Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

The Homewreckers by Mary Kay Andrews

4 reviews

yvo_about_books's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

3.25

Finished reading: May 30th 2024


"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. 

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caitlinjadams's review against another edition

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lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • 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

I enjoyed it, but I definitely didn’t love it. I would have preferred the “Saving Savannah” version over the “Homewreckers” version, I think. The story had plenty of interest from the home restoration and the murder mystery without the (to me annoying) drama of the cliche shallow LA cutthroats. 

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courtneyclouts's review

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dark funny mysterious fast-paced
  • 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


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emmas_bookshelf's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I loved this book! Reading a Mary Kay Andrews book always gives me that wonderful feeling that summer is coming. Hattie, the protagonist of this book, restores historic homes in Savannah and reluctantly agrees to be on an HGTV-style show when she needs money and support for the family fixer-upper business. She was a perfectly imperfect main character and I found her so relatable and lovable. The central mystery of this one kept me guessing right up until the end! Definitely recommend adding this to your summer reading list. Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for the advance reader copy via NetGalley. 

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