This was a super quick, easy, entertaining read, I finished it basically in one sitting. And somehow it felt weirdly personal 😂 I don’t blame Lauren for a SINGLE thing she did because they had her all the way fucked up. Watching her pick herself back up and get her revenge was definitely the best part. It’s only about 100 pages, so I do wish there had been a little more depth and character development, but for such a short read, it kept me entertained the entire time. Nothing groundbreaking, but fun, satisfying, and exactly the kind of book you can fly through when you want something easy.

Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the advanced copy to review.

This was fantastic! I loved the faced paced thrill of the story! It was so much fun. I would love to read more!!

The fact that Lauren didn't let Richard scare her was great! She was a strong woman and I enjoyed it!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing Co-op for allowing me access to this book.

This is a good short story, perfect when you want something quick and easy to read.
A thriller about revenge.
The book being less than 70 page long means it's fast paced so no wasting time with superficial details and I liked that.

Perfect to read in one sitting, you won't get bored! Some of the narrative and name calling did seem a bit repetitive though.

Hilarious, short, and oh, so sweet, a tale of satisfying revenge!

"Lauren (Reese Ruthers)" REESE, IS THIS STORY BASED OFF REAL LIFE?!?! I read the disclaimer before the story begins, but this tale is the *dream* revenge arc! Are you happily married?!? I need more information! The Best Selling Betrayal is what I hoped Strangers by Belle Burden would be! It reads like a juicy tell-all! I feel like I'm having lunch and martinis with you as we discuss what happened since we last caught up! 

"He's a thief" stole her life and ruined her future!

Richard Ruthers, what a d!ck, shocks everyone at his wife Lauren's 50th Birthday party with an announcement: he's been cheating on her and is leaving. Her. Right. Now. 26 years of marriage, suddenly dust. Shocked, she quickly finds out Richard has removed his belongings from their martial home and her access to their joint bank accounts! Trish, her best friend, comes to help, bringing levity and hope. Together, they solve the mystery of how Richard hid the affair and discover corporate fraud he simultaneously committed. Bravely, Lauren uses that information as the only self-defense and leverage she has against his legal sharks. This brilliant checkmate move gives Lauren a chance to salvage her future, image, and redeem the 26 years she lost married to such a terrible human being. I love that Lauren refused to be silenced or cast off as unwanted and unloved.

Empowering, justice served. The bad guys didn't win this time! 

Spice: 0/5 🌶️  
Gore: 0/5 🩸 
Language: 1/5 👀 two uses
Triggers: adultery and betrayal

Thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and NetGalley for this ARC!

Lauren Ruthers’s husband dumps her in a truly spectacular fashion on the 50th birthday, leaving her nearly penniless while he drives off with his younger girlfriend. Lauren, however finds his incriminating financial diary and uses it for the best revenge. She sends him her unfinished novel, chapter by thinly disguised chapter, revealing his deceptions and misspending. When it is finally released it shoots to the top of the bestseller list and her husband is totally humiliated.

My one regret about this delicious, quick read novella is that it isn’t longer than 100 pages. I hope that the author writes a sequel or another equally satisfying domestic drama. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and Reese Ruthers for this ARC.

This is a deliciously juicy tale of revenge of the most magnificent kind.

The Best Selling Betrayal is fast-paced, wildly entertaining, and absolutely committed to letting Lauren take matters into her own hands. Watching her husband’s situation get worse and worse as her revenge unfolds is immensely satisfying, and I have the highest respect for the levels she reaches along the way. 😂

I also loved the women-supporting-women element. Trish is the best type of friend anyone could hope for, and Lauren and Trish make a fantastic take-no-prisoners duo. Their friendship adds another layer of fun to a story that is already moving at a wonderfully brisk pace.

What really worked for me is that the book knows exactly what it wants to be. It doesn’t get bogged down or overcomplicate things. It delivers betrayal, revenge, friendship and plenty of entertainment, and it kept me turning the pages because I wanted to see just how much further things could go.

This is a great pick for readers who enjoy short, fast-moving domestic suspense with a strong revenge streak, a satisfying women-supporting-women dynamic, and a healthy dose of humour. Come for the betrayal, stay for Lauren and Trish—and perhaps spare a thought for what’s left of Lauren’s husband. 😂

Thank you to Reese Ruthers, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. All opinions are my own.

This kept me up reading the entire night! I love the way the story unfolded. It was such a unique story and I just couldn't get enough! The character building was amazing, the plot was gripping, and the vibes were even better! Absolutely everything that I want in a book! Can't wait to read more by this author!

Super easy and short read! I love a powerful woman – especially when she is forced to become powerful. While I like a short read, I think this could have easily been a full book with a lot more character development.

“He was about to learn that a woman with nothing left to lose is the most dangerous adversary alive.”

Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for this ARC! #TheBestSellingBetrayal #NetGalley

Too short I wanted more I enjoyed the story great read and the characters I will recommend it’s a fast pace grabs you in

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. This had the kind of messy character drama that makes me want to keep reading! I loved the tension between the characters and the way their relationships became more complicated as the story went on. There was a real sense of unease running through the book and I enjoyed seeing how the betrayals affected everyone involved. It had me invested in the characters and their choices and I thought it made for a really entertaining read.

THE BETRAYAL
BY: REESE RUTHERS

This was the shortest read that was quickly read, and it was fast paced. On a devoted Wives Milestone Fiftieth birthday celebration that she had spent months planning. At their affluent Texas Country Club she's dressed to the nines in a beautiful Green Gown. Her husband's public humiliation is the last thing Lauren expects when her husband gets up to give her a Birthday toast at least that was what you'd expect any decent man that you'd been married to for twenty six years. Their two daughters aren't there and there's plenty of Champagne Bubble filled flutes among all their friends he shocks her by telling her he's leaving her for his Mistress named Pearl who he's been seeing that is in her twenties, who is waiting for him outside in his car. The husband's name is Richard and the Wife's name is Lauren. The Author had a sense of humor and decided to make his Mistress named Pearl 500 pounds. It just so happens that Richard has control of their money whom he coldly changes things even more since he had been planning this secretly for quite some time. Richard thinks he has the upper hand since he's quick to dictate terms of how she has thirty days to leave their home since he worked managing Million Dollar deals that has something to do with Finance. He has already removed her from his Corporate Card, and leaves Lauren with no access to their jointly owned funds. At first Lauren is devastated but she devises a plan with the only friend who didn't desert her, and it is a very good idea that had her quickly, bounce back as the two Women make a discovery that the support of a best friend who shows up with iced coffees, can be invaluable. This sounds very bleak but it is very funny after she does something simple that she could not have been in a worse position at first but with just her letting him define her as being replaced but it ultimately is proof how having a loyal girlfriend that even though her financial situation, and going from thousands of square feet of living space ends up measured in hundreds, but at least having one best friend who out of the large amount of friends that she and Richard accumulated over their long term marriage only one true friend who I thought that her friend Trish is quick to show up the very next day which is just what Lauren needed. Lauren isn't materialistic at all since she has no idea right away what kind of job she wouldn't have factored that into her new life circumstances, but I really appreciated how her friend did have excellent timing because she hasn't yet met with her husband and how unfair he was in terms of splitting their funds, and assets into for them each to get half, and he expects her to sign an NDA which that would benefit him since this divorce was all his idea and to make things even worse he's been cheating on her for two years before he publicly announced his plans for it gives you an idea what type of person she's made millions of compromises during their long marriage. This is a super fast paced read filled with family divorce drama that thankfully her two daughters are adults that This has very few characters that you can read the whole thing in about an hour at under 100 pages. You don't have to worry there's a lot more to discover that make this an easy reading experience that I didn't even realize that I had it to read during August. It is probably enough Character Development might diminish her with a empowered outlook it goes to show that this could have been enough to defeat some women but it was uplifting to see how with a positive outlook, and determination to how she with one best friend that we all can choose to rely on ourselves by which this Woman who chose to not let her monumental setbacks who this woman focused on how to not get stuck like how typically having being replaced she could have let herself be defined by what her community, and husband's rejection demonstrate that her self worth depended on her own willingness to find herself determination with choosing that what helped her most seemed to me is how instead of letting others opinions not define her. Ultimately our destinies rely on if we can move forward knowing we hold the key and belief in ourselves knowing how it's easier said than done. This novella is a powerful illustration that is obviously her not giving up on herself just in how she could have let her husband idea that his choice of choosing someone else especially in a youth obsessed mindset culture is a dramatic example of how blindsided the woman in this novella was initially, there's a lot more to this story like how she went from having not worked in 26 years having to justify most expenses since I am not going to include what she did since this is going to be fun to learn how we probably have all thought about doing it, not in terms of how and what she did but in terms of how I have thought about doing it regarding other subjects that would not be a way of earning money or to expose what involved others as a means of it more focused on myself which the aspects would be useful if I wrote it for just myself in keeping it for only my eyes.

Publications Date: August 7, 2026

Thank you to Net Galley, Reese Ruthers, and Victory Editing Net Galley Co-op for generously providing me with my ARC, in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are entirely my own, as always.

#TheBetrayal #ReeseRuthers #VictoryEditing