Recently divorced Jen, is down on her luck and back to living in her childhood home. Finding her footing and grappling with becoming a single mom, she finds herself immediately drawn to her newest neighbor, Will. Lucky for Jen, Will seems to be smitten with her too and she immediately finds herself falling head over heels. The kicker, her friends Kittie and Cynthia, coming to terms with their own aging teenagers and self worth, may also have their eyes on Will.

With his European accent and charm, Will is the hottest and most interesting thing to happen to this small Texas town in years. But is his charm authentic or is his seduction game have a dark side to it?

The number 1 thing I loved about this book is it’s set in Texas. Ya’ll know I love my Texas books and very similar to Katherine Center, I love that May Cobb not only lives in Austin, but also that her books generally take place in Texas. And that’s pretty much the only thing I LOVED about this book.

This has all the Desperate Housewives vibes, and I was really looking forward to a thriller filled with snarky adult women and petty neighborhood drama. Occasionally I need a bit of petty drama in my life. While there is definitely drama in this story, it’s so ridiculous I could barely stop rolling my eyes.

First we have Jen. A completely realistic depiction of a 40year old women navigating through a divorce with her teenage son. I could get on board with her obsession of Will, but at some point it was so exaggerated that I just wanted to shake her. She’s basically a 12 year old girl with a crush, who goes on one date and thinks she’s in love. She has zero sense of self worth and there is no way this character is in her 40s.

Next up, we have her friends Cynthia and Kittie. Both are dealing with their own sense of self worth and even though they’re both married and have never cheated, are suddenly obsessed with Will. I heard someone mention that Cynthia was a ‘worse version of a Sex and City’s Miranda’ and that’s the truest statement I’ve come across. Both these two characters are the worst.

And lastly we have Will. Assumingly wealthy Will, with his good looks and charm literally grabs every females attention when he arrives. We never really ‘get to know’ Will. We get some glimpses into his life. I can see to some extent why a few of the women would be attracted to a new handsome man, but for all the women and to the extent that their infatuation ranged was just way over the top for me.

I won’t say I hated this one, but it could have used a bit more development. It is a fast paced read and the plot definitely keeps you wanting to know more. So if you can focus on the mystery at hand rather than the teenage type drama, and you are looking for an over the top housewife story than you’ll enjoy this one.

AMAZON | GOODREADS | ★★★

My Summer Darlings  comes out May 17, 2022! Huge thank you to Berkley for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.  If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof_books.

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