Talk about a guilty pleasure read! If you loved "Desperate Housewives," or "The Hunting Party," you are going to love this book too!

This book is about three moms, Cynthia, Jen and Kittie, who live in a small Texas town. The days are long, and not much happens in their town, until an exotic hottie named Will moves into the neighborhood. Will, isn't like the other men they know, and all three of the women, plus pretty much everyone else in town, is taken with him right away. Jen, the only single mom, makes it known she is going for Will. Little does she know; her two married best friends also have their eye on him.

Will has a way of seducing the ladies, and there is a lot more to him than the glossy, Mr. Perfect persona he exudes. He has a dark side, but will the ladies notice that before it's too late? Without giving anything away, I will say the end surprised me!

Overall, this is a fast-paced thriller, and I loved the punchy dialogue. It feels like you're watching a very dark episode of "Real Housewives," and I had so much fun reading it! Truly the perfect book to read poolside!

Thank you to NetGalley, for a copy of this book in exchange for a honest and unbiased opinion.

This book has gotten so many mixed reviews I wasn’t sure what I was in store for.

This was a fast paced page turner but was a bit predictable, I guessed a few of the twists.

The characters were all unlikable, but sometimes those are my favorite. It was pretty slow for me in the beginning and had a desperate housewives like vibe, but overall it was enjoyable.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Thank you for an ARC for my honest review.

My Summer Darlings is a juicy domestic thriller with drama and tension thicker than the oppressive Texas heat. I was immediately drawn to the story and it sounded like it would be the perfect guilty-pleasure read for summer, but I have an #unpopularopinion because unfortunately it did not live up to my expectations.

At first, I enjoyed the alternating POVs of friends Jen, Kittie, and Cynthia while learning about the secrets of their seemingly perfect lives, but instead of keeping my attention it quickly lost my interest when the story started to center around the handsome and rich new man in the neighborhood. I love juicy drama between misbehaving moms as much as the next gal, but in this case it all felt very dumb and I found myself rolling my eyes so many times. In the last 25% there was a crazy twist and the ending was thrilling, but it just didn’t make up for the first 75%.

While this was my first May Cobb book and definitely a case of not the right book for me, I would try her other books in the future. With all that being said, it could be a great read on the beach or by the pool for you.

Read if you like:
-Eastern Texas setting
-Rich moms behaving badly
-Female friendships with secrets
-LOTS of drama
-Unlikeable characters

Thank you so much Berkley Pub, Berit Talks Books, and Netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own. #berkleybuddyreads #berkleywritesstrongwomen

May Cobb is quickly becoming my favorite mystery author. I love the setting, in Texas, and I really love the sexy new stranger in the neighborhood. If you enjoyed The Hunting Wives, you will enjoy this book as well.

Jen, Cynthia and Kittie are back together - never missing a beat from their high school days as BFFs. They idly pass the days of their wealthy, privileged lives with drinking, tanning, and bemoaning their personal hardships: Jen's recent divorce, Kittie's rebellious teenage daughter, and Cynthia's boredom in her marriage. New neighbor, Will, captures all three women's attention, especially when he seems to return their attention and desire.

As each woman seeks Will's undivided attention while keeping it a secret from the other two how badly they want him to whisk them away from this life, things start to become a little "off." Will offers invitations that seem to satisfy each woman's individual desire before abruptly pushing them away or stalling them.

I felt like Will was a creepy from the beginning, but he was the obvious villain from the outset. The thriller part of this book starts on page one when the reader sees a dying woman's last thoughts. Of course, we just don't know which woman until the end, which is a definite plot twist. Readers will spend their time changing their minds about which woman is the one getting killed while silently shrieking to each character, "Seriously?! Can't you see there is something wrong with him??? GET AWAY FROM HIM!" If you're in the mood for a twisty-turny thriller, this is a good one!

These 3 ladies still live in their hometown. So many memories made and still best friends from when they were young.

When a handsome new man moves into the large house on the street everyone is curious. But one of the girls is very interested and the others are a little flirty or not sure. But it's hard to tell if he's what he seems. There's so much wine and gossip and sexy clothes in this small Texas town.

I wasn't expecting that dark twist at the end and how quickly things got out of control. Jeez. I mean the first chapter you know someone was in trouble but dude get over yourself.

This book was so steamy and I got wrapped up in all the relationships but I'm wondering how many other places this person might have done this certain play. Have the major creeps.

Rating 🌟🌟🌟💫

Thank you berkleypub and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

After loving The Hunting Wives I was looking forward to Cobb's newest juicy thriller but this one didn't quite work for me. It was definitely binge worthy, but it felt truly unbelievable. Even if I had been able to suspend belief, it was pretty repetitive and the women were wholly terrible. I often enjoy reading about unlikable characters, but not in this scenario as they were horrible to each other and overall very weak.

I will still check out what Cobb writes next because I can't resist a popcorn thriller, but this one wasn't for me.

Cobb is quickly becoming the queen of domestic thrillers.

Three lifelong friends plus a dangerous, sexy new stranger in town add to a scorching summer of manipulation, obsession, and murder, from the acclaimed author of The Hunting Wives.

Sexy, devious, and addictive! Cobb has done it again! WE all jus want MORE!

I could not get into this book, at any point in the story. The different points of view were hard to keep track of even though the title of the chapter had which characters point of view it was coming from. I had to keep checking back to see whose POV it was, which got annoying. All the women were caddy to me, and I didn't like any of them. The women's children were also on my nerves too. After 40% in to the book nothing exciting, or captivating, had really happened, except all the women (two are married!) were pining over this hot guy who moved to the neighborhood. So ridiculous. I had such a hard time forcing my way through this book. This was my first time reading this author and I'm not sure I would read any other books of hers.

3.5 stars!

I absolutely loved The Hunting Wives last year, and it made my top favorites list for 2021, and couldn’t wait to read MY SUMMER DARLINGS!

When group of women in a wealthy Texas neighborhood start crushing on the same man who just moved in, things start to heat up and the claws come out.

As a mood reader, I was craving a juicy popcorn thriller to bring the entertainment. While it had plenty of juicy moments as these desperate housewives were behaving badly, I was over 100 pages in without any plot or much substance.

*many thanks to Berkley/Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

My Summer Darlings by May Cobb

I was interested in this book upon reading the synopsis on @netgalley and was lucky enough to obtain an ARC, which coincided perfectly with a beach vacation with my bestie and her fam this week.

This book follows Jen, Kittie and Cynthia - BFFs in their late 30’s that live in the same community, ooze sex appeal and give off major Desperate Housewives vibes. When new hunk Will Harding moves in the women become obsessed with him. Soon, Will gets grabs all three of the women’s “full” attention - though neither know Will is spreading his time with each of them (and perhaps even more than just them). There’s more to Will than just a pretty face. Something darker…. and his secrets may kill.

I enjoyed this light, beachy “popcorn” book!! I’m not sure if it really makes sense at the end of the day but if you just go with the flow, it’s a good way to pass the time in the sand!

Jen, Kittie, and Cynthia have been friends since childhood. Now they spend their days drinking wine, dealing with their teens, and catching up on the latest gossip of their small posh Texas town. Then one day the handsome Will Harding arrives disrupting each of their lives in an explosive way. As Will gets closer to each woman separately, jealousy rises, and secrets kept that could ruin each of their lives forever.

•

This was a fast-paced, page-turning suburban mystery that was PACKED with all the housewife drama. The “friendship” these three women is questionable especially when Will comes into the picture. This book was filled with unlikable characters that I could just not get enough of! I am big a fan of drama filled mystery/thrillers and on the drama part, this one delivered! The mystery/thriller part is where I was a tad disappointed, it was a little predictable and the twists did not really have that WOW impact for me. I also felt like I was left with some unanswered questions regarding the motive behind everything. The story was addicting as I had to get to the bottom of everything, I did get really annoyed at how consumed these women became of Will, willing to sacrifice everything over their obsession with him left a bad taste in my mouth. Overall, I think this is a good book to dive into blind and just prepare yourself for the drama filled rollercoaster ride! Big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher fort his eARC in exchange for my honest review. This title is available now for purchase!

This book is what I imagine Pretty Little Liars would have been if it was written for adults.

May Cobb does an excellent job at writing unlikeable characters, and by that I mean I was so invested in what happened to everyone even though I did not like a single character, and I think that is PRETTY impressive.

This book follows Jen, Kittie and Cynthia: Three women who have been friends since childhood. They find themselves reunited after Jen gets a divorce and moves back to her hometown. Around the same time, Will moves to town and this guy has so much charm that everyone finds themselves drawn to him. Jen, because she's lonely and likes the attention. Kittie, because she always wants to be the center of attention. And Cynthia because the idea of being with Will makes her feel things she hasn't in a while.

Readers get to watch these three women navigate their relationships with one another while also trying to understand what it is about Will that pulls them in, and what are they planning to do about these feelings?

My Summer Darlings does not have likeable characters, but it has a VERY entertaining plot. Short chapters matched with the overwhelming desire to know WHAT IS HAPPENING will have you flying through this book. Reading this felt like sitting on the couch with a glass of wine in hand to binge watch your favorite reality TV show, and I am INTO IT. I will definitely be keeping my eye out for more from this author.

Thank you so much to @prhaudio and @berkleypub for my audio and digital copies!

I listened to this one last weekend and I was glued to it. I just couldn’t turn it off. It’s a great beach read, or a listen to keep you going as you work or do errands.

This book was filled with a group of wealthy toxic women behaving badly. It made me think of desperate housewives. If you like books like this you will love this one!

I thought the audio narrators did great. There were multiple narrators and the characters and voices were different enough that I was able to keep them straight. If I had to pick between audio and reading it I would def recommend the audio, but you can’t go wrong with either!

This one just published this week so check it out now

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Dude, are you kidding me? I really enjoyed The Hunting Wives, but I absolutely LOVED My Summer Darlings! I could not put this juicy, trashy story down! May Cobb gives us three points of view: Jen, Kittie, and Cynthia. The book’s prologue tells us that one of the women will be tied up and left to die on the forest’s floor, but which woman is it? As we watch the women become entirely enthralled with the new man in town, Will Harding, everyone begins to cheat on everyone, and inevitably shit hits the fan. You’ll want to eat up this book like candy. The ending was so improved from Cobb’s last book and I’m honestly so proud of how much her writing has grown. Well done!

Let me just start by saying as soon as I read The Hunting Wives last year I knew I would be reading anything May Cobb put out immediately!! My Summer Darlings has just confirmed that she will be an auto-buy author for me! This book was a wild-ride of women behaving badly, steamy sex scenes, out of control teenagers, and a hot big-bad wolf on the loose! The only thing lowering this book from a 5 for me is that I wanted a stronger motivation from the antagonist.

About the Book:

Jenn, Kittie and Cynthia had been friends since grade school in their small town of Cedartown, Texas just outside of Dallas. Bonded by the fact they were all only children. Kittie and Cynthia were from the affluent section of town and Jenn was more a part of the struggling middle class. But they didn’t let their place in society effect their relationship. Kittie was the queen bee and without her there wouldn’t have been a trio of friends because Jenn and Cynthia weren’t very close on their own.
Jenn was the only one who left Cedartown and got out int the world, only to find herself right back there after her divrorce with her son Kasey in tow.

Searching for herself back home Jenn reconnects with Cynthia and KIttie through wine nights and other weekly gatherings. She soon becomes enamored with WIll Harding the hunky new stranger that has just moved in. They are both beautiful, single, intellectuals and seem to be heading on the right path but It’s not long before WIll is also the object of Kittie and Cynthia’s enamor as well. These two are both married but Kittie’s need to be the center of attention trumps that.

Kittie is dealing with her rebellious daughter Chloe, who is sixteen going on 25. Their relationship is strenuous throughout the book. Cobb did a great job capturing that dynamic between teenage daughters and mothers.

I devoured this book really quickly! I highly recommend this book if you like to read :

Steamy scenes
Short chapters
Complex female dynamics
Dangerous men

Thanks to @berkleypub for a copy to read and review. It is full of characters making bad choices but I honestly couldn’t put it down. The story follows three best friends who are approaching 40 and the hot, new guy who moves into town. This may sound like a calm story but the opening chapter is a woman (you don’t know who) that is trapped in the forest and a man is coming back to kill her. If you are in the mood for a guilty pleasure pick this one up!

A twisty domestic thriller that sees three middle aged suburban mothers' friendships get tested when a mysteriously sexy man moves into their East Texas neighborhood and strikes up secret relationships with each one.

I really enjoyed the author's debut, The hunting wives, and my favorite kind of thrillers are ones that test the boundaries of ordinary women's lives, so I was really excited to read this book and I'm so glad to report it didn't disappoint!

Full of some great twists I didn't see coming and a shocking ending that only the best thriller writers can deliver. If you want a fun beach read escape you can do no wrong with this book. Great on audio too with a full cast of narrators. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy!

This book was pretty good, but I preferred the Hunting Wives. This book did have rich women, infidelity, deceit, marriage issues and teen family drams, plus twists and turns. Oh, and drinking! A LOT OF DRINKING! It was a good dramatic neighborhood thriller,

My Rating: 3.75 stars

Tw: cheating, and minor/adult relationship mentioned.

My Summer Darlings is told in multiple different perspectives of Jen, Kittie, and Cynthia.

Jen – newly divorced and moved back to the neighborhood, has one son.

Kittie – married, struggling with her teenage daughter.

Cynthia – seems to be happily married and has son.

Each of the women only has one child and they were all childhood friends reconnecting now that Jen has moved back. Everything seems to be going back to how it was when they were younger. Until Will moves in who is the latest eligible bachelor in town and everyone is curious to learn more about him.

Jen catches his eye first, and seems to be starting a relationship with him. But all the other women in town want to get to know him as well, and Will is keeping Jen at arms length to a certain extent when it comes to taking their relationship further.

In between getting each of the different women perspectives throughout the book, we also get another perspective of someone who has been hurt, and trying to put the pieces together of who it is and what happened to them.

Overall this book had me confused for the vast majority of it. I couldn’t figure out who it was that had been injured and thought it could have been any of them at one point or another. So much happened in all the relationships in this book, and the backstabbing and two-timing it was a lot. When it came to the thriller part though it seemed rather short lived for me. It wasn’t until the last 20% that I felt on edge with what was happening and who it was happening to. Until then it felt a little disconnected because there was so much back and forth between all of the women and Will, and at times it just got to be a bit too much for me. I wanted more mystery and less detail about each relationship.

I think this book will be great for people who like a lot of back story and want to know more about what led up to the thriller part. But if you’re looking for more mystery/thriller this one might not be the best one for you.