Medrith Loe

There is nothing like the feel of a new book. A newly printed, unbroken binding, smelling of ink and paper is the best thing in the world. I received an Advanced Reader’s Copy of a novel called “The Other Woman” by Sandie Jones.  The actual book does not come out until August 21st, but I got my sticky fingers on this copy to read and let you know how it is before the release date!!

What we know about the author:
She is a resident of London, England. She is a freelance journalist for magazines, websites, etc. This is her first novel, and is touted to be a psychological thriller with a super twist ending.

I will update when I have finished reading!!

About the book:

**Possible Spoilers and Trigger Warning for Physical and Verbal Abuse and Manipulation**

This book starts as a love story and ends in horror.
Adam is in IT; handsome, responsible, and in control. Emily is a recruiter for big businesses; beautiful, confident, and in for trouble.
When Emily falls for Adam, she eventually meets his mom. She thinks his mom is out to get her; she is a crazy, jealous old woman. Pammie makes Emily question her confidence, intelligence and relationship. Emily evolves from a strong, independent woman into an emotionally needy, confused, and insecure person in need of constant attention and approval of her man. However, his need to control Emily speaks volumes louder than the occasional nice thing he says to her.

How well does she really know Adam? Pammie? Herself??

There are two terms used in psychology that are highlighted prominently in this book. The first is called “the web of deceit” and refers to the lies and manipulations used against an individual to make them believe something. Usually the idea is untrue.
The second is “the cycle of abuse” and refers to a domestic violence situation in which the abused returns to the abuser after an incident, based solely on an apology and promise never to repeat the incident.

I enjoyed this book, as a whole. The secondary relationships were well-written and relatable. There were enough details to make it interesting, but not enough to make it dull. Some of the British slang took me a second to decode (as an uncultured American swine).
The book took about two days of intermittent reading. It was not difficult to read, or hard to follow.
While the characters were thoughtfully written, I had a hard time believing the relationship between the main characters as it continued throughout the story. Emily seems easily manipulated, and blind to serious red flags. Adam seems like the kind of guy that one is informed about in classes concerning self-defense and psychological abuse.
I know saying and doing things are two separate things, but Emily was naïve to the manipulation and put herself at serious risk. The mother, Pammie, was not straight-forward or honest from the get go, which could have saved everyone the trouble…however, then there would be no book.
Emily’s family did not react the way that a “loving” and “supportive” family, I believe, would react to their daughter being in such a situation.

I gave it four stars because it was well-written, and overall, enjoyable. A romantic thriller that was like a Lifetime movie in book form.