May Cobb

Sophie O'Neill has traded a glossy, stressful Chicago career for a slower life in Mapleton, a small wealthy East Texas town, with her husband Graham and their toddler. It seems perfect. It is very, very boring. Then she meets Margot Banks — rich, magnetic, beautiful, and dangerous — who leads an elite secret clique called the Hunting Wives. They drink martinis, shoot skeet, and "hunt" for extramarital thrills. Sophie is utterly obsessed with Margot in a way that blurs obsession with show more desire, and she slides deeper and deeper into their world despite every warning sign. When the body of a teenage girl is found in the woods where the Hunting Wives gather, Sophie is suddenly in the middle of a murder investigation with her fingerprints on the murder weapon and her marriage in ruins. The Netflix adaptation changed the killer from Jill to Margo and made several other significant departures, with the author's blessing, to set up a Season 2.

[May contain spoilers]
In the book, the killer is Jill — not Margot. Abby was Brad's teenage girlfriend who'd had an abortion that Jill and Callie had secretly facilitated, and Jill killed her to keep the secret buried. Sophie gets framed, Margot ends up drowned, Callie is a red herring the whole way through, and Sophie — older and wiser and completely changed — decides to stay in Mapleton with her family. The adult women sleeping with teenage boys is a thread that makes many readers deeply uncomfortable, and the book itself doesn't fully reckon with it. Sophie is frankly maddening — an educated woman with a good husband who makes increasingly catastrophic decisions in the grip of her Margot obsession.
What I think: This is a very readable, very fast, love-to-hate page-turner. The Texas atmosphere is thick, the bad behaviour is gloriously awful, and you'll consume it in a day or two. But Sophie being so utterly spineless in the face of Margot's manipulation might drive your sarcastic sensibilities absolutely insane. And the underage subplot is uncomfortable. show less

All the Little Houses by May Cobb is a very highly recommended soapy domestic thriller. As all the trash talk, grudges, secrets, infidelity, drinking, and amoral actions collide with all the egos, this melodrama set in the mid-1980s quickly becomes a guilty pleasure to read.

Alexander and Charleigh Andersen are the wealthiest couple in the town of Longview, Texas. Their seventeen-year-old daughter Nellie is spoiled and shunned by all her peers probably because of her temper when she doesn't show more get her way, but her mother Charleigh can buy her a boyfriend and hopefully a social position. Charleigh came from a dirt poor family and knows the struggle to fit in with the privileged, wealthy crowd. Even now she struggles for the approval of the old money elitists in their social circle. She relies upon her best friend, Jackson Ford, who is also her decorator and party planner.

When Ethan and Abigail Swift move into town with their family the social order is shaken, even though they live an agrarian life in the country and wear homemade clothes. Seventeen-year-old Jane Swift is immediately accepted by the in crowd, leaving Nellie behind. Ethan is a handsome man who builds custom furniture and has captured the eye of every woman, and one man (Jackson), in town. Abigail, who sells love potions and offers workshops catering to the wealthy townswomen. The whole family, especially Jane and Abigail, are Nellie and Charleigh's archenemies.

The well-written, complex plot opens with the ending, when a body in the water is not sinking fast enough for the unnamed murderer. Following this, the narrative is told through the point-of-view of Charleigh, Jane, and Nellie. It is clear that the adults are misbehaving as bad as the teens, which is what keeps this soapy melodrama un-put-downable. There is also a backstory for several of the characters that increase the tension and drama. It does end a bit abruptly and deserves the sequel reportedly in the works.

Honestly, every character is unlikable, ruthless, and resentful while planning the downfall of someone while trying to elevate themselves. All the lies, secrets, misbehavior, scheming, revenge, drinking, grudges, etc., run rampant through every page and with every character. As the three narrators tell the story through their perspective, the suspense and tension increase. This novel would make a great movie or TV show with all the beautiful, unlikable characters scheming while smiling.

All the Little Houses is the perfect choice for anyone who enjoys soapy dramas full of people behaving badly. Thanks to Sourcebooks for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2025/12/all-little-houses.html show less

**⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 out of 5 Stars | *The Hunting Wives* by May Cobb**

Whew. 😮‍💨🍸🔫
This book is **messy, intoxicating, frustrating, and wildly addictive**—and honestly? That’s exactly why it works.

**The Hunting Wives** is a sultry, slow-burn descent into obsession, privilege, and bad decisions wrapped in martinis and small-town secrets. Sophie O’Neill trades her fast-paced Chicago life for quiet Texas suburbia, expecting peace… and instead finds *paralyzing show more boredom*. Enter **Margot Banks**—beautiful, magnetic, dangerous—and the elite inner circle known as the *Hunting Wives*. From that moment on? Sophie’s life starts slipping through her fingers. 🐍

Late-night target practice, reckless partying, whispered power plays, and an undercurrent of menace slowly tighten their grip—until a teenage girl is found murdered in the woods where these women gather. And suddenly, what felt like indulgent escapism turns into something much darker. 🩸🌲

Now listen—this book **did take its time**. The first stretch was a slower simmer, and I’ll be honest: it didn’t fully sink its claws into me until about **40% in**. BUT once it did? Game over. I stayed up late because there was *no way* I wasn’t finishing it. I *needed* answers. Who did it? Why? And how deep does the rot really go? 😬📖

And Sophie… oh Sophie.
Girl. 😩
So. Much. Could. Have. Been. Avoided.
I was *yelling* at her through the pages more than once. Her choices are infuriating, hormone-fueled, and questionable at best—but that emotional reaction? That’s how you know the story is doing its job. I was *invested*. I felt things. And I love a book that can do that.

Also—tell me I’m not alone—but the vibes? **Pretty Little Liars: Adult Edition.** 👀✨
Margot absolutely gives *Alison DiLaurentis energy*—that queen-bee pull where everyone either wants to be her or fears her. And honestly? That comparison only made me love it more.

If the pacing had hooked me sooner, this would’ve been a **5-star read**, no question. Still, **4 stars is solid**, and I’ll absolutely be picking up more from May Cobb. Highly recommend if you love your thrillers **toxic, glamorous, and morally messy**. 💅🖤

🔖 Tropes & Vibes

* Small Town Secrets 🏡
* Toxic Female Friendships 🐍
* Obsession & Seduction 🍸
* Rich People Behaving Badly 💎
* Mean Girl Energy 👑
* Domestic Noir
* Murder Mystery 🔪
* Pretty Little Liars (but make it adult)

✨ **Would recommend. Would scream at the characters again. Would read more.** ✨ show less

May Cobb has penned a simmering domestic thriller with her latest novel, A LIKEABLE WOMAN. Was anyone truly likeable in this book? No! But the author’s suspenseful storytelling kept me glued to the pages.

Main character Kira has returned to her hometown in Texas after a 20-year absence. She left not long after her mother’s alleged suicide, though Kira has long thought there was something more to it. Though she has no desire to visit her estranged sister and former friends (who seem to show more despise her now), Kira’s grandmother has lured her back with possible information on her mother’s death.

I enjoyed the dual POVs/time periods between Kira and her mother Sadie years before. I loved the tidbits of wisdom that Sadie left behind for Kira to discover, wisdom that readers should take to heart as well.

After finishing this book, I’m left with a few pesky questions, like why was Kira invited back for the event if she was so unliked by everyone? Just mean girl spirit? And though I enjoyed the surprising, twisted ending, does it make sense? Maybe.

The story is set in October in East Texas, and I could definitely feel the chill in the air reading this atmospheric mystery. Definitely pick this one up if you enjoy slow-burn suspense with lots of juicy drama!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book. Opinions are my own. show less