Thanks to Bloom for sending me this book. I’ve never heard of Tinx before. This book was not good. The writing itself wasn’t bad-it was fine, but the story and the characters were bad. In a time where most of us are struggling to afford groceries, this story fell so flat. I didn’t want to read about a girl whining about losing followers on insta and not being able to get free clothes. The main character Lola was so vapid, selfish, naive, and just plain insufferable. All her friends were also insufferable. I haven’t heard of half of the brands she mentioned in the book. Plus, the storyline involving whether or not Lola was queer or straight was not needed and it was frankly never resolved either. Maybe I wasn’t the target audience for this book. If you want to read about insufferable rich people whining about internet followers than read this book.

I really did not like this book for a few reasons. 1. it felt like a book of Spon Con. I don't care about all the brands, it felt overdone and as a person who isn't obsessed with fashion, the brands did not nothing to set the scene for me. Perhaps someone who is interested in fashion would appreciate the details but I was annoyed with it in the first chapter of the book.
Speaking of brands/ labels, the authors choice to continue to talk about her sexuality not having a label felt forced and overdone. I felt like there was limited growth for the characters and I was happy to be done with the book.

This essentially felt like Tinx wrote a book about herself through a lesbian lens, but like if the lesbian lens was being held by a man.

I mean, there was absolutely nothing redeeming about the FMC; she’s a narcissist who, the entire time, struggles to understand how ANYONE could dislike her. The central love interest is manipulative, love-bomby, and shady as hell. The token best friend was the weirdest, almost offensive (?) textbook definition of a gay best friend, and honestly, should’ve left Lola out in the dust.

I hated every character so profoundly that I found myself wishing there was a POV of the ex-boyfriend in medical residency, as that seemed like an exponentially more interesting story (ignoring, of course, all the inaccurate information about wtf a medical residency even is lol)

The strangest part of this perhaps is the fact that this is being promoted as a fun steamy summer romance?? If I bought this to read at the beach, I would spend my entire time in the water and avoid this mess.

I’m not even gonna get into the terrible optics of a white straight woman writing about a sapphic awakening in the HAMPTONS during a recession year. Still, I’m sure we can all connect those very problematic dots.

The most impressive part is that this has been picked up for a television series before the book has even been released & perceived by the public. A bold move on literally every single person involved, but I guess that’s the power of being a rich white influencer baby!

Hotter in the Hamptons by Tinx
Writing: B
Story: C-
Characters: C-
Setting: B
Best Aspect: The first chapter was the best of the whole book, it did suck me in.
Worst Aspect: I was not enjoying myself while reading this, just so far over the top and I did not enjoy the characters.
Recommend: Maybe.

First off, let's be real. I only requested this book from Netgalley (thank you publisher/Netgalley for free advanced review copy) to see if it was a shit show. I vaguely remember hearing the name Tinx mentioned on the Who? Weekly podcast, so I only sort of knew her as an influencer. But, you know, people contain multitudes and of course she had a "collaborator" (ghostwriter perhaps?), so I kept an open mind.

At its best, a lot of this book was kind of light, fun fluff. Hot rich people hanging out in the sun, wearing designer clothes, having sex, and causing scandals is pretty easy fodder for a summer beach read. Lola Fine is an influencer who gets canceled for calling an outfit that doesn't fit her vibe "lesbian chic," and then tries to redeem herself with interview with cultural critic Aly Ray Carter. Except in her story, Aly calls out Lola for being a bland shill. Lola's team and sponsors drop her, and her boyfriend Justin breaks up with her because she doesn't want to get married and move back to LA. Lola escapes to the Hamptons with her best friend Ryan, only to find out that her next door neighbor is Aly Ray Carter, who Lola finds unbearably hot. This premise could have resulted in a fun or interesting book.

Instead, what you get is an exercise in seeing how much more vapid Lola could possibly get. That girl does not have two brain cells running in that pretty little head of hers. Truly, Lola is doing her absolute best to not think about anything. The decisions she made in her career that led her here? What she could do to rehab her image? If she even wants to still be an influencer? Does she want to be with Justin? Does she want to be in a relationship with Aly? Is she straight, like she's always thought she was? No, Lola is very intentionally not thinking about any of these things. Actually, there is no evidence of Lola thinking about literally anything except how hot Aly is, how much she needs to be with Aly right at this instant, and, like, what she's going to be eating (not in a diet way, but in an appreciation of food).

The big discourse online around this book so far has been about how Tinx identifies as a straight woman and this is a book about two women in a sexual relationship. Having personally read a good amount of M/M stories by cis women, I don't think that's automatically bad. However (and we're getting a bit into spoilers here FYI), I do think it's a legitimate discussion to have when Lola spends the book adamantly defending her straightness. She keeps reiterating that she is not bisexual, she is straight, despite having sleeping with a woman every single day for months. It is, in fact, the biggest tension between Lola and Aly. You can give Lola (and Tinx) the benefit of the doubt here, because it takes a long time for many people to come to terms with their sexuality. But the way Lola goes about it... you kind of don't want to? For context, there is no implication that literally anyone in Lola's life will be hateful or dismissive if she is not straight. Further, Lola sees that her defense of her straightness is hurting Aly and irritating the queer women she meets, and she doesn't try to reassure Aly that she does have genuine feelings for her. Even if she'd just said something like "I'm mostly straight" or "Aly is the only woman I've had feelings for" or "I'm not sure how I identify" or "I'm not really into labels" (I could come up with a dozen more of these), it would have been less invalidating to Aly, who wants to be in a real relationship with Lola.

Finally, I found the ending to be very lackluster. (I would say more but I don't want to spoil)

Some last random thoughts:
-There is so much slang in here that you know this book could not stand the test of time for that alone.
-There is a publicist who mentions maybe Lola could get on the Tinx podcast. That is SO embarrassing for Tinx to include.
-I think I put more thought into writing this review than Lola did into anything that she did in the course of this book.

I am a die-hard reality tv watcher, and enjoy celebrity "gossip" and drama as much as the next person, but I just really didn't like this. I feel like there's a lot of things the MC says and does that aren't really appropriate or handled well, and the writing also left quite a bit to be desired as well.

I am genuinely disappointed that I spent the time to read this book. I could not find any character likeable. The main character was pissing me off to no end. So vapid and shallow, what was supposed to be a summer of growth was just her putting her head in the sand and acting like everyone should prioritize her feelings.

I am not familiar with the author who is apparently also a fashion influencer just like her main character Lola but if that is the case and she wrote a mock autobiography, yikes. She could have pretended that she was a better person even a little.

But all the characters sucked. The stereotypical gay best friend, Ryan, was the best of all of them. But Justin sucked, Aly super sucked, and Lola was definitely the worst.

I'm giving this two stars instead of one because it was an easy read. But I would skip this one.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy

I think there are people out there who will really enjoy this book, I just do not think I am one of them. I requested this book because I wanted a summer-y kind of quick read, which I think on the surface level, this book achieves. However, the writing in it felt very two-dimensional and cheesy overall. I also think that a lot of issues in this book are really important, such as biphobia. I just don't think that those issues were well flushed out or handled with the best care.

Thank you to Bloom Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Lola has been living her influencer dream, until it all comes falling down. Without her brand deals, boyfriend, and loyal social media following she runs away to the Hamptons to escape reality. When she runs into the person who put the nail on the coffin that was a career thing get unexpectedly....hotter.

Lola is on the cusp of becoming her own person throughout the novel, but she continuously allows something or someone to get in her way. I think in the end that her experiences with friends and partners did help her to propel forward into the person that she meant to be. While there are romantic components of this novel I wouldn't classify it as a romance and the main premise was for Lola to find herself.

Overall I found that Hotter in the Hamptons was a quick and enjoyable read. Perfect for people who are still in the process of figuring out who they want to be.

Thank you Bloom Books for the eARC!

Story was okay. It’s like a train wreck you can’t stop watching (or however that saying goes) did I finish it. Yes. Would I read it again. No. Glad to have read it, for sure interesting…

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Hotter in the Hamptons just didn’t work for me. The constant brand drops and influencer name-checking made it feel more like an extended ad than a story. I ended up DNF’ing because it just couldn’t hold my attention.

On top of that, knowing a straight author was writing about queer experiences made it even harder to get through. With so many queer voices already being sidelined, it felt disingenuous and, honestly, a little painful.

Thank you to Bloom and NetGalley for the ARC.

A crazy, fun-filled and big-hearted enemies to lovers summer romance involving a disgraced influencer who finds herself living next to the lesbian journalist who helped inflame her downfall. As Lola and Aly spend more time together in the Hamptons and Fire Island over the summer they start to catch real feelings causing Lola to reexamine her own sexual identity and consider whether she might be bisexual. This was messy, dramatic and at times very graphic sexually. I feel like it's sure to appeal to fans of authors like Magnolia Parks. I did love the audio narration by Bailey Carr and found myself rooting for Lola by the end. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!

Is product placement a thing on books now? I stg not a page goes by without a brand name...

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an e-ARC of this book.

This was such a strange one for me, I sat with my thoughts for a few days and I’m still struggling to process my feelings. When I started this I was looking for a beachy read and this definitely fits the bill. It’s very surface level and looks at the glitzy world of summer in the Hamptons in a very trivial and superficial way. The main character, Lola is hard to really root for, she seems immature for her age and her internal monologue sounds like a horny teenaged boy. This one is super spicy, but like I said lots of the sex scenes were super cringey and maybe there was too much emphasis on the sexual relationships in this one. I did end up liking Lola more by the end of the book but it took forever for her to show some growth and character development. I will say I was somehow still oddly invested here but overall this felt very juvenile and immature.

☀️ BOOK REVIEW ☀️
Hotter in the Hamptons – Tinx
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“She came to escape the heat... but fell right into the fire.” 🔥
Influencer downfall? Check.
Rival next door? Double check.
Sizzling slow-burn with the woman who exposed you? Ohhh yes. 😏
When NYC fashion it-girl Lola crashes and burns in the public eye, she flees to the Hamptons for a quiet summer reset. But instead of peace, she finds Aly Ray Carter—her scandal-spinning nemesis—next door and way too hot to ignore.
Cue: 🍷 Minuty poolside
🌶️ Sharp banter & sexual tension
🏖️ Enemies-to-lovers sapphic summer bliss
💋 Glam, scandal, & redemption
If Gossip Girl went gay and grew up, it would feel just like this. Tinx’s debut is sharp, sexy, and impossibly addictive. Come for the drama, stay for the heat. ☀️
Perfect for:
💄 Lovers of fashion + fame
📱 Scandalous influencer drama
🌈 Queer romance with bite
📚 A hot-girl summer read
#HotterInTheHamptons #TinxBook #SapphicRomance #EnemiesToLovers #SummerRead #Bookstagram #QueerFiction #WomensFiction #SlowBurnRomance #GlamAndMessy #MinutyAndMakeouts

If you like Gossip Girl, you'll probably want to read this book.

Rich people of New York, their drama, and a Hamptons getaway...what could possibly go wrong.

I did find the writing to be really weird and corny at times, especially the dialogue. It is really quick to read though because it is written the way that it is.

This book has many unlikable characters that make questionable choices. And I know that some people love that in a book and some people hate that. For me, it depends on the book. I found this instance of it to be a bit annoying, these characters didn't really have any redeeming qualities that made that annoyance worth it.

The references made were very specific, so this will definitely age itself overtime, but for this current moment in time, it works.

I can see a very specific audience for this.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

Book Review: Hotter in the Hamptons by Tinx

If you’re craving a summer escape drenched in a little scandal, sapphic tension, and soul-searching, Hotter in the Hamptons delivers all that and more. Tinx’s fiction debut is a perfect blend of spicy romance, influencer drama, and personal growth—wrapped in the sun-soaked backdrop of the Hamptons.

The story follows Lola, NYC’s former fashion “it-girl,” whose carefully curated life crashes down after a public mistake and a brutal exposé. She retreats to the Hamptons to lick her wounds and rebuild her brand—only to discover her new neighbor is none other than her professional nemesis and cancel-culture critic, Aly Ray Carter.

Cue the tension.

This book had me hooked from the start. I’m a sucker for sapphic romance, and the enemies-to-lovers arc between Lola and Aly hits all the right notes—full of snark, slow burns, and unexpected vulnerability. But beyond the steam (and yes, there is steam), what really stood out was the depth of Lola’s character development. Watching her not only fall in love with Aly but also find her way back to herself felt real and empowering.

Tinx manages to balance the glitz of influencer culture with the messiness of identity and redemption. There’s a storyline for everyone—whether you’re here for the smut, the self-discovery, or the behind-the-scenes look at cancel culture and internet fame.

Hotter in the Hamptons isn’t just a summer fling—it’s a whole journey. And honestly? I’d happily get canceled if it meant being neighbors with Aly Ray Carter.

This fast paced story was an interesting queer romance, but it could've delved deeper into some topics to make for an even better read. The main character Lola isn't meant to be likable from the start, but it takes way too long to get to the point where she starts to come around. Also, she spends so long convinced that she's straight and not considering the fact that she could be bisexual despite the fantasies about women. It would've been interesting to delve deeper into the internalized biphobia Lola felt. There are other topics, like influencer culture and self-identity, that would've been interesting to get more into as well.

Positives:
-It is a fast-paced, quick read
-I did actually like the ending and felt that it was the best possible outcome for Lola

Negatives:
-While I usually enjoy initially unsympathetic protagonists, Lola was too much for me. Her turning point came way too late in the story for it to feel very meaningful or significantly make up for her earlier behavior
-A lot of the designer namedropping felt shoehorned in
-While the text brings up some topics that could be interesting if explored in more depth, such as online/influencer culture and questions of personal identity, it ultimately fails to engage meaningfully with them and in fact seems confused about what, if anything, it is really trying to say about them.

Before elaborating on this last point, I'd like to give some context. I am bi. The author is ostensibly a cishet woman (although it seems that part or all of the text was actually ghostwritten?). While some people feel that it is inherently problematic for a straight writer to write queer stories, my personal stance is that I don't find it objectionable as long as the author is not causing harm to the queer community in real life or through the text (for example, with the use of unexamined harmful stereotypes). However, in my opinion, this book fails to meet that standard.

The two things that I disliked the most were the circumstances of Lola being canceled, and her insistence throughout the entire book that she's straight.

-Lola is canceled for using the (in my opinion, harmless) phrase "lesbian chic" in a relatively neutral context. I found this to be a puzzling choice, especially as several other characters also state that that they find it inoffensive. However, in the story it's still treated as correct and necessary for Lola to repeatedly apologize for it (using soulless therapy-speak). As a queer reader, I found this frustrating and frankly a bit...trivializing? patronizing? In order for this plot element to work as written, it would have made much more sense if she'd used some phrase that was actually offensive or at least more divisive, or, again, if this aspect of the story were explored in more detail.

-Lola spends pretty much the entire story rejecting the idea that she is anything but straight. At one point she states that she's never considered whether she could be bisexual because she knows she likes men (despite fantasizing sexually about women and only liking to watch adult entertainment of the all-female variety). This honestly could have been a really good and realistic starting point for some self discovery, and I'd be totally on board with her working through some internalized biphobia, but that is not what happens.

While Lola correctly points out that other people such as Aly should not pressure her to embrace any particular identity label, she also acts like it's totally out of line for Aly to suggest that Lola is possibly not straight given that she is engaging in a romantic and sexual relationship with another woman. What is frustrating about this is that it could so easily have been mitigated by Lola even hesitantly considering another term like queer or questioning (I honestly thought this was where it was going when Jess brought up how she prefers "queer" over "bi"), or even just saying that she's no longer sure of how she currently identifies, rather than insisting that she's straight.

I could probably say more but frankly I do not wish to devote any further time to thinking about this book.

Ok I liked this book! Queer romance and self discovery (kind of).

I don’t know how accurate a lot of the influencer world stuff was (assuming pretty accurate considering the author), but if you hate influencers and want to be validated in your hatred then this is the book for you. But all the niche trendy influencer brands that were mentioned was a fun touch!

The main character was so selfish and insufferable the entire book, and at the end of her sexcapades, she decides she’s “done being selfish” by “choosing herself”. Verrrry Carrie Bradshaw. Not sure if the self discovery was supposed to be more impactful, but it just felt like the biggest nothing burger.

The smut was smutting. An easy and fun beach read. It didn’t really make influencers look great, but honestly that kind of added to the fun!