e-Audio, 10:26:04
Narrated by: Mela Lee
Release Date: August 1, 2023
Published by: Hachette Audio
Read from: August 21-22, 2023
Stand-alone
Source: Library’s Libby
TW: Death of a Parent, Panic Attacks, Drug Use, Grief, Racism, Alcohol, Cancer, Mental Illness, Cheating
For Readers Interested In: Romance, Realistic Fiction, Revenge, Adult, Sparkly Covers, Dual POV“Love would be so much easier if it were perfect…”
On the night of her husband Matt’s fortieth birthday, Rachel Abbott receives a sexy, explicit text from her husband that she quickly realizes was meant for another woman. Divorce is inevitable, and Rachel is determined not to leave her thirteen-year marriage empty handed. Meanwhile, Matt, a rising star mayor with his eye on the White House, can’t afford a messy split in the middle of his reelection campaign. They strike a deal: Rachel gets one million dollars and their lavish house in the wealthy DC suburb of Oasis Springs, as long as she keeps playing the ideal Black trophy wife until the election.
Then Rachel meets Nathan Vasquez, a very handsome, very lost twenty-six-year-old artist, and their connection makes Rachel forget about being the perfect politician’s wife. As Rachel reawakens Nathan’s long-dormant artistic aspirations, their attraction becomes impossible to resist. But secrets are hard to keep in a town like Oasis Springs, and Nathan has a few of his own. With the risk of scandal looming and their hearts on the line, they’ll have to decide whether the possibility of losing everything is worth taking a chance on love.
The Art of Scandal is a sizzling, conversation-starting debut about rekindling passion, the transformative power of art, and finding love in unexpected places.
*MY THOUGHTS*
When I saw this I was immediately drawn to the cover. I had added it to my TBR but I let it sit because I’m not usually one who reads adult anything. But then I started seeing more people reading and raving about it, and so I had to get it. The day it came out I saw Brandee get her copy in and then I was like welp, we should do a buddy read and I bought a Kindle copy THAT DAY.
Y’all this book was so good. I haven’t read something that made me want to put down the e-book so I could pick up the audio so that I could binge read it in a long time. But this one did it. I actually started reading this on the 5th, but it was slow going because I have a small kid and can only read a few pages at a time. But I ended up saying Oh naw and still putting a hold on the audio. I needed to get the rest of this book into my brain! The characters got on my nerves a lil bit, but it was a solid read. Good enough for me to forget this was a debut.
Ok so Rachel gets a risque text from her husband that can’t have been meant for her. But the question is, who was it meant for. When she confronts him during his birthday party that she threw him, she decides enough is enough. It’s then that we realize that Matt is a politician who is on track to become Mayor… Will this mess up his chances? So, they come to an agreement that they will both keep quiet until they can sort things out. But that’s until Rachel finds a man who actually makes her feel like the woman she is vs the costume she wears for Matt. Will she stick to the terms???
Like I said I was hooked on this book, but it did have a bit of a lull in the middle. I was mad as hell at her because I felt like she was using him. And he was taking it. And like, I don’t like that when it’s women written in that situation, and I still didn’t like it with a man in this situation. I felt so bad for both of them. But I guess that’s why I didn’t let it bother me. They both had an unfortunate situation and they were dealing with it the best they could.
The one thing I was REALLY impressed by with this one was the writing style tho. When I was reading it I was a little annoyed that we really didn’t know much about Matt besides the fact that he was an asshole. But Idk, I think I wanted to know more about him and his campaign trail. I guess I wanted to make this more of a Scandal kind of thing. Like the show. But then I realized, this journey was about Rachel and her new boo. Matt was insignificant. And in the parts he was in made him look even worse. I’m sure the author intended for that, but it took me a while lol But I got there!
And lastly, let’s not forget about Nathan. Was anyone else expecting that twist for his family?! Because Lord knows I wasn’t lol I was legit surprised. And I’m being so for real, I know she was just helicoptering, but she was still getting on my damn nerves. I wanted to slap her so many times. She really made me think of those women on that Mama’s Boy show. It was so annoying lol I was glad when he grew a pair and moved out and then again when he told her about herself.
I knew going in to this I was going to like this. I liked this way more than I thought I would. Not because of anything real, just because its out of my comfort zone. I don’t usually do cheating, but in this one, one of them had it coming. I hope y’all don’t shy away from this because of that one small thing. Read this and tell me what you think!
Overall, I give this
