just ok. It was a quick read but that’s about the best thing I can say here.

The concept of this book was really interesting & I loved the dual timelines & how it was really a story within a story within a story (storyception?)
It reminded me slightly of Verity with the idea that you aren't sure who's story to trust even when you get to the lady page.
Once I started this book , I tore through it, finishing it in less than a day.
If you enjoy books that are dark & suspenseful & will have you second guessing evert character, this is a must-read for you.

I love this author, but this is my least liked book by her so far.
It had dual timelines which I liked and a wide variety of characters. It also had a book within the book within the book, which was at first confusing, but was actually a cool way to tell the story.
I enjoyed the past timeline more than the present timeline. There were some things in the present timeline that didn't fit in for me.
I also was confused by the ending. This author always has good twists, but this time they were just confusing and I didn't like it.
I will definitely be waiting for this author's next book as she is a MUST READ for me.

A slow burn thriller about a crime from the past which impacts the future that happened at The Villa. I Love the alternate timeline and the dynamics between the friendship of Emily and Chess! At first I did not connect with Emily but as the book progressed my interest shifted in her storyline. To be honest, I struggled to connect with any of the characters in the beginning but after pushing through the book is definitely worth the read.

Cozy mystery author Emily has been suffering from writer's block since her marriage collapsed in the wake of her health crisis. So when her childhood best friend, who now calls herself Chess, invites her on a girls' trip to an Italian villa, Emily leaps at the opportunity, hoping a change of scenery will spark her writing. That the villa Chess has rented has a rather well-known history only adds to the allure.

In 1974, it was the scene of an infamous murder, when budding rockstar and general jerk Pierce was presumably killed in a drug-fueled rage by Johnnie. The events of that summer inspired both Pierce's lover, Mari, and her sister, Lara, to creative genius, while it spelled the downfall of their host, Noel Gordon.

As Emily gets drawn into the events of that summer, she begins to distrust Chess and her motivations. Discovering the secret Chess has been keeping is a catalyst for life-changing events.

This very ambitious, dual-timeline, Gothic-inspired suspense novel has so many twists & turns it's hard to keep up. As is often the case, the ending seems a bit abrupt, almost as if the author were unsure what to do with Emily and Chess. Still, the earlier story is really the more interesting one. This book made my Goth-girl self happy. #TheVilla #NetGalley

Loved this one! The setting is fab, and the ending is such a gut punch. Will definitely be recommending this one!

I'm not sure how I haven't read Rachel Hawkins before, but I intend to correct that oversight. The Villa is a great story told in two storylines with a few books within the book. In the current storyline, you have Chess and Emily, best friends since childhood. Emily is getting over a painful divorce and has writer's block, although she desperately needs her next book to pay her bills. Chess is a successful lifestyle writer. She invites Emily to spend the summer with her in a villa in Italy, so they can bond and write. However, with friends like Chess.... Meanwhile, the villa in Italy is the scene of a brutal murder from the 1970s and the other storyline takes you through that time. It focuses on Mari, who becomes a renowned horror writer. Both storylines are compelling, although I found myself getting drawn more into the sex, drugs, rock and roll story of the 1970s. And, the excerpts from Mari's book, "Lilith rising," makes me wish that book was real. There were some surprises that weren't really surprises, then there were surprises that were really twisty. A fun read and hard to put down. I especially liked a book focusing on female writers.

My thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for an early copy. My opinions are my own.

Rachel Hawkins tends to be an author who uses ideas that have already been done. The Wife Upstairs takes ideas from Jane Eyre. The Villa takes ideas from Daisy Jones and the Six. A Character in The Villa are based on the author of Girl, Wash Your Face, which isn’t a selling point. There just aren’t any original ideas. Without giving away spoilers, there wasn’t a logical reason for the main character to accept what Chess did, and Chess’s reasoning is the worst.

Great read for fans of The White Lotus and Daisy Jones and the Six. This book flips between present day and the 70s, focusing on a famous murder at Villa Aestas. I didn’t really care for the flashbacks, especially once the twist at the end was revealed. Quick, easy thriller that I recommend picking up if you want a brief escape from the world.