3 Stars

Sarah Alderson has an easy to read style that I found engaging. I liked the linear, single POV story, told start to finish by Orla, that kept the pace moving along nicely. The setting was interesting and I liked Orla, the protagonist, and rooted for her, even though the plot points were predictable. We've seen them all before. BUT...(spoiler alert!) I was NOT HAPPY with the cliffhanger ending. After spending hours reading this book I didn't appreciate the sleight of hand final chapter that wasn't final at all. I would have rated this book higher if the ending hadn't been a trick.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for providing an ARC to read and review.

It's not very often that I only give a one star rating to a book and I really, really wanted to give this one more. I wanted to like it, but quite honestly, it was an absolute struggle to get through it. I read a lot of psychological thrillers, so it wasn't very hard very early on to figure out where the story was going and what was going to happen. To me, figuring out the characters' motives was not very difficult at all. I recognize that the author put in enough twists to make it a thriller, but I think most of those twists were pretty easy to figure out.

By the time I got to chapter 6, I was asking myself if I was going to be able to continue. I begin skimming constantly and I still got the gist of the story. By chapter 13 or 14, I really thought I was going to just quit reading, but I since I had received a free copy from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion, I really felt obligated to continue. By then, I was literally MAYBE only reading the first and last sentence of each paragraph. It wasn't even until around chapter 21 that the book got interesting. The first 21 chapters could have been completed in about 50 pages. At any rate, there was just so much extraneous stuff that didn't need to be in the book mainly because if the reader has half a brain, one can intuit or read between the lines.

It's rare that I read a book that is such a struggle to finish. I think the story has been told before. There are no surprises. Characters and their motivations are easily figured out. There's no mystery. I'm sorry. Just trying to be honest and after all, it's just one person's opinion. I see a lot of people really liked it. I didn't and if you read a lot of psychological thrillers, you might consider giving this one a pass as you will be bored stiff.

As always, though, thanks to NetGalley for letting me read it in exchange for my honest opinion.

What’s not to love about a girl’s weekend away with tons of carefree fun, kicking up their heels and having a rip-roaring good time? Orla and Kate have been lifelong friends for what seems like forever, especially as they’re approaching 40 but perhaps Orla is amore sensitive to the upcoming milestone With a husband and nine month old baby daughter she’s feeling (and looking, truth be told) a little matronly. Oh . My. Gawd. Kate, on the other hand, is as glitzy glamorous as ever and she’s anticipating this weekend away at a near frenetic pace. Kate is always up for a good time but Orla is sensing a feeling of desperation from her friend but later decides she’s let her imagination have too much free rein and dials it back a notch. But when Kate picks up two model-worthy hunks and the foursome heads back to their apartment, Orla is feeling out of place - being married and with a baby and all. Next thing she knows, her head is spinning, her speech is slurred and she’s driving the porcelain bus while her “escort” holds her hair back. Embarrassed seems inadequate even if she did just meet him. Could she be more embarrassed? Waking up the next day in an otherwise empty apartment, it takes a while to realize Kate’s gone but she’s left behind all her clothes and other belongings. And Orla who doesn’t speak Portuguese, begins a frantic search for her friend in Lisbon. Kate may be a tad irresponsible but she’d never just abandon her friend. Would she?
In her quest, Orla is befriended by Konstandin, an Uber driver from Kosovo, who serves as chauffeur, guide, translator and all ‘round source of information. He seems like one of the good guys but Orla is beginning to doubt her own judgment.

The Lisbon police are portrayed as a stereotype of the Keystone Kops - corrupt, buffoonish and generally inept and when Kate’s body is recovered from the river the autopsy shows a blunt force head injury prior to drowning. Kate was murdered and Orla is afraid the police will settle on her as their most likely suspect since she discovered Kate was having an affair with Rob, Orla’s husband. Motive enough wouldn’t you say?

In “The Weekend Away” author Sarah Alderson has woven an intricate tale of suspense with relatable characters and a plot packed with enough twists and turns to make your head spin. It’s a gripping tale guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat and Alderson’s writing is clean and crisp with nary a wasted word anywhere. Four stars.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.. My thanks to Net Galley for the privilege of reviewing “The Weekend Away”.

#TheWeekendAway #NetGalley

Orla and her best friend are off on a weekend holiday to Portugal. Orla is tired but her friend insists that they go out to a late dinner and then to a bar, where they meet up with 2 guys who her friend invites back to their apartment. Orla is so tired and drunk that she passes out. When she finally awakens she finds her friend missing...

The Weekend Away by Sarah Alderson uses the girl's weekend away as the setting for a disappearance. The familiar trope of errant husband and best friend figures into this mystery and feels all too predictable. It took a while for this story to get off the ground, and for me, I couldn't get past the infidelity aspect. Didn't finish the book.

I figured out the culprit early on and spent the rest of the book reading to prove I was right. I enjoyed the interaction with the shadowy yet helpful Uber driver and the backstory explaining why he was hanging around. Technology played a nice role in developing the story. It was fast paced and entertaining.

Special thanks to Sarah Alderson and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Orla and Kate are best friends-- they have been for twenty years. Their relationship has recently been put on pause, mainly because Orla has been going through multiple rounds of IVF and is now a new mom, going through all the new-mom parts of life, while Kate is still her fun, party-loving self.
Orla and Kate plan a weekend girl’s getaway in Lisbon, Orla’s first time away from her new baby and a chance to relax… or so she thinks.

After a night of partying, Orla wakes up from a blackout and has no idea what has happened. Kate is gone, as is her handbag and her phone. Where on earth has Kate gone?

The Weekend Away was suspenseful, thrilling, and captivating. The writing is set in first-person narration of Orla; we hear and feel her panic and trains of thought throughout the novel. Orla’s anxiety about her missing friend becomes the reader’s anxiety. Each twist and turn of this book left me wide eyed and jaw dropped. As someone who reads many psychological thriller novels, not much surprises me anymore. I can honestly say that throughout this book, I could not figure things out. Alderson’s novel is a true thriller that leaves the reader wanting more.

I will say that the ending of the book did not provide me with much closure, and I think a sequel would be amazing!

I'd like to thank the author, publisher and net galley for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for my review.

This was a great book, I enjoyed the story and was kept entertained. There were a few false leads and that kept me guessing, and the ending didn't disappoint!

This is a terrific book that kept me guessing throughout. Orla is married to Rob, and she is a new mother. She is going away for a weekend to Lisbon with her best friend, Kate. This is her first time away from her baby daughter. This is a very compelling story and I didn’t want to put it down.

I received a copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I loved the locales of this novel that made foreign settings come alive. The characters were rich and the twists were captivating. I can’t wait to read more from Alderson!

I really enjoyed this book. I thought I knew who murdered Kate several different times and was wrong.. It was so well written and kept me enthralled from beginning to fade end. Highly recommend.

Lots of twists and turns as you follow the relationship of two close friends on their weekend getaway. I was gripped to the story and could not guess what had happened to one of the missing characters.

I really wanted to love this book but it just fell short,
The ending irritates me way too much, I would’ve given 3 stars, but I feel I gotta give it a 2.5.

The writing is well done, and the story flows well. You really do hate her friend. All the cheating and backstabbing is unreal. Rob needed more backstory though. I do enjoy orlas character. And Kate was pretty evil as a friend, not saying she needed to die...but she had bad stuff coming to her I mean come on drugging a friend...
The beginning started off a bit too slow, but once orla was on her mission I feel I couldn’t stop reading. It’s really a great beach weekend read and the April publishing date is perfect for that.

But that ending ! I don’t know, where is it going ? Are they implying a second book? Not sure what a second book would entail anyways. I think I wouldn’t liked the ending better knowing she was gonna do something with her knowledge, inform the police something rather than him kidnapping her daughter it seemed.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Orla and Kate spend a girls weekend in Lisbon. When they arrive they go out for dinner and then to a bar. The next morning Orla can't find Kate. She has no recollection of what transpired last night. She thinks that she was drugged. This book kept me guessing until the last page.

What began as a fun get-away for Orla and Kate - Orla is married to Rob and they have a baby. However, Kate has other ideas - particularly with a credit card in her ex-husband's name. After an expensive dinner, Orla finds out her ex had been notified of the card being used with unusual purchases.

Against Orla's wishes, Kate drags her to a night club where they meet two handsome men...

What ever could go wrong with this scenario?

A fast-paced winner that does not let the reader down!

Many Thanks to Harper 360/HarperCollins, Publishers and NetGalley for a fine read!

I loved this book! It was well written, kept me guessing, and the ending was perfect. It certainly had me hooked.
Two best friends, Orla and Kate, are having a weekend getaway. It’s been years since they’ve been able to since IVF and a baby has kept Orla busy. Their first evening there quickly becomes a nightmare for Orla. She wakes up in the morning with little recollection of what happened the night before and Kate is nowhere to be found.
This book will have you staying up all night. The twists were great and I can’t wait to read more books by Sarah Alderson!

An incredibly well crafted thriller! This novel was very well written, the characters were complex and well developed, and the author pulled off some truly fantastic misdirection. I also really liked the choice of setting- Lisbon added an interesting atmosphere ambiance to the story.

I'm a big fan of psychological thrillers, and this one didn't really do it for me. I found the book meh, not too memorable, I wish I loved it, but in all honesty I wouldn't read it again. I would definitely use this as a quick read, when you want to fill the time and reach your reading goal.

Thank you to NetGally for an ARC of this book.

This book had me hook, line and sinker.
It had a fun, campy feel to it. It was full of mystery and intrigue. It had unique characters that I enjoyed getting to know. It had an incredibly beautiful and well portrayed backdrop in Lisbon. Plus, there were plenty of nice twists along the way. Everything was great...And the ending happened.

This book has Fourty-Two Chapters. If it had ended with Chapter Fourty-One, it would've been perfect. Alas, it had one more completely irrelevant chapter that ruined the whole thing for me.
This chapter included a twist that was ludicrous and ending on a cliffhanger. I mean really?! Is there going to be a sequel? It set itself up for one, but who would read it? It reminded me a lot of Shari Lapena's non-endings. If you like her work, you may like this. It's just not my kind of ending unfortunately.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Don't read this until you have time to read it all. I was sucked in right from the beginning.

A girls weekend away with your bestie. What could go wrong? The answer is a LOT. I read a lot of mysteries and thrillers and often know where the plot is going. Well, in this case I only thought I did. I can't count how many times I said "wait, what???"

The suspense builds, and builds, and then wham - it goes in an entirely different direction. Then it builds again - and wham! I loved the ride! I was sucked in the whole way and stayed up way past my bedtime, saying the infamous "just one more chapter".

I want to thank the author, the publisher and #netgalley for the advance copy. This did not impact my review. In fact, I think this might be my next bookclub pick once this is published.