Children best friends reconnect on a trip to an Italian villa that’s best known for a famous murder.

Emily and Chess have know each other since 4th grade. Both went to UNC and ended up on a writing path. Where Chess’s life went viral, Emily’s is having trouble getting back on track. She’s drowning in missed deadlines and being held down by a brutal divorce. The two decide a spontaneous trip to Italy is just what they need to rekindle their friendship and spark their creative energies. But they they’re in store for much more than that at Villa Aestas.

Plot: 4.5/5

The story follows two timelines, one in the “present” with Emily and Chess and one in 1974 with Mari, Pierce, Lara and Noel. The way the two stories are layered is so engaging because you’re constantly searching for some answers about what really happened.

Minus half a star cause the ending absolutely threw me and I’m not sure how I feel now.

Characters: 5/5

There two character archetypes in this book apart from the side characters. There’s the grumpy writer who has complicated feelings towards her best friend (jealousy mixed with admiration). The other is the sunshine life of the party writer who is flighty and wants something the other one has. This is Emily and Mari for the former and Chess and Lara as the latter.

Each character is so gloriously flawed but the central themes are proven so well, nothing is stronger than the bond between chosen sisters and men aint shit.

Writing: 5/5
Rachel Hawkins is such a versatile writer but I have to say I think she does thriller/mystery best. Anytime someone asks for a rec in those genres, she’s the first author that comes to mind. From the first chapter, she lays the seeds of resentment between Emily and Chess. And the parallels she creates between the current plot and what happened in the 70’s are chilling.

I think the whole concept of this book is absolutely brilliant and was executed perfectly. (Apart from the ending as I have established my unsure feelings about that)

Overall: 4.5/5

This is a story of two best friends vacationing together in Italy, and two stepsisters vacationing in the same location decades earlier. Each chapter navigates between the two different time periods.

In present day Emily and Chess have had a lifelong friendship that hasn't been as close recently. Chess surprises Emily with the trip to Italy as an attempt to get their creative juices flowing and back into writing - Emily with cozy mysteries and Chess with self-help books. But Emily wonders if there is an ulterior motive.

In the past Mari and Lara are invited to join a popular rock star, Noel, at a summer villa in Italy, and Pierce, Mari's boyfriend joins then, to help Noel and write music together. Mari uses this as an opportunity to write a novel, and Lara, her own music. But tragedy happens, and that tragedy is the focal point for Mari's novel.

Back in present day, Emily thinks there might be story about the tragedy that happened at the villa decades earlier and she believes secrets may have been left behind by Mari and Lara. In her search for information, she discovers her voice and a new novel is formed.

I enjoyed the two timelines, though much preferred the present day story. And as with all good thrillers, little pieces of the puzzle are released along the way, including a twist at the end that surprised me.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review.

Wow I was not expecting that ending! I thought I had it figured out early on, boy was I wrong .
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This story is told in 2 POVs Emily (present day) and Mari (1974). Both ladies have a stay at a Villa in Italy that ends up changing the courses of their lives . There’s a few things I’m still left questioning at the end and I think that makes it even better .
I really enjoyed this book overall and how the timelines seemed to mimic each other as well.
It was a bit of a slow burn and some of the chapters seemed awfully long but it was worth it in the end.
Thanks to NetGalley and of course Rachel Hawkins

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC. The Villa is a thriller that takes place at a Villa in Italy that describes a crime from the past that intertwines with the future. I thought it was a little slow going and the friendships between the female characters were infuriating at times. Overall, it was a decent book.

Really enjoyed it. It had me at the edge of my seat! Creepy atmosphere, just something totally different than what I usually read. Totally outta my comfort zone, gave it a try and totally worth it.

I wanted to like this one so much but it just didn’t do it for me. Unlikeable characters are hard for me to read about.

Thank you NetGalley for eARC in exchange for an honest review

This was the first book I've read by Rachel Hawkins and I really liked it! Friends who may be enemies, a jerk ex, and a whole lot of weird stuff going on. It definitely had Manson family vibes and the ending left me wondering just what was going to happen after all was said and done. Enjoyed it!

4.25 stars

This dual timeline, atmospheric story was so much fun! It captured my interest from the very beginning, and I couldn't wait to read the next chapter. I did find myself drawn more to the past timeline story of Mari and thought the present timeline could have used a little more excitement, but it was still a fabulous story that I very much enjoyed!

To be honest, Villa Aestas might have been my favorite character of all. It takes a talented writer to bring a home alive and make it feel like a character in the story, and Hawkins did just that.

This is the first book of Rachel Hawkin's that I have read, and it will definitely not be my last.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-galley in exchange for my honest review.

This was such an intriguing read that had me guessing until the very end!

This was my first Rachel Hawkins and let me tell you, I'm in love with her writing style. The story follows childhood friends, Emily and Chess, who take a trip to Italy to reconnect and focus on writing their individual writing projects. Upon planning the trip, they find out that the villa that they will be staying at is where an infamous murder happened in the 70s. Following the murder, the two stepsisters who were there at the time, Mari and Lara, quickly rose to fame with their perspective works; Mari with a gothic thriller - Lilith Rising, and Lara with an acoustic album - Aestas. The story bounces on dual timelines, the present with Emily and the 70s with Mari.

I really liked the dual timelines. As Emily is exploring the house, she begins to think there's more to the murder than what was told to the press - so she starts her own investigation which leads her to Mari's hidden journal. She's also dealing with her own problems, her tense divorce from her ex-husband and her strained friendship with Chess. As Emily slowly finds out the truth about what happened during the rock-n-roll group's stay at the villa, the tension between her and Chess becomes more pronounced and mysterious. I loved the fact that as you're finding out the truth of one murder, another mystery is being revealed. Mari's journal plotline was probably my favorite part of this entire book.

There are a lot of shocking reveals, but I was a little disappointed with some of them. It annoyed me that one aspect of the story wasn't fully explained. I felt like the author was rushing to tie up the story and the plotline was left hanging. And then it wasn't mentioned again. In addition, Emily and Chess's relationship at the end of the book also seemed off. That also might have something to do with the plothole. All in all, the story was exciting and I had fun reading this book!

Everything about this book exceeded my expectations! I love Rachel Hawkins. I stay guessing until the very end and she’s so quick to grasp your attention and keep it.

I loved the gothic 70s vibes of this murder mystery.
I really liked the similarities between the past and present day main characters too.
Really enjoyed this one!

I finished this book in 2 days - I really liked it! I kept thinking it was over and then a new twist would happen. I really enjoyed the complexity of the character’s relationships (specifically Emily and Chess) and found each character’s motive for their actions to be really interesting. I do wish that the author had been more descriptive about Italy and the scenery. I was excited to hear more about where the villa was but it felt like it really could have been anywhere remote and it wouldn’t have made a difference to try sorry. Would definitely recommend!

Thank you #netgalley for this advanced copy!

I was anxiously awaiting this book but the verdict is: not my favorite Rachel Hawkins book. The friendship between Chess and Emily and the shady ex-husband seemed a little cliche and monotonous. The transitions between present and the past story line and characters felt clunky and it was hard for me to really get into either one or connect to any of the characters. Overall, the story seemed forced and recycled and I just didn't love it as much as I wanted to.

There was a lot to love about this novel - friendship, an amazing setting, multiple time periods and points of view, a mystery, and backstabbing.

It took me a bit to get into Mary's story - the story from the 1970s. I would have thought a timeline focusing on sex, drugs and rock n' roll would have enraptured me, but I often felt my attention wandering during her parts.

I loved Emily and Chess's story. The friendship felt so authentic - loving each other and hating each other in equal measure. Some twists and plot points felt obvious but I did like the way everything worked out in the end.

I love books that make me second guess myself and really surprise me and The Villa definitely did that. Admittedly, a lot of the story felt familiar - like I had read pieces of it elsewhere - but really it did fit together nicely and made for a very entertaining read.

I listened to this novel on audio and the narration was great. I always love Julia Whelan and she really delivers her, per usual! The narrator for Mary did a good job but between her accent and soothing tone, I think it was easier for me to let my mind wander during those parts.

All in all, this is one I definitely recommend and I'm excited to see the well deserved hype roll in!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, MacMillan Audio, NetGalley, and Libro.FM for the copy.

I enjoyed this one! Emily Hawkins is always an author that brings the suspense! I loved the dual POV and how engaging both of them were!

Emily is excited to see her longtime friend Chess Chandler. It seems ages since they last talked. Em knows this is her fault since she has been sick for so very long. Then to top it off, her husband Matt left her saying he hadn’t signed up for this illness bit, like she had a choice. So, Emily couldn’t be feeling lower and needs her old buddy Chess to lift her spirits.
Chess breezes into the restaurant like a Goddess. Everybody turns to look at her … blonde, beautiful, and confident. Everything Emily is not. Chess has made a fortune writing self help books. Emily has not made a fortune writing cozy mysteries. Lunch goes well and is over before she knows it. Maybe Chess and she will try better to keep in touch this time.
The next day, Chess texts her with a marvelous idea. She needs to finish her latest self-help book and to induce her to write, Chess has rented a villa in Italy. She wants Emily to come. A whole Summer of sunshine and excellent food will do her good.
Emily goes knowing she needs new scenery. She is happy and writing again. She is so relaxed and feels the best she has felt in a long time. The villa has a history which Emily finds intriguing. Back in the 70’s a young man died here during a week of drugs, sex, and rock n’ roll. Emily happens upon some loose sheets of writing paper that sound like they were written by one of the women during that disastrous stay so long ago. This gets Emily’s mind spinning and she veers off course to write a new mystery about that tragedy. Changing course starts a whole sequence of events that Emily could not have foreseen.

Rachel Hawkins is a fabulous writer! Every time she sucks me into her story where I have to finish the book. I can’t put it down. Readers who like B. A. Paris and Greer Hendricks will find this book a very enthralling read.

3.25

Okay, I consider myself a fan of Rachel Hawkins because I've read (now) three of her books LOL.

I started with The Wife Upstairs, which I LOVED, then Reckless Girls, which I did not love, and now, The Villa, and I feel very eh about it.

I was drawn to this book because of the cover *an additional .25 just for the cover alone* and, of course, the author. The book's setting jumped from the present day through the POV of Emily and the summer of 1974 through the POV of Mari.

I figured out some of the twists in the book very early on and genuinely hated "Chess," aka "Jessica." I believe she was an awful friend, and Emily deserved better. I found the whole book to be very underwhelming but still found the story entertaining enough to finish within a span of three days.

I will say I did find Mari's stories much more interesting than Emily's.

Will I read the next book Rachel Hawkins releases? Heck yea! They can't all be winners.

Thank you, NetGalley, Rachel Hawkins, and St. Martin's Press, for my e-arc!

Another solid story from Rachel Hawkins!

This suspenseful drama is told well through two perspectives and timelines. I often find that in books with dual storylines, there’s usually one that is more engaging, but in this case, I enjoyed both equally. The characters were well developed and each stood on their own, even though most weren't very likeable. While I enjoyed the ending, there were a few loose ends that I wish had been addressed more. Overall, I recommend The Villa and think it would make a good vacation read.

As per Rachel Hawkins last two reads The Wife Upstairs and Reckless Girls, I was left disappointed with the ending on all accounts. I saw this book pop up on NetGalley and was determined to give her a third and final try. Lucky for me, this book made it up out of my “3 star slump” and into the 4 star range! I was very pleased by this and found this book to be much more my style of a mysterious book.

First things first, the cover is beautiful. That’s the thing with Rachel Hawkins’ covers - they are gorgeous and I am a huge sucker for pretty covers so I always buy them lol! Anyways, the dual timeline throughout this story was done really well! I found both Emily and Mari to be a little whiney at times, but otherwise, they were very well-written women who have been through the wringer.

Some of the other characters did things that actually had my jaw drop open because like, you just don’t do those things! Even if you’re trying to prove a point, you don’t do those things. Looking at you Chess and Lara….

Overall, I actually quite liked this book and really loved the gorgeous setting that it was told from. As someone who is planning on visiting Italy sometime, this made me even more excited to look up places to go! If you need a slow burn mystery with a twist at the end, this is the book for you.

⚠️TW: murder, child death, drug abuse, miscarriage, suicide, adult/minor relationships, drug use, infidelity

Thank you @netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review! All of the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Set in an Italy, "The Villa" follows the story of two long time friends, both writers, intertwined with the story of a long ago murder that occurred in the same villa. Emily is working through writer's block, the end of her marriage and trying to re-start her life. Chess is, as far as I can tell, just a jerk. I know that she's Emily's best friend since childhood, but I never really warmed to her. She was self-serving (and I think I a liar and a fake( and every time Emily almost was ready to leave her behind, Chess found ways to manipulate her way back in.
And I was absolutely there for it. As much as I hated it, it worked. Chess was convincing and believable (and awful!) I think Emily should have cut her loose along with her jerk of an ex-husband (maybe not in the same way... but still...)
The way the original murder was woven into the story (and no spoiler, but the ENDING...oops!) loved it!

Overall, really enjoyed this book. While there was a little predictability in some parts, there were quite a few twists and turns that surprised me.