May Cobb does an excellent job of creating characters that I love to hate. These characters were awful in the best way, and I was completely sucked in from the start of this book. The ending fell a little flat for me. I wish there would have been one final twist in the last chapter, but overall I would still highly recommend this book!

Book Review

My Summer Darlings by May Cobb
@May_Cobb
Pub date: May 17, 2022
4 stars

This is a book full of terrible people doing terrible things and IT. IS. CATNIP. for my teeny little kitty soul! I don’t know what it is about unlikeable characters – especially May Cobb’s unlikable characters - that I just can’t get enough of. What I do know is that I had one heck of a good time reading My Summer Darlings and I loved hating on these folks and their appalling behavior!

This is my second book by May Cobb; I loved The Hunting Wives but damn, it gave me such anxiety because of all the terrible choices that were being made and I felt much the same with My Summer Darlings. I want to put this out there right now … I don’t have to read the most believably believable of scripts to enjoy them – insert shocked face here – and the reason for that is because sometimes, I just want to step out of reality for a while. If I want a taste of reality, I’ll turn on the news or the latest shitty reality TV. And here, my friends, you can insert a smartass shrug! With that being said, this was pure enjoyment of the old school Dallas variety! Drama, drama, drama and I was here for it – every dang page!

It was fun, it was sexy, and it had a thriller element but most of all, I had a really good time reading it!

My thanks to @BerkleyPub for this gifted DRC!

This book is pure guilty pleasure! Each character is worse than the next:

Fidelity in marriage? Boring
Is a guy off limits because your bestie is interested in him? Nope

These characters are severely lacking in morals. There’s a a mystery running throughout but that doesn’t really get attention until well into the second half. The main story is about 3 best friends, their elite neighborhood, their excessive drinking, and the next generation of entitled kids they’re raising. Not a lot of character development and the plot doesn’t go deeper than rich people behaving badly but somehow still managed to be a fun, summer read.

This book is begging to be read poolside with a cocktail in hand.

My Summer Darlings is such a fun misbehaving housewives book. I loved The Hunting Wives last summer and in this book these three lifelong friends are in for an interesting summer when a sexy new stranger moves into town. The first page starts with a mystery with someone hurt in the woods and then we see how it all plays out.

I thought this was fun and a perfect book to read on the plane, but would be a great book to read poolside, especially drinking a cocktail!

This was such an addicting book and I read it in about 24 hours. Definitely one you should read if you enjoy thrillers and find yourself in a reading slump!

This was a different experience for me because I actually hated every freaking character. I wanted somebody to root for but I didn’t get that and I would not have been upset if literally all the characters died. (Does that make me a bad person? It’s just because they’re fictional. I’m not a psychopath, I swear.)

Will is the villain (well, the main one…I think they’re all nuts) and I thought he was very well-written. I would’ve liked more of a backstory for him though. The author provided one, but it didn’t really connect all the dots for me when it comes to his motivation.

And the women. Ugh, the women. I could not relate to any of them and I have so many complaints but I can’t get into it without spoiling things. But I will say that Jen was painted as the victim through the whole book and I don’t think she deserved the pity. Her feelings were well past the point of obsession and I was not feeling sorry for her!

So I’m complaining a lot but I mean it all in the best way possible! I loved this book and did not want to put it down. Would definitely recommend if you’re looking for a domestic-ish thriller and some meeessed uuuup characters!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group for my eARC! I have posted this review on my Goodreads and on my Bookstagram (@janinesbookcorner).

This was sadly a DNF for me. I tried... I got about 50 in... I couldn’t get down with the cheating. I’m sorry.

Jen, Kittie, and Cynthia are all closing in on 40 and each have teenage children. They've been friends since childhood. After, getting a divorce, Jen recently moved back to the neighborhood with her son. The women can usually be found drinking wine and venting about their lives. When a new attractive man, named Will, moves into the neighborhood, the friends conspire together to get Jen to get back onto the proverbial saddle. Soon thereafter all of the women become captivated by Will and seek out his attention. How far will this fascination go?

There's a mystery/who-done-it aspect to the story when at the start it is made clear that someone is in trouble in the woods and believes that he/she is about to be killed. The rest of the story primarily shifts between Jen, Kittie and Cynthia's perspectives over the course of the Summer, then to a present day POV from the person in the woods. The mystery itself takes a back seat for the majority of the book and instead the story focuses on the friendship drama/neighbor disruption.

This is the second book I've read by Mary Cobb and it definitely seems she has a type of story she likes to tell. This one also featured grown, unlikeable, privileged women behaving badly with some betrayal and backstabbing to boot! I found Will, the lothario, to be one dimensional. I did not understand his appeal and how these women were all immediately captivated by him/put under his spell.

If you like guilty pleasures, soapy books and/or Mary's last novel The Hunting Wives, then chances are you are also going to enjoy My Summer Darlings!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for my ARC for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

My Summer Darlings by May Cobb #jaylammreviews

Kitty, Cynthia, and Jen are the best of friends...until a new man comes into town and no one can resist him. Will Harding quickly infiltrates this new world and the women in it. Jen and Will immediately have a connection. Jen fills in the other two ladies on wine night, sharing every detail about each run in she has with will. Soon, Kitty and Cynthia want to get to know Will too. Both Kitty and Cynthia are seemingly happily married...but that doesn't stop them. 

Who will win Will's affections? And who's life will crumble beneath them?

Cobb knows how to write a popcorn thriller. This one was very similar to The Hunting Wives in the way that it was an addicting read. Both of these books had a cast of very unlikable characters. Women who are the definition of frienemies. The first half of the book we really got to know these three women and how their friendship has evolved over the years. It was a very slow start...I even put this down for a bit but picked it back up. The second half was pretty fast paced (and a tad far fetched) and the story unfolds very quickly. 

I didn't love this one but it was entertaining enough to keep reading. I will continue to read more by May Cobb in the future

an addictive one-sit read. I was drawn into the world of these characters and could not help falling for the villainous Will Harding a little myself.

I read 90 pages and couldn't stand this. Where was the editor? The same stuff happened over and over - so pointless. I couldn't keep going. It sounded juicy & had so much potential but this one was a huge miss for me.

My Summer Darlings is not only a perfect beach book but also excellent at any time of year. The story is so familiar that you feel like a participant in this fun and somewhat caddy novel. Three best friends
hang out and dish about their lives and others. Then handsome and virile Will moves in. And boy does he. All of the women want him, and the same goes for him. Details are revealed, keeping the reader on edge. Who is going to get lucky? And does luck have a downside? All looks good until the last moment when a new player steps onto the stage. What happens to whom and the results make My Summer Darlings a book that you cannot afford to miss, even if you are in the middle of a snowstorm or rain like I am.

I read 45% of the book and couldn’t stand the shallow characters. There wasn’t enough of a plot to grab my attention either. Unfortunately I will not be finishing this book, but would like to thank the publisher for giving me a chance to read it.

I love the friendship between Jen, Kittie, and Cynthia. But will newcomer Will break them apart?

Just as I did with the first book by May Cobb, I devoured this one. It kept me needing more, knowing what happens. I love when a book can grab me and leave me wanting more when I'm done. May has this knack for writing that does just that.

Anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers will love this. Its the perfect book to start your summer with!

Jen, Kittie, and Cynthia are three friends who always led very sheltered lives. While Kittie and Cynthia grew up never wanting for anything, Jen always felt like she was living in the shadow of her two friends, struggling to keep up.

So when Jen’s marriage falls apart, she reluctantly returns to the community, and the friends she grew up with. In some ways falling back in with her old gal pals seems natural, but she still can’t help but compare their picture perfect lives to hers. Then a new, mysterious (and handsome) neighbor moves in, getting the neighborhood’s instant attention. But in the land of the beautiful and rich, can Jen stand out enough in order to fit in?

My Summer Darlings is a wild sophomore effort from author May Cobb, following on the heels of her shocking debut, The Hunting Wives. Fans of decadent suburban behavior will no doubt enjoy this guilty pleasure of a novel.

That being said, I wanted to know more about the sought after new neighbor, Will Harding and what makes him tick. Early on we see the power he has over women, but we don’t get fully tuned into his motivation. Instead, a lot of time is focused on wine pouring and the very bad behavior of bored housewives. There were a few twists in this one that I predicted in advance. If you didn’t I’m sure the story would be all that more of a page turner.

Either way, My Summer Darlings is sure to be the darling of this summer’s must reads.

Oh boy another round of vile Texas ladies by May Cobb!

My Summer Darlings is a novel you literally can't stop reading. It's truly a guilty pleasure. Three gossipy ladies become enamored with the new neighborhood boy toy, Will. He's a lady's man and a master manipulator. These friends completely lose their minds over their yearning to bed him.

Cobb has written a story about misbehaving women and the consequences of sinful behaviors.

Thank you Berkley Publishing for the complimentary copy.

This book was not for me. It’s a slow burn, like super slow, until maybe 75%. That first 75% was torture. It was all whiny housewives and drama.

Now, let me preface with the fact that I’m down for unlikeable characters. This book has maybe one likable character (Jen’s son, Kasey). But the three female MCs were some of the most weak minded, obnoxious, cliche women I’ve read about. These three lifelong friends are just mean girls ready to stab one another in the backs at every chance they get. They’re all jealous of each other. They’re all constantly drunk. It wasn’t even fun train-wreck drama, it was honestly a chore to get through.

Then there’s Will. Other than the constant talk about his super hotness, there’s really nothing about him that stands apart from the other neighborhood guys so I’m not sure why he caused such a stir among this neighborhood/friend group. He seemed weird to me from the get go.

I don’t understand the motivations for anything that happened in this book. I don’t want to spoil it, so I won’t say too much, but it all just seemed so unbelievable to me. And the twist at the end? It was honestly laughable. I have no idea why Will did the things he did. It was never explained.

Also there’s some major ick factor going on with the end. It seemed to only be there for shock value because I can’t even figure out why that storyline was happening or where it was meant to go.

The writing wasn’t great either. “You have such a beautiful torso” - I mean, who says that??

After reading this one and seeing similar thoughts about her first book (which I have not read), I just don’t think this author’s work is for me.

My Summer Darlings Review!

Happy Pub Day! 🎉 Thank you Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for this gifted copy of My Summer Darlings, in exchange for an honest review! My Summer Darlings is out today!

My Summer Darlings was a 4.5/5 ⭐️ for me! This is a pretty perfect summer read. This read like a thrilling movie, I didn’t want to put it down. The main characters were huge messes, but great ones! I especially loved the close knit summer neighborhood setting. I did think that the ending went by a little too fast and there was A LOT of drama. That’s kind of expected though, 3 women are darkly obsessing over one man. 😂

Synopsis: Three life long best friends will never let anything get in the way of their friendship. Except maybe the new mysterious and handsome new neighbor.

Cynthia, Jen, and Kittie have been friends basically forever. They grew up together, stayed in their home town, and spend their time in the late afternoon drinking wine and gossiping about happenings in the neighborhood. They're getting older and their kids are typical teenagers, but that's part and parcel of suburban housewife life. Enter Will, mysterious man of the hour who moves into the neighborhood, occupying their thoughts and a very nice home to boot. Each of the friends is interested in Will for their own personal reasons, and they become obsessed with securing his affection. When he recoils, they search for meaning behind his change in behavior, and what they find gives them reason to recoil in turn, but their own interest may prove deadly, and their bonds of friendship will be taken far beyond what they ever expected.

I liked this one more than I liked May Cobb's last story. This trio of gals are a bunch of housewives just trying to get by, and the arrival of Will kicks in a bit of desperation. They each have their own struggles with their kids, and with aging, and they do their best to handle that with humor, self-medication, and whatever spare grace is left over, but with Will, they essentially throw themselves at him because they need something different, more, out of life.

This is a story of women behaving badly. They get a little too drunk, go after the new neighbor in town, and put their noses where they don't belong. There's a lot of steamy moments, a damsel in distress, and not everybody's guaranteed to get out alive. My Summer Darlings is the story of three women who've lived their whole lives together, who let their ambitions get away from them with the new guy in town, a guy who's hiding more than meets the eye. Recommended for readers looking for women behaving badly in a story fueled by middle-aged angst, obnoxious but loved kids, plenty of wine, a fair bit of lust, and unexpected danger.

If you loved The Hunting Wives, then you will love this book, too! It definitely has the whole ‘housewives behaving badly’ theme. I could imagine this as one of those prime time soaps.
This book is a bit of a slow burner, but once it picks up - it’s like a Pringle 🤣 you just can’t stop. I love how this book changes perspectives. Past, present, journal entries. This book edged more towards domestic mystery than outright mystery or thriller. But still an overall good read.

May Cobb's newest release, My Summer Darlings is every bit as backstabbing and catty as her previous novel, The Hunting Wives, and I loved every minute of it. Was it just a bit too convenient that a sexy new unattached neighbor moved in and he was perfect? Yes. Did I care? Not one bit, because I knew that May Cobb, in her unique and entertaining style, would make something so completely entertaining of the situation, and she definitely did. My Summer Darlings is one of those reads to take to the beach/pool and devour.

Thanks for the opportunity to review!
Link to 5/17/2022 Instagram post:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cdqy6-nLxcI/