4.5* One of the best books I've read in awhile. I had my suspicions on what was happening but I was way off. Highly recommend this to everyone!

One of the brief side characters really hit home with me as she was suffering from Alzheimer's and my mother recently passed away from the same disease.

Last summer I devoured The Other Woman and loved so many things about it, it was a perfect summer thriller and had such a unique spin on the domestic suspense genre which is something that I always appreciate. While I still liked this one I’m not quite as excited about it as I had hoped to be but it was still a pretty entertaining read.

One of the things that made me love the authors last book so much was how addictive and binge worthy it was and there were shades of that here. It was a fast read for me, and while I was definitely interested in where things were headed, I wasn’t as compulsively gripped as I was the last time around. I think many seasoned thriller readers will probably figure out many of the twists in this one much like I did, but to be fair I didn’t totally guess one part. It was just missing something to elevate it to a must read status for me, I’m not sure exactly what the missing piece was for me honestly but something just didn’t quite work for me in the end.

I do realize that my expectations for this one were probably set way too high, they were honestly most likely unattainable, so make of that what you will. I think it’s been pretty well documented by now that I’ve been pretty unimpressed by thrillers for awhile now and it takes something truly special to get me excited lately. I think I’m getting jaded and this is why lately I’ve been very selective about which thrillers I choose to pick up, so keep that in mind. Super helpful stuff, I know this has been vague, but overall it was an entertaining read and one that I can definitely see being a popular choice this summer. If yours fan of the authors last book then you may enjoy this one more than me, lots of similarities in terms of style. And if you haven’t read TOW then that ones comes highly recommended by me!

Alice lost her first husband, Tom in a skiing accident years ago and is now happily married to Nathan. But when she begins to discover clues of his infidelity and he swears it's all in her head, she turns to her best friend, Beth. But of course things are never as they seem, and Alice finds her life turned upside down as she begins to uncover the secrets lurking beneath the surface of this idyllic marriage. Who can she trust? This becomes the running theme. The First Mistake is a fun domestic thriller, with impeccable writing. I found the dialogue between the characters very gripping, and each of the characters is strongly characterized. Having read so many thrillers, some of the things I was expecting didn't materialize, and I always love when an author pulls a fast one on me!

THE WIFE: For Alice, life has never been better. With her second husband, she has a successful business, two children, and a beautiful house.

HER HUSBAND: Alice knows that life could have been different if her first husband had lived, but Nathan’s arrival into her life gave her back the happiness she craved.

HER BEST FRIEND: Through the ups and downs of life, from celebratory nights out to comfort each other through loss, Alice knows that with her best friend Beth by her side, they can survive anything together. So when Nathan starts acting strangely, Alice turns to Beth for help. But soon, Alice begins to wonder whether her trust has been misplaced . . .

This one sounded like an amazing read, but unfortunately, it didn't work for me, I found the plot cheesy and very predictable and didn't connect with any of the characters. Although it is written wonderful, and it has a lot of drama, family issues.

Maybe this one will work for you, Sandi Jones is a magnificent writer and I will definitely check her next work.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley who provided me with an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. #TheFirstMistake #NetGalley

If you enjoyed Jones’ debut novel, The Other Woman, then you must grab her sophomore effort. If you haven’t read The Other Woman, then you have two books to add to your TBR list.

For Alice, life has never been better. With her second husband, she has a successful business, two children, and a beautiful house. Alice also knows that with her best friend Beth by her side, she can survive anything. So when Alice’s husband starts acting strangely, Alice turns to Beth for help. But soon Alice wonders if she can really trust anyone.

If you could have watched me as I was reading this book, I imagine you would have seen my brow and face stamped with “what the heck is happening” the entire time. This is not an edge of your seat, nail biting read. It’s one of those where you think you know what is happening, but chances are you’re going to be wrong! And I so often was!

My one issue with the book is the ending because I thought it was too abrupt. You’ve heard me say this before about epilogues, but I needed something more from this one. I don’t feel like I have complete closure to the story. That’s not to say it wasn’t a complete and excellent story. It was! But this reader was looking for a little something extra.

With just two books, Jones has become a must read author. I’m already looking forward to book #3.

Alice has three important adults in her life, her dead husband Tom, her new husband Nathan, and her best friend Beth. Little does she know how big a role all four ofthem play in each other’s lives.

About half way through this book I probably would have given it 3 stars, but I’m so glad I kept going because the second half killed it. So much happened that I didn’t see coming at all. I highly recommend this one!

Thank you st martins press and netgalley for sending me an advanced copy of this book!

Sandie Jones has avoided a sophomore slump with The First Mistake. This evenly paced drama unfolds quickly and with plenty of surprises along the way. While there are some reveals that are easily predicted, there were more that I found to be unexpected and propelled the plot. The ending was satisfying, and I can't think of a single string that Jones left untied (not that every plot needs to be perfectly tied up, but sometimes it's preferable to not be left wanting). I have seen some conflicting reviews on this book, so it might not be for everyone. I think expecting this to be more drama/mystery than thriller will manage expectations- it's not a high adrenaline fueled plot, but I thought it moved along at a good pace and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I was guessing at who The First Mistake was from the first few pages. Several twists and turns keep you guessing up until the end. Quite a ride in how in all comes together while you're saying "wait, what...how ... hmmmmm...oh yeh" all in one breath. A lot of my suspicions panned out; but I couldn't put it together, which is good from a reading standpoint. I like to be surprised! Thanks to Minotaur Books and St. Martins Press for the ARC

Alice was married to Tom until he died. Then she married Nathan. But as we find out as we read this blockbuster novel, Alice may not be able to trust men, at all! She is devastated to find out that her beloved Tom may have had a mistress on the side, a woman named Beth whom she considers to be a good friend. Beth has one daughter and Alice has two. Are they step-siblings thanks to Tom’s infidelity? That is one of the questions that is revealed slowly in this book that is hard to put down. Nathan has become a valuable part of Alice’s design company and wants to expand to Japan. Although Alice is a little reluctant about this costly investment, she trusts Nathan to lead the company in a new and promising direction. Still reeling with the discovery of Beth and Tom’s disloyalty, Alice turns to Nathan as the one she can count on. The twists in this novel just don’t stop coming, all the way to the end that was absolutely so twisted that I had to read it twice. Fans of psychological suspense will fall in love with the story of Alice, Tom, Beth and Nathan...and it’s my bet that you won’t be able to guess the ending!

Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Minotaur Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

I’m torn on my review for The First Mistake. I’m hoping that a lot of the mistakes in my copy will be resolved for the final copy. I found that the novel was predictable, just because of the lack of characters and the timings of certain events.

It took me a bit to figure out what this novel was about. First, the novel goes into Alice’s life and how she is slowing building doubts against her husband, Nathan. Then the novel goes into Alice’s friend, Beth, history with a man that she thought was the one, but he turned into a dud. And finally switch back to present day, where we still have Alice and her doubts.

I’m very curious to see what other readers thought of the ending. I have to admit, it was quite the ending and I’m still trying to process it. I had to re-read the last 3 pages multiple times to see if I could crack the code.

2 calculators out of a potential 5. I think this novel is coming out at the perfect time. This is truly a pool side summertime read, where you want to get into the drama of others’ lives.

This was good, I enjoyed it, but figured it out pretty quickly. Not much character development other than the main character, and since there were only 3 characters, I found myself thinking there should be a few more peripheral ones. Still, very enjoyable, and I will definitely look for more from this author!

Alice’s first husband disappeared while skiing several years ago. Since that time, Alice has been through a whirlwind of emotions, but managed to build her life back up. She is now married to her second husband, Nathan, who she works beside day by day managing her successful business. Together they are raising their two daughters in a life that most can only dream of having.

One day while talking with her best friend, Beth, Alice starts to realize that perhaps the details of her life aren’t what they seem. At the same time Nathan seems to be pulling away from Alice. Could Alice’s past and present vary greatly from they way she has always perceived them?

THE FIRST MISTAKE is the perfect domestic thriller for your summer reading line-up! The book opens with Alice’s perspective and her giving the reader a walk through her life. Cue the bombshell that changes everything up at the end of part one! Sandie Jones effortlessly built up the story in one direction and then completely derailed it into another in a way that made a good story into a great read. I could not put this book down!

I am always a fan of alternating POVs, which Jones plays off of by breaking the book into three sections. To avoid spoilers, I won’t tell you who lays out the story, but I will tell you that the first two parts are each a different side of the story and they converge in part three. What a fun way to read a book! I honestly was never sure whose side to be on aside from Alice. To me Alice was as innocent in learning about the secrets of her life, as the reader was. This was a nice change from listening to unreliable narrators tell the story and instead have the unreliable characters surround our central protagonist.

The pace of THE FIRST MISTAKE isn’t breakneck and it isn’t a slow-burn. Sandie Jones methodically unveils hints about what is happening in a way that strings the reader along. This book is filled with chapters that will leave you with questions, which naturally leads to binge reading parts of the book. I didn’t find at any point that Jones was including too many details or focusing on topics that weren’t integral to what was happening in the moment.

I know that there are a lot of domestic thriller on the market and that many readers feel that they’re played out. I would say that if you find yourself in that category, perhaps THE FIRST MISTAKE won’t be for you or at least not for you right now if you’re suffering from burnout. If you’re looking for a lighter crime fiction read filled to the brim with domestic drama, then this is perfect for you! I can’t recommend this book enough for an afternoon at the pool or the beach or even just curled up on your couch fighting the heat with A/C!

I’m always a little hesitant to start a new thriller, mainly cuz I’m worried that I’ll be able to figure out the plot right away. The First Mistake was definitely not predictable, although it hints to certain things before they come to fruition, the author is able to throw some unforeseen twists and turns into the story to keep you guessing until the last page. My only complaint was the time it took for certain characters to confront others, but other than that, this was an amazing suspense and another hit for Sandie Jones!

This one started quite slow for me. I felt like nothing happened for the first 30-40% of the book. I didn’t find any of the characters likable and to be honest, I figured out the main twist pretty early on. HOWEVER, the last 10% or so of the book was phenomenal and I was reading as fast as I could to try to get all the other twists and turns figured out. I do feel like there was some unanswered questions and plot holes, but I would still recommend this to anyone looking for a fun and twist suspense.

This is the first book for me from this author, and it won't be my last! I read it in two days until the wee hours of the morning. I could NOT put it down! Talk about suspenseful, edge of your seat reading! I dont want to give away any spoilers, but I thought of possible scenarios of what was going on, and I was way off! It is definitely not predictable. The end had my jaw dropping. Such a great, suspenseful read! You will not be disappointed!

I won’t lie, it took me a hot minute or hour to get into this book. There was quite a bit of set up before the first big “ahhh! What?!” moment.

In the beginning, I was annoyed with Alice. By the time we got to Beth’s story, I liked Alice a bit more. Beth? Girl. I wanted to shake some sense into her.

Once I got to the second part, I couldn’t put this book down. It is a solid suspense novel with a few predictable twists and one I didn’t see coming.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Once again Sandie Jones delivers a thriller full of twisty turns. When you think you know the outcome the book takes a complete 360. There are twists to the last page. Alice’s first husband disappeared and is presumed dead. Years later she has remarried and things seem to going well. Until suddenly they’re not. Things start to unravel in her marriage and has Alice wondering if it’s really happening or all in her head. To sort things out she turns to her best friend. But her best friend might not be who she thinks she is either.I didn’t love it like I did her first book, The Other Woman but I definitely didn’t hate it. The fact that there were so many twists and I didn’t know what the outcome would be kept me guessing and interested all the way through to the end. I kind of wish I had waited to binge read it on my beach vacation.

I felt so awful for Alice. She's not sure who she can believe, and it seems like everyone except her two daughters has a secret agenda. Her husband may be cheating and her best friend definitely seems to be hiding something...

This was ridiculously fun. There are lot of twists and I called some and not others. This was also a little bit of a slow burn for me, so if you don't love it immediately, give it a few chapters. Once we get to Beth's story, it gets amazing. I don't mean to imply that Alice's part is boring, because it's not. But her story seems like we've seen it a thousand times (which I think serves to lull the reader into a false sense of complacency). 

This is a great summer read.

After reading The First Mistake, Sandie Jones has become a must-read author for me in the suspense, thriller, and mystery genres. Ms Jones knows how to place twists and turns in her stories to create a rollercoaster ride to the end.

The story drew me in from the start. The characters are interesting and have many layers.

I highly recommend this book to everyone but especially if you are a fan of the genres.
Thank you #Netgalley and #StMartinsPress #MinotaurBooks for approving my request to read this book. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

I absolutely LOVED this authors first book The Other Woman and I was excited to dive into The First Mistake. I read this book in one sitting. It is fast paced, with twists and turns, I had no clue what was going to happen next, and I love that! The characters were complex with a well crafted storyline. There was a shocking twist at the end that blew me away. Great psychological thriller by a fantastic author.