They could have picked a more original title - I feel like this is about the tenth book I've read called The Affair. I like Claire Allan, though, and this was a good read, although main character Christina was really frustrating at times.

It's a bit hard to introduce the plot without giving too much away. Christina's been through a difficult time, and she's not coping too well. She joins a sort of support/social/friendship group run by "social media influencer" Sorcha. (There seem to be a lot of social media influencers in fiction these days.) One of the things the group is keen on is wild swimming (also a lot of that in fiction these days. We called it "swimming outdoors" in my day.)

Obviously there's a lot of background that we're not initially aware of - principally the affair of the title.

I was amused by Christina, working from home, setting her Teams to do not disturb and heading off for a swim with her new friends. Relatable. Not that I would ever do such a thing, of course.

An engaging read but unlikely to stick in my mind.

Who is guilty and who is innocent? Who is real and who is not what they seem? These are questions you will have that will eventually be answered after taking a long, deep dive into this amazing new psychological thriller!

This story drew me in almost immediately. I found myself hoping everything would turn out well for both characters as they were developed. At times I believed I knew how the story would end, but then a twist would catch me by surprise. The setting of Ireland was refreshing and different. I truly enjoyed the entire story and could not wait to get to the ending, which did not disappoint!

This is a novel about new friendships but made under false pretenses. It has strong characters with devious motives and a great story line. The Affair has all the making of a psychological thriller.

Thank you Boldwood Books and NetGalley for an early copy of The Affair. This was an interesting read, not many times do you like the other woman but in this case I think everyone will. I liked all the women characters and I was very shocked at the twist. It wasn’t a gripping psychological, it was more of a fiction read about women and friendships. All in All I really liked the whole plot.

Was gripped from the beginning to the end! Absolutely loved this book so much. Thanks net galley for an early read

This was such a well crafted thriller which had me gripped from the first chapter until the very last. The story was very unique with well developed characters that you need to know what is going to happen to them. The writing style was fantastic such a talented writer. I can not wait to recommend this excellent thriller. This was one of my favourite read so far this year I can not wait to see what this author does next. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy.

This is a gripping story about a new friendship which is not so new. Except not everyone has been given all the background information.

Sorcha is a successful influencer and the founder of Soul Sisters, a group that aims to help women help themselves out of bad relationships and situations. Recovering from a messy affair with a married man, Christina would seem to be the perfect candidate for this clique. But of course, things are not always as they seem...

With strong characters and a creative storyline this book is an enjoyable, cleverly plotted read. It gets 3.5 stars.

A gripping tale that pulls you in from the beginning and holds your attention until the very end. Suspenseful, thrilling, hard to put down.

The story flowed well and the characters were well developed. I recommend this book and look forward to more from this author.


****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review****

Many thanks to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Claire Allan for my ARC of 'The Affair' in return for an honest review.

As a fan of this author I was delighted to receive the advanced copy and it did not disappoint.

A cleverly plotted, unique thriller which kept me reading long into the night. Sorcha has set up a group known as 'Soul Sisters' to empower women. She is a successful influencer and Christina is trying to cope with a messy split. She had been having an affair with a married man and was languishing in her flat unable to face the world so joins the group.

As the story progresses there are links with different characters and a multitude of twists and turns.

Excellent read and highly recommended.

The Affair by Claire Allan is about Christina and Sorcha, among other female characters. Sorcha is a famous influencer who created The Soul Sisters, a group to help and empower women. Sorcha created the group after her husband's affair. Christina joins the group, and she and Sorcha become fast friends.

I could identify with Christina, especially when she stated that she never embraced her right to take up space in this world. Sometimes, we all feel invisible, and I especially have difficulties in social settings and second-guess what I say and do.

There were several devious characters in this story. The Affair has a good plot and I like the author's writing style and how she unravels the story and sprinkles in enough red herrings and twists to keep a reader on their toes.

I would recommend this author and this book.

#TheAffair #NetGalley @BoldwoodBooks

My apologies! I thought this was an audio book. I’m unable to read books without audio but did try to read this on my kindle before my eyes gave out and what I did read captivated me. Very much hope an audio comes along

I love a good addictive thriller and the Affair gave me all I needed and more! This book is easy to read and captivated me from the first chapter. The alternating POVs kept things moving and interesting. I finished this book in one day, a testament to how fun it was to read. The topic is quite common and reveals felt foreseeable but that didn't bother me much because this was so well done.

Thanks for the advance review copy.

Firstly thank you so much netgalley and boldwood books for giving me the chance to read this book in advance.

Unfortunately this was not the one for me. I was bouncing between 2 and 4 stars throughout. In short I really enjoyed the friendships between the women but this was more of a domestic thriller than I typically enjoy. I didnt enjoy the use of ableist language such as lame, and also was really put off by the tired stereotype of Christina being frumpy etc.

I would still try another book from the authour as I have loved three of the previous books but this was lukewarm.

What an exciting and fast paced read! I devoured this book as I didn't want to put it down especially when the plot twists had me shocked!

Absolutely tore through this book in one sitting! The affair certainly was a thrilling ride from start to finish!…… the entire time i was reading it (i WHIPPED through it in roughly 4 hours) my heart was pounding and i had so many theories and questions. if you love insanely well written and fast paced books with crazy plot twists and well developed, shady, and secretive characters - PLEASE READ THIS !!!!!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a winner from the start! So we'll written, the characters are humanised and have layers and dimension. The twists and turns had my jaw on the floor!!! It's such a fast paced read where things are constantly changing and you are just trying to keep up. It's not filled with waffle or pointless side stories, it's just a good old fashioned domestic noir and absolutely amazing

This book had me sucked in from the first chapter. The chapters read quick and the story centers around two females Christina and Sorcha. Sorcha is a popular influencer who created The Soul Sisters, a group to help and empower women, by women. Sorchas created the group after her husbands messy affair. Christina joins the group but it quickly becomes apparent she has secrets and there is more to her intent. The twists and turns keep you interested the whole time.

My goodness from that very first chapter I was hooked. My heart was pounding throughout. Fantastic characters. Will definitely read more from this author in the future and I'll be recommending this to everyone.