This was my first time reading anything from this author and when I saw the blurb I thought it sounded like the perfect escape for the day. As the blurb states, two longtime friends are on a weekend away to Lisbon. Kate is going through a divorce and Orla is a new mother, leaving her baby at home with her husband Rob for the first time. I will say that a great deal of the beginning dragged as Orla whined about leaking breasts and not having the same hot body as Kate. But soon the big annoying elephant in the room wasn’t just about Orla but about both of them. I truly feel that this friendship had run its course years ago because these women had absolutely nothing in common except for a shared history of drinking, clubbing, and hooking up with people. Oh and there was also their annual trip, although this is the first trip they’ve taken in 3 or 4 years.

After their first night in Lisbon where Kate chose to party like a rock star and Orla was just wanting to go to bed, Orla wakes up to find Kate gone. Not only is Kate gone, Orla has an epic hangover, she’s struggling to remember the events from the previous night, and has no idea how to piece everything together with the mess she finds in their apartment. Of course the police won’t help for 24 hours, thus bringing us to the beginning of Orla’s own investigation with the help of their Uber driver, Konstandin.

This book was written from Orla’s point of view and it doesn’t take long to realize how unreliable a narrator is. I didn’t completely dislike Orla, but I wasn’t a huge fan either. However, none of the characters are really likable, except Konstandin. Everyone else was self-absorbed, sketchy, and dishonest. And I mean everyone.

Although this novel was long, parts of it absolutely flew by and at times, it was quite a page-turner. I remained interested in the outcome the entire time, but couldn’t help but think that things were dragging quite a few times. For a while, I just knew that I had this one all figured out regarding “whodunit” but I was pleasantly surprised towards the end when the author threw in another player and another detail discounting all of my theories and predictions. Nothing makes me happier than an ending (or almost ending) that is completely unlike what I was thinking, so bravo for that! But then came the actual, final ending that I am assuming is meant to open up the possibility for a second book. I not so gracefully closed down my iPad, tossed into onto the nightstand, and was completely annoyed and frustrated. Don’t worry this isn’t a cliffhanger in that sense, I guess just a little tease about what could be. And I wasn’t a fan.

Nevertheless, this is a good suspense thriller that I think many readers will enjoy. There were some frustrating moments and some things that just didn’t work for me, but if you’re looking for a suspenseful mystery/thriller with plenty of twists and turns, then I think this is one you will enjoy!

*Thanks to NetGalley and Avon UK for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Orla spends her vacation time looking for her friend Kate who disappears in Lisbon during their weekend away. I was completely hooked by the mystery and I finished in one seating. It's a good book, full of twists that you don't see coming, and even if the ending wasn't was I was looking for, it's worth it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this fun and gripping tale of a girls weekend away that goes terribly wrong. With drug taking, male prostitutes, helpful members of the albanian mafia plus infidelity and drug taking, this is a brilliantly entertaining beach read, although the end will give you a bit of a fright!

A girls’ weekend is exactly what new mom Orla and soon-to-be divorcee Kate need. Their annual getaway will give the best friends a chance to reconnect and put the stresses of every day life behind them for a few days. But a few days of fun and sun in Lisbon quickly turns in to a nightmare when Kate goes missing. Finding her friend becomes a frantic mission for Orla; it’s a mission that will uncover secrets and change her life forever.

It took a few chapters for this book to hook me. Pacing is key in this type of thriller, but the slow start gave way to an otherwise well paced story. There were a few scenes throughout that I thought could have been expanded on and some plot threads that could have been explored a bit more. There were also several moments where an inconsistency in Orla’s narrative seemed to jump off the page. That being said, the book kept me reading and once I was hooked I was reluctant to put it down.

Unfortunately, good pacing wasn’t enough to make this a stand out book for me. In a genre full of similar titles, a book needs to be exceptional or bring something entirely different to the table to make it stand out and be more than enjoyable but forgettable reads. Readers familiar with the genre will likely guess some of the plot twists in advance, but playing amateur detective alongside Orla will certainly appeal to some.

This was an easy to read thriller that kept my attention all the way through! Lots of twists and surprises I didn't see coming. Very good, would recommend....interesting ending

Best friends Orla and Kate are going to Lisbon for a weekend getaway, something they have done for the last 20 years. Kate; the ultimate party girl wants a wild weekend while Orla, a new Mum, wants a nice relaxing weekend.
When Orla wakes up on Saturday, she discovers Kate is missing and spends her time searching for her friend. But, along the way, she discovers that maybe she didn't know Kate at all...

I struggled to get into this one. It was a pretty slow start and didn't feel like something I would usually read. However, I stuck with it. And while I didn't massively enjoy it, I didn't hate it. I found it a little too on the light side for me, and it isn't something I tend to enjoy. It was definitely redeemed by the ending though.
While it was a miss for me, I'm sure many others will find it a hit.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this.

4 🌟 Two friends go away for a weekend - only one comes back. Best friends Orla and Kate go to Lisbon for a girly weekend but after their first night out Orla wakes up to find Kate missing. This was a great read. I loved that it’s set in Lisbon so reminded me of a lovely holiday there with my hubby a few years ago ❤️ it’s well written, engaging, past paced and you won’t want to stop reading til you find out whats happened!due for release in July. Thanks netgalley and Sarah Alderson for the preview

Kate and Orla always take a vacation together each year to catch each other up and be together. Orla is a new mom and Kate is getting divorced. One night they went out and when Orla got up Kate was gone. Orla can't remember anything. She doesn't know if Kate left on her own or if something else happened that night.


Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the advance ecopy.

I was new to reading from the author Sarah Alderson, but the book cover and title had me reading the synopsis, which turned out to be exactly what I was looking for!.

So at first I found the storyline very hard to get into, I found that for what looked like an easy going summer read, there were a lot of big words being used that just had no place in the book, an example of this was 'Laudable
I was thinking by this point what? And just why?!
But never one to be put off by
"sesquipedalian" (yes I googled a big word myself to describe the start of this book!).... I carried on, and I'm really glad I did because as the storyline progressed and I got to know the characters the use of big words faded and it became the storyline I was expecting.
Towards the end it kind of felt rushed all of a sudden and came to a close, this in hand led to another 2 chapters where the story ended where I kind of guessed it was going to go.

Not bad for my first experience of this author and I would definitely go on to read another book by Sarah Alderson. That being said I will have my dictionary open beside me if I do!!

Thank you for the advanced copy from Avon & Netgalley. I did enjoy this book and would give it a strong 4 stars ****

I really enjoyed this book. There were twists and turns in every chapter that had me guessing until the very end. Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book.

First of, the ending!!! Why😭 safe to say it left me wanting more! It had me imagining different scenarios throughout the whole book including the ending! Safe to say it didn't end how I thought it would! It kept my attention the whole time! Fantastic read! An author who's books I will pick up and read again!

It took me a little while to get into (probably because of the situation in the world rather than the book!), but I am so glad I did.
Well written thriller about a friend who goes missing on holiday. The fear seeped through the words and made me feel uneasy. Great book. Great twists. And a great distraction from real life.
Thank you to Sarah Alderson and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review.

Absolutely loved this book! The way it was written, the plot, the anticipation. It kept me glued to the book and I could not put it down. I had no idea what was going to happen till the final page and it left me god smacked.

I will definitely be looking at reading other books by this author as I loved it.

Thank-you very much for letting me read this book. 5***** from me.

Firstly a big thank you to Avon for accepting my request to read on netgalley. This is a new author for me and she didnt dissapoint .

This is a brilliant read and one that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Completely unpredictable and exciting. The story keeps unravelling one chapter at a time with secrets galore.

What starts as a ideal dream getaway quickly becomes a nightmare with Orla just wanting to go home.

I will definitely be checking out her other books .

Published 23rd July

Solid read right here! Kept me engaged from start to finish, always on the lookout for who was responsible for Kate's disappearance. I trusted no one, and had maybe 1000 different guesses as to who the culprit was. Well-written, suspenseful, and filled with more twists and turns than ever! I look forward to reading more titles by this author, bravo!!

Absolutely loved the book! Hated the ending! I had absolutely no idea that it was going and with basically to be continued! I hate having to wait for a part 2 or 3, etc . That being said, I can't wait for the next book!!!

A great book! I read this in 2 nights while in lockdown and thoroughly enjoyed it. The characters are complex and interesting and it’s full of twists and turns. I’d definitely recommend it

I really enjoyed Sarah Alderson’s writing in The Weekend Away. The dynamic of the two friends was mysterious and suspicious even though they have been best friends for 20 years.
I don’t want to give away spoilers but I will say that I did not like the open ending. I like my books to end with a neat and tidy bow and this one ended with me saying, “Wait, WHAT?” at the very end. I felt like there were some early hints that could have been explored more but were never mentioned again. I would like to check out some of her other work simply because I did enjoy the way she writes. Perhaps this one just wasn’t for me.
Thanks so much to Avon UK and NetGalley for allowing me the privilege of reading an ARC of this book.

So many twists and turns that it was hard to put this one down. I hate being left hanging at the end though, I like everything wrapped up at the end. Such a great read!

The Weekend Away by Sarah Alderson hooked me from the very first page. This one is compulsively readable, and I recommend it to anyone in need of a virtual escape.

Orla and Kate are best friends on a girls weekend in Lisbon. Orla has, somewhat reluctantly, left her husband and infant daughter at home, while party girl Kate is in the mood for fun as she is in the process of divorcing her husband. It immediately becomes apparent that the two women have very different expectations for their time away. After a night out, the pair return to their accommodation with two local men, and when Orla awakens the next morning with only a hazy memory of the previous hours, she is shocked to discover that Kate is missing. So begins a frantic search of a foreign city for a friend who has vanished, seemingly without a trace.

This one ticks all of the boxes for me. Ms Alderson deftly weaves a mystery that will have you racing to the finish line in a desperate bid to discover what has transpired. Recommended.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the opportunity to read this ARC.