In Lindsay Hunter's "Hot Springs Drive," a chance encounter in a hospital sets the stage for a poignant tale of friendship, betrayal, and the enduring impact of desperate choices.

Protagonists Jackie Stinson and Theresa Linden have forged a bond that transcends the chaos of motherhood, offering solace and support in their shared journey. However, beneath Jackie's facade of maternal strength lies a darkness—a struggle with food as a coping mechanism for the demands of family life. When Theresa suggests they join a weight-loss group, it sets off a chain of events that unravels their friendship and culminates in a tragic murder, forever altering the trajectory of their lives and the lives of their children.

Narrated primarily through Jackie's perspective, interspersed with insights from other characters, "Hot Springs Drive" spans decades, exploring the complexities of love, resentment, and the destructive power of inner turmoil. While the revelation of the murder unfolds early on, the true heart of the story lies in the unraveling of Jackie's identity and the ripple effects of her choices.

Hunter's lyrical prose lends a haunting beauty to Jackie's journey, capturing the depths of her humanity amidst her inner turmoil. Despite Jackie's flaws, Hunter's portrayal evokes a sense of empathy and understanding, offering a stirring exploration of the human condition and the enduring bonds that shape our lives.

This is a must-read with a tragic yet profoundly moving narrative, weaving together themes of love, loss, and the quest for self-discovery with lyrical grace and raw emotional intensity.

Hunter wrote a goddamn burner. I love this story. These screwed up women and the terrible things that happen. Not to be vague but it's so great.

This was grimy and I loved it! Felt like a literary fiction thriller combo in the best way! Lots of good discussion topics - motherhood, womanhood, would be great for a bookclub.

A story with multiple elements and dark secrets. It will keep you turning pages late at night.
Many thanks to Grove Atlantic and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book immediately had me hooked and wondering what would unravel as the two women and their families collided. And there was a surprise at every turn. It explores the dark side of motherhood, as well as other topics: beauty, weight loss, eating disorders, and the impact of parents on children. Absolutely riveting. Would recommend.

Hunter utilizes her mastery of prose to write an enthralling, seductive, and perfectly-paced thriller.

A gripping thriller that explores the emotional lives of women with real depth. I didn't love all of the focus on weight and appearance, but it worked for what Hunter was doing in terms of social commentary.

This thoroughly enjoyable novel will appeal to fans of character-driven literary fiction. It may also prompt readers to wonder how well they really know their neighbours. Read my full review on BookBrowse: https://www.bookbrowse.com/mag/reviews/index.cfm/ref/pr302784

House as character! That POV startled and drew me in. Another segment reads like rewatching a home movie of one's life. Fresh storytelling, in a book that upends what we expect from the "True Crime" genre.

I finished this book in May without knowing how to rate or review it and tbh I still am a little unsure. My feelings come from how much dislike I have for pretty much all of the characters in this book. The book itself isn't bad, the writing was unnoticeable for me, which I find a good sign especially in a murder mystery/thriller. However the dislike of the characters definitely crept over into my feelings about the book. It was a page-turner and I was swept into the story and the lives of the characters. Nothing particularly memorable about this book but a decent enough read.

This is, I believe, the third book published by Roxane Gay Books and I was pleased with it. It is very character-driven and easy to consume, and although I didn't connect with the motherhood thread in this story, I enjoyed it very much. *Advance copy provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

An absolutely stunning book that is a thriller, yes, but also a poignantly sharp meditation on motherhood, madness, bodies, and relationships. I finished it in one day and then was bereft because I missed the characters so much. A true gift.

Hot Springs Drive is a very well-written, unpredictable, character driven novel. While the premise of the book is seemingly simple, about a group of friends and neighbors and someone unexpectedly dies, the majority of the development and exploration in this novel is deep into the internal lives of all of the characters. There is a very unique tone and voice to the book that sets this far apart from other 'domestic thrillers'. Highly recommend for fans of literary fiction. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Jackie and Theresa meet after both giving birth at the same hospital. Theresa, new mother to her only child Cece, while Jackie just had her fourth son. They bond and eventually become neighbors when the house next door to Jackie's goes on the market. Their families are now intertwined with one another from barbeques to holidays to vacations.

Jackie has really struggled with her weight after having her boys and she uses food as coping mechanism in her daily chaotic home life. Relishing in each savory bite because it truly brings her genuine happiness.

Until it no longer does anymore.

Theresa and Jackie decide to join a weight loss group. And it works! Jackie's pounds seem to slip right off as she munches on ice chip after ice chip. Men have started noticing her and she loves the feeling of power and control she can now wield.

With her new shapely body she can't resist a little temptation....one that leaves her best friend dead and bludgeoned on her garage floor. (Not a spoiler!)


This book will surely make you uncomfortable at times but I can only praise Hunter on her unabashed deep dive into female friendships, motherhood, and the pressure women face to constantly be perfect, look perfect, and act perfect. It's not only exhausting but it's impossible to be everything to everyone. This book examines and highlights in all the ways women hurt themselves and one another in an effort to be heard and seen. The repercussions ones actions have on their families. The ripple effect of those actions and how far and for how long they'll spread.

This is an amazing debut to be sure. Sharp observations and stellar characterization sets this one apart from many others in this genre. I see a very bright future for Hunter and I couldn't be more excited to see what she comes up with next. 4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic, Roxane Gay Books for my complimentary copy.

Delighted to include this title in the November edition of Novel Encounters, my column highlighting the month’s most anticipated fiction for the Books section of Zoomer, Canada’s national culture magazine. (see column and mini-review at link)

4.5 stars. Hot Springs Drive is a fierce, fearless, and quietly powerful character study focusing on the lives of two families and the shocking acts that irrevocably alter them. Theresa and Jackie met in the hospital shortly after giving birth (Theresa, to her first and only child, a daughter; Jackie, to her second of what would eventually be four sons). They each responded to motherhood differently -- Theresa settling in to the gentle domesticity of her life, Jackie feeling increasingly stifled by her sons' demands. Now, after years of close friendship with Theresa, Jackie is a recovering emotional eater who finds herself craving something other than food. Seeking to satisfy some unnameable hunger, Jackie begins an increasingly torrid affair with Theresa's husband, Adam -- and shortly after she walks in on their betrayal, Theresa is found murdered in her garage.

Spanning the years leading up to and after Theresa's murder, Hot Springs Drive is told across several perspectives, delving deeply into each character's desires and motivations and innermost thoughts. Lindsay Hunter's characters are so well-crafted, so vulnerable and so brilliantly conveyed, that their collective voices drive the plot relentlessly forward and make it impossible to look away -- even when I felt unsettled or disgusted or unbearably sad about what was happening.

Hot Springs Drive is a deeply psychological book, raw and uncomfortable and profound, as it explores themes surrounding love and sex, desire and control, innocence and lust, complex family dynamics, motherhood, the dark heart of female friendship, and the ways our human need for acknowledgment and connection can manifest. More than anything, this is a book about hunger, about need, and about the relentless pursuit of satisfaction and fulfillment. Hunter writes with urgency and impact, with perfect control that also, somehow, feels unrestrained.

Ultimately, Hot Springs Drive is not a traditional thriller focusing on who committed a crime, but rather a work of dark domestic noir fiction focusing on the why of the crime. And it's startling, devastating, bold, and unforgettable. Thank you to Grove Atlantic/Roxane Gay Books and NetGalley for the complimentary reading opportunity.

Lindsay Hunter's third novel is about two families who live next to each other. Moms Jackie and Theresa are best friends who met postpartum: Jackie is mom to four boys and Theresa to one girl. It’s no spoiler to say that Theresa dies; it’s in the blurb. There are themes of struggle with poor self-image, the toxic diet culture, the tribulations of parenting and marriage. It should be awesome, but though reasonably well-written and not boring, I wasn't able to connect with this book.

The first half leads up to the murder, told from several points of view, and because the narrative was spread widely, it lacked depth. I had almost no sense of Theresa by the time she died, and therefore didn’t care much. Jackie was unlikeable–not a problem!–but I like to understand why and Hunter never took me past the superficial. There was one relationship that made me feel like I was observing a sordid affair under fluorescent bathroom lights: ugly and banal. That could work, but it felt shallow. The kids were the saving grace and the best developed characters.

The second half is the aftermath, the chapters scattershot like the fragments of a bullet, from so many perspectives. Some chapters are well written but most feel like place holders, telling me facts and not meaning. Jackie has a heartfelt feminist couple of paragraphs at the end but it was too little too late for me.

There were moments of awesomeness peeking through! The chapter from youngest son Samuel’s POV could stand as a poignant short story on its own, and the relationship between Cece and Jayson was sweet and real.

The book is getting great reviews, so I suspect that this is a type of book that I don’t connect with well.

Thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for a digital review copy!

A very character driven novel, but what characters indeed! A story of how one brutal act can have reverbations throughout the years for a number of people. Secrets, desires, shame, can have long lasting effects. The novel focuses on two families/next door neighbors - the Stinsons and the Lindens. Jackie Stinson is mom to 4 rambunctious boys, while Theresa Linden has one quiet daughter. The women bond, and then there is betrayal. The novel is told from the perspective of most of the major players. It's a compelling albeit dark read.

"Jackie loved her best friend Theresa from the moment they met nearly fifteen years ago. Now, Theresa is dead and everyone knows who killed her. Jackie Newsome 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 long yearned to be free of. In her new, sharp-edged body, leaving her old self behind proves harder than she ever imagined. And while she believes she should be happier, a new hunger chases her, and motherhood threatens to subsume what little is left of her.

She finds comfort in her best friend Theresa, whose seemingly perfect life she desperately covets. The two navigate the trials of motherhood side by side – Theresa with her quiet, cherubic daughter, and Jacquelyn with her rambunctious, unruly boys. Their bond is tight, but it is not enough to keep Jacquelyn, finally moving through the world in the body she has always wanted, from stealing a bit of Theresa’s perfect life by having an increasingly torrid affair with Theresa’s husband, Adam."

Thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic Roxanne Gay Books for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

HOT SPRINGS DRIVE is the story of betrayal, desire and how the secrets of two families destroys them. The novel opens with a murder and rather than following the well worn script of who did it, Hunter explores the more interesting question of why.

The novel moves from one perspective to the next which creates tension and a more complex picture than most thrillers offer. I appreciated how Theresa, the woman who is murdered, exists in the novel as more than a victim. I also appreciate that Theresa’s best friend, Jackie, whose betrayal sets things in motion, is written with depth and complexity rather than reduced to a stereotype as so often can be the treatment of culpable women in stories like these. The novel also made me think about the consumption of true crime media as entertainment and how those stories are told, often without care for the people impacted by the crime. This novel is character focused which may not work for readers drawn to thrillers for plot and mystery. For me, this focus on character made this novel more interesting, complex and moving. I am interested in complicated people that are written with compassion and Hunter gives readers that. HOT SPRINGS DRIVE offers so much more than the thrills of an interesting plot by focusing on the specifics of character.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Grove Atlantic and Roxane Gay books for the copy!

Thank you to the author, Roxane Gay Books and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a dark and unsettling look into the interwoven lives of two families, with a horrific crime at its center. In the first part of the book, the characters, their lives and interactions before the murder are introduced, and in the second part we see how the characters have moved on after the fact. Told in many and varied POVs, which gives us what seems to be a deep look into each character - but in the end upon reflection I realized I'd only skated over the surface of unknown depths, many of which also seemed unknown to the characters themselves. This may also be a sign of the times - although I can't recall a specific era being mentioned, the vibe was more 70s and 80s - when polite society refrained from getting too specific with awkward topics. The murder is central to the story, but the question is much less "who did it" and much more "why did this person have to die". There was little to no plot progression, and overall it left me feeling despairing of the human race.