I will fully admit that rich people behaving badly and toxic female friendships are guilty pleasure tropes for me in mystery/thrillers. Think messy drama, secrets, and scandals. I went into this expecting something along the lines of Big Little Lies meets Desperate Housewives. To an extent, that is what I got. Unfortunately, the story eventually took a direction that I found deeply off-putting, and the entire experience ended up being a major disappointment. What started as messy drama quickly turned into something that felt gross rather than compelling.

Content note for sensitive readers: this book includes excessive language, heavy alcohol use, underage drinking, infidelity, abortion, and older women flirting with and sleeping with teenagers. There are also lesbian sexual relationships, and the main female character is bisexual while identifying as straight. The way this was handled felt less like a meaningful representation and more like a shock factor plot device, which I personally found uncomfortable and unnecessary.

There were no likable characters in this book. While they arguably got what they deserved by the end, watching them spiral was exhausting rather than engaging. These women made bad decision after bad decision, with little sense of accountability, growth, or moral grounding. They were self-destructive, immature, and often outright unpleasant, which felt especially jarring given that most of them are in their mid-to-late thirties. There was no meaningful character development, just escalating chaos. Even Sophie, the main female character, was frustrating to follow. I wanted to root for her, but her repeated poor choices made that impossible for me.

Despite all of that, I will give credit where it is due. This book was a page turner. I listened to the audiobook and found myself unable to stop, not because I was emotionally invested, but because each chapter seemed determined to outdo the last in terms of outrageous behavior. The writing itself was solid, and the East Texas setting felt vivid and immersive. The short chapters helped keep the pace moving, and I finished the book in just two days. It was very much a “train wreck you can’t look away from” type of read. That said, it still fell short as a mystery/thriller. The twist surprised me, but it did not feel particularly satisfying or impactful, and the actual murder does not occur until more than halfway through the book, which made the thriller aspect feel underdeveloped.

This was especially disappointing because the premise had so much potential. I can see why this book has received so much hype, but the direction the story took completely missed the mark for me. What could have been a sharp, juicy, suspenseful drama instead veered into territory that felt gratuitous and unpleasant. The mystery element was too thin, and by the end, the whole experience just felt hollow.

I had originally planned to read the book and then watch the Netflix series, but this story turned me off so much that I have struggled to feel any interest in watching the adaptation. Overall, this was a frustrating and disappointing read for me. I do not recommend it.