Adira and Gabriel have a seemingly perfect marriage; they're both crushing their professional goals and are head over heels for each other. That is until Adira finds out Gabriel is cheating on her with, not one, but two other women. She gets the courage to reach out to one of them, Jocelyn, and they oddly start plotting a revenge scheme to get the other mistress to leave Gabriel so Adira can have him all to herself. Sound messy? It is.

Shanora does it AGAIN! I couldn't put this one down and although I suspected something seemed off with Adira and Jocelyn's bond, I was NOT expecting that ending.

Thank you to Shanora Williams, Kensington Books - Dafina, and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange of my honest review.

I love how this author tells stories. She really has a way of making you like unlikable characters. I always enjoy when an author can do that. Love this author!

The Other Mistress by Shanora Williams starts off with an author’s note that warns readers about trigger content. I am glad it is included, but it would have been nice if this was included in the blurb (and then I would not have chosen this book). The Other Mistress starts off on a good note. But then the pacing slows down considerably. I struggled to get through the story to the end. The story is told mostly from Adira’s point of view. We learn very little about Adira in the first half of the book except that she is a successful, rich lingerie designer and that she loves Gabriel, her two-timing husband. I quickly tired of hearing how Adira felt for Gabriel. I do not know how she could forgive cheating and plan to have a child with this man. The dialogue was awkward. The twist at the end was expected. I figured it out long before the reveal. The ending was predictable. There were some bits that were off and there are many holes in the story (think Swiss cheese). I ended up with more than a few questions at the end. The author’s warning was spot on. I ended up skimming over these disturbing sections. I do feel that readers should be warned before obtaining the book. As you can tell, The Other Mistress was not a hit with me.

This book will really mess with your head! I kept finding myself wanting to tell Adira to let her husband go and surround herself with people who can really appreciate and love her. And then…..BAM! The storyline flips and you realize that all along things were not as they appeared!

What a twist! The other mistress was a great read, really takes you on a ride and kept me locked in on the edge of my seat. I loved this book!
Thank you for this read!

I enjoyed this book a lot. I thought it was incredibly fast paced and loved the twists and turns. The middle of the book can get somewhat confusing & I thought quite a few times that Adira needs to quit this loser already, but keep reading! So good!

I absolutely loved the twists and will definitely read more of Shanora’s books. I did find it hard to completely like Adria at the beginning and it took me a bit to actually get through the middle. I think the ending and twists absolutely made up for it.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Kensington Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book that took me on a captivating journey filled with unexpected twists and turns. While my initial expectations were high, the book evoked a range of emotions, leaving me with mixed feelings.

The story had its moments of entertainment, and I particularly enjoyed the experience of reading it alongside a friend. The shared discussions and perspectives added depth to the overall reading experience.

However, as the story progressed and the reality of the characters' lives unfolded, I found myself feeling a profound sense of sadness rather than the anticipated relief. It was a testament to the author's ability to evoke powerful emotions and convey the complexities of human experiences.

The writing style was engaging, drawing me into the characters' lives and allowing me to empathize with their struggles. The book effectively explored themes of love, loss, and resilience, highlighting the enduring strength of the human spirit.

While it didn't fully meet my personal expectations, I recognize that it offers a thought-provoking reflection on the human condition. It serves as a reminder that life can be filled with both joy and sorrow, and that our experiences shape us in profound ways.

In conclusion, this book takes readers on a captivating and emotional journey. Despite the mixed feelings it left me with, it is an engaging read that explores themes of love, loss, and the resilience of the human spirit.

Between 3.5 and 4 stars

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This book was a solid read that kept my interest. It's a binge worthy read with a twist I didn't see coming. The author did a good job of leading the readers one way and then going in another direction. It wasn't perfect by any means and I found some things to be a little unrealistic with the character's actions, but I still liked it.

At the start I questioned where the book was going but decided to keep on reading. I think the ending made up for things, but I do wish the momentum would have been continuous. However, I did enjoy reading this one despite the few problems I had with it. I think this book will be well suited towards readers who are looking for a quick read with light mystery elements.

"The Wife Before" by Shanora Williams totally took me by surprise & when I discovered that she had a new book coming out, I had to request a copy to review.
"The Other Mistress" was a slow paced addictive thriller that had me racing to finish it because I knew Ms. Williams had something special she was hiding.
Well, I was correct, there were 2 draw dropping twists that I never saw coming.
I'm here Ms. Williams, patiently waiting for your next novel.

I read two of this author's previous books so was excited about this one. It kept me turning pages, but I just couldn't love it. It is good, just not great. Adira is married to Gabriel. Gabriel is cheating with Jocelyn and Julianna. Jocelyn approaches Adira with a plan to split up Julianna and Gabriel thus giving Adira a chance to get Gabriel back. In the words of the cover blurb, what could possibly go wrong? Adira is an idiot. Sorry, but she is. Queen of bad decisions. But, like a train wreck, I did want to see how it turned out. The twist seemed very similar to the other books. As I said, I didn't hate it, I just feel it could have been better. I appreciated the fast pace and short chapters and do still look forward to more.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Shanora Williams and Kensington Books, Dafina for this ARC. All opinions are my own.
I will post my review to Amazon, Instagram and various other retail and social media sites upon publication.

This book had me holding my breath, page after page. Gasps, head shakes, and wide-eyed disbelief accompanied my reading. The suspense was stellar and the characters were deplorable, which is why I blew through this book like a train, in less than 24 hours. There were a couple parts of the plot that may have been problematic, if the rest was not so wonderful. Thank you to NetGalley and Defina Books for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. This book was a blast!

#TheOtherMistress #NetGalley
The Queen of psychological thriller. Mind blowing thriller..
Adira Smith-Cortez knows how to turn around a troubled past. Now she’s a self-made multi-millionaire who takes exquisite care of herself and her only true love: her husband, Gabriel. Adira has it all—except the answer to one tormenting question: why is attentive, affectionate Gabriel cheating on her—with not just one, but two women. There’s sexy Jocelyn, a club owner. And then there’s Julianna, a celebrity makeup artist he’s even crazier about. In a tricky twist, vengeful Jocelyn offers Adira the perfect plan to get her straying spouse back It sounds simple: Adira will befriend Julianna through a fake identity, play on her and Gabriel’s vulnerabilities and cause them to split up permanently. Determined to reclaim her happiness, Adira won’t—can’t—stop to think what could possibly go wrong . Until too many of Gabriel’s lies start adding up to a disquieting truth. Until Julianna discovers who Adira really is—and Jocelyn pushes Adira to ever-more-unthinkable extremes. With her world collapsing and shattering memories tearing her apart, how far will Adira’s obsession take her—and how much of herself is she willing to lose in the process
Loved it so so so much.
Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for giving me an advance copy.

The Other Mistress was an intriguing read that deals with difficult subjects child abuse and sexual assault.

Shanora Williams does a good job keeping those pages turning with well written characters and an ending I did not see coming.

The story deals with difficult subjects of child abuse and sexual assault.

Adria discovers her husband has not one but two mistresses but she is unwilling to let him go. I say run.

When she and one of the mistresses join forces to take down the other mistress the tension mounts.

Flashbacks and twists and turn kept me reading long into the night.

Highly recommend The Other Mistress to put on your TBR pile.

This was my first but not my last Shanora Williams book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books, Dafina for a compeling and intriguing read.

2 🌟

This one had potential. I liked it a lot at the beginning. Juicy, addictive, seductive. But then the ending came and the twist.... This is the third book I have read with the SAME twist. The first one I recently loved, the second I "liked" and now this one, which unfortunately just was the most ridiculous execution of it.

This reminded me of two books, as if they had a baby. One I "liked" generously, to say. And one I hated.

I'm disappointed - but nonetheless excited to read The Perfect Ruin by her still!

It’s pretty unrealistic how many mistresses Gabriel has. Really couldn’t get into this one. The beginning was rough.

Lots of drama here! Adira, who is smart at business but not so much in love, teams up with Jocelyn, her husband Gabriel's mistress to wreck havoc on Juliana- his second mistress, This moves around in time and between first person narrators to tell a twisted and somewhat implausible tale. That said the short chapters and entertaining plot make it a page turner. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. No spoilers from me.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Shanora Williams and Kensington Publications for the opportunity to read an ARC of THE OTHER MISTRESS, to be published 27 June 2023. A psychological thriller at it’s best with it unfolding by alternating POVs and timeframes (past and present). It was a good read that began to drag a little about 2/3 of the way through it. The twisted finale was totally unexpected. 4/5 Stars. #NetGalley. #ShanoraWilliams. #KensingtonPublications

This is a complicated book for me to review. For a lot of the book it was really challenging to get through. The book does change between a few characters but the beginning is a lot of Adria worrying that her husband is cheating and then even when she has proof he is all she can think about is how to get him to stop and be hers. It was a bit of a feminist’s nightmare honestly, but I will say if you stick through that the ending makes it all worth it. A truly good twist and turn. The writing was always good and the characters were well developed even if Dina was the only one that I genuinely liked. I’m glad I read this and I’m especially glad I stuck it out. Overall it was a 3.5, and because of the twist and the ending I will definitely be picking up more books by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books/Dafina for this delicious ARC of The Other Mistress by Shankar Williams.

I love domestic thrillers and especially ones involving a revenge plot or two. This story of a marriage plus two mistresses caught my attention immediately by its description. The story hooked me from the first page. The detailed but simple writing is propulsive. In addition to Adina’s and Jocelyn’s narratives there are interesting flashbacks from an unnamed narrator who is assumed to be Adina.

The book has my preferred short chapters and multiple and first-person POV.

I appreciated the author’s trigger warning at the opening of the book, and wish all authors would adopt that courtesy to their readers.

I enjoyed the somewhat slow pacing at the beginning, and the detailed minutia of the women’s routines. I love peeks into other women’s actions and thoughts, the mundane anything but to me.

I did find myself judging Adina, who is a multi-millionaire businesswoman, as naive and weak when it came to Gabriel.

But then, wow! That double twist! The first is hinted at but the second blew me away. Both delicious!
Makes me want to go back and re-read it now

Loved the (spoiler) crazy -‘sugar momma’ element of that twist

A thriller indeed!

Four stars.