Hot Springs Drive

by Lindsay Hunter, Héloïse Esquié (translator)

" Je l'ai tout de suite adorée. N'est-ce pas de cette façon que débutent les haines les plus violentes ? "
Lorsque Theresa et Jackie se rencontrent, leur amitié a immédiatement la force d'une évidence, tant elles ont de points communs. Un mari trop ou pas assez présent, des enfants qui se murent peu à peu dans l'hostilité de l'adolescence, la sensation d'être invisible... Chacune trouve alors chez l'autre l'épaule bienveillante et consolatrice dont elle avait besoin.
Aussi, quand une maison se libère sur Hot Springs Drive, Jackie décide-t-elle de devenir la nouvelle voisine de Theresa. Et lorsque Jackie cherche à perdre du poids, Theresa la motive en suivant le même programme qu'elle, comme le ferait toute bonne copine. Mais tandis que ses kilos fondent, le désir ne cesse de grandir en Jackie. Un désir enivrant, débordant, insatiable, qui semble n'avoir aucune limite – en tout cas pas celle de s'interdire Adam, le mari de Theresa. Et la tension monte, irrépressiblement. Jusqu'au jour où Theresa est retrouvée morte dans son garage. Que s'est-il passé à Hot Springs Drive ?

Troublant, sensuel et provocant... Lindsay Hunter embrase la banlieue américaine dans un thriller qui explore les recoins les plus sombres du désir. Servi par une écriture impeccable et un sens acéré du détail, Hot Springs Drive égratigne la surface lisse de deux familles dont la collision va révéler tous les travers les plus inavouables. Et rien que pour ça, vous allez l'adorer !

" L'héritier des Apparences de Gillian Flynn que vous attendiez tous ! Hot Springs Drive est un thriller psychologique haletant, une impressionnante étude de cas et un enchevêtrement de tension et de désir. " The Washington Post

" Défiant les conventions, Lindsay Hunter construit avec talent un récit obsédant qu'on ne peut se sortir de la tête. " Daily Express

" Un roman vénéneux sur la dangereuse puissance du désir. " Booklist

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Contemporary, Literary Fiction

284 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 7, 2023

About the author

Lindsay Hunter received her MFA in Writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She co-founded and co-hosted the groundbreaking Quickies! reading series, an event that focused on flash fiction. Her first book, Daddy’s, a collection of flash fiction, was published in 2010 by featherproof books, a boutique press in Chicago. Her second collection, DON’T KISS ME, was published by FSG Originals in 2013 and was named one of Amazon’s 10 Best Books of the Year: Short Stories. Her first novel, Ugly Girls, was published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in November 2014. The Huffington Post called it “a story that hits a note that’s been missing from the chorus of existing feminist literature.” Her latest novel, Eat Only When You’re Hungry, was a Book of the Month Club selection, a finalist for the 2017 Chicago Review of Books Fiction Award, and a 2017 NPR Great Read. Along with the writer Alex Higley, she runs the podcast I'm a Writer But, a series about writers with kids, jobs, and/or lives, and how they make it all work (or don't). She lives in Chicago with her family.

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘There's beauty and then there's a hot, wet mouth. I felt beautiful and I guess what I mean is, I felt powerful, like the world was actually a very easy place if you just took what you wanted.’

Hot Springs Drive by Lindsay Hunter is a literary thriller about two women. Best friends who become next door neighbours, raising their children together, and eventually, destroying each other. It's about motherhood, losing yourself, finding yourself, ruining yourself, body image, sex, diets, desire, death, and all of the mess and horror of being a woman.

Hunter creates such an immersive atmosphere. I was transported right into the heart of the story. The raw depiction of betrayal, mental illness and the aftermath of trauma was heavily present throughout the entire novel. I found myself completely immersed in the lives of these characters and their struggles.

The pacing of the novel was excellent. The story moved along at a steady pace, with just the right amount of tension and suspense to keep me engaged without feeling overwhelmed. This is not your run of the mill thriller. This is a very dark and salacious dissection of family life. An incredibly unsettling story that will stay with me for a very long time.

I Highly Recommend.

4.5

[Canadian Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a spicy dish served up with a side of sex, betrayal, sex and murder. Until the main course begins and it all goes to hell.

The themes - postpartum depression, loss of identity, desire, infidelity, friendship, eating disorders, parenting or lack of, and the kicker -the aftershocks that will last forever for the victims- the children left broken; struggling to pull their lives together for many, many years.

This one shook me - so raw. Edges sharp.
4.5⭐️

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4+ stars

Wow! Very good!
A character driven novel … very intense
Two mothers … (Theresa and Jackie) meet for the first time in the maternity ward after having their babies. They end up being best friends.
They also end up being neighbors (right next door) in the same sub after the house next to Theresa goes up for sale.
So… I’m not going to go into too much detail here..but Jackie ends up having a torrid affair with Theresa’s husband Adam.
Now Theresa is dead… brutally beaten to death in her garage.
We will hear from each character in the book…each adult and five children in the story.
This will definitely keep you reading!
It’s about relationships… mother to children, spouses to each other, friendships, desire.

It has gotten starred reviews from both Kirkus and Publishers Weekly!

Thank you to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for the ARC… and of course the author Lindsay Hunter for the writing!




"A bold, unflinching exploration of female friendship, motherhood, and desire, with an unforgettable anti-heroine as its bloody, beating heart."
-Kirstin Chen, New York Times bestselling author of Counterfeit

"Hot Springs Drive left me absolutely gutted, devastated . .. This is truly brilliant, sexy, and sly storytelling."
-Deesha Philyaw, author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies

"Hot Springs Drive is a sneak attack . .. I'm in awe of the lives that Hunter has conjured in these pages. The only balm is to read it again."

-Diane Cook, author of The New Wilderness
MA haunting meditation on human desire and the monstrosity that can emerge out of ordinary hearts
... A stunning achievement."

-Ashley Winstead, author of The Last Housewife
Thrilling and gorgeously observed ... as tightly spring-loaded as an over-tuned guitar string."
-A.E. Osworth, author of
We Are Watching Eliza Bright

"A perfect cocktail: precise and gritty writing, achingly and terrifyingly real characters, with a dash of mystery and darkness. Intoxicating."
-Claire Fuller,
author of The Memory of Animals

[Ceecee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hot Springs Drive is where the lives of the Linden and Stinson families coincide, ultimately with tragic consequences.

It takes a while for Theresa to find the right person for her but at 32 she marries Adam Linden within a year of meeting him and at 33 she gives birth to her daughter Cece. However, it’s the day that Theresa meets Jackie that the story really begins. Fifteen years ago the pair meet on the maternity ward with Jackie eventually having four children and Theresa just the one. They become neighbours and good friends so much so that after gaining a lot of weight having her children Jackie encourages Theresa to go to Get Skinny with her. Jackie’s weight loss is dramatic as is the change deep within her. She begins a torrid affair with Adam and one day Theresa discovers them in flagrante. The following day Theresa is found dead in her garage, brutally murdered, the murderer still with crowbar in hand.

The story is told via multiple perspectives through which we get an all round view and a deep insight into the consequences of the murder. These different points of view are cleverly done as you might expect it to feel disjointed but it doesn’t. It’s extremely revealing, illuminating and somehow the author keeps the momentum flowing as you turn pages, sometimes stunned, sometimes sad and sometimes bewildered.

Although it’s impossible to deny its very well written, I’m not entirely sure how I feel about the book. I really like the genre crossover of domestic noir with literary fiction, it’s much more about the impact of Theresa’s murder than a murder/mystery especially as we learn who the murderer is slightly less than halfway It’s character driven, these are not necessarily likeable characters with a couple of exceptions but they are so well crafted they’re impossible to ignore and they drive the narrative. It’s quite shocking in places, not just the murder but other behaviours too and it positively simmers with tension as dirty secrets emerge from beneath shiny suburban surfaces.

The novel is incisive, it encompasses several themes such as friendship, motherhood especially via Jackie, sex, food and control as well as the obvious underpinning family dynamics and relationships. It’s different which is clearly a good thing and the author demonstrates a great deal of talent. I’m glad I read it but it does leave you feeling somewhat unsettled.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Dialogue Books for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jackie and Theresa meet after both giving birth at the same hospital. Theresa, new mother to her only child Cece, while Jackie just had her fourth son. They bond and eventually become neighbors when the house next door to Jackie's goes on the market. Their families are now intertwined with one another from barbeques to holidays to vacations.

Jackie has really struggled with her weight after having her boys and she uses food as coping mechanism in her daily chaotic home life. Relishing in each savory bite because it truly brings her genuine happiness.

Until it no longer does anymore.

Theresa and Jackie decide to join a weight loss group. And it works! Jackie's pounds seem to slip right off as she munches on ice chip after ice chip. Men have started noticing her and she loves the feeling of power and control she can now wield.

With her new shapely body she can't resist a little temptation....one that leaves her best friend dead and bludgeoned on her garage floor. (Not a spoiler!)


This book will surely make you uncomfortable at times but I can only praise Hunter on her unabashed deep dive into female friendships, motherhood, and the pressure women face to constantly be perfect, look perfect, and act perfect. It's not only exhausting but it's impossible to be everything to everyone. This book examines and highlights in all the ways women hurt themselves and one another in an effort to be heard and seen. The repercussions ones actions have on their families. The ripple effect of those actions and how far and how wide they'll spread.

This is an amazing book to be sure. Sharp observations and stellar characterization sets this one apart from many others in this genre. I see a very bright future for Hunter and I couldn't be more excited to see what she comes up with next. 4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic, Roxane Gay Books for my complimentary copy.

[Malia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess three starts are my thing now...Either the madness of the world is getting to me or I am simply choosing the wrong books, but I feel as though I have been on a three star, fine-but-not-great, likely forgettable reading spree. This book wasn't boring, though it had a slow start, given that it was hyped to be reminiscent of Gone Girl. The characters were all somehow unlikable and I just didn't really care. I think it might have been a "me" problem. I'm finding it so hard to get lost in a book at the moment, when the constant turmoil of the world is weighing so heavily on my mind. I look for escapism and find, more often than not, mere mild entertainment. I guess that is all to say, I may be in the dreaded slump. Recommendations to rescue me from the reading ennui are more than welcome!

[Christy fictional_traits · Rating 4 out of 5]

'hunger has a lot of names: loneliness, boredom, fear, anxiety, trauma. All of these are hunger in search of satisfaction'.

Jackie and Theresa meet at the maternity ward and become inseparable best friends. They even live next door to each other. But while Theresa seems to enjoy the daily routine of domesticity, not buried by it, Jackie is slowly eaten away by both the burden of responsibility and the gnawing guilt for being unfulfilled by motherhood. As the kids grow up and middle age sets in, their waistlines burgeon out and they decide to 'Get Skinny' together. It is here, that Jackie has an epiphany: the emptiness she was filling with food could be filled with something else, 'Instead of hunger I'd call it desire. That was my starting point'. However, despite luring Theresa's husband Adam into adultery, their increasingly lustful affair also fails to fulfill her. None of this matters though once Theresa discovers their secret.

'Hot Springs Drive' is a work of literary fiction centered around a domestic thriller. We know within the first couple of chapters who is killed and it becomes increasingly obvious who is likely to have done it. This book is not a thriller of the unforeseen but rather a character study of all the family members. Each chapter has a different viewpoint. We gain insight into each person's perspective on their family's dynamics, and the mundanity of life. 'It's easy to look back, after everything that will happen, and assume that there was some deeper meaning...'.

This book took me by surprise. I was expecting a traditional thriller but got a unique read with complexity. The heart of the book is dark and disturbing but ultimately it is a journey toward self-discovery. A great book for readers who enjoy character-driven stories and aren't perturbed by dark, indulgent behaviour.

[Elyse Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s very raw - page turning as advertised-
But — I became really uncomfortable with it.

I understand the book’s urgency— and it’s very well written— in your face prose (graphic unpleasant sexual descriptions)….

Much respect for the author - her empathy for unsettling choices her characters made —
and Roxanne Gay’s support -

I thought I would have been a good fit - turns out I’m not — not today.


“The day Theresa meets Jacquie Stinson, is where the story—the one neighbors and acquaintances and reporters and true crime enthusiasts love to tell and re-tell—is where that story begins”.

“The story ends this way: several years from that day in the maternity ward, Theresa will find Adam and Jackie are fucking”.
The next day, Teresa is murdered, in her own garage.


A favorite part (silly of me) ….. but was learning what “Little Debbie” snacks were in the 60’s. I had to Google it.

I found the book too depressing — not in an inspiring way.

The 4 stars are *appreciation* ….. not personally favorable — but for intellectually understanding the books value.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Rating: 3/5
Audiobook Rating: 3.5/5

This is once again the tale of a girl who feels like she read a different book from everyone else. There is no doubt that Hot Springs Drive by Lindsay Hunter is a heavy hitter that deals with a lot of sensitive and important topics, but the truth is that I just didn't love it. I think I was possibly hoping for more from the ending than I got, and as secrets drop it felt like this was meant to be more about the character development than thrills or mysteriousness. From the very beginning, you know who killed Theresa, and this is really more of a character study than anything else. It didn't feel like it had much of a plot to me, but I was in deep with all of the different viewpoints and getting to know each person better.

I also think the audiobook would have benefited tremendously from having a full cast since there are so many POV’s, but Emily Ellet still does a great job, and I didn't want to stop listening to her. Nothing triggered me personally, but I would still recommend taking a look at them before picking up Hot Springs Drive because this ish is DARK y'all. I would categorize this as literary fiction for the most part, and I wish I wouldn't have gone into it thinking thriller just because of the cover and title. I am one small fish in a sea of many though, and if you are looking for a book that tackles hard subjects with raw bluntness, Hunter did exactly that and you need to read this.

Thank you to the publisher and Libro.fm for my complimentary listening copy of this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

[kimberly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hot Springs Drive is about the interwoven lives of two families, the Lindens and the Stinsons. Theresa Linden catches her best friend and neighbor, Jackie Stinson, having an affair with her husband. The next day, Theresa is found dead in her garage.

This book navigates back and forth between many different point of views, giving us a deep look in to each character’s life, actions, and true thoughts. In part one, readers get to know the characters before the murder occurs and in part two, readers see how the characters have moved on after Theresa’s death. While there is murder in this story, it is much less of a “who” did it story and more of a “why”. Why did Theresa have to die? What was the motivating factor?

In true literary fiction fashion, there is very little plot progression to drive this story forward. Instead, this story is all about the characters: their actions, yes, but also their wants, needs, desires, and wrong-doings. I would even go so far as to call this book a character study. Unfortunately, for me, this story needed more plot to pull it forward because the characters weren’t enough. They weren’t interesting enough and I couldn’t find a way to care about a single one of them. In addition to my overall lack of interest, I found the formatting of the book sloppy and unorganized.

I really saw the potential in it so maybe I just wasn't in the right head space to read this but man, did it drag... Proven by the fact that it took me a week to finish 300 pages.

Thank you to NetGalley for my digital copy. Out 11/07/2023.

[Cindy (leavemetomybooks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

FIVE HUNDRED STARS

I lost my goddamn mind when I got my hands on an early copy of this book. Hunter's writing is so uniquely good it makes me nervous. Every sentence she writes is tight and perfect - not an errant word or phrase anywhere to be found - it's dark and brutal and slyly funny and gross and upsetting and always deadly, sharply smart.

Hot Springs Drive is a literary thriller about two complicated women: next-door neighbors who become best friends, raising their children together, and - eventually - destroying each other. It’s about motherhood, losing yourself, finding yourself, ruining yourself, sex, diets, desire, death, and all of the mess and horror of being a woman.

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH and am incapable of doing it justice without sounding like an absolute fucking maniac, so I will leave it at: this is one of my favorite books of the year. READ IT.

* thank you so much to @groveatlantic & @roxanegaybooks for the ARC and NetGalley review copies. Hot Springs Drive publishes November 7th.

[Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars!

HOT SPRINGS DRIVE is my first read by Lindsay Hunter, but will definitely not be my last. Disclaimer, I did the audiobook for this one via @librofm and I'm not entirely sure if my experience listening and reading would be the same. The story is centered around a group of neighbors and friends, specifically Jackie and her best friend Theresa. The two are not only best friends, but they're going through the trials and tribulations of motherhood and marriage. Their bond is tight, but when Jackie ends up having an affair with Theresa's husband, their lives are changed forever.

I'm purposely being vague about this one, so don't read any spoilers. HOT SPRINGS DRIVE is basically about a neighborhood all having hardcore sex with each other and then someone dies. I won't got into it anymore than that so don't ask! I absolutely had a blast with this one, but the plot is mainly internalized characterizations for all the characters the author presents us. This book dives into sex and sexuality, role of the family unit, lust and desire, and the lengths people will go to in order to protect their peace. I very rarely give 4.5 stars for a book, but I just had so much fun with this one. Lindsay Hunter is officially an auto-read author for me from here on out.

[Cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

There once was a woman named Jackie, and sometimes she let life happen to her, and sometimes she didn't. At the end she stood around and thought, What have I done? What have I done? What have I done?

4.5 stars. Hot Springs Drive is a fierce, fearless, and quietly powerful character study focusing on the lives of two families and the shocking acts that irrevocably alter them. Theresa and Jackie met in the hospital shortly after giving birth (Theresa, to her first and only child, a daughter; Jackie, to her second of what would eventually be four sons). They each responded to motherhood differently -- Theresa settling in to the gentle domesticity of her life, Jackie feeling increasingly stifled by her sons' demands. Now, after years of close friendship with Theresa, Jackie is a recovering emotional eater who finds herself craving something other than food. Seeking to satisfy some unnameable hunger, Jackie begins an increasingly torrid affair with Theresa's husband, Adam -- and shortly after she walks in on their betrayal, Theresa is found murdered in her garage.

Spanning the years leading up to and after Theresa's murder, Hot Springs Drive is told across several perspectives, delving deeply into each character's desires and motivations and innermost thoughts. Lindsay Hunter's characters are so well-crafted, so vulnerable and so brilliantly conveyed, that their collective voices drive the plot relentlessly forward and make it impossible to look away -- even when I felt unsettled or disgusted or unbearably sad about what was happening.

Hot Springs Drive is a deeply psychological book, raw and uncomfortable and profound, as it explores themes surrounding love and sex, desire and control, innocence and lust, complex family dynamics, motherhood, the dark heart of female friendship, and the ways our human need for acknowledgment and connection can manifest. More than anything, this is a book about hunger, about need, and about the relentless pursuit of satisfaction and fulfillment. Hunter writes with urgency and impact, with perfect control that also, somehow, feels unrestrained.

Ultimately, Hot Springs Drive is not a traditional thriller focusing on who committed a crime, but rather a work of dark domestic noir fiction focusing on the why of the crime. And it's startling, devastating, bold, and unforgettable. Thank you to Grove Atlantic/Roxane Gay Books and NetGalley for the complimentary reading opportunity.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sexual awakenings, identity crisis, midlife crisis, awkward adolescence, quarterlife crisis, sibling rivalry, insecurity, narcissism, deception, infidelity, mental health crisis, do you get the idea there is lots of crisis, desire, need, deprivation, humiliation, family dysfunction, family crisis, complacency, self-transformation, selfishness, stagnancy, staleness, jealousy, postpartum depression, maternal expectations, patriarchy, addiction, obsession, repression, resentment, toxic parents, toxic relationships, dependence, betrayal, lots of sex, eating disorders, body dysmorphia, disappointment, dissatisfaction, disillusionment, have i mentioned sex, mysterious stains, garage floors, ghostly memories, further disappointment, intensity, denial, secrecy, boredom, sweat, curtains, closets, the dark underbelly of suburbia, the past, loss, longing, lostness, loneliness, alienation, and red clay dust. To name just a few things that stood out.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a sloooooooooow burn - the actual murder had not even happen until about 40% into the book
This was really just about boring suburban families who are incredibly horny, not just the parents but the kids also. I felt it was a little unnecessary. I really didn’t feel anything for any of the characters and didn’t feel like there was enough development.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

***3.5 Stars****An interesting and engaging novel, but I'm probably not the target audience. My own midlife crisis was ages ago...

[Kim Deutschman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Part 1 is focused on how sexual and promiscuous the characters .... or how terrible they are as parents, spouses, etc. Part 2 is years later and the aftermath, but not much better than part 1. Would have liked to have seen more about the police investigation instead of focusing on how everyone just feels lost or sorry for themselves. I hated 95% of the characters in the book and pity for the other 5%. Don't waste your time on this.

[Elizabeth Boquet · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoy books about the seedy underbelly of suburbia so was really looking forward to this one. Unfortunately, it was a disappointment. The constant perspective shifts involving main (and peripheral) characters interfered with both character and plot development. Too bad.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I went in to this thinking it was going to be a tense thriller with a plot that kept me guessing right until the very end, when in fact it read more like a character driven literary fiction. Now don’t get me wrong I do enjoy reading literary fiction but it’s not what I expected from this book.

There were far too many POVs, including a few from characters that wouldn’t even be considered side characters, they appeared once and then never again. There were also a lot of time jumps, but the time was never specified so that made it a little confusing.

It was incredibly sex heavy, which again isn’t usually an issue if I go in to a book expecting it eg a spicy romance but it’s not something I look for to that extent in a thriller or a lit fic. The adults were constantly talking about sex, thinking about sex or having sex, the kids were constantly thinking about sex, dreaming about sex or watching the adults have sex and then thinking about sex… it was a lot.

Overall this just wasn’t for me- unlikeable characters, an abrupt ending and not the thriller I thought it was going to be.

Read if you like character studies of horny suburbia

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Hannah (hngisreading) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oooof this book!!!! May change to 5 ⭐️

As I was reading this I was wondering why it was so fucking good, then saw it’s a Roxane Gay book. Of course!!!!!!

[Shannon (The Book Club Mom) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whoa. Well, that was very sexual. That’s the first word that comes to mind after finishing Hot Springs Drive by Lindsay Hunter. I’d also call it dark, disturbing, edgy, erotic, and intense. If you’d describe yourself as rather prudish, safe, tame, or squeaky clean when it comes to your reading preferences, then I’d probably skip this one. My biggest piece of advice is to NOT listen to this audiobook with your kids in the car! The door is WIDE open when it comes to the bedroom scenes. Heck, the hinges are completely off the door. Hot Springs Drive is perfect for fans of domestic thrillers, character studies, and neighborhood dramas. It’s not a suspenseful, nail-biting, or edge-of-your-seat type of thriller—it’s way more complex than that. It dives deep into the minds of the characters, showcasing their wants, needs, desires, and questionable behaviors. If you enjoyed The Whispers by Ashley Audrain, then you’ll want to check this one out. The vibe was pretty similar. Hot Springs Drive was VERY entertaining, even though I was disturbed by most of it, and felt uncomfortable at times. I’m glad I took a chance on this unique story, and will definitely check out the author’s books in the future. It’s available now, and I give it 3.5/5 stars!

[Nw · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was exhausting. The author wanted so desperately for this to be a serious, impactful novel that she lost sight of the value of letting a story breathe and come alive. And ensuring that the characters don’t all sound, think, speak, and act alike. If each chapter didn’t tell you whose perspective we were about to read there wouldn’t be anyway to tell who it was. There is no way your average suburban teenager let alone every character in the book has the self awareness that these characters do. It’s just not believable or realistic. I guess I know more about how the author thinks now, but I certainly don’t feel I was reading about characters whose thoughts and motivations felt real let alone relatable. A truly disappointing, claustrophobic read.

[Hollie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Is everyone on earth a deranged, sex-obsessed monster? In this book, yes! What a bleak, depressing read that made me feel worse about the world than I already did. Is this how everyone but me thinks? Is this how people view other people? If so, I’m never leaving the house again. Woof.

Edit: I hate that I didn’t like this book and wrote a bad review of it. I hate that an author who wrote a whole ass book probably read my bad review of their book and that people randomly like my embarrassing bad review. It’s really how I felt about the book, but goddamn, I hate hating things in such a dark timeline.

[Sharon Valler: Live Love Read Review · Rating 1 out of 5]

Is this a case of “It’s not you, it’s me?”

What I expected, was a gritty family drama with a few psychological twists that would mess with my head.

What I got, was a chapter by each of the numerous unlikeable characters detailing their sexual desires, specifically based around their neighbours, be they adults, minors or even their own mother.

With very poor characterisation,, no depth to the story, no tenable plot and monotone writing that lacked emotion, I just couldn’t connect with this book at all. Oh and fat phobia which was horrible to read.

1 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

[Rachel León · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, I love everything that Lindsay Hunter writes, but this novel is really oh so good. It's a compulsively readable, can't-put-it-down story that manages to be super sharp and smart. Such fascinating character studies, such subtle but piercing insight on the way our society sees mothers, such a sucker punch.

[Marci Heath · Rating 5 out of 5]

AMAZING!!! I have never read any work by Lindsay Hunter and now I have to read them all.

This book is very well written and I was hooked from the first page. It’s the story of two women who became friends over motherhood and ended up living next to each other. Their lives, the lives of their children and even the lives of their husbands became intertwined and interconnected in a beautiful yet, deadly way. This story will sweep you up instantly and you won’t be able to put it down!!! I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did!

[Claudia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I do not understand the 4 and 5 stars. Am I even reading the same book? If this were a movie, it would be X rated.
This is not plot driven. It focuses on character development, and it seems most of the characters are focused on sex.
DNF. Stopped at 42%. I had enough.

[Jenn Z · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lindsay Hunter is a masterful storyteller of the stories that scare us - scare us from what humans are capable of becoming. Hot Springs Drive is being described as a thriller, but the best part of the book for me is actually found in the aftermath and reflection.

Lindsay is such a brave and beautiful writer because she eloquently writes about the parts of us that we hide. She writes about the things that people are ashamed of. She's not afraid to dive into the ugly and disturbing.

Hot Springs Drive is not tied up in a pretty bow. You probably won't feel uplifted or hopeful. But if you truly read her words, you will find a piece of humanity that no one wants to talk about. You will probably see a part of yourself in the characters and how close we all are to breaking down. We all want to be seen and loved. We want to feel connected. We want to experience pleasure.

Hot Springs Drive definitely had me feeling disgusted and appalled, but it also left me feeling a sense of empathy that can only be felt by acknowledging the ugly instead of sweeping it under the rug.

This will be one of my favorite books I've read this year. I felt like I was in the room in every scene because every single word Lindsay wrote took me there. I cannot say enough good things about this novel.

[Andrea Bartz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poignant, luscious, brutal, gorgeous, heartbreaking, and totally unique—this stunning book DESTROYED me, and I didn’t want it to end.

[Mackenzie Neeson · Rating 5 out of 5]

SLAPS