As I enjoy domestic thrillers, I really loved this book. It was the perfect beachy summer read for anyone who loves the twists and turns of a well-paced and well-plotted novel.

For Alice, life has never been better. With her second husband, she has a successful business, two children, and a beautiful house. 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. Through the ups and downs of life, from celebratory nights out to comforting 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. review: Last year I read Sandie Jones' debut novel, The Other Woman, and I absolutely loved it, so I was looking forward to her newest book. Maybe I did a bit too much comparing to her first book, but this book just didn't do it for me. I didn't particularly care for any of the characters and wish they had been developed a bit more so I could take a stance with them. I think my biggest complain though it that the story was a bit slow until about 65% when it started to pick up a bit more. The ending was very twisty and one I didn't see coming though, which I enjoyed! rating: 3.5 out of 5 ⭐️

Twisty turning tale filled with more gaslighting than usual for this genre and all of it put to good use. Author Sandie Jones offers readers a very fast book perfect for summer reading. Be careful if reading it outside; it is impossible to stop once begun and sunburn may result. I did not guess the ending and was duly surprised. This was a fun book to read. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview this ARC of The First Mistake by Sandie Jones.

Alice is happy in her fortune. She's got a thriving company which she shares with her handsome second husband. She's also has two daughters, a teenager from her first marriage, and a grade schooler from her second. But Alice has a secret pain, the mysterious loss of her first husband, Tom, who died in a skiing accident and was never found. Loving both her current husband and her lost one, Alice always feel torn about her loyalties, and guilty for not being able to love her current husband fully.

But perceptions shatter when her friend Beth confides in Alice about one of her lost loves. Was Tom really the man she thought he was? And how does this information effect her life now? Piece by piece Alice unravels the story of the men in her and Beth's lives.

I enjoyed this well enough, but about halfway into it, I had already figured it out. And the ending was F.L.A.T. so abrupt.

Loved this thriller and kept me turning the pages.. Loved the characters and how they intertwined in the book.

This book! Wow!! After reading (AND LOVING) Sandie Jones’ first novel The Other Woman, I knew I had to get my hands on this book ASAP! And I was NOT disappointed! Who doesn’t love a good thrill of a book that will have you gasping, guessing (and second guessing) and sitting on the edge of your seat!?

This book takes you on a wild ride that explores lies, betrayal, deception and secrets. I really liked Alice’s character. I felt sorry for her losing her first husband and reading about her loss and devastation after his death. Thankfully she was given a second chance at true love when she met Nathan. Their life is great together and they are happy with two children. Her best friend Beth has always been there for her. Suddenly, when Nathan and Beth meet for the first time things turn weird.. Nathan acts strangely and Alice cannot figure out what is going on. Is he hiding something? What could it be?

When things aren’t always as they seem, who can you turn to for the truth? Who can you believe?

A fabulous book that I devoured and loved right through to the very shocking end!

Alice lives a life that most women would envy – a charming (2nd) husband, Nathan; two loving daughters, Sophia and Olivia; and a promising career that is on the way up. That said, Alice still laments the death of her 1st husband, Tom, almost ten years ago. He walked out the door one day and never came back.

Like other women, Alice has her best friend, Beth, who helps her through good and bad, ups and downs of life, whom she always confides in her happiness, fear, success, frustration, secrets…
Then, one day, Alice is stunned to discover that Tom has a Facebook page that is dated as recent as present day. In addition to that, Nathan starts to act strangely as if he is tangled in a web of dark secrets and lies.

Alice begins to wonder if her trust being betrayed by both her past and present husbands all along. Is there a conspiracy to destroy her life? Alice has no one to turn to except for Beth… but then, is she the appropriate candidate to confide her fears and insecure to?

The first mistake is the beginning of Alice’s nightmare….

Sandie Jones did it again! She is the master of suspense with well-twisted plots! The First Mistake keeps you on the edge of your sit and guessing till the end! It is highly recommended as a have-to-read for fans of mystery and suspense!

Thank you NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Sandie Jones, for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC of The First Mistake. I truly enjoy it!

In this new book by author Sandie Jones we meet Alice whose first husband died in an accident and left her fearful of many things. Through her grief she met a new man who seemed to get her and made her feel safe. He helped her with her business and all seems to being going well for the couple. He's great with the children and life just seems to be prospering for the happy couple. Nathan has been a god send since the death of her first husband and Alice does her best to make there life a happy one. She turns to her best friend Beth when she needs someone to talk to and appreciates all that Beth has done for her. When Alice starts to notice little things that don't seem quite right or don't add up she calls Beth for advice. Alice thinks that Nathan might be cheating and isn't quite sure how to handle the situation. When she confronts him he blows it off and makes her feel like she is crazy for even having thought such a thing. When more strange things start to happen Alice begins to question who she can trust, even Beth. She wants to know what is going on and why. This was quite the interesting read, I would think that I had it all figured out just to be thrown a new curve ball. By the end I couldn't wait to see what was really going on and hoped that at least a few of my assumptions were correct. The author did a wonderful job of weaving a web of mystery and making you think this was going on when it was actually something totally different from what you thought. I can't wait to see what this author writes next!

Huge The Other Woman fan here. My fave thriller last year and let me tell you the anxiety runs high once again in this one. In the best possible way!

I know, I know… anxiety is NOT a good thing… but when I’m so immersed in a story that it alone gives me the feels like I need to pop a xanax or two…? The thriller. Has done. It’s job. Sandie Jones has managed to bring on the nervous ticks, the deep breaths, and the high-alert paranoia once again!

Alice is on husband #2 and after losing her first beloved - she finally feels like she is ready to be fully happy again. Business is great. Kids are fantastic. Beautiful house and husband… and then she meets Beth. And, well, she seems like the bestest friend one could ever want to tell all her secrets and complaints to. Until things start getting weird.

And the more weird it got, the more confused I got. I had no idea what the heck was going on at one point and I was pointing fingers at every damn character in the book. And as the best thrillers go… I pointed wrong every single time.

Definitely a page-turner! This book keeps you guessing right until the very end!
Alice is living a great life with her second husband. Although still very reflective on the life that she lost, she has moved on and is building a great new life. Alice is living happily until all the signs start to point to her husband having an affair. As she starts to unravel the truth and lies she soon realizes that the truth is far bigger than a simple affair.
Highly recommended for anyone!

*I received an advanced reader's copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

This book had a lot of unexpected twists and turns. I didn't know who to trust throughout, or who to root for. All signs of a great thriller. I'm looking forward to reading more of Jones' work in the future.

4 Stars

Be Careful WHO you place your trust in!

Alice is a happily married mother of two. Nathan really has been a life saver and she loves him desperately. Not as much as her first husband Tom, but still, enough. Their business is thriving and life is good.

Beth is Alice’s best friend. Beth has always struggled - ever since her boyfriend left her alone and pregnant.

Through thick and thin, Beth and Alice have always had each other. Who knew they would be tested with something like this?

What happens when it turns out you don’t really know the people you love the most? Trust is a slippery slope.

It’s the First Mistake you make that’s always the hardest.. just ask Alice.

What a fabulous suspenseful read “The First Mistake” by Sandie Jones was! Gripping my kindle for dear life I couldn’t swipe fast enough! Though I had my suspicions early on and was right (I love that!), I throughly enjoyed this wild read. If you haven’t gotten your hands on this one yet, I highly recommend you do.

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books and Sadie JOnes for an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Published on Goodreads, NetGalley an Amazon on 6.22.19.

I'm still recovering from that ending... Holy cow! To be completely honest, I felt the beginning of the book dragged on a bit, and I struggled to connect with any of the characters. I kept reading, and was soon immersed in the events, always predicting what might happen next. Ms. Jones has done it again, and quite possibly exceeding her debut novel! Well wriiten, well read... Highly recommend!

This was my first read by this author. I'm glad I had the opportunity to read this book. I found it to be a quick fun read. I enjoyed all the twist and plots. I can't wait to read more from this author. I recommend this to others.

I had been looking forward to reading The First Mistake since I received my advanced copy. I finally got around to it today and once I started reading it was a quick and fun book! I will say I thought I had the the story line all figured out early on but there were some twists and turns thrown at me I didn’t expect. I love that about a book. Pick this up for an enjoyable read this summer! Thanks to Minotaur Books for my copy.

After the death of her first husband Tom, Alice broke down mentally . But meeting Nathan helped her to begin healing. He embraced her daughter Sophia like his own, and assisted in running the company AT Designs that she and Tom had created.
They marry and have a daughter, Olivia, and the business is thriving.
Alice still suffers from anxiety and depression, she relies on her tablets and drinks too much. But she has her best friend Beth for support as well.
Then Nathan begins to act differently. He has some suspicious texts on his phone and disappears at odd times.
When she turns to her dear friend Beth for help, it seems that she is hiding something too.
Alice isn't sure who she can trust, or if she is letting her imagination get the best of her.
This one started a little slow, but once it got going I had to hang on for the wild ride! Talk about twists and turns, I thought I knew where this one was heading and I was completely wrong.
An entertaining summer read!
Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

“ The First Mistake” by Sandie Jones is my first read by this author. I won’t get into the plot of this book as all because I wish to remain vague in that aspect. This was an entertaining, fun read. I did feel that it was predictable at times. The characters themselves were great and enjoyable. Overall it was a fun mystery and you’ll have fun piecing all the pieces of the puzzle together. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars.

* I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

*4.5 stars

I was surprised how much I ended up liking this. At first, I was apprehensive because it seemed to be predictable. Happy to say, I was wrong. I've heard quite a few good things about Sandie Jones's first novel, The Other Woman, so I didn't hesitate to request this from Netgalley.

Alice seems to have the perfect life: great husband, wonderful job, and two amazing daughters. After her first husband's death, she never thought she would find happiness again. Just when things in life are going right, however, she finds items that make her question her stable life. She leans on her best friend, Beth, as she grapples with the unknown future. Part one, it seems like this story is going one way but, then, we get to Part two in the book. Part two: Now we hear Beth's story. This will throw you for a loop and where I really became involved. Now I didn't know who to trust or where the story was going to take me. By the end, I was pleasantly surprised. There were a few twists that kept me guessing. I was also a fan of that ending!! Very well done!

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Why wait for Reese Witherspoon’s stamp of approval? If you don’t snap up this jaw-dropping domestic thriller immediately, that would be your First Mistake.

Alice had the perfect marriage with Tom and their daughter, Sophie. They were starting an interior design company together. Then he died.

Now, Alice is married to Nathan. The company she owns is doing great. Nathan’s help with the finances is vital allowing Alice to focus solely on the designs.

Alice and Beth’s daughters attend the same school. Beth and Alice become best friends. Ten years earlier, Beth’s lover left her and their daughter for another woman so the two women bond over their shared losses of their daughters’ biological fathers.

As with the author’s first thriller, The Other Woman, First Mistake starts out slow. But once the dominoes of Alice’s life start falling, the surprises don’t stop until the startling conclusion. If you like domestic thrillers where nothing is as it seems, you must read this book. It has great characters and the best plot twists I’ve seen for a while. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars!

Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Alice and Tom were the dream couple. A successful business, a beautiful daughter - and then tragedy hits, as Tom suddenly dies. Alice is understandably devastated but pulls herself together for the sake of her daughter.

Years later, Alice meets and marries Nathan and has another child. Nathan, however, starts acting strange - causing Alice concern, which she later expresses to her best friend Beth, who is dealing with her own problems.

Twist after twist leaves Alice wondering who to trust.

The First Mistake is pretty standard women's thriller - which honestly should be it's own genre now. It's not the BEST example of this type of book, but it's good enough to become a beach read for the summer.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.