I hate to say it but I don't think this author is for me. I do see how she is popular with other readers, but for me, I think I will skip her next book.

For those interested in family issues, murder, and a complex mystery, this may work for you. I wanted to love it so because these are some of my favorite themes in books but this one just fell flat for me.

Hotter than Texas asphalt in August, More twist and turn than a tornado!!
May Cobb is a genius. I love that Texas has me so enthralled. These women are priceless. Makes me wonder what makes up a good friend but don’t you want to ask that question when you’re Reading a thriller
I love the secrets that unfold and how they unfold is extraordinary May Cobb is a gifted thriller storyteller with girlfriends and men and afternoon drinks and just girls honestly dream of except for the scary stuff! She has everything wrapped in one. It’s what we all sit back and read, a hot day or a cold winter Night. She can’t come out with her next book quick enough I think I see that every time and it’s true!!

I’m a big fan of May Cobb—she writes the best soapy, gossip-filled, summer reads with a bit of steam and a whole lot of bad behavior. That’s what I expected when I opened up her third novel, A Likeable Woman. This is a big departure in terms of style and tone from her previous two books, though no less engaging. Telling the story of a mother who took her own life and the daughter that has never stopped searching for answers, this is a gripping psychological suspense novel with a twist.

Review | A Likeable Woman

You probably know May Cobb as the beach read queen in the psychological thriller genre. Her first two books were hotter than the Texas heat, featuring bored, wealthy women behaving very badly. I loved both of those books, and was excited for a third. It intrigues me that A Likeable Woman is such a drastic departure in tone. I love that it shows breadth and diversity in Cobb’s writing! I hope she hasn’t set aside her flair for bored housewives and their antics entirely, but I also loved to see this more serious domestic suspense novel. It has plenty of her signature elements, but as a whole this is a story that is more emotional than what we’ve seen so far. Let’s get into it, shall we?

What’s A Likeable Woman about?

It’s been twenty years since Kira has returned to her affluent Texas hometown. Kira fled after her mother’s mysterious death rocked her world and became fodder for the town gossip. The widely believed story is that her mother Sadie took her own life, but Kira has never been sure of that. In the wake of her grief, Kira fled to start over somewhere new. She’s been treading water since, unable to move on.

“I’m the fragile one, the potentially unstable one. Just like her mother, they shout-whispered. And also, I’m the only one who believes my mother was murdered, that she didn’t die by her own hand.”

When she receives an invitation to an old frenemy’s vow renewal party—which promises to be an action-packed weekend of painful catching up with her former friends—Kira is reluctant to return for many reasons, not the least of which is that the party is being held at The Farm where her mother died. But Kira’s grandmother has been texting her saying she has something of her mother’s she wants to give her that links to her death. That, plus the promise that her teenage crush and closest friend from home, Jack, will be there—and Kira agrees to make the trip.

From the moment Kira arrives at her grandmother’s house, everything is unsettling. Her grandmother seems to be on her best behavior, but she’s being cryptic and Kira isn’t sure she can trust her. When her grandmother gives her a memoir her mother was writing before her death, Kira can’t believe she has these words directly from her mother. But the journal also seems to detail the scandal that surrounded Sadie before her death, and Kira suspects it may have the answers to what really happened that night…

Why should you read this book?

I enjoyed how layered this story was. Despite her wealth, Sadie was unhappy. Through passages from her memoir, Sadie describes feeling lost after her parents died in a tragic accident. When she met her husband, he was nice and handsome and his life felt secure. Eventually without meaning to, she gave into doing what all their friends were doing—getting married, having kids, buying a big house, becoming a housewife. This is what Sadie calls her efforts to be “a likeable woman”.

“If I can impart one thing to you it’s this: Don’t be like me, don’t be a likeable woman.”

In the time leading up to her death, Sadie began to break away from the person she was expected to be—a likeable woman. She rediscovered her passion for art and creative endeavors. Her husband even built her a shed to have as her studio, though she admits that he didn’t do this to give her “a room of one’s own”—he did it to keep her away from the neighbors spying what a loose and troublesome woman she was. He did it for his own reputation. Sadie also details finding the person she actually loves—someone who accepted her fully as herself.

It's easy to see the parallels between Kira’s life and Sadie’s. Kira rebelled against her’s much earlier, but in a quiet way. She left rather than face the judgment of going against the grain. Now that she’s back, she can feel the gossip that surrounds her and her mother. The women who were her friends are a throwback to the women from Cobb’s other books. These women could easily be the Hunting Wives with their unhappy marriages, vicious gossip, and infidelity, dropped right into this town. But this is not their story—in this case they are the in-group, and our narrators Kira and Sadie are the out-group. The non-popular ones. The “unlikeable women”.

Kira isn’t a shrinking violet though. She does the minimum she needs to in order to be a supportive “friend”, but she sneaks away when she is able to read more of Sadie’s journal. And to spend time with Jack. Oh boy, I fell hard for Kira and Jack! Their chemistry is undeniable, and they care for one another so deeply. Jack is in an unhappy marriage to a woman who (from the way it is described) entrapped him with a “surprise” pregnancy. Now they have a child together who has special needs, and Kira knows she can’t try again and ask Jack to leave his wife. Watching their relationship was bittersweet, even for the reader! I wasn’t proud of this, but I wanted Jack to cheat on his wife and leave her for Kira. They seem meant to be!

The central mystery is of course, what really happened to Sadie. Did she take her own life? Was it murder like Kira always suspected? The pieces written by Sadie in the past timeline were gripping and haunting. We know where it’s headed, and there are clues that could point in either direction, though the reader can’t help but side with Kira that painting Sadie as “unstable” was just another manifestation of how her free spirited nature wasn’t accepted in their social circle. I was so engrossed in Sadie’s story, I didn’t really theorize who might have played a role—I just watched it unfold. I was surprised by the way it played out in a good way. I didn’t guess the way the book would end, and I was riveted during the last several chapters. The epilogue was perfect and brought the closure to Kira and Sadie’s stories that I needed after that emotional roller coaster!

Final thoughts

This is a different style of book for May Cobb, but one I loved just as much as her soap-y thrillers. A Likeable Woman is much more poignant, character-driven, and layered. It has a slower pace and a subtle but impactful tension that slowly increases throughout the book. The ending unravels the mystery in a spectacular way. The epilogue was the perfect touch to close out the story of Kira and Sadie. Gripping, suspenseful, and powerful.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my copy. Opinions are my own.

Meh. This one was really boring to me and I could see the way it would end about 10 minutes into the book. I think I might be taking a break from this author. Thanks netgalley for my free review copy.

I have read every one of this author's books because I was obsessed with the Hunting Wives! I think that book is still my favorite of hers, but this one would likely be my second favorite.

I think that the dual perspective initially was a bit confusing before we find out that Sadie is writing a book in the past and that's what we're reading in her chapters. I also was a bit frustrated by the main character a lot of the time. She seemed to be singularly focused and not super self-aware. The mystery did have me going for the whole book though! It wasn't until very late into the story that I was thinking "Hmmm, maybe its this character?"

Overall, I'd give this book a 3.5 out of 5, rounded up.

I had such high hopes for this one but was sadly disappointed. I was bored and confused by a lot of the main character's choices. And what does the cover have to do with the book?

May Cobb is the master of the modern soap opera thriller. She manages to be pulpy and fun while still scratching at some depth with her writing. I’ll read anything she writes.

Yes, I'm still making my way through some long neglected ARCs and I can tell you exactly why I downloaded A Likeable Woman by May Cobb last year. Like a fool I got sucked in by a promo email sent by NetGalley. The fact that it was slated for July 2023 and the back cover blurb read like a primetime soap opera - I'm only human. I took a flier on what could have panned out to be sudsy, compulsive beach read. Let's just say it was like getting stung by a jellyfish.

I can't talk about how much of a Hate Read this one turned into without spoiling damn near everything - so that's your warning.

Ranty Spoilery McSpoilerkins Ahoy!

When Kira was a young teenager her mother "committed suicide." Everyone in their small, affluent Texas town had no trouble believing that Sadie killed herself. She was flighty, artistic, prone to dramatics, and behind closed doors everybody knew Kira's father was an abusive asshole. The problem is, Kira has never believed it. She worshipped her mother. Was closer to her than anyone else. Mom wouldn't kill herself and leave her. She just wouldn't. Kira is so vehement that eventually her rich-with-oil-money Granny packs her off to boarding school. Now living in Los Angeles, Kira hasn't been back to East Texas since and is all set to ignore the invitation to her childhood frenemy's vow renewal ceremony when Granny calls. She has something that belonged to Kira's mother, something that Kira needs to see - something that has convinced Granny that maybe Kira has been right all this time. Sadie did not kill herself.

The plan is for it to be a quick trip. Get in, get what Granny has of her mother's, get out. Kira is stuck in her own life, marking time. She needs closure to move on and is hopeful she'll finally find some. Meeting her at the airport is her first and only twu wuv Jack. Also Jack's booze-swilling, pill-popping bitch of a wife and their young autistic son. Jack, still has handsome as ever. Jack practically a goddamn father of the year. Jack, whose wife is a bitch, but still - HIS WIFE! This guy's life is messy as shit but that doesn't stop Kira from having to change her panties around him the whole damn book.

Folks, I thought this behavior was exceedingly gross and Kira as a character never recovers from it. I'm supposed to root for this person on their quest for the truth? Really?!

Turns out what Granny has is a book that Sadie was writing. A book that was mostly confessional diary written directly to Kira - but that somehow Sadie thought someone might publish someday. Seriously, I hate everybody. Anyway, what follows is Kira not dropping her life to read the whole damn book in one sitting because then this book would be 100 pages long and we flit back and forth between Kira being the dumbest dumb bunny ever and chapters told from Sadie's messy and equally dumb bunny point of view.

The apple definitely did not fall from the tree folks.

The readership of this blog is primarily a romance genre related one - so y'all will know what I'm talking about when you read a story featuring a heroine who is a young woman, but her pop culture references feel way too old. The author never comes out and gives the ages her characters definitively but they feel and act like Millennials. Probably somewhere in their 30s. The problem here is the references are very Gen X. I'm firmly Gen X and I barely remember 8-Track car stereos. But Kira remembers her parents' car having one. She also had a poster of REM's Green album on her wall (1988) and her high school senior sister pulls on acid-washed jean shorts in one flashback scene. And these are just a few of things that didn't read "right" to me. Even if I'm being generous - it would put Kira and all her frenemies looking down a very short hill barreling towards 50. This book was published in 2023. It reads more like something that would have made sense to be published in the early 2000s.

Something like this though, I could look past if I'm enjoying the story and characters. Reader, the only reason I didn't DNF this book is because, Lord help me, I had to find out who killed Dumb Bunny Kira's Dumb Bunny Mommy. And Kira, besides not reading the damn "book" in one sitting (which the author tap-dances around because golly, there's all these events planned surrounding the insipid vow renewal), is so slow on the uptake you just want to scream in her face after a while. She starts suspecting people whose motives are weak as hell (if they have one at all). There's a secondary character who OBVIOUSLY wants to tell her something IMPORTANT but Jack and small town gossip tell her the guy is bad news.

Take a wild guess how that turns out?

But the thing that really got to me? The unresolved feelings for Jack and the fact the author damn near writes it like I'm supposed to believe this is some great unrequited love. Look, is his wife a bitch? Yes. But, and maybe this is my old age talking, I felt sorry for her. Her son is autistic, and she's obviously still struggling with that diagnosis (this is only natural IMHO). On top of that her husband is goddamn Mary Poppins ("practically perfect in every way") and now the girl he never forgot from high school is in the back seat of their rental car. So yeah, Melanie may be a bitch, but maybe there's a reason for that.

It ends exactly the way I expected it would, with the Bad Guy being exactly who I expected it to be. Is this a soap opera? Yes. It ticks a ton of those boxes, and I honestly probably could have gotten behind this more if 1) the plotting was better and 2) Kira wasn't so blindingly stupid and distasteful. It became a hate read very early on and stayed that way to the bitter end. Damn my black soul for wanting the whodunit confirmed so I can lord over this terrible book that it didn't fool me.

Although it fooled me into finishing it - so maybe I shouldn't gloat.

Final Grade = D-

This was just ok. I LOVED May Cobbs first release but this one lacked in suspense and steam. Yes some of the characters were still unlikeable in a way that made the story compelling but it wasn’t as fun. You didn’t root for any of them the way you did in The Hunting Wives.

May Cobb is a Texas queen and I absolutely adore her writing. The settings of her books being in my backyard make them exponentially more enjoyable. I can picture the story so vividly, as well as each and every character. This book felt different as it had more of a mystery element than previous novels. I LOVED THAT! It made the read very compelling.

I cannot resist a juicy thriller and May Cobb's books always fall into that category. Unfortunately, this one just wasn't hitting the same way as her previous novels. I felt the twist was soooo obvious and the main character Kira was truly the epitome of naive girl making idiotic decisions over and over. I did like the book within a book addition. And while this wasn't my favorite, I plan to read more by Cobb to satisfy my itch for those salacious binge thrillers. I highly recommend THE HUNTING WIVES over this one if you're in the mood.

Slow-burning suspense meets family drama with a side of rich people behaving badly

I have been a major fan of May’s ever since I chose “The Hunting Wives” for my @bookofthemonth in 2021. She writes a brand of soapy suspense with feminist undertones and social commentary that speaks to my soul. “A Likeable Woman” hits all of those themes.

“A Likeable Woman” is a bit of a departure for May, and one that I am excited for. I think this book steps a bit outside the suspense category and into contemporary fiction. The book follows Kira, who is still working to unravel the mysteries surrounding her mother’s death more than 15 years after she died.

Kira heads back to her affluent hometown in East Texas after her grandmother calls to say she’s found a memoir her mother was working on when she died. To add a layer of sexiness to the story, Kira teams up with her childhood crush to solve the mystery of her mother’s death.

Kira returns to her hometown to uncover the secrets surrounding her mother’s death. Kira’s mother died over twenty years earlier, but Kira suspected there was more to her mother’s death than she was told.

A Likeable Woman is told using multiple points of view and timelines. Kira is telling the present day events, and Sadie, her mother, is the voice for the past. The characters are interesting. The East Texas setting is atmospheric.

A dramatic thriller. Recommended for fans of domestic thrillers, cold cases, and old secrets.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Every May Cobb book I read immediately transports me to Texas, and I am dying to visit in real life! This novel was a lot more serious than her previous two books. Years after her mother's alleged suicide, Kira is given a copy of her mother's unfinished memoir. Throughout the story, she becomes increasingly paranoid as she is determined to figure out what really happened to her mother. I thought it was a nice touch that Cobb presented the reader with the memoir's passages as Kira was reading them for the first time. I loved the feeling I got when we were reading together, especially when Kira said, "Just one more chapter." Cobb is such a good writer that I didn't even care I guessed the twist; I was still left satisfied. While it was not as chaotic as I would expect from this author, you know I am already eyeing her next release.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced copy of A Likeable Woman by May Cobb for me to preview.

May Cobb is a talent. It's not summer without a May Cobb salacious thriller by the pool! Thank you for the opportunity to read early.

3/5 stars

Thank you Berkley Publishing Group for the advanced reading copy!

SYNOPSIS -- Kira has been plagued by questions about her mother's mysterious death for decades. Immediately after her Mom died, Kira left her wealthy Texas town and hasn't returned since. When her Grandma tempts her with a secret of Mom's death and her childhood crush, Jack, encourages her to return, Kira ventures back to town for the first time in years. Her mom's death starts to look more and more suspicious and so do the mysterious threatening texts Kira starts to receive. Suddenly in danger and on a time crunch, Kira has to uncover the truth behind her Mom's death before the killer comes for her next.

This book started out pretty interesting but turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. The premise was intriguing and kept me from giving up on the book, but overall I lost interest like half way when I predicted the main twist. Such a let down! Kira was fairly annoying and so was her obsession with Jack. We get, you had a crush on him as a teenager. Time to move on! Most of the characters were irritating and transparent. without much real depth to them. I enjoyed the flashbacks to Kira's Mom's story and there were a few moments of intrigue, but all-in-all this book was the definition of "just okay."

A Likeable Woman is the third novel that I have read from May Cobb and it will not be my last. There's no denying that Cobb has a knack for writing Rich People Drama and I'm here for every OTT-minute of it.

In this story we meet Kira, a single-woman living in L.A., who is headed back to her wealthy and traditional hometown in East Texas for the first time in decades. She's been invited to attend the vow renewal ceremony of an old frenemy. Although that's not high on her priority list, there are other things calling her back as well. It's time.

Kira fled town all those years ago following her mother's mysterious death. Having left the way she did though, there's of course unfinished business. Additionally, her grandmother has been hounding her recently, telling Kira she has something to give her of her mother's. That's definitely piqued Kira's interest.

Thus, after reaching out to her childhood best friend, and biggest crush, Jack, Kira makes a plan and heads home. Jack agrees, if Kira is going, he'll go as well. After they reunite, Kira's surprised when her grandmother gives her a memoir that was apparently written by her Mom just prior to her death. Her Mom, Sadie, was an artist, but Kira didn't know she was a writer too.

Even with everything going on that weekend, Kira can't help but diving into the memoir. The story she finds there, in her mother's own words, makes Sadie's death look a lot less mysterious and lot more like murder. Is that possible?

This novel is told from two perspectives: Kira in the present and her Mom, Sadie's, perspective that's put forth in her memoir. I enjoyed this choice for telling the story and found both perspectives equally enjoyable.

Kira's return to her hometown played into one of my favorite tropes too, so right off the bat, we were starting off ahead. As someone who left my hometown decades ago, and also rarely, if ever goes back, I always find something intriguing and relatable about that type of narrative.

I particularly enjoy when the MC is looking into some mystery from their past. Kira has never felt comfortable with the accepted story of her Mom's death. She's always felt there was more going on and through this memoir, she finally gets the opportunity to look into it further.

Upon returning, Kira feels completely out of place, like an outsider even though she knows everyone there. I found it interesting that through her Mom's recollections, you could tell that Sadie also frequently felt like an outsider. Sadie was an artist and a bit of free spirit, who didn't quite fit into the mold that was expected of her in their small conservative town. Both Kira and Sadie ended up trying to fight the constraints put on them, but luckily for Kira, she was able to move away and build a new life for herself.

Unfortunately, Sadie never got that lucky.

In addition, I also really enjoyed watching Kira explore past relationships, particularly with Jake and her sister, Katie. Kira seemed to want to make connections so badly, but maybe because she had been on her own for so long, was a little clumsy in trying to express herself, or her needs.

The whole idea of the memoir was also great for me. I loved that idea of Kira finally learning about her Mom and having it be through her Mom's own words, even though she wasn't there to speak for herself. There was something so special about that.

I feel like there were some great messages in here too, which I won't get into for risk of spoiling anything, but honestly, this is more than an OTT-story. There's actually some great take-aways as well.

I know May Cobb's stories can be hit or miss for some, but I always enjoy her drama-fueled, East Texas-set, Domestic Thrillers. There's just something about well-to-do women and men behaving badly, that I am always down for.

I will say this one does feel more subtle than her previous stories that I have read. The others sort of pushed the limits in certain areas, or taboo subjects, but this one felt much more traditional, but also a bit more powerful. It's thoughtful, even in spite of all the drama. I liked that. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys small town Domestic Dramas, or Thrillers, where long-buried secrets are revealed. Also, to anyone who enjoys some quality Rich People Drama. Cobb always excels at that.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I cannot wait to see what Cobb delivers next!!

I became invested in her character from the get-go, and loved watching things unfold. It was definitely one satisfying read, for sure.

I really enjoyed this one, and it might be my favorite of Cobb’s yet. I loved the Texas setting including the homecoming that was not the most welcoming for our protagonist Kira. This one hooked my attention from the start and kept it the entire way through. While I did manage to figure out, I did not mind and I loved how it all wrapped up. Cobb is an auto read author for me, she does rich people behaving badly oh so well, and I know her books will always be a good time!

The audio for this was fantastic as well, I really enjoyed reading it this way. Thank you to Berkley for the digital copy and to PRH Audio for the ALC to review.