All the Little Houses

Loved, loved, loved! Some of May Cobb's best work, and I can't wait for the sequel.

Best book I have read in a long time. Had me by the end of first chapter.

What a read! I hated the ending. Maybe there will be a sequel? I was riveted by this whole cast of deplorable people and the whole novel, wondering who killed whom as we get little snips of a murder. A great read!

This book had me so stressed out the entire time I read it. Sometimes "people behaving badly" frustrates me because you can see the disaster coming but they keep doing horrible things. This book is full of unlikable characters. I don't know if I can say I liked any of them. They were all self-centered and had no qualms with stealing, hurting someone or sleeping around. That said, it was an entertaining read. I kept turning the pages to see what these people would do next. Just when I would think there might be one good character, they'd do something to change that opinion. No one in this book was safe from the impact of living in this small Texas town where everyone knew your business.I loved the 1980's time period since that was a fun time in my life - - I was in high school and college in the 80's. The references to things and music from that time period gave me a sense of melancholy but also a warm fuzzy at the same time. The storyline was compelling and had some good twists to it. However, there were a lot of open plot lines at the end of the book so there will clearly need to be a sequel to wrap this all up. Hopefully that comes out before I forget everything that happened in this one.Thank you to NetGalley for an early copy.

The book opens with a dead body floating in the lake. The reader doesn’t know who is speaking nor who is floating. Sort chapters are placed throughout the book so the reader is aware of two things. There is a dead body in the lake that is not sinking and the story is told through flashbacks.This is a story of mean moms raising the next generation of mean girls. It takes place in the 1980s in Longview, Texas. These girls are not just mean, they are psychopaths in training. The two teen protagonists are quite scary with their get-even mentality, the destruction they leave behind., and their “they deserved it” attitude.The Longview rich have money. Lots of money. Those monied parents rule the town’s social scene and their kids run the teen scene. Gossip is served in large doses. There is not one likable character in the bunch and no one has any redeeming character traits except maybe Jackson Ford, an-in-the-closet decorator, from Dallas now living in Longview.Chapters are short and each chapter lists the character’s name as the heading. Chapters featuring an adult are written in third person while teen chapters are written in first person. Why did that drive me crazy? These non-compelling characters behave badly every chance they get. Both teens and adults. Alcohol is ever present. At every age. And the **x was raw and just dirty. The ending was abrupt and shocking. Nothing was resolved. Nothing tied up or finished. The sequel is coming out in January 2027. However, I won’t be reading it.This book is billed as a thriller but really it is just a trashy novel. Two stars and no recommendation.