I loved the dual timelines as we followed two groups of people staying att he same Villa in Italy, one group of the 1970s rock era, all about sex, drugs, rock & roll and murder. The other about two friends in the modern era trying to reconnect, amidst secrets, lies and betrayal.

As with any good thriller not is as it seems and I was drawn to both stories, anxious to see the resolution.

The audio was absolutely superb and I highly recommend that version.

Emily is in the middle of a divorce and under pressure to produce her next book. When her best friend Chess suggests she join her for a summer in a villa in Italy, it seems like the perfect solution to move forward. Only this is also the scene of a famous murder. The rest of the world may have moved on, but houses remember. As the house starts to give up it’s secrets, Emily starts to discover things in her own life, even about her best friend, that she’d rather keep hidden but it could be at the cost of her career. For fans of Ruth Ware.

Hands down my new favorite thriller from Rachel Hawkins!! I loved how this was a story within a story full of unexpected twists that focused on the bonds of sisterhood and female friendship and the ways those bonds can get tested by toxic men! Excellent on audio narrated by a full cast including the amazing talents of Julia Whalen. The story included podcast excerpts and is perfect for fans of Jennifer McMahon or Simone St. James. Much thanks to NetGalley, St. Martins Press, Librofm and Tandem Collective Global for my ALC and the readalong opportunity!!

I really enjoyed the two timelines. They were exucuted with PERFECTION, and was very easy to follow. Very “action packed” lead. I was expecting the same for the ending, so that was a little dissapointing. Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for approving this Audio ARC.

4 STARS!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book - 4 ½ stars. ½ star deducted because the story plot about Chess and Em seemed not quite finished. But the story about Mary, Lara and the rock'n'roll gang in 1974 carried the story through. As a child of the 70'ies, it is funny to me to start seeing that decade depicted as 'history'.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC and the chance to review this book.

I received this ARC from NetGalley. This was quite a unique mystery/thriller! I loved the nonlinear timelines and the history of the villa. This story tests relationships and finding out who you can really trust. The audio narration was very well done. Although I liked the concept of this story, I was hoping for more of a spooky mystery. I still enjoy Rachel Hawkins’ writing a look forward to more of her work.

Full disclosure, this not my favorite genre. I have no idea why I keep putting myself through it. This book is just like all of the other novels that fall into ubiquitous category of the psychological thriller with an unreliable female narrator with a feminist twist for good measure. No surprises here. The writing itself is generally non-offensive and the narrator does a decent job, but it is all so predictable. In the author's attempt to not be predictable, she is actually all the more so my creating layers of twists in the story which are not so much engaging as they are annoying. I won't be seeking out any other titles from this author. Those who really do enjoy this type of book will probably find this a nice book to zone out to, so don't mind me and my negativity.

Twisty! I really liked the separate timelines aspect of this story and how different art forms are used to progress the story (Mari's novel and Lara's album lyrics as well as Em's current-day writing). This was like a past mystery being experienced in present day by two women, friends on vacation, at The Villa where it happened almost 50 years ago. There were also mysteries in the current time period, which added to the suspense of the story overall; like Em's growing unease with her relationship with Chess. Is Chess acting strange? I liked it. And Mari's dynamic with her step-sister, Lara, felt really similar -- were they besties, did it just appear that way on the outside and they were really at odds/ in competition with each other?

I thought each of the narrators did a great job! I liked that there are different narrators for Em and Mari; it was easy to know what timeline of the story we were in (past or present) because of that. There was great inflictions and emotions and they kept me interested in the story. Even the podcast chapter was super fun. The narrators really got into character and it was entertaining.

Big thanks to Macmillian audio via Netgalley for the advance listener's copy to read and review!

This was my first Rachel Hawkins book and I was not quite sure what to expect. Her books get a lot of mixed reviews, so I was excited to dive in and see what I thought.

The Villa follows two different characters along two different time lines. Maria who went tot he villa in the past with her rockstar boyfriend and a group of a few others. Maria was a writer and her step sister who was with her ended up writing one of the best albums while on their trip to the villa. At the end of Maria’s trip there was a horrible murder that changed the course of Maria’s life.
Emily, who goes on a trip present day with her best friend to the same villa is also a writer. Emily is going through a divorce and also battling some health issues. Emily discovers Lilith Rising, Maria’s book she wrote while at the villa and starts to try and figure out what exactly happened during the time Maria was at the villa.

I am not sure what category I would place this book in. It is not really a thriller or a suspense book. There is a murder but there is not too much of a mystery around it, just really no clean detailed pictures. So, I guess I would classify this as a mystery, women’s fiction book.

I will say the story kept me interested, but I did not feel a pull to the story or the characters. For me, I was not super invested in what happened or who the murderer was. A lot of time in books I am on the edge of my seat trying to solve the mystery, but for this I kind of just knew in my head what happened.

I will say, I did figure out most of the plot twists, except for the very end. The ambiguous ending was definitely not something I was expecting and I did like that there were some things that were left up to the reader to decide on their own.

If you like a good character driven novel, then I really do think you’d enjoy this story!

4/5 stars! I enjoyed this read. It has a strong sense of place and kept me intrigued from beginning to end. I also enjoyed going from past to present as we learned what actually happened at the Villa.

You know what they say: What happens at the Villa stays at the Villa.

Vacationing at a Villa in Orvieto, Italy sounds like a dream come true. One night in 1974, something sinister happened at Villa Aesta, and Pierce Sheldon was murdered. Now, over 40 years later, the Villa, now known as Villa Rosato, is available for rent. Best friends and writers, Chess and Emily decide to go for it, hoping to rebuild their friendship, write, and be inspired. Little do they know..

A slow/burn mystery that left much to be desired, I admit to skimming a good portion of the book when I got towards the end. I didn’t care much for either storyline and chalk this up to my not being the right reader for this novel.

A buddy read with Kaceey.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the arc and Macmillan audio and Libro.fm for the alc

Another winner from Rachel Hawkins! I enjoyed her books growing up, and more recently liked her Ex Hex series (under pen name “Erin Sterling”).

This story follows two timelines. In the present, Emily is vacationing in Italy with her childhood bestie-turned health-guru-phenom Chess. Emily is going through a messy divorce and is having a hard time writing her next book. In the same villa 40-50 years ago, Mari and Lara are on vacation with their partners on a song-writing retreat. By the end of the summer, Mari’s boyfriend turns up dead.

Emily and Chess; Mari and Lara. Hawkins shines at crafting the relationships between these women, demonstrating the complex feelings of sisterhood paired with competition; love paired with spite. This was described to me as a gothic novel, and I don’t think it fits that bill. While there was a hint of a psychological thrill, this was mostly about the relationships between these four women. I was not fond of any of these characters. They’re all deeply flawed. Even still, they were compelling, and I listened through the whole book in a day.

4 stars because this fell short on the “deliciously wicked gothic suspense” promised in the book description. Would still recommend to anyone looking for a somewhat twisty story that also focuses on the book-writing process.

Content warnings: suicide, infant death, murder, drugs, alcohol, infidelity

Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was thrilled to receive an ARC of The Villa by NetGalley/Macmillan Audio as I’ve been a fan of Rachel Hawkins since her Hex Hall days and Julia Whelan (one of the narrators of the audio) never disappoints.

My excitement was warranted because the depth and tone of the narration of the story (which is said to have been inspired by Mary Shelley, The Manson Murders, and Fleetwood Mac), added to the overall mood and my thorough enjoyment of this duel time-lined gem.

The present day story is told from the point of view of Emily, a cozy mystery writer going through a messy divorce, who has been invited to spend the summer at an Italian villa with her childhood best friend Chess. This particular villa was also the setting of a murder in the 70’s that involved a rockstar and his travel companions.

That murder is the basis of our second, flashback timeline as told by Mari, a young author in love with an aspiring musician. Though her time spent in Orvieto ends in tragedy, it also results in the greatest success of her career.

I loved many of the aspects of this gothic suspense done right. The characters are complex, and not one of them is 100% likable (a plus in my opinion). The setting is also rich and textured. The descriptions of the villa itself actually became one of my favorite parts of the story. Some of the plot twists in the book were slightly obvious, but I read a lot of suspense/thrillers, so it takes a lot to keep me guessing. Overall, the characterization, excellent narration and overt (but not obnoxious) feminist flair made this a very solid four star listen!

What a wild ride! Great for fans of slow burn thrillers and true crime. I really enjoyed this audiobook! I think once again, Hawkins did a great job at creating main characters that are pretty unlikeable but you also feel bad for their situation. I think the duel storyline was really well done and I enjoyed both stories. I like that multiple narrators were included in the audiobook. It made it easy to differentiate between Laura and Emily as I was listening. At some points in the story I even felt as though was reading Taylor Jenkins Reid (I am a big TJR fan so this is a huge compliment!)

*Thank you again to NetGalley and MacMillian Audio for the audiobook ARC in exchange for a review!*

WOW! This was so good! I listened to this in a span of two days. I really loved the multiple timelines, the multiple perspectives, and the setting of the villa.

This audio had me hooked. As in cleaning, work, gaming on my phone. I needed to listen - quickly entranced by the plot and the women. These women are all badass- well maybe with the exception of one.
Emily needs a vacation- her pending divorce draining all of her - confidence, her bank account. Her bestie Chess - a self help bestseller books a trip for them both. Villa Aestas.
My favorite narrator- Mari, daughter of a talented woman who died in childbirth. Her stepsister. Her partner. His friend - plus his dealer. Complex. Women in superficial roles, yet about to hit their creative peak.
Mari to pen a book about women, power, betrayal. Survival.
Based on Mary Shelley's own excursion to Lord Byron's estate - towing a despicable partner; befriending Byron's friend, a dr rather than dealer. And her stepsister. Always her stepsister. On the brink of Frankenstein.
Massive swoon.

This was the first Rachel Hawkins novel I read and I'm a little underwhelmed. Maybe it's because i was listening to the audiobook but i was getting very lost in the flipping between Mari, Emily and the various news reports. The narrators didn't do a great job distinguishing them from the overall narrative.

The story overall was pretty predictable and i didn't love the ending. The narrators were mlstly good but like i said before, it got a little confusing at times. I definitely was getting that Fleetwood Mac / Manson murder vibes at the start but it fizzled out my the end.

I didn't hate the book, but i also didn't love it ya know

Thank you for this arc!!

This is a great tale of vulnerable yet powerful women who have chosen to push past their insecurities and make a name for themselves.

Rachel Hawkins does a great job of weaving in a multitude of current social issues to create a story that pulls at your heartstrings. This also adds another depth to the creepiness of the story.

There were so many times throughout this book that I wanted to go read the book she referenced or search the internet for anything about what happened in the 1970's but have to remind myself that it didn't actually happen. She is just that good.

The audiobook was a joy to listen to. The voices they chose to represent the different time periods and types of writing really made the book come alive. Really loved the stark contrast between the voice for the 1970's timeline compared to the current timeline. I was coming up with every excuse I could to listen to the story longer.

Two women spend a summer in Italy in a murder house - what's not to love?

I loved the premise of this book and had high hopes of liking this story. Unfortunately I never really liked any of the characters and struggled to keep some of the relationships straight throughout the book. Still the story was captivating enough that I wanted to know how it ended.

I listened to the audio version of this book, which was beiatifully read by Julia Whelan, Kimberly M. Wetherell and Shiromi Arserio.

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins will be available January 2, 2023. Many thanks to Netgalley, MacMillan Audio, and St Matins Ress for the gifted copy.

“Sometimes we don’t really know we’ve won until we see the reflection of that win in the loser’s eyes.” I LOVE this quote.

The audio narration was awesome, anytime you have Julia Whelan narrating you can’t go wrong.

I liked the story of Chess and Emily, and the stuff with Matthew…ok I didn’t “like” it but that was an interesting storyline. The dynamic between the friends can be good, annoying, frayed and solid…all of these things, all at once. It’s a complex relationship that’s for sure.

I loved the individual storylines that were mixed into this story but I kept getting frustrated because I’d get interested in one part of the story and then there would be a time jump to another storyline. That’s just a personal preference thing, time jumps are tricky and I like when they flow a bit more. It’s almost like the author was just doing too much. It was a little convoluted for me.

A lot of write ups about this book compare the writing to that of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware, I’m not a big fan of either of their writing, not that it’s bad it just doesn’t flow for my brain…it’s just not for me. I’m guessing all of her books don’t have a similar writing style because I liked Reckless Girls (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️).

I’ll definitely read more books but this author since I enjoyed Reckless Girls and I have The Wife Upstairs on my shelf. I can’t fully endorse The Villa, but it did keep my attention. I was left wanting more of a seamless flow.