A review by babewithabookandabeer
Hot Springs Drive by Lindsay Hunter

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Thank you Roxane Gay Books for my Netgalley copy of HOT SPRINGS DRIVE by Lindsay Hunter, out 11/4/23!

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it did NOT disappoint! HOLY COW, I ate this shit UP! Dubbed as a “twisting literary page-turner that will appeal to readers of Celeste Ng and Marty Gaitskill,” let me just say………..YES. If grimy lit fic is your jam, pick this up ASAP!

Jackie Stinson’s best friend is dead, and everyone knows who killed her. Jackie wants to be many things, but a martyr has never been one of them. She is an ex-emotional eater and mother of four, who has finally lost the weight she’s long yearned to be free from. Leaving her old self behind is harder than it looks. Misery continues to chase her and motherhood threatens to consume her.

Her only salve is her best friend Theresa. Perfect, with a quiet and quaint little girl instead of four unruly and disgusting boys. Jackie starts to see how easy it is to steal a little bit of Theresa’s perfect life, until it all comes crashing down…

The synopsis makes it read like a thriller, and it kind of is, but mostly it is a heart-pounding exploration of women and motherhood. It’s all about our deepest, most fucked up desires, ones we try to make our own that aren’t convoluted with the revolting grip of men. The novel is full of different perspectives from Theresa to Jackie, to the children, husbands, realtors, investigative journalists and more - giving us a 360 degree view into the consequences of the murder that changed both families forever.

Hunter is a master at keeping the momentum going - every POV is necessary and offers new insights. I found myself cringing, and nodding, and guffawing and basically… I participated in every emotion under the sun while reading this book. You root for some of these characters while simultaneously despising them. It’s masterful writing!

This book was riveting and I think it will be loved by very specific types of readers. Also, thanks Lindsay Hunter for reminding me that men secretly want to fuck their mothers LOL. This novel definitely solidified the fact that I was right to delete my dating apps and charge my vibrator again. I want to read everything Hunter writes!!!