The moment I saw the title The Wives of Hawthorne Lane, I just knew this was my kind of book—and it did not disappoint. Stephanie DeCarolis delivers an absolutely binge-worthy domestic suspense that’s equal parts juicy drama, neighborhood intrigue, and jaw-dropping twists.

We follow four women whose lives intersect on the seemingly perfect Hawthorne Lane:
✨ Georgina – the flawless queen bee, orchestrator of the Fall Festival, and every inch the picture-perfect wife… at least on the outside.
✨ Libby – recently separated, juggling her flower shop and single motherhood while finding her footing again.
✨ Audrey – glamorous, sharp, and balancing a big-city career with a marriage that’s starting to crack.
✨ Hannah – the newcomer with a happy marriage, until her past starts creeping back through ominous notes in her mailbox.

What I loved most was the way the story unfolds through multiple POVs, each woman’s secrets bubbling closer to the surface. The police interviews sprinkled throughout added such a clever touch, ratcheting up the suspense while also giving us a peek at how outsiders view the chaos on Hawthorne Lane. And amid the tension, there’s one character who brings a dash of humor, keeping things deliciously entertaining without ever undercutting the tension.

Then come the twists—and wow, they are shocking. Just when I thought I had it figured out, DeCarolis pulled the rug out from under me again. By the time I hit the ending, I was left wide-eyed and grinning at how unpredictable it all turned out.

This book is tailor-made for your fall TBR—crisp air, pumpkins, and a suspenseful Halloween backdrop. It’s a neighborhood drama with secrets stacked on secrets, a murder investigation that will keep you glued to the page, and an ending that refuses to be guessed.

The less you know going in, the better. Just prepare yourself for a whirlwind of lies, betrayals, and so many shocking turns.

Unputdownable, twisty, and perfect for fans of suburban suspense. Five stars all the way.

If you enjoy a thriller where the neighborhood seems perfect from afar, but is rotting close up, The Wives of Hawthorne Lane delivers. It’s not reinventing the wheel, but it revs it up, good tension, solid mystery, characters with enough mess to feel real. I’d recommend it to fans of domestic suspense who don’t mind a slower start and who are okay with morally messy characters. Less ideal for someone wanting light reading or totally sympathetic protagonists.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley and I give my review freely

4.25 stars

It's been a while since I've read a domestic thriller that didn't feel stale, and while a story about neighbors on a well to do cul de sac isn't entirely original, this one was very well woven together and gave those Desperate Housewives vibes. A major plot twist managed to take me by surprise, which doesn't happen often anymore. The ladies of Hawthorne Lane are neighbors, but not exactly friends, with perfectly put together Georgina ruling the roost from her stately home at the top of the lane, high powered executive Audrey carrying on an affair under her husband's nose, and newly separated Libby grappling with her ex husband's quick replacement to start a new family. When newcomers Hannah and Mark move to the lane, Georgina takes Hannah under her wing at first, but pushes her away when Hannah sees that her picture perfectly marriage isn't exactly what it seems. The night of the Lane's Halloween festival ends with a dead body, and the women of the lane need to come together to hide everyone's secrets. As always, the men in this story are absolute 🗑️, so by the end you're just nodding along saying "good for her." This was a quick, fast paced read, and while not completely shocking, set the perfect mood for a Halloween/Fall domestic thriller. But be aware that this one is very heavy on the domestic abuse if that's a trigger for you.

Fast paced domestic thriller. Hawthorne Lane is a beautiful street with lots of secrets to hide. Some of the residents would kill to keep these secrets from being exposed. Specifically four women who find their lives converging in ways they never expected. Excellent thriller with lots of twists, not to be missed.

The perfect fall read! Strong opening that peaked my interest and I loved the multiple POVs throughout. Each character has a distinct storyline filled with secrets and regrets that intertwined as the storyline progressed. This book explored marriage, hidden pasts, and elements of suburban life. I enjoyed the fall setting, centered around the Halloween Fall Festival and the slow build that created tension, leading to some really great twists and turns! A domestic suspense with strong emotional undertones made this another captivating read by DeCarolis! If you liked Desperate Housewives, you will love this!

The story is good, but very similar to Liane Moriarty’s, “Big Little Lies”. The title could also be, “One Good White Man out of Seven White Male Losers”. I’m very tired of this theme.

Advanced reader copy courtesy of the publishers at NetGalley for review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine for the eARC.

This was just the right kind of domestic thriller I was seeking. Especially with Halloween as the primary focus, it is the perfect fall read. I really loved the multi POV and how interwoven all of these characters' lives were. I found it to be fast paced and fun.

Stephanie DeCarolis did not save that drama for her mama when she wrote The Wives of Hawthorne Lane! No, she poured all that drama into this gripping, shocking, and addictive book! I had a hard time putting The Wives of Hawthorne Lane lane so I didn't. When I sat down with this book, I was not intending to read the entire book in one day, but that is exactly what I did! If you are getting strong 'desperate housewives' vibes from this book, you are not alone. I got them as well and enjoyed every second of it.

Hawthorne Lane is the neighborhood everyone in town envies. Its streets are tree lined and full of beautiful homes. It's the neighborhood that everyone wants to live in but living her comes with a price! It's the neighborhood that gives out full sized candy bars at Halloween! It's also the one that hosts a Fall Festival. It's a time of fun, bobbing for apples, warm cider, and this year a time of reckoning.

Meet the women: Georgina is the queen B, Audrey is bold and beautiful, Libby is a working mom whose husband has left her, and Hannah is the newcomer with a secret. The men in their lives are in the book as well, but the women take center stage as the drama, suspense, and bad behavior unfolds.

I had a lot of fun reading this book. If you enjoy domestic suspense, this book is for you! I enjoyed the drama, the secrets, the cast of characters, the drama, and the twists. This book was entertaining and there was never a dull moment in this book! I loved the pacing, the reveals, and the shocking moments. Plus, the ending! So well done!

Wonderfully written, well thought out, addictive, dramatic and full of secrets!

3.75 🌟 rounded up

This was my first Stephanie DeCarolis novel, and I have to say - I was impressed. Even though the characters sounded like they might be stereotypical, rich housewives, I was surprised by their depth. I was drawn into the lives of the different characters, and how accurately they showed that you really don't know what's going on behind closed doors. The pacing was really even and had me sucked in from the beginning. There were also a few great twists that I didn't see coming. While I liked the ending, it was somewhat unbelievable, which is why I gave it 4 stars.

Recommended for fans of twisty, domestic suspense novels. [I do recommend checking trigger warnings, as DV plays a big part in this.]

Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam for the ARC.

This starts with a murder but you won't know who for a while. This is a domestic thriller, set in a wealthy suburb where everyone has a secret, some of which are darker than others. Georgina, Audrey, Libby, and Hannah are the wives you'll follow (and know that they've got partners, kids, and so on to keep straight). Fans of this genre might not be surprised by what the women are hiding but they're good characters and, best of all, there's a twist. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Good storytelling makes for a good read I'm not going to spoil.

My thanks to Net Galley and Ballantine Bantam for allowing me this arc to review.

Wisteria Lane and Desperate Housewives 2.0!! I loved this! The book opens with a murder you know took place. But who is it? Just like the women of Wisteria Lane, Georgina, Hannah, Libby, and Audrey all have secrets behind closed doors that can destroy them. Were any of them responsible for the body?

Loved this!

I loved The Perfect Sister by DeCarolis last year and I was really excited to dive into Hawthorne lane. Unfortunately, this one didn’t work quite as well for me. There were a ton of characters and it was very difficult to keep everyone straight and follow the plot, leading this to ultimately be a miss for me.

3.5 rounded up

It took a while for me to warm up to this story. First the cast of characters is huge. The plot is fed to the reader in bite sized pieces which alongside the shifting POVs crawls the initial pace. Things did pick up once I adjusted to the style and got to know the characters more.

Welcome to Hawthorne Lane, where its wealthy residents are about to discover that their carefully cultivated facades can crumble. Death pays their well-manicured street a Halloween visit during the biggest festival of the year. What else will it bring?

Four women...four witnesses...four liars

Of course, nothing is quite that simple. There is more drama in this book than I was expecting, and I admit that I was counting on tons of it. There's a lot of unlikable characters in this one so take that into consideration.

The way these characters were quick to judge each other's situations from the outside looking in was a good reminder that we never really know the burdens others carry.

Sometimes big shiny lives are devoid of the greatest treasures.

Content Warning
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spousal abuse (on page detailed)
violence
adultery
drug/alcohol abuse

Thank you to Ballantine | Random House for providing an ARC via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ah Stepford Wives meets social media influencer meets murder. The Wives of Hawthorne Lane follows five beautiful women in their beautiful homes with their beautiful lives and their perfect neighbourhood party that certainly won't go awry. Perfect, perfect, perfect. We know how this story goes, but DeCarolis gives it a good ole twist thanks to one of our wives and her dark secrets.

Stephanie DeCarolis takes a story that maybe we've read something similar to before, but makes it quite an entertaining mystery that I found I couldn't predict. Of course the beautiful women's lives aren't perfect, of course there's drama behind the scenes, we've even seen this play out in real life, but the body that's found the night of their harvest party is not who you think and the reasoning is as unpredictable as the women who present their lives as happy as can be. There's more secrets in this story than you'd expect and while you might initially want to judge these women, they're smarter than they appear and getting to know who they really are and their motives was just as fun as the who-dun-it. With well-developed characters, steady pacing, and a few smartly placed twists, The Wives of Hawthorne Lane is sure to be a hit for suburban drama and thriller fans.

Big Little Lies meets Desperate Housewives in this Halloween-set story of murder and mayhem at a neighborhood fall festival. The format is very similar to that of BLL, with a mystery victim, a mystery killer, and epistolary police interviews. If you have missed BLL and are looking for a spooky season read, this is for you!

Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review!

DNF at 65%. 0 stars if I could.

Not a single likeable character. Unclear whether the author hates men or women more. All the women in the book are just plain dumb and don't seem to have any interaction with other real humans or the internet. Not sure why all four women had to be martyrs in 2025, overridden with guilt over entirely unrealistic scenarios they thought up in their own heads (because women are overthinkers and always victims). And all the men (not exaggerating) are abusive monsters or toxic. Would have preferred watching a Lifetime movie over this.

Also, the writing felt like there was some AI assistance or this book was actually meant to be in the self-help/motivational category instead of fiction.

A great thriller with small twists and turns along the way that smack you in the face. Would be a perfect Fall or Halloween read.

Five wives live on the perfect Hawthorne Lane where all their lives are seen as "perfect". Behind close doors, nothing is perfect. When Halloween approaches, a dead body is discovered at the their annual street bash. Everyone on the street has secrets but who would kill for them?

This is an entertaining, easy read, however, domestic violence is strong in this book if this is a trigger warning, please take it seriously.

Thank you Netgalley, Stephanie DeCarolis and Ballentine for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I picked this one up because I was in the mood for a fall/Halloween-y thriller. It was a solid domestic suspense, but the murder mystery and “investigation” part were very brief. I went in mostly blind and I really enjoyed the multiple alternating POVs and short chapters and it definitely satisfied the spooky fall vibes I was looking for. It was my first time reading this author, but her writing is great and hooked me immediately. I could picture all the scenes in my head like a movie playing. I had no idea where the plot was headed and it surprised me. Will definitely be reading more from her in the future!

Thank you to Stephanie, Bantam, and NetGalley for the e-galley!

The Wives of Hawthorne Lane is a domestic suspense novel that dives into the secrets and drama of a seemingly perfect suburban neighborhood. The story follows four women—Georgina, Audrey, Libby, and Hannah—each hiding secrets that unravel when a murder disrupts their annual Halloween Fall Festival. The premise is intriguing, with a Desperate Housewives vibe that pulls you into the gossip and tension of Hawthorne Lane. The pacing is steady, and the twists keep you guessing, especially as the murder mystery unfolds. I did not see that ending coming at all! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release.

It’s hard for me to pass up a neighborhood mystery filled with characters misbehaving. The Wives of Hawthorne Lane has plenty of characters behaving badly, twists and turns, you might think you’ve stepped into an episode of those famous housewives on Wisteria Lane. Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for an honest review.