Perfect Summer Beach Read Alert: The Hunting Wives by May Cobb

{Thank you to @berkley and @netgalley for my advance review copy in exchange for a feature!}

Recently a friend asked me for a "beach read" recommendation and I was ashamed that I couldn't really think of anything I'd recently read.

I finished The Hunting Wives over the weekend and I am happy to say I now have a perfect summer 2021 beach read rec!

Is this the next Great Expectations or Jane Eyre? No. Is it a fun, fast read to enjoy while soaking up the sunshine with a White Claw Surge (check out immediately if you have not already)? Yes.

The Hunting Wives releases on May 18, 2021. Just in time for Memorial Day weekend!

Quick and fun! I imagine this as a beach read, and while thrillers aren't quite my go-t0 I imagine that Hunting Wives will be a hit. :)

Oh my! I am obsessed with this book and the intriguing part is there is not a single likable character in this book!

The Hunting Wives are a bunch of mean posh wives living in lake front homes of suburban town, with Margot being the leader of their team! Sophie recently moved to this cool suburban lake town and befriended these ladies where they share not only target practice hobby but also dirty secrets, lots of booze, seduction and more!

The story takes a drastic turn when a 17 year old teen goes missing and how her disappearance and her murder is linked to these housewives! The ending was unexpected and took me by surprise completely!

This masterpiece by May Cobb, hits the shelves on Mayb18th, if you haven’t already, Pre-Order your copy now to read all the juicy and scandalous lives of The Hunting Wives!

Thank you @berkleypub and netgalley for providing me the complimentary e-galley!

Thank you Netgalley and Berkeley for a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Holy moly! An intriguing thriller is hitting shelves soon.

The Hunting Wives follows a woman who has just moved to a small town in Texas with her family where she has started a blog and a new life. When she realizes that a slower pace of life isn’t really what it is all cracked up to be, she begins a fascination with a town beauty, Margot. When Margot invites her along on a hunting trip… things will just get a little wild.

Y’all. Yikes. The Hunting Wives offers up a lot of juicy drama surrounding a group of women who pretty much have it all. There are secrets galore and I was hooked trying to figure out what was going to happen in the end. While I was entertained by a lot of the book, the mystery and thriller element was the weakest point of the plot. The end was quite a mess and there were too many ends that were not wrapped up. Although it may not be my favorite thriller, I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good domestic suspense/drama involving southern women with guns and scandal.

Ok, I’m not sure how to describe my feelings about this one. While I really enjoyed it and was totally sucked into the story, there were definitely a lot of times where I was seriously cringing. There was infidelity, lots of drama, murders, and everything you could ask for in a suspense novel, but the main character was infuriating! I think she was written to be this way, but I wanted to constantly grab her and shake some sense into her! All in all, it was a great read and I wouldn’t highly recommend it. Especially if you’re a big fan of lots of drama with your suspense.

What do you get when you add Desperate Housewives, Housewives of..., Heathers and Friday Lights together? This book, but in such an unique way that it doesn't really hit you until you put it down, that all those ingredients were there, but so well mixed you didn't see them til the finale! And finale it IS. This roller coaster read doesn't give you time to breathe, as its building up t the end that you can see coming, but light a freight train bearing down on a stuck car on the tracks, you can't look away from! If this isn't a movie by next year, I'll be STUNNED. You may even find yourself casting it, right after you finish, as it makes that much of an impression! It's a twisted tale of the grass isn't always greener meets be careful what you wish for! MUST read of the Summer!

This has everything I typically go for in a juicy read, but sadly it just didn't hit the mark for me. I enjoyed parts of this a lot, but others not so much - it's a little all over the place.

I want to start off by making it clear this is not a thriller - this is very much so contemporary fiction with slight mystery/thriller elements (I agree with other reviewers who say this is like a Texas based "Desperate Housewives"). After I adjusted my mindset to reflect that distinction a bit into the book, I found I enjoyed my time with it much more. This started off really strong & I'm a big fan of the super short chapters, but the pacing was really off to me - there were times pages were flying by, but other times where the story really just dragged. It is juicy, however, & there were quite a few "oh shit!" moments throughout, but I found the ending to be really predictable & quite lackluster given how much buildup we were given.

All in all it was a pretty enjoyable read, but my expectations for these kinds of books are really high given how much I adore soapy content. I'd definitely read more from May Cobb in the future, however! Thank you so much to May Cobb, NetGalley & Berkley for providing an ARC in exchange for a honest review! (3.5)

This was a slow start but really great once you get threw the beginning! Some pretty good twists and turns, even though I feel no sympathy for what Sophie went through! I did not expect the ending, and I think it was a little rushed but at the same time it was short and sweet and to the point.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

If reading about privileged middle aged women who cheat on their wealthy husbands with underage high schoolers then by all means read this! It had its moments of intrigue, but mostly it was just shallow characters doing deplorable things. I was not very amused.

A fabulous wild ride with the most rowdiest of women. May Cobb managed to put the Stepford Wives, The Real Housewives and Big Little Lies all into a cocktail shaker. The result - twists and turns and thrillers and a concoction of unforgettable characters.

Pub Date: May 18th
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Pages:368 Kindle Edition
POV: 1st Person
CW: Very sexually explicit, murder, death

Brief Synopsis: Sophie and her husband Graham move to Texas from Chicago to start a new slow-paced life. Soon after arrival Sophie gets her life intertwined with a group of friends known as the " the Hunting Wives" Sophie finds her life spiraling out of control.

I'm going to be very honest here. I began this book wanting to DNF it. The writing style and pacing really bothered me. The first 30 percent of the book is very boring and discusses the monotonous day to day to life of the MC. I decided to read as it is an ARC and I do feel guilt DNFing a gifted copy of a book. After the 30 percent mark the storyline got more interesting and things began to finally happen.

Pros: Compulsive read after a certain percentage of the book in. Reads like a desperate housewives/lifetime movie if you enjoy that kind of entertainment
Writing did get better as the story progressed
LGBTIQ+ rep

Cons: The wives...wow did they make horrible decisions... But, wow how much I morally disagreed with EVERYTHING they did.
Sophie, the MC, was not relatable, selfish & really aggravated me to no end.
The overly explicit sex scenes, too much and unnecessary for the story. ( this is a preference of mine when it comes to thrillers.
The ending.. ( had my eyes rolling)

Overall, this was not a favorite thriller by any means. But I can see the merit to it and I can see this one being read poolside or by the beach. I found it mildly entertaining and I think this book has a certain audience for it. I did not hate this one, but I did not love it. It was a mediocre read, that is not memorable.

***Thank you to net-galley and Berkley for a gifted copy in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own**

I have been DYING to read this book, and it did not disappoint! I'm still reeling!

Sophie has a comfortable life...a husband who adores her, and a young son who is her world, but she's restless, unfulfilled. She spends her days gardening, uploading photos to her Instagram, and waiting for something to happen...and oh, boy, does it.

She meets Margot Banks and her clique, and these women are a combination of Desperate Housewives and Mean Girls. Sophie becomes enamored by Margot and leaps at the chance to belong to their "secret society," The Hunting Wives. At first, the title sounds benign; just a bunch of bored, entitled women drinking far too much and skeet shooting on Margot's secluded property. But Sophie soon finds that the women have been keeping secrets from their husbands and have been "hunting" other men. They're careful not to take it too far, mostly harmless flirtation, but when Sophie catches Margot in the act, who she's with is a shock.

Then everything changes when a teenage girl goes missing and then her body is found on Margot's property. When Sophie is implicated in the murder, she risks losing her family for telling the truth but risks her freedom by staying silent.

Besides the non-stop action of this book, what I loved most was the character development. Sophie needed a reason to act the way she did, and with flashbacks to her upbringing, it was perfectly explained:

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩'𝙨 𝙬𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙚? 𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙘𝙖𝙣'𝙩 𝙄 𝙗𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙡, 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙚𝙩, 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨? 𝙄 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣, 𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙮; 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚'𝙨 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩'𝙨 𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙛𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙗𝙫𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙡𝙮, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚'𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙙𝙡𝙮 𝙣𝙤𝙩.

𝙋𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤'𝙫𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙗𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙨...𝙨𝙤 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨...𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙚.

The buzz for this book is well-deserved. May Cobb is one to watch! Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for my review copy. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars. This is definitely a juicy, naughty, salacious and blush-worthy summer binge read! Sophie, a bored housewife who has recently moved to a small town in Texas near Dallas, becomes friends with a small group of women led by Margot, a super socialite and Queen Bee of the popular housewives in town. Not one of these characters is even remotely likeable in any way, Sophie does ridiculously stupid and unbelievable things again and again, and yet this is an addictive page turner that resembles a mix of Desperate Housewives and Big Little Lies on steroids. Twisty secrets are revealed throughout, and the ending is a surprise, although somewhat expected just before you get there.

Okkkk so check out the teasers: unlikeable narrator, murder, salacious, mama drama. The dramarama unfolded and I was hooked.

Let’s see...mommy mean girls meets (insert house wife drama show) meets rich people meets big little lies. Fast paced, anxiously trying to see what was going to happen, self absorbed characters. Also, lots of drinking. I wonder how much these women spend on alcohol lol.

Was a win for me.

Just a heads up the characters are unlikeable. I personally like that in books if it’s done well (here I think it was).

TYSM to May and netgalley for this copy. I was able to connect with May the other day and she is super nice and I’m over the moon to be lucky enough to have this arc.

Fun, juicy, original, and surprisingly edgy!

I don’t want to give away the premise, because it’s more fun how it’s revealed in the book. But you’ll be surprised what the bored housewives of this Texas town really do in their skeet-shooting hunting club.

Sophie, our protagonist, has a good life and a great husband. But then, why is she so obsessed with rich and glamorous neighbor Margot? Sophie will do almost anything to belong in Margot’s exclusive hunting club, and her obsession with Margot grows until it threatens more than just her marriage.

This book was juicy and fun. About halfway through it took a turn I wasn’t expecting at all. A good mystery with fun characters, an interesting setting, and some interesting thoughts on the competitive and obsessive friendships women sometimes have. The book comes through with a good and satisfying ending after a few twists and surprises.

Highly entertaining and compulsively page-turning, The Hunting Wives is sure to be a hit, and is a great guilty pleasure read with some brains and bite. The book smashes some stereotypes about housewives, and its fun to read a book where women are allowed to be bad by doing some of the things men more traditionally do. I really enjoy the way May Cobb writes, and I’ll be sure to snap up her next book without even reading the blurb!

4 plus stars! Many thanks to Berkeley, NetGalley and the author for this entertaining ARC!

I began this book hoping for a good domestic thriller but was soon disappointed. I found the main character, Sophie, shallow, annoying and, frankly, the least interesting character in the book. It’s possible to not like a character but still enjoy reading about them and be interested in what happens to them. In Sophie’s case, I just didn’t care. I thought the plot had possibilities but never fully achieved its potential.

My copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to the the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review it.

I often read books with unlikable characters but still like the book, no so with THE HUNTING WIVES by May Cobb. I put this book down a few times thinking I would not return to it but then I would keep reading hoping for its redemption.
Sophie was ridiculous, unbelievable and totally unlikeable. Perhaps I live a sheltered life but to think a mature mother and wife would descend so quickly into excessive drinking and childish behavior was ridiculous.
So many unexplained, unfinished details.
Just didn’t like it.

This book is sensational and scandalous! I loved the characters and the plot twists just were relentless. A domestic thriller full of steam, scandal, and twists - this is definitely the perfect summer thriller! I would compare this to a grown-up version of Mean Girls if you include sex, lies, and rifles. Absolutely can't wait to see what May Cobb does next.

Well, this book was a lot of fun to read. I read this book with pure enjoyment for the last two days and it's definitely one of the most fun stories I've read recently. I've been reading a lot of good books lately, but The Hunting Wives was read in record time.

When Sophie O'Neill and her husband Graham decide to pack up their family in Chicago and move to smalltown Mapleton, Texas; the family bought more than they bargained for. Mapleton is a stereotypical small town "Wisteria Lane" type of vibes, with Margot Banks running the social elite. Margot and her squad are beautiful, influential, and rich. Sophie is desperate to try and join their group at all costs necessary. As Sophie becomes more and more obsessed with Margot, Sophie's relationship with her family begins to suffer. Margot's world of partying and guns begins to catch up with Sophie and she's not quite sure how she can balance her two worlds right now—especially when someone winds up dead.

The Hunting Wives is quick, fun, popcorn thriller. It's meant for a fun time, so go in knowing that you're reading something for pure juicy drama. If you like reality television, like The Real Housewives, then this book is definitely for you. I would highly recommend reading this book if you're in a reading slump, because it really pulls you out of it. I've DNF'd two books recently and gave an unfavorable review to another, but The Hunting Wives really became my saving grace. I think this book will surely be a buzzworthy book come publication day.

This was such a delightfully fun book - the first half is dedicated to mischief and steam. I was enjoying it a lot, but also thought I had maybe picked up a book that was not in the mystery/thriller genre until that part of the plot picked up at the halfway point. From then on, I could NOT put it down. I love the ambiguity of each character's morality. I found this to be better nuanced than in most other books in the same genre. Additionally, the writing was on point! I took off one star because a few things bothered me - in terms of plot, I wish the protagonist Sophie wasn't so naive and unambitious. She falls for the same traps from the same characters multiple times (spoiler: she gets drugged more than once?!) and very stupidly decides to do investigative work on her own and take character alibis and reasoning at face value. She never considers that she is being manipulated, though she has seen her "friends" do it to other people too. My other complaint is - I did not understand why every character had to be SOOOO white. It honestly would have been easy to slip in some racial inclusion, but the characters are pretty queer so that was fun. I would recommend to certain types of friends who are looking for a light read.