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The Other Woman
Shortly after Christmas, a message arrives at Sophie's house, scrawled across her own round robin newsletter: He's Going To Leave You. Let's See How Smug You Are Then, You Stupid Bitch. Perhaps she should ignore it, but she ignored the last one. And the one before that. Now it's time to take action.
But when a simple plan to identify and confront the other woman goes drastically and violently wrong, Sophie must go to extreme lengths to keep her life and her family together-while never letting on her devastating secret.
But when a simple plan to identify and confront the other woman goes drastically and violently wrong, Sophie must go to extreme lengths to keep her life and her family together-while never letting on her devastating secret.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published October 5, 2017
101 people are currently reading
643 people want to read
About the author
Laura Wilson
156 books77 followersThere is more than one author with this name
Laura Wilson is an English crime-writer based in London, where she was born and raised. She has degrees in English Literature form Somerville College, Oxford, and University College London, and has worked as a teacher and editor of non-fiction.
Many of her novels have either a historical setting or a distinct historical connection, and often have split or dual narratives. Her first novel, A Little Death was shortlsited for a CWA Dagger award, and her fifth, The Lover was short listed for both the CWA Gold Dagger and the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger.
Laura Wilson is an English crime-writer based in London, where she was born and raised. She has degrees in English Literature form Somerville College, Oxford, and University College London, and has worked as a teacher and editor of non-fiction.
Many of her novels have either a historical setting or a distinct historical connection, and often have split or dual narratives. Her first novel, A Little Death was shortlsited for a CWA Dagger award, and her fifth, The Lover was short listed for both the CWA Gold Dagger and the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 126 reviews
January 23, 2020
EXCERPT: Sullivan hates this part of the job: the split second before you say the words while they guess from your face why you're there, and how you'd give anything not to have to say it, and they'd give anything not to have to hear it; then the bewildered denial, the growing comprehension, the wait for the anguished spasm of the face, the tears...
When Sullivan's delivered death messages before, its been in slab-grey housing estates where mothers with scraped back hair and bad complexions swear at their toddlers, where junk food wrappings litter the pavements and half the locals are on drugs. Here, the very air seems prosperous, ordered and calm. But, Sullivan reminds himself, bad things can happen anywhere.
ABOUT THIS BOOK: Shortly after Christmas, a message arrives at Sophie's house, scrawled across her own round robin newsletter: He's Going To Leave You. Let's See How Smug You Are Then, You Stupid Bitch. Perhaps she should ignore it, but she ignored the last one. And the one before that. Now it's time to take action.
But when a simple plan to identify and confront the other woman goes drastically and violently wrong, Sophie must go to extreme lengths to keep her life and her family together-while never letting on her devastating secret.
MY THOUGHTS: This is NOT a psychological thriller. Definitely not. No way....
But it is enjoyable. It is a comedy of errors, all highly improbable, but amusing in parts, sad in others. It all comes down to trust....trust and communication.
Wilson's characters are brilliantly portrayed...the women whose husbands work in the city all week, coming home only on weekends and who really have no idea what their husbands get up to; the husbands who all have secrets of one sort or another; the entitled children. And if you're thinking...oh no, another one of those...let me assure you that you are wrong. Oh so very wrong. Because this book is both unconventional, and unpredictable.
Slightly chic-lity, this was an entertaining listen, and Karen Cass - the narrator - was just perfect for this read.
I will be reading more from this author.
****
THE AUTHOR: Laura Wilson is an English crime-writer based in London, where she was born and raised. She has degrees in English Literature form Somerville College, Oxford, and University College London, and has worked as a teacher and editor of non-fiction.
Many of her novels have either a historical setting or a distinct historical connection, and often have split or dual narratives. Her first novel, A Little Death was shortlsited for a CWA Dagger award, and her fifth, The Lover was short listed for both the CWA Gold Dagger and the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger.
DISCLOSURE: I listened to the audiobook of The Other Woman by Laura Wilson, narrated by Karen Cass and published by Quercus, via Overdrive. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system, please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon and my webpage.
When Sullivan's delivered death messages before, its been in slab-grey housing estates where mothers with scraped back hair and bad complexions swear at their toddlers, where junk food wrappings litter the pavements and half the locals are on drugs. Here, the very air seems prosperous, ordered and calm. But, Sullivan reminds himself, bad things can happen anywhere.
ABOUT THIS BOOK: Shortly after Christmas, a message arrives at Sophie's house, scrawled across her own round robin newsletter: He's Going To Leave You. Let's See How Smug You Are Then, You Stupid Bitch. Perhaps she should ignore it, but she ignored the last one. And the one before that. Now it's time to take action.
But when a simple plan to identify and confront the other woman goes drastically and violently wrong, Sophie must go to extreme lengths to keep her life and her family together-while never letting on her devastating secret.
MY THOUGHTS: This is NOT a psychological thriller. Definitely not. No way....
But it is enjoyable. It is a comedy of errors, all highly improbable, but amusing in parts, sad in others. It all comes down to trust....trust and communication.
Wilson's characters are brilliantly portrayed...the women whose husbands work in the city all week, coming home only on weekends and who really have no idea what their husbands get up to; the husbands who all have secrets of one sort or another; the entitled children. And if you're thinking...oh no, another one of those...let me assure you that you are wrong. Oh so very wrong. Because this book is both unconventional, and unpredictable.
Slightly chic-lity, this was an entertaining listen, and Karen Cass - the narrator - was just perfect for this read.
I will be reading more from this author.
****
THE AUTHOR: Laura Wilson is an English crime-writer based in London, where she was born and raised. She has degrees in English Literature form Somerville College, Oxford, and University College London, and has worked as a teacher and editor of non-fiction.
Many of her novels have either a historical setting or a distinct historical connection, and often have split or dual narratives. Her first novel, A Little Death was shortlsited for a CWA Dagger award, and her fifth, The Lover was short listed for both the CWA Gold Dagger and the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger.
DISCLOSURE: I listened to the audiobook of The Other Woman by Laura Wilson, narrated by Karen Cass and published by Quercus, via Overdrive. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system, please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon and my webpage.
March 26, 2018
In the depths of rural Norfolk live Sophie and Leo Hamilton and two of their three children. Poppy and Zac are typical opinionated teenagers, given to surliness, selfishness and tiresome arguments, whilst Archie is away at university. Life is perfect. Or is it? No indeedy, it is not. Bad Things are about to happen....
Sophie has the nauseating habit of sending all her friends and acquaintances – well over one hundred and fifty of them – a round-Robin letter at Christmas. One of them is sickened by the arrogant display of smug self satisfaction and returns them three years in a row, with nasty messages scrawled over them. The third is the most unsettling as it states that the writer is having an affair with Leo who is about to leave Sophie.....at which point Sophie goes into meltdown. Does she tackle Leo? Of course not. Instead, her imagination goes into overdrive.
Surprisingly I have actually read this right through, not because of the characters, all of whom are not only unsympathetic but extremely irritating, and certainly not for the sparkling dialogue. No, I read this right through because it is an absolute farce from beginning to end. Everything that happens is so over-the-top-preposterous, from the teenagers who interrogate Sophie over just about everything, to the dog-walker who is greedy for any detail about Sophie's life. You want detail? You've got it. You want explanations for every single thing – just in case you are too stupid to understand what's going on? Don't worry, the author supplies them all. Example:
“...Can you pass me some of those old towels? Dexter just rolled in something disgusting and I need to wash him before I let him back in the house.”
“....Sophie stumbled over to the stairs opposite Leo's door – for emergencies, in case a fire broke out and the lift to the penthouse stopped working – and sat down....”
When Sophie wants sleeping tablets we are given the full explanation as to why she has them, and why she hadn't used them! We are also treated to a detailed explanation of what an astrolabe is, what is was used for, and the bits that Sophie doesn't understand. There are also various clues along the way to tell us how wealthy and privileged this family is: flowers that cost £150, Archie being in Borneo; ballet and music lessons for Poppy – oh, and her friends have names like Cressida and Ottilie. Of course she does, she couldn't possibly hang out with the Sharons and Tracys of the world, now could she!
The writing is occasionally clunky, full of inconsistencies, and with characters sprinkled all over the contrived plot, all of whom just add to the general confusion.
This book is so ridiculous it had me laughing out loud for all the wrong reasons. It is touted as a “crime thriller”, with Ms Wilson referred to as “One of the country's most acute psychological crime novelists – this from the Independent newspaper. Really. REALLY? I'd love to know what else is on this person's reading list.
A farce the late Sir Brian Rix would have loved.
Thanks to Amazon for a complimentary copy to review - I now know to avoid Ms Wilson's books
Sophie has the nauseating habit of sending all her friends and acquaintances – well over one hundred and fifty of them – a round-Robin letter at Christmas. One of them is sickened by the arrogant display of smug self satisfaction and returns them three years in a row, with nasty messages scrawled over them. The third is the most unsettling as it states that the writer is having an affair with Leo who is about to leave Sophie.....at which point Sophie goes into meltdown. Does she tackle Leo? Of course not. Instead, her imagination goes into overdrive.
Surprisingly I have actually read this right through, not because of the characters, all of whom are not only unsympathetic but extremely irritating, and certainly not for the sparkling dialogue. No, I read this right through because it is an absolute farce from beginning to end. Everything that happens is so over-the-top-preposterous, from the teenagers who interrogate Sophie over just about everything, to the dog-walker who is greedy for any detail about Sophie's life. You want detail? You've got it. You want explanations for every single thing – just in case you are too stupid to understand what's going on? Don't worry, the author supplies them all. Example:
“...Can you pass me some of those old towels? Dexter just rolled in something disgusting and I need to wash him before I let him back in the house.”
“....Sophie stumbled over to the stairs opposite Leo's door – for emergencies, in case a fire broke out and the lift to the penthouse stopped working – and sat down....”
When Sophie wants sleeping tablets we are given the full explanation as to why she has them, and why she hadn't used them! We are also treated to a detailed explanation of what an astrolabe is, what is was used for, and the bits that Sophie doesn't understand. There are also various clues along the way to tell us how wealthy and privileged this family is: flowers that cost £150, Archie being in Borneo; ballet and music lessons for Poppy – oh, and her friends have names like Cressida and Ottilie. Of course she does, she couldn't possibly hang out with the Sharons and Tracys of the world, now could she!
The writing is occasionally clunky, full of inconsistencies, and with characters sprinkled all over the contrived plot, all of whom just add to the general confusion.
This book is so ridiculous it had me laughing out loud for all the wrong reasons. It is touted as a “crime thriller”, with Ms Wilson referred to as “One of the country's most acute psychological crime novelists – this from the Independent newspaper. Really. REALLY? I'd love to know what else is on this person's reading list.
A farce the late Sir Brian Rix would have loved.
Thanks to Amazon for a complimentary copy to review - I now know to avoid Ms Wilson's books
May 31, 2018
The good:
It’s set in Norfolk, yay.
The bad:
Everything else.
This was bloody awful. A tragicomic farce, just laughable really, sorry.
It’s set in Norfolk, yay.
The bad:
Everything else.
This was bloody awful. A tragicomic farce, just laughable really, sorry.
October 7, 2017
A really excellent addition to the ranks of "Domestic Noir" here from Laura Wilson, a writer whose previous novels I have also loved - she just does characters so well, layering in little gems of motivation and influence, the kind that affects us all.
In this a husband is suspected of an affair after some rather nasty poison pen letters - unfortunately things go rather awry, what follows is a twisted yet authentic tale, a true family drama with added oomph that keeps you involved all the way to it's brilliantly placed conclusion.
Managing to avoid the most obvious outcomes and therefore giving a genuinely unpredictable read which of course is a huge plus, The Other Woman is a fast and often thought provoking read that I have no problem highly recommending.
Bring on more is what I say.
In this a husband is suspected of an affair after some rather nasty poison pen letters - unfortunately things go rather awry, what follows is a twisted yet authentic tale, a true family drama with added oomph that keeps you involved all the way to it's brilliantly placed conclusion.
Managing to avoid the most obvious outcomes and therefore giving a genuinely unpredictable read which of course is a huge plus, The Other Woman is a fast and often thought provoking read that I have no problem highly recommending.
Bring on more is what I say.
September 24, 2017
What I love about Laura Wilson is that she’s never afraid to mix it up a little within her preferred genre. I’ve been a huge fan ever since I read and adored Hello Bunny Alice a few years ago now. She then wrote a series of historical crime novels, one of which I loved was A Capital Crime which was based on the real life case of serial killer John Christie. A couple of years ago I noticed that she had gone back to writing modern day psychological thrillers with The Wrong Girl, a tale of dysfunctional families and our national obsession with celebrities which was set in Norfolk. I really enjoyed that one so was thrilled to see she had a new book coming out. From the book blurb, I was expecting the usual formula but Laura Wilson has mixed it up in a high speed blender this time and given her readers an unputdownable psychological thriller with touches of black comedy that became unputdownable as I watched the drama unfold with a warped fascination!
When I first started reading I have to admit I was really hoping someone would bump SOPHIE off! She was so full of herself and her perfect family life in rural Norfolk. When she gets her yearly “round robin” family newsletter anonymously returned to her with a message scrawled across it calling her a smug bitch, I was amazed she’d only had the one!!! Her boastful sharing of holidays, children’s achievements and her gorgeous homes had obviously upset one of its recipients who now claimed to be having an affair with Sophies husband Leo. So does Sophie confront her husband to see if it’s true? No of course she doesn’t! She tries to solve the mystery of the letter herself with unfortunately catastrophic results.
After the first few chapters I felt as though I was watching one of those theatrical farces (Arsenic and Old Lace sprang to mind at times!!) as every step that Sophie took seemed to lead to even more drama! Her family, friends and even her neighbours seemed determined to prevent her from carrying out her ever increasing checklist of “errands”. And as the pages flew towards their shocking denouement, there were plenty more secrets to uncover along the way.
I devoured this book with a ruthless enthusiasm, relishing the uncomfortable feeling it left me with. I can honestly say that this is one of the most innovative psychological thrillers I have read this year and, whilst it won’t be to everyone’s taste, I loved it from start to finish. A domestic noir stuffed full of unlikable characters and all wrapped up in a deliciously dark humour-just wonderful!
When I first started reading I have to admit I was really hoping someone would bump SOPHIE off! She was so full of herself and her perfect family life in rural Norfolk. When she gets her yearly “round robin” family newsletter anonymously returned to her with a message scrawled across it calling her a smug bitch, I was amazed she’d only had the one!!! Her boastful sharing of holidays, children’s achievements and her gorgeous homes had obviously upset one of its recipients who now claimed to be having an affair with Sophies husband Leo. So does Sophie confront her husband to see if it’s true? No of course she doesn’t! She tries to solve the mystery of the letter herself with unfortunately catastrophic results.
After the first few chapters I felt as though I was watching one of those theatrical farces (Arsenic and Old Lace sprang to mind at times!!) as every step that Sophie took seemed to lead to even more drama! Her family, friends and even her neighbours seemed determined to prevent her from carrying out her ever increasing checklist of “errands”. And as the pages flew towards their shocking denouement, there were plenty more secrets to uncover along the way.
I devoured this book with a ruthless enthusiasm, relishing the uncomfortable feeling it left me with. I can honestly say that this is one of the most innovative psychological thrillers I have read this year and, whilst it won’t be to everyone’s taste, I loved it from start to finish. A domestic noir stuffed full of unlikable characters and all wrapped up in a deliciously dark humour-just wonderful!
October 18, 2017
Have you ever seen the comedy series “Worst Week of My Life”? Or even “Meet the Parents” where Ben Stiller’s character just keeps getting deeper and deeper into trouble and it’s excruciating but hilarious? That’s exactly how I found this book: one minute reading through my fingers and cringing, the next wiping away a tear of laughter.
I loved it! Sophie, the central character is so believable with her keeping-up-appearances lifestyle and careful planning of the yearly Hamilton family Christmas card describing how well Alfie is doing at Uni, how well Poppy’s music lessons are coming on and their latest long-haul no-expense-spared holidays. However, when she receives one of the round robin Christmas letters sent back to her, claiming that her husband is going to leave her, Sophie’s carefully cultivated life comes crashing down around her.
Setting out to discover The Other Woman, Sophie’s actions (the first one of which made me sit bolt upright and say “oh!!!!”) sets off a chain of events that reveals itself like a comedy of errors and had me shouting “nooooooo” on a regular basis. I’m not sure if this book was meant to be funny or not but even if not deliberate, the author has a real gift for comedy. It was one thing after another and I could not turn the pages quick enough.
Brilliant!
I loved it! Sophie, the central character is so believable with her keeping-up-appearances lifestyle and careful planning of the yearly Hamilton family Christmas card describing how well Alfie is doing at Uni, how well Poppy’s music lessons are coming on and their latest long-haul no-expense-spared holidays. However, when she receives one of the round robin Christmas letters sent back to her, claiming that her husband is going to leave her, Sophie’s carefully cultivated life comes crashing down around her.
Setting out to discover The Other Woman, Sophie’s actions (the first one of which made me sit bolt upright and say “oh!!!!”) sets off a chain of events that reveals itself like a comedy of errors and had me shouting “nooooooo” on a regular basis. I’m not sure if this book was meant to be funny or not but even if not deliberate, the author has a real gift for comedy. It was one thing after another and I could not turn the pages quick enough.
Brilliant!
October 6, 2017
With thanks to Netgalley and Quercus for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.
Sophie Hamilton lives in Norfolk with her husband Leo, teenage kids Poppy, Zak and Dexter the labrador. Sophie lives a comfortable middle class life with a Romanian au-pair and a cleaner. As a hobby she owns a high class gift store called Hamilton Dr Witt with best friend Melissa.
Every year she sends a round robin letter in her christmas cards to over 150 friends and acquaintances. For the last two years one letter has been returned scrawled with the words you're so bloody pleased with yourself. This year the letter was returned with the words Leo and I have been having an affair. He's going to leave you.
Sophie is devastated and tries to find out who the other woman is. She goes to Leo's London flat and sees a glamorous female leave his flat with a suitcase. She resolves to warn off the other woman off with gruesome consequences.
I did enjoy this book but if you are looking for a psychological thriller you will be disappointed. The death of Jessica was so macabre it was funny. The book then became a farce with Jessica running around the house trying to dispose of Jessica's body before the au-pair and Poppy returned home.
Sophie annoyed me but my favourite characters were Dexter the dog and the clever ever observant Poppy. Overall this was a light hearted cosy mystery with a dash of black humour.
Sophie Hamilton lives in Norfolk with her husband Leo, teenage kids Poppy, Zak and Dexter the labrador. Sophie lives a comfortable middle class life with a Romanian au-pair and a cleaner. As a hobby she owns a high class gift store called Hamilton Dr Witt with best friend Melissa.
Every year she sends a round robin letter in her christmas cards to over 150 friends and acquaintances. For the last two years one letter has been returned scrawled with the words you're so bloody pleased with yourself. This year the letter was returned with the words Leo and I have been having an affair. He's going to leave you.
Sophie is devastated and tries to find out who the other woman is. She goes to Leo's London flat and sees a glamorous female leave his flat with a suitcase. She resolves to warn off the other woman off with gruesome consequences.
I did enjoy this book but if you are looking for a psychological thriller you will be disappointed. The death of Jessica was so macabre it was funny. The book then became a farce with Jessica running around the house trying to dispose of Jessica's body before the au-pair and Poppy returned home.
Sophie annoyed me but my favourite characters were Dexter the dog and the clever ever observant Poppy. Overall this was a light hearted cosy mystery with a dash of black humour.
February 11, 2018
This latest entry into the domestic noir/psychological suspense stable by Laura Wilson gets us straight into the action with a mysterious note threatening to shatter the idyllic home life of diligent 'suburbicon' housewife and mother Sophie. Wilson lulls us into a false sense of security before delivering a sucker punch about a third of the way through, propelling Sophie into a gut-wrenching predicament. But that is nothing compared to the second major twist nearer the end of the book, one that I defy even seasoned readers of the genre to guess. (Ill eat my cricket helmet if you do.) The story fairly rattles along, the narrative driven by a sense of claustrophobia that closes around the reader like a vice, as Sophie thrashes fly-like in the web of her dilemma. Wonderfully pitched. A terrific read.
October 26, 2017
I loved this book. Sophie lives in a bubble, she thinks that everyone wants to know how well she's doing, and doesn't seem to ask anyone about their life. When Sophie received a letter saying Leo and I have been having an affair for over two years and now he's going to leave you. Let's see how smug you are then, you stupid bitch. If her husband Leo was having an affair who could it possibly be. Sophie goes through the list of possibilities. I didn't see the twist coming and that's why I recommend The Other Woman.
January 22, 2018
I didn’t like this book. At all. But. I can’t give it one star because it wasn’t badly written. The plot wasn’t bad. I just didn’t like it.
I think it was supposed to be funny? I’m not sure. Not the book for me!
But the author can write!!!!
I think it was supposed to be funny? I’m not sure. Not the book for me!
But the author can write!!!!
June 23, 2018
Here we have one of the most unlikable main characters, so full of herself and selfish, that she writes 'updates' about her and her family's luxurious life in the form of a christmas card to 150 odd people. And on occassion, Sophie's (MC) little christmas cards, or newsletter, get returned with dissatisfied comments. But on this occasion, a card is returned stating that someone is having an affair with her husband and he is going to leave her. Original? Probably not.
So here is problem number one... Sophie does not show her husband the letter, or ask him about it. She claims to love him so much, and yet can't share this letter with him. And if you've read the book, you'll know that had she told him about it in the first instance, it would have saved a whole load of hassle in the long run. 'Hassle' meaning . But then we wouldn't have a book to read, now would we!
So according to this book, what do you do if you receive a suspicious note stating your husband is having an affair? Hmm, spy on him to find out who the woman is, then bring her to your home to confront her! And oops, .
I realise as I write this that it's hard to tell you how bad this book is without giving spoilers. So in a nutshell, it's bad because the storyline is just ridiculous. The main character is so selfish and behaves like no real person ever would. I can't say that I feel she loves her husband at all, even though she claims to. And I'm glad she got what was coming to her in the end. She's also so hyped up and over dramatic about everything, all the time. Just no.
The other characters within this book lack substance and personality and are so annoying. Sophie's daughter Poppy, irritated me the most as she was so unrealistically inquisitive and a 'know it all'. For example, there's a scene where they find a simple diamond earring on their living room floor, and she's so persistent that it doesn't belong to her mum, her mum's friend, her nan, the cleaner, the housekeeper, but like, it's just a plain and simple earring; it could belong to anyone? What child would be that adamant? She's so interfering and seems to know everything about everyone and what they should be doing and where they should be at certain times, that it's so unreal and she's purely just in the book to act as a s*** stirrer within the plot. The earring does belong to someone else by the way, but that's not the point.
What more? Well the authors writing was bizzare, where there is an over-explanation about everything, as if the reader is stupid and needs it. The amount of '-' symbols in this book is insane. The sentences are long and filled with unnecessary ramblings. For example, 'The best thing - seeing that she was unlikely to get back to sleep any time soon - might be, for the moment at least, to stop assuming that the writer was someone who, if she wasn't actually having an affair with Leo, could plausibly be doing so.' I mean, like what the hell?? The writing is so pretentious, as if it wants to scream 'oh look, I'm a thriller book and I'm going to keep you on the edge of your seats'!
I also don't think the author was the most tactful in her writing. There's one line that particularly stood out to me: ' The idea that she should have to drug herself because this bloody woman was intent on ruining all their lives was abhorrent'. Umm, no one is making anyone 'drug' themselves? Why even say that? She receives a letter so she goes and whacks out the sleeping pills because poor her? Umm no. Don't ever say that. She does not have a substance addiction, so it's rather poor choice of wording.
But, I did finish this book and I did rate it a 2 rather than a 1. For the simple reason that I wanted to know how it would finish, and how Sophie got herself out of the mess she'd got herself in. I also wanted to write a salty review, but you know. As part of this story being ridiculous, there were so many instances where Sophie should have been caught out that it kept me reading because I kept thinking 'come on, come on already!'. Oh, and that ending? Wasn't worth it either. No conclusion or justice fulfilled. Damn.
So here is problem number one... Sophie does not show her husband the letter, or ask him about it. She claims to love him so much, and yet can't share this letter with him. And if you've read the book, you'll know that had she told him about it in the first instance, it would have saved a whole load of hassle in the long run. 'Hassle' meaning . But then we wouldn't have a book to read, now would we!
So according to this book, what do you do if you receive a suspicious note stating your husband is having an affair? Hmm, spy on him to find out who the woman is, then bring her to your home to confront her! And oops, .
I realise as I write this that it's hard to tell you how bad this book is without giving spoilers. So in a nutshell, it's bad because the storyline is just ridiculous. The main character is so selfish and behaves like no real person ever would. I can't say that I feel she loves her husband at all, even though she claims to. And I'm glad she got what was coming to her in the end. She's also so hyped up and over dramatic about everything, all the time. Just no.
The other characters within this book lack substance and personality and are so annoying. Sophie's daughter Poppy, irritated me the most as she was so unrealistically inquisitive and a 'know it all'. For example, there's a scene where they find a simple diamond earring on their living room floor, and she's so persistent that it doesn't belong to her mum, her mum's friend, her nan, the cleaner, the housekeeper, but like, it's just a plain and simple earring; it could belong to anyone? What child would be that adamant? She's so interfering and seems to know everything about everyone and what they should be doing and where they should be at certain times, that it's so unreal and she's purely just in the book to act as a s*** stirrer within the plot. The earring does belong to someone else by the way, but that's not the point.
What more? Well the authors writing was bizzare, where there is an over-explanation about everything, as if the reader is stupid and needs it. The amount of '-' symbols in this book is insane. The sentences are long and filled with unnecessary ramblings. For example, 'The best thing - seeing that she was unlikely to get back to sleep any time soon - might be, for the moment at least, to stop assuming that the writer was someone who, if she wasn't actually having an affair with Leo, could plausibly be doing so.' I mean, like what the hell?? The writing is so pretentious, as if it wants to scream 'oh look, I'm a thriller book and I'm going to keep you on the edge of your seats'!
I also don't think the author was the most tactful in her writing. There's one line that particularly stood out to me: ' The idea that she should have to drug herself because this bloody woman was intent on ruining all their lives was abhorrent'. Umm, no one is making anyone 'drug' themselves? Why even say that? She receives a letter so she goes and whacks out the sleeping pills because poor her? Umm no. Don't ever say that. She does not have a substance addiction, so it's rather poor choice of wording.
But, I did finish this book and I did rate it a 2 rather than a 1. For the simple reason that I wanted to know how it would finish, and how Sophie got herself out of the mess she'd got herself in. I also wanted to write a salty review, but you know. As part of this story being ridiculous, there were so many instances where Sophie should have been caught out that it kept me reading because I kept thinking 'come on, come on already!'. Oh, and that ending? Wasn't worth it either. No conclusion or justice fulfilled. Damn.
September 30, 2017
And the prize for marmite book of the year goes to...!
Well, that's what I think anyway. I finished it a fair few days ago and I am still not sure whether I enjoyed it or not. The basic premise is a wee bit on the daft side and what follows just plain old degenerates into farce going hand in hand with some delicious black comedy. I am going out on a limb here but some of it was rather Ortonesque in nature but not quite as close to the knuckle as what dear old Joe would have written.
If I judge a book by the speed I read it and how I felt when I turned the last page then I would have to say that, yes, I did enjoy it. As a dark psychological/crime thriller though, well, tension kinda flew out the window a bit with all the shenanigans and spanners flying into the works right, left and Chelsea, and in that way, it was severely lacking. I guess it's what you want from a book that'll make your mind up.
It probably didn't help that I really disliked the main character. With a passion. I know that usually doesn't matter to me as long as I can connect on some way, but here, due to the nature of what happens, I think it did impede my enjoyment, albeit probably only a bit.
I'd love to know whether the author had it all plotted out before she started writing or whether like Sophie, her main character, she winged it throughout, scuppered at every turn from what she wanted to do and having to take extreme measures to compensate!
All joking apart, this was one heck of a weird book. But I kinda liked it. Bit bonkers, very funny at times, cringe-worthy at others and, on the whole, one big farce. If you like this kind of thing then maybe this could be a good read for you, but I'd give it a miss if you want your more traditional psychological thriller which both the cover and blurb suggest this to be, and what I expected having read The Wrong Girl, also by this author.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
Well, that's what I think anyway. I finished it a fair few days ago and I am still not sure whether I enjoyed it or not. The basic premise is a wee bit on the daft side and what follows just plain old degenerates into farce going hand in hand with some delicious black comedy. I am going out on a limb here but some of it was rather Ortonesque in nature but not quite as close to the knuckle as what dear old Joe would have written.
If I judge a book by the speed I read it and how I felt when I turned the last page then I would have to say that, yes, I did enjoy it. As a dark psychological/crime thriller though, well, tension kinda flew out the window a bit with all the shenanigans and spanners flying into the works right, left and Chelsea, and in that way, it was severely lacking. I guess it's what you want from a book that'll make your mind up.
It probably didn't help that I really disliked the main character. With a passion. I know that usually doesn't matter to me as long as I can connect on some way, but here, due to the nature of what happens, I think it did impede my enjoyment, albeit probably only a bit.
I'd love to know whether the author had it all plotted out before she started writing or whether like Sophie, her main character, she winged it throughout, scuppered at every turn from what she wanted to do and having to take extreme measures to compensate!
All joking apart, this was one heck of a weird book. But I kinda liked it. Bit bonkers, very funny at times, cringe-worthy at others and, on the whole, one big farce. If you like this kind of thing then maybe this could be a good read for you, but I'd give it a miss if you want your more traditional psychological thriller which both the cover and blurb suggest this to be, and what I expected having read The Wrong Girl, also by this author.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
July 13, 2018
Please please please tell me someone out there found this more of a comedy of errors instead of a suspense book (just like me!) I felt like Sophie was basically living out a bad "B" movie and I was along for the ride and loving everything that was happening to her.
March 3, 2022
Doesn't even deserve a 1 star, but I'll bite. The whole story was ridiculous, from the beginning to the end. So many useless details shoved into the pages which I mostly skimmed just to get to the end of it, at which point I was like, um. What? That's it? Nope. Not my cup of tea.
November 11, 2017
The other woman by laura wilson.
Shortly after Christmas, a message arrives at Sophie's house, scrawled across her own round robin newsletter: He's Going To Leave You. Let's See How Smug You Are Then, You Stupid Bitch. Perhaps she should ignore it, but she ignored the last one. And the one before that. Now it's time to take action.
But when a simple plan to identify and confront the other woman goes drastically and violently wrong, Sophie must go to extreme lengths to keep her life and her family together-while never letting on her devastating secret.
A fantastic read. A shocker of a read. Kept me reading and guessing until the last page. 5*. Netgalley and quercus books.
Shortly after Christmas, a message arrives at Sophie's house, scrawled across her own round robin newsletter: He's Going To Leave You. Let's See How Smug You Are Then, You Stupid Bitch. Perhaps she should ignore it, but she ignored the last one. And the one before that. Now it's time to take action.
But when a simple plan to identify and confront the other woman goes drastically and violently wrong, Sophie must go to extreme lengths to keep her life and her family together-while never letting on her devastating secret.
A fantastic read. A shocker of a read. Kept me reading and guessing until the last page. 5*. Netgalley and quercus books.
April 12, 2018
Audio version of this book 📚 DNF terrible storyline, boring not gripping at all
November 9, 2017
All of my reviews can be found at: https://hookedfrompageoneblog.wordpre...
The Other Woman is the first book by Laura Wilson which I have read and I can certainly say that I’ll be looking out for more from Laura. The Other Woman makes for a compulsive read and it will keep you reading well into the night. It is taut and full of suspense. I highly recommend it to fans of psychological thrillers.
Sophie lives a comfortable, middle class lifestyle. Her husband, Leo has a successful career in the city; they have three children and a beautiful house in an idyllic setting: rural Norfolk. Life couldn’t be better. But shortly after Christmas, Sophie receives an astonishing letter from an anonymous individual, claiming that her husband is having an affair and that he is going to leave her. Sophie is distraught, as she tries to make sense of what is happening she begins to make rash decisions. And when she starts making rash decisions, disaster strikes and Sophie has to learn how to deal with the consequences. But this is beyond her worst nightmares and as she tries to take control of the situation, shocking truths about her family begin to emerge. Can she ever go back to being the woman she was before?
What I really enjoyed about The Other Woman was Laura’s taut writing and brilliant dialogue. She is a master at creating suspense and I was hooked from the first page. From the start, I didn’t particularly like her main character, Sophie; I struggled to find any sympathy for her, throughout the book, even as she was trying to get to the bottom of her husband’s affair. But when she was faced with a horrific situation I often asked myself how I would deal with her problems if I was in her shoes.
The pace in the novel is brilliant. As the novel progresses, Laura delves into Sophie’s mind as she tries to come to terms with what is happening to her world. It makes for an engrossing read. The final scenes of the book were some of the tensest scenes I have read in a long while. I couldn’t put the book down until I had finished.
I would definitely recommend this book if you are a fan of domestic noir thrillers, a genre which I am keen to explore further. I’m looking forward to reading more from Laura in the future. Thank you to Quercus and Bookbridgr for sending me a copy of the book to review.
The Other Woman is the first book by Laura Wilson which I have read and I can certainly say that I’ll be looking out for more from Laura. The Other Woman makes for a compulsive read and it will keep you reading well into the night. It is taut and full of suspense. I highly recommend it to fans of psychological thrillers.
Sophie lives a comfortable, middle class lifestyle. Her husband, Leo has a successful career in the city; they have three children and a beautiful house in an idyllic setting: rural Norfolk. Life couldn’t be better. But shortly after Christmas, Sophie receives an astonishing letter from an anonymous individual, claiming that her husband is having an affair and that he is going to leave her. Sophie is distraught, as she tries to make sense of what is happening she begins to make rash decisions. And when she starts making rash decisions, disaster strikes and Sophie has to learn how to deal with the consequences. But this is beyond her worst nightmares and as she tries to take control of the situation, shocking truths about her family begin to emerge. Can she ever go back to being the woman she was before?
What I really enjoyed about The Other Woman was Laura’s taut writing and brilliant dialogue. She is a master at creating suspense and I was hooked from the first page. From the start, I didn’t particularly like her main character, Sophie; I struggled to find any sympathy for her, throughout the book, even as she was trying to get to the bottom of her husband’s affair. But when she was faced with a horrific situation I often asked myself how I would deal with her problems if I was in her shoes.
The pace in the novel is brilliant. As the novel progresses, Laura delves into Sophie’s mind as she tries to come to terms with what is happening to her world. It makes for an engrossing read. The final scenes of the book were some of the tensest scenes I have read in a long while. I couldn’t put the book down until I had finished.
I would definitely recommend this book if you are a fan of domestic noir thrillers, a genre which I am keen to explore further. I’m looking forward to reading more from Laura in the future. Thank you to Quercus and Bookbridgr for sending me a copy of the book to review.
August 20, 2017
Sophie had the perfect life - a successful husband, three high achieving children, a beautiful house, an apartment in London and trips to glamorous holiday destinations. Every Christmas, she details her family's achievements, New purchases and exciting holidays in a round robin letter. When one of her letters is returned, calling her a smug birch and implying that her husband is having an affair, Sophie does not react rationally. Instead of ignoring the letter or confronting her husband, she decides to uncover the identity of the other woman. By a process of elimination, she identifies the most likely woman, arranges to meet her but then everything goes wrong. Sophie commits a terrible crime and quickly decides that she must cover it up. At times, I found this comical as Sophie keeps remembering evidence that she must destroy and her family, unwittingly, keep interfering in her efforts to do so. Although I wasn't particularly convinced by the ending of this book, I thoroughly enjoyed it - a real pageturner!
Read
July 23, 2018Must read for 2018 !
April 16, 2019
SPOILERS (sorry, can't work out how to do the little bracketed bits)
I think this is one of those clear cases of an author getting bogged down in the logistical details and forgetting to make the plot interesting.
So, for example - Sophie has inadvertently killed Jessica by impaling her on Chekhov's astrolabe. She then goes into crazy levels of planning and organisation in order to get rid of the body and all Jessica's belongings. And exhaustively tells us all about every single bit of it, down to the broken nail she sustains while dragging the body into her freezer. I couldn't work out if this was supposed to be funny but, although it was at first, it became tiresome all too quickly.
There is also an exceptionally irritating device whereby every other chapter ends with Sophie hearing a blood-curdling scream coming from another room, only for it to be revealed right at the beginning of the next chapter that the scream was because of some mundane domestic non-catastrophe. I wonder, how many times has the average person actually screamed during their life? Like a proper, loud scream? Probably not that frequently, and yet people in this book do it when they find out that somebody has switched the freezer off.
I feel bad about trashing someone's efforts like this, but this author is a reviewer of crime fiction in a national newspaper, and she must therefore have some idea about the sorts of plot devices and tropes that readers find annoying. I can't mark it any higher for that reason.
I think this is one of those clear cases of an author getting bogged down in the logistical details and forgetting to make the plot interesting.
So, for example - Sophie has inadvertently killed Jessica by impaling her on Chekhov's astrolabe. She then goes into crazy levels of planning and organisation in order to get rid of the body and all Jessica's belongings. And exhaustively tells us all about every single bit of it, down to the broken nail she sustains while dragging the body into her freezer. I couldn't work out if this was supposed to be funny but, although it was at first, it became tiresome all too quickly.
There is also an exceptionally irritating device whereby every other chapter ends with Sophie hearing a blood-curdling scream coming from another room, only for it to be revealed right at the beginning of the next chapter that the scream was because of some mundane domestic non-catastrophe. I wonder, how many times has the average person actually screamed during their life? Like a proper, loud scream? Probably not that frequently, and yet people in this book do it when they find out that somebody has switched the freezer off.
I feel bad about trashing someone's efforts like this, but this author is a reviewer of crime fiction in a national newspaper, and she must therefore have some idea about the sorts of plot devices and tropes that readers find annoying. I can't mark it any higher for that reason.
August 9, 2017
The Other Woman is an odd book.
It started slow, for me, and i thought it was going to be a tale of a privileged house wife whining and moaning about her husbands potential affair. It quickly took a dramatic turn and hooked me in, so I was really excited to keep reading.
But it soon became disjointed again. It was funny in parts, where I'm not sure it was supposed to be, and downright disgusting in others, though perhaps that's testament to good descriptions. I certainly could picture it all.
Didn't like or connect with any of the characters and so, while I enjoyed parts, I didn't love and doubt I'll remember, this story.
It started slow, for me, and i thought it was going to be a tale of a privileged house wife whining and moaning about her husbands potential affair. It quickly took a dramatic turn and hooked me in, so I was really excited to keep reading.
But it soon became disjointed again. It was funny in parts, where I'm not sure it was supposed to be, and downright disgusting in others, though perhaps that's testament to good descriptions. I certainly could picture it all.
Didn't like or connect with any of the characters and so, while I enjoyed parts, I didn't love and doubt I'll remember, this story.
October 4, 2017
This book will take you through a real rollercoaster of emotions which will keep you gripped throughout.
Sophie is certain her husband Leo is having an affair and starts to check up on him and his week-day life in London.
What then transpires is breathtaking and moves at a really fast pace right up until the end.
I can't say too much more about the story without spoiling it but I will say this is a fantastic read and I highly recommend it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus for sending me an advance copy to read and review.
Sophie is certain her husband Leo is having an affair and starts to check up on him and his week-day life in London.
What then transpires is breathtaking and moves at a really fast pace right up until the end.
I can't say too much more about the story without spoiling it but I will say this is a fantastic read and I highly recommend it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus for sending me an advance copy to read and review.
December 12, 2017
Awful trashy writing. Started off ok and I thought maybe a half decent thriller. But then I started to think sophie had an over active imagination and the story started to lose a bit of credit before finally I concluded the author had lost the plot with a load of old bollocks about cross dressing, murder, the local busybody and the Truman show !!
One of the worst things I’ve read !!
I do not recommend this book !!
One of the worst things I’ve read !!
I do not recommend this book !!
January 23, 2018
Sold as a psychological thriller but the ‘comedy’ writing was farcical. I thought I had the wrong book inside a cover which promised a good read. If you want to laugh, for all the wrong reasons, read it, otherwise don’t bother. No twists, no characters you could empathise with. Nothing. Glad I didn’t spend £20 on the hardback. Sorry.
February 28, 2018
What a brilliant read this was! Started off a little slow and I was beginning to wonder where it was going..and then BAM!! I simply could not put it down wondering how Sophie was going to deal with her dilemma. It flowed well and was so fast paced with so much happening and all the twists and turns I felt rather exhausted...and as for the ending...perfect! A thoroughly recommended read.
January 23, 2019
Sophie has nothing to worry about; her life is as perfect as the little girl she once was imagined it to be all those years ago. Her husband Leo has a wonderful job with a large income, her children are doing well in school (or at least one of them is), her shop is slowly yet surely taking off and yet those mystery letters are about to destroy it all. When the plot first opened with Sophie writing her tradition Christmas letters, boasting about her family, I actually didn’t like her – I thought she was snobby, she came across as if she was better than everyone else and quite frankly, I don’t like that as a characteristic. Yet when she received the letter about Leo’s affair, her personality changed and I saw a vulnerable, softer sider to her which I really liked. After a few weeks of hunting for clues, searching the house and London flat – Sophie worked it out as to who the mystery woman was and somehow, things went from bad to very, very bad quite quickly.
“This troll wasn’t that stupid though – he or she obviously knew where to put an apostrophe.”
Once Sophie invites the secret woman into her home, she thinks she knows exactly what will happened next: a friendly chat, a gentle reminder about her marriage to Leo and before readers can blink, all hell breaks loose including the side table. The plot quickens rather quickly as the atmosphere became very tense between the two women and although Sophie believed that the situation was in her control, it actually wasn’t. What happens next is a quite the spoiler as you can probably imagine but as the narrative progresses, life got in the way big time for Sophie and it seemed to take her months to get rid of the problem.
“The dog wants his dinner, she thought in amazement. The world carries on.”
Alongside Sophie’s attempt to solve the problem, a lot of family on goings occur in the background of her life – her son smoking, her daughter worrying about her, her other son being abroad, her mother who is too frail to live by herself, the nosy dog walker, her best friend Melissa, the vicar who accidentally deletes the CCTV footage and her husband. Every moment that Sophie had to herself in order to formulate a plan, a curve ball would be thrown in her way and soon enough, the avalanche would collapse on top of her, her family and her life.
“You have no idea what life is like for most people. You live in this, this bubble and you think the rest of us want to hear about how well you’re doing.”
Towards the end of the book, two big elements of the affair are revealed – one in which I really liked and one which I thought could have used a bit more of a back story but nevertheless, I did wonder how the plot would end now that the other woman had been revealed. Laura writes mystery quite well – her chapters are full of detail, her main character of Sophie was brilliant and yet, I wasn’t satisfied with the ending and I have to be completely honest about that. I found that the ending wasn’t overly creative, that it was an easy way of finishing the book whereas I wanted to see justice done, I wanted the children to see what their parents were really like and most of all, I wanted the loose ends to be tied up neatly in a bow. Sadly, that’s not how I expected the plot to end which was slightly disappointing but nevertheless, I thought it was a brilliant book – fast paced with wonderful characters and shocking revelations.
“This troll wasn’t that stupid though – he or she obviously knew where to put an apostrophe.”
Once Sophie invites the secret woman into her home, she thinks she knows exactly what will happened next: a friendly chat, a gentle reminder about her marriage to Leo and before readers can blink, all hell breaks loose including the side table. The plot quickens rather quickly as the atmosphere became very tense between the two women and although Sophie believed that the situation was in her control, it actually wasn’t. What happens next is a quite the spoiler as you can probably imagine but as the narrative progresses, life got in the way big time for Sophie and it seemed to take her months to get rid of the problem.
“The dog wants his dinner, she thought in amazement. The world carries on.”
Alongside Sophie’s attempt to solve the problem, a lot of family on goings occur in the background of her life – her son smoking, her daughter worrying about her, her other son being abroad, her mother who is too frail to live by herself, the nosy dog walker, her best friend Melissa, the vicar who accidentally deletes the CCTV footage and her husband. Every moment that Sophie had to herself in order to formulate a plan, a curve ball would be thrown in her way and soon enough, the avalanche would collapse on top of her, her family and her life.
“You have no idea what life is like for most people. You live in this, this bubble and you think the rest of us want to hear about how well you’re doing.”
Towards the end of the book, two big elements of the affair are revealed – one in which I really liked and one which I thought could have used a bit more of a back story but nevertheless, I did wonder how the plot would end now that the other woman had been revealed. Laura writes mystery quite well – her chapters are full of detail, her main character of Sophie was brilliant and yet, I wasn’t satisfied with the ending and I have to be completely honest about that. I found that the ending wasn’t overly creative, that it was an easy way of finishing the book whereas I wanted to see justice done, I wanted the children to see what their parents were really like and most of all, I wanted the loose ends to be tied up neatly in a bow. Sadly, that’s not how I expected the plot to end which was slightly disappointing but nevertheless, I thought it was a brilliant book – fast paced with wonderful characters and shocking revelations.
August 22, 2017
I'm going to be honest in my review as after all that is what I review the book for. To give my honest review. I always hate to give less then sparkling reviews. Buts sadly you can't get along with every book you read.
The other woman for me was just one of those books which I didn't click with. For me I felt that it was a little slow and I didn't really feel any emotional connection with the characters.
There are lots of great description in this book and the tension was there when needed. All in all it's not a terrible book and I kinda feel sad that it has some nasty reviews on Goodreads as it's on no way terrible. It just wasn't personally for me.
Sophie is one of those people who classifies everyone as a friend. Casual aquaintences, people she hasn't spoken too in a long time. (You get the picture) every year after Christmas she writes the family news letter. An idea which in itself is a lovely thing. My inlaws do it and send it around. But there are certain ways in which you can write them which don't make them sound like they are bragging and there are certain people that you send this news letter too. You know elderly relatives, relatives you don't see too often but like to keep in contact with same for some close friends. But Sophie sends this newsletter to her whole contact list. All 150 of them.
Someone took offence to the letters and thought that Sophie was rubbing her wonderful life in their face and so decides to send back the newsletter with horrible nasty remarks lol over it.
At first Sophie ignores the letters. But then when one comes back saying that the person is having an affair with Sophie's husband and that he is leaving her. Sophie decides now is the time for her to get to the bottom of all of this. So instead of confronting her husband bout it and finding out if it is true. Sophie plans to confront the other woman.
However things do not go to plan. Things take a turn for the dangerous and violent leaving her family in danger. Can Sophie protect her family and herself before it is too late?
As mentioned this book wasn't really for me. But I think the publishers, the author and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review non the less and wish you every success in your future career.
The other woman for me was just one of those books which I didn't click with. For me I felt that it was a little slow and I didn't really feel any emotional connection with the characters.
There are lots of great description in this book and the tension was there when needed. All in all it's not a terrible book and I kinda feel sad that it has some nasty reviews on Goodreads as it's on no way terrible. It just wasn't personally for me.
Sophie is one of those people who classifies everyone as a friend. Casual aquaintences, people she hasn't spoken too in a long time. (You get the picture) every year after Christmas she writes the family news letter. An idea which in itself is a lovely thing. My inlaws do it and send it around. But there are certain ways in which you can write them which don't make them sound like they are bragging and there are certain people that you send this news letter too. You know elderly relatives, relatives you don't see too often but like to keep in contact with same for some close friends. But Sophie sends this newsletter to her whole contact list. All 150 of them.
Someone took offence to the letters and thought that Sophie was rubbing her wonderful life in their face and so decides to send back the newsletter with horrible nasty remarks lol over it.
At first Sophie ignores the letters. But then when one comes back saying that the person is having an affair with Sophie's husband and that he is leaving her. Sophie decides now is the time for her to get to the bottom of all of this. So instead of confronting her husband bout it and finding out if it is true. Sophie plans to confront the other woman.
However things do not go to plan. Things take a turn for the dangerous and violent leaving her family in danger. Can Sophie protect her family and herself before it is too late?
As mentioned this book wasn't really for me. But I think the publishers, the author and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review non the less and wish you every success in your future career.
March 3, 2021
So, there was a Huge faux pa made with this book: Calling it a 'Gripping Psychological Thriller.'
This would have worked quite well as a dark comedy; everything getting more and more obscure and farfetched, the more someone tries to cover something up the worse it gets, but as a Thriller, it was incredibly anti-climactic with a main character with incredibly warped priorities and values - I'd rather pass judgement on my husband for cross dressing instead of having an affair, rather than deal with the dead body in the freezer which I 'haven't got round to' removing - who was incredibly difficult to relate to.
I'm not prepared to write it off as a bad read in general as I think it could be marketed as a promising dark humour with the over exaggerated chaos to smaller things, the downplayed, blase response everyone seems to have to a dead body in the freezer and everything that can go wrong going wrong to ridiculous lengths without getting exposed. It could also allow for Sophie's almost unforgivable attitude to how she is going to resolve the situation, her values around her husband's supposed 'affair' and how she seems to complain about supposedly everything (rich people problems). She wasn't at all relatable and that almost made it entertaining when you saw it in humour- you could recognise her as flawed.
I was definitely not keen on the ending, it was too abrupt and felt rushed. There needed to be more of a resolution to it or a sudden horrific twist. This is a book that was less about the actual issues, which were often rushed through and left partially explained or tidied up and more the cluttered responsibilities and challenges of a rich housewife with a cadaver in the freezer.
I would take it off and remarket it as a dark comedy because I think that was essentially what kept me reading it.
This would have worked quite well as a dark comedy; everything getting more and more obscure and farfetched, the more someone tries to cover something up the worse it gets, but as a Thriller, it was incredibly anti-climactic with a main character with incredibly warped priorities and values - I'd rather pass judgement on my husband for cross dressing instead of having an affair, rather than deal with the dead body in the freezer which I 'haven't got round to' removing - who was incredibly difficult to relate to.
I'm not prepared to write it off as a bad read in general as I think it could be marketed as a promising dark humour with the over exaggerated chaos to smaller things, the downplayed, blase response everyone seems to have to a dead body in the freezer and everything that can go wrong going wrong to ridiculous lengths without getting exposed. It could also allow for Sophie's almost unforgivable attitude to how she is going to resolve the situation, her values around her husband's supposed 'affair' and how she seems to complain about supposedly everything (rich people problems). She wasn't at all relatable and that almost made it entertaining when you saw it in humour- you could recognise her as flawed.
I was definitely not keen on the ending, it was too abrupt and felt rushed. There needed to be more of a resolution to it or a sudden horrific twist. This is a book that was less about the actual issues, which were often rushed through and left partially explained or tidied up and more the cluttered responsibilities and challenges of a rich housewife with a cadaver in the freezer.
I would take it off and remarket it as a dark comedy because I think that was essentially what kept me reading it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 16, 2017
The Other Woman is one of those books you find yourself racing through to finish and enjoy the process of reading but argue whether it's just so you can discover the conclusion?
This is a good book. It's not great and it's certainly not terrible. If you're a fan of domestic noir it's one to check out but if you really need a relationship with the character then maybe give it a miss.
Positives:
Pacing, despite being set against a quiet rural background with fairly domesticated not too exciting characters I had a thrill reading through and devouring the storyline. The near misses of crimes left me on the edge of my seat and I enjoyed reading the book a lot.
Not so positives:
Characters are unlikeable and you don't really care about any of them
The cultural references feel way off, for example the protagonist has a teenage son who is furious about his iPod being broken and his mum is annoyed at the cost of repair etc... this is 2017, most teenagers don't use iPods and they're certainly not a costly item (especially to a family who are well off) Additionally she gets tickets to the Harry Potter play for a Friday night (but this isn't possible as it's a two part play, the 2nd taking place on Friday) I have no problems with cultural references being included but they have to make sense otherwise it seems jarring.
I also guessed who was sending the letters pretty early on and wasn't surprised.
I think the biggest criticism of the book is that it feels a bit jarring, or almost like lots of mini stories rather than one continual narrative. I also wasn't a fan of the open end. All of that aside though it is a good read, especially if you're a commuter etc.. and want to just dive in
*I received this book in return for an honest review*
This is a good book. It's not great and it's certainly not terrible. If you're a fan of domestic noir it's one to check out but if you really need a relationship with the character then maybe give it a miss.
Positives:
Pacing, despite being set against a quiet rural background with fairly domesticated not too exciting characters I had a thrill reading through and devouring the storyline. The near misses of crimes left me on the edge of my seat and I enjoyed reading the book a lot.
Not so positives:
Characters are unlikeable and you don't really care about any of them
The cultural references feel way off, for example the protagonist has a teenage son who is furious about his iPod being broken and his mum is annoyed at the cost of repair etc... this is 2017, most teenagers don't use iPods and they're certainly not a costly item (especially to a family who are well off) Additionally she gets tickets to the Harry Potter play for a Friday night (but this isn't possible as it's a two part play, the 2nd taking place on Friday) I have no problems with cultural references being included but they have to make sense otherwise it seems jarring.
I also guessed who was sending the letters pretty early on and wasn't surprised.
I think the biggest criticism of the book is that it feels a bit jarring, or almost like lots of mini stories rather than one continual narrative. I also wasn't a fan of the open end. All of that aside though it is a good read, especially if you're a commuter etc.. and want to just dive in
*I received this book in return for an honest review*
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