This book followed Kira as she returned to her hometown for her ‘friend’’s vow renewal 24 years after her mothers suicide (which she doesn’t believe was a suicide). Darn, I was really hoping the end of this one would surprise me and bump this thrillers rating up. I guessed the ending in the first 1/5th of the book, aka I literally guessed both the perp and who would be the main suspect. Which is never a good thing. But I did like this one better than most of Cobb’s books (the hunting wives made me profoundly uncomfortable), and I love a mystery/thriller that touches lightly on real life things like how everyone’s end game isn’t getting married and settling down.

A Likeable Woman by new to me author M. Cobb, published by Berkley Publishing Group, is a full-length, stand-alone. A great read that had me in suspense and let me connect with the characters from the start.
Kira is back home after 20 years away. She left after the dead of her mother, but now she's back. And from her grandmother she gets a memoir her mother wrote. A journal that's about to change everything for Kira.
A well written book with great writing and wonderful characters, 4,5 stars.

Book: A Likeable Woman
Author: May Cobb
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
Pub Date: July 11, 2023

I liked this book. It wasn’t a great read but it was good. I read it in two days and was invested enough that I had to know what happened. I can’t say I liked the characters all that much. I got frustrated with Kira a lot. Her mom wrote a memoir and instead of just sitting down and reading it she kept reading a chapter and then leaving. Then rushing back to read another chapter. Girl, sit down and read it already. I also didn’t like the cheesy texts that were sent threatening her. I’ve never been threatened but surely there was something to say that would be more menacing. Also people often had information to tell Kira about her mother but just not right now….I’ll tell you later. Very frustrating. But all that said it was still a pretty good whodunit. I requested this book because I thought I liked May Cobb. After I read it I looked up what I had read by her which was The Hunting Wives and I didn’t like it all. I’m glad I didn’t know that beforehand because I probably wouldn’t have read it and honestly this book is a solid read.

Thank you Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for this sneak peak! Publication date is July 11, 2023.

Dear May Cobb, why you gotta go put those tittays on the cover????

That was a rhetorical question – I read the book so I’m well aware that there is a monumental moment in the story which takes place in a pool. However, I also didn't just fall off the turnip truck so realistically I know this cover was designed to to sell copies of this new release. And guess what? It worked . . . but mainly because I thought this was going to be a “poolside” summertime read. While My Summer Darlings was a swing and a miss for me, I SERIOUSLY dug The Hunting Wives and thought this fun and flirty cover was surely going to deliver some more over-the-top shenanigans. What I got instead was a story about Kira, who has returned home for the first time in over twenty years in order to attend a former frenemy’s vowel renewal ceremony . . . and potentially figure out what REALLY caused her mother’s death which was ruled suicide all those years ago that was accompanied by a whodunit I sniffed out immediately.

This wasn’t baaaaad per se, it just wasn’t what I was hoping for from this author.

ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I've read both of author May Cobb's previous Texas-set thrillers, so was interested in reading her third. "A Likable Woman" has some of the same elements, but it was also a bit different too - more slow burn & suspense & that worked for me. This story of Kira, a prodigal Southern daughter returned and drawn into revisiting her Mother's suicide through her newly discovered memoir, worked for me. I did find it slow in spots, but enjoyed the mystery, so recommend! My sincere thanks to Net Galley & the publisher for the complimentary DRS, which was my pleasure to voluntarily review.

A Likeable Woman is the story of a daughter investigating the death of her mother. Told from multiple timelines and view points, this was a quick, fast paced, enjoyable read. I was able to guess the ending, but I enjoyed the book nonetheless. I look forward to reading more from May Cobb.

Review of A Likeable Woman by May Cobb

May Cobb is one of my favorite authors. I was so excited to get a copy of this one from NetGalley and I wasn’t disappointed. I loved the characters and the dual timelines snd POVs. It was quick paced and a very fast enjoyable read. I did guess the ending but it didn’t stop me from loving it. And on a personal note, I loved the autism representation. May Cobb is a fellow parent who knows how to write about it.

Quick synopsis: Kira fled her Texas hometown but is coming back when she is invited to a vow renewal ceremony. More importantly, her grandmother begs her to come as she has something to discuss with her. Kira is haunted by her past there as her mother committed suicide when she was a teenager. However Kira has always believed her mother was murdered snd sets out to prove it.

I have loved May Cobb's previous two novels. A Likeable Woman feels incredibly different from her previous work - almost as if it's been written by another author. I have to say that I was not thrilled by this thriller. I found it to be very slow, predictable, and the ending was not satisfying. At first I was hooked by the story, but I was less intriguing by the half point of the book. I do look forward to seeing what she writes next and will continue to recommend her first two novels.

Another winner from May Cobb. This one is less campy than her others with a daughter investigating the death of her mother and is told in dual POV - which I love!

This is the best of May Cobb yet! A must read for thriller lovers. Best read with a chilled glass of wine and no one to bother you because it's totally unputdownable. 5 stars! I loved it.

A Likeable Woman was another intense and riveting page-turner by May Cobb. A little bit of mystery + a little bit of intrigue + lots of “you can’t trust anyone.” — May Cobb has quickly become an auto-buy author for me! I recommend it to anyone who enjoys stories of returning home but not ever really being able to go back home.

A big thank you to Berkley Publishing + Netgalley for making my bookish dreams come true and allowing me to be an early reader for this one!

I like May Cobb, which in and of itself is an ironic statement considering the title of her newest book, A Likeable Woman. This book looks at how far we're going to go to make appearances look all shiny and glamorous. How far are we women willing to go to become a LIKEABLE woman? And is it all really necessary? Cobb weaves a tale in which anyone or no one could be culpable for protagonist Kira's mother. When she's invited to a frenemy's vow renewal party back home, Kira is between a rock and hard place. Go and deal with all things that she tried to put into a mental box, or forever be plagued with questions about her mother's suicide.

Maybe a little predictable, but still equally enticing. A Likeable Woman is bound to be one of 2023's best poolside reads.

I love this author so much, I was excited to jump into this book. I feel like everything by this author just keeps getting better and better. I love that there was a mystery the whole book was based upon.

I found myself questioning every character and I love that in books. Kira was a great main character and I loved reading from her perspective. I loved her way of thinking and how it helped the story unfold.

I highly recommend this book if you love this author or just want to give them a try. I found myself hanging on every word.

I loved this told-in-two voices thriller. The distinction between Kira’s perspective and her mom’s past timeline was excellent (although I never understood why she kept leaving the manuscript alone! Was anyone else concerned it would just get taken? Just me?)

I’m starting to have some practice at early-guessing the villain, and did it again with this one. BUT…there were a lot of possible suspects, and any of them could have been plausible.

Another annoyance (other than the manuscript) is that introvert me absolutely doesn’t understand why Kira went to the vow renewal. She didn’t even like the people?! Why not just visit her Gran for a weekend. It was totally annoying that everyone kept cold shouldering her when she was invited—just like they all were. But I suppose there wouldn’t have been a book without the return trip home. :::waves hand, I’ll allow it:::

The writing made me feel like I was in the middle of a terrible weekend right alongside Kira. Phenomenal. I could picture every setting, every character, and every situation. The characters had such big personalities, and I have to say—I was really pleased to see that a few of them were even written as having evolved significantly from their high school days. Obviously most hadn’t, as happens with small town lives. But I loved the ones who had.

Overall, excellent thriller with a satisfying conclusion.

Wow! I thoroughly enjoyed this wild story by May Cobb. I'm not surprised, I have loved her other work, and I had a feeling I would love this as well! A Likeable Woman is one of those stories that has a bit of mystery, a bit of intrigue, and a whole lot of you can't trust anyone!! And I loved it!! I recommend it to anyone who enjoys stories of returning home but not ever really being able to go back home. What happened to the mother of our main character, Kira? And why is her old flame Jack giving her such mixed signals when he's married with a family of his own? And WHY can't Kira accept that her mother's death was suicide? When her grandmother calls her home to share something about the past, it's clear there are many secrets to be unraveled and someone out there doesn't want Kira learning the truth.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and share my review of May Cobb's A Likeable Woman!

Unfortunately had to DNF about 30% of the way through. I LOVED The Hunting Wives and binged My Summer Darlings so quickly, so I was so excited to dive into the latest from May Cobb. Unfortunately, I wasn’t getting invested enough with the characters, although I enjoyed the dual timeline and POV. I will definitely purchase on pub day, but for right now it’s not hitting for what I need.

I'm quickly becoming a fan of May Cobb, and this book proves why. It was so easy to read and hard to put down because it was suck a well-written thriller. I wish I could claim that I saw the ending coming- I definitely feel as though I maybe SHOULD have seen it- but I was blindsided. I am always happy when a book- especially an ending- surprises me. I can't wait to see what the next novel is about.

May Cobb has done it again!! A LIKABLE WOMAN was a captivating book filled with characters that I mostly liked, and a Texas setting that was fun and interesting. The plot was very unique, and like all of May Cobb’s books there was an unexpected twist. This was a page turner for me. I especially loved the parts of the book that were written as a memoir by the main character’s mother.

Many thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC. I will definitely recommend this book to others.

The winning streak continues for May Cobb with this absolute scorcher of a book, telling the story of a young woman returning to her wealthy hometown and trying to solve the mystery of her mother’s death. An amazing story plus a relatable heroine make this my absolute favorite for 2023! Can’t wait for the author’s next book!

This was fun to read. I kept flipping pages to race to the end and got what I expected, but I enjoyed the journey and would definitely recommend it to others.