THE VILLA
BY: RACHEL HAWKINS

"Houses Remember".

"The Villa," written by Rachel Hawkins is the latest psychological thriller by this very talented Author, whose novels for me are always addictive and also page turners. I read this in one sitting and I was intrigued enough not to want to put this psychological thriller down. This latest offering by an Author whose previous novels I have really enjoyed didn't disappoint me.

The format of this delicious thriller reminded me of the Russian nesting dolls called Matryoshka-which you find dolls of different sizes ranging from the largest doll containing a smaller doll nestled inside of it descending in size. In other words this is a story within a story about a Villa in Italy that seems to be cursed with death taking place at different time periods. Its setting takes place in a seemingly cozy vacation spot featuring lemon sun and cerulean sky and water. It appears harmless. Do you think that houses remember what happens there throughout the ages? Particularly bad things like people being murdered there?

Don't worry though this is very easy to follow. Chess and Emily have been best friends since an early age but perhaps during adulthood they have drifted somewhat apart. They are both writers who decide to take a vacation in this beautifully large Villa to get away from their hectic lives in North Carolina. Chess is a self help guru who writes columns and has a large following and it is her idea to pay for their stay. Emily is going through a difficult divorce and she writes cozy mysteries where lately she has had a rough time of coming up with more material to write a series that is under contract. Their vacation takes place in the present.

Mari and her stepsister Lara decide to travel to this same Villa in Italy with Mari's boyfriend who is a musician who hopes to take his career to a new level by gaining inspiration from a famous musician named Noel during the 1970's. Mari and her boyfriend have had a baby together who died. Her boyfriend is still married, but left his wife for Mari.

What took place during the 1970s very much became known to Emily and Chess. I won't say anymore as not to spoil it for those who decide to read this, but I promise you that what you'll discover is intriguing and it links both timelines together in a cleverly plotted thriller. In my humble opinion this was a five star reading experience that is very easy to follow despite the number of characters. This is a unique chiller that I highly recommend. Rachel Hawkins is an auto by for me.

Publication Date: 01-03-2023

Thank you to Net Galley, Rachel Hawkins and St. Martin's Press for generously sharing this wonderful ARC with me in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#TheVilla #RachelHawkins #StMartinsPress #NetGalley

I loved receiving an ARC for this book!

This was atmospheric and moody and historical and modern all rolled into one.

It's important to remember that houses remember.

It takes place in a mysterious villa in Italy where a murder had occurred with famous people in the 70s. Now it's the 2020s, and two best friends go on a work/vacation to stay in the villa for the summer.

This book moves between the perspective of the modern woman and a woman who was on the trip in the 70s. There are multiple mysteries and curious bits throughout it. These kept me interested and made it difficult to put down for me.

I loved it! I'm not sure if everyone I know will love it as much as me, but there's something about this author's writing that always gets me hooked.

This is a good psychological thriller and a somewhat slow-moving character reveal. Two best friends decide to holiday in an Italian villa to escape their hectic, stressful lives….but is there more to the story than meets the eye?….are they really the “friends” they profess to be?…and are they manipulating each other or being manipulated by the past? I enjoyed this book even though I really didn’t like Chess, one of the main characters, who just rubbed me the wrong way from the beginning. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this free, advance copy.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book! Honestly, I was a little confused at first by the different story lines (one present, one past, and an excerpts from an additional non fiction book written by one of the main characters) but once I figured out what was going on, I was hooked! I could not put this book down and I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish it because I had to know how it ended.
I really enjoyed how it was kind of a book inside of a book with several authors as characters and two separate mysteries (and all the twists!) I actually googled whether the villa was a real house because this book made me want to go there! 10/10 highly recommend this book.
I would love a sequel because I need to know what happens with Em and Chess. Do they write another book together? Does Em find a way to get a life separate from Chess?

This book sucked me in from then beginning. It was well written and the story was easy to follow. Was hard to take breaks because I wanted to know what would happen next.

This is 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Hawkins characters are interesting and well-developed. The narration between present day and 1974 flows well and the transitions are easy to follow.

Chess and Em’s relationship as frenemies is very relatable. I think at some point everyone has had that person in their life that they love dearly but are also in constant competition with.

Several of the plot points were very predictable, but predictable or not they still kept me turning the pages. This was a quick, easy read, but it left me wanting just a little bit more at the end.

Cozy mystery writer Emily Sheridan receives an invitation from her best friend, Chess Chandler, to spend the summer in gorgeous Villa Aestas in Orvieto, Italy.
Formerly known as Villa Rosato, Villa Aestas is the site of the gruesome murder of aspiring musician Pierce Sheldon in the summer of 1974. Invited by rock star Noel Gordon, Pierce spends the last days of his life at the villa along with girlfriend Mari Godwick, her sister Lara Larchmont, and a friend of Noel’s by the name of Johnnie Dorchester. Johnnie was convicted of the crime. Afterwards, Mari goes on to write the feminist horror bestseller Lilith Rising, while Lara becomes a music icon with the release of her album Aestas.
Emily accepts the invitation as a chance to focus on writing her long-overdue next-in-series mystery and to get away from her greedy ex-husband and his demands. As Emily becomes interested in the events of 1974, she starts to wonder if Mari Godwick left clues in her novel about the circumstances surrounding the murder. At the same time, she becomes aware of Chess’ sometimes suspicious behavior and starts to question her loyalty and motives. The story they end up unearthing leads them to a decision that will forever bond them to each other.
Told from dual points of view and dual timelines, the author weaves an intricate plot that revolves around the themes of jealousy, betrayal, and the female characters’ power to change/choose their narrative. This is a highly enjoyable, dark thriller that did not disappoint. I was able to figure out one of the sub-plots but was not prepared for the book’s surprising ending. Highly recommended to those who enjoy idyllic Italian settings, mysteries, and strong female characters.
Thanks to NetGalley and to St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a free digital copy to review this book prior to its release.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press! Wow, I feel honored because it's the most requested book on Netgalley right now, so thank you!

I have mixed feelings on Rachel Hawkins because I really liked The Girl Upstairs and really didn't care for Reckless girls.. So I was like am I gonna like this? The Villa is WAY better than Reckless Girls!

There was such a strong start to the book, and I was immediately invested and in the middle I got a little like well, how will this end? But that being said the end was really well done.

Not my fave of 2022, but definitely could read worse.

Teetering between 3.5 to 4 stars. Maybe meet in the middle and say 3.75?

Wow… I was unsure of how to feel about this book in the beginning. It is a very light mystery, and rather slow at times, but things picked up in the latter half. I say between 3.5 and 4 stars because it didn’t give me the “edge of my seat” feeling while reading it.

Two authors and childhood best friends spend the summer at a villa in Italy. Emily is going through a divorce, and Chess is writing another cliche self-help book. While there to write their own books, they discover the haunted past of the villa, their own insecurities, darkness. and what will set you free in life.

• The two different perspectives/dual timeline were woven together really well.
• The setting *chefs kiss* - who doesn’t love Italy?!
• I enjoyed the history of the villa.
• It included excerpts of news articles, podcasts, documentaries, and referenced other books to give insight.
• The complicated feelings and relationship between Em and Chess seemed very realistic.

One let down: I was hoping for a little more closure at the end of the book, but that’s just me. It seemed rather abrupt.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC!

This was the first novel by Rachel Hawkins that I've had the pleasure of reading. I'm not familiar with her other works and therefore had no expectations for The Villa--I wasn't even quite sure if the story was going to unravel as a thriller or a horror story! (Note: It certainly ended up being an exciting thriller!)

The story follows two best friends, Emily and Chess, as they reconnect after many years apart. Chess seems to be living the perfect, successful life whereas Emily is falling behind in her career, recovering from an unidentified sickness, and divorcing her long-time husband. Both are writers who have published their own successful books and plan to use their vacation time as an opportunity to "reset" and refocus on their writing whilst also strengthening their friendship.
The book simultaneously also follows the story of Mari Godwick, author of one of the most well-known horror stories ever written. Mari's story takes place in the 70s in the Italian villa that Chess and Emily are now renting several decades later. "The Villa Aestas" holds many hidden horrors and secrets that Emily wants to uncover, but she must also accept the possibility that she may spiral down a similar route.

I expected this book to be a spooky thriller, so I was surprised when I discovered that it was based around bubbly characters in a cheery location. This was a twist on the typical horror/thriller stories, so I was pleasantly surprised by its uniqueness and was immediately drawn in. The book was also very descriptive and well-written, so I had no problem getting started and connecting to the story.
I connected easily with Emily and Chess, as their portion of the book primarily centered around friendship and all that it entails, including love, excitement, betrayal, anguish, forgiveness, etc. I found it easy to relate to these two characters and I found their story to be very gripping.

On the other hand, I couldn't have cared less about Mari's story. Yes, it was necessary to the overall plot, but until the very end, I wasn't at all interested in Mari's life. I would have preferred her mystery be unravelled from Emily's viewpoint rather than the constant switching back and forth between Emily's POV and timeline to Mari's. I felt as though Mari's portion of the story had lots of potential but it was poorly strung together and didn't provide much intrigue.

Overall, I very much enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading more of Hawkins' works in the future! This book didn't have any major plot twists that stopped me in my tracks, but it wasn't boring by any means either. I had no problem finishing the story and I found it to be fast-paced and interesting. I'd recommend it to any mystery/thriller fans out there!

This book was excellent. It was twisty and turny and captured me from the beginning. Mari and Emily are easy to love and get behind. Lara and Chess are understandably more complex…harder to pin down into good or bad categories. The book plays well on perspective and point of view in a way that leaves the reader feeling a lot like the characters. It was a really great read.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This was just okay for me. I was excited because it felt like there was going to be a big twist but then it went a different way, and there was an intriguing threesome storyline that didn’t really ever go anywhere, and I don’t know. It kept me reading, but didn’t love it.

Love this one. Could not put it down, read in one day. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

I'm really on the fence with this one and quite disappointed. The Villa was a good "murder house" mystery that had so much potential, but it just missed the mark for me. I felt no spooky vibes or creepiness that one should most definitely feel while staying in a house of horror. The story moved very slowly and I quickly became bored with it. The book did start to pick up (a little), but the climax fell completely flat for me. Parts of the "reveal" were blatantly obvious and the others were just meh. There was no action or excitement leading up to them. They were just there. I did like part of the ending, but it wasn't enough for me to give a high rating. Hopefully, others will enjoy this book more than I have.

Emily and Chess have been best friends since childhood. Emily, recently separated and going through a dirty divorce, is desperately trying to finish the next book in her cozy mystery series with no luck. When Chess invites her on a summer vacation to Italy, Emily thinks that this might just be the escape she needs to clear her head. Even more appealing is the villa where they will be staying. The same villa where rising musician, Pierce Sheldon was murdered back in the 70s. Alternating in story lines between the past and present, The Villa portrays the mysteries and infidelities that the house holds secret.

Thank you to the author, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing me to preview this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Villa is basically 3 stories in one. One story is the story of Mari, Lara, Noel, Pierce and Johnnie, a group of 20-something musicians, muses and tagalongs, spending a few weeks of the summer of 1974 in Villa Rosato in the town of Orvieto, Italy. By the end of their trip, one person has written a soon to be best selling novel, one a ground breaking album, one is about to stop making music all together, one will be in jail, and one will be dead. The second story is the story of Emily and Chess, two childhood best friends, escaping to Orvieto to what is now known as Villa Aestas to work on their respective books. While they're there, they discover a plethora of secrets; secrets about their friendship and each other, as well as secrets about the tragedy that befell the Villa in that summer of 1974. The third story is THE story. The story written by Mari, called Lilith Rising, about a girl named Victoria, that is a rather thinly veiled representation of what actually happened in Villa Rosato. All three of these stories seamlessly intertwine and overlap as we learn that things are rarely, if ever what they appear to be on the surface.

For starters, this book is basically if Daisy Jones & The Six was mixed with a little bit of The Shining. We get the tale of a group of rock stars making music, having sex and doing drugs, but we also get a twisty story about someone unfurling the hidden secrets of a dark history that inches them towards the edge of obsession and drives a wedge between them and someone they love. In short, it totally sucked me in.

I love books with multiple points of view and non-linear timelines, but this one has both PLUS mixed media, including emails, journals, articles, and song lyrics. Honestly, some of my very favorite things in any book. I particularly loved the use of multiple POVs mixed with excerpts from the character Mari's book, Lilith Rising. It was really interesting to see Emily read a part of the book, figure out where Mari came up with it, and then get Mari's first hand recounting of how she came up with it. (i.e. the well that leads to the underworld.) It adds so much depth to the story. It also made it easier to see the parallels between the relationship of Mari and Lara versus Chess and Jessica.

I will say, it was VERY heavy on the foreshadowing and it made it fairly obvious how some things were going to play out, but that didn't stop me from staying pulled into the story; I still NEEDED to know exactly how things were gonna play out.



******SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!!!!!***********




It also felt like some threads of the story were left dangling. For example, Emily forgave Chess SO quickly, it almost felt unbelievable. And Emily's mystery illness was explained away so simply, it left me thinking "wait, is that actually what was happening with her?" But maybe that was the point. In the end you find out from Mari that what you are lead to believe is the story of Pierce's death all along isn't true. His death was actually just a pointless tragedy. Maybe all of these aspects that left me with so many questions and generally feeling a little unsatisfied were there as a reminder that things aren't always as they look, and there's not always some crazy, deep and hidden meaning or story to be found. That's definitely not an ending everyone will love, and I'm anticipating this leaving readers torn, but as for me, I absolutely relished every second I spent reading and every emotion that came along with it.

Me, at the beginning: Okay this is fun, but I’m pretty sure I know what’s going on. A bit predictable.

Me, at the very end: OKAY OKAY RACHEL HAWKINS. I did NOT know what was going on.

This was a really enjoyable read for me! The first 90% of the book felt a little predictable- while still entertaining- but the final chapter was a twist I did not expect.

I really loved the themes and parallels between characters in this novel. It’s a pretty easy read but would also make an amazing book club pick to deep dive into.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book.

I finished this book in one setting, reading straight through the day. Wow! Every time I expected something or predicted something, the author pulled the rug from out under me.

The back and forth between present and past took a little getting used to, but overall I liked the choice and the pacing. The ending was also satisfactory, a meaty conclusion as opposed to something wishy-washy.

I was so exited to read this book then was slightly let down. I just couldn’t connect to the characters in the 70’s I felt their chapters dragged out and I absolutely love time shifting books they're one of my favorites! I just wanted to keep getting back to em and chess! All in all it was a good book but I wouldn’t recommend it to my friends as a must read right now! It’s more of a if you need a quick read that’s not great but not awful just to pass the time as a filler.

Holy moly what a story! Automatic BUY! I cannot tell you how amazing this book is! The story follows Emily an author in a rut place of life going to a vacation with her best friend to Italy. While she gets ready to go to Italy she finds out she is staying in a house where a murder took place years ago. While she’s finally in vacation she decides to merge into the story of the murder that happened there and starts really getting into it and finding a lot of things out about it which just intrigues her more into finding out more to the story.

At the same time she needs to be focusing on her own book writing but she seems to not want to as her husband threatens to take any royalties he can from all her book writing.

This book gets into so much in-depth that it’s hard to put it down once you’re about 50% into it!

I highly recommend it !

Have you ever been in a bookshop and walked by a display with the sign, “I support women’s rights but more importantly I support women’s wrongs.” Put this book, right there, FRONT. AND. CENTER.

The Villa is a delicious blend of Daisy Jones and The Six and Dolores Claiborne where the narratives within the pages parallel with eerie similarities that leave you guessing until the very end.

Also, the cover SLAPS. So good.

I’m not gonna say much more about it other than if you love reading thrillers than this is the book for you!

5 stars

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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