I loved how it flicks between the past and the present. It really helped to get a better picture of what was happening. But I didn't love the epilogue. It was weird and didn't really add anything to the story.

Overall, this thriller has a great premise but the end let's it down as It's too far fetched to be believable. Worth a read if you're looking for a quick and easy thriller to devour.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book.

4.5 stars
I really enjoyed this authors previous book The Resort, which was a 4 star read for me, so when I was invited to read an early copy of this, I jumped at the chance and I'm so glad that I did!
I didn't know much going in, on purpose, apart from the fact we were following two characters called Meg and Cat. But boy did this one grab me right from the start and had me holding my breath throughout.
Her writing is so easy to read, it flows well and the pacing was great. The plot had me fully invested, I liked the characters and I was cheering them on as I was reading it.
The tension and suspense racked up early on and I found I didn't want to put it down, so I read it in one day.
This really reads like a movie as the action really ramps up.
I liked the setting and thought it really added to the story and atmosphere.
One slight thing I didn't enjoy was the epilogue. It felt unneeded and it was not a great way to finish it.
If you are looking for a fast paced, tense, thriller this is one for you. I really enjoyed it!
I will definitely read from this author again.

After a night of partying, Cat and Meg are walking home when they realize they're being followed. They run for their lives, hiding in an abandoned building. A year later, Meg is still on the run, plagued by guilt over that fateful night. But when a storm presses in and the power goes out, she realizes that someone is out there hunting her, and that the past is hard to outrun...

After enjoying Stranded, the last title I read from author Sarah Goodwin (also courtesy of NetGalley), I was eager to get a galley of The Blackout. And though I was a bit confused on how the beginning of the novel unfolded, I soon got very invested and couldn't put it down. Most of the characters aren't particularly likable, or good people, but Goodwin offers explanations for their actions, and especially with Meg, has her understand the consequences of her behavior.

Thanks very much to Avon Books, UK for allowing me to read a copy of this ARC in exchange for a review through NetGalley.

Not a fan of this one. I was hoping for something more intense, something more gripping. I didn't feel the characters, their back stories or the ending
Sorry

I’m a sucker for a chase through a dark house (or woods) during a blackout so this premise was immediately interesting to me. I wasn’t as invested with the back stories of the characters and the end took me by surprise, not necessarily in a good way. But it was overall a good thriller. 3.5 stars

This book started out well but I soon lost interest I’m afraid. It all just seemed so odd. I read to the end because I needed to know how it ended. It didn’t! Very disappointed, but thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read it.

This was a really good exiting book, wow! I couldn’t put it down. between the twists and turns and the suspense throughout… and the ending was brilliant. The characters were great, the story was amazing and it the style of writing was perfect. I have loved all the books by this author and can’t wait for the next one to be out.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes reading psychological thrillers, you won’t be disappointed.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review.

mixed feelings about this one, was confusing at first and as i got involved with the characters, got confused again but then lots of tension as i started to care and then a confusing ending. It is a quick read,,, would try others by the author but this one was not what i hoped for

I really enjoyed this book! It held my attention and the main character was interesting, Meg has been through a lot in life. She did something terrible as a teenager and doesn't feel as if she will ever make up for it. Meg's brother was the only one who had truly ever taken care of her and he was dead now. One night, Meg needed some cheering up so her friend, Cat, came by so the two of them could have a girls night out! Only their night out did not go as planned, by the end of the night they had no money, no wallets, and no bus tickets so their only option was to walk home in the middle of the night. Something happens to Cat and it puts Meg on the run. For the past year, she is living under the radar in a cabin on the edge of a cliff, until one night a black out comes and the people that she has been running from have found her. How will she escape them?

Title: The Blackout
Author: Sarah Goodwin
Publisher: Avon Books UK
Publication Date: August 31, 2023
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Many thanks to #netgalley and #avonbooksuk for the opportunity to review this ARC!

Meg and Cat are forced to walk home after a girl's night out in Bristol when they notice they are being followed. With no choice but to hide in an abandoned building, the two girls are left to fight for their lives. One year later, Meg is trying to escape the horrors of that night and hides away in a cliffside safehouse. The town is thrown into a blackout during a powerful storm, and Meg realizes she is not alone. Someone wants revenge.

The Blackout is an edge-of-your-seat thriller that will have you biting your nails with claustrophobic anxiety! I devoured this cat-and-mouse story in one day and could not put it down. I loved the flawed characters and was easily invested in the terrifying action. The ending was a tad drawn out, but it did not take away from the story for me. Do not miss this four-star thriller!

#booktok #thrillertok #psychologicalthriller #bookrecs #bookreviewer #fyp #fypシ #thebookishbitch #summerreading #sarahgoodwin

Meg and Cat are on their way home from a night out, having to walk after not being able to get the bus, and find themselves being followed by two men. They start running and being chased by the men, ending up in an abandoned house with nowhere else to go. But things get ten times worse when the police show up, and all is not as it seems….

This book had me tense the entire way through, I couldn’t stop reading for wanting to know what happened. The mix of past and present timelines kept me hooked throughout, and the thrilling pace of the book only added to the dark and menacing atmosphere. A really fast read that I’d really recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon Books UK and the author for the opportunity to read this e-arc, all opinions are my own and honest🫶🏻

It is the anniversary of Meg's brothers death, and her friend Cat convinces her to have a wild night out in Bristol. Meg loses her purse, smashes her phone and Cat is broke. They have to walk home, and take a shortcut. Soon, Meg realises they are being followed, and they run into an abandoned house to hide, but Cat is found by the attackers, but they are rescued by the police before anything bad happens.......... or were they?
Meg disappears and changes her name and is constantly alert, knowing that she is on someone's hit list.

What an absolute page turner! Meg is a survivor, despite what life has thrown at her, she is never ready to throw in the towel.
The action is almost non stop, and so is the tension, I found myself literally holding my breath at times.
But what the heck????
That ending?
Either there is a sequel, or the ending should be changed before the book is published! I am just NOT happy with it!

I would allot a 4 star rating, but am dropping it to 3 because while I was absolutely immersed in Meg's fight to survive, the ending was dissatisfying! What an anticlimax!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

A brilliantly written twisty thriller with great characters and a great plot. I read it so quickly that I was disappointed with myself for doing that!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
This book has me up all night reading after the first couple pages. Several surprises I didn’t expect from the past and present day.
Liked the setting on the cliff and how remote it was. Something about remote settings like that always adds atmosphere to a book.

A good dark and twisty thriller that had me guessing throughout. You know way at the start something terrible has happened. But what? Full of long standing dark secrets. Absolutely brilliant xx

Another fast paced thriller from Sarah Goodwin that had me ignoring all of my adult responsibilities for the day! I was so interested in where the author was going to take this story and it was definitely a page turner. I was a little confused by the ending which I feel the author could tweak a little to make it even better. The descriptions of the cliff side ocean house made me feel like I was there as things happened. I’m afraid of heights and I literally had sweaty palms (LOL) Overall a fantastic thriller that I would definitely recommend.

You know a story is good when it keeps you up well past your bedtime and makes you want to throw up on several occasions. Megan Fellows is hiding out in a cliff side cabin, terrified her past is about to catch up to her. When the power goes out, Megan is in for one hell of a night.

Told in equal parts past and present, we learn Megan and her best friend Cat made a couple of big mistakes one fateful night that ended in disaster. The scene was tense and I had to put the book down a couple of times, unsure if I wanted to go on. Admittedly, I skimmed 'the scene' and pushed on, only for it to get way worse. This scenario is my worst nightmare and I was not prepared for it. Jumping back to present day, the intensity did not let up right till the end.

I really enjoy Sarah Goodwin's writing style. Her stories are original and flow easily from one uneasy situation to the next gut churning situation. However, you have to suspend belief astronomically to make this story make sense. The last couple of chapters bored me to tears and should've been cut back. I'm all for revenge is a dish best served cold but this was such a stretch.

The start of this book kept me super engaged. It was fast paced and super thrilling. I wanted more and more! However, the ending fell flat a bit for me. It also seemed a bit repetitive and the constant talking about guilt that Megan had. It was the same thought over and over again.

I also thought it was especially far fetched. The “twist” had been done way too many times. There was no shock factor at all.

The book gets 3 stars because of the first 60%. Otherwise, this would have been a complete miss for me. I will however continue to read Sarah’s books because I LOVED Stranded.

This was a 5star, 4 star & 3 star all in one. Absolutely loved the beginning and thought this was going to be one of my top reads of the year. However Meg is absolutely useless and for me not the most likeable, all the preparation she had made is like something out of The Famous Five or Home Alone.
*SPOILER*
How handy that the two police officers just happened upon her and Cat in the middle of nowhere with some handy GHB to hand. Scarlet out for revenge for the death of her sister just stands randomly by whilst her colleague rapes dead or dying women.
It progressively goes downhill. I did finish it as wanted to find out the conclusion but from such a strong start it ended up being boring.
Thank you NetGalley & Sarah Goodwin for an advanced copy of this book.

Another brilliant read from Sarah Goodwin. She knows exactly how to draw you into a story and keeps you gripped until the very end.