I was very surprised by the amount of four and five star reviews for this book. I was intrigued and excited by the plot. After reading this book, I feel my experience does not match up to those four and five star ones. The Secret Mistress by Ellie Monago felt like a repetitive experience. From the beginning, I kept seeing the same patterns: Jade’s constant desire for money, and Maren’s struggle to find a sense of purpose. I tried to convince myself that there was more depth to the story, expecting some big twist, like Cory not actually being dead or Maren discovering she wasn’t really the wife. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. What you see is exactly what you get: two women hurt by the same man. The ending was also a letdown, feeling rushed and incomplete. Overall, the book didn’t quite live up to expectations. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I'm still torn with my rating, unsure whether I should be giving it 3 or 4 stars. When reading it I thought 3, then from 60% in I thought 4 but now that I've had a couple of days to think about it after finishing I've settled with a 3 and I'm hoping this doesn't seem harsh as I DID enjoy this.

The story is straight to the point from page 1 which was good in a way but I was concerned that without a bit of build up, the majority of the book would be dragged on a bit. In a way i was correct although from 60% in, that was when I became gripped. I love a book that's told from different characters points of view, without there being too many which can complicate things. This was great because it was told from 2 women's points of view and literally every chapter my opinion would change. One minute I liked one, thought one was nuts, then the other one was too bitchy and I felt sorry for the other one. I was like this till the very end.

There were some twists and surprises that made me need to continue to find out what was next. Towards the end when I thought the book was done there was yet another surprise tat left me hanging.

I'm left with some unanswered questions but it is possible this was the authors intention as I'm now sat here thinking about the story and things that happened in it and trying to imagine what would or could have happened.

I'd happily recommend this book to others. A nice easy read and I'm looking forward to checking out more of the author's work.

That ending. Of course Maren was going to find some way to still be involved. This was suspensful and I didn't know who to support at times, but Corey was horrible and with friends like theirs its no wonder adult friendships can be complicated and tricks, like in this book.

Holy Moley! The Secret Mistress puts the psyco in psychological thriller! The way Ellie Manago portrays the two main characters is brilliant. You don't know if you want to sympathize with them or dislike them.

Maren's husband Corey had passed away suddenly leaving her alone. Enter Jade, the mistress, with her son Tai in tow. Claiming Tai is Corey's son, she demands Maren hand over money that should rightfully belong to Tai. At first, Maren doesn't believe Corey would have an affair, let alone a six year relationship. But she soon discovers it's true. Suddenly she feels cheated because she and Corey didn't have a child. Thinking she'd be the better mother, she soon sets her sights on having Tai to herself.

Told at a head spinning pace, the twists and surprises will keep readers gasping til the end. Both Maren and Jade believe they are fighting for the best interests of Tai, but both have an ugliness about them that makes that questionable. This is an extremely dark and disturbing thriller that I highly recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the advanced copy

From the minute I picked up this book I was completely hooked. It is gripping and full of twists. I was doubting all the characters.

The suspense! With the sudden passing of Maren's husband, Jade brings a shocking secret. The character development is spot on. It's clear each woman is fighting for what they believe is right but you often find yourself debating which woman is genuine. It's so easy to be empathetic to both women up to the shocking end.

The ending felt a bit rushed. I would have loved to see a bit more there. Overall, a suspenseful, entertaining read. Check it out on publication day June 10th!

Thanks to Netgalley & Bookouture for this ARC!

I think we can sum this up with - some secrets can be deadly. And also the last thing you need as a grieving widow is the mistress of your husband showing up on your doorstep with a baby....

This was a good and twisty book, written in the POV of both Jade - the mistress - and Maren, the wife. Or now, the widow. I am surprised the two of them bonded over the course of the story, mostly over Jade's son, Tai. Could be a happy ending, maybe. But we all know how this kind of story does usually end, right? However, if you want to know how it ends, and if you want your mind being blwon away by it, go and read the book. That is all I can say here!

I could not put this book down. The entire time my mind was debating if Maren or Jade were unhinged and Tai was just caught in the middle. Without a doubt though it's clear Corey sucked. I did not expect the twists at the end of the book. I really enjoyed the book and will be looking for more books from this author.

When I first started thus book I stopped a couple times with a "ugh just another book" well I finally picked it back up and once I got into it?! I loved this book! What an enjoyable read! This book had suspense, intrigue, action, and so many crazy twists! And a bit of a who done it! I highly recommend reading this book! It was well worth reading!

Secrets can be deadly. Read this book to find out why. I was up half the night reading this book. Heck of a read.

Unfortunately, I didn't really care for this book. Jade is Corey's mistress They have a four-year-old son, Tai. After Corey dies, Jade takes Tai to meet Corey's wife in hopes that she will give them some money. The two girls kind of bond; more so over Tai, a lot of secrets come out about Jade, Corey, Tai, and Maren. What these women thought was real was just a lie? I skimmed it. It didn't grab my attention.

I really was not expecting this book to be as deep as it was, I found it quite sad at parts when you understand the motives of some people. Very good writing and still had all the elements of a good thriller!

Wow! Sit down and hold on for the ride! Another one of Ellie’s books that I didn't want to put down… Just as I love a psychological thriller to be and the ending was just perfect. Another stunningly compulsive read from a truly brilliant author!

I was hooked from the first page and blown away wow! This book was twisty , dark, disturbing and emotional.

I favourite character was Maren and liked her perspective in the book.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ from me!

Ugh. She just wanted to be a Mom so much. How heartbreaking. How does her husband do this to her. He got what he deserved for sure. Such an amazing book!

A wife and a mistress both keeping secrets.
A well written drama with some interesting twists and turns.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

When your spouse dies suddenly, it is difficult to grasp this and you need time to deal with the grief. What you can miss as a toothache is that suddenly his mistress is at your door with their love baby.  The further the story progresses, the more we learn what people can hide. Even the people you trusted 100% and for whom you would go through the fire turn out to disappoint and have cheated on you;

As soon as the book starts, it becomes clear that someone was playing dirty. I like stories written from different perspectives and where the characters have quite a few secrets; This increases the tension because you want to know how everything fits together and this is of course accompanied by surprising revelations. Both ladies fight for what they want and everything is allowed in love and war. One of them will eventually win, right ...?

You can love someone very much, but when you discover the person behind the facade, this love can disappear like snow in the sun.

It is sometimes difficult to understand how people can behave so meanly and clearly think only of themselves, simply because they can.

Dark, shocking and emotional are three things that immediately come to mind when I describe this book. 5 stars

Thank you