Having read a previous book, I was excited to read Sandie Jones’ "The Blame Game," a psychological thriller about a therapist specializing in domestic abuse. This is a quick read with a twisty resolution that mesmerized me. Nonetheless, this novel did present some issues. First, I have difficulty accepting a protagonist that crosses so many ethical lines that any sympathy I might have had was completely squandered. Second, some characters never made it out of the cardboard box, including the husband and the police who seemed totally persuaded of one interpretation and then…not. The sister barely got on stage. While I agree with other reviewers that the therapist plotline has been done again and again and again, this had possibilities that were not fully realized. Despite all this, Sandie Jones is an imaginative writer with lots of promise. I will look forward to her future work. Thanks so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, for the opportunity to read a digital ARC.

I really enjoyed this book! I’m a sucker for an unreliable narrator and this was just that! A psychiatrist with sketchy patients and a not so trustworthy husband. This thriller had so many twists and turns and left me guessing until the very end. I think I suspected every single character at one point or another. I did guess one of the bigger twists pretty early on but that didn’t make this one any less thrilling! I highly recommend this one if you’re looking for a quick, fast-paced thriller.

There were parts of this book that really bothered me, mainly with the protagonist’s personality, but I enjoyed all the twists and thrills so much that I’m still giving this one 4 stars. This book definitely kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time.

Thank you NetGalley for the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This was just eh for me.

Here’s what I loved
-the twist at the end was insane and I never saw it coming
-it was such a layered story there was so many possibilities of how it could end, I was really excited to get to the end
-although it does have a common premise of therapist / client relationship it was

Here’s what I didn’t love
- the husband was such a loser like every scene he was in was the worst. He had no spine and truly never stood by his wife like huh??
- the sister had such an interesting backstory but none of it got fleshed out. I wish she had more to do with the main story than just the side parts.
- overall, the therapist storyline is just toooo over done for me.


Sadly, I may suggest sitting this one out. Unless you have a love for therapist based thrillers, this one isn’t worth the money.

Naomi is an intelligent woman but golly does she make some bad choices. She's a psychologist who specializes in domestic abuse, a topic that lurks in her own background. She listens, to be sure, but she also doesn't think. Jacob needs a place to hide from his abusive wife so she offers him her vacation cottage, against the wishes of her husband Leo. Oh, and then she offers Anna shelter in her home. I gotta say- Leo might be kind of a jerk but he's right about keeping boundaries. Things amp up when Jacob goes missing, as do her records. No spoilers from me. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This has enough twists to keep you reading (and a good epilogue).

Mmm Sandie Jones one of my favorites. This was a book about a tale as old as time. We all play the blame game. This story put a nice spin on it. I loved the character development and the hit of whodunnit.

Sandie Jones... You incredibly talented author, you! I LOVED The Blame Game more than the others you've written, which I didn't think could be topped!

Naomi is a psychologist who specializes in domestic abuse. She goes above and beyond for her clients, offering them sanctuary from their own hazardous lives, putting her own marriage at risk for how much she puts herself out there.

Jacob is her client. He is broken, he claims to be the victim in a domestic abuse situation, and Naomi wants to help him. She believes him. Until she doesn't.

Naomi is pressured by her husband to put their marriage first, to work less, to be less giving, but there are way too many things going on for Naomi to just back down. She is always there for her clients and her friends. BUT. The twists happen, and they keep twisting, and twisting, until there is no more room to breathe.

How far would you go to protect the ones you feel are innocent and being taken advantage of? What would you do to help someone who is being physically hurt? What would you do if you are all the sudden the object of this person's desires?

I loved the quick pace of this novel and how the characters keep you on your toes. The thrilling aspect is what kept me turning the pages while the juicy gossip inside made me want more and more! I NEEDED to know who did what and who was lying or telling the truth.

Sandie Jones is one of my favorite authors simply for her ability to grasp your attention and never let go.

Thank you Netgalley and Sandie Jones for allowing me an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. I'll definitely be adding this to my collection along with all my other Sandie Jones novels.

Naomi is a psychologist who specializes in abuse. She has personal reasons for this being her specialty. When Jacob comes to her due to abuse in his home, she becomes involved. She helps him leave his abusive home but when he goes missing, Naomi becomes the chief suspect!

Can she prove her innocence? How many ethical boundaries did she cross? What will her husband think? Where is Jacob? So many questions were brought up while reading this fairly fast-moving plot.

This is the case of who can be trusted? How well do you know someone? Do you take what someone tells you at face value?

For me this was a no-nonsense book. It didn't take much thought, I could sit back and enjoy reading it, while appreciating the twists and turns and the story.

Another engaging book by Jones!

3.5 stars


#TheBlameGame #NetGalley

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was pretty excited to read The Blame Game because Sandie Jones writes some really good suspense books! I went with my boys golfing and basically sat in the golf cart while they played. I had my kindle fired up and ready and I devoured this book in one sitting. I love a book that gets me reading fast so I can find out what happened in the end! The Blame Game comes out Aug 16 and I defiantly think you should read it!
Naomi is a successful psychologist who enjoys caring for her clients. As a child she dealt with domestic abuse and watching her father take his anger out on her mom. From her past experiences she decided to specialize in domestic abuse in her practice, knowing she couldn’t help her mom but can help the men and women who come to her. Listening to stories of men abusing their wives, and even a man who is being abused by his wife, isn’t easy but Naomi is invested in her clients well being and would do whatever she can to help them. According to her husband, too invested. Naomi knows she’s crossing the line professionally when she offers to put her client up in her vacation home, but he is being abused by his wife and needs to escape where she can’t find him. Yes she knows she shouldn’t blur the lines between friendship and client, and she knows her husband will be mad when he finds out, and she knows her client seems to be catching feelings for her, but what she doesn’t know is how everything in her work and home life is about to change. Naomi will be faced with the consequence’s of getting to involved in her clients lives, and will find herself to blame for what’s about to happen…….

The Blame Game by Sandie Jones is a psychological thriller about a psychologist specializing in domestic violence who comes from a home that was torn apart by domestic violence as well. Our narrator has no boundaries with her clients which (surprise, surprise) causes problems. While I liked the epilogue, I just was too lost. Even when things were "explained" I don't get it. I'm still not sure who was lying or why and who was who. If the story had been fleshed out a little more this could have been much better!

Thank you to Minotaur Books and Netgalley for the electronic advanced copy.

If you plan to read The Blame Game and, oh yes, you should, pick a quiet afternoon, turn the phone off, curl up in a comfortable chair and don’t plan to take a break until you finish. Some books are described as unputdowneable. The Blame Game is in a different class - you won’t be able to turn the pages fast enough.

As much as I want to share the plot with you, I hate spoilers. And this is a plot you absolutely cannot describe without giving clues. But here’s a little bit, just to get you ready. Naomi is a psychotherapist, damaged by events in her past. She specializes in victims of abuse and tends to get too involved in her patients’ lives. This leads to problems, both in her professional life and in her marriage.

So if you are thinking “That doesn’t sound very compelling. What’s so exciting about that?”, you have a big surprise coming. The Blame Game is going to be on every reviewer’s list of Best Books of 2022. Order it now! You’ll thank me. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Sandie Jones for this ARC.

This was one of those books that had me annoyed for the most part while I was reading it.

Naomi is a psychologist who specializes in helping victims of domestic abuse, When her client, Jacob, is frightened of his wife and her abuse, Naomi helps him to make the decision to leave her, and even rents him her flat. She clearly has crossed the line in helping clients on previous occasions, and the story hints that it hadn't worked out well for her before.

She knowingly keeps on making poor choices in her relationship with her husband, her clients, and then with everyone who interacts with her during Jacob's disappearance. I just wanted to shake her, and tell her to start telling the truth! The story is told by Noami, and we do get to understand her motivations, however poorly she follows through on them.

My annoyance was with the main character and her actions, and not with the author, who crafted this novel in a way that kept me involved as I was determined to see what happened. There is lots of deception in play by other characters too. All of which makes for a twisty psychological thriller.

There were a few plot holes for me towards the end, which was otherwise quite satisfying, although it seemed to come together quite quickly, almost as if the author had run out of time.

I had enjoyed a previous book by Sandie Jones and will certainly read more by this author.

Naomi is a psychologist specializing in domestic abuse who has a tendency to get overly invested in her client’s lives. When one of her clients goes missing, she finds herself in the middle of the case, and secrets about her own dark past start coming back to haunt her.

I like to go into my thrillers blind, so I’m not leaving a very detailed synopsis or review so that others can also be surprised. But you should go into it knowing that Sandie Jones is the queen of domestic thrillers. This book was fast-paced and the perfect poolside or beach read. I read it all in one sitting and was constantly surprised by the various twists and turns this one took. There was so much happening my head was spinning at times. It was truly a wild ride!

Thanks to Minotaur Books for the advance copy.

Naomi is a psychologist who specializes in domestic violence and does not know the meaning of the word boundaries. She comes way too involved in the lives of several clients and, needless to say, she faces repercussions that will impact her life forever.

I always like Sandie Jones’ writing. Unfortunately I could not stand Naomi and this detracted from the plot for me. Everything she did and said made me cringe and it was difficult to read at times. I also got some of the characters mixed up and the end wasn’t super clear to me with multiple storylines becoming blurred. Still, this is a worthwhile read and will appeal to many.

Naomi has a history of getting too close to her clients, but never to her detriment..... until she offers to let one of them move into her holiday cottage without telling her husband. As the situation quickly spirals out of control, Naomi finally realizes just how bad things look for her.

I love Sandie Jones, and the writing style is awesome. It's a compelling story with lots of twists and turns. I also love a good gaslighting/potential gaslighting story. However, this one was way, way too convoluted for me. The first half was pretty solid, but the back half just had way, way too much going on. I did enjoy the very last chapter and the big reveal... but over all this one was just a little chaotic for me.

So, the unlikeable characters didn't work for me in this one. I felt the development wasn't quite on par with other Sandie Jones books. There seemed to be a lot of coincidences, and a few twists were a bit far-fetched. However, I did enjoy the premise, and this was a quick read.

This book was an okay read, but I did find myself struggling with it at times and walked away feeling somewhat disappointed.



This one is full of deception & lies, and a few twists. I enjoyed this intriguing plot, but the characters were all awful and I had a hard time connecting with any of them. They lacked depth and development, which I struggled with throughout the book. The twists were decent, and unpredictable, but that might be because they were a bit unrealistic and far fetched. The main character, Naomi, makes some sketchy & far fetched decisions that left me shaking my head. Naomi has a hard time setting boundaries with her patients, and because of this she must pay the consequences.



I did like that this one had me questioning all of the characters, and I was unsure of who to trust. The ending left me feeling underwhelmed, and unsatisfied as it felt a bit rushed. It was definitely a slow burn, and I never just skim through a book, but with this one I found it a bit daunting and skimmed a bit. The story line and writing were scattered. The author's last book was a miss for me as well, and I am beginning to question if maybe her books are just not meant for me.

I'm a big fan of Sandie Jones's books but this one is definitely not her best book at all. I was disappointed. The psychologist annoyed me and its definitely not the Sandie Jones books that I love.

Thanks netgalley and publisher

All thoughts and opinions are my own and aren't influenced by anyone else

I've enjoyed Sandie Jones' newer books less than her first couple. This is disappointing. Either she's doing something different or I've had a wider taste of this genre and have found her writing to be lacking now. But it won't stop me from picking them up, hoping the magic comes back! Naomi is a terrible therapist who is constantly crossing the line. Which is why she works for herself now and not a practice. The way this book is written makes you think things are important to the plot that are instead completely irrelevant. This was quick, fast-paced read but it was not the book I was looking for. Things didn't make sense and then Jones tries to wrap it all up in the epilogue and I hate when authors do that. Show me throughout the book, don't summarize it in the epilogue.

This was a difficult read for me - an unlikeable, over-the-top female character who is a psychologist who continually blurs the lines into unethical/questionable behaviour. It’s done with good intention but made her actions unbelievable. There were some twists but I figured out the main one earlier on, the ending was just okay, the explanation of the motivations 0f the main villain were a let down, and there were, for me, some plot lines that were left hanging. A longer novel would have helped to wrap those up. Unfortunately, this novel did not work for me but I know that other readers have really enjoyed it.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this advance copy. All opinions expressed are my own.