A definite miss for me. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad but I was continuously bored and unfulfilled. By the end, I wondered what the point was of it all. The plot, characters, pacing and twists gave nothing to sprout any intrigue. As if just going through the motions. Whenever anything "interesting" happened, it still was just as boring as the rest of the book.





Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing a copy for an honest review.

Verity meets Daisy Jones & The Six!

We basically get 2 stories in one with the dual timeline and POV's. First, in the present time with two friends. Em, a cozy mystery writer and Chess, a famous influencer. Second, in the 1970's with a group of musicians working together. Both of which stay at The Villa to enhance their writing and music careers.

How the stories intertwine and weave together with lies, mystery and darkness had me completely invested. Secrets, betrayals, drugs, sex and rock and roll gone wrong! The ending was a little confusing, but had you guessing which provided some great discussions with fellow readers.

This is my first book by Rachel Hawkins. I have a few others on my TBR and am anxious to get to them.

Thank you to #Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for the early E-Copy!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was good. Not great, but it definitely kept my attention throughout. I enjoyed the dual storylines and putting the stories together. Rachel Hawkins writes good mysteries.

I did not enjoy this one as much as I did Reckless Girls, but it was good nonetheless. My only complaint was the ending. I just thought it fell flat, which is why I give it three stars. Great story, half done ending. I didn't like Chess, Mari or Lara. They were awful characters, but I did like Emily. I felt that she was the most relatable one of the group. Some of the scenarios seemed a bit far fetched, but it was a fun read. Recommended, but not one that I would reread.

The Villa is full of mystery, rich people behaving badly, and some insufferable characters (Pierce... ugh!)

Emily is at a low point. Her husband left her, she has major writers block and has drifted apart from her childhood friend Chess. When Chess invites her to spend the summer in Italy at a beautiful villa she takes the opportunity to clear her slate.

This villa was actually the spot of a famous rock n roll murder scandal in the 70s that Emily gets obsessed with. There are some parallels and Emily finds a kindred spirit with Mari, one of the women there that summer.

Overall this one kept me entertained. I liked the length and locale (hello beautiful Italy). I didn't love the ending and way it wrapped up but I think it did work with the story.

I will say that I almost didn't keep reading because I don't like reading stories where young children have died but I kept reading and did okay but if you are sensitive to that subject matter this book may not be for you.

content warnings: death of a child, drug use, suicide (off page)

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to St. Martins Press for the opportunity to read this in advance in exchange for my review via netgalley!

Warning: This may be an unpopular opinion and I’m sad to say it.

This book was inspired by Fleetwood Mac and the Manson murders, so I was more than down for it. It’s written in multiple POVs and timelines which I always enjoy. I liked getting to know Mari and Emily during their own separate life journeys. Chess was an ugly reminder of self-centered girlfriends I’ve had in the past where you’re unsure of how close you two actually even are or how much you can relax in her presence. Her character was written phenomenally well.

I was INTO this book.... until 86% in.
What a turn of events.

I’m not going to spoil it, but the route this plot took at that point was so below the content I read up to that point. It was so frustrating. I almost DNF’d because of it but I had hope it was just a bad plot twist leading into a great one, but I’m glad I didn’t hold my breath.

I’ll give it three because I thought it was good until that point. Absolutely devastating 🤦🏻‍♀️

This wasn’t great but it was entertaining enough to distract me from a bad headache. The ending was sadly predictable so that was a let down. The writing flowed decently making it an easy read, good for the beach or relaxing.

The description of this book caught my attention but I have to say it was just ok. There were a few twists and suspense but I was expecting more of a thriller. I listened to the audiobook and the narration was good. Thanks to NetGalley for the privilege to read and review this book.

3.5 stars // This book bordered on being great but didn’t quite get there for me which has seemed to be the case with the others I’ve read from this author.

Main character Emily is an author of cozy mystery novels and going through a messy divorce when her longtime best friend and now incredibly famous self-help guru invites her on a trip to a villa in Italy so they can write their upcoming books and spend time together. The villa has a bloody past that sometimes mirrors the present circumstances.

Lots of questions left unanswered for me throughout the novel that could have made it MUCH more interesting. It just left enough to be desired for me in a bad way. I still liked it for the most part, though!

Loved this book!
The main characters were so real and I felt all of their emotions !
I love all of Rachel's books! The cover is beautiful And I loved the different timelines !! Definitely will recommend this book to my book club!

I've enjoyed every book I've read by this Rachel Hawkins, and The Villa was no exception. This book took a bit for me to get into (only about 30 pages), but once I did, I read the entire book in a day.

The Villa tells two simultaneous stories in different eras. The first is the story of Emily and her elusive best friend, Chess. Both are authors, one struggling and one wildly successful. Emily, the struggling author, is going through a difficult divorce when Chess invites her to spend the summer at a villa in Italy. The same villa was the site of a murder in the 70's, and the book tells that story in parallel to the first.

Emily starts to find her place again, in the world and as an author while also unraveling some less-than-desirable news, both in today's story and the story of the past.

This book kept me interested and guessing. Thank you, Rachel Hawkins, for another great book!

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins is a dual-timeline mystery thriller set in Italy. I loved this suspenseful thriller that kept me up until I finished the book.

Story Recap:
Emily and Chess have been best friends since they were kids. Now in their 30s, they have grown apart as they each have followed their own separate career paths. Chess calls Emily and suggests they spend a few weeks in a villa in Italy. Emily is at a point in her life where she needs a break and can’t resist such a generous offer.

Chess rents out Villa Aestas in Orvieto, a high-end holiday home. The Villa used to be known as Villa Rosato. In 1974, Villa Rosato was rented out by famous rock star, Noel Gorden. Noel invited up-and-coming musician, Pierce Sheldon, his girlfriend, Mari, and her stepsister, Lara to spend the summer at the villa. When the summer is over, Mari has written one of the best horror novels of the time, Lara has written a chart-topping album and Peirce is murdered.

Emily finds hints of the earlier murder in the Villa and searches for more clues. What she finds is shocking, but equally shocking events happen in the present that can change the direction of her friendship with Chess.

My Thoughts:
I just loved the setting of this book. A villa in Italy with a haunted history makes for a rich and mysterious setting for this thriller. I didn’t like any of the characters very much, but that’s expected in this type of book. I enjoyed the 1970s timeline the most as it has that sex drugs, and rock and roll theme, and there were more interesting characters. I was excited to see what would happen to these characters while staying at the opulent villa.

The modern-day timeline started a bit slow, but by the end of the book I was fully invested in these characters and loved the way they unraveled the mystery of the earlier timeline. Although, nothing is as it first appears, so hang on, the ending for both timelines is the best part of the book.

So, although the story drags a bit in the middle, the ending it totally worth it and made the slower parts worth the wait.

Recommendation:
I highly recommend The Villa to anyone who enjoys contemporary thrillers. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

✨BOOK REVIEW✨
The Villa
By Rachel Hawkins

This book annoyed me! I love the other books that this author has written, but this one was just SO frustrating.

The first half of this book dragged on, and I kept waiting for something exciting to happen, and it was just not playing out how I thought.

The characters were very difficult to like, and the timeline at times felt choppy.

Sadly this one was not for me!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

The plot of The Villa had be very intrigued but ultimately this one just fell flat for me. I think it held a lot of promise; loved the dual timelines, the setting, and that the house itself was a bit of a character in the story, but didn't love how disjointed it felt at times and the characters of the present timeline annoyed the crap out of me.

A quick read that I won't really remember much of in the coming weeks.

I had previously enjoyed other Rachel Hawkins books, but this one was a bit boring. The writing felt rushed.

THE VILLA by Rachel Hawkins

Two best friends, two writers, one murder mansion, one summer under the hot Italian sun, and a whole host of secrets and mysteries that will be uncovered slowly over the course of 288 pages, bit by bit by bit.

This book contains the POV of our main character Emily, but also flashbacks from Mary, the infamous teen author of one of literature's most famous pieces of feminist gothic horror, LILLITH RISING, which was written in the 70s following a gruesome murder that took place in one rockstar's Italian villa.

This was like Daisy Jones meets your favorite gothic mystery, and the vibes were definitely there. I preferred the current timeline POV over the flashbacks, but that's my personal taste. I didn't love the ending or the justifications for some things that happen in the end, but you be the judge!! I will give it to Miss Hawkins, things take a WILD turn.

The best book I read in 2022. This book was unlike many of the ‘typical thrillers’ out there, with such a unique story line. The book was well written, unique and really loved it! Highly recommend! Thank you for the advanced copy.

Chess and Emily are childhood friends whose relationship strained as adults. Chess is a self help guru, while Emily is a mystery writer, struggling to write her next book in her cozy series. So when Chess offers to bring Emily along to an Italian Villa in Umbria in hopes that it will kick start her book, Emily says yes. But when she get's there she finds out the Villa was once the spot of a murder of a celebrity 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 & 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.

This was my first book by this author. I found it really enjoyable. It was a nice balance of mystery without being too explicit or graphic. The central Italian region was such a fun backdrop and the villa itself seemed like such a fun trip. I loved the dual stories that unveiled perfect pieces as the story went on. I sympathized with Emily and her health struggles, while Chess was perfectly written as this kind of obnoxious self help guru with a bit more motive. I will definitely be going back to read the rest of Rachel Hawkins backlist! Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review! This book releases 1/3

The Villa was a great mix of an atmospheric suspense and problematic friendship thriller. I liked this one more than Rachel Hawkins last novel: Reckless Girls because the ending was more satisfying. It is similar though in the dysfunctional friendships between women. This one kept my interest and I liked it, didn't love it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I enjoyed Rachel Hawkins first couple of adult books, especially "The Wife Upstairs," but I felt the pacing of "The Villa" was far too slow for my enjoyment. Also, the whole alternating timeline plot device is really getting worn out with so many books, especially in the suspense/thriller genre using it so frequently.

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

My rating:
3.5/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Emily is a writer, who just went through a life change and is struggling to come up with inspiration for her next novel. When her best friend, Chess, invited her to decide to spend 6 weeks in Italy, Emily agrees and stumbles upon a story that she can finally write about.

Emily becomes obsessed with the Villa that they are staying at and it’s history, known as a Murder House. From there, she discovers what happened at this villa while trying to avoid her own personal issues going on in her life.

This story was really good and had potential, but I was definitely bored at times and very confusing. The book jumped from story to story without any warning and I had to figure out what was going on after a couple sentiences. If it wasn’t so jumbled, I think it would have had a better flow and overall would have been a better story.

I absolutely loved the end of the book and it was tied up nicely. I think there were many parallels to the story that happened in the 70’s and Emily’s life, so that was interesting to me!

Overall I would suggest reading, but because of the weird format and slow burn aspect, I couldn’t give it a 4 star rating.

Thank you netgalley and St Martin’s press for the ARC! You can read this one when it is published on January 3rd, 2023!