I am of two minds on this book. It was a little predictable, and yet completely fun to read. I wanted to smack Alice and tell her to wake up so many times and found myself skimming some parts. Yet, I wanted to see where it went.

Alice, a widow, never thought she'd survive losing her husband Tom. It nearly broke her. She took the business she and Tom had started and made it into a success. She met and married Nathan, who became father to her first daughter and had a child of their own together. He helped run the business and seemed like the perfect husband.

Alice also has her best friend, Beth, who is a single mom and the only person she really trusts.

Alice starts to learn that no one is who they seem.

Unfortunately, the story sometimes becomes ridiculous. At one point Alice thinks to herself that something is just too unreal to believe and I was right there with her on it. This is another one of those books in which the entire thing is explained in the last few pages. You don't get a lot of moments of making connections, because the author holds back information that would have made that possible. Instead, you can just guess the main plot "twists" and the backstory is just tacked on the end.

The First Mistake had me thinking I knew what was going on then, rarely did I know what was going on. The twists and turns kept me guessing and rethinking my guesses. I was completely caught off guard by who did what and even felt a little tricked by the big reveal, just like Alice must have time & time again. I highly recommend this book. It was a great read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books and the author for this ARC for my free and honest review.

I don't want to give much of the plot away so I apologize for the vague review. This was a good quick read though I felt the plot was a bit predictable. I really enjoyed this author's first book and it really kept me guessing but this one I figured out early on.

Overall this was a good book, good writing but a bit predictable. It just wasn't for me.

After reading and loving The Other Woman by Sandie Jones, I was excited for her next book, The First Mistake. In my part of the world, it is almost summer, though, for me, this didn't make it to a 'beach read', as I received my copy on a Tuesday, and couldn't force myself to wait for the weekend. Yep, home from work, dinner made, and I found myself curled up on a chair in the garden reading until somehow, I had finished the book.
Without giving away any spoilers, there are enough questions raised about Alice, Nathan, Beth, and Tom, to make you wonder if any of them can be trusted. Throw some heartbreak, emotional instability, pills, alcohol, and money(or lack of) into the mix, and I was lost in the story. While I guessed some parts of this puzzle, the whole picture didn't become crystal clear until the end. If you enjoy a quick, engaging, page flipping read, The First Mistake is worth your consideration. As anyone with a massive TBR pile knows, certain books are worthy of reading out of order on your list, and this one was one of those books to me.
I received a DRC from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley.

4 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Usually, I’m on the fence about reading books that generate a ton of buzz. I tend to go into those books with super high expectations only to be letdown in the end. This is not one of those books! The First Mistake deserves all the hype, praise and buzz it’s getting. It’s really good!

You really can’t trust any of the characters in this book. So many twists and turns - my head is spinning! That ending? Well, that was totally unexpected and I loved it!

This was my first experience with Sandie Jones and it won’t be the last. In fact, now I want to go back and read The Other Woman (which I passed on for some reason).

Thanks so much to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press - Minotaur Books and Sandie Jones for my advanced copy to read and review.

Highly recommend!

Alice seems to have it all.but does she? A beautiful family, a successful business with her second husband Nathan and a her best friend Beth by her side. When Alice starts to have her doubts about not only Nathan, but her first husband Tom, she turns to Beth. Surely together they can settle her uneasy feelings. Now this is where the story gets interesting. Is Nathan really who he claims to be? Is Tom really dead? Is Beth hiding her own secrets? And how does this all tie together?
This is such a brilliantly written psychological thriller by Sandie Jones. As you think you may have an idea about what’s really going on, the story taken a dangerous twist. I was sitting on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next. I literally could not put this book down. Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy to review, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have found a new author to follow.

This book has a story line that could be your standard, wife, best friend, husband, affair but it is so twisty that you will want to race to the end.

Alice is a successful designer with her own company. It was started in part with her past husband’s inheritance. Her past husband, Tom, had disappeared during a skiing trip and is presumed dead. Alice is devastated and neglects everything, only getting out of bed to care for her daughter. Then she meets Nathan and she slowly starts to come back to life. She is still struggling with anxiety and is about to close on the biggest deal in the history of her company when she starts to find strange things. An earring in Nathan’s car, receipts that don’t add up. Is Nathan cheating on her? Alice turns to her best friend Beth for advice. But the twists keep coming as Beth is hiding her own secrets.

I was very excited to read this book as I loved The Other Woman. The storyline for this book was confusing at times but the plot twists keep you engaged. I enjoyed trying to figure out what really happened but I did not see the ending coming!

I enjoyed this book. It's the first time I've read this author and I'll be adding her to my list to keep an eye on. This was a fairly quick read and held my interest. The mystery was handled well and while it didn't take a genius to figure it out it was still very entertaining. I liked the characters even though I felt like Alice was a little gullible. All in all, a good book.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher and voluntarily chose to review it.

You often hear the terms 'page=turner' or 'can't put it down' but in the case of this book, those terms are definitely true. I started the book last night and couldn't stop reading until the final page. Wow!

I liked Sandie Jones' previous book, 'The Other Woman', so I was looking forward to reading this new one. It certainly didn't disappoint! The characters are vivid, the plot breathtakingly twisted, and the shocking surprises come fast and furiously.

I won't give spoilers. All I can say is READ THIS BOOK!!!

When Alice’s husband Tom went missing on a ski trip in the Alps, she fell apart. She couldn’t move on. She couldn’t be there for her daughter Sophia. She just shut down. She had to have inpatient help to help her deal with her overwhelming grief. And it did help. The doctors gave her emotional support and medicine, and Nathan gave her a reason to try harder. He’d been visiting a friend that day at the hospital and found Alice instead. They started talking, and for the first time Alice could conceive of a future without Tom.

As the years went by, she found her footing more and more. Eventually, she and Nathan got married, had a daughter, started a business together. And now they’re about to close on a deal that will put their small design company on the map, literally. Although they’re based in London, this new deal in Tokyo will mean an entire apartment building where each apartment has been designed by Alice. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and Alice doesn’t want it to slip through her fingers.

On the other hand, her anxiety has been rising again. She’s fearful of flying, she turned to her anti-anxiety meds again, she’s drinking too much, and she wants to make sure that she’s doing the right thing for her two beautiful daughters, for her husband, and for herself.

And then she finds out more devastating news. Her best friend has betrayed her, and Alice is stunned. She doesn’t want to keep moving forward, but she must. She has to move forward for the sake of her family. She has to for the sake of her business. She has to for her own mental and physical health. But is she truly strong enough to face the truth, the whole truth?

The First Mistake is the sophomore novel from Sandie Jones, who brought us last year’s best-selling The Other Woman. And just like her first novel, The First Mistake is filled with suspense, plot twists, and secrets. It’s a fun, quick read that’s perfect for fans of B.A. Paris, Wendy Walker, and JP Delaney. I flew through this novel to find my way through all the labyrinthine lies and surprising secrets to understand what that first mistake really was.

Galleys for The First Mistake were provided by St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Alice had the perfect life but then her husband Thomas dies on a ski trip. Later she marries Nathan and they work together in her company. However Alice keeps Thomas always in the back of her mind. But certain coincidences happen that make her question her past.
There is so many twists and turns that you can't put the book down. I loved this book.

This book was good. Jones's first book, The Other Woman, was released in the US last year, and unfortunately I saw through that one. I rated it 3.5 stars but wanted a shot at The First Mistake because Jones's writing was so, so good. And this one was muuuch better...until the end. And I do mean the whole end. To me it was confusing and convoluted and didn't make much sense. And on top of that it was an ambiguous ending, which I loathe. But I know a lot of people are loving this book, so I'm thinking the dislike is solely on my end. I'm rating it 3.5, lowered down to a 3 - HOWEVER. I will say the writing is fantastic; I'm just an idiot who didn't really "get" it. But do not let my distaste for this book lower your opinion of it in any way. Please enjoy it! Hopefully more than me.

Thank you to Minotaur Books for my free review copy.
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Wow, what a story! I finished this one up in just two sittings.
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I really enjoyed the format of the book. It’s told in three separate parts, with part one being told by Alice, part two by Beth, and part three brings these two best friend’s stories together. They have both suffered tragedies in their lives and it’s exciting and enveloping to see how they intertwine. ⁣
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Sandie Jones did an amazing job of writing the characters in this story. I didn’t particularly love any of them, but I felt like they were fully developed and their emotions really grabbed me and pulled me deep into the story. Sophie was probably my favorite. What a little spitfire! They all had their moments but ultimately, I didn’t mind not having someone to root for. I was too busy coming up with all kinds of theories in my head, all of which ended up being totally wrong. I’m always impressed by an author’s ability to write about unbelievable, inconceivable things that humans are capable without it feeling phony or contrived. It’s a true testament to Sandie’s talent. ⁣
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Do yourself a favor and read this one! I’m a huge fan of Sandie and will be sure to read all of her future novels!

Alice is in a good place. After surviving the unexpected death of her first husband, she's remarried and finally hitting her stride with her design company. She's starting to feel like she's got things together -- until strange things begin turning up that cause her to question Nathan's fidelity. Despite his insistence that he's remained faithful and isn't going anywhere, things keep happening. Are Nathan and Alice really experiencing an exceptional set of incredulous coincidences, or is there more to the story? And how does Alice's best friend and confidante, Beth, fit in?

This book was such a thrill! I was 85-90% through the book and still had no idea how things would resolve. My suspicions were raised but then abolished over and over throughout the story. The questions keep building through the story and I was constantly questioning who's lying, who's maybe a little insane, or who's telling the truth. Such a gripping book that I thoroughly enjoyed!

I prefer to go into thrillers with as little info about the book as possible and I intentionally write vague reviews of that genre so as not to reveal spoilers. If you're a fan of psychological thrillers, I wholeheartedly recommend this book. The First Mistake will make you question everything you know about the people closest to you.
The book is available June 11.

Sincere thanks to @NetGalley, @minotaur_books, and the author @sandiejonesauthor for the digital ARC of The First Mistake. All opinions are my own.

This book had me on my toes! I could not predict the twists and I love when that happens. Also I love domestic thrillers are one of my favourite genres so if that is what you enjoy this is the book for you. I also have The Other Woman by Sandie Jones and after reading this I’m so excited to read The Other Woman! Thrillers are the most difficult to review because I don’t want to give anything away and I think thrillers are best to go in without knowing any details! This is a thriller I suggest you just dive into and let this story keeping guessing until the end.

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for and ARC in exchange for a honest review.

The First Mistake was high on my list of most anticipated reads this year, and I'm pleased to report that I was not disappointed.
The story is told in three parts and what started as a slow paced story quickly gained momentum after the first 20%. I was glued to the pages, enjoying the buildup and the story/character development.

While there were predictable paths the plot was leading down early on, there were also a few turns that I couldn't quite piece together before they were presented. It really affects my overall enjoyment of a novel if I can guess every outcome before the reveal, so I was pleased that there were some instances where I was left guessing and then found myself surprised with the direction the story turned. Without giving too much away, I do believe the motive needed strengthening, but other than that I liked the conclusion and I felt like any questions I had were answered.

Overall, The First Mistake was an engaging story, and if you're looking for a psychological thriller to add to your list of summer reads, it's a great contender!



**Complimentary copy for review provided by St. Martin's Press, Netgalley and Minotaur Books. All opinions expressed here are honest and entirely my own.**

A thrill from start to finish! I loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advanced readers copy of The First Mistake in exchange for an honest review. I had read Sandie Jones' first book The Other Woman and really liked that book. Often times, I feel that every other book by an other is good, especially new authors. I was proven wrong with The First Mistake. The First Mistake has some similarities to The Other Woman, in that you are just reading along and you're starting to wonder, isn't this a suspense novel, when something happens and you're reminded that it is a suspense novel. The twists are mixed into the story enough to keep you captivated. Then of course the ending is nothing like what you were expecting.

Great read!! Couldn't put it down. Had to see want was going to happen next. First book by Ms. Jones but won't be my last. Thank you NetGalley for letting h me read this book for an unbiased opinion.