The Homewreckers by Mary Kay Andrews is a story about love, loss, and how to find your path forward after losing the love of your life. Set in beautiful Savannah, Georgia, the story follows Hattie Kavanaugh, a young woman who tragically lost her husband in a motorcycle accident seven years ago. Since his death, Hattie has basically thrown herself completely into her work, while leaving the rest of her life on hold. Hattie’s work is restoring old historic homes to their former glory, a passion she shared with her husband and which she still shares with her father-in-law. Hattie’s head still isn’t completely in the game though and so when she makes a bad investment on a house she was hoping to restore and flip, she finds herself in desperate need of cash and reluctantly agrees to star in a reality TV show about flipping houses. Little does she realize that not wanting to be on TV will soon be the least of her worries.

Hattie is a fantastic protagonist. She’s feisty and fierce, takes no crap from anyone, probably a byproduct of working in a field that is filled predominantly with men and therefore constantly underestimated. Beneath that tough exterior, however, there’s also the vulnerable, heartbroken side of Hattie. I found her such an easy character to love and I was fully invested in her story. I also loved that she has maintained such a close relationship with her father-in-law. It was sweet watching the two of them interact. Even though her husband is gone, it’s clear that Hattie is still very much part of the Kavanaugh family.

Aside from my love for Hattie, what really took this story to the next level for me was all the drama that ensued from the moment production starts on Hattie’s show. First, there’s the aggressively determined producer who is convinced Hattie and this TV show are going to be huge hits. Then there’s the handsome and all-too-charming cohost whose interest in Hattie may or may not be genuine. Lastly, there’s the renovation project itself, which seems to be downright cursed. One bad thing after another keeps happening – fires, threats, code violations, and when they open up one of the walls in the old house to repair some damage, they even find the wallet of a beloved high school teacher who has been missing for 17 years and presumed dead. In short, there’s drama, intrigue, and suspense in spades, making for one heck of a wild ride!

I don’t want to give away anything about the developments in that missing person case, but wow, talk about twists and turns. Andrews kept me guessing every step of the way and glued to this book until I had all the answers. There is a bit of romance as well, but I’d say it definitely takes a backseat to Hattie’s overall journey, to what is going on with the house renovations (the actual filming, the butting of heads between cast members, showrunners, network executives, etc.), and of course with finding out what happened to the teacher and how her wallet ended up inside the wall of a random old beach house.

If the way I devoured this story in less than a day is any indication, I think The Homewreckers is going to land in a lot of beach bags this summer. It’s the perfect beach read!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As an avid reader, unbelievably this was my first Mary Kay Andrews book and it was a good one! The Homewreckers follows Savannah contractor and young widow Hattie as she attempts to save her career while flipping a 100 year old beach house, but oh there's so much more! Hattie is starting in a reality show following the process, but when the crew discovers evidence from the disappearance of Hattie's English teacher 17 years before, the book strays from the typical romance theme of chick lit -- but it is there -- and you're drawn into the murder mystery. There's a little bit of everything for everyone in this book - murder, mystery, romance, intrigue...Sure to be a hot beach read this summer!
#netgalley #stmartinspress #marykayandrews #thehomewreckersnovel #arc #beachread #chicklit #murdermystery #summer2022reads @netgalley

An enjoyable and relaxing read with a mystery to solve. The main character Hattie renovates old homes in Savannah. If you’ve ever renovated a house you’ll relate to the mayhem and mishaps in this book. She’s a hardworking contractor that is still grieving the loss of her husband and high school sweetheart after seven years. Her best friend Cass is a supportive friend and her foreman as well. She’s recruited by a reality TV producer, Mo, to do her thing but this endeavor ends up going wrong in so many different ways. When a body is discovered in her latest renovation project the renovation itself is the least of the challenges she’ll encounter in this project.

Hattie flips houses in Savannah and recently had a big flop. She is discovered for a flipping reality tv show. Mo is the producer of the show, The Homewreckers, and is a very likeable character. Trae was the fancy designer on the show and is very opinionated and cocky. Lots of issues come up as it appears that the house that is being renovated is linked to the disappearance of a beloved teacher.

I really enjoyed having a behind the scenes picture of a reality show!

Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.

The Queen of Beach Reading has delivered another great book. It’s quick and fun. This book is full of twists and turns with a 17 year old mystery, a 100 year old house restoration, a reality show, and a young widow learning to live again while making a few stumbles along the way. It’s a good read for sitting on the beach and watching the world go by.

I am a long time fan of Mary Kay Andrews' books and The Homewreckers lives up to the hype! This novel combines the best of Southern, Women's fictions with romance and mystery. Hattie Kavanaugh is a widow in her early 30's who works with her father-in-law restoring old homes and flipping them. The producer of HPTV crosses her path and offers her television series about renovating and restoring a home along the coast of South Carolina. What ensues is a rush to complete the task, a mystery about a woman gone missing 17 years ago, and Hattie takes steps to restarting her life with a few mistakes along way. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin" Publishing group for the ARC!

I've only read one other MKA book prior to this one (The Newcomer) which I really enjoyed, so I had high expectations going into Homewreckers.

Based on the blurb, I was expecting house flipping drama and romance. What I got was a cold case mystery as the main plot driver. The house renovation took a back seat, and I didn't really feel the chemistry between Hattie and either of the male interests. I appreciate that the mystery element was at least layered enough so that the "whodunnit" wasn't completely obvious from the get go.

Maybe it's because I was expecting one thing and got another, but this book felt LONG. I'm usually pretty fast at read throughs; this one took a while to gain momentum, and by the time we reached cruising speed I didn't really feel invested in the characters. Overall, kind of forgettable, but a good summer read.

I was provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

MKA is an auto buy author for me. Her books always deliver. Homewreckers revolves around a house rehab, something I am a pseudo junkie about. I bit my nails a lot while reading since Hattie does get in over her head and is having financing issues. I love that Andrews incorporated the lost wallet into her plot. I follow her on social media and read about her find in her own renovated Tybee Island cottage.
It’s a great beach read and will make you want to paint a wall, go antiquing, or knock a wall down.

Not sure if this was supposed to be antic-filled slapstick or just a southern east coast slice of life, but the combo made for an entertaining read. Varied cast of characters kept my interest, and a decades old mystery was a subplot that lasted from beginning to end. Good story!

Publication date: May 3
Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of Homewreckers ebook from NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

I have been a fan of Mary Kay Andrews bechy summer reads for a few years! I love her story telling ability to capture the scenic setting details, building strong characters and a touch of mystery and romance.

Homewreckers checks all of these boxes and I was pleased to read the new beach scene created in Savannah as opposed to the usual Florida beach locations.

Hattie is a young widow working with her father-in-law restoring historic houses. After investing in a house to flip that was a money pit, Hattie is determined to prove she has what it takes to lead a house flip for profit.

Hattie is offered a lead role in a DIY television network show which is a great opportunity to prove herself. The network decides to add an LA designer as her partner and sparks fly as Hattie navigates this new partnership and blooming relationship.

As if the house flip, television show and relationship woahs weren’t enough, a body is discovered on the property and a police investigation is launched.

I’m giving this book a solid 4/5 stars. I loved Hattie’s character and reading all the details of the house flip. However, this is my second Mary Kay Andrews book in a row that I found the romance and relationship storyline hard to believe and often sprinkled in out of the blue. There is room to go deeper on the romance side of things.

I recommend putting Homewreckers on your summer TBR, totally worth the read!

#19thbookof2022 #Homewreckers #marykayandrews #netgalley

Summer reading at its best, and for those who, like me, enjoy home improvement/house flipping shows on TV, The Homewreckers will drag you in and keep you flipping pages late into the night! I started the book expecting to read a romantic comedy set in a home remodeling show. Little did I know, the characters quickly become embroiled in a whodunit arising from a missing person case nearly 20 years old and it is the mystery that becomes the focus, with a little bit of romance thrown in for fun.

I found Hattie Kavanaugh, the main character, completely charming and was rooting for her success from the beginning. Mo, the producer of the show, also tugged at my heart; he was a trustworthy 'good guy' from the beginning. Other characters add to the suspense...what really happened back then, will the production crew meet the deadlines, who can Hattie trust? With lots of behind the scenes of a 'reality' TV show thrown into the mix, The Homewreckers is a light, entertaining mystery/romance. Loved it!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of The Homewreckers by Mary Kay Andrews. The opinions in this review are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for the fair and honest review.

My first Mary Kay Andrews book - but not my last.

A fun and quick read. Checks all the boxes. Can't wait to read her other books!

Name of Book: The Homewreckers
Author: Mary Kay Andrews
Genre: Adult Fiction/Mystery
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pub Date: May 3, 2022
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.4 Stars

Trigger Warning: Note this is not a Cozy Mystery! There are F-Bombs and other nasty language!

I am sure some readers are laughing at my trigger warning.
This is Book #30 for Mary Kay Andrews, although I haven’t read all, I certainly loved and enjoyed the eight delightful stories I have reads. Most have been listed on the “The Cozy Mystery” site although many are not mysteries but the site would indicate (not a mystery). So when the nasty language appeared in this story I honestly asked ~ “Wait a minute are there two authors with the same name?”
I have a low tolerance for profanity and these unlikeable characters sure were hitting my
tolerance level! I decided to put on my big girl panties (as my panties seem to be in a wad) and
work on desensitizing the nastiness; as I was sure I could trust MK would write a good story!
I love whodunits ~ So yes! ~ This kept me guessing.

Hattie Kavanaugh works for her father-in-law in restoring houses. She started back when she was eighteen helping with odds and ends, cleaning-up etc. for Kavanaugh & Sons Restorations. When she turned twenty she married Hank the boss’s son but by twenty-five she was a widow when Hank was killed in a motorcycle accident.

There is no doubt that I like Hattie. Things get interesting when the TV Reality Show “Home Wreckers” decides to give some TLC to some of the old beautiful Savannah homes and wants Hattie to star in the first episode. The male lead, of course is handsome and we are sure there is going to be a love interest.
What got MY attention is the mystery.
While tearing out a wall, a wallet is found and belongs to a young school teacher who disappeared seventeen years.
Yikes! Her body is found.
Awww who whodunit?
* the jealous husband
* the young lover
* the little daughter ~ Well No! Too young but she sure is nasty enough!

Want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for an honest professional review.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for May 3, 2022.

This is my favorite book I’ve read for a while! I listened to the audio version and the narrator was awesome, she brought so much more to the story than just reading pages. I loved all the characters, the storyline was not only entertaining but kept me intrigued from beginning all the way to the very end! Perfect book for summer- would be great to read at the beach or poolside.

The Homewreckers by Mary Kay Andrews

⭐️⭐️⭐️

* Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for providing a digital copy of The Homewreckers in exchange of a honest review.

I was expecting this one to be a light Chick-Lit Romance surrounding home renovation, and I was surprise to realised it was also a mystery. I felt like there was a little too much going on, and we didn't plunge into anything deeper.
I especially enjoyed the relationships that the main caracter Hattie had with her best Friend and her Father In Law.
Overall, this one was entertaining and light, but not memorable.

#bookstagram #bookstagrammer #booklover #booknerd #bookcommunity #canadianbookstagrammer

I’m a huge fan of HGTV shows, and so after reading the premise I was excited to read the ARC I got from NetGalley. I read the Santa Suit by the same author back in December and thought it was so fun! The start of the novel was exactly what I was hoping for, as we learned about Hattie's flips and flops in the restoring world in Savannah. I especially loved all the details about what Hattie brought into the house flip that made it unique and honored its location in Savannah. I would totally actually watch this show if it existed. While this is a book about Hattie, a historic home restorer which gets offered the chance to be on a TV show, the plot also became about an unsolved missing person’s case, and that muddied the waters for me. That aspect of the book wasn't even mentioned in the blurb that came with it. It felt like two books were forced together into one. I wanted more of the home flipping drama and the love triangle that was set up, but ultimately that all became the weaker part of the story in the second half, and it became more about the missing person case. Since this book was labeled as romance I expected more in that department, but it didn’t deliver. This book is much more a suspenseful mystery with some romance thrown in. Having two storylines braided together seemed to slow the book down and I found myself excited for the book to wrap up, instead of feeling sad that it was over.

What a fun book! This story was super fun to read through and had romance, true crime, family drama and some HGTV all in one book and I was definitely enjoying it. The balance between the "mystery" or true crime parts of this book with the lighter romantic moments was great and allowed for breathing room. Overall, I just found myself really enjoying reading this story and the characters were fun and all had vastly different personalities.

Definitely interested in reading some more of Mary Kay Andrews!

Many many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I always look forward to MKA’s books. They are a great escape with strong female characters, and a good beach read. This one was good, but not my favorite of hers. I found it entertaining and a quick read.

Mary Kay Andrews is definitely one of my fav authors. I really appreciate her writing style. This one was fantastic. It kept my attention and I just had to know what was going to happen next. Can’t wait to continue to read everything I can by this author.

Mary Kay Andrews comes through again! HOMEWRECKERS is a delicious summer treat, better than mama’s banana pudding. How much fun is it combining everyone’s guilty pleasure of home renovation shows and a good ole southern whodunnit? Hattie Kavanaugh finds herself shooting her own home renovation show after years of fixing up and flipping houses with her father in law, Tug. She puts everything on the line to restore the perfect beach cottage, what could possibly go wrong? This is the perfect beach read and just the escape I needed. So much fun!