The Affair – From the New Haven Series, Book Three ReviewTropes
💔 The Affair
❤️ Second-Chance Relationship
💍 Marriage & Relationship Drama
📖 Continuing Story
🖤 Grief & Loss
👀 Multiple Relationship Problems
Unfortunately, this one fell really flat for me.
The Affair is Book Three, but it honestly didn't feel like a full third book. It felt more like Part Two of Book Two something that could have easily been included in the previous book instead of having its own separate story.
It was short, and I just didn't get enough from it to understand why Chris and Mallory needed another entire book.
One of my biggest problems is that I still don't completely believe their relationship. We're supposed to believe that two people who only dated for a few months would remain this deeply in love with each other for YEARS?
I'm sorry, but I'm not buying it. 😂
I know that kind of love can work in fiction, but you have to make me feel it. You have to convince me that this connection was so powerful that neither person could truly move on. With Chris and Mallory, I just don't feel enough emotional depth between them to believe that.
I actually think this book could have been much more interesting if we had gotten some of Eric's POV before his tragic passing. Let me understand him as a person. Let me see his thoughts, his relationship, his struggles, and what was happening from his side.
That would have brought something new to Book Three instead of making me feel like I was reading more material that should have been part of Book Two.
The characters also don't always feel realistic to me. Their decisions, relationships, and emotions sometimes feel like they're happening because the story needs them to happen rather than because that's naturally what these characters would do.
Verdict
This was another letdown for me.It wasn't necessarily that I hated everything about the story I just don't think there was enough story here to justify an entire book.
If this had been included as an extended ending or Part Two of Book Two, I probably would have understood it better. But as its own book? It just wasn't strong enough.
Unfortunately, after spending even more time with Chris and Mallory, I STILL don't believe this great years-long love story I'm supposed to believe. 😭
I needed more depth, more realism, and something new.