I enjoyed the beginning of the book but after a while it started to fall flat. I would have enjoyed a more shocking twist near the end. It would have been nice for Jolene to stick up more for herself near the end and become a stronger version of herself. Overall this was a good read. I would read more by the author

This book is a wild (and unbelievable) ride. It took me a little bit to get into this one. And it definitely was a little heavy handed, every chapter made me dislike Dominic more and more. Dominic is an upstanding citizen and politician married to Jolene. Things haven’t been great in their marriage for a while. Dominic gets nervous when he starts to get anonymous notes referencing a woman he hasn’t thought about in years and promising his secrets will soon be public. Jolene knows something is wrong, but Dominic won’t talk to her about what it is. The writing was good for this one, I just wanted the characters to have a little more depth to them. Even the characters I liked weren’t fleshed out quite as much as I would have preferred. The very ending was a little odd, but I am satisfied with how this one turned out.

I enjoyed the writing style of this book. But I didn’t like the story. That Dominic character really had me ready to throw fisticuffs at a fictional character

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me engaged and it only took a few days to read. I think this is going to be a good book club option for several clubs. I plan recommending to my book friends and I look forward to reading more by this author. Shanora is the truth!!

I have been a fan of this author's thriller books since her first one, and this one is no exception. I absolutely love how she weaves a story that will have you captivated and holding on to the edge of your seat from beginning to end. And add the twists and turns, you have a story That will stay in your mind days after finishing it. In true fashion from this author, I was hooked right from the beginning and I still have thought about these characters even after I finished the book. It was such a great read, and I can't wait for the next one from her.

Yes!!! This was so good. I’ve read one other book by this author, The Perfect Ruin, but I definitely want to pick up her other two as well. I love this author’s writing style and ability to craft such compelling stories, so I knew this was an auto-buy for me. The title of this one is spot on, and I got chills when it was revealed in the story.

“We lie to ourselves and fabricate these stories in our heads so we can believe them. But eventually the story will crack, and the lies will spill out, and you’ll drown in the truth.”

I went in totally blind, didn’t even need to read the synopsis. In the beginning, I started to get a little nervous and unsure if it was going to be something I’d like. I don’t typically enjoy stories that center around politics and political schemes. But this one proved me wrong because I was absolutely hooked on this story the entire time.

“This is how it should be in the world: women helping women. People supporting each other.”

The prologue was jaw-dropping and immediately had me invested. The drama was so juicy and I was completely rooting for these conniving characters to get their justice. I enjoyed the multiple POVs and timelines, getting to see all the pieces unfold, as well as the short chapters. It’s definitely binge-worthy.

“We're all a little messed up. Every single human on this earth has endured a trauma or a tragedy that they want to heal from, but what happens when you don’t heal?”

There are also a lot of topics and questions raised that I could see making for a great book club discussion. There are some deep, emotional, traumatic and dark subjects, as well as commentary on wealth and abuse of power. The story really goes there and doesn’t hold back. It asks you to reflect on some of the darkest parts of humanity.

Highly recommend!

Read if you like:
💚 Juicy drama and secrets
💛 Thought-provoking depth
❤️ Binge-worthy read
💙 Vigilante justice

#TheBitterTruth #NetGalley
Awesome.
For Jolene “Jo” Baker, the least she can do for her adoring husband, Dominic, is give unwavering support for his North Carolina gubernatorial run. He is not only the love of her life, he's also helping her prove that she's far more than just a pampered trophy wife. With huge crowds showing up at Dominic’s speeches and the polls consistently in his favor, she's never been happier to stand proudly by his side . Until she and Dominic start seeing the same, strangely ominous woman turning up all along the campaign trail. Until their tour starts becoming a nightmare of botched events, crucial missed information, and increasingly dangerous “accidents.” Suddenly Jo can't get any answers from Dominic—or understand why he is acting so paranoid and terrified . . What Jo can do is start digging into his past—one she's never really questioned beyond his perfect image and dazzling accomplishments. What results is an alarming series of events that leave her baffled: Good friends turn into enemies, truths are revealed to be lies, and all clues lead back to one secret, shattering weekend that changes Jo’s entire life. With her world splintering into pieces, can Jo risk trying to set things right? Or will hiding the bitter truth by any means necessary destroy her as well?
I loved it so much. It was really good.
Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for giving me an advance copy.

If you love a well-written dark and twisted thriller, Shanora Williams does not disappoint. The Bitter Truth is a masterpiece of secrets, lies and so much more.

This book is so rich in content, drama, intricate characters and topics. This story drips with crime, revenge, politics, blackmail, corruption, a who done it murder mystey, and the human psyche. Well done.

Oh man!! She just keeps getting better and better!!! Shanora Williams is becoming one of my favorite authors!!!

We follow Jolene who is a governors wife and we already find out her husband is lying about something and is deceitful! Jolene opens up to us about an eating disorder she had when she was younger and she met her husband in college while at the gym.

Dominic is the governor of North Carolina and is a creep and a pretty bad person. He doesn’t care about anyone but himself and how it will suite him.

Then we meet Brynne and she’s a part of Dominic’s past.

This story unravels cleverly and satisfies!! I loved the girl empowerment in this book! I loved the revenge plot by the women in this book!!

Thank you so much NetGalley for a chance to review this book!!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Bitter Truth is a Page Turning, Captivating read. Jo and Dominic are One Powerful Couple and their Story is going to be Imprinted in your minds.

It's a Gripping, thrilling tale which pulls you in from the first page and you will keep on turning the pages. Highly Recommend it to all readers.

Another winner for Shanora Williams! This political thriller is ripe with deceit, lies and a bit of misogyny. Even though there is a bit to dislike in most of the characters, there are some that are definitely worse than others.

The main character, Jolene is wife to Dominic, the governor of North Carolina and the "king of deception." Everyone views them as a beloved power couple but they are anything but beloved. Their marriage has become more of a business transaction than a passionate romance and it feels like it may break her. When things start to surface which make her truly doubt Dominic's honesty and trustworthiness, The more she digs into his lies and deceptions, the more she knows she has to protect herself.

I really loved the twists and turns that this book took. This author can really write some good ones. Readers should be aware that it does have some difficult material to read and the trigger warnings shouldn't be taken lightly. Yet it is all intrinsic to the storyline. When one gets to the end of the book and looks back at the story as a whole, it is amazing to see how well designed this story was. I won't tell more details of the storyline because I don't want to ruin anything.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

This is my first Shanora Williams book, and wow—what a wild and emotional ride! The
beginning started off slow, but once the story picked up, it was unstoppable. The plot is packed with unexpected twists and turns, making it nearly impossible to predict what will happen next. Each twist escalated the tension, keeping me up all night trying to figure it out. The main male character made me so mad, and the secrets, lies, deceit, and drama sent me on an emotional rollercoaster. This book is a must-read. Great work, Shanora!

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I read my first Shanora Williams book last year and I was hooked. She has a great (although twisted :) at times) mind. This political thriller was filled with twists and turns. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and just when I thought I knew what was going on…bam another twist. Definitely can’t wait for her upcoming releases.

WHOA! This was a wild ride! This book came right out of the gate with drama and it did not stop until the very end! This book had it all - a great plot, well developed characters, dram, lies, betrayal, deceit, suspense, and twists. There were plenty of WTF moments as I read this one! I was enthralled the ENTIRE way through this book. It developed at a great pace, and keep me entertained. I was invested in the characters and what was going to happen to all of them. I could have never predicted what happened at the end. Just when I thought I had it figured out, there was another twist that gave me whiplash. Everything I believed to be true was wrong! One of the best domestic thrillers I've ever read!

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

DNF at 45%. I am always drawn in by a political thriller and thought this sounded great. However the execution didn’t work for me. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free book to review.

Shanora has done it again!

Many people show their representative, their mask to the world. That is what Dominic does. Well, he has to, in order to win the election. Dominic appears to be the perfect husband to his perfect wife, Jolene. Jolene learns Dom isn't who she thought he was, as his past actions
catch up with him. However, Dominic learns his wife isn't exactly who he thought she was, either.

The Bitter Truth took me on a wild ride. When I thought I knew what was going to happen, the plot took a different, thrilling turn. I enjoyed all of the twists and the ending.

Jolene and Dominic are a political couple. He is the governor of North Carolina and running for re-election when he begins getting threats related to his shady past. The story is told from three points of view. It has surprise twists and turns. It is an interesting story.

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****

I really enjoy Shanora Williams’ writing style! How you get the different character perspectives of situations. I can truly say that there were a few predictable instances, but the ending got me. It was one of those surprise after surprise books. I enjoyed this one!

Thrills, drama, deception, this book has it all!

Shanora never disappoints and The Bitter Truth was no exception. Dominic and Jolene were the picture perfect couple unless you looked closer and noticed the cracks.

This book took us on a journey into Dom's past and showed us Brynn, the high school sweetheart and mystery woman in Dom's life. I liked how Jolene, the FMC wasn't a complete pushover and had a backbone.

Dom was foul, crooked and just like most politicians, just sad, miserable and no good.

Definitely recommend for a good suspense read!