It's Hot in the Hamptons

by Holly Peterson

From the author of the summer hit It Happens in The Hamptons comes an unforgettable new novel about the women who live and love in the Hamptons.

In the Hamptons, no rules apply, especially in matters of money—and the heart… Raised in East Hampton, Caroline never thought she’d be one of the “city people” who spent summers and weekends at the beach. But, once her husband’s business takes off, a job stint transplants the couple permanently into Manhattan life—where the phrase When you marry for money, you work for it every day, reflects her neighbors’ lives. And where entitled husbands, like hers, embark on affair after affair with little consequence. Time for the wives to get even. When Caroline’s friend Annabelle suggests they experiment as their wayward mates have, Caroline resists at first. That is, until a scroll through an iPad makes her reconsider…and a pact between two friends is made. The agreement quickly turns serious when Caroline begins to confront the man her husband has become, or perhaps always has been. Will a summer affair give Caroline clarity or make her lose hold on the reins of her life? And, when an old lover returns, is she ready to risk all for a chance at happiness…

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Chick Lit, Beach Reads, Summer, New York

384 pages, Paperback

First published May 21, 2019

About the author

Holly Peterson is the author of It Happens in the Hamptons, a work of fast-paced social satire about a summer community. She wrote The Idea of Him and the New York Times bestseller The Manny and SMOKE AND FIRE: Recipes and Menus for Entertaining Outdoors. She was a Contributing Editor for Newsweek, an Editor-at-Large for Talk magazine and an Emmy Award–winning Producer for ABC News, where she spent more than a decade covering global politics and trials of the century. Her writing has been published in the New York Times, Newsweek, Town and Country, Talk, The Daily Beast, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and numerous other publications.

Reviews

[Katie B · Rating 2 out of 5]

So the premise for this one sounded intriguing but unfortunately the characters and story just didn't end up working for me. I was hoping the characters would be fun in a Real Housewives of New York sort of way. It's not like I find those women all that likable but at least they give me compelling reasons to want to tune in. The characters in this book just fell flat and to be honest just didn't seem all that realistic.

Caroline grew up in East Hampton but currently lives in Manhattan with her husband and their children. They do the whole summer in the Hamptons thing like all of their wealthy and privileged friends. Caroline and her friend, Annabelle, both have cheating husbands and that's why Annabelle suggests they each find a man to have an affair with this summer. Sounds crazy, right? Well it certainly does to Caroline, but then she begins to reconsider the idea.

Even I can admit this was a challenging story for any author to pull off because who likes a cheater? It didn't help at all that Annabelle's suggestion occurs right at the beginning of the story, before you really have a chance to get to know the characters. Unfortunately, even after reading the book, I can't say I ever truly understood the characters. In my opinion the author could have chosen to go in two directions, either have this be a light but entertaining read or go the more serious route that explores a messed up marriage. This book didn't fall into either category and to be quite honest I'm not even sure what the author was hoping to accomplish. The ending is a flat out mess and I'll just leave it at that.

Disappointing read for sure and I definitely recommend passing on this one.

I won a free copy of this book from LibraryThing and the publisher but was under no obligation to post a review. All views expressed are my honest opinion.

[Justine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read most of it on a plane because my daughter left it in my bag and I had nothing else to read. I can forgive the haughty, rich characters who are totally unrelatable to me- for what else was I expecting? But I can’t forgive the dull writing and especially the hurried way in which the numerous predictable plot lines were all wrapped up in the last 10-15 pages.

[Lynda · Rating 1 out of 5]

To the author of this book I would say, writing a book that glorifies and simplifies cheating is ignorant of the actual long term pain it causes to all parties, not to mention the children and partners not mentioned in the book. This summer read was not only a disappointment, but a book that makes me angry that I even bought it. If I could give it a negative 5 I would. Hopefully the author will use her writing skills to write something more meaningful and realistic in the future. Avoid the lure of the cover for this summer read.

[Anisha Gawriluk · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like any of the characters and couldn't make it through this book. I got about 60 pages in and it just wasn't interesting so I gave up!

[Zeynep · Rating 1 out of 5]

Drowning in cliches, flat paper characters, sluggish plot - inane, lazy writing overall. Just wanted it to be over when I was 30 pages in. I did give it a full chance and made it all the way through. I wish I could now have my money back.

[Holly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terribly written novel! This book was so choppy and in the end, so much of the story made no sense. It starts off seeming that the main premise is the summer affair pact, but what did that really have to do with the way the book ended? What purpose did the character, Ryan, really even serve? Why on earth did Caroline and Annabelle need to involve him in the big goings-on at the barn? It had NOTHING to do with him! And Caroline thinks she spots the long-dead love of her life at the very beginning, but then embarks on an affair with Ryan...which is just so off from the beginning: one minute she’s noticing his middle pudge and not-so-great body, then next thing you know, his body is described as nearly perfect. And, this poor guy, Joey, literally had to fake his own death 13 YEARS ago and lose the woman he loved more than anything (for dealing POT, no less), but yet suddenly came back to town after all this time being presumed dead by everyone except his own dad, and he makes sure the guy who caused all of it AND married the love of his (Joey’s) doesn’t go to jail and reassures Caroline that Eddie really did love her?? And after all this hugely life-altering events that have taken place, Caroline flippantly admits to an affair with Ryan—TO HER BOYFRIEND WHO JUST RETURNED FROM THE DEAD—by laughing and saying ‘only on Tuesdays!’ This was without a doubt the stupidest, worst written, sorriest excuse for a book I have ever read.

[Aristotle · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 100 pages

The Real Housewives of the Hamptons

I don't watch much tv. Sports, Game of Thrones(i liked the ending), Jay Leno's Garage, and a guilty pleasure that i hope you don't judge me too harshly, i watch the Real Housewives of Bravo. So i'm up for a little trash reading but this book was a disaster. Some of the dialogue was just cringe worthy. Check my update because i don't want to type it in the review it might be censored. Does Goodreads censor reviews? Amazon does.

There wasn't a story to tell. Two women forming a pact to cheat on their husbands was dumb. The sub plots were dull and a bit convoluted. Narcissistic, vapid, and vacuous is okay, it's the Hamptons, but dull and boring is not okay.
The craziness of Teresa Guidice, the humor of Bethenny Frankel, the drunk Countess Luanne, or the drama of LVP was missing. I have to say a hard pass on this and go watch RHOC new season.

[Alicia Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The best way to describe this is Gossip Girl meets Desperate Housewives. The author failed at the beginning to pull me in, but I stuck with it - mostly because I was on vacation and it was the last book left that I brought with me. The omniscient narrator begins the book with a separate chapter for nearly each character. It starts with Annabelle and Caroline discussing their pact. Then a chapter for Eddie and one for Phillipe. The beginning of the book jumped around so much, and everything from the writing style to the glitz and glamour of the upper east side’s elite gave me Gossip Girl (books) flashbacks. The rest of the book, however focuses almost exclusively on Caroline and occasionally Annabelle, so I thought it was a bit odd that the author gave us those glimpses. I get she was trying to set up the mystery, but I feel like there were better ways to do it.

Once I got past the first 100 pages, the story kept me intrigued, but not to the point I couldn’t set the book down. The ending was underwhelming and dragged on much too long.

[Barbara Dover · Rating 2 out of 5]

Is this chick lit, a mystery, or what? It’s not often you find a book that doesn’t necessarily fit into the usual genre descriptions, and this one fits the very large millionaire bill. I enjoyed the snarky descriptions of the uber-wealthy conspicuous consumption, but not the quid pro quo infidelity. Caroline’s and Annabelle’s bff relationship was nice to read about in that even with all the $$$, they didn’t try to one-up each other, but the infidelity pact was not so nice. I guess the steamy sex scenes were supposed to justify the title? The author’s experience with the horse scene was obvious and her explanations of that plot point were helpful. However, even though it didn’t fit into one basic genre, it tried to do too much without doing enough. It didn’t fully develop or even adequately resolve every aspect of the story line. There was conflict but much of it it disappeared without resolution and moved onto the next one. The ending was rushed and very unrealistic. For example, who would walk into a drug deal unarmed and if it was as big and lucrative a ring as it was made out to be, the feds would have been on the sting, not retired cops and local law enforcement who were high school buddies of the perpetrators? I hope there isn’t a sequel to this and can’t recommend this book.

[Fred · Rating 1 out of 5]

Chick Lit meets Nancy Drew is the MO of this novel

The premise sounds promising: married women in the Hamptons for the summer schmooze, dish, and get up to no good while trying to one-up their philandering husbands. Herein lies the first problem: their one-upmanship involves them making an adultery pact (hey, if the guys can do it, so can we!) which makes both women incredibly unlikeable in my opinion.

So on the one hand the novel is trying to be a lighthearted Sex-in-the-City type of romp, while on the other hand, it adds a Nancy Drew-esque mystery involving an old flame of one of the women, who purportedly died 20 years ago. He appears at the beginning of the story and then disappears only to reappear at the end. The mystery of his re-emergence dovetails with a mystery involving the protagonist's husband's shady business dealings, and the sleuthing the women do really gave the story its Nancy-Drew-for-the-Cougar-set feel.

It didn't do it for me.

[Maria Lillie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Holly Peterson and Good Reads. I won this book on a Giveaway drawing.

This was a quick read. I thought it started out slow. I'm sorry it was just an okay book for me.
Annabelle and her friend Caroline have cheating husbands. They both decide to cheat. Then later find out that cheating on their spouses is not all it is cracked up to be. Caroline's husband is doing some shady business then gets caught.
I was interested to see how this story would play out. Unfortunately, the characters just seemed flat and unlikable.

[Natalie Mccaffiety Powell · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me by three friends that know I read a lot. I have no clue what kind of books they think I like, but it’s not this. I got it in the airport, and it was easy and quick to read. It wasn’t the worst book I have read, but I don’t recommend it. If you like books about cheating spouses and unrealistic life problems, go for it. It’s not like the real housewives of the hamptons, which was my initial thought.

[Rebecca Lyman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.

I requested to review this book because I loved the cover. I was dubious on the description but the cover looked like a perfect summer read. And I'm still sure that it would be the perfect summer read for someone, but unfortunately it wasn't for me. I felt like the plot line was really good, and I was able to appreciate some of the great plot twists in the book, but overall the plot just didn't appeal to me on a personal level, mostly because of the characters. They were all so entitled and flawed and it was just so sad. I couldn't connect with a single character and that made the book a little hard to get through for me. It was just a personal issue with the characters though so I'd still recommend giving this one a try - it has great plot twists and a great setting for a summer read! 

[Kate]

DNF

[Jody Reads Smut · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I signed up to read an early reviewer copy, I was so excited, I could not wait for it to arrive. The premise of the book was interesting but the characters and the story itself did not add up to the synopsis. I do feel that the author had a wonderful idea for this book, but for me, it fell short. When Caroline's friend Annabelle starts making suggestions of getting back at their promiscuous husbands, Caroline is a bit reluctant in the beginning but soon changes her mind as she goes through her husbands personal iPad. It sounds like such an awesome storyline, and I really wanted to love this summer read, but the characters were just so so in my opinion. I received a free copy from LibaryThing and the publisher, the opinions' are my own. Thank you to LibraryThing, William Morrow and Holly Petersen for giving me the opportunity to read and review It's Hot in the Hamptons, sorry it took so long to get my review up.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book struggled to find its identity. Mystery? romance? too bad because I thought this would really kick off the summer just right

[Michelle]

The ending makes Scooby Doo episodes seem like thought provoking crime dramas. If this isn't the stupidest book I have ever read.....this is the stupidest book I have ever read. I believe one would refer to this as bad writing.

[Vic]

I never received the book which I won in April & although I've asked about it twice have never received a reply.

[Sue · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gave it 50 pages which was an effort. Didn’t care about any of the characters and there were
Zillions of them. Back to the library it goes.

[Brenda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Complete and utter drivel. I kept waiting for something to happen beyond the incessant whining and woe is me nonsense. I want my afternoon in the sun back!

[Cheryl · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't do it.

[Cyndi Becker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holly Peterson follows up last years' "Hamptons" release and the quintessential beach read It Happens in the Hamptons with 2019's It's Hot in the Hamptons. Aside from location, this is a very different read, but the story still features strong woman who take risks albeit in very different manners. This story focuses on a Hamptons born and raised woman, Caroline, whose expectations for a typical summer is about to be challenged.

What I particularly enjoyed about this book, aside from the entertainment inherent in how the families uproot themselves for the summer of was just how much Caroline changes over the course of the summer. No longer satisfied by simply turning a blind eye to her husband Eddie's extra-curricular activities, she embraces the chance to enjoy a dalliance of her own. What happens by the end of summer upends everything about life as she knows it.

Central to the storyline is the influence and support her friend Annabelle provides with her own story running along side Caroline's. Their friendship is certainly challenged throughout as Caroline begins to question Annabelle's judgement, but their friendship stays strong as their pact to protect each other is tested.

Petersons writing is so descriptive, from the newly built horse stables to the sailing culture that makes the Hamptons what it is, an escape for the city people. There are some great plot twists and near the end a few monumental revelations that will make you think of this a less a women's fiction read and more a domestic mystery. It's Hot in the Hamptons provides readers with a highly engrossing and entertaining escape into the lives of the wives and mothers summering away from the city heat.

*I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review"

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to LibraryThing and Wm. Morrow.

A hot, Summer sexy book set in the Hamptons. Two best friends Caroline and Annabelle challenge each other to have affairs since their husbands have in the past. Nothing like rich women dropping designer names, wearing designer clothes and their designer homes in the rich Hamptons.

Other things happen with Caroline's husband which is not a good thing and a "ghost" comes back to life from Caroline's past too. It all comes together in the end.

[Abby Davis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love mindless chick lit beach reading. And I much enjoyed the other Hamptons book. This book was painfully hard to get thru. It took me way longer than it should have. I feel like the entire book happened at the very end and too much filler and crap too weed through to get to that point. Story lines developed and just left like nothing happened because other crap was in the mix we didn’t need. Sure it was all to paint a picture of summer in the Hamptons, but so much could have been left out to develop the more meaningful parts of the story.

[Sophia Audrey · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was my most anticipated summer, by the pool, chick lit read. I thought it would be lavish, snobby and reminiscent of most books about the rich in relation to New York. This book did nothing for me and I stopped reading it at page 100 ish. I tried picking it up three times and I’m pulling at my hair but sorry this book sucks.

The story has way too many characters for me to follow along with and the storylines make no sense. I feel like I’m blurring the lines between each plot for the characters. Maybe one day I’ll finish it but as of now it’s going to sit on my shelf 1/3 read.

[Kay Woodtli · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was ridiculous - so far fetched.

[Claudia Quinlan · Rating 1 out of 5]

So boring I had to audiobook it and it’s still trash

[Robin Lewalski · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m not sure why I even finished this. The plot made my blood boil the entire time and the writing is flat. Not my idea of a light beach read despite the intriguing cover art.

[LMD · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF.

I got a quarter of a way through this book and had to just stop reading it.

The cover pulled me in and the description sounded interesting, so I thought I’d give this book a shot.

The characters are dull and boring. The pacing is strange and the story seems all over the place. I can’t get through it. So, this book is going to the back of my shelf, never to be seen again.

[Alex · Rating 1 out of 5]

True beach trash. If you finish all eight books allotted for Bethany Beach reading, does it officially mean summer is over?