My first time reading a book by Margot Hunt. Very topical with the theme of privileged bullies, sexual abuse by teachers. Of course, if it's on my shelf, there's likely a murder involved. Good characters (mean girls on steroids). Hoping that these girls are only in a book and don't exist in the real world!

This is definitely one of those books that you will not drop until it's finished. It definitely gives off mean girls' vibes and mean mom's to go with it. With two POV's with their own stories to it, it keeps you invested. The video diary format it's written in actually pulled it through for me. The characters are strong and brought across really well with a strong storyline and a nice little twist at the end. I am pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this one!

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

This was an exciting and suspenseful thriller. I was quickly drawn in by the 2 lead characters, Kate and her daughter Alex. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early read.

This absolutely exceeded my expectations. The first 15% was a bit slow for me, but then I was IMMEDIATELY hooked. The last half I seriously could not put down my kindle!! The writing was smart, gripping, and while I guessed (sort of) who the killer was-the explanation had me shook!! And the third act twist GOT ME.

I had higher hopes for this book, but it was just a disappointment to me. I felt like while the basic storyline was good, there was a little bit that started being boring and that carried through to the rest of the book. Nothing surprising here.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Thomas & Mercer for an ARC of this fabulous book in exchange for a review.
There is definitely nothing lovely about these girls, they are mean, cruel and spiteful! Who created these horrible girls and could they even be murderers?
This is a fast paced addictive read, you will not want to leave this book down.
The story is told by Kate mostly, and embellished by parts from her daughter Alex’s video diary.
Kate and Alex have moved to Shoreham, Florida, for a fresh start, following the death of Kate’s husband who was Alex’s father. Alex was driving the car that caused the fatal accident.
Before Alex has started at her new school she has ruffled the feathers of a clique of 3 girls, when she is caught videoing them for her video diary. When the school term starts they bully Alex, they could not be any meaner. Meanwhile though, Kate has been befriended by the mothers of the mean girls and she is pleased to have new friends.
There is a lot of drama, deception and back stabbing from some mean powerful characters.
This is another brilliant book from Margot Hunt, her readers will love it.
This book definitely reminds us how powerful and dangerous social media can be.!,

this one was just okay to me.

the premise sounds so intriguing!! I’m always down for a messy academia crazy mom setting - except this was not what this was at all. it was more of a lesson against bullying than anything else.

this was my first novel by this author and while I enjoyed reading it, it wasn’t anything that really grabbed me. the mean teenager trope isn’t really my cup of tea anymore.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

rating: 2.5 stars

Lovely Girls, by Margot Hunt, is an exciting, fast paced psychological suspense. This book had me, right from the start all the way through to the end. It was almost impossible to put it down just so I could go to bed. I enjoyed getting to know the main characters and seeing things from their point of view.
After Kate Turner's husband dies in a car crash, that was tragic in so many ways, she decides to relocate with her daughter, Alex. She's chosen a lovely beach town in sunny Florida. Almost immediately Alex realizes that she's not going to get the fresh start that she so desperately needs.
As Kate’s making new friends with a welcoming group of women, their daughters have already decided that Alex is their new favorite target. So, as part of her new video diary, she starts documenting her encounters with the bullies. Kate isn't sure what to think when Alex tells her about her bad experiences with the girls but she's trying to keep an open mind.
Later, Kate’s surprised when her neighbor also tries to warn her about her new group of friends. She has no idea who she can trust. When things take a weird turn, they go downhill faster than anyone can believe.

The story starts out with the discovery of a murdered teenager on the beach in Florida. From there we are introduced to three teenage girls and their moms. The moms all met in Lamaze class, and the moms and their daughters are all best friends. Enter Kate, who after her husband dies, moves her daughter, Alex from Buffalo New York to sunny Florida. Alex is bullied early on by the three girls and starts a video diary documenting her abuse. These mothers will do anything to protect their daughters.

Wow, these girls, along with their mothers, were horrible mean girls. It was difficult to read all the abuse Alex had to incur, and the mothers were absolutely vile in their own way, even going so far as encouraging their behavior and allowing it to happen with no consequences. When the identity of the murdered teen is made known, I could not turn the pages fast enough to find out how she was murdered and by who.

I found the story very realistic, and I know with social media today young people are suffering every day from some form of bullying. If you are a fan of the mean girl trope and women behaving badly, you will enjoy this one and I would highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my e-ARC,

Margot Hunt's newest novel Lovely Girls is an unexpectedly thought-provoking look into the dangerous minds of teenage girls. When Kate moves to a sunny southern town after the sudden death of her husband, her goal is to help her daughter Alex heal and have a fresh start. While Kate is befriended by the moms in the "cool clique", their daughters are determined to make Alex's life miserable. As the true extent of their unkindness is revealed, Alex and Kate find themselves in the midst of a criminal investigation and a shocking web of lies and destruction. Lovely Girls will stay with you long after the last page.

I was not expecting to start and finish this book in the span of a few hours, but once I started, I could not put it down. This book was honestly chilling. I love reading about the dynamics of high school mean girls (and their moms) but this took them to a whole other level. This book explores how raising your children not to be victims goes too far. I liked having both Kate and Alex’s POVs, especially Alex’s video diaries. I found that format really interesting and fitting for this story. They were both really strong characters with their own baggage and complications. It is absolutely a very heavy story, not much humor or lightheartedness. The trio of Daphne, Callie and Shae make the Plastics and the Heathers look like Care Bears. And the relationship dynamic of their mothers’ friendships was so intriguing and also terrifying. The book had me on edge the entire time reading it. I did guess the “who did it?” of it all, but reading it and having my suspicions confirmed didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the story at all. Highly recommend if you’re into the mean girls and their moms tropes, but definitely be in the right head space for it.


TW: bullying, sexual abuse, murder, violence, mentions of physical and emotional abuse

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

Kate tells the story of what happened to her daughter Alex when they moved to Florida, with help fro Alex's video diary. Alex finds herself bullied by other girls even as Kate finds friendship with their mothers. But it's not that simple and this is told in two time lines- before and after she died (no spoilers on that one). This isn't an especially fresh plot but it's well done and the characters stand out. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A fast entertaining read.

Well, this was an entertaining page-turner although it was very conventional and not very surprising. But it held my interest all the time.

It is the often told story of mean girls at school who pick on the nerdy new girl. Newly widowed Kate moves with her daughter Alex to Florida to make a fresh start. Kate soon makes friends among some glamorous mothers who all have also daughters. But they are not as lovely as the title suggests. It is quite the opposite and almost from day one Alex gets bullied by them. When Alex fights one of them for a place in their tennis team things get out of hand.

Right at the beginning we learn that a dead girl was found on the beach. For the rest of the book you can lean back and watch things escalate until you see who the victim is. This is fun although I got the feeling I read something similar before. But it is still juicy and entertaining even if the mothers and daughters fell a bit over the top and the little love-story for Kate felt too-good-to-be-true. And I would have liked to shake Alex because of her stubbornness towards the end. But overall I enjoyed it. It is an entertaining popcorn domestic drama.

Ever spend some time in a place different from where you live, like the place, and wonder what's like to permanently live there? Is the community good? What about the people? Are they a group that you can make a home with? Now what is for whatever reason it's the opposite? The negativity, the hostility, and the cliques.?This waa a fun read. I was totally invested and had to see how the story was gonna play out? The writing was smooth and tight. The characters? There were some you like and others you hated. The journey they took was relatable. And as crazy as the different situations, I was here for it and enjoyed the ride. It was my first read by the author. Enjoyed it enough I've put them on my authors to watch list.

#margothunt #lovelygirls #NETGALLEY

I was hoping I’d enjoy this more than I ended up liking it. While it wasn’t the most well-written novel (it was dialogue heavy in a way that felt unnatural and awkward), I was invested in the mystery and enjoyed the video diary format for Alex’s POV. However the ending was boring and predictable, and the final twist expected in a thriller like this fell very flat for me. It was a fast book and I finished it in one sitting, but it sadly wasn’t my favorite. Thank you to Thomas & Mercer for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley, the Publishers, and Margot Hunt for allowing me to read an ARC of Lovely Girls! I have read Margot’s previous books and have always been a fan and this did not disappoint! It was very “I was holding my breath that I did not realize I was holding.” I felt some parts were rushed into details and could have used more character development, but otherwise I highly recommend! There was a part where one of the girls said the dead girls name (like she was still talking to her), but meant the other girl (still alive).

This book surprised me so much. I wasn't sure if I would like it at first but after about a couple chapters I was hooked . I loved the writing style so much and thought it was done very well.

Great thriller!!! Very suspenseful and easy to breeze through the pages in I am read this on one in in two be sittings. Highly recommend

3.5 rounded up. While I found this slow at times and a bit drawn out, I think the conclusion was clever and the title really plays into the many intricacies of teenage girls. I wish we had gotten more of Alex's POV throughout as I felt it was heavy on Kate at times. Especially given the ending.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Short and sweet review time…

Margot Hunt is a new to me author, and I will definitely be reading more of her books.

The character development in this one was brilliant. Talk about mean girls you love to hate. Wow! The suspense was on point, and the twist was shocking.

Suspense lovers will definitely want to read this one.

My thanks to Thomas and Mercer @amazonpublishing and @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book before its publication date.