This book was a really quick read. It was fast pace and had short chapters which made it easy to fly through the whole thing. The story really piqued my curiosity from the start. Everything unravels not too quickly which keeps your interest all the way to the end. I never saw the big twist coming and was really shocked when it happened. I had a harder time connecting with Adira but I think that’s completely personal since I have been in a cheating situation and do not understand the will to stay with someone who did. As much as this was a quick read it did not get me “excited” and looking for what happens next, it was more of a “oh I already read this much” kind of read. Overall, it was a good read but not one I will read again.

To be honest, I’m not quite sure how I feel about this book. The ending really took me by surprise, which I love, but it took me until 70% in to not want to put it down. I spent a majority of the book annoyed with the MC’s behavior and it really put me off but then again, that ending! The book is told in three different POV’s, with the majority of them being Adira’s POV. The chapters that weren’t hers got a little confusing sometimes. I’m not sure if that’s just how this author writes or if it was because I read an ARC and it got fixed for the release… either way it threw me off a bit. Overall I’m sitting in the middle of the road with this one. I liked it enough but it’s not my favorite. But, everyone has different tastes and this could be your new favorite thriller! I would say pick it up if it sounds like something that interests you

THE OTHER MISTRESS is filled with a cast of characters you will despise, especially the main character, Adira who knows her husband Gabriel is cheating on her, yet she will do anything to keep him. Adira ends up befriending one of Gabriel’s mistresses, Jocelyn who offers to help bring down Gabriel.

I found myself scratching my head throughout the story as to why Adira, who is a very successful businesswoman, would stay with her cheating husband who uses her for her money! And why was she so forgiving and nice to his mistress, Jocelyn? When I initially started reading this book, I wasn’t sure where the story was headed then the twist hits and everything makes sense. I was left shook with that ending! I was not expecting it at all!

I also loved how the author makes mention of two characters from The Wife Before, Samira and Roland.

I love this author’s thrillers and I will continue to read everything she writes!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my e-ARC,

Trigger warning for DID repped in a not great way.

I thought that by the year 2023, we'd have stopped using DID as a plot device in books.

I was wrong.

Was this a good book? Absolutely, Williams is a master at crafting an edge of your seat thriller, and they make insanely good audio books, too. I loved that The Other Mistress is set in the same world as The Perfect Ruin and The Wife Before (and while you don't have to read those books before this one, it does contain spoilers).

But seriously, can we stop using DID as a plot device? Especially when the alters are the ones that commit the crimes, that do bad things, that are bad people. It's not the 80s anymore. This book could have been written with Jocelyn being an actual other human being, and the outcome would still be the same, and would have the same impact. Heck, Jocelyn could have actually been an evil twin, it's been a while since I've read a good evil twin book (hey there 90s Point Horror!).

2.5 stars rounded up for excellent writing.

Oh what a tangled web we weave when your husband chooses to deceive and cheat. And that's exactly what happens to Adira when she chooses to team up with one of her husband's mistresses, Jocelyn, to get rid of one of the other mistresses, Julianna. Shanora Williams can really pull off some of the best twisty and mysteriously spooky books and this one is so twisty. Adira soon realizes either Jocelyn is stalking her or is really invested in helping her, but why? As the book progresses Adira let's you into her life as a child and you understand more about why she is trying to hold on to her husband, Gabriel, with everything in her power. And Adira has all the power and money, she is a very successful business woman which Jocelyn is constantly reminding her. But when push comes to shove which one of these women is going to lose in the end? The ending will totally surprise you and Shanora Williams is now the Queen of Twists!

The Other Mistress is the first book I've read by Shanora Williams so I wasn't sure what to expect. It was super binge-able, and I appreciated the short chapters.
I liked how it started, and I thought the ending was decent. However, the middle is where I got lost a little. The pacing was off and the characters became really frustrating and unlikable. The plot twist came out of nowhere, but it all made sense in the end.
We also got some flashbacks that were triggering, so please pay attention to the author's note at the beginning of the book.
Overall, an enjoyable and fast-paced read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was super fast paced, easy to read and kept my attention the entire time. I loved the ending, and didn't see the twist coming!

Shanora Williams's latest novel is an edgy drama-filled chilling domestic suspense about the dangerous relationship between a betrayed wife and THE OTHER MISTRESS.

Adira Smith-Cortez's marriage is on shaky ground. Her husband has not been telling her the truth. She knows it is unhealthy to spy on him, but she must, or how will she know unless she sees it with her own eyes?

She has had a troubled past, and now she is a multi-millionaire who takes care of herself and her hubby, Gabriel. Is Gabriel using her?

Why is he cheating on her with not one but two mistresses?

Jocelyn, the sexy wealthy club owner, and Julianna (the one he seems to love more), is a celebrity makeup artist.

Told from alternating POVs, Adira and Jocelyn devise a plan. Jocelyn offers Adira the perfect plan to get her straying spouse back—one chapter from Dina.

The plan is for Adira to befriend Julianna through a fake identity and split them up. Stalking her. An obsession. What could go wrong?

What if it is all a pretense? Where nothing is as it appears. Then Adira and Julianna go missing, and now Gabriel is concerned.

However, what trauma has Adira experienced in the past?

Dark and twisty, with surprises, the author will have you frantically turn the pages to discover the mystery behind these women, particularly Adira. We also get chapters about Adira's traumatic past and triggers as all the storylines come together for a shocking conclusion.

Triggers: child abuse, sexual assault, DID

My first book by the author, and I look forward to reading more! I love the cover.

Thanks to Kensington Books for a gifted ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating; 3.5 Stars
Pub Date: June 27, 2023
June 2023 Must-Read Books

This is the first book I've read by this author, and I will now be looking out for more of her work. Adira is a scorned wife who finds out her husband has been having an affair. Rather than confront him about it, she befriends his 'mistress' in order to find out about the other women he's been unfaithful with. The story centres a lot around Adira, who is wealthy and successful in her own right. She's a complicated but very well written character, though sometimes her actions were questionable. The end twist was brilliant and was a real 'what??' moment. Overall, an enjoyable and fast paced read, highly recommended.

The Other Mistress by Shanora Williams begins with Adira, a self-made millionaire with her own business and a husband who is her entire world, Gabriel. Adira knows Gabriel is cheating on her, with two different women. First there is Jocelyn, a club owner who Adira confronts about her relationship with Gabriel. Then you have Julianna, a celebrity make up artist, this relationship is ore tricky, because Gabriel is in love with Julianna. Jocelyn picks up on Adira’s unhealthy obsession with Julianna, convincing her to befriend her and cause problems with Julianna and Gabriel in the hopes of winning him back, so they can start their own family.

This domestic suspense novel was a little slow in the beginning. The short chapters were appreciated, but Adira was so needy… “I want my husband back, I want to have his baby, I’m so successful” girl…why are you bothering? The childhood flashbacks are triggering, so heed the warning from the author before you start this novel. The characters weren’t likeable, for obvious reasons, but the twist at the end will shock you. I’m giving this three stars because I felt the story took such a turn I wasn’t sure I was reading the same book.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5* rounded up.

I thought this was going to be a book about cheating and maybe marriage. In a way, it was, but it was more about the MC’s life and character than about her husband’s mistress. Adira tells her own story and we get only what she wants us and herself to know. She is flawed and it's interested to follow along with her as she makes poor decisions.

The characters were almost exclusively female, with the exception of the husband. The MC was well drawn and full of life. Surrounding her were four other women she interacted with regularly. Those women were less well drawn. They didn’t feel less real, just very 2 dimensional.

Jocelyn was the boss babe. She starts off strong and never really changes or deviates. She's functions as a sort of mirror for the MC. She was interesting for sure, but too much like an archetype rather than a real person. The story is told through her perspective as well as the MC.

Julianna was a typical friendly bimbo. She had little to no personality apart from being fit and into makeup. We meet her almost immediately and Adira already knows about her.

MC’s assistant had a few extra details but was barely there. Understandable considering she was far from an important character.

MC’s “mom” was an interesting person but also not fully fleshed out. I think these choices were made because the story isn’t really about those women and we are meant to focus on Adira and Jocelyn and how they change and push each other.

Between chapters we get little looks into the past. As the novel moves forward, those looks get more specific. Before that happens, it’s pretty obvious who the memories are about.

We are looking through Adira's eyes almost all the time and getting a first person, one-sided account of things. She talks about and to her husband, Gabriel, but we don't really see how he feels about anything. It is an interesting way to tell a story about infidelity. This book definitely hooked me and I read it quickly.

The twist to this mystery was interesting but became fairly obvious if you came across the concept before in popular media. I guessed it long before the end. However, that did not lessen my enjoyment at all! I wanted to know how this story was going to end and how things were going to play out. Some pieces were entirely unique and others were expected. I don’t rate a book higher if it surprises me.

I thought the twist was well paced and drawn out. It was a good lead up and I liked the ending. Some bits were very unusual. It made me think and question which is always a bonus for me and I think a hallmark of a well-written story.

I’d recommend this to anyone that Ioves mystery and won’t get spooked by the trigger warnings.

digital ARC was provided by Netgalley and Kensington Books

trying to like this book was quite hard, but not to like it wasn't easy either...

Synopsis
Adira, a successful businesswoman, was devastated when she found out that her husband, Gabriel, was two-timing her with Jocelyn. Even more hurtful when Gabriel was having another affair with Juliana. Adira then teamed up with Jocelyn to ruin Juliana and make Gabriel came back to her.

Like and dislike
I've seen woman like Adira in real life, so I know it must happen too. Finding out your husband is having an affair but willing to forgive and accept him back if he comes crawling (or not). But to me, Adira is anything I don't wanna be (maybe except her successful career). If I could say the one thing that made me dislike the book, that'd be Adira. Adira's wishy washy character, whiney all the time, and such, wasn't all that likeable.
The pace was too slow to my liking that it went on and on for almost 50% before Adira wanted to do something to Juliana, by befriending her. Even then, she went back again to her indecisive self and wanting to get Gabriel back the next second. It was exhausting to read.
Truly, Adira ruined the book for me.
I also felt disassociated when I read Adira's past. It seemed like two different stories tbh. Although the explanation and backstory made sense, it still weird, IMO.
The plot thickened when finally Jocelyn took reign. It'd be nice if something did happen then. But alas, it didn't. So we have all the suspense but no resolution.
On the other hand, the cover's so cute! And the way I was not only getting mad at Adira, but also Gabriel, showed that Williams could play my emotions. So, kudos for that.

Final thought
I'd still recommend it to anyone who wants to entertain themselves on one sunny day now that it's entering summer in the northern hemisphere (and somewhat hot and cool weather at the same time where I'm at?), just don't expect much.

This was a slow burn, and I did take a long time to enjoy the plot.

The second half is much better and the twist was something that I wasn't expecting. However, I felt that the mental issues which are being highlighted could have been dealt with in a better way...

Thank You NetGalley and Kensington Books for this ARC!!

I’m a huge fan of the author and expected to love this book like I’ve loved her others in the past but I was left disappointed by the way the mental health issues were handled. Yes it was kind of clever but it left me feeling kind of gross and just doesn’t sit well with me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book challenged me to finish. I had mixed feelings towards Adria. I’m thinking “what type of person befriends their husbands mistress in order to catch him with his other mistress?” I was getting irritated with her lack of confidence (she built her own and very successful company), she is beautiful and self made. Frustrated with her lack of communication and her spying on hubby Gabriel to the point that I was ready to close the book and walk away. Again, who continues to try and get pregnant with a 2 timing cheating husband. However, Williams style of writing kept me gravitated to Adria. I couldn’t give up on her. She childhood story starts to unfold. Then the plot thickens. Twists erupt and turns explode. 3 1/2 stars overall. Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for ARC in exchange for me review.

Well, wow, it's not often a twist takes me by surprise as much as in The Other Mistress!
Adira seems to have it all: she is her own boss, a self-made millionaire with a ritzy lifestyle and hunky husband. But when she realizes her husband is having an affair, with not just one but two women, jealousy drives Adira to desperate measures as she desperately tries to hang on to her husband. Impeccable plotting. Told mostly from Adira's point of view as well as that of the second mistress. There were flashbacks that were confusing at first, then unsettling, then confusing again, but it all came together in a dramatic ending.

I think what I love most about The Other Mistress is the subtle way in which the book flows and how the true a-ha moments happened for me right along with the characters involved. In fact, I'd say this is easily my favorite from Shanora Williams in this psychological thriller world she has created. As one who does not easily figure out what might transpire in this genre, I was happily shocked as all is revealed in one hell of a maze of twists and turns.

Williams is very clever in how she convinces the reader of all the wrongs being done to one Adira Bennett from the very start. We get glimpses of a disturbing past, told every few chapters, that Adira can't seem to shake and I started to wonder if she could handle what her husband Gabriel might be doing behind her back with all she had been through as a child.

Adira is our main narrator but we do get chapters in Jocelyn's POV, an unlikely confidante who will seemingly do anything to help her friend with her man problems. I wasn't sure what to make of Jocelyn since she was also involved with Gabriel at one point and her motives didn't always seem so virtuous. But her brazen attitude seemed to help Adira gain confidence that a plan to stop Gabriel and his womanizing ways was necessary.

Adira is clearly very complicated and although she is a very successful businesswoman, her heart may have been damaged beyond repair from the childhood trauma she has suffered. Thankfully, there are good people in her corner even when she feels alone and as the pieces to this wild puzzle start to fall into place, those strongest and most loyal to Adira really do come through when it matters.

I just loved how everything is fleshed out towards the end, leaving us on yet another 'hmmm' moment as those last few pages are read. I really adore it when the ending is left a bit open, giving me pause as to what could happen when the book has long been put back on my bookshelf. Williams proves herself worthy of being quite talented in this oft-times difficult genre to master. I honestly couldn't put it down and I found myself enjoying every crazy minute of this twisted tale.

Give The Other Mistress a go. You'll find yourself caught up in a web of lies, deceit and mystery like only Shanora Williams can deliver, happily devouring every word.

5 big stars!

This is my first book by Shanora Williams but it won’t be my last! Strong characters, wild story, crazy ending. This book was engaging and kept you wondering ‘what is going to happen next’

A strong power couple lives a lavished life. Adira has done everything right and is worth millions, she has everything she could ever need except for a faithful husband. She’s confused why Gabriel her husband is sneaking around and cheating on her. She soon creates an identity to befriend the two women he is seeing. Soon things start to spiral out of control
and Adira can’t keep her true identity a secret anymore. The truth all comes out in the end.

The ending will shock you, I mean maybe? It for sure did for me

Adira's husband Gabriel is having an affair. And not just with one woman, but two. Rather than confront him, Adira chooses to try and befriend the other women in an attempt to keep her man.

Wow, what an exciting thriller this was! The multiple POV's and short chapters kept me turning the pages at rapid speed. I was so invested at seeing what happened to Adira and I was surprised at how much she let Gabriel get away with. This is one of the best thrillers I've read in a long while. I highly recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of The Other Mistress in exchange for my honest review

This psychological thriller was a wild ride and like the best rides you don't see the curves and twists coming. Adira has it all she is a talented and successful business woman, she is beautiful, has a lovely home and a husband she adores. Life is a dream until she suspects her sweet husband of having an affair. Adira is devastated to find out he is not just seeing one woman behind her back but two. You could feel the turmoil that Adira was going through and although my anxiety was through the roof I couldn't stop reading. Like the best stories you put yourself in the characters position and try to determine what you would do and how you would act. I was frustrated with Adira at times but you never know how you will respond to a situation until you are faced with it. Every time I think I had a handle on the story the author threw in a curve ball. I love a book that I keeps me guessing until the very end and this one did that.