
Member Reviews

Billed as the romance for a new generation, Hotter in the Hamptons follows Lola, a canceled fashion influencer who retreats to the Hamptons with her gay best friend. I, like many others, struggled with this novel as it seemed like a missed opportunity for exploration of character growth and reckoning with Lola's internalized issues. Instead, Lola, who spends a large portion of the novel in a sapphic relationship, refuses to acknowledge her queer-ness and insists on calling herself straight. She ignores those who are close to her without any real contrition, and essentially ends up returning back to her original ways with no additional growth.
Thank you to Bloom Books and to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Hotter in the Hamptons starts with a promising premise: a high-profile fashion influencer, Lola, retreats to the Hamptons after a public scandal, only to find her rival living next door. The setup suggests an engaging story about rivalry, growth, and redemption.
However, the main character’s constant self-absorption and lack of self-awareness made it difficult to connect or root for her. Instead of evolving or learning from her mistakes, Lola remains largely the same throughout the book, which undercuts the potential for meaningful character development.
The story misses the chance to offer a sharp critique of influencer culture, opting instead for a lighter, less challenging portrayal. For me, the narrative didn’t resonate, and even the audiobook version failed to draw me in. While the concept had potential, the execution left me disappointed.

Talk about a missed opportunity. Tinx’s sophomore novel, Hotter in the Hamptons, had all the makings of a deliciously satisfying comeuppance story, but it ultimately falls flat, leaving a bitter taste rather than the sweet satisfaction of justice served. I’m rounding up to 2 stars for the premise alone, which is a testament to how much potential this book squandered.
Our protagonist, Lola, is introduced as a New York City fashion “it-girl” whose life crumbles after a public misstep. She flees to the Hamptons, expecting to lick her wounds and rebuild her brand while sipping rosé by the pool. What she gets instead is her arch-nemesis, culture critic Aly Ray Carter, as her next-door neighbor. This setup promises a clash of titans, a forced reckoning, and perhaps even some much-needed character development.
However, Lola proves to be utterly insufferable from start to finish. She is completely full of herself, wallowing in self-pity while showing absolutely no genuine remorse or understanding of her own flaws. Her social unawareness is astounding, as she blunders through interactions, oblivious to the impact she has on others. Frankly, she’s entirely unlikeable, and it’s a struggle to root for someone so consistently self-absorbed and devoid of any relatable qualities.
The most frustrating aspect of Hotter in the Hamptons is its refusal to challenge Lola. The entire premise dangled the tantalizing possibility of an influencer being humbled, forced to confront her privilege and terrible personality. But no, Lola never has to truly change. She gets her happy ending, not because she evolves or learns any meaningful lessons, but seemingly just because the plot demands it. It’s an absolutely awful message, suggesting that even the most egregious displays of vanity and self-centeredness can be glossed over without consequence. This book had every chance to be a sharp, insightful commentary on influencer culture, but it chose instead to be a bland endorsement of it.

Just not a book for me. I couldn't stand the FMC and the way she acted. I even attempted to listen to the audiobook of the book but it also just proved to me that it wasn't a book for me.

A fast-paced, entertaining novel about a disgraced influencer's summer escapades. Despite some toxic moments, it's a binge-worthy read that captures the essence of Hamptons luxury. Perfect for readers seeking a light, summer story.

I had a great time reading this book, from the main character switching rolls in life and finding herself, to trying to solve why she’s hated by Ali after trying to escape all her bad luck at home only to realize she can’t escape it no matter where she goes because of her rival right next door. Such an amazing empowing reading highly recommended if

I had a lot of mixed feelings about this. I was struggling with getting into the story and the writing style but I think there is something there to be interested in. I think it just wasn't for me. The writing style was a little cheesy and predictable.

3.75 ⭐️ A quick, mildly chaotic palette cleanser. It was fun in moments, a bit toxic in others. But overall, it was entertaining to the point of binging it in one day. It certainly made me want to disappear for a summer and vacation in the Hamptons.
Lola's fall from being an NYC socialite to social pariah sets the stage for a summer escape that leads to the Hamptons! Now, the emotional dynamic and love story are anything but breezy. The tug of war between Lola and Aly Ray Carter—the journalist who hammered the nail in the coffin of Lola's demise—is filled with chaos, a bit of toxicity, as well as unexpected vulnerability. "Should I be rooting for them?" was a thought that crossed my mind more than once.
Lola is a character who's so far up her head, she can't really see the support she's getting from her best friend, which leads to her neglecting the one friendship that matters. But her "coming of age" towards the end of the story does pay off, and ultimately left me rooting for her!
It's certainly not perfect—it's quite messy, actually—but that's kind of the appeal, as unbelievable as it may sound. It's short and bingeable with its drama and sizzling sapphic tension, making it great beach read.

I found the writing style enjoyable but I just couldn't connect with the characters. I want to feel connected to the main fmc but I just couldn't.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. What a fun and perfect summer read, Hotter in the Hamptons, is. The novel's setting in the Hamptons and its exploration of influencer culture added a contemporary flair.

I almost didn't read this because I kept seeing nothing but bad reviews but to my surprise, I really enjoyed it. It was a quick and fun read that gives you a great summer vibe. I started this late at night and finished the next morning. It was definitely a good palate cleaner from all the dark romance/fanatasy that I've been reading lately.
If you've been thinking of giving this a read, let this be a sign to do it!!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Tinx, and Bloom Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Hotter in the Hamptons follows a cancelled influencer named Lola who starts to lose everything she worked hard for (her following, her closet, her boyfriend). Then, critic Aly Ray Carter posts a scathing story about Lola which just seems to make everything worse. Lola panics and flees to the Hamptons, only to find out that Aly, the very same critic who tore her to shreds, is now her new neighbor. Lola soon finds herself in an enemies to lovers romance.
Firstly, I must say that I DNF'd this book about a third of the way through. The main character did not seem to have any real depth other than "I'm an influencer who everyone hates now." The inciting incident that lead to her cancellation also seemed very weird. Saying lesbian chic, to me, reads that "lesbian" is bad and you shouldn't want to emulate it.
The amount of LGBTQ stereotypes showcased in this book is also very shocking. The "gay best friend" archetype with no other discerning personality traits is tired and should be left back in the early 2000s. Additionally, saying a lesbian "only goes after straight girls and turns them" is an extremely harmful rhetoric to spread. Looking into it and seeing that the book was written by a straight woman who only dates straight men, I'm a little baffled that this was even approved by the publishers. Upon reading other reviews for the book, I was glad to see that other LGBTQ readers agreed with me.
The last thing I will touch on is the use of internalized homophobia found in this book. If this book had been written by someone within the community, I may have been a little more lenient, but instead it felt really unrealistic and borderline offensive. Characters can be bisexual! Let Lola be bisexual! Having her constantly remind readers that she's straight as she has sexual thoughts and experiences with woman feels very dismissive of other identities that aren't straight or gay.
Not a book for me, but some of other types of romance readers might find more enjoyment out of it than I did.

I really struggled with finishing this book & finding some sense of purpose other than fake influencer issues.
It seemed very superficial and lacking a solid plot. I really was upset about the queer representation in the book. It felt very contrived.
This storyline had so much potential but it felt very underdeveloped in many ways.
ARC copy provided by #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Great beach read! I love Lola’s story. She is such a well developed character with so much growth and awareness by the end of the book, I really connected with her and her journey. I love the ending - it was perfect and extremely satisfying for her character.

It was ok but nothing special. It is a fun read perfect for summer but I personally don't think it did anything super special that other summer reading authors haven't done before.

Synposis sounded super interesting and I was intrigued by the cover. The label name dropping was super cringe to me and while I was reading I kept asking myself "what is even going on and do I even care?" Ultimately this book just ended up not being for me. Thanks to the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader. All thoughts are my own.

Didn't love this one. Lola was super self absorbed and all over the place with the relationships in the books. She didn't seem to grow and develop any until the end when she decided to work on herself. The LQBTQ piece could have been done/handled better.

Alright... I am conflicted with my thoughts on this book. I think the easiest way to do this is by sorting out my pros and cons. I want to preface by saying that I went into this book not knowing anything.
Pros:
- This book did make me laugh quite a bit at parts where I believe it was intentional
- It was a quick read
- It was also a light read! Not every book needs to be serious
Cons:
- This book made me laugh quite a bit at parts where it was most definitely not intentional... there was also some eye rolling
- The writing was okay but not amazing
- The main character, Lola, was so painful to read about. Honestly, I was rooting for everyone but her most of the time. She claimed to have some sort of development but as I was reading, all I could think was “is the development in the room with us...?"
Finally, I did not know that the FMC's love interest would be a girl. Not a problem but I'm just like... did the author even know what she was talking about... I don't know like I enjoyed the relationship but something about Lola's thoughts was just so... strange?
All in all, if you want a light read and perhaps to get out of a slump, this might work. I will admit that it is also a nice, fun novel for the summer (depending on how angry you get based on the cons above).
Thank you to Bloom Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Hotter in the Hamptons delivers exactly what you’d expect from its title—luxury, fashion, social climbing—but not much introspection. The FMC is deeply focused on optics, appearances, and designer everything, and while there are hints that she’s spiraling or unhappy, there’s very little real reflection on her behavior or choices.
She walks the line between self-absorbed and self-pitying, often lamenting her situation without showing much growth or self-awareness.
DNFed at 29%.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bloom Books for the eARC

This book was rough to get through! The main character was SO annoying. I felt like all she did was think of herself. I also didn't appreciate Ali taking advantage and acting childish. I think the influencer topic is very real and appreciate it being written about, I guess I just wish Lola was written different. And of course everything is neatly tied up at the end.
Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for this ARC.
#HotterintheHamptons #NetGalley