![]() ![]() ![]() Much of this novel is “desperate housewives” cheating on their husbands. While we do get present snippets of some sort of attack happening, it feels forced. Will, a mysterious stranger who begins hooking up with (many) of the characters in the novel, only begins to feel sinister towards the last fifty pages of the novel. I am displeased to have given this book a very middle of the road rating after rating The Hunting Wives a complete five out of five. While I did find the characters of My Summer Darlings interesting and I quite enjoyed watching them navigate their interest in Will, I felt Cobb left a lot to be desired from this novel. Cynthia is the shy one, always being overshadowed, until she finds her strength. Kittie has it all – the money, the husband, the house – but her relationship with her daughter, Chloe, is fraught. Jen was compelling as she struggled to maintain her relationship with her son after her divorce as well as her newfound independence. I loved the catty, wealthy group of characters and how they interacted in The Hunting Wives and My Summer Darlings is no different. I have been a huge fan of May Cobb since reading The Hunting Wives, my review of which you can read here. As all three of the friends secretly begin to tangle with Will, tensions rise and secrets come out. When Will, a mysterious stranger, moves into the neighborhood, the trio vies for his attention and get more than they bargained for. They are now married (Kittie and Cynthia) and divorced (Jen) with kids. Kittie, Jen, and Cynthia have been best friends since grade school. Without added context, AM is just a monster built by man, and Ted is its chronicler. There was enough mystery and intrigue to fill a novel’s length of work. This story seemed to hold much more than its word count allowed. While I found this to be an act-loosely supported by the more subtle examples of manipulations displayed-that’s still head cannon given the information in the story. ![]() However, are these bugs in his character, the correct narrative, or misconceptions built on ignorance? I can make assumptions but little feels supported from the text.ĪM was more the diabolical villain, almost cartoony in execution. As a first-person narrator, he’s allowed to have flaws like anyone else. I never felt I understood Ted, unsure how to read his sexism and criticism. While the writing was effective, it didn’t capture that charisma I found in “ Vic and Blood.” Harlan Ellison made a profession building upon the allure of cruel and often immoral individuals, but Ted lacked that allure which hinders the narrative as a whole. ![]()
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