The Villa: A Novel by Rachel HawkinsPublication Date: January 3, 2023
Pages: 288
Add on: Goodreads
Rating: ★★★½
Source: NetGalley
Genre: Fiction / Thrillers / Psychological
Publisher: St. Martin's Press / Macmillan
From the New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins comes a deliciously wicked new gothic suspense, set at an Italian villa with a dark history, for fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware.
As kids, Emily and Chess were inseparable. But by their 30s, their bond has been strained by the demands of their adult lives. So when Chess suggests a girls trip to Italy, Emily jumps at the chance to reconnect with her best friend.Villa Aestas in Orvieto is a high-end holiday home now, but in 1974, it was known as Villa Rosato, and rented for the summer by a notorious rock star, Noel Gordon. In an attempt to reignite his creative spark, Noel invites up-and-coming musician, Pierce Sheldon to join him, as well as Pierce’s girlfriend, Mari, and her stepsister, Lara. But he also sets in motion a chain of events that leads to Mari writing one of the greatest horror novels of all time, Lara composing a platinum album––and ends in Pierce’s brutal murder.
As Emily digs into the villa’s complicated history, she begins to think there might be more to the story of that fateful summer in 1974. That perhaps Pierce’s murder wasn’t just a tale of sex, drugs, and rock & roll gone wrong, but that something more sinister might have occurred––and that there might be clues hidden in the now-iconic works that Mari and Lara left behind.
Yet the closer that Emily gets to the truth, the more tension she feels developing between her and Chess. 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.
REVIEW
I couldn’t put down Rachel Hawkins’ The Villa. Not because it’s perfect, it isn’t, but because it gets under your skin in the best way possible.
Picture this: A struggling writer, fresh from a messy divorce, heads to an Italian villa with her oldest friend. Sounds like the start of a Hallmark movie, right? Except this villa has a body count. Back in 1974, someone died here, and that death sparked both a horror novel that Stephen King probably wishes he wrote and a rock album that still gives people chills.
Hawkins plays with time like a master DJ, mixing present-day drama with ’70s flashbacks. She borrowed a page from Mary Shelley’s life for one of her characters (clever girl), but made the story entirely her own. The result? A deliciously dark tale about women creating art while dealing with fame, friendship, and murder.
The real star here isn’t even human, it’s the villa itself. This place broods better than any gothic hero, watching as history keeps hitting repeat. And the women who inhabit it? They’re messy, complicated, and real. No “girl boss” clichés or catfights, just raw, honest relationships that’ll make you think about your friendships.
Sure, the ending comes at you fast, maybe too fast. But by then, you’re so wrapped up in the story, you might not even care. This isn’t some life-changing literary masterpiece, and it doesn’t try to be. Instead, it’s what every good thriller should be: a stay-up-way-too-late, forget-to-feed-the-cat kind of read.
If you like Lucy Foley or Ruth Ware, you’ll feel right at home here. Just don’t expect to look at your next vacation rental the same way again.
3.5/5 – Pour yourself a glass of Italian wine and settle in for the night. You’re going to need it.
