Cover Image: The Weekend Away

The Weekend Away

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Two friends go away on a friends holiday but only one comes down. What a way to grab you. I loved all the twists and turns and couldn’t read it fast enough to find out what happened. A perfect summer read!

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for the advanced e-arc of this book. This was my first Sarah Alderson novel and I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. I love novels with an unreliable narrator and a mystery to solve. This one checks both of those boxes and does both of them well. It had me guessing until the very end. A fast-paced read with a good premise that is executed well.

Was this review helpful?

This was my first Sarah Alderson book and I was hooked from the very beginning! I found Orla to be an interesting but trustworthy character - the complete opposite of Kate. I loved the crazy twists and turns that actually kept me guessing as to who did it...and how it would end.

I highly recommend for anyone searching for a good mystery, with a very fast paced-need-to-finishit-now pace!

Was this review helpful?

I devoured this book in one evening! Then it kept me up all night! The Weekend Away is precisely that, a weekend away, but it’s the worst weekend away you can possibly imagine.

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to NetGalley, publisher and author, for letting me have a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. WOW THIS BOOK! What a fantastic story and narration style. This book kept me glued so bad from beginning to end. There were moments I forgot to breathe. If you call yourself a thriller fan you NEED to read this book and get lost in it. I give it 5 big fat stars. FANTASTIC!

Was this review helpful?

So happy and grateful to receive an advance copy of The Weekend Away by Sarah Alderson via NetGalley.

A belter of a thriller with enough twists and turns to keep me guessing until the very very end!

What starts out as a girly city break between best friends turns into an increasingly dark race through Lisbon with main protagonist Orla. A likeable character with so many relatable traits her naivety had me almost shouting through the pages at her at times and wanting to hug her at others.

Orla’s naivety contrasts excellently with the motley crew of characters we are introduced to along the way, each one as untrustworthy as the next and I found myself wishing Orla had never left home and baby Marlow at all.

An unputdownable book, full of all the shocks, twists and turns fans of the mystery/ thriller genre enjoy so much.

A compelling and absorbing read.

Was this review helpful?

First book of this authors that I have read. I really enjoyed it and all the twists in the storyline. Will be reading more by this author

Was this review helpful?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book. I haven’t had been hooked on a book like this in awhile, Sarah Alderson did a fantastic job at building a slow burn leading to the second half which was twist after twist. The story follows best friends Orla and Katie as they take a girls weekend away to Lisbon Portugal. They start with a night out on the town and from there nothing is the same again. I was left guessing until the end but then she throws you for one more last twist just when you think it’s done.

Was this review helpful?

Orla and Kate go away for the weekend to Lisbon. Best friends for many years, but their lives are different now. Kate is going through a divorce and Oral has a new baby. Orla hoped for a relaxing weekend to spend with her friend, Kate wants to party. When Orla wakes up after the first night and Kate is no where to be seen, her hunt for answers begins.
The plot is involved with plenty of characters making up the story, and each playing a part. It's written very well and despite being a fast paced book it's a gripping read with plenty of twists and turns until the end.

Was this review helpful?

Fun fast thriller of a book! From the first page, you will keep turning until the very end. Lots of twists and turns to keep you interested. Highly recommend!
Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Brilliant book, it kept me guessing the whole way through. I couldnt wait to get to the end to find out who had killed Kate. And nor would i have gotten it right. What an ending and so unexpected!!!

Was this review helpful?

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

This book was a bit predictable and formulaic but it’s very engaging and the characters are like able and fun enough that it keeps you sucked in and turning pages through the plot. Solid 3.

Was this review helpful?

This is a quick read about two friends who seem to like each other but maybe not. The weekend away quickly turns
into a dark menacing vacation with surprises . One friend disappears with the other searching diligently for her. Women and men and problematic relationships, drugs and drinking... this is not a cozy mystery and not one for a reread. However, the reader who enjoys this type of mystery will appreciate the aithor’s gift of surprise.
The language is rough-doesn’t add to the story.

Was this review helpful?

I am a huge fan of Sarah Alderson and this is another brilliant read.

Orla and Kate, best friends for a long time, have ventured away on trips together on numerous occasions even since Orla has been married to Rob and Kate married to Toby. It used to be an annual trip but has not happened for a while. However, this trip is different. Kate is leaving her daughter with husband Rob and Kate is going through a divorce.

They visit Lisbon and the flat they are staying in is beautiful and Kate tells Orla that her soon to be ex-husband, Toby, will be paying for it. The first night they go out for a meal and Kate insists they go clubbing which Orla, now a mother, isn’t keen on. As soon as the pair arrive in the club Kate makes a bee-line for two men who are good looking and well dressed and decides she is taking them back to the flat, despite Orla’s objections.

Orla wakes up the next morning with a thumping headache and little recollection of the previous night. To add to her woes Kate is missing along with her handbag and mobile phone. She tries calling but it goes straight to voicemail and she begins to worry so takes it upon herself to try and find her friend as the police do not seem too interested. She seeks the help of Konstandin, the driver of the Uber which took them to the club. He was probably my favourite character but Orla suspected everyone at various times.

The plot twists and turns and was a thoroughly enjoyable rollercoaster ride. The ending was brilliant; just my sort of final chapter.

Thanks to NetGalley, Avon Books and Sarah Alderson for my ARC in return from my honest review.

Excellent novel. Highly recommended.

Was this review helpful?

I requested this book because I absolutely love psychological thrillers which are set abroad, and this one certainly did not disappoint.

From the very beginning I was sucked in to Orla and Kate's story. The characters felt like real people and I like that the author included enough backstory of the friendship without detracting from the current events of the story. I loved the character of Konstandin. Yes, maybe it was a bit convenient and unlikely that he would step in and help Orla as he did, but he was a lovely character and the romantic in me was hoping they would get together at the end.

I really can't think of anything negative to say about the book, I suppose parts of the plot were a little predictable but I really enjoyed the ride so I don't think it mattered.

Was this review helpful?

Special thanks to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

This novel is about two friends who decided to spend the weekend together because Orla have a baby and felling busy with her so Kate her best friend organised this trip to Lisbon to spent time and have fun like before when they are young but Kate's disappearance will turn everything around.

This is the first novel to me by Sarah Alderson , this novel is so good and fast reading to me , the novel is well written but i am not enjoyed it like i imagine because the story is very ordinary not something special.

To my surprise that this Kate bitch drugged Orla, cheat her with Rob but Orla still searching for her and want to know the whole truth, i loved Konstandin character so much, he is so helpful and kind.

The cover is so good, i adore everything that related with the sea.

Was this review helpful?

This was a really exciting book that was hard to put down. It centers on new mom Orla, who goes on a weekend trip with her best friend Kate, only to wake up the next morning and find Kate missing. The rest of the book digs into their relationship, which is not exactly as it seemed, as well as Orla's mission to find out what happened.

The story was fast paced from the very beginning and had a few surprises that I did not see coming. There were a few things that Orla did that seemed out of scope for her character and what a normal person would do, but for the most part, I was able to empathize with both her decisions and her feelings around them.

The ending did not tie up everything cleanly, but added to the overall feeling of tension throughout the rest of the book, and I thought it worked.

Overall, I'd recommend this book for those who like fast paced mysteries, with a little bit of opportunity to suspend your disbelief. I am looking forward to reading other books by this author.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

"A Weekend Away" is a great, thrilling read that will leave anyone breathless long after the ending!

Alderson does an incredible job in this book - A strong narrator tells the story of a night out gone wrong; and all the twists that follow are simply brilliant!

I can't say much more without ruining the book - but I highly recommend this fast paced thriller! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to take this wild ride!

Was this review helpful?

A great read. I was finding it hard to concentrate and focus on anything other than the Corona virus and thus book grabbed my attention and kept me focused, I loved the main character Orla. This is a thrilling exciting and fantastic read,

Was this review helpful?

I'm a Sarah Alderson fan and this book continued her trend of making me read her books in one sitting.

While there were some overly predictable elements and certain things I felt were a tad convenient, I still couldn't put the book down. I loved the set up of the story and was immediately drawn in by the complicated friendship dynamic of new mom Orla and wild card Kate on vacation in Lisbon.

When Kate disappears I liked how resourceful Orla was, and it never felt like the clues were coming from out of the blue and the investigation followed a logical progression. And even though I guessed some of the twists, I also liked how breadcrumbs were left to guess at these twists instead of having revelations come out of the blue. I do love to be surprised in a thriller, but I also really love it when I can guess at secrets because of well-placed hints and clues.

However, I did think it was a bit convenient that one somewhat random character decided to help Orla hunt down Kate. While this character's backstory was interesting, I thought his big secret was over the top. It seemed like the character could have been as useful as he was without the ultra convenient details of certain aspects of his job. I don't know want to say too much and spoil it though, so this is a bit vague! But I felt like this character could've used a touch more finesse to fit more artfully into the story.

And while I wasn't surprised by a most of the main twists and turns, I still loved the ride. I also the thought the final twist was a nice touch.

Was this review helpful?