The Homewreckers

by Mary Kay Andrews

Overview

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

"Andrews (The Newcomer) sparkles in this fast-paced tale. Andrews’s fans will eat this up." —Publishers Weekly

"A fun story with twists and turns that will appeal to romantics and cold-case fans alike." —Kirkus

Hattie Kavanaugh went to work restoring homes for Kavanaugh & Son Restorations at eighteen, married the boss’s son at twenty, and became a widow at twenty-five. Now, she’s passionate about her work, but that’s the only passion in her life. “Never love something that can’t love you back,” is advice her father-in-law gives her, but Hattie doesn’t follow it and falls head-over-heels for a money pit of a house. She’s determined to make it work, but disaster after disaster occurs, and Hattie’s dream might cost Kavanaugh & Son their livelihood. Hattie needs money, and fast.

When a slick Hollywood producer shows up in her hometown of Savannah, Georgia, she 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. Soon, there’s more at stake than bad pipes and dry rot: during the demolition, evidence comes to light that points to the mysterious disappearance of a young wife and mother years before.

With a burned out detective investigating the case, an arsonist on the loose, two men playing with her emotions, and layers upon layers of vintage wallpaper causing havoc, it's a question of who will flip, who will flop, and if Hattie will ever get her happily-ever-after.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250278364
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	05/03/2022
Pages:	464
Sales rank:	13,759
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 9.50(h) x 1.60(d)

About the Author

MARY KAY ANDREWS is The New York Times bestselling author of The Newcomer, Hello, Summer, Sunset Beach. The High Tide Club, The Beach House Cookbook, The Weekenders, Beach Town, Save the Date, Ladies’ Night, Christmas Bliss, Spring Fever, Summer Rental, The Fixer Upper, Deep Dish, Blue Christmas, Savannah Breeze, Hissy Fit, Little Bitty Lies, and Savannah Blues. A former journalist for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, she lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Hometown:

Atlanta, Georgia

Date of Birth:

July 27, 1954

Place of Birth:

Tampa, Florida

Education:

B.A. in newspaper journalism, University of Georgia, 1976

Website:

http://www.MaryKayAndrews.com

Editorial Reviews

05/09/2022

Andrews (The Newcomer) sparkles in this fast-paced tale of a reluctant TV star, a driven producer, and a long-dormant mystery on the Georgia coast. Widowed contractor Hattie Kavanaugh is in the middle of a plumbing disaster at the historic Savannah house she’s trying to flip when Mo Lopez, who creates reality shows for an HGTV-type network, stops by to pitch a show involving her project (“You’re passionate. You’re smart. You’ve got attitude.... And it doesn’t hurt that you’re damned attractive. The camera is going to love you,” he tells her). At first, Hattie wants nothing to do with it, but she reconsiders due to her bleak financial situation. She then purchases another fixer-upper, this one on nearby Tybee Island, and as she gets going on the demo work, with Mo and his camera crew at her side, she discovers in a wall a wallet that belonged to Lanier Ragan, her high school English teacher who went missing 17 years earlier. As she uncovers more clues about Lanier, it seems someone might be willing to kill to keep the house’s secrets. The author skillfully navigates the various threads—there’s sexual tension between Hattie and a slew of suitors, and a twisty third act involving Lanier’s fate. Andrews’s fans will eat this up. (May)

Publishers Weekly

“Mary Kay Andrews is the queen of beach reads. This one combines our love of romance, HGTV shows, and murder mysteries. What more could you want?” —CountryLiving.com

"Andrews' latest, after The Newcomer (2021), is a frothy combination of a hectic old-house-renovation story and a cozy mystery with a hint of romance centered around a likable heroine who has been holding too many feelings at bay. A perfect summer escape." —Booklist

"Andrews (The Newcomer) sparkles in this fast-paced tale. Andrews’s fans will eat this up." —Publishers Weekly

"A fun story with twists and turns that will appeal to romantics and cold-case fans alike." —Kirkus

“Mary Kay Andrews has done it again” — Mystery & Suspense


“Seamlessly combines romance and mystery” — PopSugar


“Imagine if HGTV and a murder mystery met, fell in love and unexpectedly produced a rom-com.” — E! Online

"Bestselling author Mary Kay Andrews has penned 26 novels with heartfelt plots— and her latest follows suit." —Woman's World

“Oh, just bring us the beach chair and fancy umbrella drink now. We’re in.” —CNN.com

“Mary Kay Andrews is having her moment…she’s a great, great writer and [The Homewreckers] is a lot of fun.” —

NBC-TV / Today Show

From the Publisher

06/03/2022

This latest from Andrews (The Santa Suit; The Newcomer) is a beach read about house-flipping in Savannah, GA. Hattie grew up fast in a tough home environment, married Hank Kavanaugh at 18, and is widowed by 25, having spent her entire adult life working with her husband at Kavanaugh and Sons Restorations in Savannah. Determined to keep going after Hank's death, she tries to flip a crumbling beach house, but it turns into a financial disaster that might cause her to lose her own home. When a producer named Mo overhears Hattie talking about flipping houses, he's inspired to create a reality TV show about Hattie's work restoring this money pit of a beach house. Hattie signs on to the show, seeing it as her only chance to move forward. On the show, alongside male costar Trae, Hattie tries to resolve the house's dry rot and plumbing while Mo and Trae both find themselves becoming attracted to Hattie. Then an item belonging to a long-missing woman is found among the house's ruins. Cue the interest of a retired detective and an unfolding of a mystery that the house left behind. VERDICT Though it takes a little bit to get going, Andrews's new beach read ticks off multiple boxes including romance, forgiveness, mystery, and loss. Recommended for most collections.—Brooke Bolton

Library Journal

2022-04-12
A young Georgia widow flips a historic house and finds evidence of a long-missing woman while developing a growing attraction for a co-worker.

Hattie Kavanaugh married her high school sweetheart and lost him to a motorcycle accident after just a few years of marriage. Almost seven years on, she’s still living in her unfinished bungalow renovation near Savannah, grieving her husband, Hank, and flipping houses with his dad, Tug; her best friend, Cassidy Pelletier; and Cass’ mother, Zenobia. After a disastrous flip where Hattie loses all her savings on a gorgeous—but dilapidated—157-year-old home, Hattie decides to take an offer to star in a Home Place Television Network production with Cass that will bring in a steady paycheck as she works on her next flip and tries to earn back the money she’s lost. The catch—which she doesn’t know but her producer, Mo Lopez, does—is that the show she signed on for has changed in concept from a straight house-flipping show to a house-flip–meets–dating-show, where the goal is for the handsome designer, Trae Bartholomew, to seduce her over the course of the series. Hattie digs deep to fund the flip, pawning her engagement ring and taking a loan from her father, a wealthy ex-felon who has served time in prison for embezzlement. Author Andrews has packed a lot into this story: Not only is there drama from the reality show and Hattie’s growing attraction to a co-worker, but 17 years earlier beloved local schoolteacher Lanier Ragan went missing, and the story follows both the renovation of the long-abandoned beach home Hattie buys and the discovery of evidence in the cold case of the teacher’s disappearance.

A fun story with twists and turns that will appeal to romantics and cold-case fans alike.

Kirkus Reviews