The Other Woman by Sandie Jones is another of those books that make me crave popcorn once I pick them up and start reading. It’s the type of story that early on you get the entire general idea of what will happen but still fun to sit back and wait for the fireworks and enjoy the show along the way.

Emily has come out of a relationship where she caught her boyfriend cheating with a good friend of hers so she’s a bit hesitant to get back in the game until she meets Adam. The more Emily gets to know Adam the more she thinks he’s absolutely perfect for her, that is until he brings her home to meet his mother.

On the surface Emily’s first meeting with Pammie goes well but for Emily the doubts begin to creep in after that meeting. While Pammie appears to be friendly and welcoming little things she does or say seem to get the best of Emily but Emily is not willing to give up her love for Adam despite his mother.

The story inside of The Other Woman is not a new one but it’s one that has managed to grab my attention time and time again. The good old ‘evil mother in law to be’ trope did manage to entertain me until the very end again this time and oh what an ending it was. Emily and Pammie made such an entertaining pair this go round that I flew right through the book and would certainly recommend this to those that enjoy a good old fashioned drama filled suspenseful ride.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I did not quite know what to expect when I started this book. I thought that I was in for a story of a jealous old woman trying to keep her son from getting married because of some messed up reverse Oedipus Rex complex, I was totally wrong!

Pammie, which is an awful name for an older woman, has 2 wonderful sons, Adam and James. Adam meets and falls in love with Emily, but when Emily meets Pammie she can't understand why Pammie is so mean and nasty towards her. She tries to tell Adam, but he brushes her off not wanting to hear anything negative about his sweet, loving mother. As things progress with their relationship, Emily's relationship with Pammie just continues to get worse and worse. It's not until the very end of the book that we see the bigger picture. I have a fairly good sense of impending twist sometimes, but this was a great one and I did not see it coming.

This was a really enjoyable book, thank you! I'd love to read more from this author and publisher. My only feedback is with the major twist at the end. While shocking, it was a bit unbelievable as some of Pammie's comments earlier in the book were inconsistent with her ultimate revelation.

I received an ARC from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This was my first title to be approved by NetGalley and I'm so glad! It was truly a GREAT read!
You open the book and start to think you have it all figured out, that you're reading about the worst future mother in law in the world and that they'll breakup and that's all BUT, then the story takes a dramatic twist! A twist that makes you shake your head like whoa, what just happened here?
I really love how Sandie Jones developed the characters and the sly details she puts out there, just enough to get you thinking and then when things are revealed, you realize she HAD thrown a couple of eggs out there but, you didn't quite put two and two together.
"Pammie", the mother in law from hell or was she? You'll have to read to find out!! A definite MUST READ!!

“A deliciously disturbing, compulsively readable debut domestic suspense--prepare to meet The Other Woman: there’s nothing she won’t do to keep you away from her son ...

Emily thinks Adam’s perfect; the man she thought she’d never meet.

But lurking in the shadows is a rival; a woman who shares a deep bond with the man she loves.

Emily chose Adam, but she didn’t choose his mother Pammie. There’s nothing a mother wouldn’t do for her son, and now Emily is about to find out just how far Pammie will go to get what she wants: Emily gone forever.

The Other Woman is an addictive, fast-paced psychological thriller about the destructive relationship between Emily, her boyfriend Adam, and his manipulative mother Pammie.”-Goodreads.com

I was all ready to give 4 or more stars to this one ... until I got to the twist at the end. It felt like the author was trying too hard to create a jaw dropping ending. While I appreciate the effort, it didn't ring true for me. Perhaps Pammie missed her calling. She was a hell of an actress!

When I heard the words "The Most Twisty, Addictive and Gripping Debut Thriller" I couldn't wait to dive into this book. I LOVE thrillers! However, this one completely missed the "thriller" mark for me. There was no edge of my seat, nail biting going on while reading it. It was quite slow for the first half of the book and then became a little predictable to me. I find myself saying....If this wasn't classified as a thriller, I would probably have given it a higher rating because it was a decent story, just Not A Thriller.

According to CrimeByTheBook.com: "The term 'domestic thriller' is one which every single reader might define just a bit differently - but at its most basic, this subgenre of crime fiction is a style of psychological thriller that focuses on interpersonal relationships....A domestic thriller is a subset of psychological thrillers; you’d be hard-pressed to find a domestic thriller that couldn’t also be considered a psychological thriller, but not all psychological thrillers are domestic thrillers."

The term domestic thriller (in some places domestic noir) might be new but there are classics that might fit here, such as Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier and We Have Always Lived in a Castle by Shirley Jackson.

I read Gone Girl and The Girl on a Train well after others were clamoring abou them.  I liked Gone Girl up till the final quarter or so and then it just felt a little silly.  (I have read all Flynn's work, and my favorite is Sharp Objects which while it deals with family and secrets feels more gothic to me than a lot of the more recent books that are lumped into this "domestic" thriller category.)  I kind of don't know why I finished The Girl on the Train, I didn't like most of the characters.  I've read many others since then, and some I've liked and enjoyed and others were just okay and a few I didn't really care for.  So when ANOTHER one comes out and it is compared to whatever the most recent flavor of the day is, I ask myself do I really want to read that?  I also find the idea that EVERY new book has the TWISTIEST plot twist to be silly (Not to mention that hyping the twist can backfire.  What if it isn't a great twist?  Plus you told me about it so now I'm looking for it.)  And yet I almost always read the next one.  (Just like reading (some) more YA dystopian series or drinking IPA, I read more of these.)

Which brings me to The Other Woman.  The blurb on the cover is from Sarah Pekkanen, a co-author of The Wife Between Us which Anita Shreve (an author with a few novels that teetered on the edge of domestic suspense) directly compared to Gone Girl et al.

The "other woman" in this story is Pammie, Emily's new boyfriend Adam's mum.  Pammie presents one side to the world (butter wouldn't melt in her mouth) but Emily starts to accumulate a series of small events that seem to add up to just one thing:  Pammie would do ANYTHING to get between her beloved boy Adam and the new woman in this life.  But just how far will she go?

I skimmed a few of the reviews on Goodreads and agree, there is some suspension of disblief required to enjoy this title.  I also agree with one reader, that I also figured out at least part of the twist fairly early (although I didn't exactly know Pammie's role in the matter).  What I enjoyed (as I did with the aforementioned Wife Between Us and Kaira Rouda's Best Day Ever) was that there was more "there" there and something a little more original as well as a sense (vaguish spoiler aler) that the female characters had some agency and control, while many other women protagionist and secondary characters in the subgenre do not.  So read it or not, your choice.  I'd love to hear what others think of not just this title but this wave of domestic thrillers.

Such an exciting, wicked read! There are so many twists and turns, as the reader, you will feel like you are going insane. Every time you think you have things figured out you are hit with another piece of the puzzle throwing your head into a tail spin! This will take everything you think you know about love, lies and deception and make you realize that you know nothing.

In all marriages, there is another woman. It's the mother in law. Either they become a wonderful friend or a hateful enemy. When Emily met Adam, it was love that grew quickly. Problems started to arise when Emily met her in-laws. Pammie, and James, Adams ' mother and brother. Pammie is making Emily's life miserable with the slights and mean, condescending comments. She doesn't want them to marry. Then, there is James whom Emily feels a connection, but nothing comes of it because she loves Adam. So many secrets and lies. Pammie manipulates Emily at every turn. Everything is ready for the wedding, then all the skeletons fall out of the closet. I thought it was a page turner. I wanted to know what was happening. Written by someone who has done their homework about relationships. I recommend this book. I received this book from Net Galley for an honest review and no compensation otherwise.

I was so surprised at the ending of this book. Emily and Adam met at a convention. Adam was the man of any woman’s dreams. Emily couldn’t understand how she got so lucky. But Adam’s mother, Pammie, was a different story. She seemed to hate Emily and undermined Emily every chance she got. Yet she was wonderful to James’ fiancé, Kate. James is Adam’s brother. But then Adam seemed to change his demeanor. He was argumentative. He stayed out all hours. He said he was working. What could be going on? Must read to find out how this all ends.

I want to thank netgalley and the author for a free kindle advanced copy! I could not put this book down I found myself sneaking chapters in while I was cooking or cleaning. The other woman introduces us to Emily who hasn’t been very lucky in love. She meets Adam at a work conference and they immediately fall in love. Adam introduces Emily to his mother. From the moment Emily meets Adams mother she notices something is off . After Adam proposes to Emily it’s like a switch goes off and his mother takes her antics further even to the point of threatening Emily by saying that Adam will not marry her! Every page I turned I was saying Emily get the heck out of this relationship! Adam claims he doesn’t see what Emily sees and she’s just trying to come between his mother and him! I enjoyed this book and I loved the fact that the story takes a dark turn half way through , this will definitely become a hit! I will be recommending this book to friends and family!

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

I began this book with high expectations because of the excellent reviews it had gotten. Unfortunately, I was not impressed. There are many twists and turns, but I could not understand why Emily put up with Adam past their second date. While she was open about herself, he revealed nothing! The situations with other characters were also disturbing and unrealistic. I felt that the final "twist" was simply a convenient ploy to end the novel.

The book was ok. It took me awhile to get interested in the storyline. The ending was strange. Not what I expected at all.

I finished “The Other Woman” in one sitting! Jones takes the women’s lit genre and twists and turns it in unexpected ways. Emily finds the seemingly perfect man, until she meets his mother, Pammie. As Emily gets closer wither new man, Pammie finds more and more insidious ways to break them a part until their relationship comes to a breaking point. I couldn’t stop turning the pages and couldn’t quite figure out who I was rooting for at many points! By the end of the book, there are quite a few plot holes that don’t quite add up, but I’m willing to forgive for such an engaging read!

This was a page turner that I read in three days. A love story, mystery, thriller all rolled into one. A great first book for Sandi Jones. I found some things a bit hard to believe but all in all this story kept my interest to the end. Thank you Netgalley for this loan.

Oh wow, I can’t believe this was a debut book! I read this in two days, could not put it down. I wanted to shout at Emily to run away, run away fast! I don’t want to say more than this, as I think readers should not have any hints. But, I think this is one of the best debuts this year! If you love tense thrillers, this is definitely for you!

I have to be honest. When I read the title "The Other Woman" I automatically think well its another woman, not thinking a woman as close a mother. At first this books started out like the movie "Monster-In-Law", soon I find myself going through true emotions from hate to feeling sorry for this character. The author truly knows how to bring her characters to life. I was living within this book as if it was my everyday life. So I won't ruin it for anyone, but the ending was a complete twist. This was a good read.

Thank you to Netgalley & St.Martin's Press & Minotaur books for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review! I tried to win this in a Bookish giveaway but was a bit sad when I didn't win ! Surprise I still got my hands on it thanks to you all ...It was meant to be ❤️🙏🏻

Yes ! Yes! Yes! Yes!!!!! This book is everything you could possibly want in a thriller !!!!! Believe me I try to read almost every single thriller including both New Releases and the oldies but goodies! I am a huge critic when it comes to plot twists and pacing of a suspenseful novel and this one was spot on since page one! Gripping & addictive! Highly relatable characters, even the ones you can't stand, and wildly aggressive dialogue. I felt like I was Emily and was feeling her pain; her struggles!

I had a sneaking suspicion the entire time that I knew what was going on with good ol " Mum" but this book was so phenomenally written that I wasn't quite sure.
I read this in less than a 24 hour time span and literally could not put it down! I even brought my iPad along with me for the ride to the restaurant For dinner haha!

Un-putdownable ( I made my own word) I fell asleep with it in my arms! This is the first Netgalley book to be added to my favorites shelf 🙌🏻🙌🏻 I also reviewed this book on my Facebook & bookish.

I'm pretty sure that this is a debut novel for Sandie Jones as well---- I commend you! Well done ❤️ Can't wait for more !!!

Wow. Just wow. This book was so uncomfortable but I HAD to finish it to make sure someone finally believed Emily about Pammie.

The end was a great twist!

Advance Review Copy

THE OTHER WOMAN is one pretty darned good psychological thriller from first time author Sandie Jones. It's a great summer beach read or cozy up to the fire with some munchies; whatever makes you relax and comfy. This isn't a book you want to think too hard about or question too much lest you start screaming at the heroine to run for the hills before it's too late! Just sit back and enjoy all the twists and turns the (slightly long) plot takes. It's worth it in the end.

A well deserved 4 stars.