title: Hotter in the Hamptons
author: Tinx
publisher: Bloom Books
publication date: May 6, 2025
pages: 336
peppers: 3 (on this scale)
warnings: cancel culture, binge drinking, vomit mentioned (in past)
summary: When social media influencer/content creator Lola makes a thoughtless comment that loses her thousands of followers, her media team convinces her to let Aly Ray Carter, an up-and-coming journalist interview her to publicize her side of the story. Unfortunately, ARC writes a scathing review that not only completes Lola's cancelation into obscurity but also convinces her boyfriend of five years to take a break. So when Lola's best friend Ryan suggests that they live together in a sublet in the Hamptons for the summer, Lola has nothing to lose. By total coincidence, ARC lives in the house next door.
tropes (this is NOT a romance novel):
- gay for you
- gay best friend
- starting over
- being canceled
- finding myself
- enemies to lovers
- meeting the ex
what I liked:
- Lola's journey to love herself and find herself seems valid/believable
- glimpses into influencer lifestyle
- friendships
what I didn’t like:
- while I understand that an influencer would use lots of brand names, parts of the novel felt like product placement. Plus, there were too many names for me to keep up.
overall rating: 4 (of 5 stars)