The Other Woman

Emily barely knows Adam, but she is enthralled with him, even though he is not forthcoming with information about himself or his past. As Emily puts it, "[N]o matter how hard I tried, we always ended up talking about me, even when I was the one asking the questions." Eventually, Adam agrees to introduce her to his mother, Pammie. From the outset, theirs is a troubled relationship. Emily is convinced that Pammie abhors her because Pammie is a classic Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde -- affectionate and warm when Adam is around, but a monster when his back is turned.

Emily lacks self-confidence and esteem. She clings to Adam, despite their conflicts which include manipulations and outright threats from Pammie when Emily discovers the depth of Pammie's deceptions.

Author Sandie Jones keeps readers guessing. Is Emily paranoid and delusional? Is she imagining or exaggerating the horrid things Pammie appears to be doing to destroy Emily and Adam's relationship?

Or is Pammie truly as diabolically devious and determined to undermine Emily's efforts to make Adam happy as she seems?

And what about Adam's only sibling, his brother James? Is he part of Pammie's plan to break Emily and Adam up, or is he genuinely fond of Emily and oblivious to his mother's machinations?

Emily is a weak, insecure protagonist. Of course, she has to be in order for the plot to hold together. A stronger woman with even a modicum of self-esteem would have left Adam, irrespective of whether or not his mother was a psychopath, instead of clinging to a man and a relationship that are anything but the ideal she doggedly wants them to be.

Savvy readers will figure out the mystery early in the story . . . but keep reading to see if they have guessed correctly. The resolution strains credulity, but no matter. The book is entertaining and an impressive debut from Jones. Throw this one in your beach bag!

Thanks to NetGalley for an Advanced Reader's Copy of the book.

This has a potential for a great beach read as each chapter was decently short and full of build up but I felt like the book was a tad too long. It dragged a bit at the end and took too long to pull into the gear the author was attempting to build. There was also very little red flags to hint at the thriller portion and once it was there, it lacked luster.