The Villa Book Review: A Thriller by Rachel Hawkins
The Villa Book Review
The Villa by Rachel Hawkins is a 2023 thriller release. I knew I wanted to read it because I’ve enjoyed all of the other thriller releases by this author. It also intrigued me because it’s told in two perspectives – modern day and in the 1970’s.
In modern day the story focuses on Emily and her best friend Chess. And then there’s the other part of the story. It’s a past timeline about a group of musicians and writers who created now-iconic works in 1974. I love reading about characters who are writers/creatives, so I knew this story was going to be right up my alley. Emily is the author of a very popular cozy mystery series but is having a bit of a creative block.
Today in my The Villa book review we’ll be discussing this latest thriller release by Rachel Hawkins.
About Rachel Hawkins
Rachel Hawkins has become one of my favorite authors over the past couple of years. Her thriller novels are unique, gripping, and often keep me reading late into the night because I just have to know what happens next.
But her writing career didn’t start with thrillers. Her first works of fiction began with the young adult series Hex Hall, Rebel Belle, and Royals. But that’s not all. She also publishes The Ex Hex series under the name Erin Sterling. After this, I’m determined to read all of the Rachel Hawkins books.
Her first thriller called The Wife Upstairs was released in 2021. It’s a modern day retelling of Jane Eyre with a very interesting plotline. Her next thriller entitled Reckless Girls came out in 2022. It’s about a woman and her boyfriend, who agree to sail two women to an abandoned island that has an unsavory history.
And then that brings us to The Villa, which is her latest novel and was published in 2023. I wound up really enjoying this book and will tell you all about it below!
About The Villa
The Villa in question is called Villa Aestas, and it’s a gorgeous villa fflocated in Orvieto Italy. Emily agrees to go there with her childhood best friend for a girls trip. It’s not her idea of a perfect vacation but she’s got plenty of things in her live she’s avoiding. A girls trip with Chess may be just what they need to rejuvenate their strained friendship. Although they started out as childhood friends and have been friend their entire life, things haven’t been the same in recent years.
But while they are at Villa Aestas, Emily slowly learns about former events that took place at their villa. In the Summer of 1974, it was the home to Noel Gordon, a notorious rock star. But what’s a Summer getaway without some friends along for the ride? He invites musician Pierce Gordon, to come and create with him. And with Pierce comes Mari Godwin (Pierce’s girlfriend who is a writer) and Mari’s step-sister Lara Larchmont (a musician).
It’s an interesting group, and there are definitely some questionable friendships.
The two stories are similar in that each is about a writing retreat of sorts. Mari would up writing on of the greatest horror novels of all time that Summer. Lara wrote what became a platinum album. But the story of that fateful Summer does not end well. Emily begins to wonder if the chain of events during that summer isn’t that different from her own.
Initial Thoughts
Rachel Hawkins is becoming one of my favorite authors. My first book I read of hers was The Wife Upstairs which I listened to through my Libby app and then I picked Reckless Girls as one of my Book of the Month choices for last year. Her stories just keep popping up to me and I keep enjoying them, so I couldn’t wait to get started on The Villa.
This is a hard book to review without spoiling so I’m going to just share some miscellaneous thoughts. It’s a fun story that is told through two points of view. Our first character is Mari. It’s the Summer of 1974 and she’s come to stay at Villa Rosado with her partner, her stepsister, and two friends. The house is full of tension because it seems like barely any of the characters like each other. As we learn more about Mari and her group we learn two things:
Some of the members of the group are going to use their time responsibly, to work on their art, music, and writing.
Not everyone is going to survive the Summer.
What I Liked
Fun, huh? And in present day we are introduced to Emily and Chess, two best friends who are staying at the very same villa in Orvieto. They know about the horrendous events that went down at the villa but they don’t think much about it. They have their own concerns to worry about. Both of them are writers and they each have a book on deadline.
I loved all the drama and mystery in this story. Because it’s told through two different perspectives, the real horror of the villa unravels little by little. As a reader, I was on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this story. There were certain parts that just didn’t strike me as realistic at all, but the characters were so interesting and their actions at times were definitely not what I expected. I’m really loving the way Rachel Hawkins writes mysteries and I was definitely expecting a twist after what happened in Reckless Girls, and The Villa did not disappoint.
On goodreads, this is how they recommend the book:
Inspired by Fleetwood Mac, the Manson murders, and the infamous summer Percy and Mary Shelley spent with Lord Byron at a Lake Geneva castle––the birthplace of Frankenstein––The Villa welcomes you into its deadly legacy.
Pretty spooky, huh? I highly recommend this book if you like mysteries. Rachel puts a lot of care into creating interesting characters (I just LOVED that Emily was a cozy mystery author, about a character named Petal Bloom) and creatiing interesting settings (So much talk of wine and cheese is good for my soul, tbh).
Take Note
I really enjoy listening to Rachel Hawkin’s books in audiobook format, and you can listen to The Villa through Audible. It is a Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press. Audiobooks are great because you can dive into a great story while getting other things done.
Thank you
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this eBook in exchange for an honest The Villa book review. As I mentioned previously, fans of thrillers and Rachel Hawkins will find this book to be an excellent addition to her catalog of books. This book is also perfect for fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware.
I really enjoyed this engrossing tale and think you will too!
xo Marian
But Wait, There’s More!
If you enjoyed my The Villa book review and are looking for other recommendations, you can see the rest of my thriller book review here.
