This book is definitely the best thing I've read by Rachel Hawkins! Truly, her books just keep getting better and better!
Emily and Chess have been best friends since they were children. Both writers, Chess has gone the self-help route and Emily the cozy mystery route, they have since grown apart. Chess suggests a girls trip to Italy, to stay at the infamous Villa Aestas. Emily jumps at the chance to get away and reconnect with her writing and her bestie.
In 1974, Villa Aestas was known as Villa Rosato and housed a rock star and his guests, another struggling musician, his writer girlfriend, her step-sister and his drug dealer. That summer ended in a horrific murder, but for Mari and Lara, huge success in a horror novel and a platinum-selling album.
Instead of focusing on her cozies, Emily starts digging into the Villa's jaded past and begins to believe there may be more to the story than was told in 1974.
You will absolutely devour this novel!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-arc.*

Houses remember … 🏚️ 👀!!! “The Villa” by Rachel Hawkins is atmospheric, gives off major gothic vibes & is a dark and twisty dual timeline that will take you by surprise!

BOOK REVIEW: 🖤🖤🖤🖤/5

Childhood friends Emily and Chess who have drifted apart over the years, will be spending the summer together in Italy at a villa where they can both work on their newest book releases. The Villa will act as a writing retreat and a chance for the friends to catch up with each other and rekindle their relationship. It will be a healthy change of scenery for them … or so they think 👀

Villa Aestas (formerly known as Villa Rosato) has a D A R K history - in the 1970s a famous rock star brought his friends to the villa to hang out and make music. This getaway ended in MURDER. The surviving women (sisters Mari and Lara) went on to become a famous horror author and a record breaking solo artist. They are bound together forever by what happened the night of the murder. Are the secrets of the Villa hiding in Mari’s book pages or Lara’s song lyrics?

This story is told in dual timelines and jumps back and forth from the past to the present. The Villa is full of secrets from the night a musician was murdered 50 years prior. Emily and Chess have a rocky friendship to begin with and must learn to trust one another. But as the past becomes tangled up into the present, the idea of a retreat becomes much more SINISTER ⛈️

Thank you kindly to St Martin’s Press, Net Galley and Rachel Hawkins for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! You can get yourself a copy of this book on January 3, 2023!!!

Established cozy mystery author, Emily (Em) Sheridan has hit the proverbial writing wall. In the throes of a nasty divorce, Em has lost all focus on her latest manuscript and is again facing a missed deadline.

Unlike Em’s best friend and self help author, Chess Chandler, Em is struggling for a spot in the same limelight as Chess. If only Em could regain her confidence and concentration. And if only Em’s cozy characters were unlike her soon to be ex-husband.

As if on cue, her best friend Chess makes contact with Em on the premise of reconnecting. A welcome surprise for Em and a much needed distraction. Even more so, it’s an invitation for Em to join Chess for a summer stay at a villa in Italy — all expenses paid with the exception of Em’s airfare. It’s just the right remedy for Em. But is it really? The villa now known as Villa Aestas had a sinister past and was home to a gruesome murder. The Murder House they called it…

The Villa is the second novel that I’ve read from author Hawkins and I thought it was better than her previous work, Reckless Girls.

There are just a handful of characters. Each character had distinguishing features and personalities. I liked the main characters of Mari and Em because of their steadfastness. Though at times I felt that their determination was a little misguided. I had a love-hate relationship with Em’s best friend, Chess. Chess came across as a woman with alterior motives, but yet she also had some sage advice. The men in this novel were just plain cads and thought of themselves as god’s gift to women. Puleese!

The story unfolds between two timelines — past (hippie era) and present. For the most part, the transitions were clear due to the chapter headings. Occasionally, however, there were a few spots that I had to read into the chapter to determine the time period.

The plot is complex due to the different timelines. But everything converges neatly toward the end for a surprising finale. Four awesome stars.

I received a digital ARC from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

Emily is having a bit of a rough patch. Her doctors can't figure out what is wrong with her, her current book in the Petal Bloom cozy mystery series is way overdue, and her husband has left her and is now demanding a portion of her book money in the divorce settlement. Then her best friend Chess (formerly Jessica) swoops in and invites her to Italy to stay in the famous Villa Aestas, where a famous murder happened in the 70s. She agrees and soon finds herself inspired in a way she's never felt before, but can't shake off suspicions about the people closest to her in her life....

This book was SO MUCH FUN! It did start out feeling a lot like the Graves Hollows books (because our main character, Emily, is a cozy mystery author), but it quickly shakes off the cozy mystery sweater and sinks down deep into the mystery/thriller wrap. It grabs you and sucks you in because who wouldn't want an all expenses paid trip to ITALY paid for by your wildly successful best friend? Especially since you're just on the other side of a health crises and in the middle of a nasty divorce? Who cares if your best friend is acting just a little bit (ha!) shady like...all the time?

If you liked Verity by Colleen Hoover, especially that twist at the end of Manuscript vs Letter, you are absolutely going to ADORE The Villa.

This was a middle of the road read for me.
I liked the setting of a picturesque Italian villa. I also enjoyed the alternating timelines. However, the overall plot was quite slow and I found myself skimming much the chapters. Finally, the ending was predictable and did not wow me.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for opportunity to read and review this arc.

Ok I freaking loved this book SO much!!! Even though I have books on my shelf by this author, this was my first to read by her and now I’m hooked!!!
I was obsessed with the story within a story. We have Emily’s story being told as well as Mari’s - who stayed at the Villa many years prior. I loved the character development - the rollercoaster friendship between Emily and Chess was done so well and I loved how it almost mirrored the relationship between Mari and Laura. Ok and the ENDING!!! Ahhhh I couldn’t stop thinking about it for so long! So so so good.

3 star

The Villa is a very slow-burn thriller. It's much more tell/discover rather than action-packed drama. I don't mind this type of style, and found Rachel's writing to be very engaging, but the overall story just fell a little flat. The setting in Orvieto was exciting, but the dual-timeline was a little choppy and it took me a minute to get into it and understand who I was hearing from and when (this could've also been the arc formatting and would likely be solved in a hard copy). There were a few different ways we digested the story - Emily's present day POV, Mari's 3rd person perspective in 1974, and the excerpts from Lilith Rising as Mari wrote it. There were also a few emails and press snippets throughout, but I didn't mind all the different types of writing.

My main problems with the book were that every single character was so incredibly unlikeable. I didn't really feel that anyone redeemed themselves or even started off good (except maybe Emily was a little likeable in the beginning) which made it so I didn't really care what the hell happened to any of them. Chess was horrible and one of my least favorite characters I've read about. Because the story was somewhat ambiguous in the build-up, I expected some big grand reveal or intense twist but then felt underwhelmed when we eventually got to that. Overall the book was okay and I liked reading it, but I don't think it'll stick with me much beyond the immediate future.

Childhood best friends Emily and Chess take a much-needed trip to reconnect in a Villa in Italy. What they hadn’t expected was the murder that occurred in the same villa decades before.

Flashback to the 1970’s when a rockstar, his girlfriend and their friends take ‘sex, drugs and rock n’ roll’ to a sinister level leaving one of them murdered.

Unfortunately, this was a very slow burn and I was left underwhelmed. This reads more like a mystery than a thriller, which would have been fine if the pacing and plot were more entertaining.

What I Liked:
-Atmospheric setting in Italy
-Story within a story
-Dual timelines and perspectives
-True crime Podcast element + articles
-Audiobook cast of narrators (including the Queen, Julia Whelan)

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book!

Those fascinated by classic, gothic literature and the women who wrote it will love this twisted tale inspired by Mary Shelley, Fleetwood Mac, and gothic literature and art whose messages carry more than meets the eye.

The setting is a lovely and idyllic foil for the secrets abounding in this lighter-but-still-intriguing suspense story from a wonderful writer!

“She’s inevitable.”

Rachel Hawkins did it again 👏 I’ve been a huge fan since The Wife Upstairs and I think, thriller wise, The Villa became my new fave. It, just like Hawkins, if pure BRILLIANCE.

It really won’t be a surprise why I loved this so much - with it’s focus on Mari, a woman who took the horror world by storm with Lilith Rising, à la Mary Shelley, all the tie ins to Shelley’s own story, and the focus on women and the art they create.

The book was incredibly atmospheric and made me wish I was in Italy, enjoying limoncello and soaking in the inspiration Villa Aestas. I loved both timelines so much and watching how one influenced the other - from Mari going through her normal motions of what would become an infamous summer, to Emily becoming obsessed with Lilith Rising and uncovering what really happened that summer. There’s also another layer of similarity as each woman navigates a complicated relationship with the closest woman in their life.


I loved how everything tied up. It was equal parts satisfying and nefarious. The moment I finished, I wished I could read it again. For me, this book is the epitome of “no thoughts, just vibes”. If you love feminist thrillers, horror, complicated characters and relationships, you NEED this in your life.

If you need me, I’ll be figuring out how I can fit in a read of Frankenstein in soon 🤞

First off, thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this before it hits shelves early next year (01/03/2023). I'll admit that The Wife Upstairs has been on my TBR for ages and I have yet to read it. When this one popped up though, I immediately requested the ARC. Look at the gorgeous cover!

My rating: 3.5/5 ⭐

Two women, both authors, have been best friends forever but aren't quite as close as they once were. One is a complete success and the other is having a rough time (divorce, health problems, etc.). In an attempt to rekindle their relationship and work on their respective projects, they take a summer trip to Italy. Where do they stay? Only a villa where, in the 1970s, a murder involving a group of famous artist-types took place.

This book explores the relationship of Emily and Chess in the present and dives into the mystery of the past. Renowned author Mari and her stepsister, famous singer-songwriter Lara, leave behind clues in their published works as to what went on in that fateful summer of 1974. In researching the history of the Villa, connections are made and secrets are uncovered.

The story was comprised of two different timelines, interspersed with some fictional news articles, literature, song lyrics, podcasts, etc. The configuration was a little "choppy" and all-over-the-place, making it hard to follow and instead of getting "lost in the story" I found myself just...getting a bit lost.

Emily has been through the ringer. She has been chronically ill, her husband cheated on her and wants a divorce and is trying to claim her book royalties. When she reconnects with her old friend Chess and she suggests a girls trip to Italy for six weeks at a Villa, she jumps at the chance.
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The Villa is most famous for the murder that occurred there in 1974. Told in dual timelines all of the pieces start falling into place and she seriously nailed this ending.
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Thank you @stmartinspress and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
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Get this on your radar for January 3rd!

3.5 stars. I received an ARC of this from NetGalley in exchange for a review. The cover is gorgeous & I loved the idea of 2 childhood besties spending a summer in an Italian villa. I was expecting more thriller from this, and I felt like the timeline from the 70s was particularly confusing. Overall, the character dynamics were interesting enough to keep me entertained. It just wasn’t the book I expected.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the electronic advanced copy.

The Villa is a suspense/mystery set in a killer (ha) location. It's not a high stakes heart pounding thriller. I sometimes fill with these genres you need to know what you're getting into because expecting a page-turning murder-fest will leave you disappointed. However, the Italian villa setting is great. There are a couple of side mysteries that keep you guessing and the book is definitely not what it seems. You get multiple time periods and points of view. An exploration of friendship, feminism and family.

Rachel Hawkins is an auto buy author for me and was so excited to be approved for The Villa. Unfortunately it was just ok. I really liked the plot, but the execution fell short. I did really enjoy the dual timelines and the musical artist element. I just did not enjoy the ending. It's still a super fast paced read, and would recommend people to read it themselves.

Chess and Emily have been friends forever. Chess is a successful self-help writer and Emily is a cozy mystery writer who is coming off a bad marriage. Chess proposes that they spent six weeks in Italy and Emily accepts. They travel to a villa where a musician was murdered in the 1970s. The story is told from dual timelines—Emily and Chess in present day and Mari, the murdered musician’s girlfriend, who writes about that fateful summer. I have read Rachel Hawkins before but this was my favorite. Though there are some brutal scenes and R rated language, all of it seems appropriate and necessary to the narrative. I thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

The Villa is a slow burning thriller story dealing with two time periods that end up meshing together. In 1974 three rock singers two writers and a 5th wheel come to Villa Aestas which a homicide takes place. Two best friends Emily and Chess who have known each other since being kids. They meet up at the Villa for Emily just recovering from illness and a divorce they meet to get their writing juices flowing again. This story alternates between timelines, Mari in the past and Emily in the present day.

I thought the creepiness of the house would of played more of a role in the story otherwise to me it just a villa a missed opportunity here for the house being part of the story more. It would have added to the story and I believe would have made the story better. Why talk about the Villa when the Villa isn't the story what happens in the Villa is.

The story was told through the eyes of Mari and Emily, the narrative alternates between the past in the 1970s and the present. I was bored with the narratives which made me not like the characters. I know the book was written within a story in a story that just did not work for me.

I know some people will love this book and for them I recommend it to them. I would like to read more from this author even though this one did not work for me. I felt some of the dialogue between characters became annoying. Just because I didn't like the book doesn't mean others shouldn't read this. This was a 2 star read for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a free copy of The Villa for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I've enjoyed Rachel Hawkins' work in the past, and "The Villa" was another fantastic novel. Centered around complicated relationships and the happenings in an Italian Villa, Hawkins seamlessly merges the past with the present, uncovering the truth behind a long-ag0 murder and current relationship issues between friends.
This was a fast, engrossing read that I lost sleep to finish - and found it to be totally worth it!

100 pages in was my first and only “oh my god” moment.. the first half is VERY SLOW I really did not want to finish this book but I’m glad I did. OBSESSED with the cover and can’t wait to read more Rachel Hawkins, as this is my first. Present POV was much more intriguing to read than past POV. Was not a fan of the ending at all ☹️

This story revolves around current and former guests staying at a picturesque Italian villa where
things aren’t as pleasant as they seem.

I had a really hard time getting through this book. I felt like the first 2/3rd of the story dragged on and left me feeling uninterested in the rest. I also struggled to connect with the characters, each of whom have their own toxic traits. The “friendship” between two of the main characters didn’t seem to be a friendship at all and left me wondering why they were even friends in the first place. I also didn’t like the chapters involving the 70’s timeline which were a bit dull and I found myself wanting to rush through them so I could get back to the current timeline.

The ending leaves you with some unanswered questions which was also a little disappointing.

Overall this book just wasn’t for me, but I do thank NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!