Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC.

I requested this book because I really liked the write up ‘This is a twisty locked-room thriller for fans of Sarah Pearse, Lucy Foley and Jane Harper that will leave you breathless.’ But this is not an author I’m familiar with.

Meg and Cat take a shortcut home and end up being chased into an abandoned building. We then catch up with Meg a year later as she hides out near a cliff edge.

What happened in that building all those years ago? Who is it that still trying to get to her now?

I liked the start of the book. There was a nice build up of plot as we alternated between the night a year ago and what Meg was up to nowadays. The character of Cat was a great one, I’m sure everyone would want her on their nights out.

However, I really struggled with how negative Meg’s life appeared. The night out goes from bad to worse. Her present life seems really unrealistic and unsustainable. There was no let up of anything positive happening to break that tension.

The locked in element wasn’t as long as you’d expect. But the situation went on and on. I found this difficult because not much happened. Again, the tension never altered which might frustrate some readers.

There were no big surprises in this novel for me. I found it quite predictable. It was a good idea but it just needs a bit of a polish to entertain all readers.

Another great book by Sarah Goodwin. It grips you from the start, keeps you guessing right until the end, and even then, you are left guessing who Meg has become in the new life she has created.....

Great read.

My thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced digital copy in return for an honest review.

After a night out on the town, Meg and Cat are unable to get home and stumble into a girl worst nightmare. After witnessing the awful events Meg is on the run and hoping to never be found. But what happens when the people Meg is running from, finally catch up to her?

The Blackout is a fast and fun read, perfect for cuddling with a blanket during a thunderstorm. The story does jump around a bit with flashbacks and a time skip, but I felt it really help give the full picture as to what was going on. The reader doesn't have to wait until the end of the story for all of the big reveals, which I really enjoyed.

Wow! This was a wild ride and I couldn't put it down once I started! Once again, Sarah Goodwin does not disappoint! The corruption, the guilt, and the fear all intertwine to tell a gripping story! I can't wait to read what she puts out next!

A great cat and mouse story set during a blackout and told through the POV of Megan who is hiding after a traumatic event. It’s told in past and present timelines.
A real page turner, I thoroughly enjoyed it as the storyline kept me hooked with plenty of action and scary situations. I couldn’t put it down.
Overall a brilliantly written thriller that I definitely recommend.
Thanks to #NetGallery @AvonBooksUK for an arc of #TheBlackout by @SarahGoodwin in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Book publishes 31st August 2023.

Sally is hiding out in a cliff top cottage getting by as a cleaner and only befriending the postman and a farm cat. But she hasn’t always been Sally.
Once upon a time she was Megan and Megan made mistakes. Now those mistakes are coming back to haunt Sally.

This is relentless plot which has the reader swaying back and forth in time (a little dizzily at times) but ultimately culminating in a tense and gripping ending. I’m not usually a fan of epilogues but I rather enjoyed the shadiness of this one.

‘When the lights go out, there is nowhere left to hide’ - cover tagline

My thanks to Avon Books U.K. for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Blackout’ by Sarah Goodwin.

In the summer of 2022, friends Meg and Cat have been out drinking and find themselves without any money to get home. They are forced to take a dangerous shortcut and notice that two men are following them. They run for their lives and take refuge in an abandoned building, hoping that help will come. The situation does not go well.

One year later. Attempting to escape the horrors of that fateful night, Meg has left Bristol. She has moved into a dilapidated cottage at the edge of a crumbling sea cliff. She has changed her identity, working low paid jobs for cash-in-hand. She lives in perpetual fear and has barricaded the cottage. One night as a storm rages outside, a blackout plunges the house into darkness. Meg quickly realises that she’s not alone. …. No further details to avoid spoilers.

This was my first experience of Sarah Goodwin’s writing and I was quickly caught up in the story. The narrative moves between events of the past and the present day building up a picture of Meg’s situation including the reasons that she is hiding from her former life. The post blackout events were edge-of-the-seat suspenseful.

Overall, I found ‘The Blackout’ an engaging fast-paced thriller. I certainly am now interested in reading more of Sarah Goodwin’s works.

Not to be missed!!
A real heart pounding thriller, well written characters and one shock after another.
I sat up late and read in one sitting which is not something i have done for a long time.
One of the best i have read in a while.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.
This would make a fantastic movie.

Honestly, I did not really like this book. There were no twists or shocks. It was kinda boring I did read it very quickly, but the characters had no depth. Not a big fan of cat and mouse themes.

📚 ARC Review 📚

I was offered an ARC of Sarah Goodwin's new thriller The Blackout and while this is a new author to me I was intrigued by the blurb.

Meg and Cat are getting ready for a girls night out. Its the anniversary of Meg's brother death and a night out with a few drinks should help Meg forget for a while. The night gets a little messy and takes a shocking turn when the girls are out of cash and have to walk home. Traumatised by what happens on their homeward journey, Meg runs. We find her a year on living in an abandoned cottage on the edge of a cliff. Literally on the edge!

I wasn't expecting this to be such a gripping and propulsive thriller, but once I started this book I just couldn't put it down. The story unfolds over several timelines and I enjoyed being drip fed information in this way as it keeps me guessing.

I also loved the atmospheric setting of the cottage. It felt dangerous and creepy, especially during the blackout. The Epilogue was very clever, although
it did take me a minute to figure out.

Just one little spoiler for the animal lovers out there. The cats in this book are unarmed so you can read this without fear.

Thank you to @Netgalley and @avonbooks for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

A night out in Bristol turns into a nightmare for Meg and Cat, two friends who spent their cab money and had to walk home. They decide to take a shortcut and see two men following them. They run to get away only to find even worse trouble awaiting them....

This book is told in two timelines showing the past when the two friends must walk home after spending all their money and in the present. I found the beginning of the book to be very atmospheric as the two friends were walking home.

There is a fair amount of tension, dread, and mounting danger in the book. I was intrigued by the synopsis, but this book never fully won me over. The book felt choppy at times. I had an ARC and at times, in the beginning of the book, had to figure out what timeline was being told. There are sections that say a certain time leading up to the blackout. After my initial confusion, things flowed better for me, and it was then easy to follow.

There is a mystery as to why some of the things are happening in the book. As readers are given more information, things become clearer (at least they did for this reader). Unfortunately, this explanation was not enough to make the book more enjoyable for me.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #AvonBooks for the ARC #TheBlackout by #SarahGoodwin. This book had non stop drama and a deadly game of cat and mouse. I would recommend this book.

Having read both Stranded and The Resort by Sarah Goodwin I hoped for another good read and was not disappointed.
There were many several twists in this book and at times it was quite emotionally hard to read with the things that Meg had had to go through in her life. Having survived several traumatic events and trying to live a quiet life under the radar, her past catches up with her.
What an emotional rollercoaster! A great read!
Thank you to Netgalley, Avon Books UK and Sarah Goodwin.

I must admit that drugs and revenge aren't typically my preferred subjects to delve into, but with the support of my fellow book enthusiasts, I found myself surprisingly engaged with this novel.

The storyline evoked a genuine sense of empathy for the characters and their struggles. As the events unfolded, I couldn't help but feel sorry for everything they went through. The author's skillful storytelling made their experiences relatable and heartrending, despite the challenging themes.

What really stood out to me was the fast-paced nature of the narrative. The plot moved at a rapid clip, and the suspenseful twists and turns kept me eagerly turning the pages. This brisk tempo injected a sense of urgency and excitement into the story, making it a real page-turner.

Despite my initial reservations about the subject matter, I'm glad I gave this book a chance. It's a testament to the power of skilled writing that can make even challenging topics accessible and captivating. In the end, I discovered a novel that balances an emotionally charged plot with a gripping pace, resulting in a read that's both thought-provoking and exhilarating

This was a new author for me and I really enjoyed the first half of the book, It was intriguing why Meg was leading such a solitary life and who she was hiding from. I liked the early scenes of Meg and Cat and the first hour of the blackout was excellent, how she had planned where to hide and I really got the fear when the people finally found her. But after that I felt that's when things got silly.
I am not a fan of chase scenes, especially one where a character goes through every trauma imaginable but still comes back to fight another day. I skimmed through the last couple of chapters as things were just so unbelievable. I have to admit I loved the epilogue though!

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review. I always enjoy Sarah Godwin’s books and The Blackout was just as good. A really suspenseful read that kept me turning the pages to find out how it ended. I found myself really routing for Meg at times, even though I knew she wasn’t an innocent party. A brilliantly engaging thriller that had my heart in my mouth at times. Highly recommended and I gave it a high 4 stars.

I felt like I was dropped in the middle of a story without any foundation and couldn't gain any traction no matter how much I read. Chaotic and disjointed, imo.

So good! Different timelines helped keep the uncertainty and and thrilling unknown of the novel. Loved the final twist and how it incorporated throughout the main story.

Missing money, no phone and the only choice Meg and Cat have is to walk home. A drunken night that, so often, would have no ill-effects other than a hangover. On this occasion, the girls are followed. They hide in an abandoned house. When the police turn up, we expect them to be safe. Unfortunately, those meant to protect them have their own agenda.
We’re not, initially, sure what happened to Cat. We see Meg trying to survive in an old cottage in Cornwall, desperate to stay under the radar and worried that someone is hunting her.
A blackout is the setting for the main part of our story where Meg’s past catches up with her. As we follow her through the night, we learn why she feels such guilt, what she’s running from and just what she’s prepared to do to survive.
With Stranded being a 5 star read for me, I had high hopes. I was disappointed. With characters that I felt little compassion for (apart from the initial victim), there was a disconnect throughout my reading of this. The basis for Meg’s behaviour came from a position of vulnerability, but that doesn’t justify many of her decisions. We know, sadly, that there are police like Craig…but linking him to Scarlett and her vendetta felt like an attempt to brush under the carpet the ramifications of such behaviour by those we should trust.
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this before publication. I’ll have to chalk this one up to experience, and keep my fingers crossed for Goodwin’s next offering.

This is a good read.
During a night out, Meg and Cat's luck takes turn for the worse when they have to walk home as they have no money. Taking a shortcut they become aware of two men following them so they hide in an abandoned building. Tragedy strikes, resulting in Cat's death and Meg escapes to a remote cottage on a cliff overlooking the sea.
A year passes, and a storm hits the village where she's staying causing a complete blackout. Stranded and isolated, Meg is scared, and has every reason to be.
The different timelines were very confusing as they were not clearly marked in the ARC I received.
A good thriller but a bit slow paced.
Thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.