I wasn't sure when I downloaded The Villa that this would really be something I would enjoy because 1) I usually don't care much about musicians and 2) the write up made it seem a bit gruesome/horrow which is a genre I stay away from. However I know the author and I enjoyed Reckless Girls so I decided to give it a go. I have to say I found the story captivating from start to finish and I was never bored, It is told in a dual timeline and I just wanted to know how both storylines would end.
In the present the story revolves around Emily, a writer of cozy mysteries who, reeling from a recent separation and a mysterious illness, accepts an invitation from Chess, an old friend and herself a very successful writer of self-help books and a bit of a guru, to spend the whole summer at a villa near Orvieto in the Italian countryside. Villa Rosata, also known as Villa Aestes, has been the scene of a murder in the 70s, when a couple of musicians, Pearce Sheldon and Noel Gordon, were looking for inspiration there along with their muses, stepsisters Mari and Lara. That summer Mari goes on to write an acclaimed horror novel while Lara, whose music talent is disregarded by the men in the group, ends up composing an enduring masterpiece, Aestes (summer in latin), that becomes the Villa monicker.
As Emily's interest in what really happened at the villa during that faithful summer grows to the point of becoming the subject of her new book, that she starts to write with renewed gusto, her relationship with Chess starts to deteriorate. Did Chess really only want to help her friend out by inviting her to spend the summer or did she have another motive? And why Matt, her soon to be ex husband seems to know more than he should about her new book? But while I thought I knew where the story was going the ending really surprised me (which is also a plus).
I thought the author handled the two storylines really well and I wanted to find out how both would end. While I didn't find the murder itself all that interesting (maybe it was intentional) Mari's story gave me strong Mary Shelley writing Frankenstein vibes and it is a bit gothic and feminist. All in all a mystery that feels a bit different from all the others out there and that will quench the thirst for some Italian vacation with murder mystery a la The While Lotus.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of the book drew me in but once I started reading it, I just couldn’t get into it at all.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC. I enjoyed the characters and the story, but I just wanted it to be more in the end. It was a quick read, and I would probably recommend it to someone who hasn’t read a lot of thrillers; however, I found it mostly predictable.

I found this to be a pretty quick read. The past and present timelines kept me engaged in the story. I did sometimes get confused with the changing POVs and interludes but for the most part it worked for me.

This one has a few twists and turns that keep you guessing and I really liked the end. It's a slow burn thriller about toxic relationships and trying to carve your own path in the world. Plenty of mystery and intrigue as well as a parallel dynamic between the two timelines.

There are different timelines in this story but it is easy to follow. I loved the 70s vibe & mystery, but I preferred the present day story of 2 friends. The twist from the present story was unexpected which is my absolute favorite in any thriller!

The Villa is told from two points of view in alternating timelines: Emily, a writer who’s been a little down on her luck in the present day, and Mari, a successful horror writer who experienced a tragedy in the 70s. Of course, their stories eventually intertwine.

I felt like I was continually waiting for the story to get rolling, but it never got the momentum I was hoping for. It felt a little too similar to Home Before Dark for me. I enjoyed the book overall, but the tone was actually darker than I expected, even given the subject matter. I never got into Mari’s point of view, so those parts of the book dragged for me a bit.

The Villa is Hawkins next novel, and in my opinion one of my favorite so far. Hawkins has an amazing talent when it comes to taking a story and bringing it to life. She has this unique skill when it comes to taking a near if not all the way gothic style story and making it current.

For The Villa the gothic style of old is layered in with the present when two best friends take a summer respite in Italy. Emily and Chess have been friends for as long as the both of them can remember. Chess is a near infamous self help writer and Emily writes cozy mysteries. However, Emily is nowhere near the fame quota of Chess especially since Emily's soon to be ex-husband is demanding royalties and near taking every penny from Emily's earnings for her cozy mystery series.

After ages of not hearing or seeing Chess, a brief get together at a cafe leaves Chess inspired to offer the impossible. To Emily it would seem insane, but this is after all Chess, and Chess is known for the extreme. When Chess offers and all expense paid summer respite at an Italian Villa, Emily cannot say no. She knows that the change of scenery can inspire her writing and if anything she needs the get away.

As Emily delves deeper into the history of the Villa they will be visiting, she comes to discover that the Villa is a murder house. This is where things get interesting. When it comes to Hawkins and the murder house bit included I was all for it. Hawkins portrays the murders in a near Charles Manson style but of course it all is in her own style and twist.

Trust me this is not another take on the Manson cult. It is it is own unique story within a story within a story. Not only do the readers get the deep friendship of Emily and Chess but they also get the almost Victorian horror of 'Lilith Rising' and the 70's sex, drugs, and rock and roll of the time when the Villa was home to a murder. Houses Remember. Never forget that because dear reader the theme sticks through and through the Villa.

While the Villa weaves and twines through the 70's to introduce us to Mari, Lara, Pierce, Noel, and Johnnie a rag tag group of musicians and writers. In true 70's fashion this is where things go a la Manson with sex, drugs, and the near worship of rock stars. There is the rampant presence of envy, hatred, betrayal, and lust but most of all within this core part of the book there is passion. Still, this passion is not what it seems and a Murder is not all that it is made out to be. Houses remember but people lie. People tell tales that put them in the better light. Mari's experiences at the Villa leave her obsessively passionate in her creation of 'Lilith Rising.' The Villa seems to speak to those that are within its walls and the inspiration of the Villa travels in time later to Chess and Emily.

In true Hawkins fashion there seems to be the question of what is the friendship between females. Hawkins seems to acknowledge between Chess and Emily that a friendship through so many years can grow within love and within hate. Secrets come to light in the walls of the Villa and some left me questioning the honesty of who was telling the true story. Much like Mari's revelation of the 'truth' behind the murder in the summer of 1974 , the Villa left me questioning the honest nature of Chess. In the end it seems that Emily begins that she and Chess share a bond that is everlasting and will never end... no matter how much Emily may not wish that to be the case...

The Villa is most certainly a recommended read for next year. Hawkin's writings always are those I look forward to as her take on ideas and stories of the past are so unique and fascinating. She is one I will always recommend to others and the Villa did not disappoint. Until next time, Happy Reading as we venture closer to the new year!

It was fine. Not great but not terrible. I wish it were better, there was definitely potential but I was bored. Also where was the plot twist? Not even a little unpredictable. I wasn’t very interested in the 70s timeline, wish the characters were a little more interesting.

Hmm. This is a tricky review to write because on the one hand I was really interested in the story and wanted to know what was going to happen; while on the other, I did not like a single character and felt no attachment to either story line (past or present). It felt like the Victoria storyline within Lileth Rising was kind of unnecessary as well. There were other facets that also did not work for me such as the friendship between Chess and Em, and I really disliked Matt being so toxic that he was poisoning her (insert eyeroll here). I would have been more on board with him *actually* poisoning her, honestly. The ending was also really dissatisfying both in the present and the past and left the reader with next to no closure. It held my attention, but overall I felt like there was a big build to very little payout.

I do enjoy a Hawkins thriller, she tends to hit the right mix of domestic thriller and suspense that I like to read

I thought this was interesting and enjoyed reading it. There were a few twists that I saw coming, but then there were additional twists at the end that mixed things up. If you are halfway through or even 80% and you think you know what's going on, just keep going. There might still be something surprising for you.

I have read a few books by Rachel Hawkins now and her writing is pretty consistent. I really like the way her stories play out in different directions. She seems to write a lot of unlikable characters that have just a hint of a reason to care.

I enjoyed the little additions in this book, such as blog transcripts and book passages. However, these did not translate well in audio form. I found that I had to pull up the ebook a couple of times to understand what was going on. In physical format they made sense and it was much more clear.

The audio was narrated by Julia Whelan, Kimberly M. Wetherell, and Shiromi Arserio. They did a wonderful job, but the format of the book didn't lend itself well to audio at times. I would recommend getting the physical copy of this one over the audio.

I tend to enjoy Rachel’s books, and was excited to dive into this new book! Thank you St Martin’s Press, Net Galley, & Rachel Hawkins.

Breaking my review down into a few areas.

The past - 5 young adults enter the Villa, but none really ever leave (literally and metaphorically). Lara & Mari, step sisters, have ventured off to Italy with Pierce, Noel, and Johnnie. The story that develops is pretty interesting, filled with twists and turns, and just when you THINK you have it figured out, it'll take you in a whole other direction. We’ve heard throughout the book that this Villa was infamous due to the murder of Pierce - but it was a matter of who. Although four people left that Villa physically, all of them left part of themselves there. This part of the book was the most interesting to me, but didn't necessarly love or empathize with any characters.


The present - holy moly I could not stand Chess. Chess and Emily - forever best friends who both ended up writers but live two completely different lives have embarked on this journey to the Villa was made famous back in the 70s. Chess honestly made a lot of these parts unreadable, and I know that was the point, but I didn’t blame Emily for being driven nuts by her.

The situation with Matt was also something that could’ve been explored more - or just left out. Watching Emily put the pieces together of what really happened was interesting, but Chess’ selfish ways made these parts of the book harder to get through.


Overall I give it a 3.5-4 stars. From the past and present, the characters were mostly fueled by jealousy, and this made it a bit of a tougher read since I didn't particularly like any of the main characters. I’d dedicate more space to the 1974 murder/Villa instead of present day. Thanks to Net Galley for the opportunity to read this!


<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60784641-the-villa" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="The Villa" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1651426717l/60784641._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60784641-the-villa">The Villa</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2261547.Rachel_Hawkins">Rachel Hawkins</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4873473411">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I tend to enjoy Rachel’s books, and was excited to dive into this new book! Thank you St Martin’s Press, Net Galley, & Rachel Hawkins. <br /><br />Breaking my review down into a few areas. <br /><br />The past - 5 young adults enter the Villa, but none really ever leave (literally and metaphorically). Lara & Mari, step sisters, have ventured off to Italy with Pierce, Noel, and Johnnie. The story that develops is pretty interesting, filled with twists and turns, and just when you THINK you have it figured out, it'll take you in a whole other direction. We’ve heard throughout the book that this Villa was infamous due to the murder of Pierce - but it was a matter of who. Although four people left that Villa physically, all of them left part of themselves there. This part of the book was the most interesting to me, but didn't necessarly love or empathize with any characters. <br /><br /><br />The present - holy moly I could not stand Chess. Chess and Emily - forever best friends who both ended up writers but live two completely different lives have embarked on this journey to the Villa was made famous back in the 70s. Chess honestly made a lot of these parts unreadable, and I know that was the point, but I didn’t blame Emily for being driven nuts by her. <br /><br />The situation with Matt was also something that could’ve been explored more - or just left out. Watching Emily put the pieces together of what really happened was interesting, but Chess’ selfish ways made these parts of the book harder to get through. <br /><br /><br />Overall I give it a 3.5-4 stars. From the past and present, the characters were mostly fueled by jealousy, and this made it a bit of a tougher read since I didn't particularly like any of the main characters. I’d dedicate more space to the 1974 murder/Villa instead of present day. Thanks to Net Galley for the opportunity to read this!

This is perfect for beach or vacation reading. It's fast-paced, plot-driven, escapist fiction.
Things I liked about it:
The setting
The dual timeline
The "meta" ness of an author writing a book about an author writing a book
They mystery element

Things I didn't care for:
Toxic relationships
Salaciousness
Not a likable character in the bunch

The other nit I might pick - the book starts out with "houses remember" and repeats that a couple of times, but the house didn't have as much "character" as it teased that it would.

I have mixed feelings.
I loved being instantly grabbed
The muliple timelines
Povs
Twist

However it definitely dragged at points and my gripped attention faded and then went up and down.

This month the #literarylovelies participated in #GalleyMatch! We were matched with @ladyhawkins novel, the Villa. I was beyond excited because this is of the best covers ever. I absolutely love the teal color and the lemons.

Emily is going through a divorce from husband, when her childhood best friend reaches out to her with an opportunity to go to Italy for the summer. Emily and Chess haven’t been close recently, but this is a chance to bond again. The Villa they are staying in is known as Villa Aestas, but back in the 70s it was Villa Rosato and it was where a famous book and a famous album were written here. There was also a brutal murder. Emily is a cozy mystery writer who is inspired by the history of the Villa and begins to research what happened. Chess in a motivational influencer (like Rachel Hollis) who is also a self help writer.

The story flips back and forth from the present time with Emily and Chess to the 70s with Mari and Lara, who are on a trip with a famous rock star and some of his entourage. This part of the book has a sex, drugs, and rock and roll vibe. I loved both parts of the dual timeline, but I especially loved Chess. She was over the top and just a great character.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. It was a very easy book to read and I enjoyed the epistolary chapters as well. Thank you so much to @thebookclubcookbook and @stmartinspress for the advanced reader copy. The Villa is on sale January 3, 2023!

A truly juicy, didn't want to put it down kind of read. Dual timelines with mystery, intrigue, and a sense of who-is-trustworthy, The Villa kept me awake and reading much later than I should have been awake, making it a quick read. I wouldn't be sad to see a sequel....

This book is told from two different times - current and 1974. In 1974 5 people stayed at the Villa and one of them is killed. Chess and Emily have decided to spend their summer at the villa - they are both writers and think this is a great place to continue working on their next book. Once there, Emily becomes interested in the past history of events and starts doing some digging, putting things together.

I really enjoyed reading about both storylines and how they intersect. It was a page turner for sure, but the characters were not enjoyable. It isn't that they weren't well written, and there are people like them in the world for sure. But there was no empathy/sympathy to be found from me.

was this the best thriller? no
was it super entertaining? yes
I love a book within a book and this was the perfect escape read. If you can set aside disbelief about a lot of it and just run with the plot, I think most people will find this an enjoyable binge read.

I couldn't put this down once I finally started reading it! I enjoy this author and this book did not disappoint!

The house remembers what an opening line!
Going through a difficult divorce Emily reconnects with her childhood best friend Chess, they are now in their thirties, both of them writers, needing a change they decide to spend the summer at a villa in Italy. Under the gorgeous Italian sun the Villa Aestas is where Emily and Chess will be staying. The Villa wasn’t always known by that name. In 1974 the Villa had a name and it was for one simple reason murder.
In 1974 a handsome musician Pierce Sheldon with his girlfriend, Mari, and her stepsister, Lara, are invited by the rock star, Noel Gordon, to spend time at the Villa. Noel
Is hoping to create music with Pierce. This summer is filled with drama and backstabbing and ends with Pierce Sheldon’s bloody murder. Pierces girlfriend Mari after leaving the Villa and his murder behind writes one of the greatest horror books of all time and her stepsister Lara composes the “ Aestas” album and the album turns gold.
Dealing with writers block Emily looks for inspiration and begins to research the mystery that surrounds Pierce’s murder.
The Villa offers clues as to what really happened that summer and soon it begins to show that there’s secrets and tensions between Emily and Chess. Emily begins to wonder maybe being invited by Chess wasn’t genuine. Cracks begins to show tempers flare and we see parallels between modern day Emily and Chess that eerily resemble that of Mari and Lara. Will the dark history continue is there a curse that surrounds The Villa?