Review: Cocktail Hour by Tara McTiernan

Cocktail Hour
by Tara McTiernan

Genre: Chick Lit, Contemporary, Friendship, Romance
Publication: March 2013
Format: Kindle Edition, 350 pages
Source: ARC
Connect: Website | Facebook | Goodreads

What if your friend - someone admired, envied, and fervently sought after by everyone who knew her - was really a dangerous sociopath? In her latest novel, Cocktail Hour, women's fiction author Tara McTiernan answers that question as she takes you on a wild roller coaster ride of thrilling highs and terrifying lows in this gripping novel about friendship gone horribly wrong.

Spring in glamorous uber-rich Fairfield County, Connecticut is a time of beginnings: a new diet for the approaching summer spent out on the yacht, fresh-faced interns being offered up at the office as the seasonal sacrifice to the gods of money, and corporate takeovers galore. Five women in their thirties have a brand-new friendship, too, one that fed and watered regularly at local hotspots over cocktails. With all of their personal struggles - Lucie's new catering business is foundering due to vicious gossip, Kate's marriage is troubled due to an inability to conceive, Chelsea's series of misses in the romance department have led to frantic desperation, and Sharon's career problems are spinning out of control - the women look forward to a break and a drink and a chance to let their guards down with their friends. And letting their guards down is the last thing they should do in the kind of company they unknowingly keep with the fifth member of their cocktail-clique: Bianca Rossi, a woman who will stop at nothing to have it all.

As each woman's life is affected by this she-wolf in sheep's clothing, the truth starts to come out, but will they see it before it's too late? Or will their doubts about their own perceptions and gut feelings stop them from protecting themselves in time?

I received a copy of this book from the author to provide an honest review.

I was really excited when I received an ARC from the author. The synopsis sounds a bit mysterious. I’m curious. I wanted to know what’s with Bianca.

Cocktail Hour was written in five points of view, Bianca, Kate, Chelsea, Sharon and Lucie. At first, it was a little hard to connect with the girls because the changing point of view. There are five point of views, and  instead of using the character’s name as the title, the chapter’s title were changed into the character’s drink, for example, Strawberry Daiquiri—Chelsea. But once I was comfortable with the point of view style, I could not put down the book. I wanted to know what will happen to the girls, especially Kate, Sharon and Bianca’s story.

Overall, Cocktail Hour is a well written book. The plot flowed nicely. I love the friendship the girls had, that little bit of romance with Sharon and the drama with Bianca and Kate.  I would recommend Cocktail Hour to chick lit fans, who preferred something different.