This twisted, thrilling book blew my mind! Perfect weekend read for psychological thriller junkies.

This is my first book by Sarah Alderson, but from what I can see she is a very prolific author. Great, because I will definitely check out her other books. The Weekend Away was such a delicious treat that helped me completely lose myself in a book and forget all about my problems.

The main characters in this novel, Orla and Kate, travel together every year no matter what. That's why they stay best friends after all these years, no matter what life throws at them. This year is no different as the friends go to Lisbon. But after one shady night, Orla wakes up with only some scraps of memory of what happened the night before, Kate has vanished. Orla needs to do everything to remember what happened the night before, which is especially hard because there are some things she would rather not know...

My favorite thing about this novel is that it is so misleading. Hear me out: the narrative picks up on so many blind alleys and misleading clues that as a reader, I didn't know what was true and what wasn't. I absolutely loved that - I mean, hwy read a thriller when everything is obvious and clear? And in addition to it being a wild ride, I liked the personal side story of the friends - their feelings, problems, insecurities. It felt realistic and captivating.

Highly recommend for a weekend getaway in your house - or anywhere!

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Surviving the Weekend

The premise caught my attention immediately. A missing friend while on vacation sounds like a good mystery! But the twists and turns is what made it an excellent mystery & thriller. There were a couple twists that I didn’t even see coming. The author makes it clear from the beginning that you can’t trust anyone...

What feels like a slow start in the beginning, ends up being great background information. Keep your eyes peeled! Orla was an interesting narrator to the story and does what anyone would do if their friend ends up missing on a trip. I enjoyed her character evolution, although she may be too trusting at times. All in all, it was a great read!

1 star deducted due to the main character being an unfortunate combination of obtuse and naive that made her really frustrating to read after awhile. 4 stars awarded for general readability and the lack of glaring plot holes.

Orla must be the unluckiest person in the world of psychological thrillers. In the space of two days her world falls apart on a girls getaway weekend in Lisbon. Orla, a comfy clothes and sensible shoes kinda woman and her best friend, Kate, over the top red carpet ready at all times, go out for dinner and drinks the first night and Kate disappears. With as many twists and turns as the Lisbon streets, Orla needs to find Kate and unravel what happened. Instead, she unravels her life and that of everyone around them. Loved Friends Like These and this was a great read too. I just had to keep going as I couldn’t wait to discover who was responsible in this enjoyable cast of characters.

Wow what a book!! Loved every second of it. Such twits and turns you never know what is going to happen next. Definitely one to pick up and enjoy.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this title. I enjoyed the premise of this book, but the execution fell short for me. The plot of two women going away on a weekend vacation, but only one coming back is interesting. But the obvious signs of what was going to happen were too much. Plus, there were way too many characters involved in a once simple plot. I truly wanted to like this book but only finished it to find out what would happen to everyone in the end.

The Weekend Away keeps the reader.s interest! The twists and turns throughout the book keep the reader engaged. Each character is very well developed and portrayed in an accurate way. Well worth the read!

In this mystery with several twists, new mom Orla searches for her friend Kate, who has gone missing during a vacation weekend in LIsbon. Their friendship has been strained, and despite the hard partying that marked the pair's younger days, Orla is taken aback on their first evening out when Kate snorts cocaine and has a one-night stand--encouraging Orla to do the same. The consequences are dire, and Orla encounters several nasty surprises in her scramble to find Kate. Although neither character is sympathetic--Kate is at best a very bad friend, and Orla's willingness to risk her own safety for Kate's sake makes little sense-- this is certainly an entertaining beach read with nice twisty plot twists.