One Good Affair: A Novel

by Tess Stimson

With her gift for “surprising emotional honesty…[and] an impressive ability to get inside the heads of [her characters],”* Tess Stimson grips readers with this internationally bestselling novel of six lovers, two marriages, one affair—and what happens when a lifetime of secrets begins to unravel.

Ella Stuart is a pediatrician with a fulfilling career and a marriage any woman would envy. William Ashfield is a devoted husband, a good father, and a successful businessman. Beth Ashfield married the love of her life and loves him still, but the light inside her is going out and she has one last chance to rekindle it. And Cate, Beth and William’s brilliant but troubled teenage daughter, is trying to negotiate the rough waters between adolescence and womanhood. But when tragedy strikes, the repercussions spiral through all of their lives—and in an instant, nothing will ever be the same. Now Ella, William, Beth, and Cate will discover that trying to have it all might be keeping them from the very thing they each want most….

With sharp wit and moving honesty, Tess Stimson has written a brazenly unsentimental yet deeply felt novel of hearts gone astray that somehow keep the faith—even when everyone seems to be cheating.

*Publishers Weekly

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, British Literature, Womens Fiction, Adult

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Tess Stimson is the author of fifteen novels - including international bestseller The New House - which have been translated into dozens of languages, plus two non-fiction books. Her new book, The Perfect Accident, will be published in April 2026.
A former British journalist and reporter, Stimson was appointed Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Florida in 2002 and moved to the US. In addition to writing fiction, she continues to work as a journalist and teaches reporting for media and creative writing at a university in the Northeastern US. She now lives in Vermont with her husband, and is visited intermittently by her three grown-up children whenever they need their laundry done.
For more information, visit Tess's website or follow her on Instagram and Facebook.

Reviews

[Maria · Rating 1 out of 5]

In all fairness to the book, I knew right from the start it was not going to be my cup of tea. I am not exactly in the chick lit's target group though every now and then I do find such reads amusing. I can't explain what possessed me to pick it up in the library and even worse, to not put it down anymore.

On the positive side, it is indeed a page turner and I found the idea of seeing things from different points of view, interesting. However, large chunks of dialogues are consistently repeated from one segment to the next, with very little or no insight into the inner thoughts/ feelings of characters. At the beginning the repetitions/overlaps are more skillfully handled. Towards the end it's simply copy/paste. And it's tiresome.

Also, one of the most striking and beautiful passages in the book, referring to parents' acceptance they no longer keep their own hearts in their chest once they decide to have children, does not even belong to the author herself. However in the story it does seem to emerge from a character's chain of thoughts. It's not a big deal in itself, I'm sure other authors have done similar things. But it is so different from anything else written in the book that I had to pause the reading and ask myself "wow, did she just write this? Could it be I was mistaken about her?". Turns out she didn't and I wasn't.

Was it the worst book ever? Definitely not. It was after all an ok-ish, if not somewhat soapy, read. But yeah, I have read better. Even in this genre.

[Emiliya Bozhilova · Rating 1 out of 5]

Отврат. Героите са празноглави, нарцистични тъпаци до един. От сюжета би могла да се получи отлична книга, но авторката се е упражнявала с пикантериите, вместо с изграждането на героите си. Добре, че се е захванала да пише трилъри.

[Kerry · Rating 2 out of 5]

~~~~~~~WARNING THIS BOOK MAY HAVE TRIGGERS DUE TO MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES~~~~~~~~

This was a KU book, which pleases me as I wouldn't want to pay for it. It's an easy read that fell flat. I can honestly say the only character I half liked was Jackson, but in the end even he didn't feel real. I couldn't see the relevance of him being there other than to portray Ella as being worse than she actually was for cheating. There was a lot about this book that I didn't like but there was also parts I loved. Beth's battle with depression was hard to read and with her manic episodes could be seen as one of the reasons, William, went looking for an emotional outlet. Unfortunately with each character all I'm left with is the impression of a selfish bunch; I certainly wouldn't want to be included in their circle of friends.

[★¸. • * ° * ༺*Blanka*༺*°°*•.¸. ♥★ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pediatrician Ella Stuart knows her thoughtful husband Jackson loves her, but also believes her lover William Ashfield loves her too. William turns to Ella when either his disturbed wife Beth or his rebel without a cause teenage daughter, Cate send him over the edge with nonsense. Ella and William are happy with their arrangement.

Everything changes abruptly when Ella's husband drops dead making her single and available. William knows his spouse needs him, but thinks when is it time for him to consider his needs. He also believes his daughter Cate would be in trouble by his leaving them for his beloved Ella. Soon he must choose knowing someone he cares about will be hurt.

[Clara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I give it a 2 * just because it is really another one of those books that are even as predictable as the movie -if They ever Make one- can get.
Its kind of nice sometimes because all books are great in a way & has nice pasaages too but Ive read better and dont remember those in detail after some years.-

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moderately entertaining chick -lit. Tess Stimson tends to retell bits of the story from another character's point of view and whilst in the beginning this is quite interesting, by the end of the book I was wanting to shout, "Yes, yes, I know about that - just get on with it!"

[Jhmtan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started out quite promising and interesting
But became really repetitive

Unbelievable story, not worth the time reading

[Catarina Ferreira · Rating 1 out of 5]

Please don't read this book.

[Alison W · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lovely romp, with some very repetitive dialogue. Easy Summer read of no great quality

[Marisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

First let me say I detest infidelity in any form whether it's portrayed as justified due to mental incapacity of one partner, or due to duress of blackmail in some form.

The author Tess Stimson, captured the chain for me in this titled book "The Infidelity Chain", and all the different people infidelity effects, very poignant agonies from all involved.

I would have preferred a different outcome to the actual book version, maybe the brother would have been more involved, I just don't agree that the two instigators of the chain of events had the resolution they did, and that's why I only gave the read a 4 star.

[Cheryl Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book follows the lives of two adulterers and the people around them. I like how the book is structured to change point of view between all the people involved (the cheating wife, the cheating husband, their respective spouses, and even the children get involved).

There were quite a few sex scenes in this book (which I guess is a good thing depending on what you're after). The execution of them was... rough at best. No foreplay to speak of, just down to the nitty gritty details.

[Waltonb04 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like any of the characters in this book all that much and I didn't care about what happened to them. Why did all of them have to be in relationships with someone either much older or younger than them?! By the end, the plot was just so ridiculous, it was hard to keep going but I ploughed on. I wouldn't recommend this.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compulsive reading and a bit naughty!

[brandnewcycle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was surprisingly better than I expected since I went on my crusade of chick lit

[Anny Hughes · Rating 3 out of 5]

An intriguing read that dealt subtly and cleverly with confused and conflicting emotions. I really enjoyed reading it and was pleased with the ending as it wasn't predictable. Very worthwhile read :)

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book starts with quite a raunchy sex scene but mercifully the rest of the book is fairly tame! Undemanding read, but I struggled to like many of the characters.

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

The overlapping story telling was not enjoyable for me.

[D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well again what can I say................... A girl can dream

[Cc · Rating 3 out of 5]

This sucks big hairy balls. Yeah, I know it's cheating - it's why I read it, I love the gut punch. What I don't like is authorial manipulation up the wazoo. The two a holes who get a happy ending deserve to be horsewhipped. Ugh, author even makes the daughter of the cheated on wife be a huge fan of the slut. Sorry, this one pissed me off bc it's just not organic. The author had to bend herself like a pretzel to make this stinking piece of sh!t come out the way she wanted. Two selfish people made to look like the hero's by making the wife make the decision to end the marriage. Weak. I think I'm really pissed bc I bought the stupid thing. I'm asking Amazon for a refund, if I scream long enough I think I can get it.

I try to give all cheating books a 3 now, but I wouldn't recommend you buy this book, check it out at the library or in anyway give the author validation. Maybe borrow It for free from a friend or......you know...........

[Ashley Scism · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, this book was not what I was expecting it to be. 1.,Again I don’t have any triggers and this book could literally be written about my childhood when it comes to a parent’s mental illness. 2. If you’re looking to read this book for the smut, it’s extremely tame. It makes me laugh people don’t like it because of the “sex”. 3. It’s a love story, about different types of love. If you are looking for this cut and dry love story: this also isn’t for you. It’s also laughable that people choose a book called “One Good Affair” and are appalled by the infidelity in this book. 🙄🤔 To end, I love Jackson and his perspective on love.

[KylieAtkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read. Suitably rounded characters, interesting plot. Well written from several POV (except for large repeated dialogue sections that offered not a lot of difference in the internal thought process. I feel like if you're going to do that, there needs to be something to help us understand their side if the story more. I just found myself flitting over the repeated dialogue, sometimes a page or more).

This is my first Tess Stimson book and would be happy to read another.

[Lauretta · Rating 3 out of 5]

La classica storia del "triangolo". Le tre stelle le ho date perchè, pur considerando il genere leggero a cui il libro appartiene, mi piace il modo in cui racconta la storia di un tradimento coniugale in modo divertente e originale, alternando in ogni capitolo il punto di vista dei tre protagonisti (lui, la moglie, l'altra). Un libro simpatico perfetto per la spiaggia.

[Casie Blevins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how complex a Tess Stimson story is. Each character has a back story and forward story and its fun and entertaining to see how their lives play out on the page. She's so fun to read.

[Anna Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very clever rom com, the way the characters stories are interwoven is very well done

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[🌼 Jenny 🌼 · Rating 1 out of 5]

This just wasn’t for me. Couldn’t get into this book at all.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grabbed this years ago for the beach and was surprised by how well it's written, and how heartwarming & interesting the story ended up being. Reread it this week and yep, it's still a really good storyline that I couldn't put down. I always love a story that revisits events from multiple perspectives, revealing totally new information with each retelling. One star off because the end got a little ridiculous. But this is a perfect quick, fun, read.

[Xesca Rosselló · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Infidelity Chain” is a fantastic read that I absolutely loved. The novel dives deep into the complexities of relationships and betrayal with a gripping and well-crafted narrative. The characters are vividly portrayed, and the plot twists kept me hooked from start to finish. Stimson’s writing is engaging and incisive, making it impossible to put the book down. The emotional depth and intensity of the story really struck a chord with me. It's a compelling and memorable read that deserves every bit of its 5 out of 5 stars.

[Pauline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Chick lit novel looking at affairs from the various different people involved. Great story, not predictable to see how it all pans out. Read from the view of three of the people it was a really interesting read and a great story to take on holiday!

[Sandra Langi]

Didn't have anything to read at the time and was given this book by a friend. Flew through it. Giving it 3.5 (the extra half A Star because I didn't expect to like the book at all).

Good story and we'll written.