The Bitter Truth

by Shanora Williams

An upstanding political candidate. A determined stalker. A shattering lost weekend. Now, when his worst secret comes calling, how far will one man’s elegant, all-too-devoted wife go to uncover the truth . . . or bury it? 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 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?

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, Suspense, Fiction, Adult

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 25, 2024

About the author

Shanora Williams is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over thirty romance and diverse suspense novels.
She currently lives near Charlotte, North Carolina and is the mother of three amazing boys, has a fiercely devoted and supportive husband, and is a sister to eleven.
When she isn’t writing, she’s spending time with her family, binge reading, or running marathons on TV streaming services. Visit her at shanorawilliams.com or interact with her on Instagram @reallyshanora.

Follow me:
Instagram: Instagram.com/reallyshanora
Facebook: Facebook.com/ShanoraWilliamsAuthor
Facebook Fan Group: Facebook.com/groups/ShanorasSweethearts
Twitter: Twitter.com/shanorawilliams

Reviews

[Laura Lovesreading · Rating 4 out of 5]

🎵 Jolene… Jolene..Jolene… JOLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENE 🎵

I’m begging you… PLEASE EFF THIS MAN UP!

The Bitter Truth is following Jolene. A dedicated politician’s wife, who in public is the perfect and devoted wife, but behind closed doors she is a fed up and downtrodden wife being abused by her narcissistic husband. To top it off there is now someone stalking her husband and secrets are being unraveled. Will Jolene stand by her man or help bury the ‘bitter truth’…

Oh boy I have read two other books from this author, and this is her darkest yet. Trigger warnings are highly advised. Part 1 of the book had me on ROPES, I couldn’t get enough of Jolene and Dominic's story. Then when Brynn and Shavonne entered the story too, my mind was all over the place trying to work out how all interconnected would culminate. Although a little bit dragged out and quite far fetched, the twists were twisting and I was satisfied with the conclusion.

⋆｡°✩WHAT I LIKED⋆｡°✩
➽ Short Chapters
➽ Multiple POVS
➽ Characters NOT being One-Dimensional
➽ The many emotions it evoked out of me
➽ Easy to read

⋆｡°✩WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE⋆｡°✩
➽ Too much details and over explanations at times
➽ One of the characters job role, made no sense and felt irrelevant to the story
➽ A lot of bombastic side eye moments
➽ Minor plot holes that was not explained

I will continue to pick up this authors work. She took a different dark direction with this book that mostly worked but could do with some extra touches. Overall a good solid thriller.


3.5 ⭐


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
pre read
Really enjoyed The Perfect Ruin by this author
The blurb on this one is giving Drama, with more Drama,
with an extra razzle dazzle of Drama!
💚💙

[Nikki Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jolene and Dominic are a married power couple in politics. Dominic is the governor of North Carolina.

Things start to take a weird turn when Dominic starts receiving threatening messages. The messages leading Dominic to believe someone knows about his past. Something or someone could make his whole world come crashing down. What did the governor do? Does Jolene even know about the secrets he keeps?

Boy, this one was a wild ride for sure! Secrets, lies and murder. Who is telling the truth? I just love a juicy domestic storyline! This was my first Shanora Williams read and it will definitely not be my last! Thanks so much to my favorite publisher @kensingtonbooks, @ShanoraWilliams and @netgalley for the opportunity!
Release date June 25,2024
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

TW- rape, suicide, mental illness, weight issues

[Dennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shanora Williams always has the best popcorn thrillers and I was so excited to read THE BITTER TRUTH. I was a bit hesitant after reading the synopsis in seeing that this book could involve some spousal issues as I am struggling with my divorce, but after asking my friend @shellysbookcorner , I felt more confident that I wouldn't be triggered by this book. Shelly was right, this book was so much fun!

The story is centered around Jolene and Dominic Baker and his gubernatorial run for North Carolina governorship. Jolene and her husband look like the perfect couple—having met in college and married—Jolene fully supports her husband's campaign. As the campaign continues to move forward, Dominic and Jolene start seeing hurdle after hurdle getting more and more intense, especially when the two feel that their lives may be in trouble. When Jolene starts digging into her husband's past, secrets begin surfacing to the top. So many secrets, but what will Jolene do after finding out?

THE BITTER TRUTH is the ultimate popcorn thriller. I actually read this book in two sittings and it was so much fun. The ending is a bit over-the-top and too obvious, but I love the dark sinister secrets within this book. This book did take turns I didn't expect as the story evolved, which I really appreciated. If you need something fast paced and fun, THE BITTER TRUTH is your novel! This book is absolutely perfect for the beach or the poolside with an aperol spritz.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two stars for trying, but maybe I'm being generous.

The positive - There was a very nice note from Shanora before the book actually started giving readers a heads up regarding the books content. The prologue was the best part of the whole book.

The negative - It's one of those books where almost every character has 'secrets', and they are not the wonderful people they initially appear to be. Thus, they turn out to be bad/evil people after all. Every 'mysterious' thing that happens in the story is so easy to figure out that it beyond ridiculous. Who is leaving threatening notes for Dominic, why is he having hallucinations, what really happened to this one or that one??? It's all so stupid.

This is one of those books that if you desired to you could start it after lunch and finish it before dinner. A very simple book, you have little use for your brain while reading it.

Thanks to Penguin Random House/Kensington Books for the Advanced Readers Edition of the book.

[Just A Girl With Spirit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Popcorn thriller at its finest!! Shanora had me like 🤯. This was dark and oh so gritty. Loved how Shanora showed how narcissism works with one of the characters. Truly loved this audiobook!!

[BrownBookNerd · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the very first chapter, this story grabbed my attention and I was hooked! Every time I thought I had it figured out here comes another twist. I enjoyed every second of this book!! I enjoyed how the story was told from multiple POVs. The past timeline adds depth to the story and helps build suspense which kept me on the edge of my seat!! I just love thrillers written by black authors and about black characters! This one is definitely one of my favorites from this year and I highly recommend!

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the advanced copy 🩷

[Stacie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enthralling. Wicked. Devious. Narcissistic. I just couldn't put this book down. Happy reading!

[adoseof.adri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great popcorn thriller by her! Shanora Williams went a bit darker this time and I really enjoyed that aspect and the twists were great. Some parts felt a bit dragged out but it all came together well!

[Mallory · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Richelle Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a wild ride with plenty of twists!

[Wobilba · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really good thriller with so many twist and turns(pretty predictable most times), but I still enjoyed it. I did not like or care about these characters except Jolene(the reason I didn't DNF)

Story: 3.5 🌟🌟🌟✨
Narration: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

[Kurryreads (Kerry) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT6dQRTpt/

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shanora Williams is officially one of the authors I will drop whatever I'm reading for when she has a new release out! I could not put this book down and loved it so much!

[Nadia Latai (Nadiasbookishworld86) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5🌟

Shanora is the QUEEN of Thrillers!!!!
The Bitter Truth had me all over the place in the best way!! These multiple POVs were difficult to follow at first, but once the story was rolling I was completely invested.

[Erin Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Goodreads and Kensington books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. This was the first book of this author for me. Not my usual genre, but I must say, I am a fan of Shanora Williams.
I truly appreciated the character development, style of the book-writing from each of the main character’s perspectives, and the completely unexpected ending! What a twister of a story. I would love to have seen the r*pe actually prosecuted, but what was authored is, unfortunately, the reality of how men’s r*pe and assault on others is handled. I’m team women for this book. Thank you for the amazing read! Highly recommend.

[Dun's · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was my first time reading a novel by Shanora Williams. The early chapters started off well, and the premise focused on a governor with secrets and a dark past was intriguing.

Then the storytelling became repetitive and I had a difficult time going through the pages. I could not stand books with characters described as successful and smart who do dumb and predictable actions. For a book listed as a mystery thriller, I found the writing style very descriptive... leaving nothing to the reader's imagination.

Many thanks for the ARC I received in a Goodreads giveaway. Publication date: June 25, 2024.

[kileigh✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Perfect Revenge!
Dark and twisty.
Political scandal.

I was so invested. Wanting more after each chapter. I was trying to keep the pace with my book club, but ended up finishing WAY early! Couldn’t put it down.

I love women

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Gubernatorial race of North Carolina is at stake and suddenly a mysterious woman is stalking her husband’s political rallies. A dedicated wife gets concerned and all sorts of dark secrets come out. Shanora Williams’ The Bitter Truth was my first experience with her writing and it’s been a bit since I read an absorbing, domestic thriller. I was primed and ready and I was not disappointed.

Jo Baker is the perfect politician’s wife. She’s personable, bright, a successful and strong woman of wealth and a successful business in her own right. Her marriage has everyone sighing and backing her charming husband and their team for what they stand for and their engaging persona. That’s the outside…and a lie. She’s been talking to Dominic about a split for some time when he drifted away and prioritized everything else above their marriage. Lately, she doesn’t suspect, but knows he’s keeping secrets and that was before the drama started with the mysterious woman.

As with most domestic thrillers, it isn’t long when readers get a heads up that all isn’t what it seems. Of course that startling Prologue of a horrific experience in Dominic’s childhood setting the stage for what was to come and right on into the dark deeds of Dominic’s more recent past that he must keep covered up at all costs if he wants to win re-election. Dominic is a narcissist, but he’s a charming one that has others convinced he cares about them and only lately has Jolene worked this out about him.

The Bitter Truth hooked me from the start and I was well into the book before I came up for air. There are multiple point of views including Dominic and Jo, but also Brynn, the third main character who is telling an earlier timeline of events. I liked getting to know them warts and worse- particularly when it comes to Dominic. It’s not a matter of this is going to be bad, but to what depth. This is a revenge plot and there is some serious drama and stunning twists in the end before all is said and done.

When it comes to domestic thrillers, I don’t tend to like the characters and have realized that one isn’t necessarily expect to. It’s about reading a personal train wreck of lives and not being able to look away. I usually don’t like books associated with politics, but I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy that element because it gave just the right amount of high stakes to all Dominic was trying to protect and achieve by his loathsome actions. Jo and Brynn were both gals with a lot of fire and willing to see Dominic’s despicable actions and raise the stakes. Jo impressed me and left me in awe at her chess-like moves against her husband.

All in all, this was one that took me on a dark journey of the soul and I liked how it re-emerged (eventually) into the sunshine. Shanora Williams’ writing style was easy read for me and I look forward to more of her thrillers and would definitely try her romances. Domestic Thriller fans are the target audience and I can definitely recommend this one.

I rec'd an ARC from Kensington Books to read in exchange for an honest review.

My full review will post at Caffeinated Reviewer 10.2.24.

[Kim’s Kindle Reads. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This had me HOOKED from page one! Multiple POV’s, the different timelines, the descriptive writing, the emotions. This was a true thriller, through and through. I loved that the twists were delivered all throughout the book keeping me deeply engaged for the whole ride.

Whats it about? — An upstanding political candidate. A determined stalker. A shattering lost weekend. Now, when his worst secret comes calling, how far will one man's elegant, all-too-devoted wife go to uncover the truth... or bury it?

Jolene is married to her college sweetheart Dominic Baker who is now in the running for governor of North Carolina. He thinks it’s sweet until his past catches up to him & things go awry. It all starts with a special visit at his campaign rally. From that moment on, Jolene is set on uncovering the truth and Dominic’s past is set on ruining his future.

Trigger warnings — suicide, SA, domestic violence.

Releasing 6/25, READ IT.

Thank you to Netgalley for the digital ARC, I thoroughly enjoyed.

[buzy_reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Bitter Truth is about a governor who will go to great lengths to bury the truth of his past. Dominic is the governor of North Carolina and his wife Jolene is proud of him and very supportive of her husband’s achievements.
…
They met in college and fell in love instantly. With Jolene’s money she helped fund Dominic into politics. Although, her father never trusted Dominic. He knew Dominic had a lot to gain by marrying Jolene that’s why he continued to control how much money he gave to her.
…
Being a good wife meant that she supported her husband and kept a healthy figure. In high school Jolene was overweight. In college she made it her mission to lose weight. When she did Dominic noticed her. Dominic has been focused and driven to become governor that he’s made it his life’s mission.
…
Ten years married and Dominic is on the campaign trail once again. At one of his rallies he sees a woman who spikes fear and concern in him. Then a few days later he starts getting letters asking him where Brynn is? Dominic grows paranoid as the reality of that night with Brynn starts to unfold.
…
The Bitter Truth is told from three points of view: Brynn, Dominic, and Jolene. There are four parts to the story. Shanora Williams writes a fast paced thriller that has my mind swirling with possibilities. It’s an exciting read. Let me tell you this is one helluva a story. The twists and turns keep coming at you. What a fun and fantastic ride. I was beyond thrilled and ready to ride again. This fore sure will be a bestselling book. This book is by far Shanora William’s best work to date.

[BiblioPeeks · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.
_______

“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

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know why it took me so long to pick up a book by Shanora Williams, but now I want to read all of her other thrillers. The Bitter Truth is fast-paced, super bingeable, and filled with jaw-dropping twists that I never saw coming. Some parts were tough to read, and I appreciated Williams including triggers at the beginning of the book in a dear reader section. If you have triggers, I would be sure to read it as there are definitely a few in here. The two main viewpoints in the beginning are Jolene (Jo) and her husband Dominic, but then it flips around midway, and we have more female POVs. I loved the way that and some focus on the past made the story flow and it certainly kept me on my toes.

The entire audiobook is narrated by Sable Lyn & Roderick Ross with Ross narrating Dominic and Lyn narrating all the female viewpoints. Thankfully, Williams labeled each chapter, so I didn’t have any confusion over whose POV I was in. I loved Ross’ narration and I just love his voice in general. Lyn was a bit of a mixed bag for me, and while I liked her narration, I didn’t love it. She had pauses in odd spots throughout, and it just felt pretty unnatural overall instead of flowing. I don’t want to say too much about the actual storyline, and I think besides knowing triggers, The Bitter Truth is best to go into as blind as possible. I loved the strong friendship that was in the book as well and that bond is something I don’t get to see too often in thrillers, so I was happy. If you are in the mood for something that is dark, twisty, and packs a punch this is it!

[Shauntelle (shauntellereads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Annie O · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started a solid 3, jumped between a 4 and 5 from the 130's-260's, dropped back to a 3, and ended at a solid 2.5⭐️

Why she had to go into so much explaining and detail, even after he was caught is beyond me.

You know how a joke's not funny if you have to explain it? That goes for mysteries and plot twists too. The point is they should be clever and keep the reader having "ah ha!" moments.

Defining how your guy swiped the blood in the opposite direction to *yada yada yada* not only slows down the narrative but assumes your reader us stupid.

Also - why is Ricardo a hit man in the cartel? That's a "twist" that didn't need twisting. Insert all the eye rolls here. (Also the descriptions that came after about how Jolene 'found out'...unnecessary, boring, and more eye roles)

Literally the 4th...section? Delete it

I was so ready to love this. Ready for it to sweep me off my feet. So disappointed.

[Caraline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shanora Williams never misses. It is going to be so difficult to find a book better than this one this year. While I feel like this book may not be for everyone, because of its heavy focus on politics and overall graphic nature, it was for me. I find the way Shanora Williams writes a story to be so atmospheric and consuming. Everytime I open up one of her books I am transported to another world and I can’t put the book down until I’m done, but I am left conflicted because it’s so good I don’t want it to be over.

I really loved Jolene as a character and the overall strength and resilience portrayed through all the female characters in the book, excluding Jolene’s mom. This book was very heavy, and if you are debating reading this book please check TW’s first. With that being said if you like psychological domestic thrillers that follow multiple character POV’s and timelines, with political themes, this one is for you.

I need to talk about this book with someone.

[OutlawPoet · Rating 4 out of 5]

So. Much. Scandal.

This one is full of surprises. Every single character seems to have a secret here.

Definitely a popcorn read and our characters – especially one – are of the train wreck variety.

While I did think the plot ended up unnecessarily complex, I also realize that I just wanted to end one particular character with extreme prejudice and found myself a tiny bit irritated at the…um…extremely complicated way of dealing with them.

I found that I liked Jo immensely, though she’s definitely got her own issues, and was full on rooting for her and some of the other women in this book.

A good read!

• ARC via Publisher

[Reading_Utopia! · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25⭐️

I was immediately hooked when I started The Bitter Truth! I appreciated so many aspects of this novel:

• Multiple POVs
• Deep Dark Secrets
• Strong Female Representation
• Fast-paced plot
• Continuous jaw-dropping moments
• Tacked complex, difficult issues

Jolene Baker is a devoted wife married to her college sweetheart Dominic Baker, the governor of North Carolina. Dominic is up for reelection when he starts receiving ominous letters and believes a mysterious woman is stalking him.

I was completely captivated by this book and read it in two sittings! The vivid, relatable characters were well-written and seemed to leap off the pages. The secrets, drama, and betrayals kept me glued to the pages. The Bitter Truth is definitely a must read for thriller lovers.

[Meekilovesbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story started out extremely intriguing, a mixture of politics, murder, trauma, and revenge. The middle fell flat for me, but the ending was fantastic. Both main characters, Dominic and Jolene, had to face the truth.

Thank you, Netgally for my free ebook in exchange for my honest review. 4 stars!!

[Sherri Burrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 pretty good thriller, all the characters, had secrets, love the twist and turn. I’ve read from this author before and I will definitely continue supporting her work.

[Fee · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're in the mood for a thriller with lots of drama, this is it.