I really enjoyed this dark exploration of friendship. A fabulous setting of a gorgeous Italian Villa & 2 timelines, alternating between the present & 50 years prior, make for a compelling read. I loved how the past & present plots echoed each other & I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to see what would happen next.

This was an unputdownable thriller for me. Past and present timelines, sex drugs & rock and roll, Fleetwood Mac vibes, Manson murder inspo, and a gothic Italian setting made this an enticing story that hooked me from the start.

We have Emily and Chess. They are both writers, and to cheer Emily up due to her impending divorce Chess whisks her away to an Italian Villa. The intent is to drink, have fun in the sun, reconnect since their friendship has been on the rocks, and to also get some writing done for their books. However, the Villa has a dark history.

What’s the dark history? Well, that’s the past timeline told via diary entries. There’s Mari, Lara, Pierce, Noel, and Johnny. Mari and Lara are step sisters, Pierce is Lara’s boyfriend, Noel is an international rock star, and Johnny is Noel’s friend. They stay together as a group at the Villa in 1974, but their time there ends with a brutal murder.

Chess and Emily have their secrets and conflict, and so does the group from 1974. This book was gripping from the very first page with gorgeous scenery, while also having a sinister undertone. The characters were largely unlikeable, but that didn’t ruin the story for me. This was a fast paced story that I couldn’t get enough of.

I can’t rate this 5 stars simply because the ending took a huge turn and I am not sure if I loved the twist. I felt like there was a lot of ambiguity with Emily’s story, and I feel like I was left with too many questions, and too many of the “answers” felt flimsy.

Aside from those complaints, one of the narrators for the audiobook is the fabulous Julia Whelan. You can never go wrong when she narrates a book!

🗓️ This book is being published in January 3, 2023 so mark your calendars because this is going to be another thriller best seller that you’re going to want to get your hands on!

Thank you so much NetGalley, Rachel Hawkins, and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced reader copy, and advanced listener copy for this book.

I found this book to be pretty slow paced; while I had enough interest in it enough to keep reading, it didn’t keep my attention enough to devour it the way I often do with similarly themed books. While I don’t mind a slow burn when done well, I didn’t find the payoff to be completely worth it in this case.

I did enjoy the dual POV, and found myself equally interested in both stories. I liked the structure of having both the 1974 and present narrations in every chapter and enjoyed the parallels between the two stories as they played out. The author also included fictional media excerpts in many of the chapters to provide additional context into the events that occurred in the villa in 1974, which I thought helped tie the story together even more.

The reveal of many events towards the end of the novel (in both the past and present) were fairly predictable, and there wasn’t anything that surprised me until the very end.

Overall, I liked the structure of the novel and generally enjoyed the two stories (and how they intertwined), but expected and was hoping that the novel would grab my attention more than it did.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read, enjoy, and review an ARC copy of The Villa by Rachel Hawkins! This review and opinions expressed here are solely my own. First, I have to say I love the mystery/thrillers Rachel Hawkins writes! They haven't disappointed yet😊
The Villa takes place in the Italian hills of Orvieto, where Villa Aestas is located. The story is a dual timeline. There's Mari, Lara, Noel, Pierce, and Johnni who stay at the Villa Summer of 1974. But something very bad goes down. The facts and supposed truth that comes out during the trial of Pierce's murder are believed. Fast forward to present day where best friends Em and Chess visit the same Villa. Em gets caught up in discovering the truth of what happened that day in the Summer of '74. Both girls are authors and so was Mari who stayed there 50 years earlier in 1974. Em researches Mari and her hit novel she had written while visiting in summer of '74. As she does, Em starts to realize that novel wasn't all fiction. Tension is rising between Em and Chess. Em is recovering from illness, a divorce, and a struggling writing career. Chess is doing a bit better, but wanting something new.
As the story progresses, truths are revealed in both timelines- what actually happened during Pierce's death and secrets between Em and Chess. At first, I thought I had it figured out, but nope! There were some surprises!!! The first half of the novel was quite slow with a lot of background information for both timelines. But the second half of the novel flew by!!! I couldn't put it down! I had to find out what secrets Villa Aestas needed to reveal!!! The book will be published January 3, 2023.

This is my third Rachel Hawkins book, and, just like the others, it held my attention in true thriller fashion. The setting and the history behind the villa was captivating, and the story kept me guessing, but ultimately I found both main characters to be pretty unlikable. Chess's affair with Emily's husband was predictable, but I still hoped I didn't guess correctly. It was an entertaining read but not one that really made a big impression on me.

3.5 ⭐️ rounded down to 3

Thank you @netgalley & @stmartinspress for early access to this book. It publishes on January 3rd!

I have read a couple of books by this author, and I really enjoyed them. This one was good too, but didn’t quite capture me like the others. But I absolutely love this cover (I’m a lemon freak - both as food and decor 😜)

I did love the Italian setting and the dual timelines (present day and the 70s). Both timelines were easy to get into, but it seemed like not much happened in either until the end of the book. Then, they both kind of ramped up too quickly at the end and it became a bit convoluted. I especially wish the last chapter would’ve been completely omitted. It reminded me of a certain other popular thriller’s ending but not as effective. The book would’ve ended better without it, IMO.

This one was just okay for me. Not bad but not the best. However, I’ll still be picking up other books by this author because you can’t win em all, right? 🤪

THE VILLA by Rachel Hawkins is a thriller about two best friend authors with a bit of a rivalry. One friend has made it big while the other is struggling to write, has just divorced and is generally not feeling great about her position in life. The two go to Italy and rent a villa for the summer where they intend to write and forget about the rest of the world. Soon both become obsessed with the haunted past of the villa and things start to get dire from there.

I liked the concept of this book, absolutely love this gorgeous cover and thought the book had a good pace. It did keep me wanting to know more but I have a big complaint about this book and I find this is true of too many thrillers, but I did not find the relationship between the two characters to be all that plausible or relatable.

I get it that as we get older we grow apart from old friends and our values or life goals can change, etc. But there was tension between these two characters from the beginning and the idea that they would want to spend a whole summer in Italy together when they did not really trust (or barely even like) each other seems far fetched for me. I love to travel but I choose my travel partners wisely and certainly would not want to be alone in a foreign country with someone who I wasn't sure what the score was between us.

The lack of trust is a theme throughout and I also think that there are too many portrayals of adult female friendships like this that just perpetuate this idea that women always have to compete with each other. Maybe it is just me but is anyone else tired of this?

Anyway, this was my first Rachel Hawkins book and while I thought the writer did a good job of creating an intriguing story and atmosphere I just could not get into these characters and their surface level relationship.

Have you read any Rachel Hawkins? If so, which is your favorite?

Thank you to the author, @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for the audio ARC. This title is out in January 2023.

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins is a mystery, a story of friendship, a tragedy and incredibly captivating! It twists and turns and then twists back again. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. 4-1/2 stars

I was given an ARC by NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for my honest opinion, thank you.

Another epic read by Rachel Hawkins.

I was immediately drawn into this story. I read this book in two sittings - it was very hard to put down! The information was layered into the story in such an interesting and engaging way, that I was just kept turning the pages wanting to know more.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book demands to be read on a beach or someplace cozy with a fun beverage. It’s that kind of cuddle-up-read-in-one-setting book. Love the inspo of Fleetwood Mac/Manson/Shelley writing Frankenstein. As far as the plot - it drags at times and a little Scooby-Doo but does the trick to entertain and get away from reality. Know what I mean? Thanks to St Martin’s Press. I’m grateful for the advanced copy.

I really enjoyed this one. Rachel Hawkins is a definite read for me now, as this is my third book by her, and I was really impressed with the crafty storyline on this one. I also love stories within stories. It reminded me of Daisy Jones & the Six, only much darker in theme... Which made me compulsive in reading it - I didn't want to stop!

The Villa is an interesting book with a not so mysterious mystery. I admit, I expected a story revolving around a haunted Villa in Italy with a tragic and horrific past. Well part of that is what I got but this is not a traditional haunted house story.
I enjoyed it, the parts from the 70s more than the current relationship between the 2 life-long friends. My only complaint, and that is more personal than any fault of Ms. Hawkins, is that the story started slowly and continued at that slow, onion peeling pace. I would have prefered more to happen in the time it took to read this.
But none the less, I do recommend this.

Thanks NetGalley for this book!

If you go into this book expecting a breathtaking thriller with turns and twists you will be disappointed, so set your expectations accordingly. In my opinion this is not a thriller, it has thrilling elements but it’s more like a literary fiction. It has a rather slow setting and it sets the scene at the beginning. It explores the situation, their relationship and the past.
Once I realized this i set my expectations accordingly and then I enjoy it a lot more though I don’t normally like the contemporary fiction. I was expecting a thriller twist but there wasn’t really any. For what it was it was quite good actually.
If these conditions are okay for you and you like this author once it’s out you should check it out!

This was definitely not my favorite Rachel Hawkins book - I really liked her first book "The Wife Upstairs' and was expecting the same from this one. There were definitely elements I liked (the setting, the rock and roll background ,etc), but I felt like the main characters backstory was not built up enough. There was a good amount of story but not with enough depth to make me feel related or close to the two main characters.

*3.5 stars*

The Villa is written with a dual timeline but it also has newspaper articles, song lyrics and book excepts scattered between the two timelines. This didn't work as well for me at first because I would start to get attached to the characters in one story line and then we would switch to something else. I did gradually get used to the format, and sometimes it did add to story, but I think there were just one too many of these inserts.

The past timeline worked better for me than the present. The atmosphere was mysterious and eerie, whereas the present timeline felt a little bland at times and focused a lot on friendship dynamics and the main protagonist's insecurities.

The ending did not go at all how I thought it would, either in the present or past chapters. There seemed to be a darkness to the book that kept building and building throughout the story, but then it just dropped off and the endings seemed anti-climactic.

All in all, I did enjoy the middle part of this novel, and found myself engrossed in the story. It's just unfortunate that the ending took a tonal shift that was a bit jarring and that the structure of the novel made it slower to get into the story at the beginning.

*Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital arc. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars

Childhood best friends, Chess and Em are staying in an Italian Villa that while beautiful, was the scene of a brutal murder in 1974. This trip was meant to be a writing retreat and bonding time but the past keeps weaving it’s way into their summer.

First off, the cover is absolutely gorgeous then add in the opening line “Houses remember” and I was drawn right in. While the beginning was a slower burn, the setting and story was so beautifully atmospheric I was intrigued and read on. I was also enjoying the format of how there were pieces of articles, podcasts, the characters’ songs/book added in between chapters.

The middle of the book really picked up for me as we alternated between past and present, I couldn’t stop flipping the pages. I was eager to see how they would end up colliding together. Unfortunately the ending felt rushed and left something to be desired.

Part of that might be my fault though. I came into this expecting a thriller or mystery but those are the aspects of the story that fell short. The overall story was solid and interesting, it hit on some intriguing concepts. However my enjoyment of that got a little lost when there wasn’t a better thrilling punch at the end.

Best friends, Emily and Chess, are in Italy for the summer to work. Both writers, Em with cozy mystery and Chess with self-help and empowerment, this is the perfect opportunity for them to work on their books. The house they’re renting has a history. In the 70s, rocker Noel invites Pierce, his girlfriend Mari, and her stepsister Lara, to spend some time at the villa with him. When someone gets murdered, it tops the headlines, marking the villa as a murder house. Something Emily gets very invested in. Told in alternating timelines, this book packs two stories into one.

They’ve labeled The Villa as a thriller, but if you go into reading this thinking of it as literary or contemporary fiction, you won’t feel like you blinked and missed the thriller aspect. When a book is a thriller, I get the edge of my seat feeling, furiously flipping pages to get through the action, and that didn’t happen with this. That’s not to say this isn’t an enjoyable read because I liked it; it just isn’t a thriller.

The villa everyone stays in takes a backburner to the storyline, and I would have liked to feel ambiance with the setting. Make it creepy, foreboding, or gothic, as the blurb promises. Have it do anything with the storyline other than being an idyllic house that people have rented. The title is because of this house, so the house needs a presence.

I liked the alternating timelines, and that there were articles and excerpts to help further the storyline. If you can get over the promise of a thriller, then you can really enjoy the book. I think readers will like this one.

4.5 stars

Best friends Emily and Chess, whose relationship has slightly strained, decide to spend a summer at a villa in Orvieto, Italy where they can reconnect and both work on their respective books. They learn the house they're staying in was the of an infamous murder in the 1970s, but the women who survived went on to create a brilliant book and album.
*
I loved so much about this. It's definitely a slow burn, but I didn't care because I felt completely immersed from the beginning, even though I had no idea where the present-day plot was going or what the conflict was supposed to be. I really liked how it alternated between present day and the occurrences of the 1970s, and also interspersed quotes from the book, the album, and articles/podcasts about the murder.
*I didn't quite get to 5 stars because the climax de-escalated really quickly, and there seemed to be a bit of filler at the end. I did like the ending though, it left a wonderfully creepy vibe.
*But...did I miss something? Where were the final pages hidden??
*
Overall, I still liked Reckless Girls better, but this was really good and I would very much recommend!

Rachel Hawkins has done it again! I am a huuuuge fan of Rachel Hawkins and was so excited to get my hands on a copy of The Villa and IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT!

Childhood best friends Emily and Chess embark on a girls trip to a villa in Orvieto, Italy to spend the summer writing. Chess, a self-help guru, is there to write her newest best selling book, while Emily is trying to pick up the pieces after a divorce and health scare. Plagued by writer's block, Emily picks up a novel written by one of the villa's former occupants, Mari, and dives deep into what happened the summer Mari stayed in Orvieto.

This was a book I absolutely could not put down. Told from the alternating perspectives and timelines of Emily and Mari -- this book truly gave off Fleetwood Mac meets murder mystery vibes. Truly my favorite book of 2022!!

Thanks NetGalley and the Publishers for this advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is my third book by this author, and they all suffer from he same issue. The author is a great writer, I really enjoy the writing, the characterization, the inspiration from the stories she uses. I really enjoyed this story (and all of her others) until the ending. I'm not sure what goes wrong, but it feels a little anticlimactic. I think it's the extra twists that throw me for a loop, Overall I enjoy the reading experience even if I feel a little let down by the ending. I'll still read her next book.