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yvo_about_books's review against another edition
3.25
"A house is just a bunch of lumber and nails, Hattie. It’s just a thing. Never fall in love with anything that can’t love you back."
I loved my first experience with Mary Kay Andrews' writing last December, and I've been meaning to read more of her books ever since. I actually picked up The Homewreckers on a whim when I was looking for a little change of genre... I loved the sound of the blurb with the house renovation reality TV angle, and I was in the mood for a little romance. Somehow, I wasn't as charmed by The Homewreckers as I thought I would be though. I still love the premise of the story, and the house renovation is probably my favorite part of the story. I loved reading about the project, the improvements and the struggles they faced, and I liked the little behind-the-scene of this type of reality TV show the story provided. I was surprised that this wasn't mainly a romance read though, because a pretty big part of the plot is focused on a missing person case. Not that I don't like a good mystery, but I think in this case it actually distracted from the rest of the plot. Especially since the identity of the person responsible is SO obvious almost straight away. I literally said to myself: 'I bet he did it' and then 'no, that would be WAY too obvious'... Only to be disappointed when I found out it really was him. Also, I wasn't a fan of Hattie. For a person who is supposedly smart, independent and looking to prove herself, she sure does make a lot of extremely stupid mistakes. She also lets people walk all over her... This is not all, because The Homewreckers also has a pretty obvious and very present love triangle. One of my personal pet peeves on a good day, but there also wasn't any chemistry between Hattie and neither of the two male candidate, which only made things worse. The romance just wasn't all that credible or enjoyable for me, and I guess this is where the mystery actually ended up saving the day for me. I'm not say that The Homewreckers is a bad read, but it definitely wasn't nearly as good as Bright Lights, Big Christmas for me.
Graphic: Car accident, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Death, Murder, Abandonment, Gun violence, Infidelity, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, and Violence
caitlinjadams's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Death of parent, Excrement, Infidelity, Confinement, Murder, Abandonment, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Grief, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, and Car accident
Minor: Sexual content and Fatphobia
rachelkreadsbookz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Minor: Car accident and Fire/Fire injury
oflifeandstuff's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
courtneyclouts's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Car accident, Pregnancy, Gore, Adult/minor relationship, Abandonment, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Alcohol, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Rape, and Stalking
kdailyreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Murder, Infidelity, Alcohol, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Pregnancy and Gun violence
ldruckreier's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Murder, and Death
meliroo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.0
Based on the blurb, I was expecting house flipping drama and romance. What I got was a cold case mystery as the main plot driver. The house renovation took a back seat, and I didn't really feel the chemistry between Hattie and either of the male interests. I appreciate that the mystery element was at least layered enough so that the "whodunnit" wasn't completely obvious from the get go.
Maybe it's because I was expecting one thing and got another, but this book felt LONG. I'm usually pretty fast at read throughs; this one took a while to gain momentum, and by the time we reached cruising speed I didn't really feel invested in the characters. Overall, kind of forgettable, but a good summer read.
I was provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Graphic: Grief, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Sexual assault, Violence, Murder, Death, Grief, Infidelity, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Car accident, and Bullying