Sandie Jones The Other Woman is quite an interesting psychological thriller debut. Actually, I started The Other Woman as a soft start. You know? A soft start is when you read a chapter or two before committing the time and effort. I knew I wanted to read something uncomplicated, fast paced, and fun due to my last read being a little heavy, but I wasn't prepared to get sucked in as I did.
The Other Woman begins as any other classic girl meets guy tale. Emily and Adam begin seeing each other and are almost instantly captivated with each other. Before long, things get serious (a little soon actually) and it comes time to meet the family. Enter the other woman.
Because I rarely read the book descriptions or blurbs, I requested this read from Netgalley based solely on the title and cover. Having said that, I assumed the other woman was an ex-girlfriend. I was prepared for an ex-girlfriend. Jones didn't prepare me for a doting, loving, conniving, obsessive, and possibly murderous mother. In the interest of not spoiling anything, Pammie is definitely a few of the above but not all... maybe not even the one you suspect based on this being categorized as a mystery thriller.
Plus, we only have Emily's narrative to go on. To everyone but Emily, she's a charmer. And yes, quite a few instances suggest Emily is not far off based with her suspicions of Pammie. Yet, as I continued to read and become more acquainted with Emily, 54% in the book, I realized I didn't too much like Emily.
The brings me to my 3.5 star rating. The Other Woman is a total page-turner that manages to stay out of the Jennifer Lopez/Jane Fonda disaster that was Monster-In-Law. Where that movie succeeded is in giving you at least one of them to root for. You're presented two likable characters who have their own valid reasons for wanting to win. With The Other Woman, I'm not sure I liked Emily, I certainly didn't like Pammie, and Adam was no prize.
Better yet, these crazies deserve each other.
Overall, Sandie Jones definitely delivers an intense read that forces readers to keep turning the page. I don't think there was one moment I felt the need to skim because there was just so much going on. Not so much in the sense it got too busy, but Emily's narrative is almost told as if she's pleading her case about Pammie's odd behavior instead of allowing the story to unravel. Either way, I enjoyed this read. The Other Woman will give pause to any girlfriend who's finally meeting the family. ***
Copy provided by St. Martin's Press via Netgalley
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