The Blame Game was interesting at first and yet I found myself having to force myself through the beginning. It felt like there was a lot of ground work to be laid in order to carry the story to the end. I found it interesting at parts and burning in others. I have read Sandie Jones’ other books and found this to be less than enjoyable.

*Thank you NetGalley for the ARC*

This book was just okay to me and fell a little flat at the end.
We see the story through Naomi's perspective for the most part and we care about her the most so the ending was unsatisfying when the perspective changed.
It wasn't a bad book by any means but it didn't keep my attention enough.

The Blame Game by Sandie Jones

Where do I start with this one. I was so frustrated about the main character Naomi who is a psychologist who specializes in domestic abuse. She breaks every rule in the book that a person who is suppose to provide help to her clients. She crosses the line in an unethical way. Naomi behavior makes her unlikable. Naomi got into this field because of what she experienced as a child her mother was killed by her father in a domestic dispute. Anyways this is why Naomi pick this field to ensure others do not have the same fate as her mother.

There are things that made me mad about the book like mentioning her sister who she has no contact with and the relationship is strained but she comes into the picture to just wave at the concert nothing really else but the phone call and the wave. The author used the Epilogue to basically bring the story to conclusion which was wrong in the execution if your using the Epilogue to explain the book you did it wrong. I would of liked to see in the Epilogue used to bring the relationship between Naomi and Jennifer back together. That would have been a better use of it.

The story fell apart for me in many ways it just felt like it didn't come together that well. Being a professional on one hand and then crossing lines and being a liar on the other. Like really someone is going to throw that much away. How she did not figure that both Ana and Jacob both of them hiding there true identity. How did she not recognize Ana voice on the phone. I get this is a thriller but some of this just to far fetch to buy into it. The characters none of them where likable. There was information fed to the reader that just filled space instead of being relevant on any level.

This would have been better if her sister was the one doing all this to her then this would have been a better read. Instead we get someone who is trying to blame her spouse for her own guilt what she did.

What I liked is that it was a quick read the pages did turn pretty fast so that is good. I not even sure how to rate this one. It did have entertainment value because it was a page turner but the extent the reader has to bend to believe the ending was to far reaching for me. For this reason I think it is still worth the read but it just wasn't for me. A book that does tap emotion out of the reader usually is a good book even if the emotion is anger.

I would like to try something else from this author in the future even though this one was not for me. I still would recommend this book to people who like thrillers even though it did not work for me. It is fast paced.

Thank You to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a free copy of this arc for an honest review. What is expressed in this review is my own opinion.

Sandie Jones does it again! Another amazing thriller that I just didn’t want to put down. The twists and turns had me guessing until the very end about what is actually going on with main character Naomi and her patients. The character development and overall twisty plot warranted a five star from me! I would highly recommend this thriller!

The premise of this story seemed to intriguing to me, but once I actually got into it, I started to become very disappointed. I couldn't connect to any of the characters, and honestly, I got bored, and honestly, a bit confused. This one was just a big let down for me, as I usually enjoy Sandie Jones' novels. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this novel to my friends, but I'd still recommend Jones's other books.

What an amazing whirlwind thriller! I read it all this afternoon. It was twisty and turn-y and kept me guessing the whole time!

Naomi is a psychotherapist specializing in abusive relationships who is a transplant from New York to England. She was the victim herself and was separated from her sister….who she desperately wishes to reconnect with.

She works out of an office attached to her home. I believe it’s on a large English estate with several homes within it.

She has a patient named Jacob whose wife has been abusing him….and just after things get a bit awkward between Jacob, Naomi, and Naomi’s husband, Jacob disappears.

All is not what it seems in this amazing new thriller. Enjoy!

Sandie Jones is one of my favorite authors. The Blame Game is not one of my favorite books by her. The Blame Game is a domestic thriller that is a quick read and will keep you guessing until the end. There are several parts that I had to go back and reread because they seemed confusing.

A gut punch of a psychological thriller. The highly unlikeable (in my opinion) main character and psychologist, Naomi has it all: a beautiful home with a private office for her practice, her husband is planning a major musical event on the grounds which will be a career high and clients who are getting better under her care. One client, Jacob is getting too much attention from her and she wants to help him exit his abusive marriage. Her other client, Anna, is struggling to deal with the death of her son and her own failing marriage. Naomi starts to help them both more than she should and it’s creating a strain on her marriage. Then Jacob disappears and Naomi makes choices that could ruin her life and career. It’s a page turner that I could not put down and although I could have strangled Naomi for her stupidity at times, it was a gripping read.

The Blame Game by Sandie Jones

This story centers around Naomi, a psychiatrist who specializes in domestic abuse. We quickly learn that Naomi goes above and beyond for her clients. She steps over the boundary lines with them, no matter the cost.
 
I spend most of this novel frustrated with Naomi's choices. She is so unprofessional and it is slowly ruining her life. Although I was entertained and intrigued for the entire novel, I left with more questions unanswered than answered. There is a lot going with Naomi and by the end I'm still not sure what it all had to do with each other. 
I was left wanting more- another 50 pages could have added so much to the story.

The narrator was quite good, with many characters, it was still easy to follow and understand who was speaking. That can sometimes be a challenge.

I finally got to this one and it did not disappoint! Has suspense, mystery and definitely kept me turning pages and on the edge of my seat! This author did not let me down. It's a darker content than I would suggest for my students but would be good for older students!

This book turned out to be a little disappointing. I wanted to like it but I just couldn't get into any of the characters at all. Very sad because the premise was so good.

Wowza!!

Binge-worthy, fast paced, edge of your seat mystery thriller!! I very much enjoyed this one!! I was able to finish in one sitting. The title, the cover.. this book did not disappoint!! I can’t wait to read more by this author!!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for gifting me an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The title speaks volumes! There is a whole lot of blaming, deception and lies in this book! Naomi is a psychologist and cares deeply for her clients, which has made it difficult for her to draw the line between work and personal. One of her patients, Jacob, is in an abusive relationship and afraid of his wife. When Naomi gets a call from the police that he is missing, all evidence points to her despite being innocent. I struggled with how unethical the therapist was, especially with the patient/ client boundaries and the ending did not have the closure I was expecting.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Things I liked:
- quick and smooth read
- the epilogue was SUCH a good way to end it, especially with the change in POV!
- I was on the edge of my seat throughout the whole book just waiting for what came next

Things I did not like:
- I felt the characters needed more depth in order to build a connection to them
- I really wanted closure on all the storylines. I felt there should’ve been more to the ending!

Easy binge-able book if you are looking for a fast paced mystery thriller vibe and this is my firs time reading a book by this author and I am proud to say that I really enjoyed it

Jones is one of my favorite/go-to authors, and this one didn't disappoint. Once you get past some of the unprofessional behaviors by Naomi (getting too invested in a couple of her clients), this is an engaging read. Suspenseful and all-too-realistically possible, the writing and storyline quickly pulled me in. Twists kept me guessing as to "who done it" ... or if Naomi was actually the crazy one! A few subplot points weren't really tied up to my satisfaction, in fact that seemed a bit unnecessary, but the book kept me turning the pages, and the ending was not what I expected (which is just what I love in a book from a psychological thriller!).

This was such an easily bingeable book about a domestic abuse therapist who gets overly invested in her patients only to have one go missing along with her files on him. Twisty with dual narrators. I loved the little peaks into the 'bad guy's' mind we get and man what a mic drop ending! I loved this book and it would make the perfect beach read this summer!! Much thanks to NetGalley and the St. Martin's Press for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!!

As the title suggests, this is a book with a whole lot of blame. Naomi is a psychologist who specializes in victims of domestic abuse as a result of her past. She grave concern for her clients makes her violate a lot of professional boundaries, such as inviting her clients into her home and meeting with them outsider of sessions. When her client, Jacob, goes missing, Naomi become suspect #1. She tries to deflect blame by explaining that Jacob was her client due to his abusive wife, yet the evidence continues to point to Naomi.

This was definitely a fast read; however, it didn't really work for me as much as I had hoped. Naomi has literally NO professional boundaries, which was hard to get behind. Naomi's childhood story didn't really mesh well with the present story either, except for the obvious theme of domestic abuse, and there seemed to be some plot holes. The epilogue was somewhat of a redemption for the ending, though!

Thank you Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for my eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A thriller with twists and turns all the way to the last page. This book kept me on the edge of my seat and wanting more!

Twisty psychological thriller that keeps you on your toes with twists and turns. I was second-guessing everything while reading this book, everything from the main character to who really did what! I found the ending a little difficult to believe though, and after finishing it, realized a few things didn't really add up. Not my favorite Sandie Jones book, but a solid thriller.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this title in exchange for my honest opinion.