A good read, very gripping and a good cast of characters. Slightly claustrophobic as a lot of the plot happens in one place but that just adds to the tension. Good twists too.

This was a pretty standard thriller, nothing amazing but did have enough drama and intrigue to keep me engaged, I did find it a bit predictable but overall it was ok

i was really excited to read this book, but it archieved and now i cant download it im now planning on buying the book.

Louise receives an invitation to her old friend Amy's birthday weekend away. They are going to stay in a cottage near the woods where they went to university. Fifteen years prior to this Hannah walked into the woods and never came back. Her friends have not met up since. Until now.

This was your average thriller. Nothing spectacular but just about everything you would expect from your standard thriller.

The story follows the main characters, Amy, Kat Daisy and Louise on their weekend away. I found the group of girls hard to like throughout the book and didn't find myself connecting with them in any way. Maybe a stronger character development would have been good?

The writing was good. The first half of the book was slightly slow. I wasn't gripped from the get go which is what I think this thriller lacks maybe. However, the second half really peaked and I was immersed in the plot. Sadly the ending was just not for me and I felt it was all a bit messy and rushed.

Overall, it's an okay thriller with a few twists and turns. I would be interested to see what the author comes up with next!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookoture for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Full review to come on Instagram and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

This was a quick and easy read and one of my favourite thriller genres - a closed room thriller.

Lou and her three uni friends are getting together for Amy’s 35th birthday in a remote cottage Amy has inherited near their university, and where their friend Hannah committed suicide.

The get together however has an ulterior motive as further evidence has come to light and her suicide might not be as it seemed.

I did enjoy this and I whizzed through it, although I would’ve liked to have known more about the characters themselves as it was only really skimmed over.

The crux of the story was about what really happened to Hannah so I suppose that’s why.

There were a few twists along the way which I didn’t guess for a change!

Well the plot was what got me. It was disappointing though in some areas as I guessed who did it quite easily. The first half of the book was very slow and a bit all over the place. I found it to be predictable.

Reading Between the Wines book review #74/115 for 2021:
Rating: 4 🍷 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book 📱: The Birthday Weekend
Author: Lesley Sanderson
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
RELEASED on December 18, 2020!!!
Recommended to readers who like a good frenemy mystery thriller.

Sipping thoughts: This book was a quick, easy but good read. I loved the “friendship” dynamic. I liked the fact that we knew there was a secret and that everyone was not being honest about what they knew and what happened. This book gave me a little bit of Pretty Little Liar vibes. I do not think it was a stretch to guess what happened, but I was happy with the how and why. There are characters that were so unlikable that you wanted to slap them around. I definitely think you should pick this book up if you are looking for a quick thriller mystery based off of friendship, secrets, lies, and jealousy.

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley, @lesleysandersonauthor and @Bookouture for an advanced copy of @TheBirthdayWeekend

#LesleySanderson #TheBirthdayWeekend #Bookouture #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThriller

*thank you to Netgalley, Lesley Sanderson and Bookouture for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*


2 stars

Unfortunately this wasn't my kind of story. I found the whole friendship gathering, girl talk uninteresting as I'm a big introvert, so this didnt appeal to me at all.

I also found it to be very slow paced and it felt like the story started in the middle of an actual story which I also struggled with because I couldn't get that connection to the characters.

Even by the half way mark, I felt nothing has happened and it was all about the girls catching up and gossiping. I was bored.

But saying all that, I would like to give this author another try and I think the new title for this book is more fitting than the original in the ARC copy, which was 'Our Little Secret.'

BOOK REVIEW 📚📚. For some reason, I’m unable to find the book on netgalley to review it 🤷🏽‍♀️😭.

When a group of university friends meet up after a number of years ..... what answers will they get, regarding their friend who died. 📚. Took me a bit to get into the book but after a few chapters I was hooked and needed to know what happens next!! 4 stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ from me .

I’ve read books by this author before and love her books.

http://bookstagramshaz/instagram

This was a very thrilling read, and there was twists and turns galore. I really enjoyed the book, can't wait for the next one.
Recommended.
TB

Even though the story largely belongs to Louise, the author does a terrific job of creating a foreboding feeling that emanates from each of the four main characters. Collectively, that’s a powerful force in this book. Each of the women has something to hide. The author also does a great job of laying the groundwork for a major event that is the catalyst for the women’s choices. I know that sounds convoluted, but I don’t want to give away plot points by mentioning specifics. And it’s not at all confusing in the plot itself. The only thing that kept this from being five stars for me was the way the author sometimes shifted timeframes. It made the most sense in relating all of the events, but it was sometimes jarring, and I had to stop to realize I was in the past. But the climax of the plot was mostly surprising and wrapped it all up. I’ll continue to read books by this author. For a full review, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a digital ARC of the book.

This book was sent to me as an ARC on NetGalley. However all opinions are of my own.
Unfortunately, this book was archived before I was able to read it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the eARC of the Birthday Weekend by Lesley Sanderson.

Amy, Daisy, Kat, and Louise reunite after fifteen years of separation to celebrate Amy’s birthday. It’s also a weekend to reminisce about their friend Heather, who disappeared all those years ago and was never talked about again.

This book really didn’t work for me. It felt like the author was trying to build suspense where there was none. Instead it was repetitive with back-and-forth dialogue that felt out of place. Parts of the book felt forced and I figured out what happened pretty early in the story. I will admit, however, I was pleasantly surprised at the twist at the end. I didn’t see that coming!

Kept trying to get into this one but it just wasn’t for me. Thank you for the opportunity to read. (Star rating for fairness since didn’t complete)

A twisty story of an old college friend Amy invites Louise to her birthday party in the same area her friend Hannah disappeared in. The get together is more of a reunion and Louise is dreading what she just may find out what happened to Hannah. A gripping, suspenseful story.
Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the advance.

3 for neutral. Unfortunately this book did not download, but will buy and update review once I read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the arc of the birthday weekend by Lesley Sanderson.

3 stars- This follows a group of old friends in which reunite after a whole mere 15 years!! When they was younger one of their friends hannah went missing and then was found dead.. then friendships were lost... Now there gonna all spend a weekend together due to the fact it is one of their birthdays, This is told through one of the friends called Louise's perspectives, Louise was Hannah's best friend back in college before she disappeared. The weekend will be hard for all of them but it needs to happen, to help with their trauma.. As they try and unravel there are twists and turns in the making..,

3 stars! ⭐⭐⭐ great read, recommend.

This was absolutely an entertaining, gripping story. I was saving the book for a naughty cozy afternoon, and Lesley Sanderson’s writing pulled me in. I tell ya, the lady was crafty with her words. She lured me.

4 friends met up after 15 years, and it was time to put to rest the spirit of an old friend, Hannah. But playing Truth Or Dare brought out more questions than answers.

The book started slow, and as a plot arc, it seemed most familiar. But as the pages turned, with tiny things coming to light about their dead friend, I got to know the dynamics of the group.

I liked how the author didn’t make these friends syrupy sticky, to begin with, during their college days. There was an ebb and flow to them, moments when they were close to one above the others, as it often happened in a group. At least it happened in my group of girls.

The last one third was explosive and curiosity really killed this cat, as I desperately wanted to know what happened to Hannah. It was quite an invigorating read. I played the part of a voyeur as I got more gossip than I intended.

So I would say, an afternoon well spent looking into the lives and minds of these women and a killer.

This story is told mainly by Louise .
Amy invites her university friends to a party to celebrate her 35th Birthday and also she has got the all clear from cancer.
They are also there to remember their university friend Hannah who committed suicide but new evidence is uncovered and the police now believe she was murdered.
Each one of them is hiding a secret .
But is one of them a murderer.
A great read
Thanks. NetGalley