Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Suspense/Gothic
Release Date: January 3rd, 2023
Pages: 288
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Publisher’s Synopsis:
“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.
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.”
My Review:
WOW. Just wow. I am actually blown away by this one. If I could give it more than five stars I totally would – seriously, all the effing stars for this one. When I say I devoured this book, I mean I read this like I was starving for it.
This is a story about loss, betrayal, family, friendship, and twisted, toxic love. There is tension and a sense of foreboding throughout. It’s all set against the backdrop of an immaculate Italian villa, its picturesque atmosphere the perfect contrast to the horrors that take place.
There is so much to unpack in this story, so many layers within the plot. This meta-experience is a bit of a trippy mind-fuck at times. It’s stunningly detailed and the tone is so authentic that at times I found myself asking whether it was real or not. And that’s how I know I’m truly invested in a story, when it makes me start to question reality.
The story takes place in two different time periods, as well as excerpts from a book that one of the characters wrote. It’s like a story within a story within a story and so on, and it all culminates into an explosive finale that you truly will never see coming.
I enjoyed the simultaneous plots unfolding and seeing the parallels between the two. Kudos to the author for keeping it all together, as I can only imagine the amount of work that must have gone into plotting all of the layers. And the way that they slowly unpeel to reveal the core of things is perfection, absolute perfection.
We get an in-depth look at the characters feelings and motivations. The relationships are complex and dimensional, and the dynamics of friendships are tested. It’s a unique look at how trials can be overcome and differences can be accepted in one another as a way to bring people closer together. There’s a tenuous open relationship between two characters that only adds to the drama and the strange dynamics between two sisters.
We also get a unique peek behind the curtain of the life of a professional author and what the publishing industry can be like. I really enjoyed that it showed the “dark side” and that it is not always as glamorous as it may seem from the outside. The lifestyle and career of a writer isn’t always as picturesque as we sometimes perceive it to be. I like to see the open frankness that shows the gritty bits of reality.
I can’t say enough good things about this story. It’s a book you will want to read again and again, and you’ll find something new you didn’t see the first time through. It’s rare for me to be obsessed with a story, and even rarer for a book to captivate me so much that I would read it again. This one will definitely have a special place on my shelves (#preordered).
I was only recently introduced to this author when I read The Wife Upstairs last month, and I surprised myself with how much I actually liked it. (I am typically a fantasy reader but decided to branch out of my comfort zone and try new genres.) So I’m now currently reading Reckless Girls too. But The Villa is probably my favorite book by this author yet. I am officially part of the Rachel Hawkins fan club and will read anything she writes. I can’t wait for everyone to read this masterpiece and enjoy it as much as I did.
Disclaimers:
Huge thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for gifting me an early copy of this amazing story! I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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