Best friends forever Orla and Kate leave London for a long weekend away to Lisbon. Orla thinks it will just be a relaxing getaway leaving her baby daughter and husband at home. But, the first night there, Kate insists they go to a bar, and then bring two men back to their Airbnb. Orla wakes up the next morning thinking she must have been drugged as she can't remember much, and Kate is no where to be found. While trying to piece together what happened and convince the police Kate is missing, Orla finds out some devastating information about her best friend, and her own marriage.

Review of eBook

Best friends Orla and Kate Hayes have planned a weekend away, something they used to do annually when they were younger. This time Kate has made all the plans for their weekend in Lisbon; she and Orla take a short flight from London and settle into their rented apartment, complete with a balcony, a hot tub, and a view.

New mother Orla, torn between leaving nine-month-old baby Marlow and having some time to herself, finds that the plans Kate has made for the weekend . . . dinner and clubbing and drinking . . . are reminiscent of their twenty-something adventures; now forty-year-old Orla is more interested in sleeping. But she goes along, albeit a bit reluctantly, and is dismayed when Kate picks up two men and brings them back to the apartment.

The next morning, Orla struggles with a throbbing headache and no memory of what happened the night before. She considers the possibility that someone drugged her and wonders what happened in the hours she cannot remember.

Then she discovers that Kate is missing . . . and the real nightmare begins.

This interesting mystery, filled with mostly unlikeable characters, has plenty of twists and turns but the narrative has a rather creepy quality that is somewhat off-putting. Additionally, readers are likely to roll their eyes over the plethora of unwise decisions that Orla makes; she gives new meaning to a character being naïve. But, to her credit, she soldiers on, piecing together the bits and fragments of information gleaned from dilemma after dilemma after dilemma until the truth finally reveals itself. With the narrative unfolding from Orla’s perspective, the reader discovers these unexpected bits of information and startling revelations at the same time as the character.

Unfortunately, with twist after twist after twist, the story spirals into implausibility: every character holds too many secrets and Orla is far too quick to question her own understanding and her own sanity. Astute readers will easily predict most of the outcomes of the secret revelations and the many twists and turns along the way.

Despite the surprising . . . and unexpected . . . twist as the story reaches its denouement, readers are likely to be frustrated with the abrupt ending that leaves something important up in the air. A deliberate cliffhanger, perhaps, although with all the questions about Kate’s disappearance answered, this seems like an unlikely story to lead into a second book. And, although it has no particular bearing on the story, it’s extremely annoying that, throughout this entire narrative, Orla and Rob have no last name.

I received a free copy of this eBook from Harper 360/Avon and NetGalley
#TheWeekendAway #NetGalley

The blurb doesn't do this one justice - it was way better than I expected! Lots of red herrings and plot twists, but just enough drama to keep you engaged without going over the top. The ending was 🙃

I’m pretty picky about books in this genre. I don’t mind stories that are similar to others as long as they have something somewhat new of unique to add. Sadly, this didn’t.

I figured out the story pretty early on, but kept reading in case of a potential twist. It never came.

It was okay, but not spectacular.

A weekend away was a solid read. The author did a great job with the twists and misdirections for most of the book, but the ending was predictable. I was a little disappointed because I truly enjoyed this.

I really like psychological thrillers. However, I have read so many of them, that often they get a little predictable. That is not always a bad thing. This book wasn't as quick-paced as I'd like, but knowing the genre, I knew what was to come. Two friends go away for a girl's weekend and one of them disappears not even halfway through the weekend. Will she be found? What do you think? There were plenty of suspects introduced and I do have to say that I killer was not who I thought it would be. So I guess that is a sign of a well written book?

This was a pretty standard thriller, nothing really jumped out at me. But overall a pretty steady read. Solid three stars.

While it didn't bring anything new to the table, it was very well written, the characters were beautifully fleshed out, the misdirection was well done, and the Lisbon setting added a nice ambiance to the story.

Narrated entirely by Orla, a wife and mother who reluctantly left her family for a weekend getaway with her long-time best friend, Kate...I believe Sarah Alderson nailed the voice of the brand new mom who wanted nothing more than to get back to her baby, as the world in Lisbon crashed down around her.

All the little twists and turns kept me reading through the night to see where they led, and I didn't shut off my Kindle until I finished the novel at 4:45 AM. Admittedly, the conclusion was a bit mundane and predictable, though I will say, I didn't get it all right.

And while the cover of the book is beautiful, it really has very little relation to the story.

Overall, this is a decent little thriller and a perfect beach read. 3.5 stars, which I opted to round up because I was so compelled to keep reading.

Thanks to Netgalley, Sarah Alderson, and Harper 360 Avon for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Orla and Kate are going away for a girls weekend to remember. Kate goes missing on their first night and Orla has to put together the missing pieces of that night to find out what happened to her best friend.

I gave this read four stars simply because I found some of it predictable towards the end, but the beginning and middle was full of wonderful twists and turns.

I wanted to start out 2021 with a really great book, but unfortunately what I got was a really good filling with old, moldy bread to hold it together.

This book starts out with two best friends, Orla and Kate, who get together for a girls' weekend. They haven't seen each other in awhile and they're both excited to spend the time together.

Or are they?

Kate's the friend you had back in school who was so full of adventures, sometimes getting you both into trouble, but she gave you some good stories to tell. Except as an adult she's ridiculous - all glitz and no substance. I hated her. And I hated Orla for being friends with her. At first I also hated Orla for being the mousy friend to follow after Kate, but eventually I did come to like her.

Which made the middle so good! Once things get rolling and Kate disappears, the mystery is good and kept me racing along to find out what happened. That ALMOST got this book a B grade.

Except the very end. Which just made me made. It left everything on a small cliff-hanger and honestly? That annoyed me.

C it is. Average.

It could have been better. But, I guess, it could  have been worse.

This was better than I thought it was going to be and was thankfully NOT predictable. When you think you have this girls trip vacay figured out, there is O-M-G twist making you go "WTF." The synopsis and cover made me want to request this and I am so glad I gave this a chance and was given an ARC. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Thanks to Netgalley, Sarah Alderson, and Harper 360 Avon for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 4/13/21

This book is fully movie material! The plot is suspenseful and keeps you engaged. The character development is good but the characters are not likeable. It’s It’s like reading a list of “what not to do”. What I mean is that it’s full of bad decisions and there is no believable explanation as to how somebody could make so many bad decisions one after the other, that to me was a bit of a turn off. There are many twists and turns in the book and some of them are pretty predictable but overall this was a good read, finished it rather quickly. The ending was a good surprise. Overall worth reading for sure

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
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Orla and Kate have been best friends forever. Kate is going through a divorce and asks Orla to go on a girls trip to Lisbon with her.
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When they are there, Kate pressures Orla to go out for a night of partying. Orla ends up extremely inebriated and passes out. When she wakes up there is no sign of Kate anywhere. She goes to the police, who don’t seem to care at all.

Orla knows something bad has happened to Kate. It’s up to her to find her friend in this foreign land.
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This is an intriguing, engaging, suspenseful mystery that will keep you guessing. Following one thread after another, trying to figure out where it will lead.
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I’m glad my book bestie @books.cats.travel.food made me read it. I loved it! ❤️

This book is told from the point of view of Orla as her and Kate, her best friend decide to spend a weekend in Lisbon. This is the first time Orla will be away from her infant daughter, but she is trying to recapture the friendship she had before with Kate. Kate is going through a tough divorce, so it should be the perfect getaway for both of them. After a night of drinking and clubbing, way out of Orla's comfort zone, she wakes up the next morning to her dismay to find that Kate is gone. With Orla’s recollection of the night before pretty hazy, she has to retrace their steps to try and put the pieces together in a city where she knows no one and has no idea who she can trust. What happen that night and where is Kate? Orla finds out there is more going on with her best friend than she ever imagined.

Great twists and turns and with well developed characters and their tangled lives. The atmosphere and descriptions of the many sides of Lisbon added another interesting element to the story. Quick, thrilling read that had an ending I did not see coming. Thank you NetGalley and Harper 360 for the ARC.

Thank you, Netgalley and Harper Collins 360 for the read!

What starts as a well deserved, relaxing vacation for Orla in Lisbon quickly turns into a nightmare when her best friend Kate disappears. Orla has to fight through unhelpful police and contradictory clues to find Kate. This is a crime thriller and it is thrilling. Sarah Alderson makes you feel all of the emotions Orla goes through. She does seem to make a lot of bad decisions but I think it's somewhat realistic. Besides, arguing in your head with the characters can be fun. She is a regular person that a lot of people can relate to as she tries her best throughout. Konstadin is also great!

This book started off good and got even better. There are many changes in direction of where you think it's headed. The Weekend Away actually had my heart beating faster! It was an excellent read.

Two friends go on vacation, but only one comes back.The Weekend Away is standard psychological thriller fare that focuses on the tried and tested question of how well you can ever know those closest to you. Trying to figure out the mystery kept me interested and wanting to get to the end. Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A suspenseful and fast paced psychological thriller about a girls getaway weekend the goes amiss.

What starts out as an exciting chance to get together for friends Orla and Kate quickly morph into the unexpected.... with someone disappearing! The storyline has plenty of twists and turns to keep you trying to piece together the unknown.

The characters were likable and the plot intriguing. While I enjoyed the the majority of the story.... I was a bit disappointed in the way the author ended the book so abruptly.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review. #netgalley

Alderson, a writer in the SWAT series, knocked it out of the park with her first mystery novel.

New mother, Orla, and her best friend from college, Kate, venture to Lisbon from London for a weekend away. What could go wrong? Well in a word: Everything. Only one friend returns home from the trip that changes everything.

That last quarter of the book will have you on the literal edge of your seat as you brace yourself and try to keep up with each new piece of thread as pulled from this giant enigmatic yarn ball of a story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read and review this 5 ⭐️ book.

Pretty good read. It felt a little slow but I do sometimes like a good slow build like this. It was enough to keep me intrigued the whole read. I really loved how I got to know the characters as well. I love to end a book and feel like i know the characters personally.

Thanks to NetGalley for The Weekend Away. The book is a quick read and I wanted to like it more than I did. The story felt, at times, predictable, contrived, and, ultimately, lacking in suspense. While there were a few good twists, the melodramatic tone detracted from the suspense for me. Having said that, I wondered how I would be talking/reacting put in her situation. To be on holiday in a foreign country with my best friend missing and having no memory of the events leading up to that would certainly be scary. Add a creepy landlord to the mix and it certainly makes for an un-nerving experience. It should have kept me more on the edge of my seat.

Very rarely do I like a book in which I did not like the characters - but this is one of them. I could not connect with any of the characters, but the story was written in such a way that kept me interested and engaged the whole time!