The Villa by Rachel Hawkins: A Book Recommendation

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

The Villa is an interestingly formatted murder mystery with dual timelines, interjected with various pieces of media (articles, podcast transcriptions, etc.).

Emily, recently divorced and facing a nasty case of writer’s block, receives an invitation from her flaky best friend Chess to spend the summer at an Italian villa. Despite their distant relationship, Emily sees this as an opportunity to reconnect with Chess while also finding inspiration for her writing.

The villa itself holds an intriguing history. It once served as a summer retreat for a group of musicians and artists, including the renowned horror author Mari Godwick and her musician boyfriend, the year that a gruesome murder took place within its walls. Emily becomes captivated by the villa’s past and is determined to uncover its secrets during her stay.

However, as tensions arise between Emily and Chess, doubts start to creep into Emily’s mind regarding her friend’s trustworthiness.

The story unfolds through a multi-POV narrative, revealing the secrets of both the villa’s past and its present guests.

Sometimes we don’t really know we’ve won until we see the reflection of that win in the loser’s eyes.
Rachel Hawkins, The Villa

If you’re giving The Villa as a gift, here are a few things to consider:

The vibes are mysterious, dark, tense, and emotional with a medium pace. Even still, it’s a pretty quick read.

This is the perfect book for anyone who loves Italy, multiple timelines, stories about authors as well as stories about rock-n-roll lifestyles.

Permission to judge a book by its cover!

This is truly one of the most beautiful book covers that I’ve ever seen. It’s swoon-worthy with its gorgeous yellow lemons, complete with citrus blossoms, and the cracked blue façade of a villa wall.

@jordys.book.club shows us how perfectly The Villa fits in with a blue and yellow book aesthetic.