The Other Mistress

by Shanora Williams

“Shanora Williams expertly drops hints and clues as she spins and twists this psychological thriller, leaving the reader gasping for breath and racing to get to the explosive end.” —Darby Kane, international bestselling author of Pretty Little Wife

Perfect for fans of Jeneva Rose and Charlie Donlea, the chilling new book from the New York Times bestselling author of The Wife Before is an insidiously sexy and twisty novel of seduction, betrayal, and obsession about the increasingly dangerous alliance between a betrayed wife and the Other Mistress.

Adira Smith-Cortez knows how to turn around a troubled past. Now she’s a self-made multi-millionaire who takes exquisite care of herself and her only true love: her husband, Gabriel. Adira has it all—except the answer to one tormenting question: why is attentive, affectionate Gabriel cheating on her with not just one, but two women. There’s sexy Jocelyn, a club owner. And then there’s Julianna, a celebrity makeup artist he’s even crazier about. In a tricky twist, vengeful Jocelyn offers Adira the perfect plan to get her straying spouse back . . .

It sounds simple: Adira will befriend Julianna through a fake identity, play on her and Gabriel’s vulnerabilities and cause them to split up permanently. Determined to reclaim her happiness, Adira won’t—can’t—stop to think what could possibly go wrong . . .

Until too many of Gabriel’s lies start adding up to a disquieting truth. Until Julianna discovers who Adira really is—and Jocelyn pushes Adira to ever-more-unthinkable extremes. With her world collapsing and shattering memories tearing her apart, how far will Adira’s obsession take her—and how much of herself is she willing to lose in the process . . .

“Fans of The Wife Between Us, by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, won’t be able to put this one down.” —Booklist

“An intriguing story that leaves you guessing just how far these women will go to get what they want. There's plenty of drama and spice to go around with this one!” —Shelly Ellis, author of The Three Mrs. Greys

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Contemporary, Audiobook, Psychological Thriller

276 pages, Paperback

First published June 27, 2023

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

[chantalsbookstuff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story, a spouse with a cheating problem, not a favorite for me but it was good all the same. Shanora writes in a way that's raw and unfiltered. It suits her well and brings a special twist to her books.

[Sydney Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5* A super entertaining, fast-paced and hard to put down domestic thriller. Personally, I don’t particularly love this type of twist and the main character was beyond infuriating (girl stand up!!!) but I’d be interested in reading more from this author, definitely.

[Cristiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Esperava algo melhor

[Rashawnda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shanora you got me with this one!!! The way I was calling Adira every stupid b!tch under the sun 🥴 but baby that plot twist was twisting like no other and had me completely stuck! Bravo because you got me!

[Mallory · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a complicated book for me to review. For a lot of the book it was really challenging to get through. The book does change between a few characters but the beginning is a lot of Adria worrying that her husband is cheating and then even when she has proof he is all she can think about is how to get him to stop and be hers. It was a bit of a feminist’s nightmare honestly, but I will say if you stick through that the ending makes it all worth it. A truly good twist and turn. The writing was always good and the characters were well developed even if Dina was the only one that I genuinely liked. I’m glad I read this and I’m especially glad I stuck it out. Overall it was a 3.5, and because of the twist and the ending I will definitely be picking up more books by this author.

[Inés Molina · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝙸𝚝 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚗𝚘 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚊 𝑴𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚂𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚛𝚊, 𝚒𝚝'𝚜 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚞𝚗𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚜, 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚠𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚕 𝚒𝚝 𝚞𝚗𝚛𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚜. 𝙸 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚙𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚝, 𝚖𝚢 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚍. 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚜𝚘 𝚊𝚖𝚊𝚣𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was iffy for me in the beginning but all came together spectacularly in the end. The story centers on Adira, who is living a pretty great life in Tampa running a successful company and married to a perfect man named Gabriel. Eventually she finds out that he is cheating on her with 2 different women and things start to spiral out of control. There are also chapters from Adira’s childhood that give the reader insight into her current state of mind.

The first half of the book dragged a bit as Adira very pathetically kept begging Gabriel to love her best while also following around this other girlfriend. I found myself skimming at some points. As the book continues, it becomes apparent that there is a lot more going on here than it looks like on the surface. The last part of the book contained a couple great twists and put much of the earlier things that happened into a different light.

The twist was great and I really enjoyed it, though I was left with some lingering questions about some of what happened previously that I felt weren’t really explained. I also could have some without the constant designer name dropping throughout the book; I’m just not interested in that and already understood that she had lots of money so didn’t need to keep hearing it.

Overall, the early part of the book felt like a bit of a slog but I really enjoyed the way it all came together and I love being surprised. I think those that enjoy psychological thrillers will like this one and encourage you to keep reading of you’re not into the first part of the book. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Danielle B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adira has a great job and a handsome husband named Gabriel. But her world starts to crumble when she discovers her husband has not only one, but two mistresses. She does not want to leave Gabriel and wants to have a baby with him desperately. She becomes involved with one of the mistresses named Jocelyn, who decides to break it off with Gabriel and help Adira take down the other mistress named Julianna. Will they succeed or is Adrina just going to lose Gabriel forever?

THE OTHER MISTRESS was an engrossing read. I was really frustrated with Adira and didn't understand why she refused to leave her loser husband when he treated her badly. The author throws in some flashbacks to the time when Adrina was a child. These flashbacks keep the story very interesting and when you get to the BIG twist you will see why. I really did like this book and can't wait to read more books by Shanora Williams, I definitely recommend adding this one to your TBR list!

TW-Sexual Assault and Child Abuse

Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books, Dafina for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be shared to my Instagram (@coffee.break.reviews) in the near future.

[Alyssa · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was very close to being a DNF for me. It was… different. It was a slow start that seemed to drag on with nothing really happening other than the main character, Adira, complaining about her husband cheating on her with not one but two other women. It picked up a little at the 50-60% mark, but not enough to draw me in. This was my first Shanora Williams book, and it wasn’t for me.

[Connie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars
Wow! That ending! I was not expecting that!

Adira had recently suspected that her husband, Gabriel, was cheating. After snooping around a bit, she found out he has not one but TWO mistresses! She was devastated. After years of marriage and everything she has done for him. She couldn't let him go. Instead of confronting him, she came up with a plan to break him up with his mistresses.

I have to be honest and say, I was struggling to connect with Adira's character. I couldn't understand why she wanted to stay with a man who has multiple mistresses. He was also lying to her over and over again. But everything came together in the end.

I would recommend this to fans of domestic thrillers.

***Thank you to NetGalley, Melissa Adelman, Kensington Books, and Dafina for graciously sending me the ARC to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

[Heather Adores Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐
Genre ~ domestic fiction
Setting ~ Florida
Publication date ~ June 27, 2023
Publisher ~ Kensington
Est Page Count ~ 283 (74 chapters)
Audio length ~ 7 hours 42 minutes
Narrators ~ Ebony Mendez, Niecey Bethea
POV ~ dual 1st
Featuring ~ cheating, revenge, minimal steamage, childhood flashbacks

TW from the author ~ child abuse and sexual assault. There are moments of betrayal and moments where children are being let down by a parent/someone they trust in unimaginable ways.

Adira teams up with mistress #1, Jocelyn, to get revenge on cheater mccheater pants, Gabriel, who is involved with Julianna, mistress #2.

I do enjoy a good revenge plot, but I'm not too sure about some of the choices Adira makes honestly. She doesn't come across as very likable and someone you want to root for. Everything does all make sense by the end, which did take me by surprise, so yay for that.

As you can imagine from the trigger warnings, the flashbacks were pretty hard to read at times, so be ready for that.

Overall, it was fine, but slow moving at times.

Another old one ✔'ed off.

I was able to listen to an audio copy as well.
Narration notes:
They both did okay. Jocelyn's sounded really young.

Connect with me ➡ Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

[Ashley]

This story unfortunately rubbed me the wrong way with the direction the story took. Everyone has a different threshold for these kind of things, but for me I didn't like what the main twist was doing and particularly the way the book ended.

I'm still interested in the author though so I would give another book from them a shot in the future!

Read in this reading vlog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHg15...

Thank you to the publisher for granting me access to an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Ebony · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 ⭐️

Shanora, girl are you okay?

This book had my head spinning, okay?!!! I just didn’t understand Adira at first. I’m like girl why are you so desperate for this man that don’t want you? Not one mistress, but two?? STAND UP!!!

But leave it up for Shanora for this to be one big ass plot twist 😂😂

I also love how she mentions and have short snippets of the characters from her other books. I like checking in on all her crazy Af characters.

Overall, I loved the book. It was definitely a page turner. Only reason I’m not giving it 5 stars because it started to become slightly predictable.

[Sherri Thacker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not only one mistress does Gabriel have, but two????? How does he find the time to cheat on his wife, Adria? I enjoyed these short chapters and it kept me on the edge of my seat! The twists at the end came out of nowhere! I do appreciate her trigger warnings in the beginning of the book - child abuse and sexual abuse. Parts were hard to read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. To be published June 2023.

[Syndi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! Miss Williams really done it with The Other Mistress. Yes I know there are a l9t of mystery books out there with much better plot, but I am loving this book.

The plot and twist is so good. I devoured this book within a day. Good job.

4 stars

[Lynn Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first 3/4 of the book. The really short chapters kept me reading another one over and over. A woman discovers that her husband has not only one mistress but two and decides to do something about it. This was suspenseful and fun to read. Then it takes another turn that I just didn’t like and it Heit like a too easy way out. So 3 stars for a great portion of the book but not a great end.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was turning pages like crazy at the beginning of the book. It stalled out and the rest of it dragged. I’ve seen this kind of twist done much much better.

[♥ Sandi ❣ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

As a rule I dont care much for unreliable narrators - reading through 200 or 300 pages to find out that everything I read has been lie is not enticing or even enjoyable. However, there are some authors who can twist the unreliable narrator into a story that is rather enjoyable. That is what Williams has done in this case.

I will not describe the plot, as that will give away the story. If you read the synopsis it gives a good description and would be all you need.

I was able to determine the story twist just prior to it being revealed, but I was in the dark for most of the story. Which again shows that Williams did a great job in playing this novel close to the vest. I plan to read more Shanora Williams novels. I do recommend reading this novel also.

[Kori Potenzone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am jealous of every single person that gets to read this book for the first time.

My mind is completely blown and I had to pep talk myself before I could collect my thoughts and write a review .

How could I possibly sum up a book that will stay with me into my afterlife.

Yes, it’s that kind of book.

Be prepared to lose all sense of time while reading. You will be completely absorbed as the words flow through the pages. There’s no need to skip ahead, you won’t want to miss even a word .

The build up that progresses will have you gripping your chest with anxiety . The twist? Well, I could never prepare you for that 😉

This is a book you don’t want to miss! I strongly encourage you to pre-order yourself a copy

[Dennis · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Shanora Williams is the queen of juicy binge reads. I really fell in love with her storytelling with her previous book, The Wife Before (which I highly recommend you checking out). If you like Tarryn Fisher, Shanora's books are must-reads! Her latest book, THE OTHER MISTRESS came out in the summer, but I wanted to make sure I read this one before the end of the year.

The story is centered around Adira Smith-Cortez, a self-made millionaire, and her husband Gabriel. Adira is living an incredible life with her true love, but when she finds out that Gabriel is cheating on her with two other women, Adira begins to spiral beyond repair. She ends up teaming with one of the two women, beautiful nightclub owner Jocelyn, to take down the other mistress, Julianna. After trying to befriend Julianna to take her down, Adira can't help herself but to think extremes. Adira will do everything to protect the life she's built and when her obsession with protecting herself becomes too extreme, she realizes that she's willing to lose everything.

THE OTHER MISTRESS is a fun, juicy psychological thriller, just like her previous novels. I really love Shanora's writing style and it's just the ultimate popcorn read. That being said, I understand why people are mixed in their opinion with the ending. It's not something that I really enjoyed, and it's been done before, but it didn't take away from me being invested in the outcome. I think if the ending was differently wrapped up, I would've given this book 4 or 5 stars. The writing is superb and the juice just pours out of the pages. If you want a fun read, look no further than THE OTHER MISTRESS.

[Emna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nice cover

[Carrie Shields · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved her other two thrillers, but the pacing was off with this one. There is a trigger warning at the beginning of the book that many readers will appreciate (sexual abuse) but its role in the story was rather subdued. I found myself on guard waiting for something terrible to be revealed, but the subject matter was handled in a dignified way and was part of another timeline.

Adira has successfully risen from the ashes of a troubled past. Now she’s a multi-millionaire business owner married to her true love, Gabriel. Adira has it all—except for Gabriel's faithfulness. When Adira finds out he's cheating with not one but two women, she's blinded with rage and can only think about vengeance. In a completely unexpected twist, one of his mistresses offers Adira the perfect plan to get her straying spouse back.

I found myself shaking my head at Adira over and over throughout this book. Turns out she's desperate to have a baby with Gabriel, too! This dude is cheating, blowing through her money, and living his best life all on her dime. How could she be so naive? Things start to come together and make sense at the end, but I didn't fully appreciate the twist. It was still an entertaining read, just now as good as her first two, in my opinion. Thank you to the publisher for my early read. THE OTHER MISTRESS will release June 27, 2023.

[Stacy40pages · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Other Mistress by Shanora Williams. Thanks to @dafinabooks and @thisisedelweiss for the gifted Arc ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Adira has it all, a great career and a husband she loves. Until she finds out Gabriel is cheating on her, with two mistresses! As she becomes close with one of the mistresses, they plot to befriend and ruin the other.

This was a wild ride that kept the pages turning. You know something isn’t quite right, but just wait until the end. I had a few suspicions about what was going on, but I was only partially correct. I liked how there were snippets of the past but you won’t know until the end how they fit in. I didn’t really love any of the characters but that was okay.

“He’s a greedy man, and I loved that about him once, but a greedy man is insatiable and even I, a woman has it all, am not enough.”

The Other Mistress comes out 6/27.

[LaToya Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fast-paced and kept me entertained. I enjoyed the plot twist although I kind of guessed where it was going.

[Elyrria · Rating 4 out of 5]

That ending just about gave me whiplash! I loved it.

Adira is a successful and business-savvy housewife who realizes that her husband is cheating on her with another woman. Incensed, she sets out to find out more about her husband's paramour and strikes up an unlikely friendship (more like a frenemy dynamic) so that she can get him back. Things don't go exactly as planned though when the "other woman" seems to become more secretive and manipulative as time goes on... and seems to even be following Adira as she travels. Adira needs her help to get her husband back, but Jocelyn (the mistress) has more tricks up her sleeve than Adira could ever imagine. As complications are added to Adira's situation and her husband grows more and more distant, she is forced to face her past to find the answers she needs.

The first few chapters of this book had me wondering if things were going to be overly simplistic, but the twist near the end was unexpected, heart-wrenching, and totally worth it! Give the story time to develop, because it most certainly does. The Other Mistress is a solid psychological thriller, and almost every character is Black. Thrillers often feature a cast of only-white protagonists, so Shanora's commitment to creating diverse characters is commendable and long overdue within this genre.

Thank you to Netgalley, Shanora Williams, and the publishers at Dafina for sending me an e-arc of The Other Mistress! Anyone who enjoys domestic thrillers and surprise endings is in for a fun ride!

[Brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an extremely fast paced psychological suspense/“thriller” which left me disappointed.

I was hooked from the beginning, Adira finds out her husband is cheating on her, but not just with one woman. He has TWO mistresses. The audacity of this man!? Adira and one of the mistresses, Jocelyn, meet and slowly begin to conspire against the other mistress, so that Adira can have her husband back to herself.

Up until the twist was revealed I was expecting this to be a 4 or 5 star read. But then we learn that Adira and Jocelyn… are the same person. Adira has DID (multiple personalities) which stemmed from her traumatic childhood.

I just saw this book going in a totally different direction and was disappointed that the main character ended up being portrayed as “crazy”. I have learned a lot about DID (multiple personality disorder) over the years, including during a psych class in college. I find the disease extremely interesting and heartbreaking.
But this portrayal of it just didn’t do it for me.
I think I’m also tired of reading about “crazy” female main characters, and was hoping for a different exciting twist to end this story.

If you like psychological thrillers give it a try though.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy in return for my review.

[Carlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Other Mistress is a slow-paced, twisted thriller from author Shanora Williams. It follows Adira and Jocelyn, the wife and a mistress respectively, who seek out to learn more about and break up Adira's husband from the other mistress, Julianna. Sounds messy? It is. Worse, Adira wants her husband, more than anything, and she'll go to any lengths.

Our time with Adira initially feels like more of a women scorned, drama type read, but about 30% in you realize that things are quickly going south. I didn't like Adira, I didn't support her at all, but I was intrigued by her desire to keep this man who clearly is only keeping her for the wrong reasons. You know things are not as they seem, but it's hard to pinpoint what it is. Despite how slow the book moves, I have to hand it to Williams, because I didn't see the twists coming. This one gets dark and deep and I loved how unexpected it was. Unfortunately, I just couldn't stay as into this one as I would have liked. I found myself skimming and ended feeling kind of like *shrug emoji*. I think some will really enjoy this, but it missed the mark for me ultimately.

ARC provided.

[Booktalkwithjas · Rating 1 out of 5]

I DNF this book because the main character was dumb in my opinion. 🤷🏻‍♀️

The main character in this book finds out that her husband is cheating on her with multiple women and she’s still talking about wanting a kid with her husband. Not to mention he’s been cheating for YEARS. Thats dumb to me I’m sorry. I immediately had to put the book down.

I always like to go blind into a book because lately the synopsis on the back gives away a lot of details. Once I read the synopsis, I decided this book wasn’t for me. I’m not interested in hearing about a married woman befriending her mistress and letting her get involved. If this is a trope… I officially hate it. So I dnf this book at 20% and I won’t be looking back. 🤷🏻‍♀️🫢

Rating: DNF

[Alisha 🦋💗 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now wtf was this, Shanora?? When I tell you, I was stuck like glue listening to this book lol I didn't know what the hell to think. I enjoyed the plot twist and how there was literally always something going on. I think this will be a staple thriller recommendation for me.

[Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️

Ahhh, Shanora Williams delivers another gripping read with The Other Mistress, a novel that echoes the thrilling pace and captivating intrigue of her previous work, The Perfect Ruin. This book is a whirlwind of emotions and unexpected twists, maintaining a fast-paced narrative that kept me on the edge of my seat while also providing hilarious commentary.