Member Reviews

The Hunting Wives share more than target practice, martinis, and bad behavior in this novel of obsession, seduction, and murder. New to town, Sophie O'Neill left behind an envy-inspiring career and the stressful, competitive life of big-city Chicago to settle down with her husband and young son in a small Texas town -- but was that the right choice? Sophie really only has one friend in town, Erin, and Erin warns Sophie about the Hunting Wives but doesn't Sophie listen -- read to find out.

Wow! I flew through The Hunting Wives. I can't wait for it to be published in May for everyone to read it, so I have more people to discuss this book with!

This is a provocative thriller that will have you turning pages from the start of the book. I enjoyed the dramatic dynamic between the characters -- I felt like I was watching The Real House Wives, and unfortunately, I could really picture a lot of this nonsense going on IRL. Sophie is the main character; she was a nutcase. I was so invested in knowing how this story would end, and I wanted to jump into the book and grab her by her shoulders and tell her to get a grip and get her life together!

There are plenty of twists to keep things interesting. I’m looking forward to more books by May Cobb!

Read if you like
The Show Real House Wives
DRAMA
Bad decisions that have gone awry
Vivid imagery

Trigger warnings: murder, cheating, abortion conversation

Thank you to Netgalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Expected Publication Date: 5/18/2021

Was this review helpful?

3.5 stars
Based on the description, I really wanted to like this book more than I did.
I'm often a fan of unlikeable characters, but it was hard to really to enjoy spending time with these women. Maybe it's because I'm more like bland and level-headed Erin who doesn't have patience for queen bees that are just bitchy with little redeeming in terms of redeeming qualities other than beauty. Or maybe it's that sex with teenagers is a major ick factor, and that's an integral part of the story. While we get context about Sophie's mental health through details about her childhood and her issues with abandonment, it still feels like her dedication to making the wrong choice at every turn is a little exhausting.
Still, I was intrigued enough by the mystery as it unfolded that I kept reading, and was ultimately rewarded with a satisfying reveal.

Was this review helpful?

Take a lot of Real Housewives of Dallas, throw in some rootin' tootin' shotgun shootin' and then about halfway through add a dead body. That right there is what you call a good time.

The story here is about Sophie. She used to be some sort of big muckity muck in the fashion magazine biz up in Chicago, but after she and her husband had their son they decided to slow it down and move to Texas. Sophie has plans of becoming some sort of blogger, but is pretty okay for the time being with just being a great mom. She does have a serious case of FOMO, however, and when she gets invited to hang out with Margot’s clique of fabulous women she is all in. And then she finds out just exactly what type of hunting the ladies like to dabble in on Friday nights and there’s also that unfortunate incident involving a dead body.

Okay, so know before going in that this is completely over the top and Sophie is a total nincompoop who will have you wanting to chuck the book across the room because she’s so fucking dense. If you are like me, you might be able to just go with it and have a super fun time because . . . . well, I love high quality trash : )

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

Was this review helpful?

Ok gosh, this book was fun! I'd say it's a slow burn, but had enough going on to keep me interested, and was easy to follow. Sophie and Graham move out of the city to a small town in Texas. They think it'll be a great place for their family and to raise their son. Sophie then meets Margot. She immediately wants to be Margot's close friend, and to hang out with her. Well margot and her friends are love to drink and have a club. This drinking is over the top, and the women are definitely not the most likable characters! Then a murder happens and Sophie is pulled into an investigation and does not know who she can trust. Lots of naughtiness, and mean girls vibes in this one. If you want an entertaining, drama filled book, add this to your list.


Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy! All opinions are my own

Was this review helpful?

The Hunting wives…. so what exactly are they hunting?🤷🏻‍♀️ Definitely not what I thought!😱

Sophie and Graham have moved to small town Texas from Chicago. A nice place to raise their son. Get out of the big city life and relax into a completely different lifestyle. Sophie grew up here, though she’s finding it very different than the town she left behind.

Sophie is instantly drawn to Margot the alpha female of the community. Sophie wants to be a part of Margot’s circle no matter the consequences.

So when Margot invites her to ladies night Sophie had no idea what she is in for. And let me say I had no idea either!🙈

Though a bit of mean girls mentality the characters and storyline were highly entertaining.

Their consumption of alcohol was over the top. Would rival any biker dude!😂. Personally I would be passed out in the corner with a fraction of what these women drank!🤦🏻‍♀️

This book is not what I expected, and I mean that in the best way. I was completely drawn in and anxious to see what would happen next. I will definitely reading more from this author!

A buddy read with Susanne!

Posted to: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend...

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the ARC to read and review.

Was this review helpful?

Review posted on blog: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend...

Salacious and Sinful! Just Color me Bashful! The premise of this was nothing like I expected it to be (and that my friends is a good thing!).

A small town in Texas has a lot more going on inside of it than meets the eye. Just ask new resident Sophie O’Neill. Upon meeting some new women in town Sophie gets invited to what she thinks is a Friday, girl’s night out.

Little does she know..

When “The Hunting Wives” get together, they have more than target practice on their minds!

Can I just say that when I started reading this novel, I was completely unprepared for how truly wicked it was going to be?!

Wild, crazy, titillating, mysterious, and shocking, “The Hunting Wives” is wicked good fun (even if it did have me blushing and covering my eyes from time to time). I went into this one completely blind, thus, I suggest all of you do the same as it will make your reading experience that much better.

A fun, fabulous buddy read with Kaceey.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group, NetGalley, and May Cobb for the arc.

Published on Goodreads, Twitter, and Insta.

Was this review helpful?

3.5 STARS

A new to me author, May Cobb, has written a fast paced and entertaining thriller. It was well written and reminded me of a mix of Desperate House Wives and Big Little Lies. Same type of self absorbed characters making bad choices and hurt anyone in their path.

This little clique of ladies like to gossip, drink and shoot! Probably not a good situation. Could lead to murder and it does. I felt parts had a little of a satirical tone, but I hated most of characters and wanted to just shake some common sense into them. These women are crazy and not apologizing.

If you are looking for a pop corn type read with some outrageous and naughty scenes, this would be a dicey, little escape read. The author's writing reminded me of Kaira Rouda or Robyn Harding (but just my personal opinion).

Was this review helpful?

Meet Sophie, a bored housewife who has moved back to the town where she went to high school. Her, her sweet and adorable and good husband Graham and their 3 year old little cherub Jack. Sophie’s world consists of caring for the little guy, cooking, gardening and jogging. She’s bored and a little restless.

Cue in The Hunting Wives. A small, exclusive group of RICH and bored women who get together in Friday nights for cocktails, guns and debauchery.

Sophie meets Margot, the self appointed leader of this little group of gals and gets an invite to join them. With the full approval of her husband, Sophie accepts.

What she doesn’t know is that hanging out with these ladies is the beginning to a long road of bad, bad decisions. Then someone ends up dead. And so does someone else. Ruh Roh!!

What I liked about this book was the setting of big houses, money, and the hint of trouble in the air (I’m a Real Housewives fan), the ladies even though they’re self indulgent beyotches with too much money and time on their hands (again Real Housewives) and the fact that there is a dead body and I’m left wondering whodunnit and why?! The usual suspects seem too easy.

What I didn’t like; little detail about Sophie’s background. There was just the hint of a messed up childhood and mom - wish there was more and also wish that it changed points of view. I would have LOVED to get into the mind of these hunting wenches of Eastwick.

All in all - great fast paced read. And ladies if you’re in your 30’s and 40’s and get invited to join a group like this - RUN!

Was this review helpful?

The Hunting Wives was a compelling popcorn thriller where every character is awful and keeps behaving badly, but I could not stop reading it.

Sophie has moved from city life in Chicago to small-town Texas living to work on her lifestyle blog and lead a calmer and less shallow life with her husband and child. Things start off well, but she quickly becomes bored with gardening, running, and mom life. Luckily for her, she persuaded her one local friend to invite her to a party at a socialite's house and soon she's swept up in the wealthy and bored MILFs' "shooting club."

The rest of the story is a mix of Single White Female and reverse- gendered American Beauty. Reading some of it was uncomfortable, but entertaining in a Real Housewives way where you can't believe what rich people can get away with and do when they are bored.

I hated everyone in the book except for Sophie's husband and the end made me angry, but damn was this a well written seductive adventure!

For fans of Robyn Harding and Sarah Pinbourough! Would reccomend

Was this review helpful?

The Hunting Wives reminded me a lot of Liane Moriarty's books, and that's a good thing! It's clever, a little twisty and full of sharp dialogue and memorable characters. Recommended!

Was this review helpful?

Oh man! This book was a wild ride! The Hunting Wives follows a group of rich, ridiculous women behaving badly! Newcomer, Sophie O’Neill finds herself suddenly obsessed with socialite Margot Banks and works to get into her inner circle. She is soon spending time with the Hunting Wives- target practicing, drinking, partying, and chasing after men.

Was this entertaining? Totally. Did I hate every single character? Yep!

Words I’d use to describe this book- scandalous, dark, entertaining, spicy, over-the-top, and fun.

My one major problem with The Hunting Wives?! ALL THE DRINKING AND DRIVING. Seriously, Sophie would get black-out drunk, wake up, drink a bottle of water, and then drive around town. Not cool. Can we stop normalizing this behavior in 2021? This might be my own personal hang-up, but it made me struggle with the entire book.

All in all, three stars! I think lots of people will like The Hunting Wives!

Huge thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for allowing me the privilege of reading this book in advance in exchange for my honest review. This one is out on Mary 18, 2021.

Was this review helpful?

When Sophie moves her husband and young son from Chicago to a small town in Texas, it’s to escape the hustle and bustle of city living and give her son a chance to have a different kind of childhood. But after Sophie meets a socialite named Margot at a party, she’s invited into a world she never knew existed. The hunting wives, as they call themselves, don’t just drink wine and shoot guns in their free time, there’s a much more sinister appeal that leads to late nights and lots of excuses on Sophie’s behalf, to her husband. Soon Sophie is so embroiled in Margot’s life, everything is at stake. This books is a fun and fast read. I simply couldn’t put it down. There are twists and turns that I want to steer clear of spoiling here. Sophie is a character just trying to fit in and keep her life as a mom exciting. A fun and entertaining book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

Was this review helpful?

Holy freight train rolling right over me in the BEST possible way!!! I don’t think I’ve ever clenched my jaw or have been more desperate to crawl into a book and throttle characters as much as I was while reading The Hunting Wives! I loved some characters and felt so protective of them and wanted to smack others upside the head. (You’ll have to read it in order to determine which is which!) I loved that I didn’t know what I was getting myself into so I won’t give any details but I will say that May Cobb can WRITE and I’m so excited to see what she puts out next!!! 5 ginormous stars from me!!! Now go read this book!!!

Huge thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for allowing me the privilege of reading this book in advance in exchange for my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

I absolutely LOVED this juicy page turner! This book would have been a perfect pool or beach read, but alas, it’s winter and I couldn’t wait. This was a one sitting type of book. If conniving Texas housewives and the tangled webs they weave are up your alley, DO NOT MISS THIS BOOK!

Was this review helpful?

The Hunting Wives had an interesting premise -- but it was so far fetched for me. I liked the exploration of female sexual desire and the fluidity of gender, but I could not find it believable that Sophie would risk everything (her husband, her family, her security) to get it on with a rich friend with a perfect body. The fooling around with your friend's underage son was also problematic for me. That all being said, it was a quick read and I'm sue it will be a hit on the beach this summer.

Was this review helpful?

My jaw is still on the floor. This book is smoking hot! Steamy sex scenes, yes, but the story is even hotter.

May Cobb’s sophomore novel, The Hunting Wives, has a wickedly delicious and irresistible elevator pitch...Chicago woman moves to a small Texas town and, feeling restless and aching for action, is drawn to the seductive, scandalous, and posh mom clique secretly known as the Hunting Wives. They like to drink, shoot skeet, and misbehave. What could possibly go wrong?

In The Hunting Wives, Cobb has succeeded at most thriller writers’ ultimate goal -- writing a high concept, intoxicating thriller that is expertly balanced with compelling characters, masterful prose, and stunning depth. I loved this book so much.

Was this review helpful?

This book is basically ‘Real Housewives of Dallas’ meets ‘Dead to Me’ meets ‘Single White Female’ meets some uninspired porno that definitely has the word ‘MILF’ in the title. As you’d expect from a description like that, this book was a wild ride. It was addictive and super well-written...and it made me glad that I deleted most of my social media accounts a long time ago. I was left with all the weird feelings - unsettled, unnerved, uncomfortable, icked out (there are sexual relationships between some of the women and teenage boys - a/k/a statutory rape! and child grooming! yikes!!!!!!!), and with a deep-seated hatred for pretty much every character in the book (except for Graham and Erin), which I think was the author’s goal. This book definitely wasn’t what I was expecting it to be and it has me so out of sorts that I can’t even tell whether I liked it or not.

Was this review helpful?

So hard to rate. Actually kind of hated this story but well written and definitely different. 3.5 stars
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This book kind of bothered me from the beginning. I really wanted to stop reading it. However, I honestly try to read every book because I know things change as you go through the story.

I never truly connected with the main character and when she started with some seriously questionable actions I wanted to close the book right then.

This story is about women behaving badly. It’s a mystery to a degree. I think for me it would have been more of an engaging read had the author spent a little bit more time with the who done it part. The ending to me was very rushed and I was so disappointed in the main character of what she did and lost. That really killed the book for me.

However, the author did a great job writing the story. It is definitely outside the box, totally unique, and I appreciate that about the story. It is wild and wanton, and even compulsive in a way. You just have to keep reading to see what else could possibly happen!

Personally, I failed to connect with a lot of the characters. I failed to follow the reason behind celebrating bad behavior and following the leader of the pack. Maybe I’m too old to get it.

Is this a story that I think others will absolutely enjoy? Yes. But for me it needed more of the thriller and mystery part which may have saved it for me. But I still don’t agree with many of the actions in the story. Just my personal take.

Was this review helpful?

Very well developed characters and an extremely engaging story. Well thought out and very suspenseful story line that keeps the reader guessing until the final twist! This is the book to read this year! Highly recommended!

Was this review helpful?

Hi, I'm Christine and my toxic trait is reading @netgalley books either a million years before they publish, or two million years 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳.

Today it was the former 🤷🏼‍♀️ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 by May Cobb was begging to be read and I breezed through it in a few hours. It's juicy. It's sexy. It's scandalous. It's twisty and a little dark. It's 𝙨𝙤 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙛𝙪𝙣! Without spoiling it for y'all, it's a little bit grown up 𝘔𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘴 meets 𝘚𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘍𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦. 🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴 5/5 from me, check it out this May 😎 thank you @berkleypub for my copy!

Was this review helpful?