Alice and Beth meet because they each have a daughter in the same school. They become friends, share tidbits about their lives and enjoy the camaraderie before their lives take a strange turn. Alice is a hard-working mother who has already lived through the pain of her first husband's death. She is now married to Nathan and he is the perfect man. Things begin to change as they two begin to work on a project in Japan. They each have secrets but after shocking twists, the reader is drawn into a web of deceit and suspicion. I guarantee that you'll never look at people the same way again. I couldn't put the book down until I got to the very end. A moving story with mystery, deceit and plenty of strange moments that were very much like real life. Four stars for this super-charged thriller of a story.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read and review this book. Publication date is June 11, 2019.

I am, sadly, disappointed with this one. The book started off slow - a woman whose first husband died years ago begins to suspect that her new husband is cheating. It’s quite boring until it gets to the second part, where it begins to pick up.

Aside from the fact that I knew what was going on the whole time, I was really frustrated that the gaping plot hole that should have been cleared up easily was never filled in. None of what Alice feared made any sense being that the timeline of the story wouldn’t have matched up.

Yes, the story was interesting, but so implausible that I just shook my head for about the last quarter of the book.

Let me start by saying that Sandie Jones is easily becoming one of my favorite authors. Her books are so easy and quick to read, and while they're not exactly your typical thriller, they always have their parts where my heart is racing and I CANNOT. STOP. READING. The First Mistake was no different. At first, I thought the story was going in a completely different direction from where it actually ended up. You're just not sure what characters you're supposed to trust, and who the "good guy" is. But this did not stop me from getting hooked once the first twist is revealed about 1/3 of the way in. From there on out, I couldn't put it down. I will say that I was not in love with the ending, but overall, it is worth the read. 4.5/5 (with a push to 5 for the star scale, because I just love SJ's style!)

I truly enjoyed this book. I've always enjoyed books that had little twists in them and then conclude in a way that makes total sense. That is the way it is here with "The First Mistake." Alice was married to Tom, whose death nearly took her life as well. But she recovers from her grief with the help of Nathan. Nathan eventually joins the firm that Alice and Tom started, and business appears to be growing. But, over time, Alice starts to suspect that all is not right in her life. I don't want to give too much away, because it is important for the reader to discover things as Alice does. I will say that I read this book in a day. I had trouble putting it down. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Go read this book!

Have you ever read a book because you see all the hype & then think ... hmm are we reading the same book? This just didn't work for me. It seemed bogged down in tedium and pointless conversations that never really advanced the story. When the story did advance, so many of the twists were just not believable.

Guess it's just not my bag.

I was so excited to read this and I absolutely loved. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and read this book in two sittings. I literally couldn’t out it down. There were so many great twist and a great story of friendship, love, loss and complete betrayal. I love that this book brought two strong women together and they supported each other through some the hardest things someone could go through. I would highly recommend this book!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars.

After being pleasantly surprised by The Other Woman, I was happy to read Jones’ next novel. This centered around Alice who runs a successful business with her second husband Nathan. When Nathan starts to behave suspiciously she turns to her friend Beth, but Beth has some secrets too.

This book was really an enjoyable and quick read. There were quite a few surprises at the end and I was invested enough in the story that I really wanted to find out what was going on. I was not disappointed with the reveals at the end. I look forward to the next book from this author.

This is the first book I’ve read by Sandie Jones, and I really enjoyed it. At first, I thought this would be a pretty straightforward case of infidelity, but as I read further, I was thrilled to discover that there was so much more involved. The way the characters’ lives were interconnected caught me by surprise and made me devour the book even faster. The author did a great job of keeping everything under wraps for the majority of the book, and while I thought the story was going in one direction, it ended up going in the complete opposite. The ending was great too, and I liked that the epilogue was left open to interpretation for the reader, though I think it leaned one way more than the other. Definitely recommending this one!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2748085084

Wow!!! Full of twists and turns and unexpected plot lines. This was my second book by Sandie Jones and it did not disappoint. A fast thrilling read that will leave you wanting more.

Never saw the ending coming! I feel like it was a little slow at first and a little dry. Keep reading!

I had to read this entire book in one night just to figure out what happened. A great novel by Sandie Jones, follows Alice, a mom and successful business owner, who after the tragic loss of her first husband has found love and life again with Nathan. When a preschool mom, turned confidant, Beth enters the scene, the book takes you on a wild ride with plenty of mystery. A fast and excellent read that will have you guessing until the end!

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this novel!

I enjoyed and liked Jones's first book, The Other Woman. However, The First Mistake was just ok for me. I figured out many of the twists early on and felt the ending was kind of blah. Although I know most thrillers are unrealistic, (like Beth and Nathan not meeting for 2 years) this one was just too over the top for me.

Thanks to Minotaur Books for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book was riveting! The character development in this novel was solid and made me feel like I knew each one personally. Seeing Alice’s struggle with her life as a mother, partner and friend made her feel like a relatable character who anytime can see their shoes in. Of course we have the mystery of her first husband, Toms death, and a sparkle of mental illness tied up in this psychological thriller that is a quick and easy page turner. Can not wait for this to be released! It will be a hit.

What a wild ride! I love how this was ultimately a book about friendship and female empowerment. Some of it was a bit slow and the first few twists were predictable - but I was shocked at the ending. A solid read!

This book!!! So good!! It had my heart racing as I neared the end! How would it all go down? After reading The Other Woman by Sandie Jones I knew I needed to read this one and it did not disappoint! Alice seemingly has it all — a thriving business, two great daughters, and a devoted second husband. But soon she begins to suspect Nathan of having an affair. She confides in her best friend, Beth, and things don’t seem to be adding up with her, either. And then it all collides at the end! Great, great read! Sandie Jones is a one-click author! Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! Releases June 11!!

What a crazy ride of a book! I really enjoyed this one, much like her others. The plot twists will keep you guessing until the end!

"The Other Woman" was the first book, which did not disappoint and Sandie Jones has done it again with "The First Mistake."

Sandie tells a tale of a young widow, Alice, who is now married to her second husband (Nathan) and are now the parents of two. You think you know someone, but then you start second guessing everything. Alice doesn't know if she's imagining things or if something is wrong.

Alice doesn't what to believe or who to trust, not even her best friend. She has no one else to turn to and has to figure things out the hard way. Life and death choices that no one ever wants to have to make.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book. Sandie Jones is a fantastic author and I'm looking forward to her next book already!!

THE FIRST MISTAKE is a completely gripping, unputdownable suspense novel that had twists galore that I never saw coming.

Alice is a successful home designer, on her second marriage to Nathan, and with two kids (one is his and one is from her previous marriage that ended in his tragic death). She’s got her best friend, Beth, by her side to commiserate with, and is about to sign a huge deal that will take her business to a bigger stratosphere. Then she starts suspecting some troubling information about Nathan, her current husband. Is he being unfaithful? Is the other woman someone closer to Alice than she knows?

Bland description, and I apologize. However, this is a book that is better going into the less you know. I thought it was going one way, then it went to another. Then, when it somewhat went back the way I originally suspected, it went ANOTHER way. This book kept me on my toes, and I couldn’t finish it soon enough! Author Sandie Jones is a true talent who richly draws out her characters and plot. I was reading it as if it was a fast-paced movie, although I don’t see how a movie would be possible...you’ll understand after you read it. Very highly recommended!

Thank you to Author Sandie Jones, Publisher Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for an ARC. 5 stars!

I was excited to read this book by Sandie Jones, since I loved her other book The Other Woman so much. I was definitely not disappointed. Sometimes I find that I’ve read so many suspense/thrillers that I can predict them really easily. I thought I had this one all figured out from the beginning. That blew up in my face real quick. I loved how twisty this story was, and that kept me reading from the moment I started. I also really appreciated how well Alice’s character was written. The picture of anxiety that Sandie portrayed in Alice was spot on, and the reader could truly feel how anxiety played such a huge part in Alice’s life. The thrilling part of the book for me, was how her anxiety played into the story, ultimately making her question everything, but also how it played with who she was and her own inner strength. Definitely pick this one up on June 11!

Alice is a perpetual worrier. She’s paranoid, anxious, at times unstable, and it all stems from her husband’s untimely death almost 10 years prior. Now she’s remarried with a second daughter, running a successful design business. But when she finds an earring in her husband’s car, she starts pulling on the thread until her whole marriage starts to unravel.

I was about 25% of the way in when I figured out the big twist. There were parts that caused me to second guess myself, but ultimately I reached the end and was disappointed to have guessed it correctly. I don’t know if it was just a lucky guess, but there were too many obvious clues along the way. This was unfortunately a 3 star for me, I did like the story but there’s no impact when you figure out the twist so far ahead of time. But if you’re someone who is bad at picking up clues, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it much more. It’s well written, the characters and story are interesting, but there was no suspense for me.