Another great novel by Sandie Jones. I loved the twists and turns in this novel, and they had me hooked. Definitely recommend this one.

I usually really enjoy Sandie Jones books, but I found this one to be a bit all over the place and hard to really get into. A me-too era office thriller, I found the characters to be frustrating and naive at times. I didn't feel the twists hit as hard as other Jones books. Still, thank you NetGalley for my copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of The Trade Off by Sandie Jones in exchange for my honest review and opinion. I absolutely love anything by Sandie Jones and could NOT wait to begin this! As always with her books, you are drawn in from page one and are taken on a wild ride. Once I started reading this, I was unable to put it down and stayed up way past my bedtime in order to finish this in one sitting. Do yourself a favor and read this as soon as you can. You will soon find out that Sandie Jones is a must read author.

This was a fast paced thriller that I read in a day!

Forgive me for the late review, I read it so quick and then forgot to write my review-LOL.

I dont remember all the details but it was great! The perfect book for if you have time to binge read,

This was a DNF for me. I just couldn't get into it. Usually, Sandie Jones is an automatic good read, but this one fell flat.

*Thank you @minotaurbooks for the #gifted egalley. Review not posted to Goodreads/Amazon because DNF or 4 stars or less.*

I have given this author a few tries and I just don't think she is for me. her writing style just does something to me that I don't like and it makes it hard for me to get through a book.

In my undergrad days, I had big dreams of being a journalist whether it was a big newspaper or a well-known magazine. While those dreams didn't come to fruition, I'm a big fan of stories that center around the world of journalism. The Trade Off was a good example of this kind of story. I found the book to be well-paced; not necessarily a page-turner, but enough to keep me moving through the story. I did like that this was more about the darker side of journalism, focusing on the gossip and how things can be manipulated to fit the story line that an outlet wants, instead of the actual story.

The Trade Off goes deeper than that, with a whole lot of conspiracy, powerful men doing horrible things, and much more.

Overall, I did enjoy the book. I thought the ending could have been stronger and at times, I thought the plot switched gears a bit too quickly without much of a transition, but it was still a good book.

Thank you Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the eARc in exchange for my honest review.

I've read Sandie Jones before and enjoyed her work, but this one didn't quite hit the same way.

The Trade Off follows journalist Stella Thorne, who has made a name for herself by being the first to break news of a scandal. When new hire Jess learns how Stella picks and chooses pieces of interviews and snapshots to build those scandals, however, she is taken aback and becomes concerned for herself and for the subjects of the tabloids.

This book was a slow-burn that kind of picked up pace by the three-quarters mark, but it was still a pretty slow pace. I struggled to get through this one, though I can't really explain why. The characters were detestable, but I found myself wondering how morally grey Stella and the others truly were.

I also make it known that I am very rarely satisfied with the ending of a book, so take that information and do with it what you will. I didn't really care for the ending of this book either, but I supposed it fit the rest of the story and was okay.

Overall, I gave this book 3 stars. It was okay for me, definitely not my favorite Sandie Jones book, but I would still encourage others to give it a shot. I personally think this story line just has a really narrow audience and I wasn't part of it.

This book was your typical entry from Sandie Jones. I like her books but never love them. This one as usual was good but not great. 3.5 rounded up.

Stella is the deputy editor for the Globe, hardened by years of work, while Jess is a rookie reporter who just wants to report the truth. When a story drops about a celebrity that ruins their life, Jess is distraught and decides that she needs to stop the paper of harming anyone else.

This is a slower paced thriller that explores the dark side of journalism as well as the #metoo movement. I wouldn't necessarily call it a true thriller, more of a drama with a few suspenseful scenes. It starts off very slow, as we learn more about Jess and Stella and their differing takes when it comes to their jobs. It does pick up in the second half, and I definitely liked the second bit much better. I was very invested in the story, from the very beginning, and ended up finishing it in one sitting. It was a very quick read. I listened to it on audiobook, where there were multiple narrators, which I think highlighted the characters even more. Stella was unlikeable, but she did go through some development by the end. I liked Jess more then Stella, but she was a bit too naive at times.

Overall, a quick and easy read with strong female leads.

As is typical with novels of this genre, there was a twist at the end, but it wasn’t completely unexpected. That being said, the novel ended exactly as I wanted it to, and I was completely satisfied with the outcome. “The Trade Off” is thought-provoking and modern, and its uncompromisingly honest plot will leave an indelible mark. Jones has delivered once again!

Thank you Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for an eARC of The Trade Off by Sandie Jones! 3.5 stars.

This one was less thriller for me and more suspenseful and extremely interesting and thought provoking.

Stella is deputy editor of the Globe, and she'll stop at nothing to get the best story. She's got quite a reputation for crossing lines when necessary. Jess is a rookie reporter who wants to focus on the truth and coloring within the lines...but, if she makes an enemy in the process, will it be fatal for her?

Really thought provoking - One of those books that makes you wonder what you'd do in a certain scenario. I love ethical dilemmas in my reads and this one is chalk-full of them. Really enjoyed the audio on this one, too.

Though I have previously liked Jones' books, this one just didn't grab me. The story just didn't seem plausible to me and the characters weren't pulling me in.

This book really just took me for a ride. I loved the build up, the character development, and the writing. I would definitely read more from this author!

I could not get invested in this. I gave it a few shots! The characters were kind of unlikeable and I wouldn’t consider this a thriller. I found myself to be bored many times and I struggle with slower paced books

I'm torn with my review of this one. Did I love it? No. But I didn't hate it. I wasn't captivated by the storyline or the characters, there seemed to be a disconnect for me.

A solid mystery/thriller about the power of the press to destroy lives mixed in with a #metoo scandal. Fast paced and thoroughly enjoyable, this was definitely one of my favorites by this author and good on audio too!

Thank you @minotaur_books and @netgalley for the gifted copy of the book!

Pub: August 15, 2023

3.5

I grew up around journalism and journalists so I'm always excited whenever a book about the news comes my way. The Trade Off is a solid read by an author that consistently delivers bingable books.

Here we have a New of the World type of tabloid journalism that is prevalent in Britain and consumed around the world.

The dual perspectives worked well to show the environment at The Globe and compare and contrast Jess and Stella's experiences at different parts of their careers. The story moves at a slow, but steady pace, with tension ramping up towards the end.

Jones tackles the way women in the media are treated from two angles - the celebrities the tabloids hound and the women working at the papers that often build their careers off exploiting them. The Trade Off came out after a saturation of similarly themed movies and shows etc. Unfortunately, I do think this caused some of the storyline to feel a little "been there, done that." That said, I think it's an important message to repeat and a topic I always find interesting to read/watch as there are so many layers to explore.

I always look forward to Sandie Jones' new releases. If you haven't tried her books yet, I recommend giving them a read, starting with my personal favourite, The First Mistake!

This was a good read - I really enjoyed this book. I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!

This was just an okay read for me. I love Sandie Jones' other books, but this one just didn't do it for me. I didn't connect with the characters and got a little bored reading the story. I'm glad I read it, I just hoped for more.