Thank you to the author, publishers Headline and NetGalley UK for access to this as an advance reader’s ebook. This is an honest and voluntary review.

Emily has lost her writing mojo. Recovering from a lengthy, unexplained bout of illness and facing an acrimonious divorce it’s not surprising that she’s struggling to write the 10th novel in her cost mystery series. But, when her childhood best friend invites her on a spontaneous summer long trip to Italy she leaps at the chance to try and kickstart the writing. But, the villa, site of an infamous celebrity murder in the 1970s, proves even more inspiring than she imagined.

Like the author’s previous novel The Wife Upstairs, this is heavily inspired by classic gothic fiction. In this case it’s actually they story behind the classic, with ‘70’s musicians replacing famous poets in an homage to the story of Mary Shelley and how she created her her most famous story, Frankenstein.

While you don’t need to be familiar with Mary Shelley’s story I did find recognising the parallels an enjoying part of the reading experience. And, even if you are familiar it doesn’t give away anything significant about the plot as what happens in the book takes a very different turn.

I enjoyed this as a quick thriller, and it’s the perfect tone to make for a great summer read. The characters are mostly good, Emily’s best friend Chess sometimes seems a bit one-dimensional, although she is a very important part of the plot it did make harder to understand why Emily didn’t get more annoyed with her though.

Overall a good read.

1974, five people are spending the summer in a rented villa in Italy. Mari, Pierce, Lara, Noel and Johnnie.
Musicians, aspiring writers, an arty set.
Will it be sex and drugs, and rock and roll?

Best friends from school days, Emily known as Em, and Chess, both published authors, agree to spend the summer in a rental villa in Italy. A villa with a dark past from 1974.

Written in dual timelines the book moves back and forwards starting from 1974 as Mari takes up her story, moving forward to present times when Em tells her story.
The book held my interest throughout, and I found myself racing through, trying to work out what might happen?

Many thanks to NetGalley and Publisher for an advanced e-book copy. Opinions about the book are entirely my own.

I picked this book because of the cover! However, the storyline lived up to its promises. It's a dual pov storyline while 2 friends are staying in an Italian villa which was home to rock stars and their muses in 1974 when one if them was murdered.
I was actually more interesred in the gothic/darker 1974 mari/pierce story than the modern day one as I found Chess so unlikeable and Em fairly undeveloped and boring as a character.
However I really enjoyed the book- a fairly easy summer read with plenty of tension to keep you glued.

First things first this authors book covers are always absolutely stunning!

Now to the book - I was a lot more engaged in the main storyline rather than the flashbacks and felt it took you out of the story a little bit. Like the cat and mouse drama between Chess and Emily but was hoping the setting would be a lot more creepier and was hoping for an explosive ending.

I will continue to read from this author as I do really enjoy the writing style but this still didn’t live up to The Wife Upstairs for me.

Thanks to netgalley for providing an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4.75 ⭐️
A story of friendship, lies, betrayal, secrets and murder set in an Italian Villa, that switches between stories of past and present will have you not wanting to put this book down!! It was so addicting, Rachel’s writing flows so well and at no point was I bored, the two Povs in this book had me gripped and wanting to immediately find out what would happen next. The characters were also really engaging and felt like you were watching this happen inside of the villa itself of sitting at home reading

I really enjoyed Hawkins' "Reckless Girls" and this one lived up to my expectations. The Villa has some of the same fun ingredients as Reckless Girls - themes of friendship and the escapism of a destination thriller - but this one is a gothic, cosy thriller that's also in part an historical thriller. Highly recommended!

This was a fun, summery thriller. I can see this being really popular over the summer.

The novel takes place across two timelines at the same Italian Villa, 50 years apart, but I wasn’t really as interested in the older narrative and found myself wanting to rush ahead to the modern day parts.

The last quarter is honestly a bit of a mess and makes almost no sense as it’s tying itself in knots trying to pull everything together. My overall feeling having finished it is that I want to roll my eyes at how characters just completely flipped their motivations in the last 30 pages and what was meant to be a shocking twist was just nonsense and ruined the book a bit for me, but I have to remember I was having a good time til then!

Somewhere between 3 and 3.5 stars from me.

This book was surprisingly good. I am jot a big fan of domestic thrillers but this one kept me engaged till the end. Loved the past murder mystery case as well as the complex toxic relationship between Chess and Emily. The ending was also really well done. Would definitely recommend

🍋Synopsis🍋

Emily and Chess go way back but adult life has sent them in different directions. Emily, recently separated and struggling with the financial burden of divorce, is an author of cozy mysteries. Chess has launched herself as a self help influencer and writer #bossbabe. When they embark on a summer of writing at Villa Aestas in Orvieto, Italy the strains in their relationship come to the fore.

In the 1970s the villa was named Villa Rosato and was the scene of a brutal murder. A group of musicians and their associates spent a summer at Villa Rosato which would change the course of all their lives.

🍋Review🍋

The Villa follows two timelines, that of Emily and Chess and that of a privileged set of musicians and writers who visited the villa in the 1970s. Each timeline is distinctly different but equally claustrophobic and fraught. Both timelines link up perfectly as Emily becomes obsessed with researching the murder, with details being slowly unveiled to a shocking climax.

It’s a superb modern gothic novel that had me hooked as the tension sizzled like the Italian summer. The writing style was easy to read and follow despite the dual timeline. This is the perfect summer read for thriller lovers.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley, Headline and Rachel Hawkins for the E-ARC in return for an honest review

I was really looking forward to this and I found it enjoyable for the most part, but I was way more invested in the current timeline than the past. I also found the twists super predictable. But I love reading about authors and good for her books!

The Villa
Mystery, Thriller
Rachel Hawkins
⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book had a slow start, and I did have to put it down multiple times.

I found the switches to Lara's pov confusing at times because there were no headings or even page breaks, sometimes. Lara's pov usually starts will song lyrics out of the blue, too.

I can see what the author was trying to do by including the song lyrics - the reader is meant to see the hidden meanings that Emily and Chess discovered, but for me, it just pulled me out of the story because it almost seemed like a distraction.

I did guess the plot twists. While they were OK, they could've been so much better. I didn't find that there was actually much suspense or tension woven through the plot. Things were just revealed and accepted, then the plot moved on.

My favourite character was actually Noel, even though he probably shouldn't be.

Overall this was an ok read but it was more of a slow burn, a gradual reveal rather than a gothic suspense, as it was described.

*Thank you to @Netgalley and the publishers for providing this ARC. This is my own opinion and an honest review, which I am leaving voluntarily*

I flew through The Villa and at points genuinely considered cancelling real life plans to visit fictional Italy. I wasn't entirely satisfied by the ending but I suppose that's the point. Well worth a read.

The Villa has a fascinating premise with an intriguing plot, but somehow falls short in the execution.
Told in two timelines….
Firstly, back to the heady rock and roll days of 1974. The villa of the title is Villa Rosato. Mari Godwick accompanied by her musician partner, Pierce Sheldon and her stepsister Lara arrive at the villa as guests of infamous rock star Noel Gordon and his best friend Johnnie. During their stay, tensions escalate, and there is a suspicious death which turns out to be murder. Subsequently, someone is sent to prison.

Cut to the present day. Emily is a writer of YA cozy mysteries and is struggling to complete the next one in the series, partly due to her going through a divorce. Before Emily married Matt, she was inseparable from her best friend, Chess. Chess, now a leading self-help star invites Emily to spend a summer holiday at Villa Rosato, now renamed Villa Aestas. Emily starts to become obsessed with the eerie atmosphere of the house and the events of 1974 and this drives a wedge between her and Chess. Secrets then come to the fore about Emily’s own life.

There is quite a lot of description of the area and the beauty of the villa. As lovely as this is and it does add to the evocative nature of the novel, it does slow down the story to a snail’s pace. In particular, I found the 1974 timeline hard going. It just goes on and on bogged down by too much detail.

The twist at the end was very unsatisfying for me. I love Italy and it’s still a good read, but just a little too spiritual in the end.

Three stars and my thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for letting me have this copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

3.5 stars.
The Villa is a light mystery read that follows two POV. we follow Emily in the present day who is going through a divorce to her husband and is struggling to write the tenth book in her cosy mystery series, her soon to be ex-husband is making her life miserable as he is suing her for half her earning from her current series as books as well as any future sales in her series. Emily's childhood best friend Chess invites her on a holiday to a villa she's renting for the summer in Italy and Emily jumps at the chance. Whilst there, Emily begins to research into a murder that happened at the Villa back in the 1970s where we begin to follow the second POV of Mari who was at the 'murder house' back in the 70s. Mari is on vacation there with her boyfriend, step sister and a has been rock-star and his buddy. Events unfold and one of the five is murdered. Mari later produces a book written during her time there with hints to what happened there.
I did hope for more from this book and only found the book really kicked off at around 80%. I did find the ending cleverly done but wish there had been more oomph to the rest of the book.

I found The Villa to be a bit of a slow burner, but once it got going, it really got going! I can see the comparison to White Lotus, it definitely has that kind of feel to it.

The Villa - Rachel Hawkins 🍋

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

In 1974, five individuals descend on the Villa Rosato in Orvieto, Italy. Mari (whose perspective we follow) arrives for the summer with her partner Pierce, a struggling musician, and her step-sister Lara, a budding artist. Here they’re greeted by their host, Noel Gordon, the son of an Earl turned bohemian rockstar, and his right-hand man, Johnnie. Mari hopes to write while the rest make music, but the summer of love soon turns sour, and the beautiful villa becomes the site of a brutal murder.

Flash forward to the present and two writer best friends, Emily and Chess, are staying in the now renamed Villa Aestes, for an entire summer. Emily (whose perspective this timeline follows) arrives hoping to finish the last instalment of her cosy-mystery series, whilst recovering from illness and the recent breakdown of her marriage, and Chess is in the process of writing the latest edition in a self-help series that saw her rise to fame.

But will their writing holiday go to plan? Or will the events of that summer in 1974 come to haunt them? What secrets of the past might the pair uncover?

This is my first read from Hawkins, (discounting The Ex Hex written under her pseudonym Erin Sterling) and I have to say that I really enjoyed it! It had mixed media; two timelines; and a setting to die for! This was a slow burn to start with but rather than finding that tedious, it simply piqued my curiosity.

I know a lot of fellow reviewers have expressed a preference for one narrative over the other, but I felt equally intrigued by both. I enjoyed the storylines, loved the setting, and had a lot of fun with the twists. I felt the ending could have been stronger which is the only thing that brought the rating down slightly for me, but there’s still a lot to like about this summery thriller!

I’ll definitely be adding Reckless Girls and The Wife Upstairs to my ever-growing TBR, and I’ll be sure to look out for whatever Hawkins does next!

Thank you to both @Netgalley and @headlinebooks for this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins
I give this book 4 stars

Villa Aestas in Orvieto has a dark past: in 1974, rock star Pierce was murdered there and guest Mari went on to write one of the greatest horror novels of all time.
Present day- Friends Emily and Chess visit the villa for an holiday. As secrets from the past come to light, equally dangerous betrayals from the present also emerge - and it begins to look like the villa will claim another victim before the summer ends……

I loved the cover and setting for this book.
I was intrigued to read it after finding out the story has links to Mary Shelley and Lord Byron.lt is narrated with a dual storyline and character pov that intersect and weave together to tell a gothic tale.A simmering murder mystery filled with jealousy,secrecy and betrayal. The entertaining concept of a book/murder within a book/murder had me hooked along with the sprinkling of news articles and podcasts.
A great summer read!
With thanks to Netgalley,Rachel Hawkins and Headline Books for my chance to read and review this book

3.5 rounded up

Houses remember….

1974. A scandal, sex, drugs, rock stars and muses, altercations, the writer of a famous novel of feminist horror and an album which endures. However, what Mari Godwick, her partner Pierce Sheldon, her stepsister Lara and the notorious rock star Noel Gordon are most remembered for is the brutal murder at Villa Rosato in Orvieto.

In the present day, Emily is a writer of cozy mysteries and currently struggling to complete the next in the series. She jumps at the chance to reconnect with her best friend Chess who invites her to spend the summer in Italy at Villa Aestas, formerly Rosato. Emily becomes fascinated by the notoriety of the summer of 1974 and the more she digs into these fateful events the more the tension builds between her and Chess. Why? What secrets will emerge?

First and foremost, I love the inspiration for this novel especially how Rachel Hawkins weaves the story of Percy Bysshe and Mary Shelley spending a summer with Lord Byron in Geneva where Frankenstein is born, with Fleetwood Mac’s iconic Rumors album with the circumstances of 1974. This is very cleverly done especially how the author recreates these legendary figures into modern day characters and it’s one of the strongest elements of the story. The characterisation is very good although none are particularly likeable with several from the ‘70’s being out and out hedonists. Still, it does make for some fascinating and ever changing dynamics. Mari is probably the most likeable with Emily in the present day grating with her thoughts and actions towards Chess chopping and changing like the wind. I really like how the author takes a strong female artist empowerment angle which of course leads us straight back to Mary Shelley.

The atmosphere at the Villa is well done and there are some good descriptions of the sunny serenity of the beautiful house which juxtaposes so dramatically with what transpires. There are some good twists in the last 20% or so with the odd shock or two.

However, much as I do like the book it does take a while to get going as it prevaricates with some unnecessary detail. I find the earlier timeline stronger and more interesting than the second and that’s partly down to Emily’s personality. I had hoped for more of a dark Gothic vibe than we actually get which would have been so appropriate given the inspiration.

Overall though, despite some reservations it’s still a good book and the premise is terrific.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Headline for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Well...... I did not see where this was heading!!! I loved how it also went back and we read excerpts from our 'main' character from 1974 as well as our present time - the stories intertwined and the way it was written was just brilliant, sometimes when reading about two characters from different times it can feel dis-jointed but not hear - the stories flowed seamlessly to form the 'bigger' story and was just brilliant.

Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review