I always enjoy a closed environment mystery (think, trapped on the Orient Express) and whilst Orla and her best friend, Kate, have all of Lisbon to explore but Alderson creates a tightly closed atmosphere. Whilst some may not enjoy this I revelled in it and loved the closed list of characters and environments Orla travelled through. This exclusivity created a steady progression of the story and ensured with me as a reader that there was nothing unexpected going to pop up. Thrillers usually rely on the "unexpected" but knowing a sudden surprise character was going to be the culprit gave me a sense of comfort.

Orla was a difficult character to warm to, she didn't feel as well-rounded as the plot did and that meant the plot suffered by attachment. Her attitude changed with varying levels of enthusiasm and it was often difficult to follow her actions with any level of commonsense. Kate, on the other hand, felt more real although absent for a lot of the novel. Her actions made sense to that of a woman trying to unveil her betrayal to her best friend.

Whilst there was a lot of padding in this novel and skimming was easy there was a solid plot that was enjoyable. The mystery surrounding Kate's disappearance was interesting and kept me hooked right to the end, at which the big reveal was unexpected. It teetered on the edge of unrealistic but the closing paragraphs made it lean back into the comfortable territory for contemporary thrillers.

I read through the whole novel in a day, but that isn't to say it was unputdownable, it was just easy to put one foot in front of the other and move along with the story.

I really liked this author and this book did not disappoint, it was an appropriately paced, page-turner that will have me hooked throughout the story.

Thank you to the publisher for my copy - all opinions are my own.

I decided to read The Weekend Away while on a weekend away - and it actually ended up being the perfect story that I carried around the mountain resort, diving back in while having lunch, coffee by a fire, out on a bench near a frozen lake, before dinner.....I couldn't stop reading.

I just LOVE a good thriller full of twists, and this book delivers in spades. It was perfectly paced, the suspense stayed high and although I managed to guess a few twists, it didn't take away from my experience at all. I just so thoroughly enjoyed the journey.

Sarah writes incredibly atmospheric books and I was sucked in from the start. The characters were perfectly messy (my favorite), and the way the puzzle pieced together was so satisfying.

This is the perfect kind of vacation read - a quick escape into a fun plot that distracts away an afternoon.

Oh my goodness, as I sit here, stunned, after finishing this book, I wonder how I’m going to do it justice in a review.

This book is superb, it will completely suck you in, and spit you out the other end, reeling at its tense and twisty plot.

It all starts off innocently, with Orla and Kate so excited to be getting away for the weekend to Lisbon. I really liked Orla as a character. I could sympathise with her as she struggles to keep up with Kate’s frantic partying on her first weekend away after having a baby. Kate seems a bit self-obsessed, but good fun, but after a hectic night out, everything seems to be going wrong.

The plot is fast-paced, with rising tension. I could not put this book down. It kept me reading late into the night.

There are many layers to this book, and lots of twists and turns. It really kept me guessing.

Authentic characters, darkly atmospheric and dramatic, it’s real edge of your seat stuff. Cannot recommend it highly enough.

This book is a definite just read!. The storyline was addictive and grasped your attention fully, the characters were so wonderfully brought to life by the author, and the twists and turns in the story captivates you right to the end. I have already recommended this book to my friends and I look forward to reading more books by this Author.

This was a brilliant book and a great holiday read, I did not want to stop reading it and thought about it since and have recommended it to friends.
Believable and with great twists throughout I have since bought another 2 books from this author as it’s the best book I’ve read in a while.

A solid 3.5. Friends glamorous Kate, and new mum Orla fly to Lisbon for a girly weekend. The morning after a drunken night out, Kate has disappeared and Orla is left to piece together what happened.
There were lots of twists in the story and I enjoyed the descriptions of Lisbon. Some of the characters I felt were a little cliche but nevertheless relatable.
I would happily recommend this to customers.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Thanks to netgalley I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book! A great thriller that I could not put down. Cannot recommend it enough.

Fantastic read. As soon as I picked this book up I new it was going to be a great read. A hit. It was very well written. Great plot. A big hit you won’t be able to put down

As a HUGE fan of beach reads, throwing in a thriller like this one is summer vibe perfection for me! This one surprised me with how quickly I devoured the book, especially for 400 pages and I would attribute it to how well written it was. For me this is what MADE the book, Alderson had such a way with words, she really gave what would be a standard thriller in plotline something much MORE.

This is one of those stories where the phrase "this escalated quickly" really feels appropriate.
We're setting up for a girls' weekend away, and suddenly the proverbial bomb is detonated.
Everything I thought was going to happen in this fluffy chick-lit story was suddenly turned on it's head, but it kept me entertained from start to finish and I read it in one sitting. Would have liked it to be a little longer, to be honest.

Fun light mystery. Finished quickly. Saw a few twists coming but not the ending. A little bit of an overdone plot but I did want to see the book come to its conclusion.

Orla and Kate have been best friends for years. Their lives couldn’t be any different. Orla is married to Rob and has a young baby who is precious as she was conceived by IVF. Kate is still living a single carefree life after recently divorcing Toby. They always had an annual trip away but this hasn’t happened for a few years. This year Kate books them a break in Lisbon. Orla isn’t keen on leaving her husband and baby but thinks Kate needs the break after her divorce. They go our for a meal on their first evening away and Kate ends up persuading Orla to go clubbing. They meet two men and Kate invites them back to their apartment against Orla’s wishes. Next morning on waking up, Orla realises that she has no memory of the previous night. As well as being drunk she is convinced she was drugged, especially when she realises that Kate has disappeared. Thr police don’t seem interested so Orla has to try and trace the two men herself to find out what has happened to Kate. Orla tracks down the taxi driver who drove them the previous evening and he offers to help her. But can she trust him? There are plenty of twists and turns and I did enjoy the book but did find some of Orla’s actions very implausible but overall it kept me turning the pages until the end. A very good read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Avon for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book is about two long time besties. Kate is going through a messy divorce and Orla is struggling with her role as a new mom. So together, they jet off on a weekend in Lisbon for a much needed holiday.

After their first night out, Orla wakes up the next morning and finds Kate missing. While her memory of last night’s events are fuzzy, the one thing Orla knows for sure is something bad happened to Kate.

This was an entertaining read. The flow and pace of the story was fast so there were no dull moments. The twists and misdirection was great. At first, as I was nearing the end, I was disappointed in how it seemed to turn out. But then bam! Overall, an enjoyable way to spend an evening.

Thank you @netgalley and @avon books for the ARC!

Totally guilty pleasure book!

Of course this book isn’t unique, just this year I have read four books with the same premise but I can’t get enough of them.

It’s a perfect beach read and a perfect read to just escape for awhile.

I would say there are too many suspects and I was getting confused by the end

Set in Lisbon, The Weekend Away by Sarah Alderson is the story of two friends who go on a weekend trip to the capital city of Portugal, where one of them goes missing. With the help of a local Uber driver, the other friend then embarks on the journey of finding her friend and the perpetrator of the crime.

The twists in the fast-paced story are interesting, but the ending is as predictable as it can get. A lot of red herrings were added to build the smokescreen around the actual culprit and add some much needed twists to an otherwise simple and most expected conclusion.

Thanks to the author and the publisher for the ARC.

Verdict: One time read.

Whoa!! I’m sitting here alone in my room and I feel like I need to talk to the author herself to shake me out of this! This book! If you like thrillers and twists and turns and whodunnits like me, THIS IS FOR YOU. Every person you come across seems suspicious and may have a motive. There may even be an unreliable narrator. But what REALLY happened that night between Orla and Kate on their weekend away? Read this and good luck picking up your jaw off the floor!

Sarah Alderson’s The Weekend Away is an entertaining thriller about trust, friendship and betrayal with plenty of twists.

Orla and Kate cannot a remember a time when they hadn’t been the best of friends. Their friendship has seen them through divorce, break-ups, heartache, unparalleled highs and crushing lows. Regardless of what happens in their lives, the two women are always there for one another with a listening ear and a sympathetic shoulder. Every year, Orla and Kate enjoy a weekend away and this year they cannot wait to head off to Lisbon where they’ve found the most perfect flat with a stunning view and an itinerary that will enable them to sample the best the city has to offer. Both Orla and Kate cannot wait to get to Lisbon, and they kick off their holiday with the perfect night out. Only, in the cold light of the day, their perfect day gives way to a blood-chilling nightmare for Orla as she wakes up and finds Kate gone..

What happened to her friend? What caused this shocking turns of events? And what did Kate know that compelled somebody to do this? With Orla’s memory of what happened the night before fuzzy, the police give her the brush off and refuse to take her distress seriously which makes her even more determined to get to the bottom of her friend’s disappearance. As Orla finds herself frantically retracing her steps and trying her utmost to remember vital clues that could shed some light on that fateful night, she quickly realises that maybe the answers to all of her questions might not lie in Lisbon, but somewhere much closer to home.

I found Sarah Alderson’s The Weekend Away to be a tense and chilling exploration of friendship and relationships, however, I did have some problems with the book as it took a while to really get going as the pace at the beginning was rather sluggish and this slowed down the action somewhat in the first half of the book. Although on the whole, I found The Weekend Away to be a thrilling read once the story got going, the pacing issues prevented me from enjoying the book as much as I thought I would.

I was initially drawn into this book by the blurb, it sounded like a perfect thriller with an engaging storyline. The book was easy to read but due to the length of it I found it slow going with far too many twists and turns. Now twists are a staple for a thriller but this felt a bit excessive, like we were going round in circles just to lengthen the book. Personally I would have preferred it to be about 100 pages shorter.

There was some development of the characters as a few back stories were provided to add some depth, however I just didn’t relate or engage with any of them. I found the lead character, Orla, to be a bit lacking and I hated Kate!

I wouldn’t say I was disappointed but the ending fell a little flat for me and it stopped so abruptly that it felt like it needed another chapter to wrap it up completely. Ironic considering I said the book is a bit too long! Overall it was an easy read, I wouldn’t rush to tell my friends to read it but I wouldn’t tell them to avoid it either. 3/5

I am always on the search for a good thriller.
I love the turns, weird characters, and insane plotlines these people manage to get into..
Some are better than others of course but I still manage to enjoy even those not up to par. There's still a journey to read and sometimes it's just better to let it take you,
I wasn't expecting much from The Weekend Away but the plot was interesting and yes, I was in the mood for murder.
Best friends go through it. It's the test of time, the test of friendship. Orla and Kate have been best friends for years. They've been through everything and even now when so much of their life is hectic and has changed, they still make the time for their annual girl's trip.
They arrive in Lisbon and Kate as usual is fashionable and daring while Orla is feeling out of sorts as she is a new mother.

Their one night out turns out to be the final one..

Orla awakens to find Kate gone from their Airbnb and as the hours tick by so do the chances of finding Kate.

But somebody knows something, somebody has to. Or is that just wishful thinking on Orla's part?

This book is fast. It hits you like
bam
bam
BAM

From the start we're thrust into these women's lives and we get it. It's completely relatable. Orla's insecurities about her post baby weigh, Kate's fury with her shitty soon to be ex-husband, The characters are written wonderfully but I did find a few of the secondary characters to be a bit lacking. But they were men so that could also be their problem.

The book has so many twists and turns which I enjoyed until the very end.

In fact I screamed at the end because the ending was just so abrupt and shocking. I'm still processing it but I'm leaning towards I didn't like it.

This is a great book to pick up if you're looking for a nice, flighty thriller that gets your blood pumping. I wouldn't mind a sequel because of that ending, Sarah Alderson. Just saying...

Thanks very much for this ARC.