I am afraid I struggled with this book. I found it to be too slow, and as I am an impatient reader my attention wandered. I do feel that it was not as different as I had hoped, I think that is probably my fault for asking to read it in the first place, I can't blame the author for that really. I can only hope that other more patient readers who haven't read similar books will enjoy it more than I did.

This is my first book by Amanda Brookfield and I went into this thinking it was a thriller. I don't know why... Maybe the title or cover? BUT in no way is this being touted as one, it was MY mistake and one I am glad I made as I really enjoyed this book. The writing was very enthralling, it had characters to hate and to root for and I loved the plot of two strong women coming head to head.

The story was suspenseful, realistic, tense and emotional and very well-written. I had a love-hate relationship with the two main characters. It’s a testament to the author that I’d have any sympathy at all for unsympathetic characters. I highly recommend this book and will be checking out others by this author.

There are 3 sections in this book. Part 1 is all about Fran and her extramarital affair with a married man who says he will meet her at the airport only to not show up. Now what does Fran do? At the end of Part 1 you’re left holding your breath wondering what’s coming next ... Part 2 of the book brings in Helena, the married spouse of the man who Fran had the affair with. Boy oh boy! Then we go to Part 3 and that wraps it all up.

Trigger point - Physical abuse in one part of book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

This wasn't a book I would usually read but I really enjoyed it , Fran is very unhappily married to Pete , a nasty bully . She meets an artist , jack , they swiftly fall in love and plan to run away together , he is also married . On the day they were to escape together Jack doesn't show and Fran is devastated . She goes back to the life she so badly wanted to leave wondering what had happened . , we get the story from Helena , Jacks wife in the same timeline so we know what happened . I rooted for Fran all the way through and when she finds the inner strength needed and learned that she didn't need anyone to help her escape it was very satisfying

This was a departure from the psychologic thrillers that I normally read, but I enjoyed it and felt like it gave me insight into 2 completely different, yet completely believable protagonists. It centers primarily on Fran, who has an affair with Jack and plans on running away with him, but things don't go as planned. The 2nd part of the book is told from Jack's wife Helena's point of view, where the reader reads about the same situations but from the other perspective. The end of the book switches back to Fran's POV- I felt that this was Fran's story, despite the fact that I got to know Helena too.

There was a little bit of suspense in this book, around the affair in general and the circumstances related to the plan for Fran and Jack to start over, but this was really more of a personal growth book, and I enjoyed watching Fran figure things out as the book went on. We knew going in that her husband was a bully, which can certainly affect one's self-esteem, but Fran had some other relationships that also needed sorting, and I enjoyed being taken along on her journey of examining herself and her dynamics with others.

Overall, this was an engaging read and I felt that the ending was satisfying- I enjoyed getting to know Fran and seeing the different perspectives related to the same situation. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was pretty slow for me and didn't have many redeeming qualities. I've just read too many similar books that were written in a much more interesting way to see this as an exceptional piece of work.

This book was super good. It was super original and I flew through it. It didn't feel like anything I've read in the past. Can't wait to read more from the author!! This book was unputdownable.

I wasn’t sure if I’d like this book at first but it hooked me in, and by about halfway through I didn’t want to put it down. The twists are good and you definitely don’t see the ending coming. Slow start but a solid thriller.

A really good read with plenty of twists and turns and a revelation at the end that you don’t see coming!

I liked this book more than I thought I would. We meet Fran who is married to Pete but who is having an affair with Jack, I like how the book is broken up into 3 parts: Fran's, Jack's and then kind of the aftermath ad fallout of their decisions. Fran does life differently than is what is expected of her and I applaud her for that but her family and friends do not really understand her rationale.

A good domestic thriller finally! Recommended even if it was slow moving in the beginning.

Thanks to Netgalley, Amanda Brookfilef and Boldwood Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 10/13/20

I liked this. It was gripping throughout. I liked the focus on relationships which I think appealed to the nosey part of me.

I cannot day enough good things about this book!! One of the best domestic thrillers I’ve read in a long time! It was dark, intense, mysterious- all things I love!

A book about relationships. The first part is written from the point of view of Fran , married but in an extramarital affair. The details of her life are gradually revealed and you come to feel sympathetic towards her and to appreciate why she made the decision to leave. She is at the point of leaving her husband, but her lover leaves her in the lurch at the airport so she goes back. There ore lots of clues about what is going on in her life, her husband is extremely domineering and the rest of the family tiptoe around him. However something happens at the end of part one which was shocking, though Fran's reaction was , although unexpected, to be applauded.

Part 2 concerns the wife of Fran's lover. You see some of the same incidents from a different point of view. In a way , this is one of the disadvantages of reading a book on an e-reader, I wanted to scroll to and fro to compare the diffferent accounts. She is sure that something is off, but having had a volatile relationship for many years and seemingly having an alcohol dependancy , as a reader you are not sure whether this is the normal state of affairs. Written from the wife's viewpoint, there is little exploration of feelings as she is egotistical and mostly concerned with herself.

Part 3 is about how Fran takes her life forward. This was well written and believable . Not always a saint, there are moments where her relationships with friends and family are tested ,These are explored from her point of view and you come to see that she emerges wiser and as a woman standing on her own two feet. I hope things work out for her .

Thank you to Net Galley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Okay... Fran is married to Pete. Fran has an affair with Jack. Fran agrees to run away with Jack...only he never shows up for their getaway at the airport.

I thought I was going to get Thelma & Louise vibes...or even Hadley & Grace vibes...based on the description. I was wrong. The first 40% is slow but interesting, and yet it’s a lost cause once we get to the viewpoint of Jack’s wife, Helena.

Go ahead and read the synopsis...because it’s not accurate, and will not give anything away. The book never seems to find a groove, and doesn’t succeed with providing anything that captures more than mild interest. I skimmed a lot of the second half, which is not normal for me. I think this novel was just not for me.

Thank you to Amanda Brookfield, Boldwood Books, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Early on in this book l thought this would never happen no one would be so gullible but then learning more about Fran’s life the relationship with her Son and of course the way Pete treated her l began to realise this was exactly the situation to produce such events. I still think it is a little too cosy and yesteryear but that did not stop me enjoying the storyline and hoping Fran would climb out of her awful situation. A feel good book and there is nothing wrong with that at all, a great read

I loved this complex story about the intricacies of marriage and what makes a woman take an unexpected step in the completely opposite direction than what the society comes to expect. Highly recommended!

This was a case of “been there, done that”. The title of the book gave it away, so, I should have realized. The beginning of the book was very wordy and drawn out. I was almost ready to give up on it.

A redeeming factor was that this book was told told from the view point of the other woman and the wife. It made it interesting to read the same story from 2 points of view.

But, sadly, this book did not grab my interest. Perhaps if I had read it at a different time it might have appealed to me more.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a review.

This is a really interesting and fulfilling read which tells the story of an affair from 2 points of view - the wife and the mistress. Of course the husband/lover is the weak person in this triangle but other characters change and grow throughout the book. A great view of man/woman dynamics.

The Other Woman, was a good story. Although from the title, you can probably guess what’s it about and how it may end but the journey to get to the end was interesting.

To be honest I struggled to stick with The other woman. It was quite predictable and dull at bits but then it picked up pace at other sections. It wasn’t as gripping as I hoped it would be but nonetheless it is still worth a read.