Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5

“As hard as it was to go against the damaged instinct I had, I finally, for the first time in my life, took the step and said, Enough.”

If the reasons people cheat has ever interested you, or if you’re interested in taking a closer look at how people deal with disloyalty and failing relationships, then you might love this! A Diary of Unfaithful Stories reveals multiple confessions about love and betrayal that will no doubt get you riled up. But it’s a thought-provoking read and a topic to really make you think about past, present and sometimes future relationships. It’s a quick read which I really needed right now!

About the book

In a world where trust is fragile and secrets are everywhere, one woman’s diary reveals a raw and intimate series of confessions about love and betrayal.

As the lines between love and loyalty blur, this diary raises the burning question: Why do people cheat?

Daring, emotional, and brutally honest, A Diary of Unfaithful Stories will challenge your perception of fidelity by exploring the complexities of love and loyalty, untold truth, and moments of weakness and betrayal.

Are you ready to uncover the secrets within?

My thoughts

Straight away, this book had me intrigued! I didn’t really know what to expect beforehand. I’m not sure if the book is based entirely on the author’s life or from a mix of other people’s stories, and I was confused by the book stating it was a work of fiction, but it did seem like it was a memoir of sorts. And for the sake of this review, I’ll just refer to the experiences as if they are all from the author’s perspective. (Sorry if I’m wrong at any point, Lora!)

We start by hearing of the author’s first experiences with infidelity. Her father left when she was young to pursue a relationship with another woman. And while she was angry at first, she begins to learn the complexity of some relationships. How people need to find their person, and that sometimes, you can get it wrong the first time around. But when her father does the exact same thing again with another woman, the same questions arise. This was a person who wasn’t on a quest to find his person. It was much deeper than that, and it seemed there was no remorse for his actions. I tried to put myself in the shoes of a younger version of the author, and tried to imagine what I’d think about my father. The person who is meant to be a role model to their child was showing the wrong behaviour.

So, why do people cheat? Why do people, who are meant to love their partner, to stay loyal to them, feel the need to look for satisfaction elsewhere?

“At first, I was terrified of having this terrible thing happen to me. The fear made me alert, in a state of near-constant suspicion, mixed, of course, with jealousy. I didn’t want to be anyone’s second choice.”

The author felt like a natural storyteller to me, and as we travelled through the years, we hear of her experiences with other people either going through difficult relationships and getting cheated on, or experiences where that person is the one who is cheating. The author is in a constant state of disbelief. Instead of breaking off a relationship when they become unhappy, a lot of these people choose to sneak around and continue multiple relationships. Why? Are they too comfortable in their main relationship to end it? Is there some kind of thrill to keeping such a huge, disgusting secret? Infidelity was all around her over the years, and it was so shocking to read about it from this perspective. Her friend’s partner. Another friend. Her mother. Her colleagues. Even her own partner at one point. It seemed everyone around her couldn’t be happy and faithful to one person, and it felt really saddening to me.

Eventually, we hear from the author’s personal experience and I really liked how the theme of cheating shifted slightly. She notes that it felt like she’d cheated herself in a way. She’d stopped being loyal to herself, prioritising her partner, the person she loved, but someone who didn’t love her back the same. We feel such strong emotion here and the comparisons between her partner at the time with her father, the one who left their family when she was young, was so strong; I could really feel the feelings she’d carried through life to this moment, how the experiences with her father had shaped her future and her views on relationships. The book ends by the author realising she wanted better, but I really wanted the book to go beyond this statement. I wanted to know the steps she took to better herself and where she was in her life now. But I’m just a sucker for a happy ending!

“Was it love that was capable of such a terrible thing, or was it people?”

I did feel like I needed a bit more from this book, though. I’d wanted it to be more like juicy diary entries of unfaithful stories from anonymous people. Perhaps more gossipy, scandalous stories. However, I appreciated it was the author’s journey, which gave it a special, more profound meaning. I’d never really given much thought to why people cheat, as I’ve thought it was always obvious to me. It all stems down to varying states of unhappiness, which this book confirmed. I appreciated the detail and the author’s desire to look into this more, but I felt I didn’t really learn anything new, which is okay because I didn’t expect to! It was an interesting mix of exploring infidelity from a different angle and will certainly get you thinking.

A Diary of Unfaithful Stories is an interesting exploration of infidelity from the outside looking in and asks the question, “Why do people cheat?” The author takes us on a journey, showing us how unfaithful people not only impacted her life, but the lives of friends and family. It’s an honest, raw and sometimes emotional read, and you can’t help but walk in the author’s shoes for a little while. There are secrets, lies and betrayal, but also an ending signifying change and hope, one of wanting better for yourself, to believe that good can and will come to you. I think more of a diary entry format, showcasing stories from others about their infidelity experiences, would have been a good angle for this book, maybe something similar to what I’ve heard about Gillian Anderson’s Want (I’ve not read it, though!) I still think this is a decent shorter read if you’re interested in the reasons why people betray others and why people cheat. Definitely one to pick up as a palate cleanser to fit in between bigger reads!

Huge thanks to Lora Kay for sending me a signed copy of her book! ❤️ You can grab your own copy of A Diary of Unfaithful Stories right now on Amazon. Make sure you’re following Lora on Instagram for more updates.

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