Loved this book. The characters and the plot line were just perfect from start to finish.
This book had me hooked from the very first page, I just couldn’t put it down.

I really enjoyed this dual timeline mystery and thought both stories weaved together perfectly. The parts set in the past gave me some Daisy Jones & The Six vibes and the present day had a touch of Yellowface to it. The character dynamics in both were fascinating.

I had this on my tbr so long and regret not reading it sooner. I will definitely be pushing The Heiress up.

Rachel Hawkins’ The Villa is a thrilling dive into the complex world of sisterhood, secrets, and suspense. The novel follows Emily and Chess, childhood friends whose relationship has become strained over the years. When Chess proposes a trip to Italy, Emily eagerly seizes the opportunity to rekindle their bond.

The setting, Villa Aestas in the picturesque town of Orvieto, is as captivating as it is sinister. The villa’s dark history, tied to the tragic events of 1974 involving rockstar Pierce Sheldon and his girlfriend, Mari, who later penned a renowned horror novel, adds layers of intrigue. The story of Pierce’s death and Mari’s subsequent fame creates an intriguing backdrop that Emily begins to unravel.

As Emily investigates the villa's past, she suspects that Pierce’s murder may have been more than just a rock-and-roll tragedy. Her search for answers is intertwined with a growing sense of tension between her and Chess. The narrative deftly explores how old grievances and new betrayals can complicate relationships, leading to a suspenseful climax where the villa seems poised to claim yet another victim.

Hawkins weaves a gripping tale filled with gothic suspense and unexpected twists that keep the reader engaged until the very end. With a setting that combines the glamour of rock-and-roll with the eerie allure of a haunted villa, *The Villa* offers a compelling read that will appeal to fans of Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley.

This novel is a captivating and well-crafted thriller. It combines atmospheric suspense with a richly layered plot, making it a standout choice for readers who enjoy a good mix of psychological intrigue and gothic glamour.

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins is a captivating blend of mystery, suspense, and a touch of the supernatural, all set against the picturesque backdrop of an Italian villa. The story follows best friends Emily and Chess, who decide to spend the summer at Villa Aestas. As they settle in, Emily discovers the villa's dark past, including a murder that occurred in the 1970s involving a group of artists and musicians.

What I loved most about The Villa is the way Hawkins intertwines the present-day narrative with the haunting events of the past. The dual timelines are seamlessly woven together, creating a rich and layered story that kept me hooked from beginning to end. The characters are well-developed, particularly Emily, whose journey of self-discovery and unraveling the villa's secrets is both compelling and relatable.

The atmospheric setting of the Italian countryside adds to the novel's allure, with Hawkins’ descriptive writing bringing the villa and its surroundings to life. The tension builds gradually, leading to a series of unexpected twists that kept me guessing until the very last page. The supernatural elements are subtly integrated, enhancing the eerie and mysterious tone without overpowering the main storyline.

Overall, The Villa is a thoroughly enjoyable read that combines a gripping mystery with a beautifully described setting. It's perfect for fans of psychological thrillers and gothic fiction.

This was a really great holiday read. I couldn’t put it down. It felt fairly low stakes and more drama than a thriller/mystery but with enough action to keep you entertained

All I can say is, this would make such a great holiday/beach read.
The Italian setting transports you there, both in the present and the 1970's timeline.
It's definitely a layered story and I was also really surprised to find out that it was inspired by true events, which added another layer to what was already an intriguing read.
It also had some gothic vibes, which I liked. And the ending had me hooked too.
This is the first book that I've read by Rachel Hawkins but it certainly won't be the last.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a beautifully written book. This was twisty with an excellent ending. I found myself binge reading it the twists had me hooked. I gave this 5 stars and highly recommend it.

I'm not sure what happened here but I feel like the author was off her game with this one. I've really enjoyed most of Hawkins' books in the past. I was a massive fan of her YA Hex Hall series back in the day, and was thrilled (ha) to see she was going to tackle the thriller genre next. I liked her previous thrillers. This one... not so much. It didn't feel like a thriller at all, more of a domestic suspense, perhaps? I'm really struggling to categorise it.

I found the whole thing to be very boring, and not only did it have flashbacks scenes that I just didn't care about, it also had the dreaded "novel within a novel", which I HATE. I'm disappointed in this one!

Arc review

A slow burn thriller with split timelines - same house different times.
The writing is smooth and easy but the plot manages to put you on edge at the same time!

Read this on a sun lounger and let the 70s vibe take you over!
The Italian villa in question has a murky showbiz past: in 1974 it was hosted up-and-coming rockstar Pierce Sheldon and his girlfriend, Mari. By the end of the holiday Pierce is dead, and Mari becomes a horror writer.. Roll forward to the present day and Emily and Chess, renting the villa, become obsessed with the death, looking for clues as to whether it was innocent or something more sinister.
I really enjoyed it, its sharp and clever, with plenty of twists in the tale, and the 70s timeline is so delicious.

A fast paced thriller that I couldn't put down.
While this lacked the intensity I expected, I still found myself unable to put this down.
Wanting to know what lead to the tragedy in the 70s. Will it be repeated now?
While I'm not 100% sold on the Matt twist I would have preferred Chess. I understand why it needed to happen the way it did.
I'm also left unsure about the ending. Mari writing a fictional ending and the truth both hidden away.

Really enjoyed The Villa, and I love that it is a split storyline set in both present day and in the 1970's - both linked in the setting of an Italian Villa.

Had a good pace throughout, both timelines were interesting enough so you didn't feel disappointed going back to a different character and viewpoint. Will be reading more of Rachel Hawkins

Thanks to NetGalley & Headline for the Arc! I'm a big Rachel Hawkins fan (woot woot 'Hex Hall' series!)
I've been looking forward to this book for quite awhile, but it didn't work for me. I didn't feel any connection to any of the key players, and the story just didn't flow right for me. I kept waiting and waiting for something exciting to happen, and it never really did. I'm going to keep supporting my girl Rachel Hawkins though!

I was very hopeful in the idea of this book ie. set in an Italian villa, goes back to the 70s, however it took me a lot of motivation to continue reading. I enjoyed the flipping back in time to the previous habitants of the villa however for me, a lot of the characters lacked depth that I often look for in books, they had so much potential and I felt that they could have had so much backstory to each. Nevertheless, I did enjoy the story and structure of the book and would still recommend for others to read!

Wasn’t really in love with any of the characters but found myself much preferring Emily’s perspective to Mari’s- just couldn’t connect to that older timeline really.

Picked this up as I had heard it was inspired by the trip that Lord Byron, Percy Byse Shelley, Mary Shelley and her sister Claire Clairmont took to Italy. Those sections really worked for me. Honestly, the present day sections were slow for me and I know the character of Chess is meant me irritating but it really made it difficult at times to enjoy the reading experience.

Emily is the author of cozy mysteries who, following illness and separation from her husband, is struggling to focus on her writing. When her oldest friend Chess, a hugely successful writer of self-help books, and from whom her recent relationship has been somewhat distant, invites her to spend the summer in a villa in Italy Emily jumps at the chance.

It turns out that the villa has quite a history - in the summer of 1974 it was the scene of a murder when it was rented to a famous musician and his friends.With one of their number dead, another behind bars, one went on to write a bestselling book and another became an acclaimed singer songwriter. Emily becomes fascinated by what happened that summer and soon her interest in the story provides much richer inspiration for a book than the story she had planned to write - but the more she digs into it the more strained her relationship with Chess becomes.

This is a many layered story - told in dual timelines and moving between Emily in the present and Mari in the 1970s, we also have snippets of Mari’s best selling novel as well as excerpts from podcasts and newspaper articles. Hawkins weaves the stories together to create a read full of suspense with some intriguing twists - and understanding her inspiration for the book adds another fascinating layer to this entertaining read.

Childhood friends and fellow writers Emily and Chess retreat to a beautiful Italian villa so they can spend the summer working on their new books
However once she learns that there was a murder there in the 1970’s Emily soon becomes interested in the villa’s dark past, which puts a strain on their already tense relationship.

Although it was a decent destination thriller I wouldn’t say it was much of a page turner for me, possibly because of the disjointed format which included a book within a book, podcast notes, as well as duel timelines

Nevertheless I’ve really enjoyed her previous work especially Reckless Girls so it won’t put me off reading her in future

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins is a tantalising little read that combines so many elements I love. We have a dual-time storyline, a high-drama murder, characters based on real people, Gothic-tinged deceit and glorious Italian settings.

Mari Godwick and Emily McCrae are our dual narrators. Mari’s story takes place in July 1974, while Emily is in the present day. What they have in common is the villa – Villa Rosato, later renamed Villa Aestas, to be precise.

Emily and Chess are childhood best friends, both writers. Emily is known for her cozy detective Petal Bloom Mysteries. She has writer’s block on her current manuscript and is tempted to write something different. Coupled with the fact she’s getting divorced, when Chess (writer of self-help books, Instagram star) asks her to go on a writing retreat to Italy, she can’t say no.

They stay in Orvieto, in Villa Aestas where, in 1974, Mari Godwick, her step-sister, Lara Larchmont (who writes an album, Aestas that summer in the villa that goes on to achieve basically Rumours status), her boyfriend and a rock star had stayed. Their trip was eventful, cumulating in a murder… It was also where Mari writes what will go on to become her seminal work of Gothic horror, Lilith Rising.

Emily becomes fascinated by Mari’s story and the secrets she feels she is close to discovering in the villa. But can any good really come of it for Emily?

Part murder mystery, part Emily finding herself, The Villa fuses the two timelines, builds up suspense and fascinatingly draws on real life events…

So yes, the character based on a real person is indeed Mari. She basically is Mary Shelley (1979-1851), if she were alive in the 1970s. Like Mari, she wrote her first iconic work of literature (Frankenstein) as a teenager, her maiden name was Godwin to Mari’s Godwick, also like Mari her mother was a writer who died just after she was born and her father a philosopher.

There are many more similarities too (pretty much her whole life) that you will pick up on if you read The Villa, but the most relevant one here is that Mary Shelley went on a life-changing trip to Geneva with her step-sister, boyfriend and not a rock star but fellow writer and stayed in Villa Diodati. She also spent time in Italy.

I know you won’t agree with every decision a character makes, but there is something that Emily does – a version of events she chooses to believe that has severe consequences – that just really didn’t sit right with me in terms of the story. But as uncomfortable feelings and bad decisions are all part of the mix here, maybe that’s exactly what I was supposed to think.

I love novels that draw on real life events and by reimagining Mary Shelley’s infamous Swiss gathering and layering in a murder mystery and dual timeline element too, The Villa cements itself as a clever, engaging page-turner. I highly enjoyed it.

This story was a bit odd, but did captivate me for some reason. There are about three different stories going on, as many of the characters are writing books and reading books, and the stories they read/write are subsumed into this novel.
It’s based on 2 old and best friends sharing a villa in Italy during a summer. It is dark, and what happens binds them together for the future, so whilst the novel wrapped up well, I’m not sure a sequel could be a happy ever after. There is a lot of manipulation in the storyline and this does give the story its twists and turns, but is not the most comfortable of reads.
AD : Gifted : I was gifted a copy from @netgalley from @headlinebooks @headlinepg