Book Review: The Mistress's Revenge

'The Mistress's Revenge'
Author: Tamar Cohen


Format: ARC
Published: Free Press; June 2011
Pages: 288
Genre: Women's fiction
Grade: C
Source: Publisher


Synopsis: Fatal Attraction set in the era of Facebook: fiery, passionate, engrossing, unsettling, manipulative, and graphic -  a debut novel written as one women's letter to the married man who has just dumped her, and upon whom she exacts a terrifying revenge. 
When her five-year affair with the sexy television personality Clive Gooding brutally ends on a dime - his dime - Sally Islip is devastated. But with Sally, Clive has made one fundamental mistake: he has chosen someone who has less to lose than he has, and Sally will have her revenge - no matter what the cost to the people around them.

My Take: I picked up this book because it sounded totally different to anything I had ever read before. It sounded, frankly, like a dramatic departure from my love of chick-lit and I thought it would be good for me to break my mold a little. While it did end up being totally different from anything I've ever read before, it also ended up leaving me with a bad taste in my mouth which I can't really get rid of so I am here to talk to you all about it and see if I can get these feelings off of my chest.

The Mistress's Revenge is told as one really long letter. There are no chapter breaks but it's not too big of a deal because it's a pretty short (and intense) read. Sally is our leading scorned lover. She had been carrying on an affair with Clive for five years and now the affair is over and Sally just can.not.deal! When I read the synopsis I stupidly assumed that Clive was the only married person in the relationship cheating and that's why Sally couldn't deal. She thought he was going to get a divorce eventually and they would all live happily ever after. When in reality they are both married. This bothered me more. They both have children and since it is being told from Sally's viewpoint, the way Sally talks about her own marriage and children makes my stomach turn. I realize that a new relationship and a breakup can be all consuming but lady if you dislike your husband that much, get a divorce already.

So basically we have a woman scorned who becomes all possessed with revenge. It's an intense read and I recommend it if you haven't read anything like it, or well, you've had a breakup and you can't exact your own revenge. It might be a good way to live vicariously. However, if like me, you've become recently engaged, and are currently in a puppy love stage of planning a wedding and everything is all sunshine and rainbows this could seriously end up being a disturbing book of wrong time, wrong place!

Cover Lust: This was a big reason why I read this book! I freaking love this cover. The bees on the rose to me match the title perfectly!