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blchase12's review
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
wissota's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Was a good concept and kept me wanting to read, but if felt a bit unpolished.
meggenlee's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
It was a pretty basic thriller. I’d guessed the killer about 15 pages in.
thephdivabooks's review
5.0
You probably know May Cobb as the beach read queen of the psychological thriller genre. Her previous two books were hotter than the Texas heat, featuring bored, wealthy women behaving very badly. I loved both of those books, and it intrigues me that A Likeable Woman is such a drastic departure in tone.
What’s A Likeable Woman about?
It’s been twenty years since Kira has returned to her affluent Texas hometown. Kira fled after her mother’s mysterious death rocked her world. The widely believed story is that her mother Sadie took her own life, but Kira has never been sure of that. In the wake of her grief, Kira fled to start over somewhere new. She’s been treading water since, unable to move on.
When she receives an invitation to an old frenemy’s vow renewal party, Kira is reluctant to return. The party is being held at The Farm where her mother died, after all. But Kira’s grandmother has been texting her that she has something of her mother’s she wants to give her. That, plus the promise that her teenage crush and closest friend from home, Jack, will be there—and Kira agrees to make the trip.
From the moment Kira arrives at her grandmother’s house, everything is unsettling. Her grandmother is being cryptic, but when her grandmother gives her a memoir her mother was writing before her death, Kira can’t believe she has these words directly from her mother. The journal also seems to detail the scandal that surrounded Sadie before her death, and Kira suspects it may have the answers to what really happened that night…
What did I think?
I enjoyed how layered this story was. Despite her wealth, Sadie was unhappy. Through passages from her memoir, Sadie describes feeling lost after her parents died in a tragic accident. When she met her husband, she gave into doing what all their friends were doing—getting married, having kids, buying a big house, becoming a housewife. This is what Sadie calls her efforts to be “a likeable woman”.
“If I can impart one thing to you it’s this: Don’t be like me, don’t be a likeable woman.”
In the time leading up to her death, Sadie began to break away from the person she was expected to be. She rediscovered her passion for art and creative endeavors. She discovered a person she actually loves—someone who accepts her fully as herself. It's easy to see the parallels between Kira’s life and Sadie’s.
Kira sneaks away to read more of Sadie’s journal and to spend time with Jack. Oh boy, I fell hard for Kira and Jack! Their chemistry is undeniable, and their friendship is sweet. Jack is in an unhappy marriage to a woman who entrapped him with a “surprise” pregnancy. Now they have a child together, and Kira knows she can’t ask Jack to leave his wife. Watching their relationship was bittersweet, even for the reader.
The central mystery is of course, what really happened to Sadie. Did she take her own life? Was it murder like Kira always suspected? The pieces written by Sadie in the past timeline were gripping and haunting. I didn’t guess the way the book would end, and I was riveted during the last several chapters. The epilogue was the perfect touch to close out the story of Kira and Sadie. Gripping, suspenseful, and powerful.
Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my copy. Opinions are my own.
What’s A Likeable Woman about?
It’s been twenty years since Kira has returned to her affluent Texas hometown. Kira fled after her mother’s mysterious death rocked her world. The widely believed story is that her mother Sadie took her own life, but Kira has never been sure of that. In the wake of her grief, Kira fled to start over somewhere new. She’s been treading water since, unable to move on.
When she receives an invitation to an old frenemy’s vow renewal party, Kira is reluctant to return. The party is being held at The Farm where her mother died, after all. But Kira’s grandmother has been texting her that she has something of her mother’s she wants to give her. That, plus the promise that her teenage crush and closest friend from home, Jack, will be there—and Kira agrees to make the trip.
From the moment Kira arrives at her grandmother’s house, everything is unsettling. Her grandmother is being cryptic, but when her grandmother gives her a memoir her mother was writing before her death, Kira can’t believe she has these words directly from her mother. The journal also seems to detail the scandal that surrounded Sadie before her death, and Kira suspects it may have the answers to what really happened that night…
What did I think?
I enjoyed how layered this story was. Despite her wealth, Sadie was unhappy. Through passages from her memoir, Sadie describes feeling lost after her parents died in a tragic accident. When she met her husband, she gave into doing what all their friends were doing—getting married, having kids, buying a big house, becoming a housewife. This is what Sadie calls her efforts to be “a likeable woman”.
“If I can impart one thing to you it’s this: Don’t be like me, don’t be a likeable woman.”
In the time leading up to her death, Sadie began to break away from the person she was expected to be. She rediscovered her passion for art and creative endeavors. She discovered a person she actually loves—someone who accepts her fully as herself. It's easy to see the parallels between Kira’s life and Sadie’s.
Kira sneaks away to read more of Sadie’s journal and to spend time with Jack. Oh boy, I fell hard for Kira and Jack! Their chemistry is undeniable, and their friendship is sweet. Jack is in an unhappy marriage to a woman who entrapped him with a “surprise” pregnancy. Now they have a child together, and Kira knows she can’t ask Jack to leave his wife. Watching their relationship was bittersweet, even for the reader.
The central mystery is of course, what really happened to Sadie. Did she take her own life? Was it murder like Kira always suspected? The pieces written by Sadie in the past timeline were gripping and haunting. I didn’t guess the way the book would end, and I was riveted during the last several chapters. The epilogue was the perfect touch to close out the story of Kira and Sadie. Gripping, suspenseful, and powerful.
Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my copy. Opinions are my own.
stephaniezd's review against another edition
The story was boooring and the narrator was not very good (along with the AWFUL foreign accent). I just can't get past it. DNF.
tayparks's review
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
haileyhughes's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kimdavishb's review
5.0
A LIKEABLE WOMAN by May Cobb combines a thrilling suspense story with an emotional journey as the protagonist, Kira, searches for the truth about her mother’s death: was it suicide like everyone believes or could it be murder? Told in alternating view points and dual timelines between Kira and her mother, Sadie, the story unfolds while Kira’s life seems to implode. Invited back to her small Texas town for a vow renewal celebration, Kira has no desire to visit since having fled after her mother’s death. But, it seems like her grandmother is finally willing to share a secret she’s long held, about the tragic night, if Kira will return home. Except, someone doesn’t want Kira there or to uncover long-buried secrets. The author starts building the suspense right away, throwing in twists along with emotional conflict that will keep you engrossed. This is one book you won’t want to put down until you’ve read the very final page!
I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.