The Homewreckers

Mary Kay Andrews

Romance Mystery

Summer begins with Mary Kay Andrews, in this delightful summer listen about flipping houses, and finding true love.

Hattie Kavanaugh went to work helping clean up restored homes for Kavanaugh & Son Restorations at 18; married the boss’s son at 20; and was only 25 when her husband, Hank, was killed in a motorcycle accident.

Broken hearted, but determined to continue the business of their dreams, she takes the life insurance money, buys a small house in a gentrifying neighborhood, flips it, then puts the money into her next project. But that house is a disaster and a money-loser, which rocks her confidence for years to come. Then, Hattie gets a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: star in a beach house renovation reality show called The Homewreckers, cast against a male lead who may be a love interest, or may be the ultimate antagonist. It’s a question of who will flip, and who will flop, and will Hattie ever get her happily-ever-after.

Filled with Mary Kay Andrews’s trademark wit, warmth, junking trips, and house porn, The Homewreckers is a summer beach delight.

-Excerpt taken from Goodreads.

Check Goodreads to see the book’s ratings.

My Opinion

4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5) Hattie has been renovating houses in her hometown of Savannah, Georgia for as long as she’s had jobs. She truly has a passion for it. But one job has her losing money and scrambling to make it up. That’s when Mo walks in with a reality show proposal she just can’t pass up.

This was the perfect listen for my home decorating! Months ago we moved into a new house. Because of this, I ordered new furniture for our living room. Finally SIX MONTHS later, most of it has been delivered (yes I’m still missing some!). I didn’t feel like I could fully decorate until I had the whole picture of how my living room was going to be. When The Homewrecker’s audio showed up in my mailbox, I was just getting ready to hang pictures on my very bare walls. I love it when a publisher will add little additions along with the book/audio and the level they sent has been used many times since!

The audio kept me company through a lot of the decorating I was doing. It is the perfect balance of a murder mystery, romance and renovation story. Is it just me or does every adult get sucked into those renovation shows on HGTV and more? I’ve heard it compared to kids watching kids playing with toys on YouTube (I’ll still never understand this) but I have to agree! What is it about adulting and renovation shows that get us?

Andrews was smart to cash in on the love for renovations, and it was done so well! Hattie is the perfect MC that you can relate to but also feel for. She lost her husband a few years prior and focuses her energy on her dog and her renovations. Enter Mo who is the epitome of a famous TV Californian. I love equally all parts of the reno but also the romance and mystery.

The audio was fun and exciting, and added extra flare to the mystery scenes with her voice and cadence. My only complaint was that I wished she had a southern drawl to get the full effect of Savannah. But honestly, I could’ve listened for much longer and was sad when it ended!

General content summary: Honestly, this was a very tame book for content except for the F words. Every other detail with intimacy or the murder was kept at a minimum. The F words almost felt out of place with the rest of the content. F words: 20+, infidelity, language, previous spousal death, motorcycle death with drunk driver, closed door intimacy, body found (no details), adult and older teen relationship (intimate but consensual and no details), bullying, adults drinking alcohol and getting drunk.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the gifted copy!

The book is out now!

**As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 

3 Comments

  1. Yes! I am addicted to HGTV! I picked up a whole stack of Mary Kay Andrew’s books, including this one, for my summer reading list.

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