If I'm completely honest I loved the cover for this latest thriller from May Cobb more than the story itself. In this book, Kira returns to her East Texas hometown for a vow renewal determined to get to the bottom of her mother's death.

Kira has never believed her mother killed herself and now armed with the book her mother left behind, she starts to piece together what really happened the summer she was 14. Twisty with some good misdirection and an ending I didn't see coming.

There was an old flame/high school crush reunion but he was married and cheats on his wife and it felt really icky. It eventually makes sense why it goes down the way it does but I wanted more likeable characters.

Overall just an okay thriller for me but I'm picky and this one just didn't feel all that original or earth-shattering. Good on audio though narrated by Amanda Stribling. Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and @prhaudio for early digital and audio copies in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you the publishers and Netgalley for my e-ARC!

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔
🤠 live in Texas
📖 enjoy books with backstory
😮 want a shocking ending
🌪️ love a good twist

• 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓

After her troublemaker mother’s mysterious death, Kira fled her wealthy Texas town and never looked back. Now, decades later, Kira is invited to an old frenemy’s vow renewal celebration Though she is reluctant to go, there are things pulling her home. . . like chilled wine and days spent by the pool . . . like sexy Jack, her childhood crush. But more important are the urgent texts from her grandmother, who says she has something for Kira. Something related to her mother’s death, something that make it look an awful lot like murder.

When her grandmother gives Kira a memoir that her mother had been working on before she died, Kira is drawn into the past and all the sizzling secrets that come along with it. With few allies left in her gossipy country-club town, Kira turns to Jack for help. As she gets closer to discovering what—and who—might have brought about her mother’s end, it becomes clear that someone wants the past to stay buried.

And they might come after Kira next.

• 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒

This was a really crazy story! I loved reading all of the backstory and seeing Sadie’s (Kira’s mom) POV! I really felt for her and everything she was experiencing in her marriage. I didn’t condone some of her actions but I understood why she did it. I also enjoyed how much Kira loved her mother and never stopped trying to find out what really happened to her. The ending absolutely shocked me and I didn’t see it coming at all!

Maybe she should not have gone home again. But if she hadn't, Kira would not have learned the truth about her mother Sadie's death. Kira left town years ago and she never believed that Sadie committed suicide. Now, she's back, she's got her mom's memoirs, and she's looking for answers. And she's rekindled a relationship with Jack. This blends mystery with romance in a familiar yet page turning way, Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good one for the beach.

While I wish I had a pool to read A Likeable Woman by May Cobb at least reading it outside was nice but the cover is misleading since most of the book takes place in the fall...

Kira's back in her affluent hometown for the first time in years and determined to unravel the secrets of her mother's death hidden in the unpublished memoir she left behind...even if it kills her. I enjoyed the rich women behaving badly that was in Cobb's previous two books and this one is a little different with both Kira and her mom's story being told.

While it was fun to read, overall I was kinda bored. I feel like not a lot actually happened and every character seemed naive and i couldn't believe they were all in their late 30s!

A Likeable Woman comes out Tuesday - July 11th!

I adore May’s precious books so I was all in for this one.

I admittedly have mixed feelings about A Likeable Woman. I liked the writing and the storyline was promising.

Kira is trying to find the real story out about her mothers death which was ruled a suicide many years prior. She just knows her mother would never take her own life. After her Grandmother tells her she has something of her mothers to pass down to her (a memoir/diary of sorts) she heads home to attend a vow renewal as a cover story to why she’s really there.

All sounds good but why was she really there? Kira drove me nuts and I could not stand her entitlement and tantrums to be honest. Why go to a party for someone you hate? Everyone seems to dislike her as well and it’s just silly really. Oh the torture.

Also, I figured out the killer fairly quick and was not surprised but was disgusted so there’s that.

It’s a super slow burn with unlikeable characters. There you have it. Not my fave by this author but I won’t stop reading her books.

Thanks for the opportunity to read this one early.
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

A Likeable Woman is the first book I’ve read from May Cobb, and I’m impressed. While I’ve read plenty of thrillers that depict characters returning home after a long absence to solve a mystery, this one stood out to me because of the twist! I wasn’t expecting it at all. Told in dual POVs and timelines; both the MC Kira and her mother Sadie prior to her death, readers will be thrust into a mystery where things aren’t quite what they seem. I found this to be clever, intriguing, and shocking. Of course, there’s quite a bit of gossip, mean girl behaviors, family issues, and a variety of other things that make this juicy, but the main mystery was fantastic! My only real complaint I think was that it felt long while I was reading. Could I have binged it in a day? Probably not, which is something I love to do. But I do think the length DID work for the book because there were so many puzzle pieces that we needed to sift through to get to the ending. All in all? I recommend this one completely.

𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗙𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝗢𝗙
❥ Thrillers
❥ Small town Mysteries
❥ Characters returning home to solve a past mystery

𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A Likeable Woman, by May Cobb

Short Take: I don’t think “unlikeable” means what the author thinks.

(*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*)

Hello Duckies! With the wretched air quality in my region, I am basically on house arrest, which is making me extra cranky. But on the other side, I have plenty of Netflix, booze, and snacks, so it could be worse, right? And of course, lots of books.

In A Likeable Woman, present-day Kira is still mourning the death of her mother Sadie, twenty years after her passing. Kira has never believed that Sadie committed suicide, which was the official ruling. Now Kira lives a thousand miles away from her East Texas upbringing, although she never really moved on - her life is work, and her apartment, and that’s pretty much it.

In the present day, Kira is invited to a vow renewal for some childhood frenemies, but it’s her grandmother’s offer of secret information about Sadie that really draws her home. Well, that and the fact that her childhood crush, Jack will be there too. His wife and child will also be tagging along, but y’know, minor details.

The secret information is a sort of journal/memoir that Sadie was working on in the weeks before her death. It seems like a path to the truth of what really happened that summer, but someone doesn’t want Kira digging any deeper, and she is getting threatening texts and letters.

My sweet nerdlings, I really tried to love this one. I’m all for an unlikeable woman, you know?

Sadie, based on her journal, WANTS to be “unlikeable”. But Sadie is dealing with an entirely different set of circumstances. She’s married to an unstable, abusive man, has no family of her own, and gave up all of her own hopes and dreams to be “the right kind” of wife and mother. What Sadie wants is her freedom - to love a good man, to pursue her art, to raise her girls to choose their own paths.

And that’s the problem. A woman doesn’t become “unlikeable” because she’s independent. Sure, there will be people who don’t like a woman (or a man for that matter) who speaks their mind, who sticks up for themselves, or who holds unpopular opinions. But there was nothing unlikeable about Sadie, even when she was doing questionable things, you empathize and cheer for her. You see how much she gave up, how hard she is trying to reclaim just a little piece of herself

And she wants her daughter to be OK with being unlikeable.

But the problem isn’t that Kira is unlikeable, it’s that she’s just miserable. Her life is boring, and her defining trait is her selfishness, followed closely by her self-pity. She doesn’t like herself, or anyone around her (other than Jack). She’s one of those grossly misogynistic women who constantly puts other women down. It’s like she just stopped maturing at fifteen when her mother died, and has spent the last couple of decades never growing, never changing, and expecting everyone in her life to tiptoe around her.

I mean… she was invited to a lovely weekend getaway, which includes things like cocktail hour, a spa day, a lovely cabin all to herself, a bonfire, etc., and she’s rude to everyone. Who goes to something like that and can’t even be bothered to get a shower?? If she hated everyone there, then just… don’t go?

The other major problem with this book is the sloooooooooooooooooow pace of it. There are often multiple chapters dedicated to not a whole lot happening - a conversation over two beers in a bar, for example. It wasn’t helped by how obvious it was that the bad guy was [spoiler].

On the plus side, I did learn about batiking, which was cool.

The Nerd’s Rating: TWO HAPPY NEURONS (and a good mani-pedi, how could anyone not be excited for that?)

Thank you @berkleypub & @netgalley for the eArc!

This is a story about what makes a likable woman.

May Cobb has created a gripping mystery novel that not only keeps you guessing but also prompts reflection on our cultural fixation with the likability of women. Which women are good enough for the title of victimhood? Which women deserve empathy after a misstep? What does it mean to be a likable woman- and what, conversely does it mean to not be one? With just the right amount of bitterness & an air of impending danger, this book is a captivating read. A perfect choice for the Summer!

A Likeable Woman
May Cobb
Thank you @letstalkbookspromo and @berkleypub {partner} for my copy!

I’m a May Cobb fan and I love supporting Texas authors. Her first novel, Hunting Wives was a wild ride and such a fun domestic suspense/thriller. I never got a copy of My Summer Darlings so I can’t speak on that one, yet. I started out thinking oh, yeah here we go! 🙌🏻 As the story developed I became more and more invested and couldn’t put it down. Somewhere about the last third of the book, it felt disjointed to me, jumping to different characters without as much development to each one as I would have liked. I ended up figuring out ahead of time who the deviant was and I rarely can! 😂 While I loved many of the characters and was happy with the ending, it felt rushed. My heart broke for the main character’s mom, Sadie who has alternate chapters in the book. No spoilers!! 🤫

What I loved - Texas references:
Dr Pepper and shelling pecans
Hockaday private school in Dallas
A catfish stocked pond
Caddo Lake
The weekend weather - from hot to comfortable to cold, all in one weekend! 😂 IYKYK

Overall, I’d say it was a 3 1/2 star for me ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I was a huge fan of May Cobb’s The Hunting Wives, which I devoured in just two days. Her follow up novel, My Summer Darlings, was less of a hit and unfortunately for me, her latest book A Likeable Woman falls more in line with the latter.

Kira returns to her Texas hometown to look into the sudden death of her mother decades later. The premise has the potential of a great thriller, but A Likeable Woman is pure melodrama, with no major revelations or twists until almost 95% in. Slow paced, I found myself dragging my feet to get to the end, and not really caring by the time we find out what actually happened.

2.5 ⭐️ rounded down. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

I’m one for one ☝️
I enjoyed The Hunting Wives but this was a no-go for me.
Rant ahead: ⬇️
❌ I felt there were just too many characters most being relatively irrelevant. There were too many girls and guys that were talked about and most weren’t brought up more than once.
❌ Speaking of, the girls in this were made out to be ‘bitches’ but all they really did was a whole bunch of staring and glaring. The MC, Kira, talked a lot about how horrible they were but we really didn’t see much of that.
❌ Sadie, Kira’s mom writes a memoir (although to me they read more as short letters than anything) but it seemed mostly pointless to me.
❌ A character, Melanie is constantly being accused of being a terrible mom and wife by our MC. Melanie has a son diagnosed with Autism and it’s brought up how much it’s put stress on her marriage. Kira is constantly judging her drinking, pill-popping, and mothering. I found the situation more sad than something to be judged. I don’t think these should have been instances for us to despise a character.
❌ There were a few things brought up that were never circled back to so I can’t say without spoiling but that’s always a big pet peeve of mine.
A lot of this book is suspending belief so you may enjoy it if you have no problem with that.
2.5⭐️ rounding up.

The mystery element of this novel fueled my interest and kept me reading so I could discover some much needed answers…however this is a very slow burn and about 50% in I could feel my dedication to finish wane.

The story is about a woman whose mother died while she was in highschool. It was pegged as a suicide, but she always felt there was more to the case and her mother would never. Years after her mom’s death, she returns to the home town she left behind in search of answers, and things start to get strange from there.

I can’t say I would read this book again, but if you like mystery it’s worth picking up.

To me, this book moved too slowly, and that really detracted from my reading experience. I wanted to be invested in the plot and the characters, but for some reason I wasn't clicking with them. I thought the story had an interesting premise though, and I did like the elements of rich people drama throughout it.
I don't want to harp on everything I didn't like because I can easily see where someone may really enjoy this book; however, it just wasn't the one for me.

Fantastic read! May Cobb’s latest novel, A Likeable Woman is domestic thriller you do not want to miss!

This fast-paced novel centers around Kira, who determined to find out the truth about her mother’s death…at any cost! Kira finds herself going back to the hometown she has avoided for years to try and get to the bottom of the who, what, where, and how of her mom’s death and in doing so Kira seems to have put a bullseye on herself! From that point that I found this book completely addictive!

Wow! A Likeable Woman is a solid and complete 5 star novel! This book is the perfect combination of a domestic thriller and a cozy mystery —LOVE that! The character development was on-point and the pacing was perfect! I completely devoured this novel! This is the first book I have read from May Cobb, I am so excited to read more from her in the future!

This was a fast, engaging, and twisty read that kept my interest, despite my frustration with the main character. The story centers on Kira, who is invited back to her home town for a vow renewal of a (kinda) friend after having fled the town upon her mother’s death 20+ years ago. Kira is convinced that there is more to the story about her mother’s “suicide” and takes the opportunity of everyone from that time being together to investigate. As soon as she arrives, she receives threatening warnings that she should stop digging, which of course she does not heed.

I had trouble getting behind the storyline because I couldn’t really figure out why Kira had cut off her grandmother all these years and how this event, hosted by people she didn’t really like, would be the thing that brought her back to her hometown. Once she arrives and her grandmother gives her a memoir her mom was writing, she not only doesn’t finish it immediately but she also starts asking lots of questions of people before she even knows all the information her mother wrote. Though this ramps up suspense, I can’t imagine any reasonable person doing this, not to mention refusing to talk to people who keep telling her they have important secrets to share. I had no real issue with her dubious integrity, as I think that makes the story interesting, but did have trouble getting beyond this other stuff. The culprit ended up being one of my guesses but I wasn’t 100% sure. I liked the ending and felt like it tied everything up.

Overall, definitely an engaging read but did have to get beyond some actions that just didn’t make sense to me. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A Likeable Woman is a suspenseful and twisty novel by May Cobb, the author of The Hunting Party. The story follows Kira, a young woman who returns home to her small town after her mother's death. Kira is quickly drawn into the dark underbelly of her town, and she soon finds herself embroiled in a mystery that threatens her own life.

A Likeable Woman is a well-written and fast-paced novel that is full of surprises. The characters are complex and well-developed, and the plot is full of twists and turns. The novel also deals with some dark themes, such as murder, betrayal, and revenge. However, it is ultimately a story about hope and redemption.

If you are looking for a suspenseful and twisty novel that will keep you hooked until the very end, then I highly recommend A Likeable Woman. It is a well-written and thought-provoking novel that will stay with you long after you finish reading it.

At high school reunions, you realize some people never change. Then there are those that were responsible as teenagers and still make good decisions sometimes life hands them a hard bargain. There are the ones that got away and the ones that stayed. A lot of bitterness still strains friendships and it is about to blow when Kira is invited back to her hometown after her frenemy sends her an invitation to celebrate her renewed wedding vows with all their past classmates. As Kira makes her way through the town that she promised never to return, she stays with her wealthy, eccentric grandmother, who lives with her assistant and executor of her estate. Even though Kira resents her grandmother, I loved her. This woman is keeping it real and I felt sorry for her at times. The story peels back the layers of guilt and misconceptions Kira had of her mother when she is given a memoir her mother never finished. There was enough information in it to reveal the truth about what happened to her mother and her abusive dad's true colors. The story unfolds nicely in two POVS told by Kira and her mother.
There is also a side story brewing when she meets up with her best friend Jack, who is married and has a son. Their friendship is igniting and gives off filtered vibes. It was a fun book and gives a "likeable" woman feel.
Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this ARC in exchange for my review.

I received a gifted galley of A LIKEABLE WOMAN by May Cobb for an honest review. Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review!

A LIKEABLE WOMAN follows Kira, a young woman who left behind her Texas hometown and hasn’t been back. Her mother died under mysterious circumstances and everyone except Kira believes it was a suicide. When an invitation arrives for a vow renewal party, Kira doesn’t plan to attend. Things change when her grandmother tells her she has something about her mother’s death for Kira.

Returning home is as difficult as Kira expected, though her old friend (and crush) agrees to come back with her in support. When she gets her mother’s memoir from her grandmother, Kira starts to slowly read and discover more answers about her mother’s death that seems much more complicated than people believe. Sinister messages also begin to appear and Kira must wonder if she’s in danger as well.

I’ve had mixed feelings with May Cobb’s books in the past because while entertaining and while I like a good morally gray character, the characters in her books can tend to be a little too unlikeable for my personal taste. I was therefore very amused by the title of this new installment. I will say that I did like this one more that her previous books, though I still didn’t actually love any of the characters or their decisions.

I think that the mystery around Kira’s mother was really intriguing and well done as reveals continue to come out. I did guess the ultimate culprit pretty early on in the book, but it still kept me interested to see how things would play out.

Me? Predict the ending? Uh duh.

But as usual, that doesn't detract from the experience for me because I love being right. And to May Cobb's credit, there were MANY potential culprits that made me doubt my initial guess. I enjoyed alternating between Kira's point of view and Sadie's, especially when we got to her memoir. Combine this with Kira's unrequited crush on Jack and a vow renewal that's bringing the high school gang back together, and you have a whole lot of drama. This is such a great choice for a beach read this summer!

*Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Thank you so much for an advanced copy of A Likeable Woman! This book was outside my normal comfort zone of reading, but I did really enjoy it.

I would classify ALW as a page turner for sure. It has dual perspectives from both mother and daughter, and I thought this dual POV really gave you insight into the characters. I was suspicious of everything in this book, and I questioned everyone's motives the more I read. I act⭐️ually kind of like that that was my reading experience! I really liked Kira as a character, too. She had a tenacity and an edge that I found interesting, and I was hooked from the first chapter.

Did I see the big twist coming? Yes, I did...but, that still makes this a good thriller with definite binge-quality twists and turns. I would certainly read more by this author!

Rating: 4⭐️