Book Review: The Social Affair (New Hope #1) by Britney King


The Social Affair by Britney King
My rating: 🌟🌟 (2 stars)
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent

When you tell friends you're a fan of psychological thrillers and they gift books, you have to read them. This had some good elements that piqued my interest but there were also some problem areas that left me unsatisfied by the book's end. The social media take was an interesting one as a cautionary tale for two types of users. I'm neither type and thought both Josie and Izzy foolish in their usage.



I liked that it was told in two perspectives but Josie and Izzy's voices were not distinct enough, which they should have been. Surprisingly, the teenage Dunns didn't add much to the story at all. Avery seemed only used to give Izzy another inroad to the Dunns lives and the son (whose name I can't even remember even though I just finished the book yesterday) was even less relevant and may just have been around to round out the Dunns to a family of four. Grant was one of the better constructed characters as he's shown through both women's eyes.

I never felt that the case was made as to what it was about Izzy that interested Grant nor make him feel he could have her as a replacement of Josie. If Josie couldn't keep up the New Hope expectations and agreements, there was no hope Izzy could. I couldn't even picture him in her apartment because the state of disorder, unkemptness and likely smell she existed in. She was also unpredictable and unstable. It just never tracked for me

Funnily enough, the New Hope church was the thing that bothered me most here (and that's saying something because the domestic violence was terrifying). Very little information is given about it but it's arguably the thing that the Dunns life hangs on. There isn't one scene of them actually at church or interacting in any way with it outside of conspicuous consumption, social media and wives being in service of keeping other wives in line. And whatever tenants are, the only ones related have to do with women acceding to sex on demand, deference to husbands always and stringent exercise regimens to keep their weight in line. I never understood what the wives were getting in the agreement other than material comfort because it didn't seem any husband of the church presented here were bothering to be fidelitous, the battery was fine and they were open to murder if a wife proved too difficult to manage. That more than anything else makes me want to read the next book (and since I have it, I will). There's only one character here that I care to see again and that's Beth. She's got some Serena Joy thing going on and that is interesting.

I found it a very quick read and just about unputdownable because I wanted to know more. As psychological thrillers go, I'd call this a starter book. If you're looking for a taste of the genre it's fine. If you're a fan and read more polished types of the genre, this one is likely to just be okay.

Summary:  A timeless, perfect couple waltzes into the small coffee shop where Izzy Lewis works. Instantly enamored, she does what she always does in situations like these: she searches them out on social media.
Just like that—with the tap of a screen— she’s given a front row seat to the Dunns’ picturesque life. This time, she’s certain she’s found what she’s been searching for. This time, she'll go to whatever lengths it takes to ensure she gets it right—even if this means doing the unthinkable.




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