I really enjoyed this one. It gets more exciting as the book goes on. By the end your mind will be blown.
The narrators are perfect for this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to get an early copy of this great audiobook.

✏️ARC Alert!✏️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📚97/100
The Villa by Rachel Hawkins
Format: 📖 (thanks, @paperheartsbooks for letting me review this!)

Honestly, I was a little hesitant about this one after not being the biggest fan of “The Wife Upstairs” when I read it. This novel, however, really found its stride, and was inspired by Fleetwood Mac’s story and the Helter Skelter events, (but with the vibes of Verity, even a little dash of Devil Wears Prada). I know, I know. That’s a lot. But I promise when you read it, that’ll make sense.

It’s coming at you from @stmartinspress January 3, 2023, and if you like a dual timeline thriller with a unique setting, you won’t want to miss it!
—————————————————————————————

Estranged childhood friends Chess and Emily have entered their 30s with a lifetime of dissension and relationship strain. So when the opportunity to getaway together in an Italian Villa arises, the two jump at the chance to reconnect.

But they’re not the first creatives to spend time in the Villa Aestas. The home has a past including the 1974 murder of rock musician, Pierce Sheldon.

In the present, Emily seeks inspiration from the home. Will she uncover more than she bargained for?

#bookstagram #bookreview #thrillerbooks #readersofinstagram #booksta #4starreview #noshelfcontrol #bookish #bookishlove #bookstagrammer #bookworm

The Villa will appeal to readers who like a complicated two-timeline story, with elements tying together the two timelines. I found it a bit confusing for a while, as the narrative bounced back and forth while also including excerpts from a book written in the earlier timeline and articles about the book and the people involved.

The two timelines are the 1970s and the present day. Most of the action takes place in a villa outside the Italian town of Orvieto, the scene of a famous murder in 1974. The modern day timeline focuses on Emily, a fairly successful writer of cozy mysteries who is in the middle of an ugly divorce and has writer’s block. She reunites with an old friend, Chess, who has become very successful in a self-help guru fashion. Chess invites her to spend the summer at the same villa, where Emily winds up fascinated by the story of the murder 50 years before.

The 1970s sections are focused on a small group of young people who are renting the villa for the summer: two male musicians (one famous), a female aspiring writer, a female aspiring musician, and a male hanger-on, who apparently is there mainly to serve as a source of drugs. It’s mostly a “sex, drugs and rock & roll” situation. I didn’t find any of those characters to be particularly likable or engaging. The 1970s section also has a book-within-the-book and that added to the convoluted nature of the story.

This was my first book by Rachel Hawkins. I don’t know if this is typical Hawkins but if it is, I probably won’t search out her other books.

I bounced between the print version and the audiobook, which was narrated by three different narrators, mainly the wonderful Julia Whelan.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook and to St. Martini’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

First of all I must say that the narrator they picked for this was perfect. I loved her tone of voice it matched the tone of the story.
This was a dual timeline and the story of two sets of women who both spent a summer at the same Villa in Italy. I enjoyed all the twists and trying to figure out what was the actual truth and what were the lies. I’m still not quite sure if I figured them all correctly. It was entertaining but that being said the ending did not satisfy me.
Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy. All opinions expressed are my own.


CW: Death, Infidelity, Loss of child, Strong Language, Drug use.

“Houses remember.” This riveting novel has dual timelines, 1974 and present day, revolving around at Villa Aestes in Orvieto Italy.

In 1974, Mari, her musician boyfriend Pierce and her stepsister Lara, are invited to spend the summer with Noel, a rockstar looking to regain his spark. This summer inspires Mari to write her famous feminist horror novel, Lilith Rising and inspires Lara to create a legendary folk rock album, called Aestes. While Noel and Pierce, struggle to write even one song and begin to use drugs to avoid their failure to create. Passages from Lilith Rising and lyrics from Aestes begin each chapter. By the end of summer of ‘74, someone is dead, someone’s in jail and all their lives are changed.

Current day, Emily, a cozy mystery writer fresh from a divorce and her lifelong bestie, Chess, a glamorous self-help bestseller writer, decide to stay at Aestes, now an Airbnb called Villa Rosato. Emily finds a paperback of Lilith’s Rising and becomes obsessed the murder. As Emily get inspired, Chess struggles and all past lies, grudges and deceits emerge.

This was fascinating to listen to. The jealousies of the stepsisters in 74, the pettiness of the modern bestie writers, the inspirations of all the writers in all storylines were fast-moving and brilliantly intertwined. As the women embark on regaining their strengths and releasing their grief, they find peace.

I flew through this book and loved every minute of it! Well-written, well-paced with empathetic as well as a-hole characters that make@the reader CARE what happens to them. But I still don’t trust Chess, lol.

This one was sort of a flop for me. Too clean. Typical RH style which I am not entirely sure is for me. The book within a book concept was good but not enough twist. I found the two characters sort or annoying.

Didn’t love this one. Didn’t love the dual timeline.

Thank you NetGalley for the earc in exchange for an honest review

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 listen to 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.

The audio narrators for this story were absolutely fantastic. I found myself relistening to a few chapters just because I enjoyed their portrayal of the characters so much.

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 Macmillan Audio for this audio arc in exchange for my honest review.

This one was just OK for me. The concept was intriguing, however, I had a tough time connecting with the characters.

Twists upon twists upon twists! Just when I got comfortable thinking I had a hold on where the stories have gone (and wondering why there was so much book still left), there would be another turn. As with any rollercoaster, I am dizzy, slightly nauseous, and delighted.

A cross between Rebecca, Daisy Jones, and thriller books I can’t name at the risk of giving anything away…

Characters were well-written, especially their insecurities & ambitions. Great first line, indeed! I loved the themes and the unexpected places Hawkins took us to explore them: what makes a heroine, perspectives/ painting yourself in different lights, the nuances of friendship with competition, ambition within the patriarchy, & controlling the story or being controlled by it… (dah-dah-DUUUUNNNN).

This baby’s publication date is January 3rd & there is a giveaway right now on Goodreads. Thank you to @macmillan.audio for the advanced copy.

https://www.instagram.com/p/ClP2cCLLX6V/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5112926224

I really enjoyed this audiobook. Julia whelan does an amazing job of narrating this story. my only problem was her voice for Chess; I felt that it sort of waned in and out of a standard American accent into a thick "southern belle" accent. it was a little confusing at times. As for the story, I really liked it. The Villa felt more of a mystery than a thriller, and kept me wondering until the end.

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 finished listening to this audiobook this morning, and all I have to say is...wow! Layers upon layers upon layers to this book. I loved listening to it all as it was unraveled.

The dueling timelines, the similarities and how the older timeline seemed to influence the newer timeline was incredibly interesting. The reveal at the end? Genius.

Rachel Hawkins has a beautiful writing style, and I will never hesitate to pick up one of her books.

I would definitely recommend this book.

‘The Villa’ by Rachel Hawkins, set in Italy and told in alternate timelines with Mari in the past and Emily in the present, was such a unique, twisty, entertaining read. Full of rock, writing, love entanglements, friendship, and murder—this was a story that was suspenseful and full of mystery, yes, but it was also dedicated to, at its heart, storytelling, and I really, really loved that.

I did feel that certain things were left a little too vague (but that choice DID fit with the rest of the story) and rushed, but I also loved the ending. This was an absolutely amazing, absorbing story with a great premise it lived up to, and the audiobook, read so splendidly by Julia Whelan, Kimberly M. Wetherell, and Shiromi Arserio, absolutely made the story, the characters, come to life.

I highly recommend this one!

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 ringer.

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….

The narrators for this book were perfect, they totally hit the emotion in the voices of their characters and even some more of the sass for Emily's narrator. I could see her eyes rolling as she was speaking about Chess' books lol.

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 slowburn 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.

Definitely enjoyed the audiobook more than the book itself. It helped me get into it more. Not my favorite from Rachel Hawkins but I'm a loyal fan so I'd still recommend it. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

I'm giving this 3.5 stars and rounding down to three Here's why:

Reasons I enjoyed it:
A self-help and A cozy murder mystery author are on a retreat and stumble across inspiration for a new novel, An alternate timeline unfolds as the authors investigate the infamous death of a rock legend that happened 50 years before, and the villa itself a character, reveals its own secrets.

Where I think it missed the mark:
The sideline story. One of the authors is going through a messy divorce in the background. In general, that storyline is overdone and too predictable. I wish the author would have added more embellishments on the characters living their best life while spending the summer in beautiful Italy. That is the story I was hoping to lose myself in after reading the book summary and it just didn't quite get there.

Adored this duel timeline suspense novel. The narration was pitch perfect and I enjoyed the plot without being overly anxious.

I am low key obsessed with this book

The Villa follows two separate timelines - which I normally am not a fan of but here it was done really well - one in 1974 following Mari, a 19 year old girl who's grown up too fast thanks to her boyfriend, wanna be rockstar Pierce. She, Pierce, and her step sister Laura have been invited to stay in the Italian Villa by the rockstar Noel Gorden. While Pierce hopes to ignite a creative spark by working with Noel, Mari works on her novel and Laura works on her own music.

Meanwhile in the present day, writer Emily has been going through a rough divorce and recovering from a mysterious illness. She's been writing a cozy mystery series and has a lengthy contract that still needs two more books before her deal is complete. Unfortunetly for her, one of the major characters in the series is based off of her now-ex, which is putting her further in the dump. Meanwhile her childhood best friend, Chess, has become a decently famous self-help book guru. Despite the jealously and some old hard feelings, when Chess invites Emily on a summer long trip to Italy, Emily surprises herself by saying yes.

Soon after arriving to Villa Aestas, Emily becomes obsessed with Mari's horror novel, "Lilith Rising". Despite the book being set in England, Emily realizes right away that Mari had used the visuals from within the Italian Villa inside the novel. Not only that, but Emily begins to notice that Mari has set up clues from within the book to secrets inside the Villa...

What made this novel stand out from others in its genre is the fact all plot twists make sense and/or were foreshadowed to us in the earlier parts of the book, which makes the story feel more real

Overall a cozy (sorry emI am low key obsessed with this book

The Villa follows two separate timelines - which I normally am not a fan of but here it was done really well - one in 1974 following Mari, a 19 year old girl who's grown up too fast thanks to her boyfriend, wanna be rockstar Pierce. She, Pierce, and her step sister Laura have been invited to stay in the Italian Villa by the rockstar Noel Gorden. While Pierce hopes to ignite a creative spark by working with Noel, Mari works on her novel and Laura works on her own music.

Meanwhile in the present day, writer Emily has been going through a rough divorce and recovering from a mysterious illness. She's been writing a cozy mystery series and has a lengthy contract that still needs two more books before her deal is complete. Unfortunetly for her, one of the major characters in the series is based off of her now-ex, which is putting her further in the dump. Meanwhile her childhood best friend, Chess, has become a decently famous self-help book guru. Despite the jealously and some old hard feelings, when Chess invites Emily on a summer long trip to Italy, Emily surprises herself by saying yes.

Soon after arriving to Villa Aestas, Emily becomes obsessed with Mari's horror novel, "Lilith Rising". Despite the book being set in England, Emily realizes right away that Mari had used the visuals from within the Italian Villa inside the novel. Not only that, but Emily begins to notice that Mari has set up clues from within the book to secrets inside the Villa...

What made this novel stand out from others in its genre is the fact all the twists make sense and/or were foreshadowed to us in the earlier parts of the book. The overall flow between timelines felt pretty seemless, and the comparisons between the women in 1974 and those who came nearly 50 years later are all more similar to one another than they ever would have thought.

Literally recommend, great cozy thriller (if there is such a thing)

Thank you NetGalley, Rachel Hawkins, and MacMillan Audio for giving me an audiobook recording of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The narrator, Julia Walen, does a beautiful narration on this audiobook, considering she does several voices, with half of them having an English accent. I enjoyed her reading.

I was excited to read this book, based on the information from the publisher, and other things I'd heard from my fellow bookstagrammers. From the print material I received from the publisher: "[this book was inspired by] Fleetwood Mac, the Manson murders, and the infamous summer Percy and Mary Shelly spent with LORD Byron at a Lake Geneva castle-- the birthplace of Frankenstein..." I mean, that just sounds terrifying to me!

And the book was great. Not terrifying, but great. I absolutely adored the conflict Hawkins built between all the characters. The two female main characters staying in The Villa in present day are horrid-- not unsympathetic, but still completely ugh, both of them. They rub each other raw with their ragged edges. Don't even get me started on the husband. I honestly could not get enough of this crinkle-tense story.

THE VILLA with its form is one of the times I understand the stylistic choice for multiple timelines and perspectives. Hawkins executes this aspect of the narrative fairly well.. It isn't elegant, but it isn't clumsy. Nor does Hawkins give in to being gimmicky...until she does, right at the end. Chapter fifteen should have ended after the first scene. It doesn't really matter though; the ending relatively holds up to this error in design.

Regardless of the final (extra) scene, I loved this book.

Rating 4.5 stars rounded up
Finished November 2022
Read this if you like:
🙀 Thrillers / mysteries
⏳️ Dual timelines
👥️️ Dual perspectives
💔 Bitter heartbreak / divorce
👭 Best friends
📚 Bookish / meta