I loved this author's previous novels but something felt off with this one. I enjoyed it for the most part but the reveal was pretty obvious early on and the writing itself felt a little different. I will read anything Shanora writes though. She is a powerhouse!!

This book was a heck of a ride. Twists and turns, and nothing really is what it seems. Although I kinda figured out one thing but then really didn’t know the rest of it. Really kept me reading and def a book I had a hard time putting down since I really wanted to figure it all out. One of those books that you weren’t sure what was happening until the end.

The Other Mistress is a slow-paced, twisted thriller from author Shanora Williams. It follows Adira and Jocelyn, the wife and a mistress respectively, who seek out to learn more about and break up Adira's husband from the other mistress, Julianna. Sounds messy? It is. Worse, Adira wants her husband, more than anything, and she'll go to any lengths.

Our time with Adira initially feels like more of a women scorned, drama type read, but about 30% in you realize that things are quickly going south. I didn't like Adira, I didn't support her at all, but I was intrigued by her desire to keep this man who clearly is only keeping her for the wrong reasons. You know things are not as they seem, but it's hard to pinpoint what it is. Despite how slow the book moves, I have to hand it to Williams, because I didn't see the twists coming. This one gets dark and deep and I loved how unexpected it was. Unfortunately, I just couldn't stay as into this one as I would have liked. I found myself skimming and ended feeling kind of like *shrug emoji*. I think some will really enjoy this, but it missed the mark for me ultimately.

The Other Mistress by Shanora Williams is a new story of betrayals and lies that kept me turning the pages. Adira is a successful woman living her best life with her beloved husband. Until she finds out truths about her husband that leave her scrambling to get her life and love back as she wants it. But is he worth it? Adria finds out her husband is a cheater and not just with one woman, but two. Then a plan is set in place to get him back and destroy his other relationships. Told in multiple point of views, be ready for quite the ride at the edge of your seat.

Happy reading!
3.5-stars.

Adira Smith-Cortez is madly in love with her husband, so when she finds out he is having an affair, her world starts to crumble. She reaches out to Julianna, the other woman, and confronts her about the indiscretion. Julianna has no remorse.. She is just a black woman living her best life. But when a third woman comes into the picture, Adira and Julianna team up to get rid of the 3rd woman once and for all.


This novel has a crazy twist that I can honestly say I didn't see coming. At first I did not like Julianna, then started to really enjoy her witty, strong personality. If you are looking for a wild thriller to read, make sure to check out The Other Mistress!

Thank you to NetGalley, Shanora Williams, and Kensington Book for an ARC copy of The Other Mistress.

I found this book to be quite intriguing. Although the first half was a bit slow-paced, it gained momentum and became more engaging in the second half. There is a great twist that I would have liked the twist to be further explored and developed.

I recommend adding it to your summer reading list.

"The Other Mistress" is a mind-bending read that takes readers on a thrilling journey. I found myself immersed in Adira's story, yearning to guide her towards a path of self-discovery and genuine love. This book is a captivating exploration of relationships, manipulation, and the sacrifices one is willing to make in the name of reclaiming their happiness. Brace yourself for an unforgettable experience!

I received a complimentary copy and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

This book comes with trigger warnings and I appreciated it as it's a thriller that will rip you apart if you are not careful. The book follows Adira a woman with a past (but who doesn't) who is married to Gabriel. What consumes her when she lies in the lap of luxury is her husband's fidelity . However in the twist of the century of one his shenanigan's offers Adira the perfect solution to get her husband back. How far does a 'wife' go to get her husband back. Twisty, jaw-dropping, unbelievable is the perfect way to describe the other mistress.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book!

Psychological thriller that was a pretty fast read. Adira finds out that her husband is having an affair with not one, but two women. She teams up with one of them to take down the other and "get my man back". Definitely a twisty, bending book and a plot twist I did not see coming at all.
Overall, giving it 2.5 stars- while the plot twist was a shocker, it didn't satisfy me and took the plot in a weird direction. The middle of the book was long as well, to the point that I almost DNF'ed the book. I liked the shorter chapter structure, and was hooked enough to breeze through the second half of the book. I also really appreciated the author's warning on certain themes at the beginning of the book- I did skim those parts at best since it wasn't something I was interested in reading in detail. Overall, if you're looking for a fast paced Frieda McFadden-esque read, this will be right up your alley.

“𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏, 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔, 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓, 𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒐𝒏𝒆… 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒍𝒍 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒍𝒚 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕’𝒔 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒔.”

I heard a ton of good things about Shanora Williams’ The Wife Before from Dennis (@ScaredStraightReads) and Richelle (@ShelleysBookCorner) so I couldn’t wait to dive into her latest (although I still have to go back and read The Wife Before!)

Williams writes with a flow that is easy to get into, alongside short bingeable chapters. I love some strong independent women characters; Adria fits this bill as a hard working successful Black businesswoman. I was sucked into her life right away and her marriage, and I was quickly wondering why Gabriel would cheat on her. The first half of the book does seem a little repetitive at times, especially as you wonder why Adria is so desperate to keep Gabriel (he doesn’t seem THAT great). It consistently has you asking as a reader how much of yourself would you be willing to give much of yourself to a relationship and where’s the point that you’d throw in the towel? I appreciated the content warning at the beginning of the book; it helped you mentally prepare for some of the uncomfortable pieces later on. I questioned a few times what was going on, and once the twists were revealed, something I appreciated is all the clever double entendres that Williams incorporated - when I went back to the beginning and re-read a few parts, I was impressed at how Wiliams hinted at the ending so slyly.

The Other Mistress is a story of betrayal, rejection, desperation, and trauma. Although a little repetitive in places, the short chapters and smart writing make for a bingeable summer poolside read. Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

The Other Mistress sucks you right in. This was a stay up all night read. Lots of twists. There’s references to the wife before which i loved also. I love how the book seems all over the place and how everything just explodes. I can’t wait to see what shanora Williams whips up next.

Adira’s life is unraveling as she finds out her husband has not one but two mistresses. She decides she needs to do whatever it takes to keep him happy with her. I enjoyed this well written thriller that pulls past events into present day in a way that allows everything to make sense. I would recommend this book.

This was a great read! It was a little slow at times but it kept my interest all they way to the end. LOVED the end! Crazy twist that literally made my jaw drop! Perfect psychological thriller.

Thank you NetGalley, Kensington Books, and the author for ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 Stars
Wow! That ending! I was not expecting that!

Adira had recently suspected that her husband, Gabriel, was cheating. After snooping around a bit, she found out he has not one but TWO mistresses! She was devastated. After years of marriage and everything she has done for him. She couldn't let him go. Instead of confronting him, she came up with a plan to break him up with his mistresses.

I have to be honest and say, I was struggling to connect with Adira's character. I couldn't understand why she wanted to stay with a man who has multiple mistresses. He was also lying to her over and over again. But everything came together in the end.

I would recommend this to fans of domestic thrillers.

***Thank you to NetGalley, Melissa Adelman, Kensington Books, and Dafina for graciously sending me the ARC to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

Loooooved it! Kept my interest and was a quick easy read. I didn’t see the ending coming. Great for a quick summer read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a really quick read. It was fast pace and had short chapters which made it easy to fly through the whole thing. The story really piqued my curiosity from the start. Everything unravels not too quickly which keeps your interest all the way to the end. I never saw the big twist coming and was really shocked when it happened. I had a harder time connecting with Adira but I think that’s completely personal since I have been in a cheating situation and do not understand the will to stay with someone who did. As much as this was a quick read it did not get me “excited” and looking for what happens next, it was more of a “oh I already read this much” kind of read. Overall, it was a good read but not one I will read again.

To be honest, I’m not quite sure how I feel about this book. The ending really took me by surprise, which I love, but it took me until 70% in to not want to put it down. I spent a majority of the book annoyed with the MC’s behavior and it really put me off but then again, that ending! The book is told in three different POV’s, with the majority of them being Adira’s POV. The chapters that weren’t hers got a little confusing sometimes. I’m not sure if that’s just how this author writes or if it was because I read an ARC and it got fixed for the release… either way it threw me off a bit. Overall I’m sitting in the middle of the road with this one. I liked it enough but it’s not my favorite. But, everyone has different tastes and this could be your new favorite thriller! I would say pick it up if it sounds like something that interests you

THE OTHER MISTRESS is filled with a cast of characters you will despise, especially the main character, Adira who knows her husband Gabriel is cheating on her, yet she will do anything to keep him. Adira ends up befriending one of Gabriel’s mistresses, Jocelyn who offers to help bring down Gabriel.

I found myself scratching my head throughout the story as to why Adira, who is a very successful businesswoman, would stay with her cheating husband who uses her for her money! And why was she so forgiving and nice to his mistress, Jocelyn? When I initially started reading this book, I wasn’t sure where the story was headed then the twist hits and everything makes sense. I was left shook with that ending! I was not expecting it at all!

I also loved how the author makes mention of two characters from The Wife Before, Samira and Roland.

I love this author’s thrillers and I will continue to read everything she writes!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my e-ARC,

Trigger warning for DID repped in a not great way.

I thought that by the year 2023, we'd have stopped using DID as a plot device in books.

I was wrong.

Was this a good book? Absolutely, Williams is a master at crafting an edge of your seat thriller, and they make insanely good audio books, too. I loved that The Other Mistress is set in the same world as The Perfect Ruin and The Wife Before (and while you don't have to read those books before this one, it does contain spoilers).

But seriously, can we stop using DID as a plot device? Especially when the alters are the ones that commit the crimes, that do bad things, that are bad people. It's not the 80s anymore. This book could have been written with Jocelyn being an actual other human being, and the outcome would still be the same, and would have the same impact. Heck, Jocelyn could have actually been an evil twin, it's been a while since I've read a good evil twin book (hey there 90s Point Horror!).

2.5 stars rounded up for excellent writing.

Oh what a tangled web we weave when your husband chooses to deceive and cheat. And that's exactly what happens to Adira when she chooses to team up with one of her husband's mistresses, Jocelyn, to get rid of one of the other mistresses, Julianna. Shanora Williams can really pull off some of the best twisty and mysteriously spooky books and this one is so twisty. Adira soon realizes either Jocelyn is stalking her or is really invested in helping her, but why? As the book progresses Adira let's you into her life as a child and you understand more about why she is trying to hold on to her husband, Gabriel, with everything in her power. And Adira has all the power and money, she is a very successful business woman which Jocelyn is constantly reminding her. But when push comes to shove which one of these women is going to lose in the end? The ending will totally surprise you and Shanora Williams is now the Queen of Twists!