This is a standalone physiological novel set during a bkackiut. The atoey is told over multiple timelines which cime together nicely. The interwoven story compells you to carry on listening as you want to find out how things turn out
The narrator does q good job of different characters in places lacks la bit of emotion and tension which took me out of the story.. some of the plot feels a bit too far fetched but its essence is reality.
A good solid l4 star listen really quick

This started out strong and really gripped me and had my attention wholeheartedly for the first 1/4. It has a dual storyline which I do like in a read but it jumped around a lot and without warning. Then the middle section slowed it down and was engaging enough but it was only ok. But when it came to the last 1/4 of the listen it just got silly and extremely unbelievable and it lost my interest completely. It really lost the fast pace and became long winded and repetitive. Character wise you have a good mix of likeable and unlikeable but none that I could say I really connected with. Unfortunately it just was to far fetched for me and then the ending is very abrupt and your left hanging 🤷‍♀️.

2.5/5 🌟🌟/🌟

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review #TheBlackout

I listened to this as an audiobook and finished it within a few days - it really kept me interested and was full of suspense.

Meg and Cat are on a night out in Bristol when they run out of money to get home and are followed. Sally is living in Norfolk and keeping everyone at arms length when a storm causes a blackout. What happened on that night a year ago, and who is trying to find Sally in the blackout?

The narrative skips from a year ago to the night of the blackout, and I was kept guessing what would happen next. The blackout sections were hugely atmospheric and had Home Alone meets Scream vibes for part of it. The author did a great job at making me hate one of the characters and I liked that the main character was flawed too.

Dropped a star due to the ambiguity of the ending as I needed closure here!

My first Sarah Goodwin book, and I would definitely pick up another in the future.

I love a good stress-inducing novel and this was way up there in my list of hold-your-breath, heart in mouth books.
There seems to be a fashion at the moment for authors drip feeding the back story to the reader, and this is one of those books. A couple of twists along the way lead to your brain having to rework the information it has been given then a final twist shakes it all up again. A good stressful read.

My thanks to Netgalley for my opportunity to listen to the audio version of The Blackout. The narrator was great and there was only one occasion when I wasn't sure if Meg or Scarlet was talking.
With regards to the plot I think this at times went further than a psychological thriller and I almost gave up because I found it too bleak.
I persevered and I mostly found the story line gripping but I can't say I 'enjoyed' it. I found a lot to be too far fetched especially the police aspect, not because they are so respected but the fact this pair supported each other over multiple situations and 'got away' with so much. Craig's response to his crimes was chilling in the extreme and yet sadly, probably true in a world where women ao rarely feel safe.
I was a bit disappointed by the ending too. However, whilst I found the storyline very difficult I do find Sarah Goodwin's writing style excellent, her descriptions of the action were so good the scenes almost played out before my very eyes, which is probably why I found it such a difficult listen.
Overall if you love a thriller and are braver than me, you'll love The Blackout.

Stranded is one of my favourite books of the past couple of years and I had real high hopes for this one as I think Sarah Goodwin is an excellent author but found the story a little confusing with the timeline jump.

An extremely heartbreaking story of a young girl, from her pre-teen days through college to her life up to The Blackout. I know heartbreaking is an unusual way to describe a thriller, but it is truly what I felt throughout the story. The main character, Meg who narrates the story, is mourning the loss of her brother and hiding from life, throwing herself into work cutting hair and hanging out with her best friend, Cat. Meg's lack of nurturing from her mother makes her completely dependent on her brother, so his death is a prominent part of the story. Told through alternating timeframes with each one equally interesting, heartbreaking and scary! You can totally see all this really happening to someone in real life. The author wrote the plot in such detail that I felt like I was there seeing it all unfold, like watching a movie. The description of the crumbling sea cliff cottage makes you feel like you have seen it before.
I loved this book. Some may find it very descriptive, but I felt like it made the story so much better. If you are a fan of Simone St James, you will love this.
Thank you to Avon Books for the gifted ARC copy. All opinions are my own.

The Blackout has more twists and turn than Alton Towers. While I thoroughly enjoyed listening. An awful lot of the story just seemed a little bit jumbled, maybe even far fetched. None the less, it really is an enjoyable read/listen. The story begins with 2 best friends on a night out, on the anniversary of our protagonist’s brothers death. Too much alcohol, a bit of drug use, lost cards, broken phones and empty bank accounts means the girls are walking home in the middle of the night. (Side note, I wonder if the author has been to a club like this or if there is one, damned good business plan) Two men take chase, and the tension mounts, and dips again as they are “rescued” it doesn’t take long for the tension to rise again, and from there you are literally on a rollercoaster of turmoil right to the very end. Where you are left wondering and almost choosing which ending you want.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins U.K. audio for the opportunities to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest review.

**Listened to the audiobook**

I enjoyed the start of this book, but the more the book went on the more confused I got. This book felt like multiple books in one - I felt like Goodwin was trying to do too much with it, and therefore it felt very disjointed. It kind of went all over the place, and not in an interesting page-turner way - more like the author didn't know where the book was going.

The narrator was OK, but I just wasn't enjoying the plot so I didn't enjoy the listening experience.