I received an ARC copy of this book through Netgalley. It caught my attention right away with lots of twists and turns through out. Definitely had some very unlikable characters but I really enjoyed it. Couldn’t put it down once I got past 50%

Really liked the way she did the different parts of the book and did the different POV.

Dominic, the current North Carolina governor, has a dark past and it is creeping up on him. His wife, Jo, is starting to recognize that he’s not the perfect guy with the dazzling persona that he pretends to be. Four years ago, an evening with a woman from Dominic’s past changed everything. Now, someone from that night is back to make him pay for what he did.

Another Shanora Williams five star for me! There’s just something about her writing that sucks me in, and I can’t put it down. I love when the multiple POVs and timelines all come together in an “ah-ha” moment type of way. I enjoyed that moment, along with the message of being a true girl’s girl, at the end.

Thank you to Shanora Williams, Kensington Publishing – Dafina, and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange of my honest review.

The Bitter Truth tells the story of a seemingly perfect couple with Governor Dominic Baker and his adoring wife Jolene “Jo” Baker. Dominic is up for reelection and is making his rounds on the campaign trail. He begins to see a particular woman who stares and hovers at his rallies and he begins to think she is stalking him, especially when she starts to chat Jo up. Who is she? Dominic begins to think back to an event from his past that may be connected to this strange woman popping up seemingly out of nowhere. Jo starts to ask questions and then a series of catastrophic events begin to take place. What lengths are these characters willing to go to to ensure their deepest secrets stay buried?
As with any Shanora Williams thriller, this was a twisty wild ride that I could not help but binge! The secrets, revelations, and the characters all had my head spinning. Every chapter you think you have something figured out and then here comes another reveal you did not expect. I loved the building of suspense which each character and their terrible decisions, leading up to an exploding conclusion.
This was a 5*read. Thank you to author Shanora Williams and Kensington Publishing for the E-Arc and the chance to review it! The Bitter Truth publishes June 25th 2024!

One thing about Shanora Williams, she is going to stress you out while you read her books. Every time you turn the page something has happened lol but it makes for a wild, fun ride! The Bitter Truth is the story of Dom and Jolene Baker who are in the midst of Dom’s gubernatorial campaign. However, nothing is as what it seems and from the outside looking in you would never know how chaotic the Bakers’ lives are. It is a story filled with secrets, lies, infidelity, murder and so much more. Shanora does a good job of hitting you with twists that you do not see coming. I thought I had it all figured out but I did not lol This book got heavy at times and can be very triggering so please read the trigger warning and author’s note before diving in! Add this one to your list when it comes out! Happy reading!

Thanks to Netgalley & Kensington books for this arc

Easy 5 stars for this new thriller! This book was PACKED with such amazing messiness, and I loved every second of it!

Jolene Baker, the wife of successful governor, Dominic, seems to have the life many would envy. She stands by her successful husband and offers her constant love and support, even if that love and support is not always reciprocated, especially behind closed doors. Jolene knows her husband and can tell when he is hiding something. How far will she go in her search to find out the truth about what her husband is keeping from her and when she finds out, how far will she be willing to go to stop him?

This book is filled with twists and turns, the strength of friendships, specifically the strength of the bond between two of my favorite characters (Brynn & Shavonne), romantic relationships, lies, revenge and justice. It is a page turner, and you will not want to put it down until you know what is really happening. When you think you have it figured out, you probably don't! Such an amazing read! Thankful for author Shanora Williams and her team for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Thank you Shanora Williams and Kensington Books for the physical copy I won on GoodReads and the digital copy from NetGalley! All opinions are my own.
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“He’s hiding something. He’s lying. Figure it out.”

Jolene (Jo) fully supports her husband Dominic who is the governor of North Carolina. Lately though, they seem to be going through the motions. At a campaign rally, Dominic notices a strange woman who seems to be staring at him oddly. Dominic has been receiving threatening notes and fears she’s stalking him. He does have secrets, but no one could possibly know about that night. Could they? Jo knows her husband is keeping something from her, but despite her reassurances to help him through anything, he refuses to let her in.

THE BITTER TRUTH started off with a bang and did NOT. LET. UP! The intensity and pacing was spot on for me. Full of secrets, lies, and revenge, I read this lickity split! Shanora Williams does a brilliant job of creating multifaceted, richly nuanced characters, each with motivations solely their own. I loved the multiple POVs, especially of the same situations, along with the dual timelines. Just when I started to get a feel for someone, something would happen and I found myself thinking, “Wait, they did what?!” As layers are revealed, more and more truth comes to the surface. I couldn’t turn pages fast enough for all the deliciously twisted behavior.

Domestic thrillers can be hit or miss for me and this was absolutely a HIT! Don’t even get me started on the gasp worthy shocking moments. This was my first book by Shanora Williams, but certainly won’t be my last. I ATE UP every popcorn kernel of this twisty over the top thriller, and licked the butter off my fingers in satisfaction!

There is some difficult content so please check trigger warnings. I have listed some potential spoiler warnings below.































⚠️Content Warnings: suicide, sexual situations, affairs, language, misuse of drugs, mental illness, eating disorder, body shaming, domestic abuse, violence, gun violence, rape, death

"The Bitter Truth" delves into Governor Dominic's past, his supportive wife Jolene, and an unsettling encounter at a rally that triggers fear and paranoia. The story unfolds from the perspectives of Brynn, Dominic, and Jolene, with a fast-paced narrative keeping readers guessing at every turn. As secrets unravel, the thriller takes readers on an exhilarating ride filled with twists and surprises. Shanora Williams crafts a compelling tale that promises to captivate readers, making it a standout work in her repertoire. With engaging storytelling and a suspenseful plot, this book is set to become a bestseller and showcases Williams at her finest.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Another solid psychological thriller by Shanora Williams well done. I rated it a 3.5 because I loved trying to figure out who was truly responsible for what. She has you guessing to the very end when you read her work. Dominic is a terrible man who does terrible things and because of this he doesn’t know who exactly who is out for revenge towards him. On top of that he’s the governor of NC so has a bit of a God complex also. His wife Jolene sees every side of this man and begins to try to come up with a plan to better her life with him. Brynn crosses paths with Dominic years after high school and feels like she’s on cloud 9 but that literally goes all up in flames when she learns the real him. This was a crazy story of betrayal and seeking out revenge that I enjoyed. It does get a bit repetitive in some areas but overall I thought it was a solid read. Grateful to the author & publisher for a complimentary copy of this book & all opinions are my own.

Dominic is the governor of North Carolina and is campaigning for a second term. On the campaign trail, he comes into contact with a woman who unsettles him. He also starts receiving anonymous notes regarding an incident he was involved in years ago. Jolene, Dominic's wife, knows that he is keeping secrets from her. When he refuses to talk, she starts digging into his past.

While this book was relatively past paced and the short chapters made it an easy read, there was also a lot of unnecessarily long plot explanations that took away from the thrill of the story. Making a point and then allowing the reader to infer what it means would have kept the suspense and created more 'omg' moments. I didn't like any of the characters as they were all portrayed as having ulterior motives. Including a bit more character development would have allowed more of a buy in to the characters.

I loved this book! This is my second time reading this author and I love her style of writing as I am always hooked and unable to stop reading. It’s so raw and emotional at certain parts but it’s well done and a great story. The characters are amazing ( The women) such strong , powerful and beautiful souls. I liked the different POV as it allowed me to get to know each character better, definitely worth the read and will be reading more from his author.

I loved every second of this book!! Every time I thought I had it figured out and then here comes another twist! I enjoyed how the story was told from multiple POVs and the present day and past storyline. The build up of the suspense kept me in the edge of my seat!!

This has to be the 4th book I read from SHANORA but this lady don’t miss. This was a great thriller with twist and turns. Just when I thought I had it figured and she hit me with another twist. But let me tell you about DOM, when I tell you I felt every single emotion for him. I thought I felt sorry for him but he was hot garbage. I found myself yelling at everyone, because some of their decisions was so questionable. This was a great story I was sad to see end.

Umm..I could not put this down!!!! This is my first Shanora Williams book and I am HOOKED. The timeline, how it was written, the characters...everything was perfect to me. I feel complete after reading it, like it had a clear cut ending and didn't leave you hanging with questions and I LOVE that!

Quite the roller coaster! So much drama, twists and turns! Kept me engaged, although I do believe some of the later part of the book could have been edited down. My first book by this author, and I will definitely be checking out her other books now!

Thank you to NetGalley, Kensington, and Shaniora Williams for the ARC copy.

Shanora does it again! A page turner I could not put this book down. The plot & twist were chefs kiss. I highly recommend this book..

This book was just ok to me. While the writing was easy to read and follow I felt it was lacking some depth. I did like the characters and their story. It was a quick read and I would read her work again.

Shanora Williams never disappoints! Each chapter makes you want more! I loved the different POVs and the past POV chapters! The lies were spilling out so fast and Dominic was spiraling trying to maintain his image. This book showed people will do anything with power and treat people any kind of way to get what they want. If you like thrillers with suspenseful moments this is the book for you! I didn’t want to put it down!

What a roller coaster.

There were so many twists and turns in this book; most of which I really did not see coming. Some parts were hard to read, but the author has a note in the beginning full of trigger warnings so be sure not to skip that page! While difficult to take in and hard to get through, the situations were necessary to really feel for the characters.

Speaking of the characters, I really loved them all. The ones you were supposed to love, not the antagonists. Jolene was so cool and I spent the entire book rooting for her.

Overall, I'm really glad I read this and highly recommend it!

I feel like I went on a roller coaster ride and my head is foggy!
There was so much going on all at once. Dominic who is the Governor of NC couldn't keep his head on straight any longer. Jolene, the dedicated wife couldn't take Dominic and his secret keeping ways.
Although Jolene thought she had secrets. Yeah Jolene your husband was a sneak!!
Dominic and Jolene come from 2 different worlds. When starting the book, they had problems. Then when things came to light. Dominic is kniving. He sets his mind on something and he doesn't care who he hurts in the process. He actually led 2 lives. Surprised it took Jolene that long to really figure it out. I mean she to surprised me. She was all sweet and innocent and then BOOOMMMM!! She played the part very, very well.
There were a few places where it was slow for me, it did pick back up.
Enough drama to last me the rest of the month! I love a book with a lot of drama, and this had that. I mean you had 4 people you had to keep up with and at times you thought maybe 1 person was 2 people.
I can say money doesn't buy happiness and money isn't everything. Money can make things worse. Dominic found that out.
Jolene does have a good heart, she proved that in the last part of the book.

Dominic will go above and beyond to bury secrets from his past. Jolene notices he is hiding and being more secretive than usual. His stress level is on 💯, especially during his second governor campaign season. She continues to ask him what is worrying him and to tell her so she can help. Dominic continues to hide, not tell, and handle it on his own. What is done in the dark comes to the light. Betrayal comes left and right. True Shanora Williams suspense thriller book. Loved it from beginning to end.