I don't enjoy books about "mean girls", whether teens or adults, but I loved the author's book, FOR BETTER OR WORSE, so wanted to give this one a chance..

The story is intriguing and the characters well-developed but the fact that a large chunk of the book is written from the pOV of a teen girl gave it a YA feel, and ruined it for me.

This was a fail and "it's me, not the book" review. Not every book is for every reader, however, I look forward to reading more from the author if there are no teen narrators.

I truly loved this story; this is my first book by this author. This story is crazy take on Mean Girls and their mothers, what we would do for daughters and where to draw the line. This book should be added to every book club because there is so much to discuss. We all want to fit in and make friends, but when your friends become your enemies what do you do to save your daughter and yourself?

Kate just lost her husband and wants a fresh start for her and daughter, so they relocate to beach town in Florida. What they find there is something so menacing that is hard to even believe when you say out loud.

I can't say too much without giving it away but read this book you will not forget it, promise.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Mercer for copy of this book for my honest review.

Lovely Girls was an irresistible and twisty suspense novel that kept me interested from start to finish.

I've previously listened to a few short stories from Margot Hunt, but this is the first full length novel I've read and listened to. I was happy to have the Lovely Girls e-book and audiobook. It was great being able to switch back and forth again.

Seeking a fresh start, Kate Turner and her seventeen-year-old daughter Alex make the move to Shoreham, Florida. Kate knows that Alex is still very upset over her father's death. Kate is also still grieving the unexpected loss of her husband.

Kate is very worried about her daughter. They have both been through so much. Kate tries her best to be patient with Alex. Her once happy, determined, exuberant daughter is now sullen, anxious, and extremely angry. Small town Shoreham seems like the perfect place for both of them to start over. Kate is determined to make this move work out well for them.

Kate makes friends with some of the local mothers right away. Alex struggles to fit in and is quickly targeted by a group of mean girls. Bullies who set out to make her life a living hell. At first Kate isn't sure who or what to believe. Things continue to escalate. Until one night the unthinkable happens.

The story was quick and engrossing and I only put it down a couple of times. It is told from both Kate and Alex's point of view and I really liked the short chapters. It was maybe a little predictable at times, but I was still very entertained. I thought the two narrators of the audiobook were also very good.

Overall, this was a quick and exciting domestic suspense story about gossip, jealousy, lies, betrayal, and murder.

As I mentioned before, this was my first full length novel from Margot Hunt. However, it DEFINITELY won't be my last.


I'd like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.

This was my first read by Margo Hunt and I really enjoyed it! I couldn’t wait to get to the end to see how it would all unfold. There was something about this book that felt familiar; mean girls and the women who raise them and protect them. This book had an interesting cast of characters, from the cruel teenagers and their mothers, to the nosy neighbor, and the new love interest. I enjoyed the relationship between the mom, Kate, and her new love interest, Joe. Some parts of the book were hard to read. The cruelty and those that went along with it. I often wanted to shake Alex and just yell at her to tell the truth! Tell her mom what was really going on at school and with the other girls. I liked how this book looked at the small decisions we make and the domino effect they can have and how technology and social media plays a role in it as well.

4 Stars!

I really enjoyed Hunt's previous books: [book:For Better and Worse: A Novel|38350063] & [book:The Last Affair|43483465], so I was really looking forward to her latest.

This was a fast, quick, popcorn thriller; mean moms & mean girl daughters. It takes place in Florida, after Alex & her mother moved from Buffalo, following her father's tragic death. As a Buffalonian, I absolutely loved all the buffalo related references - Albright Knox, etc.

Recommend if you’re looking for an easy, fun, popcorn thriller – would be perfect for the beach, or just a weekend read.

Domestic suspense that hooks you from the beginning. This is a quick, twisty thriller with distinct viewpoints and from mother and daughter.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced e-reader.copy! This book had potential a new girl in town, gets targeted immediately by the mean girls of the school because she's a threat to their spots on the tennis team. But then Alex records the tennis coach and a student. Then the bullying becomes more sinister. The characters were just undeveloped. I think this could have been better. 2.5stars rounded up to 3

This was such an addicting book. I picked it up and was like "okay, I'll read a little bit before bed." Before I knew it, I was 40% in and completely obsessed with finding out how this one would end.

I liked the idea of Alex and her video diary. That was a nice switch up and POV change as you continued hearing about the horrible bitches at her school.

While I went into this blind, it wasn't difficult to see where this story might lead. I love stories about rich families and horrible parents and their evil children.

I liked Kate, even if sometimes I think she could have pushed her daughter harder to find out she was being bullied. I also wanted her to destroy the lives of everyone involved, but it didn't go that route.

The ending was good, even if it went off the rails a little bit. I wasn't expecting it to go that way, and it felt a tadddddd dramatic. The ending is why it didn't get a full five stars, because this was seriously so easy and fun to read. It went by quick and the pacing was awesome. I just wish the ending was a little less dramatic.

But I love Margot Hunt and will read anything she puts out!

Lovely Girls - Margot Hunt

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this captivating eARC.

Be prepared to finish this suspenseful novel in one sitting, as you follow this story of a mother and her teenage daughter relocating to escape rumours and bad memories, only to be emotionally tortured by the resident "bad girls".

Survival isn't a given in modern day suburbia when you have to fight for each scrap of recognition.

Margot Hunt writing shines in this novel, which showcases her excellent character development and pacing,as she delivers a storyline with more than one "hook" to keep you on the line.
Until Next time...

P. S. I LOVED this clever psychological thriller!

Absolutely addicting! Kate moves with her daughter Alex to a small seaside town in FL for a fresh start after the death of her husband. Instead of peace and new beginnings, they find themselves embroiled amidst mean girl cliques. This is gripping, fast paced, and suspenseful at every turn! I couldn’t put this one down! Thanks to Margot Hunt, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this e-ARC!

WOW. I didn't expect to like this as much as i did. Stories centering around mother-daughter relationships always gets me and this was no exception. A murder mystery about mean girls and mean moms, how a 'newly moved into town' mom-daughter duo navigate the monstrosities of these meanies. Some bits regarding back stories of certain characters felt unpolished but it didn't affect my liking for this overall. Recommended for those who love small town with people and big attitudes kind of thriller!

Sometimes we need one of those binge-able reads that are perfect for our self-imposed full day of reading and no responsibilities. Lovely Girls is one to pick up when you are in that mood.

The story follows Kate and her teenage daughter Alex. They have moved to a beachside town in Florida following the death of her husband / Alex’s father. Whilst trying to start over, Kate and Alex are caught up in a clique, both of mothers and of their daughters respectively. When someone is found dead on the beach, Kate and Alex are caught up in the drama.

I started this one and had it finished within 24 hours. It was engaging and well written, I just wanted to keep turning the page to find out what happened next. Lovely Girls is not a thriller that is going to have you on the edge of your seat or jaw droppingly surprised like some stories would but there are twists and turns throughout that entertained me.

The story is somewhat realistic about how teenage girls and some women act. Not everyone grows out of being a mean girl and this book even ponders whether they are born or created.

Mean Girls on steroids.
Kate and her daughter, Alex, move to a small Florida town to get a fresh start after a traumatic experience back home. It doesn’t take them long to meet the trio of bitchy moms who run things, and their even bitchier daughters. Alex quickly becomes their newest target, and things escalate to the extreme.
This got a little melodramatic towards the end, but was overall pretty engaging.
Thanks to #netgalley and #thomasandmercer for this #arc of #thelovelygirls in exchange for an honest review.

When Kate and her daughter, Alex, move to Florida for a fresh start after a tragedy, Kate immediately becomes friends with a group of popular moms, and hopes Alex can fit in with their equally popular daughters. But things begin to go wrong when Alex challenges these seem girls both on and off the tennis court - where the trio of girls rule, like their mothers rule the town. When things escalate to a fever pitch, Kate and Alex are stuck in the middle of something that may have consequences that extend far beyond some high school drama.

I've been a fan of Margot Hunt for awhile, having read several of her books and finding her really gifted at making seemingly simple plots turn out to be complex and full of intrigue. I am happy to report that this book was he same way: it wasn't just a book about petty high school arguments, it had a lot of story depth and complex characters with interesting motives and situations.

There are also twists up until the very end that left me guessing. It was a very interesting perspective and I enjoyed really diving in and thinking about it. It will make you gasp and pause at the same time. I think that is the mark of a good book.

This is another great addition to the catalogue of Margot Hunt, whose book are deep dives into the lives of women and young women that go far beyond just simple surface scratches. She creates the kind of characters that really show the complex side of people and will keep you guessing all the way through the book.

(Although, caveat, Alex annoyed me at points, but she's a teenager, and teenagers will teenager.)

Highly recommend.

The good: Okay, I really enjoyed the parts in which Alex keeps a video diary of what she's going through. Her point of view of really interesting, especially as during her mom's POV I started to wonder if possibly there was more to Alex that meets the eye. I kept wanting something crazy to happen, and this feeling kept me glued until the very end.

The bad: I found Kate, Alex's mom, to be mostly boring, except during the times in which she talks about this dark feeling she has. I really wish we had delved more deeply into that, along with Alex's darkness. I just wanted MORE. I didn't get any darkness from either of them, and the Stepford Wives feeling never really came to fruition.

Overall: This book definitely kept me glue until the end, so although it wasn't a home run, I'd say it was at least a double. (I tried to use tennis terms but know nothing about tennis, so baseball it it).

The third book from Margot Hunt and it did not disappoint. Mystery, suspense and even some thrills were jam packed into this really great read.

Mother and daughter duo, Kate and Alex move to Florida to get away from the bad memories of Kate’s husbands recent death. Alex is traumatized and hasn’t been the same since. Except moving to Florida means they become involved with some toxic teenagers and their moms. What happens next is riveting and wild.

Lovely Girls is a train ride that keeps you interested and wanting to keep turning the pages. It was written perfectly with descriptions that allowed me to see the story playing out in my head. Characters were well developed and the plot was good. Four stars for this one!

Great story. Daphne was truly awful, and to hear that her mother shaped her that way was terrible. It was tough to read that, while someone can get bullied, if they tell, the bullying gets worse. I liked hearing the Mom and daughter viewpoints.

Pretty predictable, but good popcorn read. The characters were so unlikeable but the writing was easy and entertaining.

Imagine a Mean Girls and Desperate Housewives mashup ,and you have the Lovely Girls.

Kate, and her daughter, Alex, moved to a beachside town in Florida after the unexpected death of her husband. Soon Kate is making friends with fellow moms. Alex, however, is struggling and begins a video diary to cope with the constant bullying from her peers. Then a dead body washes up on shore.

Lovely Girls was a compulsively readable book. The pacing is perfect. I enjoyed the writing style and found myself turning the pages quickly. I read this in less than 24 hours.

I thought the character development was strong, but nearly every character in this book is unlikeable, and the main characters do themselves no favors. If that is something that frustrates you, then you may want to skip this one. Further, if you like crazy, unbelievable twists, you won't find them here. The outcome is pretty believable, which I prefer in my thrillers. So this worked for me.

Overall, this was a serviceable thriller. I enjoyed the ride, but I doubt I will remember it in a month.

This was my first book by Margot Hunt, and I will pick up her backlist since I liked her writing style.

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fast-paced thriller that you'll find hard to put down. About a mom and a daughter that relocated to sunny Florida to get a fresh start, we find out almost immediately that you can't just run away from your problems. I really enjoyed the Gossip Girl-esque drama that we get from both the teenage girls as well as their grown up moms.
What lost a star for me was that I felt some parts were a bit repetitive. They had me going backwards to confirm that yes, I had already read a variation of that part, so that became a bit annoying.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for my eARC of LOVELY GIRLS.