WHAT HAPPENS WHEN TWO WOMEN WHOSE HEARTS HAVE BEEN BROKEN BY THE SAME WOMEN COME FACE TO FACE?

Meet Cecily Yates, a married woman falls in love with another woman, Willow Carmicheal, her colleague from work . But after a new job avenue, Willow breaks up their 4 year affair and moves to Las Vegas.

"I have no idea how I am these days, I miss my girlfriend, while I am married to my husband.
Willow Carmicheal is the first women I had been with and sadly she is the only person I have cheated on my husband with."

.After few months Cecily is proffered a promotion and a work trip to LasVegas where she locks eyes with a sexy and attractive woman, her bartender.

This gorgeous bartender is Francesca Lopez, the estranged ex girlfriend who has just been dumped by her PLAYER of a girlfriend, Willow Carmicheal. Soon, temperatures rise and sparks fly and the casino fills with LUST and so much lust when Cecily and Francesca come face to face.

What happens next? Well, read the book to know the juicy and erotic details.

The subject of this book is not very common, although at least in Rachel Spangler's book, does she loves you ?, it also deals with the relationship between two exes of the same woman. But in that one, the setting was not as glamorous as it is in this one, Las Vegas no less.

Altogether this story has ups and downs. The role of the woman who has left these two "other women" has been the main down,, not just because of the role itself but because I haven't felt that she was powerful enough to do so much damage in her wake.

And the “other women” protagonists would be at the top, Francesca is a wonderful character and Cecily not so much, but she’s on the right side.

Since the story is told from the point of view of the two women, Francesca and Cecily, it is sometimes a little difficult to follow the thread and realize why they are so hurt. The story thus written mixes their past experiences and between the two they show us how it is the woman who has done them so much harm, but it does not fit very well with what we see of her in her real-time appearances during the story. And the story also has a deep background of anguish, from beginning to end. It’s not the favorite feeling for me to find in a story.

Frankly I was expecting more from this story but it has stayed in moderately good for me. It has happened to me before with this author, I have liked some of her books very much and others not so much. But it's a good story wn any case, which I can't stop recommending.

* I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

My review would be more like a 3,5 stars instead of 4 if I'm brutally honest.
It took me more than 3 days in order to finish the first chapter and to be honest I thought several times about not even finishing this book. I normally don't like books that need to start the chapters with "Cecily" and then write from her point of view, then another chapter "Francesca" and then her point of view. Maybe I'm the strange one but this way of telling the story doesn't really work for me, it doesn't really flow naturally.
In the initial chapters the dialogue between Willow ( the other woman) and Francesca felt a little be unrealistic and overly dramatic and it was like watching a soap opera when the characters speak a certain wooden language.
I started getting into the story after Francesca and Cecily met and I admit that I enjoyed their chemistry and that was what kept me reading till the end. This is actually what made me somehow finish this book.
I like Erin Zak and I consider her one of the good new w/w authors but I don't think this one was one of her best works. I will look forward to her new book and I hope it's more like her previous one.

I stare at my reflection in my bathroom mirror. “Francesca Lopez. You are a sexy beast. And you deserve to be taken seriously. Do you hear me?”

What happens when you fall for the person who is the cause of your broken heart? This is a poignant tale of a pair of broken hearts finding love from the most unlikely of sources. Cecily and Francesca have both been scarred by love, and in a wicked twist of fate, found that they were connected by the same person who broke both their hearts.

Damaged. Broken. Some big words were used on the characters in this book. So big that as you move with the storyline, they cramp out the space in your heart and you can literally feel the self deprecation, doubt and pain of the characters. Throughout the book one is kept on their toes on when the dream will be shattered when they found out who is the other woman.

The answer to if you should pick up the book would be a resounding yes. The writing was exemplary, the emotions so vividly written I can still feel the clenches even after I put down the book.

I just reviewed The Other Women by Erin Zak. #NetGalley

Cecily Yates has been having an affair for four years with Willow Carmichael. She also has a wonderful husband who she is not in love with.  When Willow suddenly leaves, Cecily is devastated and confused but still believes they are in a relationship. Francesca Lopez, works in a bar in Las Vegas, she's also in a four month old relationship with Willow Carmichael.  When Willow tells her their relationship is over as she's in love with another woman, Francesca is crushed.  Cecily has to travel to Las Vegas, she's excited to see Willow and tell her she's done with her marriage but their things between them don't quite go to plan and Cecily ends up at the bar that Francesca is working and the sparks fly.
Erin Zak's books just keep getting better. Cheating can be a divisive subject but the skill with which Zak writes and allow you to sympathise with the characters makes cheating seem OK. I love how the web between Cecily, Francesca and Willow is cleverly woven, it makes for a great read and the chemistry between Cecily and Francesca is just off the charts. I couldn't put this book down and I'll be definitely re-reading it.  Loved it!

Cecily Yates is in a loveless marriage. She won't leave her husband, even though she doesn't love him. She's been seeing Willow Carmichael on the down-low, until Willow leaves Chicago for a job in Las Vegas.

Francesca Lopez, successful in her job and life, working at The Heights casino, meets Willow who is her superior and who takes her heart and eventually tears it to pieces.

Cecily and Francesca meet by chance. What are the odds? What will be the result?

The prologue will pull you in, right from sentence #1. Erin Zak writes emotions like few authors can and she brings those emotions to the reader on the page, jumping off the page into your soul. If someone has ever broken up with you, and you didn't know why, Zak writes how it felt.

Willow Carmichael goes through the lives of women like a hot knife through butter, but not quite as gently as that. She blames everyone for her inability to commit, and leaves the women believing they are to blame. She leaves them broken and unable to trust their own emotions.

This might well be the finest piece of writing I've ever read on how women feel after being devastated by love and loss.

But, not all is gloom and doom. Finding that one who was put in your path to heal your broken parts, your broken heart, is as unlikely as either Francesca or Cecily ever thought it would be, but can they trust themselves not to break each other into smaller pieces? Can they open themselves up so soon after their twin heartbreaks? Will they realize that they each dearly want to make the sacrifice it takes to love someone who doesn't always feel worthy of that love and sacrifice?

Erin Zak gets better with every book, with every word she writes, and she makes me want to read each and every word. This one is a must-read. This book is her best work yet.

I was given an ARC of this title by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have so many feelings after reading this book… actually, even before reading it. The blurb piqued my interest first, then the Acknowledgements, and by the time I finished the story I was completely won over.

Told in the first person from both the MCs’ points of view, the story centers around Francesca and Cecily – two women (read “the other women”) who have both had their hearts broken by Willow, a marketing executive who doesn’t know what she wants. From the very first chapter you know Willow is cold and heartless by the way she casts aside Francesca to try to win back her “ex,” Cecily. I was thrilled when the fateful meeting between Francesca and Cecily happened and couldn’t put the book down from that point on.

I think what I loved most about this storyline is that it’s unusual and not an over-used trope... and it WORKS. You’re rooting for the two MCs to get together and find the love and respect they deserve from a partner. Of course, it’s not all smooth sailing, but the level of angst and time taken for both characters to find themselves and each other again is perfect.

This is the first book I’ve ready by Erin Zak, but it certainly won’t be the last!

I received an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley for an honest review.

Cecily been having an affair for last four years with a women name Willow. Cecily is in turmoil for cheating on her husband Luke who also her best friend she just no longer in love with him and afraid to let him go. Cecily is devastated when Willow gets a job offer and ups a goes without a goodbye even though Willow was ok with situation but it’s seems she wasn’t.

Cecily is heart broken goes to the hotel bar and meets Francesca who is the bartender she just got her heart broken when the woman she loves tells her she loves someone else as she flirts with Cecily they are both unaware that they have someone in common.

Cecily has very religious family and married Luke when she was young that she never realize her attraction towards women until she met Willow at work. I like Francesca she was like a breath fresh air as chemistry with Cecily was on point and how she help Cecily be comfortable in her own skin.

Normally I don’t like premise with cheating is involve but Cecily didn’t do it to be malicious yes she should have end her marriage before starting a affair but I get it she was scare to leave her comfort and what she thinks is right then being true to yourself.


I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Cecily Yates works in a corporate casino marketing job in Chicago and is married to her husband, Luke. She likes Luke and he is her best friend, but she is not in love with Luke. Cecily has been having an affair for four years with Willow Carmichael whom she met at work. One day seemingly out of the blue Willow announces that she is leaving the next day for Las Vegas. Cecily initially thinks that Willow means she is leaving on a business trip. No, Willow is permanently moving to Las Vegas. Needless to say, Cecily is heartbroken.

Francesca Lopez is a high flying Las Vegas bartender from a solid family who lives in the area. Francesca has been seeing Willow for about three months when Willow announces that she is still in love with a woman in Chicago. Francesca is devastated. She tries a pick up herself up when Cecily sits down at her bar one day for a drink. Cecily is in Las Vegas on a business trip and wants to unwind with a drink. Neither woman know what they have in common. They simply know when they meet that they experience a deep attraction and sizzling chemistry.

I will admit that when I initially started reading this book I found it difficult to relate and connect to any of the three women. My initial Impression was that all three of them appeared to be highly selfish. But I pressed on and kept reading and am glad that I did. The characters, at least two of them, became more engaging and relatable when I learned more about their backstory and the challenges they faced in life.

This story is about heartbreak, betrayal, and the ability to overcome raw pain in order to learn to live again. A well written, emotional book by Erin Zak. 4 stars

I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars, Cecily Yates is in love with a woman who she cheating on her husband with. She got married young and was from a religious family and did not know about bisexuality until she met Willow Carmichael. Although, she does not want to leave her husband for Willow, she still is committed to him. When Willow moves to Las Vegas from Chicago, Cecily is heartbroken, even though Willow and Cecily still talk and everything, it is not the same. Willow also admits on Cecily's trip to Vegas that she is cheating on Cecily with another woman. Francesca Lopez is a bartender at a popular casino in Las Vegas, and has a lot going for her, except love. When Willow breaks up with her after telling her she is the other woman and Willow is in love with a woman who isn't going to leave her husband,. Francesca is heartbroken. When Cecily sits at Francesca's bar and order a drink, Francesca can't help but flirt with her. They both have no idea who the other one is, and how they are both heartbroken by the same woman.

I enjoyed this novel a lot. I loved how their dynamic evolved through the book. I liked how they had heart break that linked them together and they both were attracted to each other no matter how they felt about their exes. Cecily and Francesca both are cautious in the beginning until they start to know more about the other. I enjoyed how it really evolved over the few days Cecily was there. They both seemed to start to have a connection they cannot understand. I enjoyed this novel and would recommend it.

Isn’t Willow Carmichael a beautiful name? It makes me think of fall and red leaves and the smell of the earth after the rain. Beautiful and romantic. I wish I could say the same about the woman bearing it. She’s obviously pretty and charming but not on the inside. I guess she has excuses for some of her behaviour but there are no excuses for the way she treats people.

Let me back up a little. Four months ago, Willow took a job in Vegas. For the past four years, in Chicago, she had been having an affair with Cecily Yates, a married woman. Cecily loves her husband Luke but hasn’t been in love with him in a long time, and multiple miscarriages sealed their marriage’s fate. Yeah, she should have left him, Willow agrees with that, even though she told Cecily she was okay with the situation. The truth is, she wasn’t. So she upped and left without discussing anything with Cecily, leaving her with a broken heart and a broken marriage. A promotion and a business trip bring Cecily to Vegas but the reunion with Willow doesn’t go as smoothly as either hoped. They fight, Cecily storms out of the room and, at the hotel bar, meets Francesca Lopez. Little does either woman know that the same fickle chick broke both their hearts.

I’m not a fan of cheating in romance but it happens and when it’s cleverly written, I can see how torn someone could be between two persons, between what her heart wants and what she thinks she should do. I can see how it can lead to wrong decisions, over and over. It makes for excellent angst and inextricable situations and so many feelings. I wouldn’t trust just any author to write about it but I have come to accept that Erin Zak can write about any sort of relationship, anything having to do with the human heart and psyche, and I will believe it.

The story she tells in The Other Women is that of two women who both believe they’re not enough, not worthy of love. There’s a rawness to Zak’s writing, something passionate just below the surface, that hovers right on the edge of pain. And by raw I do not mean harsh or blunt or basic. It’s poetic and romantic with just the right amount of lyricism, never over the top. Very alive, very real. I think I’ve written this before, but it’s like it speaks directly to my heart.

It will therefore come as no surprise that The Other Women kept me breathless almost from the first page. Cecily and Francesca touched my soul, and I held my breath, rooting for them, for this insane yet perfect match, knowing what had to happen, hoping no one would get irremediably hurt. It’s like the sword of Damocles, you know something terrible is coming, but you don’t know when or how. Beyond the love story and the betrayals and everything that ripped my heart and all that mended it slowly, Zak sprinkled her novel with really cool secondary characters. Luke, the husband, is awesome, as are best friends Max and Diamond as well as Francesca’s family and Cecily’s sister.

I am not the type to fangirl (except maybe when it comes to Star Wars) but I have so far read three books and two short stories by Erin Zak and for me, they are all 5* (to be fair, one short story was 4*). So maybe I'll start fangirling now.

I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

I really enjoyed this book. I read it within a day because I was so interested. And I was a bit sad when I realized I was finished with the book.

I loved that you could really feel for the main character and the guilt and confusion she carried throughout the book. And Francesca was like a breath of fresh air, to myself, as the reader and to the main character as well.