The Homewreckers
Fiction
St. Martin's Press
May 3, 2022
Advance reader copy
448
Free from publisher
Hattie Kavanaugh went to work helping clean up restored homes for Kavanaugh & Son Restorations at eighteen; married the boss’s son at twenty; and was only twenty-five when her husband, Hank, was killed in a motorcycle accident.
Broken hearted, but determined to continue the business of their dreams, she takes the life insurance money, buys a small house in a gentrifying neighborhood, flips it, then puts the money into her next project. But that house is a disaster and a money-loser, which rocks her confidence for years to come. Then, Hattie gets a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: star in a beach house renovation reality show called "The Homewreckers," cast against a male lead who may be a love interest, or may be the ultimate antagonist. It's a question of who will flip, and who will flop, and will Hattie ever get her happily-ever-after.
My review:
The Queen of the summer beach reads has done it again! This time, not only has she created a great story set in a beach-y setting, with a fabulous main protagonist worthy of rooting for, but there is something for those of us who love to binge watch some HGTV house fixer upper shows! Right off the bat, we are in poor Hattie's corner. Her husband has died in a tragic accident, her business with him has hit a major snag which has ripped away her confidence, and she's flat broke. If this doesn't sound like a very upbeat book, just keep reading! Hattie is asked to co-host a new reality house flipping show, there is an unsolved mystery with ties to the current house flip, and there are side characters who complement the story perfectly. This is a chunkster of a novel for your typical beach read, but super short chapters have you easily consuming it in a few sittings. I loved the descriptions of the house renovation projects, the imagery of Savannah, and Hattie's take charge attitude. As with all of her books, the author delivers on a well written story with a highly satisfactorily resolved ending.
"Summer begins with MKA" is probably one of my favorite tag lines, and it couldn't be more true! I'm guessing this one will be in lots of beach and pool bags over the coming months. Better yet, read it at your own home while you tackle some comparatively small home projects.
