So I have been a major fan of Rachel Hawkins (as Erin Sterling) with the Ex-Hex series. I've always loved the characters, story telling, and tension she has created in her books. The thrillers of hers I've read have always been kind of average for me. but The Villa totally changed my mind! What an exciting and unique book!

Childhood best friends Chess and Emily take off to a villa in Italy for a writers retreat. Emily is going through a divorce and is long overdue for her next manuscript, and Chess is due for another one of her best-selling self-help books. They villa they visit happens to be a "murder house" where a rock-star was killed decades before. As they spend time in the Villa Aestas, Emily becomes fascinated with the stories surrounding the murder and the artists that were there at the time. Soon she begins to realize that there are more connections than she realizes in the book and musical album that were written there the same summer of the murder.

Going back and forth from modern day to the 1970s, the story of that summer unfolds. The 19 year old writer, Mari, is visiting the villa with her partner, Pierce, and step-sister, Lara. Invited by a rock-star Noel, Pierce is there to collaborate on some music and hopefully make it big. In typical rock-star fashion, sex and drugs play a major roll in the summer of these young adults, leading to the death of one of the housemates.

There is a lot of suspense in this novel. I read the whole book in about a day and a half and loved every second of it. The Villa has a unique mix of writing within the book with snippets of news articles, music lyrics, and books intertwined into the main story. You kind of never really knew where the story was headed and what was true and what was not. Very unique and intriguing concept and execution!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for granting me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Damn, I loved this book. It's the feminist thriller of my dreams and I loved everything about it!

This might be a slow burn but I was gripped from start to end. The multiple POVs and dual timelines were all enjoyable, with news articles, song lyrics and other creative storytelling formats adding authenticity and life to the story.

There were also various settings that I could picture so vividly. Whether it's Villa Aestas and its legacy of both horror and beauty or that lonely phone booth in a snowy New York City, the author has painted such atmospheric and immersive portraits of each scene.

Same goes for Aestas and Lilith Rising — I so badly wish they were real. How can they simply be fictional works in a work of fiction?!?!?!

There weren't really any shocking twists and turns for me but I loved all the layers and how everything played out. Complicated female friendships, women reclaiming the narrative and their power, gothic suspense — this is a page-turner with much to offer! That last chapter hmmm...

Sadly this one wasn't for me. I found the contemporary timeline intriguing, but ultimately the pacing of the story, the character development, and the cutaways to the past timeline just did not engage my attention. The ultimate climax was underwhelming.

I think fans of Hawkins' past books, domestic fiction, and mystery books would find this one appealing.

Being a fan of Reckless Girls, I was so excited when I saw that Rachel Hawkins had a new book coming out. After reading some of the ARC reviews, I wasn’t too sure whether I would like The Villa, but after going back and reading the synopsis again, I decided to pull the trigger and request a copy. I’m so glad I did!

The Villa is one of the more interesting stories I’ve read in a while! It jumps between current day and 1974, but also has snippets of stories within a story through the novels that Emily (present day) and Mari (1974) are writing while staying at The Villa. While this seemed to bother other readers, it didn’t bother me in the slightest. This has become a common style of writing and I’ve actually come to prefer it in a lot of ways.

I also really enjoyed the individual stories in both timelines as well. And who doesn’t love Italy as a backdrop?! I think even though the book gets to be a tiny bit predictable towards the very end, I still really enjoyed the unique story and the different characters.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me the opportunity to read another gem in exchange for my honest review! I’m hoping for a movie/series of The Villa one day!

Emily and Chess, best friends for 30 years, spend a summer at a beautiful Italian villa where an infamous murder happened in 1974. They go as a chance to reconnect and both work on their upcoming books. Emily is finding it hard to find inspiration so she starts digging into the murder that once happened there and she soon finds out there’s more to that mystery and more to her best friend as well.
I blew through the book! It was told from multiple POVs, different timelines and a multitude of mediums (podcasts, magazine articles, etc.). I hated Chess from the second she was introduced and knew something was off about her but that’s what kept my intrigued and rooting for Emily. With the time jumps and different mediums, it kept me engaged and wanting to know what was coming next. I liked the twists that happened at the end, but one part of the conclusion did annoy me a bit haha stupid Chess! Not my first Rachel Hawkins books but I definitely enjoyed this one more than the other one I read. I’ll definitely keep reading more from her.

The Villa is a suspenseful novel that includes murder and mayhem. The story and its characters are based on real life real life musicians, murderers, and famous horror writers. It is a fun read and one of Hawkins’ best to date. I would give 4 1/2 stars. Very good read!

I began 2022 with a book by Rachel Hawkins and find that I am ending my reading year with another offering from the same author whose works always manage to keep me hooked. Her latest novel, THE VILLA, features a dual timeline(the summer of 1974 and the present) in which the reader is taken on a voyeuristic adventure exploring friendship, inspiration, creation, morality, deception and murder as lived and observed through the eyes of the women inhabiting the luxurious villa in Italy during different summers.

All of the characters help to supply an energy that keeps the story moving and is guaranteed to keep the reader engrossed in the narrative right up to its unusual and unexpected conclusion. 4 1/2 stars

Book inside of book. Is this a cold case or is there a new murder expcetate. With Rachel Hawkins you never know.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I have read three of Rachel Hawkin's most recent releases so I was excited to get my hands on The Villa. Overall, it was an entertaining read. I wouldn't say it was the best book by her, but I still enjoyed the storyline. I liked the two different storylines being told in alternating forms. They tied together nicely towards the end of the book. I found some plot holes and the ending to be rushed and under-explained.

In the end, I would recommend most people to read this and get their own opinions, and am looking forward to future releases from Rachel Hawkins.

Emily jumps at the chance to reconnect with her best friend, Chess, at a villa in Italy. She has had a hard time lately- a surprise divorce, not being able to write the next novel in her popular series, etc and this would be a great escape. While she is there, Emily discovers that the villa has a history of its own- in 1974 it was rented out by a rock star, Noel Gordon. He brings along up-and- coming musician, Pierce, to help rekindle his creative passion. Pierce also brings along his girlfriend, Mari, and Mari's stepsister, Lara. But instead of Noel creating wonderful music that summer, a murder happens. The closer Emily discovers about what happened in 1974, the further divide there is between her and Chess.
I love Rachel Hawkins. She has become my new go to for suspense and mystery. This was as if Fleetwood Mac mixed with a murder mystery and I am all for it.

Another tight paced suspense thriller from Rachel Hawkins.

This story takes place in two different times but with one story as its center. Two friends, Emily and Chess, who were inseparable as kids have grown apart. Chess want to rekindle that friendship and asks Emily on a girls trip to Italy. Together they connect at Villa Aestas. They are both authors now and feel this little Villa is the perfect place for authors to escape. But the past or the Villa has some dark past you can’t escape from.

The Villa just like the girls has a past and dark character of its own. There was a famous murder i. The 70s and the suspense around it draws out the past of these two girls. Sort of face your demons. The characters are really like able and the buildup is exactly what I expected for reading Rachel’s other works. Sadly the ending left me feeling meh like something was missing. And it wasn’t really as dark as I was hoping, or as portrayed. But all in all, I still enjoyed the book.

Thoroughly enjoyed this story. Great juxtaposition between a murder in a house in 1974 and today's guests. Kept me guessing.

"From New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins comes a deliciously wicked Gothic suspense, set at an Italian villa with a dark history, for fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware.

As kids, Emily and Chess were inseparable. But by their 30s, their bond has been strained by the demands of their adult lives. So when Chess suggests a girls trip to Italy, Emily jumps at the chance to reconnect with her best friend.

Villa Aestas in Orvieto is a high-end holiday home now, but in 1974, it was known as Villa Rosato, and rented for the summer by a notorious rock star, Noel Gordon. In an attempt to reignite his creative spark, Noel invites up-and-coming musician, Pierce Sheldon to join him, as well as Pierce's girlfriend, Mari, and her stepsister, Lara. But he also sets in motion a chain of events that leads to Mari writing one of the greatest horror novels of all time, Lara composing a platinum album - and ends in Pierce’s brutal murder.

As Emily digs into the villa's complicated history, she begins to think there might be more to the story of that fateful summer in 1974. That perhaps Pierce’s murder wasn't just a tale of sex, drugs, and rock and roll gone wrong, but that something more sinister might have occurred - and that there might be clues hidden in the now-iconic works that Mari and Lara left behind.

Yet the closer that Emily gets to the truth, the more tension she feels developing between her and Chess. As secrets from the past come to light, equally dangerous betrayals from the present also emerge– - and it begins to look like the villa will claim another victim before the summer ends.

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."

Oh my, isn't it nice when one of THE most anticipated books of the new year is released the first week?

Emily is at a low point in her life. She has health struggles that no doctor can diagnose, and her husband left her and is now trying to claim half of the money she earns from her cozy mystery series since he was the inspiration for one of the characters. But since Emily hasn’t been able to write and is well behind her deadlines, is that really a problem?
Enter her childhood best friend, a newly famous self-help author, who invites Emily to an Italian villa for the summer. Perhaps the invite is too good to be true?
The villa was the site of a 1970s murder, and the book alternates between the current timeline with Emily and Chess and the summer of 1974. I was more invested in the present timeline, but I enjoyed how the villa was the character that joined both together. The twists kept coming, and even when I thought I’d figured it out, I was wrong! If you enjoy quick paced mysteries - and want to dream about spending a summer relaxing at an Italian villa on your friend’s dime - this is a fun read that comes out in the new year. Thank you to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Sex, drugs, rock and roll, and murder abound in "The Villa" in the 1970s. Fifty years later when modern wellness guru (think Gwyneth Paltrow on steroids) and her childhood best frenemy go to the villa on a relaxing writing retreat they uncover secrets they never could have imagined. I liked the dual timeline aspect of the story as well as the mixed media (there are podcast snippets and excepts from news stories as well). The vibe of this book is definitely more creepy than scary. with loads of clearly flawed characters thrown together in a house that doesn't forget. If you've enjoyed Rachel Hawkins books in the past, you will probably like this one as well! This one didn't particularly stand out to me but I definitely enjoyed both reading it and listening to it on audio.

Emily and Chess go way back, they have known each other for years! They have drifted apart. Chess is a we renowned ‘life coach’ writer while Emily is trying to get one more book completed for her book series while trying to navigate a divorce. Chess invites Emily on a once in a lifetime trip to hopefully bring them closer together. They end up staying at a world renowned villa in Orvieto where the past is still very present.
This Villa hold secrets that Emily soon finds out when she comes across the novel that Mari writes while in the Villa.
Emily and Chess discover things together and separate while enjoying their stay. They have secrets that no one will ever find out about.

This book was not one of my favorites. I didn’t love the back and forth between now and the 70’s I felt like the book really took off about 80% in which was too late for me.

I know many people have said it’s similar to Daisy Jones and the Six which I have not read.

Overall this one fell flat for me

Emily and Chess have been friends since they were kids. Now that they are in their 30's, they are still friends, but they aren't as close as they used to be. So when Chess suggests a girls trip to Italy, Emily jumps at the chance to reconnect with her best friend. Villa Aestas in Orvieto is a high-end holiday home now, but in 1974, it was known as Villa Rosato. The house has a sordid history, hence the name change. In 1974, it was rented for the summer by a notorious rock star, Noel Gordon. In an attempt to reignite his creative spark, Noel invites up-and-coming musician, Pierce Sheldon to join him, as well as Pierce’s girlfriend, Mari, and her stepsister, Lara. But he also sets in motion a chain of events that leads to Mari writing one of the greatest horror novels of all time, Lara composing a platinum album––and ends in Pierce’s brutal murder. Jumping back to present day:
Once there, Emily begins digging into the villa’s omplicated history. Yet the closer that Emily gets to the truth, the more tension she feels developing between her and Chess. As secrets from the past come to light, equally dangerous betrayals from the present also emerge––and it begins to look like the villa will claim another victim before the summer ends.

The story is told in alternating parts between present day, and 1974, so you are slowly getting the backstory of the house as Emily uncovers more about it. I really didn't find Chess likeable, but she had to play a bit of a villian roll in the book, so that was to be expected. I had a hard time getting a full picture in my mind of Emily - I would have loved for her character to have had a little more depth to her. Emily is going through a messy divorce, and her ex is definitely someone you will love to hate. Overall, the book was good, just not my favorite by this author.

3 1/2 stars.

This book draws you in immediately, and the writing is fantastic, definitely keeps you intrigued. For me, I'm not a big fan of two storylines within one book. So I didn't enjoy the historic bits until about halfway through the book, then it got interesting in both timelines.

I feel bad for Emily. She has a horrible husband who she basically trades in for a horrible best friend. Worst of both worlds, if you ask me.

Something about this book, about the ending, it reminded me of another book, and I can't place it, and it's been driving me crazy all day.

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins is a fun and compulsively readable mystery set in a gorgeous Italian mansion in the 1970s and 2020s. The 1970s story follows, Mari, a young English writer who is in Italy with her musician boyfriend, her stepsister, and her boyfriend's bandmates. The relationships are fluid and free, but not without complications. Their trip to Italy ends in tragedy with one of them being brutally murdered with an infamous trial following it. The 2020s story is about two best friends, Emily and Chess, both successful writers to varying degrees. They decide to spend the summer together at the infamous villa where the murder was committed in 1974, committing to a creative pursuit of their own writing projects.

I really enjoyed the parallels between the sisters and friends from each time period and the mysteries that were teased out in the past and present day. It is frustrating to see how the sisters are overlooked as creators in a house with male rock musicians. Hawkins has a way of writing that makes you want to consume it all in a short time. I listened to the audiobook, which was well-narrated by Julia Whelan, Kimberly M. Wetherell, and Shiromi Arserio. The only downside to the audiobook is that it can get a little confusing as there are excerpts, quotes, and interviews included without setup. I don't believe this would be an issue in the context of reading the physical book/ebook. Recommend if you're looking for something salacious and fast-moving!

Thank you St. Martin's Press / Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing this ebook/audiobook ARC.

I really liked that the gothic story took place in such a beautiful location rather than the typical English country side. I Also really enjoyed figuring out the mystery of what really happened at the villa and the current day MC piecing it together.