Book Summary:

Vera is not the type of person you want to cross, nor do you ever want to be in her way. She's wickedly ambitious, with bold goals and even bolder looks. She knows exactly how to utilize what she has to get what she wants, so watch out.

She thought she had found the perfect new path – a rich older man. But then, a few days later, he and his wife (oops) end up dead, putting the spotlight on Vera. Even a year later, people still want to believe she's a murderer. What is the best way to prove these rumors false? Find the truth on her own.

My Review:

Some books defy reviewing. A Small Affair is one of those books for me. It was a solid thriller read, with some terrific twists at the end. Yet I'm struggling to know what else I want to say.

I think the problem is that while I did enjoy the read, I didn't really like Vera. Sure, I was rooting for her to clear her name, but that doesn't mean I liked her, you know? Admittedly I wasn't blown away by the other characters in this novel either (including the deceased).

On the bright side, if you're looking for a book full of characters you'll love to hate, I have good news for you! A Small Affair is certainly a book that fits that description and then some.

Highlights:
Drama
Thriller
Suspenseful Vibes
Cutthroat characters

A Psychological whodunit. A small affair that affects everyone involved when two people are murdered. The story has thrills, suspense, and drama all cumulating to a satisfying ending. A fast-paced story that entertains the reader with twists and turns, just when you thought you knew all the answers, a twist pops up. An exhilarating thriller.

Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and MIRA for this review copy, I received this review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A Small Affair this is indeed not! A great thriller with many twists and turns throughout. There are a lot of books similar to this one out there today but this is a bit unique and had some great characters to root for. We first meet Vera, an aspiring fashion designer right after she starts dating Tom, who says he's married, but going through a divorce. She's ambitious, cutthroat, and willing to do whatever it takes to get what she wants. After a few dates she decides she wants something different. Soon thereafter, Tom and his wife are found dead in an apparent murder/suicide. Vera is blamed and ostracized by the public, thus losing her up and coming job, and moves back in with her hippie mother. At this point you think well, this might just be a story about Vera getting back on her feet. Oh no, we delve into the pitfalls of social media, the fashion industry, tech millionaires, blackmail, and the sexual proclivities of the rich. Vera is drowning in depression but gets convinced by her roomate to go to the memorial of Tom's wife, Odilie. At this point things get interesting as the family embraces her in their shared grief, and Odilie's sister Page enlists her help to find out more about what happened to Odilie.

There are lots of strong, unlikeable characters here, and my favorite was Peri, the master of all con artists. How she manages to talk herself out of situation after situation was amazing. Here's one of my favorite paragraphs describing that: "Her features, they're so symmetrical, like a sculpture carved from marble, that it's hard to look away. She's mesmerizing, incandescent, even the way her lips move is so precise. I can't help but pay attention to what she's saying, like she's hypnotizing me, almost, like I'm cast under her incantations".

This was my last book of the year and I'm so glad I picked it up!!

I don't usually like books with this type of plot. I don't remember why I requested this book. It might have been recommended to me. Anyway, I did not read it because the lead character sounded unlikeable.

Sidenote, NetGalley should allow you to remove books from your shelf. The notification is bugging me so I'm writing a review to get rid of it.

Slow burns in any genre can be a hit or miss for me, sometimes I find they can't hold my attention, but this one didn't have that problem. I was engaged from the get go and invested in the story.

I did enjoy how dependent on the story the characters were and though I didn't always like Vera, I was always engaged by her story as the facts came to light and the mystery unraveled. There are some real life issues woven in, which was nice to see, as well as the complexity in the characters, especially Vera.

There were definitely some reveals that were predictable, but overall it was an enjoyable and captivating read.

“A Small Affair” by Flora Collins is a novel of domestic suspense that explores what happens when a woman is thrust into the news when she finds out her ‘boyfriend’ was married, and has just killed himself and his pregnant wife. Because of this the protagonist is thrown into the spotlight, and she desperately tries to learn how this situation came to be. In the harsh world of New York, only the powerful survive, and Vera knows she needs to find a way to get her power back.

This novel was amazing and the second novel of Flora Collin’s that I’ve been able to read. I would highly recommend this to anyone thinking about reading it. Thank you to NetGalley and MIRA for the ARC of this book.

I will be withholding my review until Harper gives their Harper Collins union workers a fair contract. Thank you again for the copy.

Thanks to Netgalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing for the Arc in exchange for an honest review.
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: December 27th, 2022
Rating: 2.5 rounded to a 3

This is my first book by this author, The writing was okay, but definitely a slow burn.

While I was able to finish this book, it took a lot for me. The formatting must be off for Kindle reading because it was broken up unevenly and poorly punctuated. The characters were too cunning and calculating to find any real empathy for them. The plot dragged along most parts with unnecessary lengthy descriptions of everyone’s clothing, if I wanted to read a fashion magazine I would, and then mindless conversations with unimportant characters stilted toward “wokeness” but then it felt rushed when it came time for answers and the conclusion or any major plot points really such as understanding why Vera was targeted originally. The “twist” made here no sense and I wouldn’t exactly call it a twist, not enough to call this a thriller anyway. In the end, it’s just not the book for me.

Vera meets Tom online and doesn’t think much of their affair, given he told her he’s separated. When a tragedy occurs, Vera is in the middle and her life is turned upside down.

If there’s anything to say about this one, it’s that it’s a page turner. It’s entertaining and the dual time lines are done well. The beginning has a lot of suspense because you don’t know the incident that is referenced. When you learn that, the why of the matter begins to slowly unravel. If you like books with pretty unlikeable characters, you’ll enjoy this one.

“I wanted what I wanted in those moments and I devoured it, without a second thought.”

A Small Affair comes out 12/27.

This was a difficult novel for me to get into for some reason. You don't really know the four central women that are part of a very toxic and twisted relationship: Two are sisters, both interested at different times in the same man, one of whom she marries and is about to have her second child with when they are both found early on in the book dead in their house. The other two women are friends of the sisters at varying times over the course of ten years. One of them was the murdered husband's lover shortly before his death, and is eviscerated by the press over that relationship. It took me several tries to get past the first couple of chapters before I could interested in the book, and then the plot thickens. We find out what happened the night of the murder, how the four were introduced, how their lives took various turns and how this novel is really the poster child for bad friendships and relationships.

There is a lot to unpack with this book secrets, lies, sex, drugs, cyber stalking, cheating unhealthy obsessions and relationships all this leads to the death of a man and his wife.
I am not a fan of slow burns but this one was entertaining enough to keep me turning the pages. The characters weren't likable but I found myself enjoying the character development and learning about each of them. However I did feel some compassion for Vera she definitely got the short end of the stick.
This was a somewhat dark domestic thriller. The twist will make you clutch your pearls! Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What an interesting read.  I was never sure where this one was going, but I wanted to know what was happening.  Told by multiple narrators in multiple timelines, we are introduced to Vera, Odilie, Tom and various others and what surrounded Tom and Odilie's deaths.  My guesses as to what was really up ranged from the obvious to the absurd and none were correct.  An interesting statement on who do you really know and how what you put out on social media may not be interpreted how you meant it.

While this is a slow burn of a mystery, it really felt more like a study in the characters.  I wasn't really a fan of any of them.  Actually I should say I would think I liked one then I would find out a little more about them and go nah.  But I don't find it a hinderance reading a book with unlikeable characters so long as there is a catch that draws me in.  And in this one I was desperate to know the story behind what happened as it slowly unraveled.  You are not left hanging and you do find out what really happened and you will never ever figure it out.

Grab a hot chocolate or maybe an aperol spritz and hunker down for this twisty tale.

This story has so many thrilling layers to get through. Just as you think you have the ending of this story figured out, you’re given the next layer. This is the perfect story to remind you to not judge a book by its cover!

Vera is rocking the fashion world. She is working for an up and coming fashion designer when she meets this wonderful man…well sort of. He has a few warning signs but Vera ignores them. Then the murders happen and the world finds out about his other woman, VERA! She is drug through the internet mud and loses everything. She hides out at her mom’s for over a year. And when she decides to come back, life has left her behind. Then she is invited to a memorial service and suddenly the lies start to unravel.

This is not my usual style of writing. I am not a fan of a slow burn. And this book is definitely a slow burn. But, for some reason, I kept reading. Something about the characters pulled me in. Take for instance, Vera. I really did not like her. She is conniving and a bit ruthless. There was just something about her situation which had me intrigued.

And then there is the reason the slow burn works…the ending! Oh boy, this ending! The more Vera digs, the more lies and manipulation she finds and then the truth comes out and it is not at all what is expected!

Need a story which will keep you slowly building up to a knock out finish…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This may not be one of my favorite slow-burn domestic thrillers ever, but it has some good and splashy entertainment value among all the toxic relationships and deception of its narrative. It moves along at a pace that could get too sluggish for me at times, but then other times it was achieving the right amount of patient and intriguing energy to keep me engaged. The cast of mostly hatable characters made me wince and arch my eyebrows multiple times, and this is a good thing sometimes. But on other occasions, it made it difficult for me to remain attached to the story and keep hanging out with these slimy types. But I did find Quinn and Sam, a couple of the side players, to be likable. Without getting too spoilery, there's a way that the author shifts around the POVs in order to roll out the plot, and I did find that trick to be satisfying.

Overall, A Small Affair by Flora Collins (her first book that I've read) isn't a book that I'm planning to reread, but I think it's a suitable pick if you're looking for a slow-burn ride that's led by icky characters.

Malevolence and manipulation permeates this book. I had to discover why Vera was vilified for the deaths of her lover and his wife. What I dived into was a story of twisted lust, sordid sex, and control.
I really don’t know which character was the most repulsive: Vera, Peri, Odilie, or Tom.
It was interesting how the author connected the different story strands.
One character is super controlling and comes out on top.
I liked Quinn the best because I think he was the only genuine one and about the only one I liked.

While this book was well written and had an interesting premise, I was disappointed in the story itself.

None of the characters were likable and all were shallow. Social media, narcissism, and greed were the primary themes.

A small affair with big consequences! I loved the alternating POVs. Even though the characters were all unlikable but it was necessary for the storyline. Vera is a self serving young professional who will do just about anything to get what she wants. Tom is a charming and manipulative cheater. The third POV of Tom's wife Odile gave us the most insight and really tied the story together. It was clever and well written, including the twists.
This is a slow burn, character driven thriller that was addictive!

Oh my gosh this book was so deliciously twisted and I was here for every word!
Vera isn’t afraid to walk over a few people to get what she wants. She loves her job she’s helped her boss build the fashion company from the ground up. While swiping though a dating app she comes across Tom, he’s ten years her senior and he’s a wealthy tech founder, he says he’s going through a divorce and she agrees to a few dates.
Vera’s perfect life falls apart when Tom and his wife are found dead. The news picks up on the fact that Tom wasn’t divorced and he was seeing Vera and he blamed her in the suicided note. Vera is fired and hounded by the media. She packs her bags and heads home to her mothers.
Fast forward a year later Vera is ready to try to start again. People have not forgotten the scandal that surrounds her. Soon Vera begins to look into who Tom and his wife were and why he did what he did. The more she digs she’s soon realizes how twisted they were and they were hiding some
dark secrets and some people will do anything to keep their reputations.