The Weekend Away by Miranda Smith
Narrated by Madeline Pell

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

My sister died. Her friends lied. And now I’m going to learn the truth…

A year ago, my twin sister Samantha left me a message: I need you.

A day later, she was dead. I always knew it was suspicious, but no one would listen.

But I’ve just found her journal, tucked into a hidden space in the window seat of our childhood bedroom. It shows who her best friends really are: the fraud. The liar. The cheat. The crush.

Now, they’re all together on a weekend away, in a beautiful wood-panelled cabin in the mountain. And I’m going too. One of them killed her, and I’m going to prove it.

But am I ready for the answers I’m seeking? Because I soon realize that my sister had dark secrets too…

And when fire breaks out on the mountain, leaving us trapped, I must decide: what will I risk to get justice for Samantha? Because finding the truth might cost me my life…

My Opinion

This is a great book to read over a weekend. With a tense, gripping plot there is something for everyone. Miranda Smith starts this book with a strong start to hook the reader and manages to hold that attention to the very end. Sienna tags along on a trip to remote cabin to find out the truth about what happened to her twin sister. A real page turner, as you will read on trying to find out what really happened. For me, this was a great introduction to Miranda Smith's writing.

Rating 4/5

A definite page turner. Had me thinking from the beginning of the book! Never expected the ending . Enjoyed the read!

The Weekend Away is the perfect book to read on vacation up in the mountains. I love stories about cabins in the woods. Miranda Smith has crafted another touching yet gripping book that had me on the edge of my seat. This audiobook was addictive, atmospheric and full of secrets and lies. Highly recommend for lovers of suspense and big twists!!

I enjoyed the story line and plot. There are parts where it was but difficult to follow. I did enjoy the writing style and overall I did enjoy the book.

The Weekend Away
by Miranda Smith
Narrated by Madeline Pell

The Weekend Away sucked me in right from the beginning and didn't stop until the very end. There were a few slow parts, but thanks so Madeline Pell's narration and Miranda Smith's development of Sierra, I didn't mind. Sienna's twin sister has been dead for about a year now. It was ruled a suicide. Samantha's diary that Sienna's found makes her think that the police were wrong. So when she's invited to a weekend away with Samantha's group of friends, for a kind of remembrance weekend, Sienna decides to go and find out what really happened to her sister. There are so many different suspects and it's kept me guessing until the very last twist.

I really enjoyed this one and it was an easy listen. Thanks to NetGalley, Ms. Smith and Bookouture for the chance to listen to and review this ARC!

Enjoyable. The characters were well developed and it kept me wanting to read more and more. Pleasantly surprised. Will definitely read this author again.

3.5 Stars

Sienna's receives a text message from her twin sister Samantha that says "I need you." A day later she was found dead. It was ruled an accident but Sienna knows there is more to the story. A year later she is on a weekend getaway in the mountains with Samantha's closet friends to memorialize her. Sienna has other motives for attending . She has found her sister's journal and knows that her death was more than an accident. Will she find the answers she is seeking or will her own life be put in danger?

This book sucked me in from the get go, but started to fall flat a little way in. I felt like the characters could have used a little more development. Overall I enjoyed it and it did pick back up. I think i might have enjoyed it more if I would have read it vs. the audio version because I just didn't jive with the narrator.

Thanks NetGalley for and ARC.

Really enjoyed this. Although did find it a bit slow at places. Nice plot. Enjoyed the characters & narration.

This was an audiobook read for me, and I enjoyed both the story and the narration. Broad overview: The main character's twin sister died under somewhat mysterious circumstances a year before and she joins the friends and coworkers of her sister on a weekend away to remember and honor her. Before embarking on the trip, she comes across some information that makes her believe her sister's death wasn't an accident after all.

The pacing of this book was really good - Miranda Smith keeps the suspense high but not frantic throughout the story. I really enjoyed her writing style, and the narrator did a great job.

This is a solid 4.5 star read/listen for me. Not quite five-star simply because I've already forgotten half the characters' names after a couple of weeks, but I'd definitely recommend it for a thriller loving reader.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 stars
Happy publication to Miranda Smith and The Weekend Getaway! Thank you to Miranda Smith, Bookouture Audio, and NetGalley ( @netgalley ) for allowing me to read an ALC (Advanced Listener 🎧 Copy) for an honest review!

📅 Wednesday, October 4, 2023 was the pub date for The Weekend Getaway. The narrator🎙️for this audiobook 🎧 is Madeline Pell. 📅

The perfect setting for a thriller always seems to be a cabin in the woods with little cell reception and very few neighbors.

Sienna’s twin sister, Samantha, left her a message stating that she needed help but Samantha died before Sienna could help or learn why her sister may have been in danger. Sienna suspected foul play from the beginning and was determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. She knew she was on the right path when she discovered Samantha’s hidden journal.

A year after Samantha’s death, her sister and best friends come together in what they believe to be a celebration of life and remembrance of grief. However, Sienna only attends the weekend getaway to learn more about who might have been involved in her sister’s death. Was Samantha’s boyfriend cheating on her? Were her friends jealous, in turn wanting a larger stake in the company they built together? Does the man renting the cottage know Sienna? Had Samantha been to the cottage before? So many suspicions. And, so many mysteries to unravel.

This book is perfect to for the reader that loves…
🏠 A cabin in the woods with the forced proximity of six friends.
🔪 A good whodunnit mystery.
📚 Multiple characters of interest.
🌀Twists, turns, and surprises.
🧩Solving small pieces of the larger puzzle.
😱An element of fear.

This was a very quick read, I got through the entire book in two days. I was actually surprised by the revelation of the killer. The flashbacks set the scene and gave us great backstories making everyone a suspect. I was middle of the road on how I felt about most of them.

While this one was a little bit of a slow burn, I was invested from the start. I was quite often yelling at Sienna for her poor choices, but going off to a cabin in the woods with her sister's friends who might be keeping secrets about her death kept me on the edge of my seat.

Trying to decipher what the diary meant as she also dealt with the lies her sister's friends were feeding her kept me wanting more.

I was lucky enough to both listen and read this one and thought Madeline Pell did an excellent job of letting the story shine while she narrated the book.

If you are looking for a book about friendship, lies and deceit, then you need this one!

Narrated by Madeline Pell ⭐⭐
I wasn't a fan of this narrators voice

⭐⭐⭐
While the initial concept of the book showed promise, my overall experience with it was less enjoyable. The characters lacked depth, and the pacing was a bit sluggish, resulting in an overall mediocre reading experience.

This is my first time trying this author and I would try another book but probably wouldn't buy this one for a friend. I'd would still recommend it,just because I didn't love it doesn't mean my reading buddies won't.

The Weekend Away. Enticed by the title and drawn in by the cover. It started well, the girl and her parents had me interested from the very beginning. The story was OK, entertaining enough to listen to the whole thing, short enough to be an easy read. Narration was OK. A solidly OK book. Could have done with a few more twists and turns, maybe a but more substance than the simple plot, but overall ... OK.

The author tried to hard with this title. Instead of saying "if i die" they used "if I perish". The entire story was like this and it just seemed forced. The narration did not flow well either. The story premise was not bad but the storyline could have been carried out better.

“‘You’re accusing us of killing her?’ Matilda asks, outraged. Even that accusation seems strong. There isn’t enough to lead to that conclusion. Yet. But I think all of them are holding something back.”

My sister died. Her friends lied. And now I’m going to learn the truth…

This was a very fast paced read that I was sucked into immediately. How did Samantha, the very successful and beautiful twin to Sienna, wind up dead? Did she kill herself? Was it an accident? Are her friends involved? Sienna is hell bent on finding out.

After finding her sisters journal, she decides to infiltrate her sisters friend group to find answers. And what a wild ride it becomes. You don’t know who to trust, who is telling the truth, or who, if anyone, was truly loyal to Samantha. As the story progresses it seems as if these people weren’t really her friends at all. Or were they? I found myself frequently surprised by the turns and also rooting for Sienna to get to the bottom of this mystery.

The audiobook was great! The narrator did a wonderful job of differentiating the many characters with her tone. She had me fully invested in this murder mystery and all emotional at the conclusion. A great read and a wild ride!

Thank you to @netgalley, @bookouture, #bookoutureaudio, and @mirandasmithbooks for the ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this psychological thriller/mystery, which was wonderfully narrated.

The story is about a woman called Sienna, whose twin sister Samantha died. When she gets invited to a weekend away with Samantha's friends and the people she worked with, at first she does not want to go, but then she decides to go, to see if she can find out what happened to Samantha. She takes with her Samantha's diary, which is filled with lots of shocking secrets. Was it someone who is close to Samantha who killed her? Or was it really just an accident? Will Sienna find out the truth?

This is a great, suspenseful read, which will draw you in and keep you hooked. I really enjoyed it. Highly recommended!

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for an audio arc in exchange for an honest review.

A year ago Sienna's twin sister, Samantha, died after leaving her a mysterious voicemail. The circumstances around her death never sat right with Sienna and she is convinced there is more to the story. When she finds Samantha's hidden journal revealing her friends and coworkers deep secrets Sienna knows one of them was behind her sister's death. She agrees to go along on a weekend away with Samantha's group of friends to question all of their motives and find the truth behind all the lies.

The Weekend Away is a slow burn mystery with a lot of characters and back story. It was fairly predicable and I questioned a lot of Sienna's decisions considering there was a murderer in her midst but the writing style and pacing were enough to keep me engaged. The story is told from the POV of Sienna, Troy (the vacation rental owner) and Samantha's journals. I liked Sienna and Samantha's but found Troy's whole story unnecessary. The relationship with Sienna is forced and thin. Overall this was an okay mystery. I had the audio version read by Madeline Pell.

This is a Who Done It? Thriller set in the Smoky Mountains after a death in the friend group feels a little… fishy.
The plot twisted more than once & made me second guess my own friends.
I listened to this as an audiobook & feel like I might have enjoyed it more as an ebook. The narration missed personality & feeling at times.

Sienna is still grieving the death of her twin sister, Samantha and fails to believe she would ever harm herself. To mark the one year anniversary, Samantha’s close knit group of friends invite her to a weekend away to commemorate her memory. When Sienna arrives she is horrified to see Samantha’s best friend and boyfriend are now a couple. As the weekend progresses, Sienna reveals she has Samantha’s diary and there is some very interesting revelations. Sienna declares someone within the group killed Samantha and will find out who…
A dark thriller that will keep you hooked until the end. With plenty of intrigue and twists, this book build and builds into an explosive finale.