I absolutely love a Shanora Williams thriller! This book was so good and kept me on the edge of my seat the whole entire time!!! I could not read this book fast enough!!!!

As soon as I read the summary I had to read this one.
The thing is, it’s not what it appears. It appears Adira is married to Gabriel, who is cheating on her with two other women. It appears Adira teams up with mistress #1 to find out more and maybe dispose of mistress #2.
But appearances can be deceiving. I was deceived initially, but then a few things didn’t add up.
It’s an exciting read, and no matter what Gabriel is a dirtbag.

I have read a couple of books by this author, and I typically enjoy her writing style. I did enjoy the twist, as usual with her books, but I am not sure I enjoyed the time it took to get there. I had a hard time staying invested with this one. Williams has a way of writing characters that you love to hate. I will still continue to want to read her other titles, even though this one didn’t hit as high up for me as previous books have.

I almost feel the need to avoidn any book with “trigger warnings” I have two reasons for this.

The first is a book that is truly emotionally effective. That’s the point of literature. You want to avoid anything that may be offensive or triggerring? You are blocking these from people who truly need to experience this literature.

The second are people who want to pretend this doesn’t exist.

Sadly, I feel a lot of the latter in this. The former would be enough.

You are authors. Tell your story!

Wow, that was awesome. I will say, it was a bit slow at first, trying to figure out what all was going on. Then there are some little parts between chapters that are either a flashback, or happening adjacent to the story which takes a bit to figure out how they tie in.
Other than that, I really enjoyed the story! One mistresses, helping the wife, take her husband back from a second mistress, what could go wrong?! Adria's sole focus is on getting her cheating husband back, and there were a lot of times I wanted to shake her and tell her to leave him, she can do so much better. But nonetheless, she wants him and him only. She starts to spiral from how desperately she wants this other woman out of the picture, and that's when I started to question her sanity.
The twist I only saw coming about a chapter early (and these are short chapters), but how it all played out I wouldn't have been able to guess if you paid me!

Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC.

Thanks NetGalley for this arc. Shanora Williams has become one of my go to authors lately. I loved this thriller, which the girl can write. Thriller and romance.
So what do you do when you find out your husband is cheating on you?? You team up with the other mistress, that’s what!!
The book is face paced and has some of the best twists. Short chapters are also a favorite of mine.
I can’t wait till the next Shanora book is released.

GENERAL INFO

Year Pub: 6/27/23

Date read: 6/20/23

Format: Kindle

Source: e-ARC-I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Page Count: 320

Setting: FL

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, AA interests

Tropes: secret identity, love triangle

Standalone/Cliffhanger/Part of a Series: standalone

HEA/HFN ending: no

Epilogue Included: no

Character(s)POV Spoken: Adira, Jocelyn, Dina has chapters.

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Synopsis/Plot Summary: Adira finds out her husband Gabriel is cheating on her. She confronts the mistress Jocelyn, who is willing to help her get him back.

M/F-M/M-M/M/F-etc: M/F

Contains Cheating: yes

Contains Children: yes

Flashbacks: yes, Adira goes back to when she was 10 years old and living w/ her mother

Jealy/Possy/OTT H/h : yes Adira is super possessive of Gabriel

Amount of Sex In The Book: none, only mentioned

Overall Smex Rating: 1

CHARACTER DESCRIPTION

Heroine: Adira Smith-Cortez

Heroine Description: 31, self-made multi-millionaire owns lingerie company Lovely Silk. Has OCD, takes meds, meditates

Heroine Likability Rating: 4

Secondary characters:
Jocelyn- Gabriel's mistress, a club owner-Jessa's
Julianna- another mistress, a celebrity makeup artist
Dina-mother figure, travelling healer, does Reiki
Panda-Adira's little sister
Claudette-Adira's mother

H /h RELATIONSHIP INFO

OW/OM/Exes: Jocelyn and Julianna

Cheating Before/During/Outside H/h Relationship: yes

CONTENT WARNINGS/TRIGGERS
mental disorders, child abuse/sexual abuse, stalking, kidnapping

AUTHOR OVERVIEW
Shanora Williams
New or read before & any favorites: new author

PERSONAL OVERVIEW

Overall Rating: 5

Do You Recommend This Book: yes

Will You Re-read This Book: yes

Would You Read More Books by this Author: yes

COMMENTS/NOTES: It's unbelievable storytelling. It has twists and turns I didn't expect. I really sympathized with Adira's problems. I would love a book from Zee or more Jocelyn.

I loved how this was written. It was like listening to to a homegirl. I enjoyed the story within a story that gave snippets into what made the main character who she is.

It was such an intriguing story and hooked me from page one. But that twist. The twist! I wasn’t expecting that at all and it completely changed the story.

Well done!

This book. I don’t even know where do I begin.
It has been years. Literally, years since a book made me cry. And not on the inside. Not cry with laughter. But I just sat there and as I was reading it, I think I was at 96% or 97%, and those big, fat, hot tears were rolling down my cheeks. And turns out, I didn’t want anyone in my household to see me cry reading, as I didn’t want to tell and explain what exactly it was about the book that made me cry.
It has been forever since any book made me feel this crazy rollercoaster of all sorts of emotions. I mean, yes, I am all in for emotions only when I read, but this was different. There were alltheemotions. Allthepossiblemotions. A whirlwind of a rollercoaster of emotions.
Usually, as I read, I write down all sorts of notes. Like, “I’m at 55% and I really like this dog”. This book was no exception. In fact, I had filled five pages of such notes in my paper notebook. But once I reach that point in the book – the one that made me cry – I can just throw all my notes away. They are absolutely irrelevant. They really mean nothing, say nothing, and are nothing.
Also, I remember being at about 70% and thinking that I’m so glad I didn’t read the page with trigger warnings at the very beginning of the book because I’m sure those trigger warnings would have been like spoilers to me. But when I got to me crying part, well. Yeah. Now I’m one of those who say that those trigger warnings are there for a reason and those should be taken very seriously for those to whom it may apply.
It feels really difficult to rate this book. How do I rate it the same five stars I have rated so many other books I enjoyed? But yes, it definitely is a very. A very solid five-star read.
This book will take you on a journey – one you had no idea you even wanted to go on, but once you are there, you will be glad you did, even if the end of the journey will break your heart and all the travels through the pages will mess with your head.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
The Other Mistress won me over with its compelling premise, but while I enjoyed the first half, I soon found myself feeling conflicted, especially with the way certain issues were handled here.
On the surface, I loved the way the story started: it’s fast-paced and messy, full of infidelity and backstabbing, and drama between three women involved with the same man, instead of holding the man responsible for his actions. All of the characters involved are deeply unlikable, and we absolutely need more of that from Black writers/featuring Black characters. It’s fast-paced and twisty, and I couldn’t stop turning pages for at least the first half, to figure out what would happen next.
But somewhere in the second half, things took a turn. It was foreshadowed in flashback chapters, but I didn’t expect the exact circumstances. Essentially, while Shanora Williams is transparent about the fact that rape and abuse play a role in the story, primarily in these flashback scenes, the impact of the trauma years later is what influences the “twist.” While it’s hard to discuss without too many spoilers, this plot twist adds further fuel to stigma against an already overly stigmatized mental illness, one of which is already heavily villainized thanks to certain notable true crime cases and horror films. The correlation between the trauma experienced and the illness itself makes some sense, but it does nothing to dispel stereotypes around the supposed violent nature of people living with this illness. However, I also am inclined to give Williams some grace, as she did at least handle the depiction of the trauma with sensitivity, and while I don’t like it here, she’s possibly merely following in the footsteps of the myriad white writers in thriller and horror who came before her in making this creative choice.
With that in mind, it’s hard to say who I’d recommend this to. With the caveat that it does deal with those heavy themes, I’d tentatively recommend it to anyone looking for a thriller with Black characters.
CWs: sexual assault, child sexual abuse, depiction of symptoms of a severe mental illness

Thank you for the ARC! Overall I thought this was a pretty good thriller. I liked the short chapters, the back and forth in time and the overall story. There are some TW: child abuse and molestation. The book gets really interesting quickly and I ended up finishing it quickly which I liked. A good thriller that will keep you engaged.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC. This book started right off getting me hooked. Your husband is cheating on you, not with one but with two women, and one woman wants to team up with you to get rid of the other mistress? Wow. What a story and what a ride. It got more intense as the book went on and ended in a MAJOR twist! I now have to go see what other books this author has available.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

How did he find the time? A well-written story of deceit, which tips a wife over the edge. A complicated story-well worth a read.

This was a quick and entertaining read. I really enjoyed the twist at the end. Some tough subject matter but was done well.

Adira is a successful black woman who could have anything she wants but what she wants is for Gabriel to be true to her. She has a feeling he has been cheating on her and when she looks through his emails and sees one from a girl named Jocelyn she is devastated but when she writes to Joseline, his mistress says they must meet Adira doesn’t know why but she agrees to it. When the two women finally meet Adira doesn’t like Jocelyn smug attitude and it’s too happy to tell her not only is she not his first mistress but he’s been seeing the other girl much longer. Before it’s over however the two women bond and even though I Adira is a puddle of misery and Jocelyn is the picture of beauty and perfection there’s something about her lover’s wife that strikes a chord with the well put together Jocelyn. While all this is going on Adira there’s also stalking Giuliana another beautiful woman who seems to be Gabriel‘s main stay side chick. When Adira left the meeting with Jocelyn she gave her a card and said if you need my help call me. Little did Adira know she would do just that and start her descent into crazy town. We also see throughout the book a little girl and her little sister who’s mother Claudette is at best neglectful and at worst very abusive and when she starts dating the local preacher things for the two little girls one who is named panda starts to get really really bad. I have read many books and said this is one of the best books I have ever read but when I say this is “the best” most well put together twisty plot with complete surprises not only at the end but all the way through and OMG I loved it! I have never read a book by Shonora Williams before but as soon as I post this review I will definitely be going look for them. This is a intricate devious mind boggling OMG story and wow did I enjoy it! This is the reason they made the genre thriller to begin with. If I had to pick a favorite book for 2023 it would definitely be The Other Mistress by Shonora Williams The best criteria to know if they book it’s truly a great thriller is win there or no eye Rolling moments and they definitely have none in this book. I received this five star read from netGalley in Kensington books but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

What do you do when you find out your husband is cheating on you with not just one, but two other women? You team up with one of the mistresses, that’s what!

Adira Smith-Cortez has it all: a multimillion dollar company that she built herself, a beautiful home and a loving husband. But when she finds out that her husband Gabriel is cheating, she turns to his friend Jocelyn for help, only to find out he has slept with her too! With Jocelyn’s encouragement, Adira attempts to get rid of the other mistress so she can have Gabriel all to herself again.

This was a book that kept me up late reading and then I had to take some time to collect my thoughts. Though it started as a slow-burn thriller, once it picked up the pace it did not let up until the end! I found myself getting so frustrated with Adira, why she not only was taking care of Gabriel (who was awful to her!) but desperately wanted to have a child with him too. Although mostly told from Adria’s point of view, there are several chapters told from Jocelyn the mistress and also flashbacks of other unknown characters. Throughout the story, the author drops red herrings and bits of information that seemed insignificant, until they weren’t. When everything came together, it blew me away. If you are a psychological thriller fan, do NOT miss this one!

Also, I loved Shanora William’s previous book “The Wife Before” and was delighted to hear of Samira and Roland again!

“The Other Mistress” releases June 27th! This review will be shaded to my Instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

What a roller coaster! I always expect twists and turns from Shanora but she really pulled my chain with this one.

First off - when you very begin this one, take the triggers seriously. If you have any issues with the triggers mentioned, don't proceed. I'm not an easily triggered individual, but that doesn't mean these kinds of issues don't both me. However, when given the appropriate treatment, they are powerful pieces of character development. Shanora does an all out amazing job at taking clinical issues and showcasing what this is like for people in that head space.

Secondly - I thought I knew where this one was going. I always take it as a challenge, especially with mystery and thriller books, to see how closely I can guess where the author will take it. BOY WAS I WRONG. At the very beginning I felt like she would take it down PATH A.... and about halfway through the book, I'm figuring it's going out down PATH A VERSION 2... but by the end she was in a whole other town and country than where I thought that path was going. Which makes me enjoy a book even more when I am left guessing.

Thirdly - Human trauma and emotional damages are real. People deal with them all the time and some have breaks. I loved the character of Adira because no matter what, she was always true to herself - no matter what. She's very aware of her own insecurities and continues to try and live her life the best way she can. That's all we can ask for as humans really. Do our best with the hands given to us and see where life takes us.

Wow talk about a total mind (insert bad work lol). I found myself talking to the characters as if they could hear me. And let's talk about plot twists..... ok yeah I can't talk plot twists because you need to experience that jaw dropping events!!

Unfortunately, The Other Mistress was a miss for me. I read about 60% of the book but decided not to finish. The premise of the story is something I usually enjoy but felt this book to be too slow paced and the main character very unlivable.

Wow, what in the world just happened? That’s what this book made me say. The storyline was extremely interesting and it had that moment when you were left speechless.
So speechless, that I honestly don’t know what to say other than wow..

Many thanks to Netgalley and Kensington for the chance to read and review this one.