My Summer Darlings

by May Cobb

Three lifelong friends plus a dangerous, sexy new stranger in town add up to a scorching summer of manipulation, obsession, and murder, from the acclaimed author of The Hunting Wives.

A woman in the forest thinks she’s going to die.
I know he’s coming back for me.

Jen Hansen, Kittie Spears, and Cynthia Nichols have been friends since childhood. They are now approaching forty and their lives have changed, but their insular East Texas town has not. They stay sane by drinking wine in the afternoons, dishing about other women in the neighborhood, and bonding over the heartache of their own encroaching middle age and raising ungrateful teens.

Then Will Harding comes to town, moving into one of the neighborhood’s grandest homes. Mysterious and charming, he seems like the answer to each woman’s prayers. He’s a source of fascination for Jen, Kittie, and Cynthia, but none of them are ready for the way Will disrupts their lives.

As Will grows closer with each of the women, their fascination twists into obsession, threatening their friendships and their families. When he abruptly pulls away, each woman scrambles to discover the source of his affection. But what they’ll uncover is far more sinister and deadly than any of them could have ever imagined.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, Summer, Suspense

368 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 17, 2022

About the author

May Cobb is the bestselling author of All The Little Houses and The Hunting Wives, soon to be a series on Netflix. Her previous novels include The Hollywood Assistant, A Likeable Woman, My Summer Darlings, and Big Woods. She earned her MA in literature from San Francisco State University and her essays and interviews have appeared in The Washington Post, Texas Highways, Good Housekeeping, and more. A Texas native, she lives in Austin with her family.

Reviews

[Lisa of Troy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Guilty Pleasure

Three mothers, Jen, Kittie, and Cynthia, are desperate housewives, sipping wine and gossiping, watching the days slowly slide by. Then, the hottest and richest guy in the world comes to town, Will Harding. How will this dashing stranger change the lives of these women?

May Cobb, author of The Hunting Wives, is back! If you love Desperate Housewives or Sally Rooney novels, this book will delight you. It is high on steam, definitely steamy. It is a guilty pleasure. Additionally, I really liked that this book had mothers as the main characters, and the children were not merely there to check a checkbox. These mothers had real, complicated relationships with their children.

Personally, I really enjoyed this book; however, there are a few issues that need to be smoothed out. The first half of the book was slow, really slow. Nothing was going on. There wasn’t any adventure or steam, but there were A LOT of adjectives (red clay, crystal clear, strappy heels). There were also a lot of clicking heels (and variations of the sounds of footsteps). However, the last half more than made up for the first half. Now to my last point, there was one character who was drunk driving. This is not acceptable—It is never acceptable. She should have called an Uber. In this particular scene, it would have worked out so well because it would have been really an awkward turtle to have to wait for the Uber driver.

Overall, this is an extremely entertaining book, and May Cobb didn’t disappoint. Now it’s time for a shower…….

*Thanks, NetGalley, for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

2024 Reading Schedule
Jan Middlemarch
Feb The Grapes of Wrath
Mar Oliver Twist
Apr Madame Bovary
May A Clockwork Orange
Jun Possession
Jul The Folk of the Faraway Tree Collection
Aug Crime and Punishment
Sep Heart of Darkness
Oct Moby-Dick
Nov Far From the Madding Crowd
Dec A Tale of Two Cities

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[Michael David (on hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY!

There’s something about Mary Will.

Will Harding is the hottest thing to hit East Texas since, well, forever. The new stranger instantly makes heads turn with his European accent and brooding good looks. Jen gets the vapors when she thinks about him, and is thrilled when she finds out her new neighbor is smitten with her too. She’s had a hard time, recently divorced and with a teenager who resents that they moved back to her hometown.

Jen’s friends, Kittie and Cynthia, also have their eye on Will. They discuss him during their weekly wine nights, and they’re super happy for Jen to have found someone...or are they?

Will has a way of seducing women. By the time anyone figures out how sleazy he is, it may be too late...as danger lurks.

This was such a fun read. I was instantly engaged with the main characters and the “gossipy housewives” vibes. I really enjoy reading these soapy books, and author May Cobb has a knack for writing them.

While there’s nothing Earth-shattering in the story, it’s still vibrant and suspenseful, with moments of dark humor and biting dialogue (I just adore F-bombs!!!).

This is a fast-paced neighborhood thriller that really benefits from the relationships of the three main characters, and I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen. The one little letdown was the epilogue. While I thought one was necessary in this book, I didn’t love the one provided.

Thank you to Berkley and Edelweiss for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Expected Publication Date: 5/17/22.

Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm… I can hear: choo choo sound of disappointment train: oh boy somebody cut this noise! I truly wanted to love this book more! Especially after reading Hunting Wives and getting quick glimpse of promising blurb gives me Desperate Housewives meet Real housewives of Atlanta vibes, I was intrigued to jump into this!

Pros: I loved any kind of craziness, extremity, absurdism, darkness, over sarcasm: so second half of the book was somewhat okay for me in the beginning. But in a sudden, things have gotten too far! It even passed my crazy stuff endurance limit!

Pros: at least Jen: cheated by scumbag Felix, trying to start a new life, raising her teenage boy with help of parents is tolerable character from the beginning. Yes, her obsession about Will is still over exaggerating but it can make sense. But I cannot say the same for those fancy bitchy friends of hers who look for adventure, chasing a guy for thrill, suffering from extreme selfishness!

Both Cynthia who is worst version of Sex and City’s Miranda, pouring her sex fantasies to her journal and Kitty with emphasized cleavage and shitty spoiled daughter were inspiringly despicable and adoringly punchable characters I like to scream at their faces to go to hell!

Yes: the plot is tempting and attention taking. Three suburban friends: Jen: divorced, other two are richer and married, targeting the new guy Will Harding to seduce who got looks of Bradley Copper meets Zach Efron. I understand the reasoning why Jen chases over that guy but I still don’t understand why those other women are so competitive to drool over him. But somewhat I understand their motivations and focus on the mystery parts.

Well: the conjecture and development were a little derailed and I couldn’t empathize with any of the characters including Will!

It was still entertaining, fast popcorn read! I can never say it made me bored but I enjoyed the first book of the author a little more. Hunting Wives’ heroines we’re also despicable but at least story’s development and conclusion were more promising!

So I decided to give three neither I hated nor I loved it stars!

I’m still interested to read new works of the author but unfortunately this time, this book was not a hit for me!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

[Whitney Erwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up to 3. I have been highly anticipating this book for awhile and I’m bummed because it was a let down for me! I loved The Hunting Wives last year and couldn’t wait to get my hands on this new one by May Cobb. Sadly, it just didn’t work out for me as well as the Hunting Wives did. The storyline was just way too over the top and unbelievable. It was readable and I finished the book but it was nothing special and I wouldn’t recommend it, unfortunately.

[Kaceey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three best friends and one new sexy, single man. Oh my! If you have considerable doubts about this threesome gleefully strolling their way to a happy ending… you’d be right!🤣. The ultimate consequences? Well, simply put they could be deadly!☠️

I love a good neighborhood book! But come on, these women were full-tilt out of control! Not exactly sure how they manage to define themselves as friends. The last people I would ever rely on to have MY back!

Once again my liver has taken a serious beating and I’ve sworn off alcohol (not really😉) This is what always happens after reading one of May Cobb’s books! Wow! Can these women drink!🤦🏻‍♀️

This was a fun, though a bit OTT romp. The ending went in a direction I wasn’t expecting, and actually didn’t sit very well with me. For that I subtracted a star. (Just my opinion folks).

I wasn’t as fond of this latest release from May Cobb as much as her previous, The Hunting Wives. But if you’re looking for a fun mystery that will have you shaking your head and taking a harder look at your own drinking habits…then this will be a great fit! Happy reading’🥂🍾

A buddy read with Susanne that left us on different sides of the neighborhood fence.

Posted to: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend...

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing.

[Gabby · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am just as shocked as you are that I hated this book 😅 After being a huge fan of The Hunting Wives last year, I was pretty excited for this new release! I was even considering making this a book for my book club (thankfully that didn’t happen lol)

This book was so frustrating. We follow these three female friends who have been friends their whole lives, but they are so quick to stab each other in the back over some man they don’t even know, it’s wild. These three women are so obnoxious and naive and annoying, I couldn’t really tolerate reading from their POV. The entire book is about how this man named Will moves to their small town in Texas, and he’s Italian and super worldly and all of the women become obsessed with him. We never really get to know more about Wills character other than the fact that he’s sooooo~ hot. And apparently he’s got enough for these three women to all throw themselves at him and ruin their friendship and two of the women are married….

I feel like I should’ve DNF’ed this, but I finished it just to see if I was right with where I thought it was going, and no surprise, I was right.

I know some might argue that The Hunting Wives has similar vibes and question how I can love that book and then hate this one, but The Hunting Wives was fun, I think it was mostly due to the protagonist in that book being a stalker, it was very entertaining to read, where as reading this book felt like a chore. But after hating this one as much as I did it’s honestly making me question if The Hunting Wives was even that good so, yikes 🥲🙃

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Summer Darlings by May Cobb is a 2022 Berkley publication.

Ha! I went into this one blind, thinking it was a beach read about three female friends, etc., - the usual women’s fiction type of drama…

Oh boy-

Well, this book is NOT that.

I’m not even going to spend time on the synopsis. I’m just going to dive in with my opinion- which is that this book is the very definition of empty calories. There is no substance to this story whatsoever, the characters are shallow, morally bankrupt, rich, bored, and unlikeable- and the same goes for their teenage kids. Jen, of course, is the one possible exception, though she is still frustrating.

The mystery/thriller portions are very simple and if you are paying attention, even just a little, you’ll figure out early on who the victim and perpetrator are. This leaves one turning pages just to see who, amongst these twisted characters will come out of this whole sordid mess, and what the fallout will be.

All that said, I blew through this one in one sitting. That’s not really saying much, I suppose, considering how thin the plot was, but despite all those things, I kept right on eagerly flipping the pages.

I hate the thought of women throwing themselves at a man like that or that they would throw away a lifelong friendship over a man- not to mention the adultery, on top of that. In fact, the more I think about it, the more disgusted I am with most of these characters.

Even so, this book is meant to be entertaining, in my opinion, and surely was never intended to be taken too seriously. If one approaches it that way, it is a fun, entertaining romp, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, whatsoever... Especially while at the beach or on vacation- so lighten up and go with it- and enjoy!

Overall, though this was not the type of beach read I was anticipating, it would still be a terrific poolside romp and I promise you will never get bored!

*This one is super steamy- for those who might want to be prepared in advance.

3 stars

[megs_bookrack · Rating 4 out of 5]

**3.5-stars rounded up**

My Summer Darlings begins in a very intriguing way. You get the perspective of a woman lying in the woods, bleeding profusely, contemplating her death.

You don't know who she is or who has harmed her, but it is clear she ended up in her predicament by nefarious means.



You are then sent 6-weeks back in time to follow the perspectives of Jen, Kittie and Cynthia.

The trio have been best friends since childhood and even though Jen moved away for a bit, once she returned to their East Texas town after a messy divorce, they picked up right where they left off. They're thick as thieves through all the ups and downs of their bougie lifestyles.



The women each have their own personal concerns of course, Jen for example, post-divorce is actually really struggling financially. Luckily her friends and parents never mind helping her out. They're just happy she is finally away from him.

Cynthia and Kittie are both very well off and their husbands are great, but you know life.



When Will Harding moves to town, a drop-dead gorgeous man who ends up in the most luxurious home in the neighborhood, the three women are intrigued.

Will could be exactly the type of man Jen needs to move past her divorce. Will's presence in town however stirs things up for the trio more than they ever could have expected. We're talking secrets, lies and shady alibis.



There is no denying that May Cobb has a knack for writing rich people drama. With this novel, as with The Hunting Wives, once I started, I could not put it down.

I loved the set-up; the way it began and then going back to piece together what had lead that mystery woman to that point, it was so engaging.



While I was addicted to the drama, however, there were a few things toward the end that I found to be a touch too convenient for my tastes. Hence the 3.5-stars rounded up.

Regardless, that is still a great rating and it's undeniable that I really enjoyed this. It was a ton of fun. If you enjoy over-the-top, reality show-levels of ridiculously entertaining drama, you have to check this one out.



I think if you go into this expecting a strict to the genre Thriller, you may be disappointed. Just know this is more of a Domestic Drama centering around the friend group, with a touch of mystery running throughout.

At this point, I'm sold on Cobb. I love the risqué drama she's serving. I'm here for it and will continue coming back.



Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

I appreciate it and look forward to seeing what crazy hi-jinks Cobb comes up with next!

[Tina Loves To Read]

This is a Thriller/Mystery. I just could not get into the story. The characters felt catty and man crazy, and that is just not my thing. I wanted more mystery/suspense, and I did not want catty drama which is what I got. I ended up DNF this book at around 35%. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.

[Susanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Extremely Weak Women.
Anger, Betrayal, and Idiocy.
Fake “Lifelong” Female Friends who backstab each other day in, day out.
Graphic Nasty Raunchy Sex.

Color me sick. To be perfectly frank, absolutely revolted. In case you didn’t get it, this book was not for me.

The main reason is this: I abhor books where authors portray women as weak. My favorite books are those with strong women and this book was the exact opposite of that. If you can get past that and enjoy the raunchy, silly storyline, you might enjoy this for the soap opera this was but I for one was not a fan.

This was a buddy read with Kaceey, who enjoyed this one more than I did.

Thanks to Berkley Publishing via Edelweiss for the arc.

Published on blog: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend... Goodread and Twitter.

[Darla · Rating 4 out of 5]

There goes the neighborhood. . .This book is a hot mess! Jen, Kitty, and Cynthia have been friends since their teens and now they are in the same neighborhood. Will Harding moves in down the street and chaos ensues. The reader has the benefit of seeing the story from most all viewpoints, including a diary and an unknown narrator in distress. There are still some surprises in the last 25% and that is what makes me give this one more than three stars. The steam-o-meter was too high for me, so probably won't read this author again. Rounded up from 3.5 stars.

Thank you to Berkley and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

[May · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had fun writing this so I'm marking it a 5 star for fun-lol :). Seriously hope you enjoy it, too!

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

After Cobb's The Hunting Wives, I was so excited to read this book. Not to mention, I love the cover! Sadly though, in the end, it's another one for the great-cover-bad-book pile.

Liars, cheaters, backstabbers, oh my! My Summer Darlings has them in spades. Three lifelong friends, Cynthia, Jen and Kittie, still gather weekly for wine night to gossip and commiserate about their husbands and teenagers. Then too-good-looking-to-be-true Will Harding moves to town, and Jen, who is newly single, immediately believes that she and Will are destined to be together. Little does she know though that her two married best friends, Cynthia and Kittie, also have their eye on Will. Inevitably, Will is not who he appears to be. Not to mention, the course of true love ne'er did run smoothly, and for one person, this course ends in death.

You know from the first chapter that someone is being hunted and near death, but then the narrative switches back to the five weeks earlier with the three women. Interestingly, I figured out very early on who was being hunted, so when my hunch turned out to be right, I was extremely disappointed. It was predictable and dumb. My biggest issue though was that the characters were not likable AT ALL - every one of them was pathetic and desperate. Why are women authors so quick to write books about weak females?! It's just not a good look. I enjoy steamy drama between feuding friends as much as anyone, but in this one, it was so over the top I found myself rolling my eyes in every chapter. There was one part near the end that I didn't guess, but it didn't change my mind that this is just a subpar thriller.

Overall, lots of juicy moments with friends behaving badly, but the book lacked way too much in the way of plot and substance. 2 stars.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is less of a murder mystery and more of a “who’s sleeping with whom” domestic thriller, but once again, May Cobb elevates the genre with her fun characters and suspenseful writing.

I’m generally less a fan of the “who’s sleeping with my man” thrillers. Murder. Give me all the murder, from page one. And Cobb does bring the intrigue from page one, alternating a mystery captured women’s narrative with the intrigue of the romantic dalliances of the women in the exclusive Texas suburb, all of whom seem to be chasing a mysterious and gorgeous new single male neighbor named Will. Will has no problem flirting with and romancing all the local ladies (married or not). The alternating narratives from the three female friends, all of whom are obsessed with Will in their own ways, are fun and juicy. When there was a little too much romantic entanglement and not enough murder for me, I could forgive it, because Cobb is such a fun writer and right when I was wanting a little more crime, she would switch back to the narration by the mysterious captured woman in the woods. And the ending was worth the wait.

So, while I didn’t love this one quite as much as the Hunting Wives, it was an extremely well-written and fun, scandalous, well-executed read. Four stars for sure. I would just humbly request (at the risk of sounding twisted, but we are all friends here) a little higher ratio of murder to sex in Cobb’s next effort.

Thanks to Berkeley and NetGalley for the ARC. I will be excited to read Cobb’s next thriller.

[Colleen Scidmore · Rating 2 out of 5]

Initial Thouhts-WTAF did I just read?! How did this even get as high as a rating of 3.44? (As I publish my review I see it went down to 3.39, still too high) Did I read the same book as some of the other reviewers (no shade we all have different tastes I’m just wondering if I’m missing something)?



Jen has recently moved back to her hometown of Cedarwood, Texas. A bad divorce from her cheating husband forces her to relocate back home with her teenage son Kayden. She picks up where she left off with gal pals Kitti and Cynthia, the girls she grew up with and has known since childhood. Kitti is the head of their trio always wanting to be the center of attention. Cynthia is the exact opposite and happy to take a backseat to Kitti’s flamboyant personality. Jen is happy to have a support system but quickly remembers why she was so keen to leave the small town that hasn’t changed, where everyone knows everyone else’s business.



The arrival of a mysterious newcomer holds a promise that this summer might be different than what the trio is used to. Will is different from all the other men in Cedarwood. He’s European, single, charming and owns one of the nicest homes in the community. His green eyes and olive tone make him the center of attention and all the ladies in town single or married are drawn to Will like a cat to their favorite cat nip toy.



Will soon becomes embroiled in all 3 of the friends lives and what once started out as fascination turns into deadly obsession. The women willing to do anything to have Will at any cost to their friends or family.



My Summer Darlings actually could have been a really good book. The premise is super promising. It starts out in the present with a person injured in the woods and you’re not sure what’s going on. But then it goes back to 6 weeks prior and that’s when there are quite a few problems that bog it down.

I hated all the characters! Every single one. They were all so unlikeable. So superficial and into themselves. Even their kids pissed me off! I can’t believe grown women were willing to throw years of friendship and marriages away to get it on with someone who may be super hot but who they just met. I mean some of these women had barely talked to Will for 1 minute and they became “obsessed”. Really! 😐



At one point I was beginning to wonder if this was a spicy romance novel instead of a mystery/thriller because all they do is get laid or think about it 85% of the book. I had to go back and check if I made a mistake in genres. Nope no mistake. I have no problem with some spicy romance, that is a genre I used to read a lot more of, but that’s not what I want in my thrillers! At least not 85% of the book anyways. 😉

It was extremely boring because all they do is 1. Talk about how hot Will is or mull over their over the top obsession with him or 2. Go have sex or think about having sex with him. I think the last 15% it actually became worthwhile and I got a little excited because something was actually happening! But then the ending just killed me all over again. The ending was one of the stupidest endings I’ve ever read.



The only saving grace was the fact the I listened to the audiobook and the 3 narrators Karissa Vacker, Amy Gordon and Nan McNamara that played Jen, Kitti and Cynthia did a terrific job. So I guess it could have been worse.

If you are looking for the perfect summer thriller My Summer Darlings is not it. Unless you like superficial, repetitive and boring. Honestly I’m not sure if I’m willing to try The Hunting Wives or not after reading this. But if I do I’ll make sure it’s on audio!

[Allison Faught · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summer reading at its finest! (Even though it’s basically fall in Michigan right now-I did get to read this on vacation in Barbados and it was perfect! 😍)

It does have the catty woman trope which I know a lot of people aren’t crazy for but it’s a guilty pleasure of mine so I ate it up.

This book kept surprising me. Not at all from twists but more so the events that just kept happening. I was jaw-dropped by a particularly crazy character.

It was so fun reading this and I loved it up until that darn ending.

Very popcorn thriller and great for anyone who likes a quick and easy read.

May Cobb is a go-to author for me and I’ll pick up anything by her!

3.75⭐️

[Brandice · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Summer Darlings is a soapy neighborhood drama — Jen, Kittie, and Cynthia have been friends for years, growing up together in their East Texas town. Now they’re all back in the neighborhood with their own families and caught off guard when a handsome new stranger moves in, Will Harding. Jen is single but it doesn’t mean she’s the only one with eyes for Will. He’s a mysterious man who’s piqued the trio’s interest but how far will they go to find out more?

The story alternates between the present, where we know something is going down, and the past, from the viewpoints of these women. Jen, Cynthia and Kittie are Boozy, with a capital B. They’re also catty and immature, however, their consistently unlikable behavior made for an entertaining read.

The tension really ramped up toward the end of the book and while some elements of the story were predictable, I had to know how things played out. My Summer Darlings was a quick and at times, over the top, story featuring rich people behaving badly.

[Kelly (and the Book Boar) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ahhhh, the old . . . .



In the case of this hoity toity East Texas neighborhood, allllllll of the gals have their sights set on new addition Will. And he’s more than willing to accommodate. But of course there’s more to the new neighbor than just his pretty face, hot bod and sexual proclivity.

I was soooooo excited to land a copy of this new release after last year’s The Hunting Wives. I am all about “Desperate Housewives” kind of drama and May Cobb delivered just that in her previous offering. Unfortunately, this was a total fail for me. There’s farfetched and over-the-top and then there’s this. Not great, Bob.

ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

[Hannah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Can we stop writing books that portray women as having 0 critical thinking skills?? I promise you there are much better plot points out there!!

[ReadAlongWithSue recovering from a stroke★⋆. ࿐࿔ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read most of this until the last 15% then skimmed the end. I should have trusted my reading instinct and either avoided this as “not a good match for me” or just stopped struggling with it and gave up.

Totally weak woman
Over done
And totally not for those that try hard not to raise their eyes to the ceiling whilst reading and repeating “oh god”, I did this so often I thought my eyes were going to remain permanently fixed up beneath my eyelids!

It’s done.
I’ve practically read it.
It’s off my shelf and out my home to the next person, I hope they like it far better than I did!

I loved The hunting wives written by this author though so I won’t give up on her yet.

[Danielle B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jen, Kittie, and Cynthia have been friends since they were young. As they are all almost 40 years old now and they have still maintained their friendship bond. They are still all located in their small hometown in Texas which seems to be permanently stuck in the past. They pass the days by drinking wine and complaining about the neighbors, their age, and their spoiled teenagers. Until a new neighbor named Will moves in. All 3 women are somehow fascinated with Will. How far will this fascination go?

This is my first May Cobb read and I really loved it. It was a fun and entertaining story that keeps you wondering about Will’s motives. It was very well written and executed with a great ending. I am such a fan that I now want go back and read THE HUNTING WIVES which is May Cobb’s last book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

[emilybookedup · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is a DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES meets ONE OF US IS DEAD bingeable thriller that moves quick.

this was my book club’s June pick and it lived up to the expectations in my head—i wanted something quick, interesting and a little trashy. it was like watching a housewives reality tv show with some murder mixed in. a lot of moments made me cringe (all 3 female MCs dropped everything to get the attention of the new man in town… including their husbands🥴) but it had more subject matter and spice than i was anticipating.

i guessed part of the twist but another part surprised me. i’ve heard this is very similar to THE HUNTING WIVES (haven’t read it so can’t confirm myself).

i feel like a lot was missing… will keep it spoiler free but needed more behind the “why”

all in all, fast and interesting but not a WOW thriller. a nice beach/pool binge, though!

[Chelsey (a_novel_idea11) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!!!

Do you ever read a book and as you're reading you just think to yourself "this author gets me"?

Well that is definitely the case for me with May Cobb!

Jen, Kittie and Cynthia have been friends since high school and they have the history and the drama to prove it. Cynthia and Kittie lead privileged lives, often day drinking by their pools and hosting extravagant wine nights. When Jen moves back after a failed marriage, she's all but destitute and is in need of a morale boost so it's perfect timing when Will - a ridiculously good looking European bachelor - moves into the community and starts to show an interest in her. However, Will's attraction is magnetizing and soon, Jen's so called friends are quick to fall under his spell and push aside their years of friendship for a hot new guy.

The book starts out with a dramatic scene of someone hurt in the woods, so already, you know this book is about a whole lot more than women behaving badly (but oh how fun that is!). I love plots with strong female characters who flaunt their privilege, drink their days away, refuse to act their age, and aren't all that likeable. While the bored "housewife" storyline has been done many times, Cobb really nails it and adds new and racy layers every time.

Will's character was fascinating to me and I loved how easily and clearly he could read each of the women. I wish we had learned a bit more about his character and motivations but sometimes filling in the blanks can be just as fun.

Hunting Wives was such a fun read for me last year and I think I enjoyed My Summer Darlings even more! While this book was certainly different from Hunting Wives, if that one wasn't for you, I probably wouldn't recommend My Summer Darlings.

There are definitely racy scenes (nothing overly explicit in my opinion) and some controversial material that will put off some readers. But if you enjoy a saucy read that occasionally makes you blush and are okay with an author toeing (or maybe even crossing) a line here and there, you CANNOT miss this one! Definitely a favorite of the year for me so far!!!

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this novel.

[Creya Casale | cc.shelflove · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, Edelweiss Plus, and Berkley Publishing Group for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Dude, are you kidding me? I really enjoyed The Hunting Wives, but I absolutely LOVED My Summer Darlings! I could not put this juicy, trashy story down! May Cobb gives us three points of view: Jen, Kittie, and Cynthia. The book’s prologue tells us that one of the women will be tied up and left to die on the forest’s floor, but which woman is it? As we watch the women become entirely enthralled with the new man in town, Will Harding, everyone begins to cheat on everyone, and inevitably shit hits the fan. You’ll want to eat up this book like candy. The ending was so improved from Cobb’s last book and I’m honestly so proud of how much her writing has grown. Well done!

[Kyra Leseberg (Roots & Reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whew, this is the quintessential guilty pleasure read.

Jenn, Kittie, and Cynthia are childhood best friends all approaching forty now. Jenn, newly divorced with a teenage son, has just returned to the tiny neighborhood of her youth, where Kittie and Cynthia have stayed to raise their families. The three friends spend a lot of time drinking wine and bonding over their ungrateful teens and their nonexistent love lives.
Then the gorgeous and mysterious stranger Will Harding arrives in the neighborhood to stir up desire … and trouble.
It’s not long before lust turns into hot and heavy encounters for all three women, who are doing their best to keep it a secret from each other.

This story is a hot mess that I couldn’t stop reading. I love to hate stories like this. The women are all shallow, vapid, bored housewives lusting after a sexy guy who they know nothing about except that he is raising major red flags at every turn that they choose to ignore. Even when things get twisty and betrayal is obvious, they are somehow blaming each other rather than the douchey new guy who doesn’t have to do any work to get them into bed or come up with any remotely plausible story to cover the truth.
My Summer Darlings is a steamy popcorn read that's superficial ...but still juicy.

Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. My Summer Darlings is scheduled for release on May 17, 2022.

For more reviews, visit www.rootsandreads.wordpress.com

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars because it held my interest & I found this one easy to read, but I really had an issue with how incredibly idiotic and awful the women all were over Will - really requires some suspension of belief on the readers part that none of them could even put two and two together. I think that perhaps stories about rich & idle women behaving badly are probably not what I care to read these days...

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading and loving The Hunting Wives I was really excited to see what May Cobb had in store for us next. I loved the wild and crazy drama from that book and was hoping for much of the same in My Summer Darlings, especially considering the synopsis made it sound like there would be. Well, there was definitely drama, and every single one of these women (Jen, Kittie, and Cynthia) was basically despicable. The only one that had any redeeming qualities at all was Jen but that was not enough to hold up the story for me. If there is one thing I hate, it is weak women and that's exactly what all 3 of these characters were, weak. I was hoping someone would learn something by the time we got to the end, but nope, it only got worse. I saw someone call this a popcorn thriller and I would definitely agree with that description.

If there was one thing I did enjoy, it was the audiobook, and I loved the full cast of narrators. Karissa Vacker, Amy Gordon, Nan McNamara & Kristen DiMercurio were each wonderful for their corresponding character, and they did such a good job that they probably made me hate these people even more! It took me a while to get into this one, but things were way better once I became invested in the story. Then we all know what happened when I got towards the end.... nothing good. It was really just the plotline at the end and the characters that killed this one for me, but it would certainly make a great beach read. The cover screams summer, and the story completes this feel with all the drinking these ladies do. My Summer Darlings did get me at the VERY end, and while it wasn't fully my cup of tea, I will always be looking forward to Cobb's next book.

Thank you to the publishers for my advanced listening and reader copies of this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

[Desiree · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was not for me. It’s a slow burn, like super slow, until maybe 75%. That first 75% was torture. It was all whiny housewives and drama.

Now, let me preface with the fact that I’m down for unlikeable characters. This book has maybe one likable character (Jen’s son, Kasey). But the three female MCs were some of the most weak minded, obnoxious, cliche women I’ve read about. These three lifelong friends are just mean girls ready to stab one another in the backs at every chance they get. They’re all jealous of each other. They’re all constantly drunk. It wasn’t even fun train-wreck drama, it was honestly a chore to get through.

Then there’s Will. Other than the constant talk about his super hotness, there’s really nothing about him that stands apart from the other neighborhood guys so I’m not sure why he caused such a stir among this neighborhood/friend group. He seemed weird to me from the get go.

I don’t understand the motivations for anything that happened in this book. I don’t want to spoil it, so I won’t say too much, but it all just seemed so unbelievable to me. And the twist at the end? It was honestly laughable. I have no idea why Will did the things he did. It was never explained.

Also there’s some major ick factor going on with the end. It seemed to only be there for shock value because I can’t even figure out why that storyline was happening or where it was meant to go.

The writing wasn’t great either. “You have such a beautiful torso” - I mean, who says that??

After reading this one and seeing similar thoughts about her first book (which I have not read), I just don’t think this author’s work is for me.

[Robyn Harding · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got an early read of this sassy, sexy, scary thriller. I couldn't put it down!

[Heather ~*dread mushrooms*~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a page-turner, but by the end I was left wondering why. WHY. Why did a handsome, ridiculously irresistible man move to a mansion in east Texas, break up people's relationships, get involved with an underage girl, make plans to run away to Europe with a woman, and murder? What the hell was his motive? It can't be just because he murdered his cheating fiancée some years ago. This made zero sense. Oh, and Chloe is apparently a psychopath who is going to get revenge on her mother for sleeping with this guy? You can't give me a plot this flimsy with no answers.