This book! Staring Emily, Adam, and Pammie. Pammie the always dreaded monster in law, Emily the gullible love struck heroine, and Adam the typical D-bag boyfriend. Emily and Adam meet and it’s all down hill from there, they are quickly engaged and start to plan the perfect wedding. That is until Pammies’ devious plan puts a stop to it a mere 24 hours before. But why?


Sorry if there is any spoilers, I try so hard not to! But I just get so excited when a novel really strikes home. This read was a roller coaster, in every sense. This is my first book review so bare with me! Emily meets Adam, she falls for him blah blah blah. But then, she meets the mother in law to be. Who knows Emily just ate a full Christmas dinner, yet prepares a full meal and is desperately disappointed that Em can’t finish it. Who puts just enough hurtful words in a conversation to draw a tear but not enough for anyone else to notice? The whole book I was back and forth yelling at Em for being so conceited, then back at Pammie for being.. well as we know her typical Pammie self. It all boiled down to family secrets, and how well do you know the one you are about to marry? Then there was James the stuck in the middle youngest child who always tried to stay on everyone’s good side. Who was there then gone, but wasn’t strong enough to pull through. If only this book could be about Emily and James and not Emily and Adam. I guess if you ever been in a controlling situation this book hits home, here and there. If you haven’t it’s an awesome suspenseful read that keeps you on your toes and not able to guess what’s going to happen next!

A well written psychological thriller, fast paced and highly addictive reading. A sure fire hit this summer.

Wow! What a great book with twists and turns and a surprise ending! Highly recommend this book!

Sent from my iPhone

How do I describe this book? WOW is all I have to say. I read it in less than 48 hours because it had me so captivated. Sparing any detail because I feel you need to go into it blind to get the full effect, this book was a roller coaster of emotions. I found myself hating characters and then loving them, crying, feeling hurt, laughing, and being angry all at once. The characters to me are all too believable and as a female, the majority of us can relate to some of the situations in the book... maybe not as intense, but I'm sure we all can relate to not sticking up for ourselves or staying when we should have been running. At times I found myself wanting to scream at Emily that she needed a backbone because I found her too naive, but then I grew to love her. I also did not see the ending coming. It was a true surprise (which is tough for me) and from cover to cover it was a solid read. If this is what Jones can do with her first novel, I can't wait to see what else she has up her sleeve next.

So I am of two minds. This was a good thriller, however, I wanted to yell at the main character (Emily) for being so clueless sometimes. Love is not the answer if you think your fiancee's mother is out to get you. I am always shocked at women who just blithely continue on with things when they think someone near them has murderous intentions, but hey, I watched every episode of Forensic Files, so apparently there's a lot of people out there who stick their head in the sand when they start to get bad vibes off of people.

I did get a kick out of this thing, although I will say that the ending though not expected, didn't really work with what we know of the characters at this point. I also thought some things dragged the book down. Emily being obtuse about what an ass Adam (the fiancee) was being with regard to her and her best friend Seb. Also, Emily was being way too passive aggressive to me in parts. She wanted Adam to stand up and choose her, but shoot, even 10 percent in I knew that wasn't going to happen.

"The Other Woman" is about 20 something Emily who finally meets the guy she thinks she is supposed to be with forever. Emily's meet-cute with Adam, and their subsequent dating has her knowing that she is in love almost immediately. I personally didn't get it myself, but to each their own. Emily after ensuring Adam has met her two best friends (Pippa and Seb) is nervous about meeting his mother Pammie. Adam thinks his mother is perfect (warning sign #1) and after a disastrous first meeting with Pammie, Emily is wondering if she imagined the digs that seem to be coming from Pammie (she didn't warning sign #2). When Adam and Emily are finally engaged, Pammie starts to do what she can to thwart Emily at every time (warning signs #3 through infinity).

I have to say that after a while I lost all sympathy for Emily. She keeps hoping that Adam is just going to realize his mother is a horror and when she starts hanging out with Adam's brother James, she starts hoping he will see it too. Pretty much Emily just tells people things that Pammie has said and waits back for them to take action. I would have hightailed my butt out of there at first whiff something was off, but then again, I have seen "Get Out" and I have a healthy fear of people who seem too good to be true.

Emily is also a contradiction at times. She wants Adam, but she also seems to want Adam's brother James to want her too. I was glad that Seb called her out on that whole thing. She sees Adam as being controlling and a jerk, but she excuses it all because she seems so focused on being with him. You have to wonder besides the hot sex they were having, what else was there to Adam.

The other characters were developed well I thought. Pammie was a smiling snake. James was doing the most, Pippa and Seb were 100 percent loyal.

The writing I thought worked well. I felt tense pretty much right after Emily meets Pammie and it never lets up. I was waiting for something horrible to happen and you get the death by a thousand cuts that Pammie seems intent on inflicting. The flow was off a bit though. We seemed to be having way too many time jumps happening. Jones does set it up though since a remark will be made so you can figure out how long time has passed, but still, maybe a chapter heading with 5 months later or something would have been helpful.

The ending though didn't feel true. I mean I can definitely see parts of it with the setup that is provided to us readers, but I think that some of it didn't work very well. We get an epilogue showing us months later I assume (see what I said about chapter heading with timeline established above).

When a friend suggested we buddy read The Other Woman together, I read the description and I was hesitant - it sounded so similar to breakout hit ‘The Girlfriend’ by Michelle Frances which I read earlier this year, but after reading other positive early reviews, I said “why not” and I’m so glad I did. A new relationship, a mysterious past, a meddling future mother-in-law, throw them together and you have quite the story here - but be careful, things aren’t always what they seem!

Thank you to Minotaur Books for an advance copy, all opinions are my own.

Sandie Jones' debut The Other Woman is a great read! I was completely sucked in by the plot and read the entire book in one day. I will definitely be recommending this title to others.

Emily is in love with Adam, but something is not quite right. The wedding date is set, the dress is bought, but Emily’s relationship with Adam’s mother is tense, to say the least.

A taut, psychological thriller with twists and turns throughout.

There are lots of books about "the other woman" but how many of them are about an evil mother-in-law?

Emily is happy binge watching t.v. shows and eating takeout with her flatmate Pippa until Adam shows up and sweeps her off her feet. Things are going great in the relationship until he takes her home to meet his mom. At first Emily doubts herself. There's no way a 60+ year old Mom could be so evil and calculating right? How could Adam's mom hate her when she doesn't even know her - or does she just want to keep Adam to herself? And then as things escalate, it becomes quite clear that Emily is not imagining things. There's also the mystery of what exactly happened to Adam's first fiancee? Adam appears blind to his mother's manipulating ways - can Emily make him see the truth before it is too late for them?

I expected to be frustrated by this book, with a female character who who was blind to what was going on or who acted naively when faced with the action of a crazy potential mother-in-law. But Emily wises up to Pammie quickly and quietly begins fighting back instead of letting the woman run all over her and derail her life. This book was compulsively readable, I had to keep going to find out how it ended!

Such a great read. Very twisted. Kept me up all night reading. Thank you Netgalley for letting me get an ARC copy

I was given a NetGalley ARC in exchange for an honest and independent review.
I really enjoyed reading this book. For me the appeal was the strength of the characters and the simplicity of the story. It all felt so very real, despite being quite twisted. I did not know whether to feel sympathy for Emily or frustration with her.
Without giving away any spoilers, all I can say is that this story did not turn out as I expected.
4.5****

A big thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the thrilling ARC of The Other Woman by Sandie Jones due to arrive at your favourite bookstore on August 21st, 2018.

There is so much I would like to say about this exhilarating book, but I am afraid I would be spoiling the plot. What I can say is that this story triggered strong emotions in me. So much so that I had to check my temper last night before talking to my hubby because I was enraged with the story. After calming down, I could only be thankful to have such a wonderful man in my life who loves me and respects me. Very few books can spark this level of outrage. The Other Woman is a well-written, raw, and unforgiving thriller with many twists. I loved it!

A fantastic and captivating read! I couldn't help but read this book in a day because I needed to know how everything would pan out! I enjoyed it immensely.

** full review to come on release **

THE OTHER WOMAN, by Sandie Jones, takes crazy to a whole new level in this suspenseful tale of a mother from Hell.

Emily and Adam meet and fall for each other pretty quickly. They seem perfect for each other, and things progress to the point where it's time to for Emily to meet Adam's beloved mom. Pammie comes off sweet at first, and seems to like Emily with Adam, but that quickly changes when Emily realized Pammie wants her out of Adam's life at any cost.

That's all I can really say about the book. I read it very quickly, and have to admit it was a frustratingly pleasant read...frustrated by the characters actions and how the relationship between Emily and Adam goes on for so long after all that happens.

The ending was an absolute shock that I didn't see coming, and provided so much clarity to me and my frustrated reactions. Author Sandie Jones does an amazing job getting into her characters' minds and delivering an excellent twist that will leave readers stunned.

Thank you to NetGalley, Author Sandie Jones, and Publisher Minotaur Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Actual stars....4.75
Received as an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Oh I do love a good psychological thriller/suspense thriller/mystery (whatever you want to call it) from the UK. This one did not disappoint. Not one little bit.

What the what....twist an turns!!!

What I loved: The ride this one took me on!! I kept thinking I could see the curve ahead, but then I would be blindsided by a hairpin turn I didn't see!!
What I liked: The supporting cast...Pippa, Sebs, James....I thought they kept the book going a few times when MC Emily made me want to pull my hair out.
What I hated: MC Emily was so blind to things. I get it....love is blind, but she seemed like a smarter woman than all that! I just wanted her to get ballsy and call people out.
Overall: I loved this. Emily drove me nuts and I really wanted Sebs or Pippa to slap her more than once...but I think her character was well written. I think people get blinded by love and then get stubborn and INSIST they can make it work out.

Emily met Adam and fell in love - she thought he was “the one”. When she finally meets his mother dynamics change. Not only is she the mother in law from hell but if Emily tries to tell Adam what his mother has done he doesn’t want to hear it and defends his mother.
It changes their relationship. He starts drinking and is abusive. They break up but always seem to get back together because she loves him. But his mother Pammie’s behavior gets worse. She just wants Emily gone but Emily just wants her gone.
Will they be able to work things out or is this relationship doomed and is Adam going to end up with his mother?

When Emily meets Adam she knows it’s the real thing and that they are made for each other. However, she had not banked on his mother, Pammie, who doesn’t seem to want to let him go. Her relationship with her degenerates and Emily is convinced that she wants to keep them apart. Pammie resorts to some really cheap tricks to keep Adam close, including pretending to be seriously ill to get his attention. But is everything as it seems? As the book progresses there is a nice twist to keep you guessing!

2.5 but rounding up. In part because the ending was a surprise. I just don't see the love for this book.

Premise: "... [a] fast-paced psychological thriller about the destructive relationship between Emily, her boyfriend Adam, and his manipulative mother Pammie." Absolutely true. And, a page turner. BUT. I just couldn't buy into it. However, I did keep on reading--almost compulsively to find out what would happen.

One must suspend belief--Emily's love for Adam? Or just sex. And sometimes Emily was annoying--or was it the back and forth between her and Adam? And the fact that I often wanted to shake her and say: "Wake up!" "Get out!"

Grateful for Seb, Emily's gay male friend, and best girlfriend, Pippa, for some reality.
Thankfully well-written and considering some of the situations, the prose was not cringe worthy. Just too much.

First off thank you NetGalley, St.Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for the an advnaced epub copy!

If I could give more stars to this book I would! It is hard to believe that this is Sandie Jones debut novel and I can't wait to see what comes next from her. I could not put this book down and I am sure if I didn't have work and family responsibilies I would have finished this book in a day. I loved the writing - it was fast paced and the storyline moved along nicely.
Emily and Adam look like they are the perfect couple and have a great life but then comes the future mother in law from hell. I have never quite come a cross a character like Pamela (Pammie) - she is vindictive, manipulative and controlling. She is the perfect example of someone you love to hate! There are lots of twists through out the book right to the end. I didn't want to book to end and I was tempted to reread it. For those of you who love a good domestic psychological thriller then you need to add this to your TBR list.

I received an electronic copy of this book from Netgalley to review.

Based on the description of the book, I thought I knew what I was getting. London career woman Emily meets Adam, the man of her dreams, only to have to compete for his affections. The competition? His mother, Pammie, who refuses to cut the apron strings, and the memories of Adam's previous love, who died under mysterious circumstances.

But all is not quite what it seems....

The protagonist is quite young, and seemed a bit immature at times, not willing to give up on the relationship in spite of the glaring red flags that have the reader screaming "RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!" And had this been the kind of thriller where the character's life is in jeopardy because there's a killer on the loose, Emily would have been the "too stupid to live" unsympathetic heroine (and I use the term loosely) who goes into the abandoned building or the dark basement in spite of the spooky music playing in the background. Nevertheless, she persists, determined to win the war against her mother-in-law-to-be, despite her continued failure to persuade Adam that his mother is determined to break them up.

If you've ever wondered what "gaslighting" looks like, Pammie is a master of the game, and Emily doesn't stand a chance. But just when you think you know where the book is going, the author throws in a twist that sends the story in a completely unexpected direction.

I do not recommend starting this book at night. You'll stay up way past your bedtime. I guarantee it.