This was incredibly predictable but I appreciate that the author tried to play around with the readers' expectations. I was much more invested in the current storyline than the true crime mystery in the past. It wasn't the best thriller but it was an easy pageturner.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

One of my reads over the break was The Villa. I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy on Netgalley as both an eARC and audiobook as well. I don’t always get approved for eARCs so when it’s a book I really want to read I request the audiobook which I sometimes have more success with.

I’m so glad I got the audio copy of this one! It’s co-narrated by my favourite narrator Julia Whelan - I could listen to her read anything! It really enhanced the story for me.

The Villa has a dual timeline with present day following two childhood friends Chess & Emily and the past following a rockstar, new musician + his girlfriend and stepsister.

Emily and Chess are both authors of very types of books. Emily was the first to publish but Chess’ career took off when she published her self help book. She rented the Villa Aestas for part of the summer and asks Emily to come along.

Once Emily realizes they’re staying in a former murder house, it’s all she can think about & wants to uncover what may have really happened.

You start to wonder if the house still carries the energy & if it’ll claim another person before the summer is up.

I will say, I started the ecopy and had a hard time at first getting into it even though I love dual timelines in thrillers. I would highly suggest this one on audio, I think the great narration makes it really engaging and hard for you to turn off.

This was a ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️ read for me & it comes out January 3rd!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, the author, Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the copies in exchange for my honest review.

Rachel Hawkins writes unique thrillers that are page turners I don’t want to put down! The Villa is no exception. The book is told from Emily’s perspective in the present day, and Mari’s point of view in 1974.

Present day: Emily is a cozy mystery writer who after separating from her husband, decides to take a six week long vacation to a villa in Italy with her lifelong best friend, Chess. While there she discovers the villa is the scene of a brutal murder that took place 50 years before. Emily decides to focus on this story for her next book.

1974: Mari, her boyfriend Pierce, and her sister Lara, are invited to spend the summer at a villa in Italy so Pierce can work on his music career. We know that Pierce was murdered that summer, and one of the other guests at the villa committed the crime. We just don’t know why.

I really loved the dual timelines, especially Mari’s story. I couldn’t put the book down because I needed to know what really happened that summer. I liked how the two storylines were intertwined. I was able to figure out a few things, but there is a great twist at the end, that I didn’t see coming. I loved the setting of this book and the atmospheric feelings the villa provided.

I had an eARC and ALC, and listened along as I read the story. Julia Whelan is my favorite narrator so I was very happy to hear her voicing Emily. The other narrators, Kimberly Wetherell and Shiromi Arserio, were great as well. The voices were different enough to know what timeline we were in, and who was speaking.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for advanced copies in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first Rachel Hawkins book. I will admit that Reckless Girls and The Wife Upstairs are sitting on my shelf right now, waiting to be read. I will now be getting to her other books sooner, rather than later.

This is the present-day story of two childhood best friends, Chess and Emily, who have a strained relationship in their 30's. They are both writers, with different degrees of popularity, and decide to spend the summer in Villa Aestas, which was the site of a homicide in the 1970's. The book toggles between the present, and the story of what happened that awful night back in 1974. It definitely gives off some mild Manson murder vibes. The plot twist at the very end was fantastic. I knew there was more to the story than what we were led to believe happened back in 1974, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting.

- Why Not 5 Stars
This definitely had slow burn vibes for me. I wasn't entirely sure where the plot was going. It took me a little longer than expected to get into it. As the story unfolded, I became more engrossed in the 1974 version, than the Chess and Emily drama. It did leave a plot hole for me, that I was expecting to be filled. I wanted to know the true cause of Emily's mysterious illness. I wasn't buying the whole "toxic people can make you physically ill," that Chess was trying to push, and I was expecting a far more sinister explanation. I am trying not to give away any spoilers, but I also wasn't buying into Chess's explanation regarding the relationship between herself, Emily, and Emily's soon to be ex-husband, Matt. Throughout the whole book, Chess is built up to be someone that you don't ever want to believe a word that comes out of her mouth, so I don't know why we are expected to believe her when it comes to the Matt situation

Loved the narrator. Great story line. Has current story along with jumping to the 1970s to tell the death of someone in the villa they are staying in.

I enjoyed this book! I liked the different perspectives, dual timelines and various elements (podcast transcripts, articles, book excerpts). It was a bit of a slow burn, but all the different clues and elements kept me interested to see how everything would unfold in the end.

I didn’t love any of the characters. I wasn’t really rooting for anyone. Chess was extremely hateable, but in a good way!

Emily and Chess’s ending felt a little rushed. I didn’t love Chess’s explanation for sleeping with Matt or how quickly Emily bought it. Just because she thought he wasn’t good for Emily, doesn’t mean she needs to sleep with her best friend’s husband.

I also thought the idea to kill Matt came out of nowhere. No matter how terrible of a person/husband he was, most people would not think the only solution is to kill him. I wish they got revenge on him in another way, like not allowing him to win any of Emily’s money.

Overall, it was a good mystery and I did enjoy the reveal about Mary at the very end! I thought that wrapped everything up nicely.

Enjoyed this book. Dual timelines which I enjoyed. Page turner. Thanks NetGalley for the audio eArc.

This was a solid story that intertwines the past and present very effectively. The story centers around two best friends, Emily and Chess. The years have strained their relationship as has their very different lives. Chess suggests a girls trip to reconnect at a luxurious villa in Italy. Emily jumps as the chance for a much needed vacation and time to get her writing back on track.
The Villa has a dark history. During the mid 70’s a famous rock star, Noel, invites another wannabe rock star, Pierce, to the Villa in order to spark his creativity. Pierce brings along his girlfriend Mari, and her stepsister Lara. Tragedy strikes but from this tragedy inspires one of the best horror books ever written and a multi-platinum album. Emily becomes obsessed with the history of the Villa and the events that led up to the murder.
The story progresses and the past and present begin to mirror each other as jealousy, revenge and paranoia take over.
Smartly written story that has all of the ingredients for a a great thriller with just the right amount of twist. Great pacing, great narration. Very enjoyable!!
4 ⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced audio copy in exchange for an honest review.
#NetGalley #RachelHawkins #TheVilla.

Rachel Hawkins has super creative ideas that always hook me, so I was excited to give The Villa a try!

I found it really interesting, and definitely bingeable. The portrayal of friendship caught me by surprise and in a good way! Full of suspense and turns, I found this a really fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

A more nuanced thriller with slower pacing to create the atmosphere needed to bring the reader to The Villa. Set in dual time settings, the past setting up the present with Emily the blocked writer and Chess the wealthy media influencer, friends from childhood, now vacationing at the infamous Villa.
Secrets from both the past and the women's current lives collide to bring about a denouement that will leave the reader satisfied.
The audiobook is richly enhanced with three narrators.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for my early copy of the audiobook. All opinions are mine.

I just.......I honestly don't know what to think or even say. I got the audiobook via Netgalley and this didn't keep my attention at all. 80% of the book nothing happens in my opinion. Once the twist was revealed I wasn't shocked or like "oh no" 🤷‍♀️ this one wasn't for me

I found this book to be very interesting and I really enjoyed the parallel stories. I thought that there was going to be another twist and was waiting for it to appear. Because of this, the end was a bit anticlimactic.

Thank you to both Libro.fm and Macmillan Audio/NetGalley for advanced audio copies.
Emily and Chess are the best of friends, they have each become authors, but different genres. On a whim Chess suggests a summer in Italy, at a Villa with quite the past.
I loved the setting and a dual timeline. In 1974 there was rock n roll and a murder, mysteries and lots of gossip as you can imagine. Emily becomes obsessed with finding the truth, and she learns much about herself and Chess, and her ex-husband
Narration is done by three people, Julia Whelan the most notable and I find her work so easy to listen to, just perfect.

I didn't figure out any of the secrets in this book, which I love, I enjoyed the surprise and was really aghast at the end. So very good. Grab this one up and prepare for a journey.

This story takes place at an Italian Villa but in two different time periods.

Previous day, we follow a famous musician and 4 others who are looking for their break in the artist scene. They are staying at the Italian villa for a summer of fun and inspiration but their story ends in tragedy

Current day, Emily and Chess are long time friends with an on and off again history who are both successful authors. Chess invites Emily on a once in a lifetime trip to Italy where they can both work on their novels. Once there, Emily becomes fascinated by the murder that took place at the Villa in 1974.

However, as old and new issues come up will Emily and Chess, will their stay also add to the Villas infamous legacy

I did enjoy The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins so was excited to read this book! I’ll admit that I was disinterested in the beginning because I don’t find any of the characters particularly likable. I felt like the story did pick up about halfway through though.

“Houses Remember”

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC

Chess and Emily used to be inseperable until their adult life came between them. When Chess suggests a girls trip to a villa in Italy, Emily jumps at the chance to spend 6 weeks rekindling their friendship. The women discover that in 1974, four famous people stayed in the house, and a chain of events lead to the murder of a young musician. As Emily finds inspiration for her next novel, she digs deeper into the Villa and its many secrets.

I stinking loved this! Apparently Rachel Hawkins' adult books are my jam, since I keep giving them 5 stars. The story is told in alternating timelines of the past and present. I think I found the 'past' chapters much more interesting as you as the reader are trying to piece together the tragic events that occurred at the Villa. I loved how the stories were interwoven with one another and almost mirrored one another. None of these characters are particularly likeable, but I think that is a staple in Hawkin's books at this point. The friendship between Emily and Chess was so toxic... I would have punched Chess out long ago if I were Em. I really enjoyed the audiobook and had a great time listening to it! I thought the inclusion of the quotations from other books, and the transcripts from podcasts about the 1970s characters was really cool and added a little extra to the book as well.

Overall, definitely recommend Rachel Hawkins as an author, I just find her books so entertaining!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

I’ve read several books this year that have been told from different time periods, but this hands down is the best one.
Two groups of friends stay in the same villa about 50 years apart in Italy.
It starts in present day with Emily and Chess who have been best friends since they were kids. Both are well known writers in their own right.
The second timeline is 1974, Mari her stepsister, Laura Mari’s boyfriend, Pierce follow rockstar, Noel Gordon to Italy to write new music.
The story flip-flops back-and-forth between each group of friends, and the things that are going on in their lives. Mary and Laura are both very young and have run off from home and are both very trapped with these two men. Emily who is going through a divorce is finding out just how horrible her husband has been during their marriage. Tragedy strikes both groups of friends and changes their lives forever.
It’s definitely one of those books that’s gonna stick with me for quite a while.

3.5 stars. Thank you to Netgalley and LibroFM for allowing me to listen to this book early! I enjoyed this book, but it was missing something for me. This is a story told in 2 timelines. Present day, our main character Emily is invited by her famous writer friend Chess to go to a villa in Italy for the summer. The other timeline is of a group of friends that stayed in that villa in 1974. In 1974 it was 2 musicians (Noel and Pierce) as well as Pierce's girlfriend, Mari and her sister Laura. One of them dies and one of them writes a potentially true horror novel about it. In present day, Emily is a cozy mystery author who is intrigued by the story of 1974 and wants to write something more hard hitting and discover hidden secrets. However, there is a lot of hidden tension between her and Chess and secrets come out that change her trajectory. I was definitely more interested in the present timeline than the past, and I think that comes down to character development. I think this book could've used 50 more pages to get the characters and storyline of the best developed more and to create more tension. This book felt to me like a mixture of Run Time by Catherine Ryan Howard and Verity by Colleen Hoover. It has a somewhat ambiguous ending which I am not a fan of, but overall this was an entertaining read that just needed a little more oomph.

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins has an interesting premise, a well loved narrator for the audiobook, and a beautiful cover. However, I had to make the decision not to finish this book pretty early on as the characters seemed extremely one dimensional and I had basically already guessed where this was going at around 7% into the book. The main two characters grated on me for being quite annoying and immature. I think that those who enjoy Rachel Hawkins' other thriller novels will also enjoy this one as the writing style and premise seem to align with her typical work.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio!

I am going to start with this, I love Rachel Hawkins. Several of her books have been five stars. I give The Villa these two stars with a heavy heart. I had such high hopes for this one, and it just fell flat for me. The entire story felt rushed which made it difficult for me to connect or appreciate the story line. I still remain optimistic and hopeful for her future works.

Emily and Chess were best friends as kids but as their adult lives take them in different directions, their friendship isn't as strong. Until one day they meet for lunch and Chess invites Emily to join her at a villa in Italy, so they can both work on their writing. Back in 1974 this villa had a murder among friends who were in the world of rock music. Noel invites his friend Pierce to the villa to write songs. With a group of friends working on their music, one of them, Mari, is writing a murder mystery. As tensions build, Pierce is murdered. For Emily and Chess, their tensions are building as well and some buried secrets between them come out. The two stories have some similarities and some buried secrets. I read & listened to this book in a day! My thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Goodreads for an early copy of the e-book, audio, and paperback. A beautiful cover to set the mood at a lovely Italian villa....that holds secrets only the house remembers. The audio was well done with three narrators. Highly recommend!