Her Last Affair: A Novel

Ding, ding, ding! What do we have here? We've got a WINNER of a story and I am beyond thrilled to be able to say that. 🏆🥇 Skyla is an elderly widow that has recently lost her sight. She lives in solitude outside the drive-in theater that her and her husband owned. She has decided to rent out her second cottage to.... Teddy Cornwall, a man looking for a fresh start living away from the hustle and bustle of the city and while he's at it he may just connect with his long lost love of his youth.... Linelle, is in a stale marriage with a daughter that just left for music school in Berlin. Having recently lost her teaching job under disgraceful circumstances she is adrift and lonely that is until her first love reaches out to her after all these years.... Meanwhile in NYC there is Jeremy, a failed writer, that's making a living being paid scraps to write restaurant reviews (A job I would love to have, btw) when he is asked to review a new restaurant in Providence, RI. This is where he met Maryanne. The most wonderful and beautiful woman he has ever met. They were once best of friends but have lost touch for reasons unknown and he is wondering if this is his chance to reconnect with her after all these years. This book was a legit page-turner for this reader. What's surprising is that I had such little expectations for it. The reviews so far hadn't been all that promising but for whatever reason this baby worked for me. I found every single character fascinating. I love a book where a character is telling you a story and boy did Skyla have story to tell. I couldn't get enough. There is some real humor sprinkled throughout too. One scene where a show poodle meets an unruly mutt made me giggle so much and there are wisecracks sprinkled about to bring the book some levity because, I'm not going to lie, the topics are heavy. I truly enjoyed the ending and felt it brought the proper closure to this book and it's characters. I'm not sure where John Searles has been all my life but you better believe I will be checking out his backlist and I look forward to any of his future endeavors. 5 stars! Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow and Custom House for my complimentary copy.

"Captivating and unsettling, I was blindsided by the twists and caught up in the deceit. John Searles is a superb storyteller!" —Laurie Buchanan, author of the Sean McPherson novels

This was an interesting one for sure. A bit odd. It jumps all around between their pov's and the timeline, which sometimes confused me. The biggest thing I think these main characters have in common is that they are all lonely. Skyla ~ in her 70's, former nurse, widowed a year prior and blind as a bat. I am not sure how she gets on by herself. What a whackadoodle. Teddy ~ a British bloke who met Linelle when they were teens working at Disney. Jeremy - failed writer, feels unloved, knew Teddy when they were younger and now lives in NYC. Linelle ~ lives in Florida with her boring husband, Marcus. She swipes his 67' Camaro to surprise Teddy 19 hours away. I'd like to take the "67" and run Marcus over with the way he went on and on and on and on about it. I get that Skyla was lonely and took a liking to Teddy, but they were so weird together ~ can I have a hold? just plain weird. Since a good portion of the story took place at Skyla's, where there once was a drive-in theater on the property, I enjoyed reading the movie quotes at the top of each chapter. Most of the twists were quite obvious to me before being revealed. There was one, maybe two, I didn't see coming, so that was nice. Overall, this kept me engaged and the unique writing style of this author would make me give him a whirl again. He did a great job of weaving these characters together when it seemed at times like they had nothing to do with each other. I like how Linelle's life turned out too. *Thanks to Netgalley, William Morrow and Custom House and John Searles for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*

4.5 stars Her Last Affair by John Searles is a terrific page-turner! It is character-driven psychological suspense, with a film noir vibe, and so much more! Set in a small town in upstate New York, central character Skyla is a retired nurse living in one of twin cottages built by her husband, on the edge of a long-ago closed drive-in movie theater. She is widowed, lonely, and seriously visually impaired, which is a nuance that adds to her persona and actions. Along comes Teddy Cornwell, an Englishman, who agrees to rent the other cottage and handles Skyla with charm and tenderness. Jeremy, the third protagonist, is a failed writer and a generally bitter person, living in New York City. With a few other minor characters, mostly ex-girlfriends, in place, the stage is set for the dramatic suspense to commence! No spoilers here—the back stories of the characters and the well-paced build of the plot are so beautifully done that this becomes an absolutely addicting novel! The story is told from multiple POVs by largely unreliable narrators. I found the voice of Skyla to be the most interesting—sassy, witty, sarcastic, and poignant. The writing is nuanced, and the lead-in to each chapter is a quote from a classic movie, a nice homage to films and the drive-in movie location. The common theme of love—lost, damaged, found unexpectedly—enriches the story and makes it much more than just a clever suspense tale. I highly recommend this book to readers who look for depth and character development as well as a clever plot in psychological thrillers.