As always with this author a unique storyline. I read this within one day as i became more and more engrossed. Well written characters some of which i preferred more than others. Just enough twists to keep me wondering.
Many thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

The Affair by Claire Allan is a propulsive read that had me flying through the pages.

Christina is lonely and seeks solace and friendship from a group that is headed by popular influencer Sorcha Hannon. The Soul Sisters was founded, in part, as a way for Sorcha to come to terms with the end of her marriage following the realization that her husband had been cheating. As Christina infiltrates not only the group, but Sorcha's inner sanctum, it becomes clear that she is a woman with some secrets of her own. Is anyone really who they purport to be?

This is a compelling narrative that focuses on the relationships between women, while at the same time a tense game of cat and mouse tantalizingly plays out. I was kept guessing until the very end. 4.5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

Christina joins the Soul Sisterhood to get herself our of a rut, and to make friends.
It is no coincidence that the leader is the ex-wife of her former lover.
She joins in their activities, including the Wild Swimming, which terrifies her, but exhilarates her at the same time. She makes friends, but starts getting threats, and it is a member of the group.


I was hooked from the Prologue of this book. It is a slow burn while the characters are being developed, but such a page turner!

The author, Claire Allan, does a terrific job of keeping the suspense low key at first, and then, as more of the story unfolds, the reader becomes immersed in the reasoning behind the main characters tolerance for each other.
The final twist is absolute genius! I never saw THAT coming!

5/5, highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read this book.

3.5 rounded up

June 2023.
Introvert Christina pushes herself to join the Soul Sisterhood which aims to empower women, helping them to overcome life’s challenges which is how she comes into the orbit of its award-winning leader, Sorcha Hannon. With Sorcha’s encouragement Christina tries to become the ‘ new her’. They become friends or do they? What’s true and what’s not as the tantalising and immersive conundrum of this character driven psychological thriller. Who is innocent and who is the guilty party?

This is a good read right from the powerful start. The characterisation is very well done with both central protagonists being clearly portrayed. Christina is so lonely, riddled with anxiety, overthinking and lacking in confidence while Sorcha seems the polar opposite. Is she as impressive and as inspirational as she seems? Christina makes you feel sorry for her but is she for real? The author pulls you into their story and you becoming invested in the push and pull which evolves into a twisty tale.

There are hints from the beginning that things are not as they seem and that there are some secrets that are likely to bubble to the surface. The Soul Sisters are wild swimmers, with the deep mysterious chilly depths of the Atlantic becoming a metaphor but what’s happening between key characters. There are uneasy undercurrents which become much more overt as time goes on building to a destructive game of cat and mouse with some very tense scenes. The ending is a bit melodramatic for my taste and it seems to finish very abruptly? However, it is certainly dramatic.

Overall though, I enjoy trying to figure out the skilfully woven puzzle the author has set and it has me turning pages trying to guess.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Boldwood Books for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Publication date: May 21st, 2024
Page count: 313
Genre: thriller
Setting: Ireland
POV: multiple

An influencer’s husband has an affair, breaking up their marriage. The “others woman” is dumped by the husband, and joins the influencer’s Soul Sister group to heal. Things get complicated.

I found this to be more of a book about woman friendships, their secrets, manipulations rather than a mystery/thriller.

It had twists, turns, and a lot of paranoia.

Thank you to author, publisher, NetGalley for advanced copy. This is an honest voluntary review.

Claire Allan is a seriously good writer!! I devoured this book in less than 24 hours! Christina, or Tina as she’s known to her friends is a really interesting character. I did initially feel sorry for her, not for long though! However the book pulls you in all different directions and I still don’t know how to feel about some of them, Sorcha and Joan included! Oh and Ronan made me think of a certain 90s boyband member!!

This is a really intelligent and of the minute novel, we never really know what goes on behind the insta screens!