Week 3 Review: The Villa

From Goodreads:

From New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins comes a deliciously wicked 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. 

My Review:
Oh, this was another fantastic mystery from Rachel Hawkins! I don't think this is a retelling of anything like the last two, since those had that mentioned in the synopsis, and this one doesn't. It was such a great and compelling read! 

This is another mystery where we're seeing more then one timeline. We have Emily and Chess in the present, at the Villa, and exploring what happened in the 70's. We're also in the 70's at that fateful summer, and the murder that occured. I loved following both timelines! 

There are so many secrets, and so many reveals going on! Of course that was going to happen, this is a mystery, but they were so captivating, and I had to know what was going to happen next! I couldn't get enough! 

That ending was fantastic! Just that little bit more of a twist of the knife that's already in your gut. It worked so well though, after everything that happened! I loved how things resolved in both timelines, it was fitting! 

I loved reading this book, and I can't wait to read more by Rachel Hawkins! 

Author: Rachel Hawkins 
Read: January 16th, 2023
Source: NetGalley 
Reason Why: Love her writing and it sounded really great, and it's a SAC 2023 Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Published: January 3rd 2023

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars