This book is set in a small town in the South in the 70s where everyone knows everyone else's business and is quick to share what they know. Kitty is married to Seth and they have two children. She is one of the leaders in Overlook, a small group of upscale homes in a lake and wants to be in the know about everyone while she is hiding secrets of her own -- Seth has been unfaithful and has given her an STD. Her best friend Stacia, is the real leader and her goal is to make sure that she protects her community from harm. The two women together tackle the problems of motherhood and family issues. This book has everything - a little sex, a bit of intrigue, family issues, some laughs and a whole lot of gossip. Most important of all, it shows the importance of friendship between women and how friendship keeps them all from going crazy! Fun read! ( )

Overlook was almost exactly what I expected it to be - a peek into the lives of the women of this upscale community, the manipulations and rumors that tend to fly about those communities, and a somewhat humorous look at one particular woman's personal problems with a cheating husband - culminating in some life-altering decisions that should prove interesting fodder for the next book. It was an entertaining read that I could see enjoying poolside or on the beach, especially if you are a fan of society lady drama.
I received Overlook as a LibraryThing Member Giveaway. ( )

In her debut novel, OVERLOOK, Elizabeth Hein explores the lives of women among the inner circle dwelling in a three-hundred home oasis on Lake Tate. The beautiful, serene community of Overlook in Magnus, North Carolina sits on two hundred acres developed in the sixties by Weldon and Stacia Curran. Stacia is the matriarch of Overlook and personally determines who becomes a part of the inner circle, often referred to as being a Looker. She decides how long they stay and removes them from the prestigious inner circle when they can no longer benefit the Overlook.

We are given a birdseye view to all that Stacia must manage in keeping the Overlook’s reputation stellar. We see real women with problems but are only allowed a surface view as problems are not welcome among the elite. We have infidelity, financial woes, empty nest syndrome, male chauvinism all hidden behind the perfectly manicured lawns.

I found Hein’s writing style a bit difficult to embrace. The pace of the storyline was slow much of the time. It was difficult to latch onto a character. It was clear the Lookers were only to show their polished, pristine lives in public but I anticipated being given more access to them. Much of what we saw was through Stacia’s eyes. Hearing directly from these characters through live dialogue would have added to storyline.

The exception to this was Kitty. Her storyline was on display from the start of the book. Hein did an excellent job developing her character. She did so by allowing us see Kitty examine her own life. We saw where she had been and how she got where she was – almost a Stepford wife it seemed. I mean, seriously, who responds to a cheating husband like this? Definitely not the life she planned or the life she wanted. And she was willing to male
changes.

Not one for writing spoilers I will simply say the last chapter was a complete surprise to me. After seeing such a slow progression of the plot I was not expecting Kitty’s character to take such drastic action. It was almost not realistic.

Overall I enjoyed the book. I received an Advanced Reading Copy in exchange for an honest review. ( )

*Thank you to the author for giving me a free copy of this book to review.*

Actual Rating: 3.5

The entire pacing of this book was slow, and the writing seemed a little bland. I was a little confused on what the main conflict was, because there had been many, yet the author didn't seem to make any of them significant enough to last an entire novel.

The story begins with Kitty, who finds out that she has gonorrhea - meaning that her husband had slept with someone else with the disease and given to it her.

The STI played a much smaller role than I expected it to - Kitty contracting of gonorrhea seemed simply like a gateway to her finding out about her husband's cheating.

This book reminded me a lot of the Great Gatsby, but modernized. (Kitty would be Daisy, Marni would be Myrtle, and Seth would be Tom) All of the characters seemed extremely flawed, and the community was definitely a social battlefield. The interactions between the characters also felt a little bit flat and bland, and I had to keep reminding myself that these were adults - mature women, not high schoolers.

Kitty's personality is a little iffy to me - she tries so hard to be perfect, and there are moments where she truly believes she succeeds.
"She's not nearly as thin as I am. She's not even pretty, and she couldn't cook a decent meal if her life depended on it."

This quote came as a shock to me, because when it appeared, I was already 70% done with the story, and I had thought that Kitty would have undergone character development, especially after she punched her cheating husband in the nose.

The interactions between Kitty and Seth were simply annoying. Here is a basic rundown:
1. Kitty confronts Seth about cheating. He is not sorry.
2. Kitty finds out who his mistress was. She punches him.
3. Blah, blah, blah, they talk it out. Seth is an idiot who tries to justify his actions. Kitty requests material items for compensation.
4. Seth complies and continues to buy Kitty objects to make her happy. He kisses up to Kitty.
5. Everything is awkward.
6. Seth: Sorry, I fell in love with someone. Bye.

Uh...okay then.
(And the ending - don't even get me started.)

But fine, Kitty DID grow as a character - allowing her daughter to follow her dreams (despite Seth's objections) was quite possibly the most important change Kitty underwent in her position as a mother.

And so, 3 stars. And I added that little 0.5 for this gem:
"Good. Don't let anyone in the house. No one. Start cleaning up the blood. Use lots of bleach. I'll be right there to help you move the body."
"Body? Kitty paused then erupted with laughter. "Rose! I didn't kill him. I just punched him in the nose." ( )

Elizabeth Hein’s OVERLOOK is a hilarious debut novel, a cross between Desperate Housewives, Devious Maids, and Mistresses—as the dirty secrets of this southern North Carolina suburban neighborhood are deliciously exposed.

Having recently read an ARC of Hein’s upcoming “How to Climb the Eiffel Tower”, coming Oct 1, 2014 (a must 5 star read, highly recommend), I fell in love with the author’s razor sharp wit, and immediately purchased OVERLOOK.

In the fictitious town of Magnuson, NC in the seventies—Overlook is a lakeside pristine upper end three-hundred home community, a country club setting of swim, tennis, golf, boating with a mixture of families—busy wives and mothers, gossip, nosy maids, homemakers, career women, gardening, clubs, runners, cyclists, swimmers, joggers, young children and teens, cheating husbands, food binges, Lily Pulitzer dresses, Krispy Kreme donuts, fried chicken, bake sales, wine drinkers, cocktails, drugs, PTA, real estate agents, mistresses, and those nearing empty nester status. (The Overlook moms are otherwise known as The Lookers if you are a part of Stacia’s inter-circle).

Of course, behind every southern upper crust family, there is greed, backstabbing, betrayal, jealousy, revenge, infidelity, drugs, cover up, disloyalty, hate, and hypocrisy.

Kitty, age 43, is married to Seth, VP of a Golf company (a marriage out of a pregnancy years ago), basically going through the motions. Mother of two, Bobby and Becky, and a busy homemaker (later in the book a career mom) and a cool sister, Rose.

Seth has never been faithful; however, Kitty has looked the other way, doing her own thing, until she finds herself with STD (gonorrhea). It does not take long for this small community of women to spread the word of this nasty little development. (Loved “hope your pecker falls off” and "it's kinda like screwing a skeleton").

Her friend Stacia Tate, influential Tate family (inter-racial) married to the real estate developer (Curran Construction) for the prestigious community, has a thumb on everything and everyone in Overlook. After all, it was her family who developed this oasis which is now Overlook.

Partners in crime, these two tackle all the challenges of motherhood and their wifely duties, while keeping one step ahead of the gossip. A comic Southern novel about all the important things in life: marriage and divorce, friendship and betrayal, and small-town secrets.

Full of laughs, with true-to-life characters, and hilarious one liners which will keep you laughing out loud as these southern belles find themselves in all sorts of mischief.

Hein reminds me of a cross between sassy Southern writer, Mary Kay Andrews, Susan Rebecca White, Emily Giffin,and sarcastic and witty, Jennifer Weiner.

OVERLOOK is an engaging and scandalous comedy-drama chick-lit, filled with humor and sass, and a juicy sequel ESCAPE PLAN, coming (Fall, 2014), after the surprise and shocking ending.

How far will these women go to protect those she loves? Looking forward to catching up with these savvy southern mysterious and desperate housewives of Overlook.

http://www.judithdcollinsconsulting.com/#!Overlook-/cmoa/8BC717D2-23C7-45B6-9C0A...
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