MoMo’s Book Diary recommends “The Affair” as a (better than) 5 star suspense novel.

Followers of my book blog (momobookdiary) will be aware of how highly I rate the author Sheryl Browne. Whilst I have enjoyed her romance / chicklit novels, I must admit I really do prefer her gripping psychological thrillers. I love the way that Sheryl’s mind works – so much suspense and you just never know what twist is coming next.

This book fantastically hooked me from the start and I had goosebumps return again and again throughout. The characters immediately come to life and I was left thinking about those who remain long after I finished the book. There are twists and surprises throughout the book which keep you guessing until the final twist.

Thanks to Sheryl Browne, Bookouture and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to publication.

As soon as I received the approval email from NetGalley and Bookouture I got myself settled and started to read. It took me less than 6 hours to read cover to cover. I can’t “do” life when I have a Sheryl Browne book on my kindle to read!

The Affair by Sheryl Browne is a heartbreaking story on many levels. First the main characters Alicia and her husband Justin lose their young son in an accident, then it comes out that Alicia has had an affair years ago. Her daughter Sophie may have a different father than Justin. Overall, the writing was good, the pace was fast, and the alternating points of view moved the story along. However, once it was established what was going on, and who the bad guy was, there wasn't much more to this story. There was nothing to figure out, no one to root for. It is evident what was going to happen. For that reason, I would only give this book two stars. Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced reader copy.

What happens when your lies come back to haunt you? Alicia has tried to keep her secrets hidden but of course, nothing stays hidden. Sheryl Browne really knocked it out of the park with this one. I thoroughly enjoyed reading from the different points of view, and the twist....oh my goodness!

Thank you again Net Galley and Bookouture for an early release of The Affair. It had a lot going on in the beginning of the book, I didn’t know what to expect but I’m so glad I stayed with it. A quick read and worth every page.

A tragedy leads to revelation of a secret which then tumbles into more and more problems for Alicia and Justin. Alicia has been telling a lie for a very long time. Her husband Justin is a good guy, isn't he? Their teen daughter Sophie doesn't do well with anything that's happened and then she disappears. The first part of this is more a domestic drama (albeit a sad one) and the second part is more of a thriller. No matter- as a whole it's a good read with a couple neat (well, not nice but well done) twists. Thanks to net galley for the ARC. Good plot driven novel perfect for travel or the beach.

The Affair.... oh it is so much more than that! What a page turner this one is.. so good ... and so sad.

This is is a tough book to write a review of without giving anything away. It is obvious from the title that there is an affair... but who is guilty? Years of lies come back to haunt Alicia in this story... and then a car accident changes everything for everyone.. the twists keep coming and it will have you hooked... it did me. There are things that will shock you and things that you do see coming.

Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased

I feel like this book is trying to do the most and failing. You have a wife with a secret, an old friend who seems a bit off, a jealous and suspecting husband, a teenage daughter with a flair for the dramatic, an aunt who seems suspicious, and a tragic car accident that results in the loss of their infant son. I just felt like this book was pulling me in fifty different directions and, for a quick read, tried to focus on too many things, too many secrets, and too many plot points.

The Affair started off rather slow; again, because of all the different elements, I wasn’t quite sure what was going to be the focal point of the story. And, because of the slow pacing, it was hard to connect to the characters or get really invested in the story. Once it picked up–maybe halfway through the book–it moved along rather quickly. It wrapped up nicely, if not unrealistically, and I felt a sense of closure. It wasn’t the most satisfying or dynamic ending, but it was still a decent read for a rainy afternoon. The Affair will be released on August 10th, so you still have a bit of time if you’re interested in pre-ordering! (And it’s only $2.99 on Kindle!)

Alicia's been telling lies. And now they've come back to haunt her. When an old college 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?

OMG. The beginning of this book is so sad. I did not think I was going to be able to read the rest of the book as the tears just kept coming. Alicia is married to Justin and they have two children. We know there has been an affair but just what is the secret that could potentially ruin Alicia's marriage. Is it just the affair? Or is there something else?

This is another book that you can't give away too much of the contents as it would spoil the book for other readers. The story is told my several different people's point of view. The pace is steady in this well written book. We get a mixed amount of heartbreak, tension, twists and shock horror at the events occurring in this throughout this book. I really liked the final twist. I honestly never saw that coming. To be honest, I would probably have done the same thing if it was me. Another great read by the author,Sheryl Browne.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Bookouture and the author Sheryl Browne for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book pulled me in from the prologue, and then the next chapter, Oh my god so sad! I was soon reading on and I couldn't stop. It wasn't for me a typical psychological thriller, but a great read none the less.

Well this book took me somewhere I wasn't quite expecting to go which, I guess, is the whole point of a psychological thriller! We start with a bang, literally, a family is involved in a car crash which kills the youngest member, their newborn baby Luke. We then follow parents Alicia and Justin, along with teenager Sophie as they try to come to terms with their loss. Justin, it turns out, is no stranger to loss having suffered with his own in his past (spoilers prevent me saying more). But, Luke's funeral, a face from the past attends and starts to talk quite heavily to Alicia, an event and conversation which proves to be the catalyst for some pretty heavy stuff that follows.
Obviously there's an affair - it's the title of the book so it's no secret. But you'll be kidding yourself if you think it was as cut and dried as all that. Instead, the author has crafted a complicated tale, woven around both Alicia and Justin's pasts, stemming back to a time when it wasn't all hearts and flowers for them. As with all stories of this ilk, with secrets kept hidden, the truth will eventually out, but the characters will go through a lot in the journey. With secrets, lies and duplicitous behaviour aplenty, the author takes the reader on a wild ride, at the same time, throwing shock after shock at each of the characters in turn. And that truth, when it all does come out is really rather shocking and something that, even though I had a feeling about, really wasn't quite what I was fully expecting.
The characters were well developed and were quite easy to connect to / emote with. All along the journey, I changed my views on certain ones as the story unfolded, just as I should with this genre book. As more of the truth came out, I also did a fair but of shouting at them, wanting to bang some head together, wishing if only they had spoken up at the time, if only they had handled things differently. If only they had got the right help along the way. There were a lot of "if onlys".
And the ultimate ending, well, it may divide people, but you know what, it worked for me, shocking as it was, it was the right one. If I had to say one thing though, I did find Sophie's behaviour a little too much at times but then again, I've never been in her situation so how would I know how she would/could react. She is a teenager after all!
Apart from a bit of a slow middle section, it held my attention very nicely throughout and left me wholly satisfied at its conclusion. If you like your psychological thrillers with a strong family drama bent, this is the book for you. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Overall, this book was OK but not my favourite I have read lately. I think I just found it at bit slow at times although it was well written. I didn't particularly route for any of the characters in particular but I think it was an enjoyable read so would recommend giving it a go. I enjoyed the authors previous book more so would be happy to read future books by her.

This is a story which I would class more as a family drama as opposed to a psychological thriller.

I have read and enjoyed another of the authors books. Although this one was written well, unfortunately it didn’t grip me as much as I had hoped.

Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for providing a copy.

Spectacular! Thank goodness for a rainy Saturday as I devoured this book today.

The story of a family where after a tragic accident all sorts of secrets become uncovered that started over 16 years ago.
The Affair is definitely a page turner that you can not put down. Once you think you have it all figured out there is a plot twist that you never see coming. For those that love a great thriller this will not disappoint!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for letting me read The Affair by Sheryl Browne for an honest review! All opinions are my own!

My first time reading Sheryl Browne, no regrets!

One second can change your life forever!
They looked like a perfect family... they weren't! Everything changes after a bad car accident. Secrets can't stay hidden for long...

It's well written, interesting, keeps you wanting to know more! If you think you will only read one chapter or so because it's already late at night, think again! You can't just read one chapter, you keep turning page after page!

Review shared online on NetGalley, Twitter, Goodreads, Amazon when published.

In one moment of time, a family experiences one grief after another. This family is at its breaking point when something sinister is waiting for its opportunity to pounce. Between the guilt and lies this fragile family has a lot to atone for.

Sheryl does a great job at deflecting the story away from the dangerous situation with nonsensical things. This story didn’t grab ahold of me the way I prefer my psychological thrillers to do. In fact, I experienced bouts of boredom with the repetitive nature of the story.

There seemed to be loop holes in the story. I had some concerns regarding Paul’s character. Some of the circumstances didn’t add up. Some of the motives were unclear. Paul’s character concerned me, yet I couldn’t pin point what exactly his intentions were. He kept delaying the situation while I kept waiting for the danger to begin,

Sheryl briefly allowed these characters a chance to grieve before she added more worry to their plate. These characters suffered great loss yet didn’t get a chance to properly grieve due to the other impending circumstances because of that I felt a disconnect emotionally to these characters. They bounced back too easily.

What a web we weave by withholding such a world-shattering secret. Justin and Alicia are a married couple with Sophie their eldest daughter of fifteen and six-month-old Luke. In a hit and run accident, the baby dies. Justin and Alicia are not close enough to turn to each other for comfort. The family begins to crumble. Reading it raises all the grief one has personally experienced and unwilling to revisit. The stages of grief and the individual differences are portrayed well, but I found the outpouring of grief and the funeral too prolonged for comfort. It was depressing. Enter Paul Radley. Who is he and why does his appearance fluster Alicia and ultimately Sophie? A secret reveals itself. An interesting ending. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

This is the first book I have read by Sheryl Browne, and Wow! I really enjoyed it and will certainly be reading more of her books.
The Affair is a hugely addictive book. it pulls you in quickly and holds your interest and I read it over a couple of nights.
Sheryl Browne has written a brilliant novel full of suspense, relationships and strikingly full of real life situations. A complelling story with dark and chilling moments, and it will have you gripped to the pages. A definite 5* read. I thoroughly recommend it.

Thank you!

I would like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Affair’ by Sheryl Browne in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Things start to go wrong when Alicia’s car won’t start and her husband Justin offers to drive them in his car despite being tired after a double shift in A&E. A car crashes into them and doesn’t stop leaving Alicia, Justin and daughter Sophie injured and six-week-old baby Lucas dead. At the funeral Paul Radley, an old lover of Alicia’s, turns up making it impossible for the secret she’s been keeping to stay secret any longer. Now Justin knows, can their marriage survive the knowledge that Alicia cheated on him and that Sophie may not be his daughter?

Every now and again I start reading a novel that becomes fixed in my head and won’t go away and ‘The Affair’ is one of these novels. I found myself becoming involved in the story wanting Justin and Alicia to sit down and discuss matters, and to discover whether her sister Jessica is telling the truth. The plot is tense, well-written and involving, and I liked the characters although at times I felt like shaking Alicia. The story kept me enthralled with twists and turns from start to finish and the final pages, although shocking, revealed the truth. I can thoroughly recommend this novel which definitely deserves five stars.

This book was amazingly written and keeps people running through so many series. You know things are off with some characters, but don't know exactly why until the author reveals it to you. Very good character development, which will definitely chill you, but also break your heart just a bit! Will be highly revommending in Chapter Chatter Pub!

The Affair was a fabulous, addictive read, it didn't take me long to get through this book as I had to know what was going to happen next I highly recommend it.