Enjoyed this book, wasn’t the best I’ve read but good story line. Fits in with everyday life and the real world full of trials and tribulations.

Fantastic read, hooked from the start! I will be looking for others by this author now. I thought I guessed the end then changed my mind , well written and was well read by me!

Alicia is married to Justin, a doctor, and has an older daughter Sophie and baby Lucas. Alicia has been keeping a secret for a number of years and when an old colleague returns her life, and the lives of her family, are turned upside down. A car accident leaves the family devastated and when Justin finds out about her affair he questions the paternity of the children. Alicia is full of guilt and regret and struggles even more when Sophie disappears. The Affair is a very emotional read about the lies, secrets and deceptions that leaves a family reeling. It has a tense, well written plot with plenty of twists and turns and a book that I couldn’t put down. A must read!
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Affair by Sheryl Browne had me gripped from the very start. There was just so much suspense in the story from the beginning that I was impatient for things to get better for the Cole family! The story revolves around how a family suffers the consequences of a long buried secret.

I think the main reason I enjoyed reading it was how connected I felt to the characters. They were relatable, especially the daughter Sophie who I quite related to. I rushed through the book in under a day hoping that they'd all make it out the other end alright.

As far as the writing is concerned, the book does start out slow and steady but the pace eventually builds up until the climax! And boy was it a great ending!

This book did start a bit slow I must admit, but not enough to make me want to give it up. Then all of a sudden the pace improved and lots of action. It starts out simple enough with Justin and Alicia a couple in a long-term marriage and obviously from the title an affair takes place with Alicia. There are many twists and turns with surprises and shockers that I did not see coming. Other characters include the couple's daughter, Sophie, who I found very likeable. Alicia's sister, Jessica, and of course Paul, with whom Alicia had the affair are also major components of the story. The ending is really a shocker which I never expected. I recommend this book to all psychological thriller readers.

I’m afraid I found this quite hard going.

It starts very emotionally, with a terrible accident which devastates a family, and this is definitely a tear jerker which engages the reader’s emotions. After that, though, things just seemed to go round in circles for ages (there’s a lot of “who said what to who about what”) and I never really managed to engage with the story, to the extent that a couple of days after finishing it, I find it quite hard to say what it was actually about.

Well, there’s a family (Justin, Alicia, teenage daughter Sophie and baby Luke) whose lives are about to be torn apart due to an “affair” Alicia had in the past. There’s Alicia’s sister who kind of has a role and there’s a very villainous villain. None of the characters really came together for me though - Justin was probably the most fully realised and much of the story is from his viewpoint, but Alicia and her sister Jessica never emerged for me much and there’s little explanation as to why the villain is the way he is. (I don’t need a full psychological evaluation but a little backstory would be nice.) And I’m still not sure what Justin’s tragic past has to do with anything.

Plot wise, a few things jarred. I’d hope the police would take the disappearance of a vulnerable fifteen year old girl a little more seriously than they seem to do here - I’m pretty sure they would at least want to establish she was safe. And it annoyed me that Alicia worried about “custody” and “access rights” - terminology which is now very outdated, and yes your average person might not know that, but... Alicia is a children and families social worker! (And should also know that at the age of fifteen, a child might also be expected to have some say in the matter.)

I couldn’t be more fed up of books being marketed as Gripping Psychological Thrillers with Shocking Twists. I don’t necessarily need a Shocking Twist in everything I read, I just need a good story. And in this case I’m not even sure what the shocking twist was supposed to be - nothing happened that was hugely surprising.

The Affair has a lot of good reviews so clearly many people enjoyed it, but I’m afraid it wasn’t for me.

I really enjoyed this book. There were parts that dragged a little bit, overall am totally satisfied with the story. Would recommend this

Many thanks to NetGalley for my early review of The Affair in exchange for my honest review.

I had so much with fun this book. It literally snatches you from the first page and does not let you go until the very last word; there is nothing more fun than a book like that. The book takes you from perspective to perspective so you never have too much time to dwell on one person's feelings or problems. That can sometimes bother me in a novel - it can feel like whiplash - but with the Affair, it fit perfectly.

I can't really speak to the plot without ruining everything that happens after, but my recommendation is to go in with no assumptions. I went in thinking I had an idea what the novel was about and I learned about ten pages in that I was completely wrong. I don't normally like being proved wrong, but when it comes to a good twist in the book, I am fine being wrong all the time. On it's face, the book is about the aftermath and consequences of an affair. In reality, that's only the beginning. I can say that I really liked the characters in the novel - I loved Justin, the strong but warm father and husband. I liked Alicia and Sophie, mother and daughter who are stubborn but also strong-willed. I even liked Paul Radley, in the most devious if ways. I found myself screaming at different parts of the book, wanting the characters to figure out what I already knew, and we know that's a sign of a book gone well.

I found myself wondering how I would have handled the situation these characters were put in. You think you have the answer for yourself and then you find out more secrets and it makes you question every decision you thought you would make. Just when you think you want to criticize or judge, your perception changes because the facts change. There were times when this book broke my heart and times when the book left my heart racing. It was fun to have such a mix of emotions in 350 pages.

I highly recommend for those who like twisted and emotional thrillers!

Wow a great story that once you start reading you won’t want to put it down. One little lie 16 years ago suddenly comes to light and blows Alicia’s world apart. Thinking life couldn’t get any worse after a bad car crash sees Alicia and her family struggling to cope with the death of baby Lucas but this is only the beginning of their nightmare. Paul Radley the reason for Alicia’s lie turns up uninvited to Lucas’s funeral. With emotions already running high Paul’s unwanted arrival just makes everything worse. Going home to find they’ve been burgled while at the funeral but only certain things being taken not a usual burglary can this family take anymore. Before anyone can think about what’s happening then Sophie goes missing has she run off to stay with a friend or has something more sinister happened. I couldn’t put this book down and read it in one day. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes psychology thrillers.

I'd heard a lot about this book but having never tried anything from this author before I was a bit dubious, was the novel being hyped up a little?

Nope!

This is one gripping book.

Told from multiple points of view, we are led on a journey going from present to past, slowly piecing together previous events that have ultimately led up to a family seemingly falling apart.

Very well written and despite continuing to guess just how things were happening, I was left surprised by what transpired at the end.

Who knew an affair could put peoples lives in danger!

I really liked this book! It was full of tense moments and the story seemed to flow very naturally! The characters were believable and I enjoyed reading it a lot.

This was a really good read for me , I previously enjoyed The Babysitter so relished the chance to read The Affair . For me it wasn't quite as good but very enjoyable . Alicia has been keeping a secret for years and when the one person she wants to avoid comes back into her life her lies spiral out of control and start to hurt all of her family . I liked Alicia and was rooting for her right the way through , and for Justin her husband and Sophie her daughter who were all innocent but are sucked in to the mess . Well written with a satisfying conclusion . Thank you for the opportunity to read this .

What lengths would you go to cover up an affair? An affair that conceived a child that you passed off for 15-years as your husbands own. Alicia thought she was making the right choice for her family but ultimately, the secret came out, unraveled and threatened to do the very thing she wanted to avoid. Despite the lies and betrayal, Justin never stops loving her.

The idea of the story sounded great but much of the plot seemed too outrageous. I also wasn’t a fan of how Sophie started referring to her dad as “Justin” immediately after learning that him being her biological father was up for debate. I’m pretty sure that even if I learned that my dad wasn’t my real dad, I’d still call him dad.

I also wish that some of the areas were built upon. There really wasn’t much follow through with Jessica. Where else did she tie into this other than be jealous of her sister? And nothing happened with Alicia after she allegedly murdered Paul Radley? Cmon.

Again, the idea of the storyline was great but I wasn’t a fan of how it was written. This won’t stop me from reading more books written by Sheryl Browne though.

They say there is a book for everyone and I believe that is true. Unfortunately, this particular book was not for me. I understand that the author wanted to build drama and emotion, and there is a great deal of feeling in this book, but in my opinion it was overdone and repetitive. The majority of the book was spent rehashing and reiterating feelings of guilt and grief, and while that is fine and appropriate for some novels, it didn’t seem to work well in a suspense book. There wasn’t actually a great deal of plot to the story and what existed was unsurprising. Was it creepy? Yes. Disturbing? Yes. But also predicable and drawn out. In my opinion, it’s also mis-titled. I don’t consider what happened to be an affair. All-in-all, I can understand why people liked this story, and it does give keen insight into the tragedy of lies and withheld truths, but as a thriller, or suspense novel, it just didn’t work for me.

Is it really possible for the past to stay hidden? Can anyone truly say that they have managed to forever bury their secrets? I think our secrets and pasts just have a way of catching up with us. Alicia met a man seventeen years ago. This man is now back in her life and has brought the past with him. He seems to be on a mission to destroy Alicia’s life.

It is easy to make assumptions about this story. I know I did. I thought it would be the usual affair kind of story. I was frustrated by Alicia at first. However, as the story progressed and the secrets and lies came out, I found myself more sympathetic to the family. There were a number of tense moments in the narrative especially when one of the family members went missing. On the other hand, there were a few chapters that moved a little slower. Still, I was glued to the story and Sheryl’s writing.

This is a story about secrets, lies, obsession and manipulation. At the heart of it all is a family drama that will pull at your heartstrings. I couldn’t help but root for this family. There are certain characters that I wanted to slap or at least mean mug. Others I just wanted to hug. That is how well the character development was done in this story. I think fans of psychological thrillers will enjoy this title.

A dark, twisted, emotional journey telling the story of a single affair and the lies that led to the destruction of trust among those who she loved most. Sheryl Browne has woven quite the tale here with this knockout of a domestic noir thriller! What starts as an emotional unraveling of a marriage quickly turns into a living nightmare for all involved in this new novel by Browne.

About the Book

Alicia has been telling lies for 16 years, and they are about to catch up with her. At a dark time in her husband Justin’s life, Alicia Cole turned to the arms of another man. Now that affair which stayed buried for so long is threatening to ruin her family, as Paul Radley turns back up in their lives.

From the moment Justin sets eyes on Alicia and Paul talking close in the corner of a party, he suspects what he has denied for so long. Alicia was unfaithful. But the affair is only the beginning of the sordid web of lies and deceit surrounding their marriage. And it will take its toll on not just Alicia and Justin, but on their children as well.

As Alicia tells more lies to try and keep her family, she and Justin find themselves hurtling towards a shocking truth about their past. This book will make you wonder whether any secret can ever truly stay buried.

Reflection

This book is raw and filled with emotion. As far as thrillers go, I’d put this in the domestic thriller category, not the psychological thriller category. It will tug completely on your heart, as you see the devastating impact Alicia’s secret has on her husband and children. The book explores the tower of lies that build up when you try to keep a secret buried, and what happens when that tower topples over.

One of the brilliant things about this book are that there are very few characters. This allows you to really know the impact the secret and subsequent events has on each person in a very intimate way. This could easily be envisioned as a limited series program on HBO. It is filled with heartbreaking moments, twisted lies, and dark secrets threatening to come to life.

As you read this, you may think you know who is right and who is wrong, but these secrets go much deeper than is initially revealed. You’ll find yourself unsure of who to trust, and who else might be keeping secrets. Your heart will break for this family and what they are going through. And just when you think you can’t take it anymore, you’ll get those final twists. I am excited for other readers to enjoy this book!

Thank you to Bookouture for a copy of this book to review.

I read Sheryl’s first novel, The Babysitter, when it first came out and I absolutely adored it so I couldn’t wait when I heard that she was coming out with another new thriller. It’s definitely lived up to expectations!
This is a book that is going to be difficult to discuss as I don’t want to ruin anything so apologies for that! This starts with following Alicia and Justin following the harrowing loss of their young son in a car accident which was absolutely heart wrenching getting to follow them as through their loss. I did manage to guess a lot of the plot, but I still enjoyed seeing the build up to the reveals and also getting to see if I was correct if who had done what and when! I really enjoyed that this did deal with a lot of issues; especially the entire reasoning behind the main plot. I do feel like it was dealt with well and with a lot of thought and care put into everyone’s reactions to it.
I didn’t find this as thrilling as The Babysitter but I think that’s because the first part of the book was dealing more with the loss of their baby and also with Alicia dealing with her ‘Affair’ and trying to keep it a secret, and the thriller part only came into play in the second half of the book. Despite this I did enjoy the read, I just think it’s something to bare in mind if you go into this following the babysitter.
Overall this was an enjoyable read and I would definitely recommend picking this up, especially if you’re a fan of domestic thrillers!

Thank You Netgalley for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Alicia’s been telling lies. And now they’ve come back to haunt her.

When an old colleague turns up at a party, Alicia comes face to face with the man who has the potential to ruin her perfect family life. He wouldn’t, would he?

This was my first time reading anything by Sheryl Browne. The beginning is sad and I was worried that the whole book would be that way however the author didn't disappoint. I couldn't put this one down.

The story is told by different points of view and the characters are well written and developed making the story much more enjoyable. This book will draw you in and keep you guessing. A great read and I highly recommend it.

This psychological thriller is the perfect read! The plot moves along at a quick pace and it has characters and a plot that are well developed. Well written!

I loved this book! While it was somewhat predictable there was still a bit of a twist and I couldn't put it down.
This was told from the viewpoint of Alicia, her husband Justin and their teenage daughter Sophie. From getting teary eyed to the emotional beginning, to being angry, to feeling sorry for the spouse, to being worried about the daughter, to being shocked at the end it was definitely a roller coaster book. I am already looking up Sheryl Browne's other books.