This was a solid 3.5 for me, but worth rounding up to 4. The writing was good, the book was well-paced, I liked the two different timelines and I didn’t see how the stories would intersect until it happened. Ultimately the big reveals were not as satisfying as they could’ve been, otherwise it would’ve warranted a 4+ star rating on its own.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 rounded up to 4/5

Okay I hate that I am having to write this but I didn't enjoy this one that much. It felt like the plot was almost TOO much and sometimes hard to follow. It may have been the format that I read it in but I just couldn't get into it and I didn't find the twist all that shocking.

The villa switches between 1975 and current day in the same Villa in Italy. 1975c stepsisters Mark and Lara travel to the villa as somewhat of groupies with 2 rockstars- one famous, one trying to be famous. A nursed takes place and it seems pieces of information are missing. Current day, best friends, Chess and Emily visit the same Villa on holiday and take in interest in the Villa’s past. Will they be able to put all the pieces together to figure out what happened that night in 1975? This book was good, not great, it never really came together for me.

This is the third book by Rachel Hawkins I've read and reviewed, cementing her place as one of my must-read thriller authors. Her plots are always unique, masterfully written, and unputdownable. The Villa is a gripping tale set in Italy with a cleverly designed story that weaves past and present within the walls of the same house. I loved this one! Highly recommended. Destined to become one of the best books of 2023.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for providing an ARC to read and review. This review will post to https://baysidebookreviews.com and its Instagram page on release day. *NetGalley Top Reviewer*

The Villa — Rachel Hawkins

Two stories, both alike in bloodshed…

Emma and Chess are best friends and professional writers. Emma whips up cozy mysteries and Chess is a self-help guru. But Chess’s career is on a meteoric rise while Emma’s (and her marriage) is crashing and burning. Desperate for a break and some inspiration, she accepts Chess’s invitation of vacationing in an Italian villa for the entire summer—the same place a murder was committed decades before…

💠Rewind to 1974 at Villa Rosato. Mari, an aspiring novelist, is staying there with her boyfriend Pierce and stepsister Lara, the three of them having been invited by a famous musician and his drug dealer. Here, Mari has finally found the story she’s wanted to write—but it comes with a price. For the beautiful villa they’re in seems to be bringing out the uglier parts of all of them—Mari included. And she doesn’t know how much longer she and everyone else can take of each other before one of them snaps…

——————————————————————————————

Okay so this is SO worth the hype! Emma working to solve the mystery of Villa Aestas (renamed after the murder) while dealing with the mystery of her own life was incredible. I loved her journey, but Mari’s was ten times more harrowing. I would love to know more about her stay at the villa as well as read her whole book!

The climaxes for both storylines were fitting, but how the book ended turns everything upside down and really makes you wonder what happened.An absolutely terrifying thrill ride that ends with a broken seatbelt—no safety net.

Come for the mystery, stay for the toxic relationships! The Villa was such a fun and unexpected read. Who would have thought that writing a Mary Shelley-like character in the world of 70s sex, drugs, and rock and roll would work? But for some reason it really does!
The Villa is split between two timelines, one in the present following best friends Chess and Emily, and one in the 70s with stepsisters Mari and Lara. Even though the thriller aspect of this book was at times a bit predictable, I loved watching those two parallel relationships develop, and how these women, while trying to free themselves from the influence of the men in their lives, only ended up each other's prisoners.
This is also truly a book for book lovers/nerds. With three of the main characters being writers, The Villa is a book within a book and delves into writers' creative process. Fans of Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley will enjoy the Easter eggs and references to the two female authors' fascinating lives.

This one started a bit slow for me but once it picked up I really enjoyed it. There is a little twist at the end that I didn’t see coming!

Unfortunately I just think Rachel Hawkins is not for me. I couldn’t connect and ended up DNFing this one at around 30%. Maybe I’ll pick it back up later.

This was my first Rachel Hawkins book, I’ve heard of her (I am not living under a rock) and I’ve always planned to read The Wife Upstairs, the Ex Hex and Reckless Girls, but I always postponed them, because I have to be in a specific mood to read a thriller, or - like in this case - have a timer on it.

What I can say is: I will pick these other books up SOON! and I am sure this one will sell EXTREMELY well.

Let’s start with the Plot, the idea is just great: two friends (more like sisters) go to Italy to take a break from their lives, and to work on their next project, but the Villa’s history pulls them in and the tension is palpable. The ending is perfect for the story and ties the whole book with the best bow for the package!

The Narration: I loved how the double timeline progressed keeping my interest on both. Both timelines kept me guessing and the pace was perfect, so when the author was switching to the other timelines (with very smart newspaper articles and other clues) I was immediately captured by the page.

But what I loved the most were the Characters and their relationships. Mari and Lara & Em and Chess. The dynamics between these 2 sets of women were - to me - the best part of the book. Their relationships were messy, a mixture of love and competition and envy, they felt real because we all have someone in our lives we love but that sometimes we don’t really like.

It was all around a great book and I am so glad I was able to read it before it hit the shelves.

I loved this unique tale with an interesting take on the standard sex, drugs and rock n roll narrative. Best friends (who are both authors) go on a girls trip to a beautiful villa in Italy which was also the site of a tragic death in 1974. With themes of friendship and betrayal, I found it captivating and utterly compelling. Alternating between past and present, the character development was on point with lots of twists and turns along the way.
The only negative I found was it had really long chapters that bounced between past and present with no warning. The flow would have worked better with some spacing, but I read an ARC so maybe that will be corrected before publication.

Excellent book. I would classify this as mystery/suspense. This story centers on the events at an Italian villa in the 1970s and the present. The alternating views and plot lines work perfectly together and neatly come together in the end. While the story is not super exciting, it has a slow burn that pays off in the explosive events near the end. Writing is engaging, characters are fascinating, and the story meaningful. Another great job, Rachel Hawkins! Thank you to NetGalley, for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

I went into this book not knowing what to expect, but pleasantly surprised with the result. This story tracks two timelines - a modern pair of friends on retreat at the Villa, and a bohemian group of Musicians who stayed at the Villa about 50 years ago. While the book started off with a gothic horror vibe - it gradually become more of a "band memoir". In some ways it reminded me of "Daisy Jones and the Six". Overall I think I liked the story with the music group a bit more than the two modern characters. This book moved quickly and was easy to get pulled into, a great read if you want a little escape.
There was one twist at the end that I was not happy about. I felt it didn't really ring true. I don't want to give away any spoilers but I felt that one character did something that was much too easily forgiven. So I would make this 4.5 stars due to that twist.
I feel like Rachel Hawkins really stepped up her game on this one!

I need to start out by saying I loved this book. I couldn’t put it down and finished in 2 days even while working . Synopsis is a dual timeline 1974 and current. In 74 a group of young artists spend a summer at an Italian villa. What starts out as a nice vacation ends in bloodshed. The group evolves as the summer goes on , testing their boundaries with each other. In the current timeline 2 best friends and writers go to that same Italian villa to relax after personal issues and they also have their boundaries tested and the summer ends with a decision that changes their lives.

This book had well developed characters, a good plot and made me feel like I was in Italy. I love a book where the house is as much a character as the people. I never felt lost in the timelines and the way they tied in to each other and even tied in to the main character Mari mom book was so interstellar and well put together.

This is a slow burn mystery. It is not a horror book. This book makes you think and the more you pay attention the more you get out of it.

Thanks to Netgalley , ST Martin press for the ebook in return for an honest review

I was a bit disappointed in this book. I can't precisely pinpoint why. It's very well written and flows nicely. The ending resolves some issues, but at the same time, leaves some non-resolved. That may be where the disappointment lies. I guess I just wanted some things made more clear. Overall, I would recommend this book based on the author's writing skills.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of The Villa.
#St.Martin'sPress#TheVilla#NetGalley

2.5⭐️ This book was very average. It didn’t get good until like 70% into the story in my opinion. Chess and Em’s friendship was just very toxic and odd, the way they hated each other but liked each other at the same time. I just thought that the plot would be better, and that there would be more suspense, more twists, more anything. Overall, the premise of the book had me intrigued but the story just kinda disappointed me.

I was thrilled to receive an early copy of Rachel Hawkins new book!
In the spirit of Reckless Girls, The Villa was very unconventional and it was very original.
I flew through, The Villa during a very unfortunate layover in JFK, and no I was not flying to a villa!
I like how the author’s ending always leave something for the reader to decide. Also, both Mari and Emily were characters readers can cheer for. I also found Chess interesting. I am still unsure about the backstabbing incident with her and whether she was truthful. (Not going to spoil this plot line).
Definitely a book I will recommend and very glad I was able to read it months in advance!

Thank you for the chance to read and review this book. I was so excited when I received an advanced copy and thought it was going to be an exciting thriller. The story line seemed super intriguing, but in the end the plot just fell flat for me and the twists were underwhelming and not consistent with the suspense/thriller aspect I was looking for.

I am always a fan of dual timelines, but I felt the timelines started out very hard to follow because they were all mixed into the same chapters. Separating the timelines by chapter would have made a huge difference with a lot less confusion. The first 50% of the book was very slow and I never really connected with or liked any of the characters.

I will say that the book picked up at 50% in and I was very intrigued and excited to see where the story line was heading. Then, the ending of the book came and I was very underwhelmed and thought the story would go in a much different direction. I actually thought parts of the book were more intriguing before the small twists. There was so much potential for a fantastic book here, so I am sad that it didn’t end a different way.

Rachel Hawkins' latest novel, The Villa, had me hooked from page one. The story alternates between the past and present. Two long time best friends, both authors, travel to an infamous villa in Italy to reconnect as well as accomplish some writing for their upcoming books. While staying in the "murder house," the girls begin to research the murder that took place there decades earlier. From there, the story shifts back and forth between the group that stayed there during the summer of 1974 and the girls staying there in 2023. Suspicions abound amongst both groups. There were some plot twists as well. I really enjoyed this book and recommend it! I have read all of Hawkins' books. The Villa did not disappoint! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

Excellent read! From the beginning I had a hard time putting this book down and recently a book this size would have taken me about 5 days to read...I read it in 2! I loved the suspense and how the story built along the way. The basis of the story was unique and I was drawn into the characters, feeling like they were my friends, I would definitely recommend this book! Thank you to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read The Villa in return for an honest review. #TheVilla, #RachelHawkins

I enjoyed this thriller more than I expected. There were a few twists that I saw coming, but they were different from the norm in the genre. It seems like a lot of mysteries I’ve read lately are the same story in a different setting. This was a different take, and I would recommend it as a page turner.