This book explores the ugly side of the tabloid press utilizing two journalists. This one took me a very long time to finish because I couldn’t get invested. The first half of the book is very uneventful and spends way too much time establishing the characters, who aren’t very likable. I don’t consider this to be a “thriller” it’s definitely more of a dramatic fiction story.

The Trade Off was a bumpy kinda story but it wrapped up nicely for me!! Current social issues tackled. Some trigger warnings would have been helpful. Huge fan of Sandie Jones but this was not my favorite of hers. A solid 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝘼𝙣 𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙛𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙪𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙜𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣: 𝙒𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙖 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮, 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙚? 𝙊𝙧 𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙩𝙝 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙖𝙩 𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩?

This is my second book by this author and unfortunately, I don’t think her books are for me. It was so slow-paced paced and the plot wasn’t as engaging, I had to switch to the audiobook to get through it.

I enjoyed the premise of this story and I loved the short chapters. Also, I think the journalistic elements had so much potential. Unfortunately, I just didn’t care for the book at all. There was a point when I thought it would possibly pick up, but it didn’t.

While I don’t think this book was for me at all, I could potentially see who the intended audience would be for this book. It was very slow, not as thrilling, such a lackluster story, and just all over the place. Again, it wasn’t for me but it might be for others.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the review copy in exchange for my honest review!

Loved that the entire time I had no idea whose side to be on. The publishing aspect was super interesting. Very long middle section which can be a little boring.

Honestly not one of my favorite by this author, but I will continue to read her books as I have enjoyed the others.

Positives:
Interesting premise of how far you would go to get a story and the dark side of journalism.
I liked the different perspectives of the seasoned reporter and the newbie.


Negatives:
The pace was very slow and one half way better than the other.
There were too many different storylines that I did not think all came together neatly in the end and I cared more about some more than others.
Took me a long time to finish this one which was unusual.

Overall just not for me, but will try Sandie Jones again.

I’ve read most books by this author and enjoyed them all, including this one. This latest one felt a bitmore suspenseful then some of her other books, which I enjoyed very much.

The Trade Off by Sandie Jones
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Jess has just been hired at the Globe and is stoked to be a part of the news team. Stella has been here for years and is at the top of her game, but Stella’s methods leave Jess worried.
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What I liked:
-This one was more suspenseful that I was expecting!
-The back and forth POVs kept me reading but also got me riled up! Which was a good thing because I needed to know what happens.
-I enjoyed the setting of a newspaper and seeing the methods the press used.
-I liked the end when people started working together.
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sandie jones never disappoints but this book absolutely blew me away. My anxiety levels were through the roof the entire time I was reading the book and the twists gave shock after shock. The character development was top notch as always. Sandie jones has a unique way of getting you to utterly despise a character and then BAM! you are shocked into loving them. I could visualize every detail of the events of this book, and it made for an outstanding reading experience!

Sandie Jones knocks it out of the park again! A up and coming journalist gets caught up in trash journalism and the great lengths some paparazzi will go to get a story. There is a twist that I didn't see.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of The Trade Off by Sandie Jones.

Thanks so much to the author, Sandie Jones, and the publisher, Thorndike Press, a part of Gale, a Cengage Company, along with NetGalley for providing me this book without charge in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn’t sure that I wanted to read another book by this author. The last book was one that I didn’t favorably review. I know it’s not all about having positive reviews but seriously- even in that review, I started that I don’t think that I would be giving her another try.

I’m so glad that I was so very wrong. This was a different type of book than the other ones that she wrote. She didn’t have a book full of pitiful missteps by the main character. Nope- in this one- I’m not sure who the main character was and even more so, I’m not sure what the true story was (at least while I was reading it, I didn’t). You will feel angst and irritation at the news media while reading this book. The lengths that the newsroom goes to, in this book at least, to get a good story is absolutely disgusting. This book has me questioning the validity of any flashy article that I’ve seen before. It’s amazing how the loss of life is presented- life after the media has targeted you- and whether or not this actually happens nowadays- I don’t know if it does. Regardless, “the what if’s” feels very real….

I didn’t reread “the inside flaps” of this book when I was notified that I had a copy without charge. I wanted to try to read the book without any preconceived notions. I truly wanted to give it another chance.

That was a good decision, because 79% of the way through the book, I said out loud, “What!?” I mean that in the way of “What am I reading? What is going on? How will this thing end? This is such a good book!!”

The action remains at a healthy pace throughout the book. I love the differences in the story being told from the viewpoint of Jess and from Stella. I cannot imagine the author’s task of eventually overlaying the entire story together without making errors along the way that would prematurely expose the outcome. But the author did it- well in fact… very well!

I’m glad to have taken a chance (or being given the free opportunity to take a chance) on this book / author again. She has provided something spectacular. This book has completely kept my interest. Now I’m ready again to read the next one!!

Enjoy! I sure did!

Thank you to NetGalley, publisher and author, for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
My favorite character in this story was Stella because she seemed strong although unfriendly. My least favorite characters were Stella's boss and the newspaper owner, at least at the beginning. They seemed cold and uncaring. This was an entertaining story for the most part. Even though the subject matter did not keep me very interested, the author is a talented storyteller.

hmmm. This was good. I listened to the audio which made the experience enjoyable. I appreciated the author's note and the inside look at journalism. However, I don't think this one will stick with me.

Fast paced and immersive. A recommended purchase for collections where crime and thrillers are popular.

The Trade Off by Sandie Jones is a suspenseful thriller where everyone has their own motive and everyone is manipulated.

I love books featuring characters who are journalists, so I've read a few now, but I still found this one to be different from others. The media takes on the darkest roll within these pages, showing the gritty underside of what it takes to get a leading story in the tabloids. It truly represents the cutthroat world of getting the biggest story and getting it first, destroying anyone required.

It's a quick, fast-paced thriller that keeps you on your toes as to where the story is heading. It's dramatic and cinematic the same way a car chase is. There is such a sense of urgency throughout the whole book, which really sets the tempo.

What else:
-dual POV
-#MeToo movement
-prologue and epilogue connection
-fantastic audiobook narration

As Jones says in her acknowledgments, there is such a strong sense of empowerment and resilience represented from the perspectives of these two female characters!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for the complimentary copy to read and review.

I'm a little torn on what to write for this one. I loved the premise and message about tabloid, and maybe today spilling into the mainstream, news. But I found when I set this down for life, I was strongly drawn back to picking it up. Maybe it was a little too close to what is happening in the world today and it is just a me thing.

There were a lot of twists and turns and a lot of unlikable characters. I did not really know where this was headed and none of my guesses panned out.

I switched back and forth from reading and listening.

This was a fun cat and mouse tale. I thought the plausibility of it had some to be desired but overall I enjoyed it. I would continue to read more by the author.

If I hadn't recently watched Meghan and Harry's special on Netflix and seen the harassment they endured and the absolute insanity that the London Press was, I probably would have found The Trade Off totally out there and unbelievable. But wow. Having a bit more knowledge into what actually happens added so much sincerity (and horror!) to this story!!

Jess was such a naive character and I really struggled with her. I didn't understand what she expected when she joined The Globe and why she didn't the job would be exploiting people and doing whatever it took to sell the tabloid.

Stella was a much more interesting character for me and I really enjoyed her parts. Her sordid romantic history, fear about McAllister being released, and her fearlessness (and questionable morals) to get the job done were fascinating.

I listened to the his novel on audio and it was decent. It's a great story for audio but I didn't love the narrator for Jess and I wasn't particularly fond of Stella's narrator for male voices.

Overall, this was entertaining and highly relevant to current events. It definitely made me question (even more) what I see on the cover of gossip rags and it was an exciting and fast paced story.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, MacMillan Audio, and NetGalley for the copy.

Unfortunately this book didn’t work for me and was a DNF but I am sure other readers will feel differently! Thank you for the ARC!

Going into this book, I wasn't sure what I was going to think about this book. I wasn't a big fan of Sandie's last book. But, this book was much better. I loved the different POV. On one hand, you have Stella who will do anything, literally ANYTHING to get a story. Then, on the other hand, you have Jess, who will only do what is moral and right to get a story. If it crosses the "line," she doesn't want to do it. I had a good idea of who the characters were in this book. I also loved that it was about a journalist. I don't think I've read a book like this before. Or maybe I did, and I forgot. I read this book for Arctober and listened to some of it and read the ebook. Both versions were good, IMO. I wish I had read this book sooner.