The Hunting Wives is about a bunch of terrible women in East Texas who are bored with their privileged lives and their hot, rich husbands, so they have secret get-togethers on Friday nights to go skeet shooting at the Head Terrible Woman’s lake house and then they all drink an alarming amount of alcohol and go cheat on their husbands at a random bar. Cool, cool. Pretty much just like my Friday nights.

There’s also a lot of ickiness that I won’t divulge here because of spoilers, but some of the stuff these women get up to reallyyyy didn’t sit right with me. I know it’s a thriller and these characters are supposed to be total garbage (they are), but it kind of went beyond “unlikeable characters” for me. And for the record, unlikeable characters don’t bother me. I love unlikeable characters. I think they’re more interesting than likable characters. But this one just didn’t sit right.

But ALL OF THAT ASIDE: between the drunk women and unreliable characters and stupid decisions and characters being far too trusting and naive, it kind of just felt like *every other thriller* and I wasn’t entirely interested. It felt predictable and kind of boring if I’m being honest. But that could also be a symptom of my having read too many thrillers. Idk.

Either way. The story is fine. The “mystery” is fine. The bored housewives are *fine.* And like I said, a lot of people have really liked this one, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt 🧂 You may love it! But for me, it was underwhelming, a bit boring, a tad eyeroll-y, and pretty high on the icky scale. ⭐️⭐️

Raucous and raunchy, this band of trigger-happy housewives are certainly not your traditional hunters. THE HUNTING WIVES follows Sophie O’Neill, a mother desperate to fit in with an elite clique fueled by alcohol and led by socialite Margot Banks. Sophie’s obsession with Margot leads her directly to the center of a murder investigation and away from the life she built with her stable husband and young son.

Sophie is the most blindingly idiotic and unsympathetic character I have read in recent memory. She makes repeated mind-numbingly asinine decisions that I couldn’t understand the motivation behind. Now, I don’t need every character to be likeable; but at least one tiny redeeming quality in this gaggle of hot-to-trot housewives would have been nice.

With an excruciatingly slow build and a race to the finish line in the last 10% of the book, I felt the pacing was off. The mystery the entire book is built upon doesn’t even occur until after the 50% mark. While I can appreciate a slow build, I most certainly did not appreciate middle-aged women sexually preying upon Highschool boys. My skin was crawling with disgust and I couldn’t shake the unsettled feeling. Surely this book would be received differently if the gender roles were reversed with middle-aged married men preying upon Highschool girls.

Despite the fact that the subject matter isn’t to my taste, the mystery was intriguing and the twist was solid. It was very well-written and I enjoyed the chapters about Sophie’s gardening, cooking, and blogging. I would pick up another book by May Cobb in the future, but I’ll be sure to buckle up for a wild ride.

RATING: 3.5/5 stars (rounded up)

A big thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for providing me with an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review is currently posted to Goodreads and will be posted to Instagram in advance of the publish date.

This book had me hooked from the beginning. It was so bad that it was good. Cringe-worthy parts, indeed, but like a train wreck, it was like I couldn’t look away! The last half of the book captivated me even more! With twists and turns, I couldn’t wait to see how the story would end and how the loose ends would be tied up. I love a good thriller/mystery!

So much about 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝗪𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐒 (5/18) I shouldn’t have liked. Let’s be honest, it’s a story about a bunch of very privileged white women doing whatever they want to get everything they want. They run roughshod over anyone who gets in their way, drink copiously and constantly, use high school boys as playthings, and haven’t seen a line they weren’t willing to cross. They're awful!⁣
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Introducing us to these women is Sophie, new to town and eager to be part of the “in” crowd. When the leader of the pack, Margot, invites Sophie to go shooting with them, Sophie is delighted and determined to do whatever it takes to stay on Margot’s good side. Sounds a little like high school, right? Well in many ways it was and that’s another reason I shouldn’t have liked this book, but I 𝐃𝐈𝐃 like it! ⁣
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𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘞𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 was exactly what I needed for a fast paced, light weekend read. Sure, I cringed in some parts, but I was always eager to get back to the train wreck that was Sophie’s life. I think May Cobb did a great job foreshadowing what was to come without giving too much away. If you’re looking for a fun domestic thriller and enjoy stories of the rich behaving badly, I’d add 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘞𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 to your beach bag this summer.

What in the actual..... ?!!?
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I do not know what it is I just read.
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I know I read a thriller. I know it is called The Hunting Wives, but honestly, wtf? lol.
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Okay so let's just start with the things I enjoyed about The Hunting Wives:
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- The writing. I really enjoyed May Cobb's descriptions, verbiage, and ability to make me tare through the pages of this story. I mean, I absolutely had to know what was going to happen and could not put this book down and that is, indeed, the mark of a good thriller...
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What I didn't like:
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- There are some VERY morally questionable actions in this book that I had a hard time reading. I don't want to give away the plot, so if you're thinking of reading this book and want more on this, feel free to message me.
- All the characters, except poor Graham, were wholly unlikable. Cringey. EEW. I get that this happens a lot in thrillers, but I wasn't really cheering for anyone.
- Certain things about the plot just were not answered. I need answers.
- The ending was anticlimactic.
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This is a compulsive story and if you're looking for a thriller to read quickly that will kinda blow up your head, this is definitely one to seek. Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for the e-arc!

This book kept me on the edge of my seat, I did not want to put it down! Sophie is in a very stressful situation that she brings on herself but also she is at the mercy of others who are not good. I enjoy the twists and turns of not knowing who to trust and the major plot twist/reveal was so surprising! I did not see it coming. The writing was wonderful and the pacing of the story was perfect.

I loved this book! I'm a Texan, and I consider the setting and "feel" of the environment to be spot-on. Even though I did not particularly care for the narrator, I remained enthralled through the entire journey (and what a journey it was). I found the story relatable because I'm not normally a part of cliques and often (happily) find myself on the outside looking in. It was fun to see/imagine what I'm not missing. I think this book would make a fantastic movie.

Today I finished The Hunting Wives by May Cobb. I was lucky enough to receive this one from @penguinrandomhouse and @netgalley ! It comes out May 18th or you can get it on @bookofthemonth .

The Hunting Wives follows Sophie and her family as they begin to settle into a new town. In this town Margot and her friends are the rich crowd that Sophie would love to join. One night they invite her into their secret Hunting Wives Club. This is a new world for Sophie and it begins to be too much for her when suddenly there’s a girl from town that goes missing and her world begins to spiral out of control.

❤️Review❤️

If you are looking for a book that will hook you and not let you put it down, look no further than this book. The writing style was so captivating that I couldn’t stop reading. The plot was a train wreck that you just can’t look away from. Unfortunately I really didn’t like Sophie. I think she made extremely poor decisions and I couldn’t understand her rationale for most of her actions. There are definitely trigger warnings for excessive drinking, possible drugging, cheating, and underage relationships. It was also more sexual in nature than I expected. If I knew about those trigger warnings ahead of time, I may have stayed away from the book. I really liked the main plot and the twists and turns it took to get to the reveal. To me, the author’s choice to use the triggery troupes to the excess that she did made me uncomfortable. It felt like it could have been done in a different way that wouldn’t have been so bothersome. It’s hard to rate this book because there were elements that I really enjoyed, but there were also a lot of things that bothered me on a personal level. I’m definitely the unpopular opinion. If you aren’t bothered by the points mentioned above, then you will probably really like this book!

3 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️

#NetGalley #BookReview #NewBook #BookReleases #2021Books #SpringReading #Bookstagram #BooksBooksBooks #BookOfTheMonth

This was such a fun mystery thriller. I couldn't get enough of these rich wives behaving badly! You could tell that none of these wives could be trusted! But could one of them commit murder? I couldn`t put this one down, I wanted to see where these well constructed mess of characters would do next. The Hunting Wives is a group of rich women who drink a ton and skeet shot and then go out and behave badly.
I enjoyed Sophie`s character, her want to fit in and how she just gets sucked into these women world. The mystery mainly seemed to be the second half of the story, but you could see how all the bad behavior was leading to something worse. I didn't guess the killer and of course I love not being able to guess correctly!

Thank you Berkley Publishing and Netgalley for my review copy for honest review!

Oooh this was a fun thriller! When I read the synopsis for The Hunting Wives, I was immediately intrigued. And it actually lived up to my expectations, which I feel like is often rare for thrillers these days! It’s fast paced and has characters you really love to dislike. I recommend going into this one as blind as possible. The Hunting Wives gets 4 stars from me! Thank you so much Netgalley for my advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you @berkleypub & @netgalley for this advanced digital copy!

SUMMARY:
Sophie settles down in a small, idyllic town in Texas with her husband Graham and their young son Jack. She meets Margot Banks, the head honcho of The Hunting Wives clique and she’s completely drawn to her, practically obsessed! After hanging out with her one night, the detectives find a body of a young teen near Margots house and somehow, Sophie is the main suspect in the investigation.

MY THOUGHTS:
Let me just say. I’m not one to binge on reality shows cause I feel like it’s all just booze and drama but I really liked this one! This was def entertaining & addicting I just couldn’t turn away from it. Even tho some of the characters pissed me off with their bad decisions, I just had to see it to the end (and I def guessed wrong with that ending)

👎🏽 It was a bit of slow burn- all the twists started coming near the end. I also couldn’t stand any of the characters & some of the underage scenes were a bit questionable and cringe 🤨

Sophie O'Neill finds herself in small-town Texas where she winds up in a group of friends that dub themselves "The Hunting Wives." But what exactly are they hunting? Sophie soon finds out it is not what she thinks as she quickly becomes entangled in these wives' questionable behavior. Their ringleader, Margot, is ruthless and tantalizing but Sophie begins wondering what really lies beneath Margot's veneer.

I could not stop reading this book! Each development made my jaw drop and by the end I was so invested in these crazy ladies that I was sad to see it end. Excellent writing and plot development from May Cobb.

This book was twisty and un-put-downable in an "I can't look away" sort of way. Rich wives doing bad and scandalous things, forbidden relationships, murder, mystery, this book had it all. I read it in 3 days and WOW! Recommend if you liked The Swap or Everyone Knows How Much I Love You.

This was kind of a strange one for me. I was really looking forward to it and several days after finishing I am still trying to process how I feel about it. This is the story of a woman who becomes obsessed with a lady in her neighborhood and ends up being pinned for murder.

If you like books about infidelity, including with high school aged boys (18, but still), lack of consent, extreme alcohol use and random druggings, and biphobic tropes, you might like this one. On the plus side, I read it in a day and it kept me interested.

QUICK TAKE: I liked a lot about THE HUNTING WIVES. Super soapy and sexy, following a group of women in a Texas suburb who meet every Friday to shoot guns and get wasted...and maybe hook-up with dudes that aren't their husbands. It's all fun and hangovers for the newest member of the group, that is, until she's framed for the murder of a popular girl in town. A fast-paced, fun thriller, but I probably won't remember this one in a couple months. If you're looking for a beach read to keep you entertained for a few hours, this is a good pick.

I should have known this book wasn’t going to be for me, but I held out hope. To be completely honest, I could not stomach this book. The characters were all selfish and shallow (not to mention just unlikeable in general), and their lifestyles were not really relatable, though I think they were trying to be in some ways. The writing was engaging enough, but the pacing just wasn’t there. I just had nothing that was really holding my interest. There were some okay twists later on in the novel, but I just didn’t enjoy this and found myself skimming far too often.

This may be for you, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

The Hunting Wives was a fast paced thriller that was a lot of rich people drama and a mystery to solve. I get why everyone raves about this book, it is unique and who doesn't love reading about rich mean girls? That's what this book is basically, it is the movie mean girls only with adult women.

I just could not stand any of the characters and I will never be a fan of cheating. I didn't feel bad for Sophie at all and the hunting wives are all bat shit crazy and take a lot for granted. Sophie was just a very spoiled women who has a wonderful husband who worships her and she makes all of these bad decisions because she wants to impress mean girl Margot? No can do for me. Especially because she acts all woe is me when her husband finds out.

Also, I felt like this was so much rich people drama and then the last 50 pages were really about the mystery and it all happened so fast. I wish we would have gotten more of the mystery/thriller throughout and had more of a buildup. I did enjoy the mystery aspect and didn't see who the killer was.

I just felt deep down that all of these wives take a lot for granted and are just pathetic people. This was not for me.

Sophie is adjusting to a slowed down life in Mapleton, Texas after the whirlwind of a fast-paced life in Chicago. She enjoyed the slow down, but now as she, her husband and young son have been in Mapleton for awhile, she finds that she is very bored. She is intrigued with a group of society women, especially the elusive Margot Banks. After Margot accepts her friend request on Facebook and met Sophie at a charity dinner, Margot includes Sophie in the secret Hunting Wives club. Margot, Sophie and three other women meet on Friday nights to shoot skeet, drink and find other means of mischief. Sophie becomes obsessed and attracted to Margot, and soon finds herself making poor choices and risking the security and happiness of her little family and the life she had built for herself. Sophie's life then takes a major turn for the worse after she is implicated in a horrific murder of which she knows the Hunting Wives are involved in - even though she can't figure out how.

Good thriller, even though I spent most of the book wanting to shake Sophie until her teeth rattled for some of her actions. Sophie kept trying to find some justification for her actions by blaming her traveling nurse mother and her father who left her, but in the end, there are a lot better ways to cure boredom than ingratiate yourself to a group of psychopathic women, and she was smart enough, mature enough, and stable enough to know that. The ending was not perfect, but was good, and that made me like the book all the more.

So progression in thriller novels is very important to me. I need things to happen to keep me turning the pages and unfortunately The Hunting Wives did not have it. Maybe I just didn’t make it far enough. Maybe I quit reading it right before things were just about to ramp up but I got over 100 pages and was so tired of the main character checking her Facebook which I guess you can say is realistic. The amount of times I check twitter daily is definitely unhealthy but I don’t need it to be in a book.

Yes, the main character checking her facebook is integrated in the story as she’s a middle aged woman who’s just moved into a new town and she’s become obsessed with another woman in the neighbor and this woman is part of a club with other housewives where they go out, have a good time, shoot some guns, go to bars but maybe it’s the way it was written because talking about it sounds fun but it just was boring still and also the complete opposite of my lifestyle so I couldn’t relate to it maybe. All the housewives cheat on their husbands and I hated that. Argh I feel like that’s such a dumb complaint because that’s the whole point. These ladies going buck wild, dissing all the rules when a murder suddenly happens but it is what is. I also had trouble figuring out who was who because the women all read the same on the page. Yeah it just didn’t mesh well with me but if this sounds like up your alley, definitely give it a try. I’ll never say “don’t read this.” So those are my just personal thoughts.