The Trade Off is the story of Stella, deputy editor at the Globe, and Jess, a rookie reporter. We see both characters struggle with the cost of getting the perfect story, the concept of truth in reporting, and the (male-driven) power dynamics in a newsroom.

The reading experience was uneven - at times I was very invested, and at other points I found myself hoping for a twist soon because it was a little tedious. The character development was good, although without revealing too much about where the story ends up, I wished for a bit more depth from Stella - I ended up caring a lot more about Jess than about her. Narration on the audiobook was excellent.

I am on the fence about whether I would recommend this book. I think if you are OK with a slower-paced, suspenseful book, you may really enjoy this. But if you are expecting a twisty/turny fast-paced thriller, this is not going to do it for you.

Stella will do anything to get a story. Jess only wants the truth printed. This novel follows the POV from both Jess and Stella and we follow how each of them reports stories for “The Globe”.

But when you do bad things, then they catch up to you eventually, and you or others may be in danger. In fact, when you mess with peoples lives, sometimes the unthinkable happens and they die or perhaps they fight back.

I enjoyed this audiobook. The narrator’s portrayed Jess and Stella perfectly. I love when they have different narrator’s for different characters. I liked the “journalist” aspect, that was something that is different than what I usually read. I enjoyed the woman empowerment!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC audiobook.

Trigger warnings: sexual assault

4ish stars

This one wasn’t what I expected. I had anticipated more of a thriller/mystery story when, in reality, it was more of a suspenseful drama. It was enjoyable, and the book explored some significant social and workplace issues in more depth than I had imagined it would based on the description. All in all, it was a thoughtful and interesting story.

Jess can’t believe her luck when she lands a job at The Globe. But she is quickly pulled into the dark underside of the media by her boss, Stella. When a new friend pays the ultimate price after The Globe posts a salacious story about her, Jess can’t keep quiet any longer. However, her quest to expose Stella and The Globe for their dirty tricks could cost her life.

This book is fast paced and suspenseful. Jess is strong if naive and Stella is interesting and complicated. Both women undergo transformations of their own throughout the story. It is impossible to know which of the major players at The Globe can be trusted. The shifting alliances and twists throughout the story will keep you on your toes.

The alternating perspectives in the novel are voiced by Nathalie Buscombe, Sandie Jones and Sofie Engstrand. All three women did an excellent job of bringing their characters to life.

This isn’t really a mystery in the way of most psychological thrillers or even the other book I read by the author. It felt like a fiction book about the newspaper industry and, though there were things you that were held back from the reader, I don’t think I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a mystery.

The Trade Off by Sandie Jones

⚠️ Trigger warning ⚠️ discussion of sexual assault throughout the novel ⚠️

This story takes place in London at a tabloid newspaper called The Globe. The story is told from the point of view of two women - Stella and Jess. I cannot say I cared for any of the characters in the book but I think that is a credit to the author and shows her skill - I kept reading and needed to know how it all ended! There were a few twist and turns and a few times I found myself rewinding the chapter because I was shocked by what I heard!

I recommend the audiobook because the narration was fantastic. The voice actors did a great job and were very pleasant to listen to!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the digital advanced readers copy!! I received a complimentary copy of this book. The book was published on August 15, 2023!

If you liked Evelyn Hugo, Did You Hear About Kitty Karr, or Good, Bad, Girl, you will enjoy this as well! It’s all about how far journalists will go to protect what’s important to them and get a story. In The Trade Off, two newspaper journalists have opposing views of what’s important to them — personal growth vs moral standards, and neither one of them are backing down on standing up for their beliefs while chasing the biggest stories and celebrity gossip. It makes you think twice about believing Everything you read in the newspaper and magazines.

TW: Language, sexism, bullying, family drama, sex scenes, sexual assault, cheating, drugs, drinking

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:For Stella, deputy editor of The Globe , the choice has always been clear. It doesn’t matter how low she has to stoop―getting the best story is what she’s built her reputation on.

For Jess, The Globe ’s rookie reporter, the story stops when the truth does. But she knows that the dirty tricks of the tabloids will be hard to overturn.

And when a celebrity is hounded by The Globe and pays the ultimate price, Jess wonders just how much Stella and the paper are responsible.

Determined to show the world what the tabloid is capable of, Jess will do whatever it takes to uncover the truth, but she needs to watch her back, because someone else is prepared to kill to bury it.
Release Date: August 15th, 2023
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 304
Rating: ⭐

What I Liked:
1. I enjoyed the writing style

What I Didn't Like:
1. Plot line got a bit boring
2. Very heavy on the reporter side
3. Pretty dry and boring

Overall Thoughts:
This book reminded me so much of Apple's The Morning Show. Two women go head to head; old vs new.

I liked getting the side of the reporters that talked about how stars would need them. Also how celebrates owed it to them to talk to them. The entitlement was so crazy. Getting the side of the Brittish Media and what they are allowed to do.

I did find it a little on the less exciting side of books. I didn't care enough about the characters to pay attention to who was who. I was bored.

Final Thoughts:
I dnfed this at page 100. I kept reading and I could not believe I was only on page 100. I felt like I had been reading this book and got so much further. Unfortunately I just didn't end up caring about the subject.

Recommend For:
• Stories about stars
• Reporter pov's
• Multiple pov's

IG | Blog

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

📰📰📰📰
THE TRADE OFF focuses on two reporters working for The Globe with very different moral compasses. An intense and emotional novel about tabloid journalism and how far some reporters will go to get the best story. An intricate blend of ruthless and respectable journalists.

The tabloid magazines are in the checkout aisle at almost every store. Scandalous pictures and shocking news splashed on the cover to grab our attention. How much of it is true and how many lies have they told?

Stella is the deputy editor of The Globe. She’s fantastic at her job and it’s her life. She’ll do anything to get the best story she can.

Jess can’t believe her luck when she’s hired as a rookie reporter. This is a big step up for her. Her main focus is on doing the right thing and reporting the truth. But as she’s learning the ropes of tabloid journalism, she discovers how brutal and unethical it can be. After a story ends in tragedy, Jess vows to reveal The Globe for its dishonesty and deception.

The audiobook uses multiple narrators, which emphasizes the distinct personalities of the characters. Because the narrators are so extraordinary, I feel like this is more entertaining as an audiobook!

Sincere thanks to Macmillan Audio for providing this complimentary audiobook through NetGalley. As always, all opinions are my own and are being left voluntarily.

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Jess is starting a new job as a reporter for the Globe. What she didn’t expect when she started was the fact that her coworkers will do whatever it takes to land a story, even if it means bending the truth.

Told in the perspective of Stella and Jess, this story takes you through just a couple instances where what the Globe reported was not fully factual.

I listened to this on audiobook format and I enjoyed the narration. Both narrators did a good job with portraying the characters thoughts and emotions.

Overall this story was okay, but was not my favorite. It had some suspense, but the characters were just not very likable for me. I was not really rooting for any of them. There was some moments where I had to keep listening immediately to figure out what was happening, but overall this fell flat for me.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC!

The Trade Off by a Sandie Jones was one that I wanted to like but it was very difficult for me to listen to and finish. There were so many times when I wanted give up on this books.

A slow moving book with unlikeable characters and a plot that I was not really interested in

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

“The Trade Off” is a fascinating thriller set in the world of tabloid journalism. I spent the first part of the book confused because there are so many characters—the journalists at the center of the story and their families/friends—plus the celebrities, politicians, and criminals (these categories are not mutually exclusive) that they cover. It took a few chapters for me to be able to keep them straight because there is a lot going on. Ultimately, this complexity and the layering of different stories created a fabulous story, but I did have to concentrate to figure out who was who and what was going on. The chapters alternate between the perspectives of veteran journalist/deputy editor Stella and new hire Jess. I loved the different voices that narrated them on the audiobook. Jess offers a wide-eyed and incredulous response to the underhanded tactics of the newspaper she now works for, while Stella will do anything for a good story and to promote her reputation. I liked how these characters developed as the story unfolded and I was totally engaged by the end of the book. The book is fast paced and interesting—and readers will learn more about the media than they anticipate (for better or worse!). Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this audiobook.

Jess has just been hired by the globe. She is their newest, rookie reporter. This is her dream job. But she soon realizes the unethical and dangerous tactics that The Globe uses to to get a story is not her idea of news. Jess decides to reveal all the dirty secrets but this may just be the death of her.

This story has quite a few corrupt, degenerate and viscous characters. And this is one of the reasons I did not enjoy it as well as many other readers. The underhanded and atrocious deeds got a little old for me. But, this story does get better the further you go along, especially surrounding Jess. Jess starts off a bit mousy but she comes into her own in a big way! You will need to read this to find out.

The narrators, Nathalie Buscombe and Sofia Engstrand had excellent tone for all the bad people in this book! They are probably the reason I stuck with it! Sandie Jones read the prologue to this novel. And I love a book where the author has a hand in the narration. It always adds to the realness of the tale.

Need a story about the British media…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

This was a story that explores the #MeToo movement and women’s empowerment. The press is a powerful beast and unfortunately full of scandal and exploitation.

While a little of a slow burn to start, it certainly picks up in the second half! I really enjoyed knowing that Jones had a background herself in journalism and it made it feel truly authentic. I also really liked that she narrated the audiobook herself!

I’d say this was a bit more of a suspense than a thriller but enlightening nonetheless!

3.5 stars rounded to 4

The Trade Off by Sandie Jones
Narrated by Nathalie Buscombe, Sandie Jones, & Sofia Engstrand
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Published: August 15, 2023

The Trade Off by Sandie Jones is the first book I've read by the author and I mostly enjoyed it. I thought the beginning moved a little slow, but when it started moving, it really started moving. (I thought I was reading "Women's fiction" for the first half of the book and was kinda confused.)

The last half(ish) of the book was really intense and I loved it! If you can get through the stage setting and character introduction stuff I think you'll enjoy it too!

I did think it was interesting that the book was told from the perspective of both Jess and Stella. It kept things interesting!

I thought the narration by Nathalie Buscombe, Sandie Jones, & Sofia Engstrand was spectacular!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was my 1st book by Sandie Jones but it will not be my last! This book was a wild ride and had a couple of twists that I didn't see coming! And if real-world journalism is even close to this dirty and underhanded we live in a sad, sad world! I love that Jess & Stella finally came together in the end and got some shit done!

Thank you to Macmillan, the author and Netalley for the ARC

All opinions are solely my opinion.

2 out of 5 stars.

Going in I believed I was in for a suspenseful thriller mystery, that's not not what I took away from it.
We dive into the sleazy world of tabloid reporting in London with Stella, a veteran do anything for the story reporter and Jess the naive newcomer reporting to the new editor Max. Will Stella convert Jess into blurring the ethical lines or will they work together to expose the patriarchy running the machine? The book delves into topics that top todays social media site; workplace discrimination, Metoo movement, imbalance of power all the buzzwords.

I felt more I was reading a social engineering textbook not a suspense novel. Intertwining the two could have worked, has worked for me before. However, I just couldn't get to that point with this one. Subtlety goes far, this was not that.

I hope others enjoy it more than I.

Pacing was too slow for my taste.

I wasn't able to immerse myself in the story and I didn't care about any of the characters.

Overall not for me.

***Thank you to NetGalley, Sandie Jones, and Macmillan Audio for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

Be careful what you wish for…when Jess gets the chance of a lifetime to be a rookie writer at The Globe, the country’s best selling paper, she thinks she’s made it. The only problem is she just doesn’t play be the same rules as the others. Her morals won’t allow it. Stella, deputy editor, along with the Editor, Max, will get the story by any means, even if the story isn’t exactly true. Lives are ruined and there are some that are out for revenge. The dirty tricks Jess sees makes her want to quash the stories and soon she’s ready to walk away. That is until a story goes south and causes utter devastation. The Globe and its practices are called to attention and Stella is left trying to dig herself out from the debris. Is there any hope for Jess to turn things around or is it way too late to change hearts and minds? Jones has written another compelling book that takes us behind the scenes of tabloid journalism. This was a dual read/listen and I really enjoyed the voices on the audio. They added a whole new dimension and helped bring this story to life. Thank you to Minotaur books, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an ARC and ALC of this book.

The story was really good here but I had such a hard time paying attention and that is 100% a me problem. I loved the dual narrators and how they expressively told the story. Their emotions hit at the exact right times and emphasized when needed.

I enjoyed getting a glimpse into the world of journalism from an author who has experience in that world. I knew the world of journalism was a dirty game but listening to this story was eye opening. I loved seeing two women go from potential enemies to “friends” in a short time frame and the ending was something I saw coming although I enjoyed the ride in getting there. Jess was a character I really enjoyed as she started to attempt to take down the corrupt people in print. Stella was a character I grew to like which surprised me!

I will probably pick this up to read through a physical copy to see if I missed anything on audio but this was a great listen for my long car rides the past few weeks!