One of my favorite books of 2022! I have been a fan of Margot Hunt since Best Friends Forever! I love her writing style and get sucked in immediately! All the Lovely Girls was no exception! Top 3 of 2022!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
I’ve read previous books by this author and enjoyed all of them. This book did not disappoint.
Margot Hunt is a really great writer and managers to hold my interest through the entire book.

A frightening story of a mother and daughter duo that are swept in an ominous series of events in a new town they move into. A very well written story!

4 who is lovely? stars

Mother and daughter Kate and Alex are ready for a fresh start after a tragedy. They head to Shoreham, Florida. Little do they know; they are not going to find things any easier here. Alex quickly runs afoul of the mean girls in town (and their mothers) and things go from bad to worse.

Alex documents events in her video diary and I thought that was a clever way to tell the story. These girls twist events in their favor and the stakes get higher and higher. Soon Alex and Kate are questioning everything and learn that they can’t trust anyone.

The book is broken up into “before she died” and “after she died” and I was anxiously waiting to see who “she” was. This was a quick read and I was invested in the story and the characters.

My first book by this author, but won’t be my last! This one made for a great buddy read and I could definitely see it as a strong book club book.

This was flat, and predictable. No characters that stand out as being 3 dimensal . Cliché after cliché .

What in the Netflix highschool drama is this? It's so obvious that the author has never met a teenager in her life. She has this stereotypical idea that teenager's lives revolve around sex and hating their parents. And let's not forget the book was supposed to be a thriller but there was nothing thrilling about it, no shocking plot twists. Everything was predictable. But props to the author for making it a short and fast read, I didn't really enjoy it but it was still readable.

Fun and enjoyable thriller! I really enjoyed the two main protagonists and how everything was not as it seemed. Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC!

My Review ✨

Lovely Girls by Margot Hunt

**** thank you to net galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review ****
Pub Date: 03.01.23

I went into this book not knowing anything. It was a buddy Read, and it was a book that I had gotten on that galley.
Immediately upon starting it, the writing was good, it had me flipping the Kindle pages. 😂
But, quickly into the book I realized that it has two of my least favorite tropes.
mean girl trope, and a YA POV. once I learned that, I was kind of bitter the whole way. The “shocking twist” Timmy was not shocking at all and once it happened I texted my friend who I was buddy reading list and said wow, that was surprising, not

What worked for me: The writing was good and I would definitely give Mrs. Hunt another chance. The storyline was very predictable, but yet it made sense which was good. There were no crazy potholes or anything

what didn’t work for me: like I stated before I’m not a fan of YA povs and bitchy mean girl tropes.

My Rating: ⭐️ 💫

Mocking Birds.*

It didn’t take long to surmise that the title was ‘tongue in cheek’.

Or just plain cheeky because all, save two females in this story, range from unpleasant to vile. There’s scant loveliness to be found here.

I was still on board since I love a catty neighborhood - especially one poised on the brink of chaos with a powder keg in development. The probable uprising was an event worth anticipating.

This was a quick page turner and read like a ‘Cozy’ but topics of bullying, emotional abuse of a child, and murder contrasted the disarming writing style. An interesting juxtaposition in my opinion.

I loved the slight ambiguity in the ending. Not inconsequential, but I was set at three stars when the final chapter bumped it up for me. It also created a volley of comments as a Buddy Read and assisted me in viewing this in an alternate perspective.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Margot Hunt for my Electronic Review Copy. Publication slated for March 1, 2023

*Bird: British slang for a woman.

This is my second book by this author, the first being For Better or Worse, which I liked a lot.

This one was just okay. I didn't hate it, in fact I read it in a 24 hour period, but it was just a very predictable, surface level "thriller".

I do love a mean girl trope, so you can always win me over there. But I just felt like I didn't like any of the characters and when the "big ending event" happened I kind of went, "sure, why not." Ha.

I'll definitely read more from Hunt!

Are MEAN GIRLS born….or are they created??

After the sudden death of her husband, Kate Turner and her seventeen year old daughter, Alex, have moved to the beachside town of Shoreham, Florida, in search of a fresh start.

The story unfolds in TWO parts….

“BEFORE SHE DIED”

Before the school year can even begin, Alex, gets on the wrong side of a powerful clique of girls, from the high school’s tennis team. Upon advice from Beatrice, the therapist in Buffalo she had to leave behind, she was recording her feelings on a VIDEO diary-and she decides to begin documenting all of the ways she is being tormented by the girls, as well.

Kate, however, has been embraced by the equally cliquey Moms of these same girls, so it becomes difficult for her to decipher fact from fiction, even as other parents and neighbors begin to warn her about the women she is spending time with.

It also doesn’t help that Alex is hiding the bullying that she is enduring-afraid that if her mom interferes-it will only make things worse.

“AFTER SHE DIED”

Are they just mean girls? Or could they be MURDERERS?

What sets this story apart from the others in this trope is the author-Margot Hunt. She hasn’t disappointed me yet, as she always creates believable characters and plausible plots.

The book moves quickly, told primarily from Kate’s POV, with excerpts from Alex’s dated VIDEO diary.

I read the entire ADDICTIVE story over the course of ONE day, and since these aren’t my favorite themes to read about-that’s a credit to the writing!

It serves as yet another cautionary tale about the cruel side of Social Media, and how you can’t run from what has already been posted. AND, it also makes a pretty good case, for still having a landline! ☎️

Expected Publication: March 1, 2023.

Thank You to Thomas & Mercer for the gifted copy, provided through NetGalley! It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

A really well told story of the intricately woven webs of friendships. A really intriguing, sometimes harrowing story. Well written and kept me gripped throughout xx

Sadly I felt this book was very predictable, and I could not connect with the characters at all. The story was intriguing, however, the delivery fell flat for me on this one!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 /5

Margot Hunt is usually one of my favourite authors but I couldn’t get into this one so I stopped. I might try it again at a late date though.

This is what happens when bullying turns deadly. Kate and her daughter Alex moved to Florida to escape the stigma attached to them after her husband's death. They are both starting over, trying to make new friends. Unfortunately, the town is full of gossip and bullies.

The mean girl / teenager bully plot line isn't new, but I did enjoy this author's take on it. It was a quick read with short chapters and the POV shifting from Kate and Alex's video diary. The final chapter was a bit of a twist, a dark twist, that makes you question that person's true character.

I read Margot Hunt's 'For Better and Worse' and loved it- so I was thrilled when I was approved for the ARC of Lovely Girls. Hunt does an excellent job of writing morally deficient characters, and I thought that this novel was one of her best. This examines the idea of nature versus nurture when it comes to 'alpha females' and how women are raised to be accommodating. This novel looks at the opposite- when young women are encouraged to assert dominance over others and the consequences of when that concept goes too far. Great read.

The interesting part about this book was that I wasn't exactly enjoying it and yet I couldn't put it down. I know that doesn't seem like it is a compliment, but it is, as it was a page-turner for me! I read it straight through in one sitting because, while it was not a completely unique storyline, it was presented in a really interesting way that left me guessing for much of the story.

It has similar vibes to the most soapy, over-the-top drama shows that you can't help but watching 10 seasons of despite the content leaving a little to be desired. What I mean by that is, everything was happening very rapidly with hardly any time to build any attachment or interest in the characters. I don't normally pine for more filler but, in this case, I do wish there was a little more downtime between twisty events. These characters are EXHAUSTING. All of them. It would be difficult (for me) to say that any of them were particularly likeable, even the non-villains were a bit flat in their personality flushing out, however I gobbled them up with the same vigor in which I watch Grey's Anatomy trainwrecking its way though its 19th season. (The first interaction between the mother and her love interest was beyond eye-rolling and could have been mistaken for a conversation between my 6 year old and her classmates instead of an adult meet-cute.)

I think this book is a perfect example of an airport book or beach read. You will enjoy it, you will scratch your head wondering how a town could act this way, you will root for people and then raise your eyebrow at their actions, you will wonder how it will all play out. It is a quick read, almost to its detriment, but it will linger in your mind after you finish the final page. You will hopefully cringe at the unnecessary fatphobic comments that added absolutely no value to the story itself. You will likely re-read the final page a few times and consider re-reading it again immediately. Or maybe that was just me. ;) You will most certainly want to find people to discuss it with when you're done, and that alone makes it a good read in my world.

This was my first Margot Hunt novel, but it will not be my last.

Thank you to NetGalley, Margot Hunt, and Thomas & Mercer publishing for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review. Pick up your copy on March 1st, 2023 and ride the rollercoaster of chaos that befalls this family!

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy!

Kate and her daughter, Alex, recently moved to a beach community to start over after a trauma struck their family. Kate had hopes that moving away from the past would help Kate live a more normal life, but unfortunately that was not the case. Alex has difficulties connecting with the girls in her high school and quickly learns of cliques and mean girls. While Kate, unexpectedly becomes friends with the "mean girls" moms. She tries to go into it with fresh eyes while others around her warn of their toxic behavior. We watch as both Kate and Alex try to navigate this new town, people all while protecting their past.

Thank you Netgalley & Thomas & Mercer for an eARC of Lovely Girls by Margot Hunt!

What’s it about?
A mother and daughter (Kate and Alex) are trying to start over in an idyllic town after the sudden death of Alex’s father, only to find themselves both caught up in the toxic world of cliques, mind games, bullying and murder. They expected happiness in Florida, but not everything is as sunny as it seems. Kate becomes instantly involved with a clique of moms - but their daughters don’t like Alex and instantly take to bullying her. Are the clique of moms as toxic as the daughters they raised? Who can be trusted - and how out of hand will things get?

Guysssss. This was my first Margot Hunt book and now I immediately need to read her entire backlist. This is a chilling novel that dives into the world of cliques and bullying - both for adults and those growing up. I love a book that has that small-town juicy gossip feel, where everyone knows absolutely everything about each other. These just aren’t mean girls (and moms) they are downright malicious and will do WHATEVER it takes to get what they want. Deliciously twisty, this novel set in Florida still gives me the chills thinking about it. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 for Goodreads.

This one was just okay to me. Not bad by any means, but also a little forgettable? It was very compulsively readable for sure and the characters were interesting to me but I just felt like I was reading the same tropes I've read over and over again. Margot Hunt's writing makes this story easy to get into so I think this would be a good one for people just testing the waters in the thriller genre. Unfortunately, I read too many thrillers and this didnt wow me.