𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐦𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡-𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐛𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐬𝐡*𝐭, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐰𝐧𝐲 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐰 𝐮𝐩 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞, 𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞.

This is May Cobb in all her decadent, salacious glory, but it's unlike anything she's done before! Imagine a love letter to 𝑳𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝑯𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒆 but set in the 80s and written in a Burn Book. This book just became my entire personality, and if you haven't pre-ordered yet, what are you even doing?

Not much happens in the tiny town of Longview, Texas, but Nellie Anderson prefers it that way so she can remain the center of attention. While she's not a stunner, she's reasonably attractive, but where she really shines is her personality--wait, no. Nellie does NOT light a room. In fact, the room gets dimmer when she enters. People give her a wide berth, and she always gets what she wants. When she hits a roadblock, that's where her mother Charleigh comes in. Charleigh knows full well that her daughter is a nightmare, but with memories of growing up poor and being labeled an outcast, she's eager to give Nellie the very best.

Charleigh, her husband, and Nellie are considered Texas royalty, and everyone wants to be on their good side. They throw the best parties, all designed by Charleigh's best friend, interior designer Jackson, who quickly became one of my very favorite characters. Their good life is disrupted by the arrival of a new family to the Texas prairie, the Swifts. They are living the simple life with traditional roles, living off the land with their two teenage daughters and hawking their handmade furniture and love potions. Nellie despises their daughter Jane, who comes in with her simple handmade clothing and natural sun-kissed beauty and steals center stage from Nellie.

The intensity heats up when the Swifts begin getting more and more attention from the locals and Charleigh realizes that Texas just isn't big enough for both of them. What follows is an absolutely diabolical, deftly plotted story about mean girls and even meaner moms and all the secrets they try so desperately to keep tucked away in their little houses. The dialogue is absolutely loaded with malice, venom, and sass--all the things that girls are made of, right? You are in for SUCH a huge treat with this book, and the ending had me hyperventilating! You better read those author's notes if you want to know a secret! So many thanks to Sourcebooks for providing me a copy of this absolute stunner. Pre-order now and get this on release date, January 20, 2026.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This was terrifyingly salacious book about mean girls of all ages - whether they’re teenagers, adults, or mothers. All of the characters were intimidating to me and bold as ever. They stop at nothing to get what they want both then and now. The 1980s time for this novel to take place was great nostalgia. The plot was entertaining and easy to follow and the character development was definitely chef’s kiss and helps make this such a juicy read. When I finished I was grateful for my homebody introvert lifestyle!