Ok this book was not what I expected at all!! Well right when you think you know who did it? It’s not that person, but there are a lot of key players in the book and it creates this crazy tangle you don’t know how it’s going to end? It’s a lot right? Imagine what happened inside my head after reading this book. Everything came full circle and the end had me thinking “wait is there a part 2 to this? Or do we already know what’s going to happen next?”

Kate and Orla go on a weekend away to Lisbon, a nice little girls trip, until something bad happens and that is the JUICE of this whole story. Imagine thinking that you have the most perfect but crazy best friend and the best marriage, to then find out that there are so many secrets! And what what happened to Kate? And, let’s not forget the amount of people involved in this mystery, I had to stop and thinking “wait what???!! NOOOO” all the time.

But honestly? What happened to Kate? Let’s just say things are not as it seems and the answer hits close to home like CRAZY!, and Orla doesn’t like it one bit.

Thanks Netgalley and the publishers for giving me this opportunity, this book was awesome.

I was fortunate to receive a copy of this ARC from NetGalley.

Orla and Kate go on a much needed weekend away to Portugal. Orla leaving her baby Marlow with husband Rob.
After a night out, Orla discovers Kate is missing and her life descends into a nightmare. I was completely taken aback by the ending, did not see it coming. Clear the diary for this one!

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5/5

This is a very well written thriller set within Lisbon, which made for a nice change. There are plenty of twists and turns in this book which kept me guessing throughout. Definitely worth a read. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is the kind of book that you can picture as a TV show/film. As the author is also a screenwriter, this makes total sense.

The book is pacey and has believeable dialogue which moves the plot along at a good speed.

There are a wide array of characters, both likeable and unlikeable. This means that when Kate goes missing, the reader has no clue who is, or is not, involved! Every possible outcome feels perfectly believable and I was kept firmly on my toes throughout.

I did find it a little difficult to get into at first as I found Kate and Orla to be such flawed characters that they felt a little bit like caricatures. However, very quickly, I became so engrossed in the plot that, while I may have wanted to shake Orla, her flaws didn't put me off. If Kate had featured more heavily I'm not sure I'd have been able to enjoy it as much!! Although, I always think that strong characters are a sign of great writing, whether we like them or not!

There are plenty of twists, turns and red herrings that this book is far from predictable. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for access to this eARC.

Wow this was an amazing 5 star read and had me gripped throughout it had so many twists and turns and was definitely a weekend away that turned out to give Orla more than she has bargained for and was a complete nightmare. It really kept me on my toes throughout and had lots of surprises along the way. I really hope there is going to be a sequel. It's hard to review this book to give it the justice it deserves without giving spoilers it is the perfect summer read

Although a little predictable at times, this was still a great read. A well written thriller with a relatable story.

Great novel with mystery and intrigue throughout. I changed my mind about who had done it the whole way through.

Well, remind me to never go on holiday with Kate or Orla. What a nightmare! There is trouble around every corner, deceit down every street as Orla tries to fathom what has happened to her best friend. I appreciated the intrigue, was entertained by the plot twists and misdirection, but was uncomfortable by some of the subject matter.

Firstly, I found Orla’s character a little frustrating. However, I think that is more to do with the fact that I have watched many, many True Crime documentaries! Discovering that Kate has disappeared after an alcohol-fuelled evening, I was frustrated with Orla rummaging around the holiday apartment, trying to find clues about what happened the night before. She is reluctant to go to the police straight away, (which I understand, given the background we are provided about Kate’s character and the general rules about a missing person,) yet I wanted Orla to leave everything alone in case there were vital clues. She comes across as rather naive and blindly befriends anyone that will lend her a sympathetic ear. In all, Orla seems too trusting and unaware of the bigger picture.

In addition to this, some of the details included in the plot were a little far-fetched. Orla’s inability to remember the names of the men she met with in the club are suddenly dropped into the narrative – despite the previous lines showing Orla’s confusion about their identity. This was a shame: an editing error that could have been avoided. Secondly, when Orla comes to restore a phone to factory settings, she is able to do this with a quick tap of a few buttons. Given phone security these days and the lengths Orla has gone to to unlock the device, I found this part of the plot far-fetched.

The topic of date-rape drugs and subsequent memory loss dominates the narrative. Orla cannot remember what happened the last night she was with Kate. Initially she suspects it is down to excessive alcohol, but then the writer introduces the idea of being deliberately drugged. I found this quite uncomfortable to read about, especially when Orla comes across concrete evidence. I guess I wanted her to get to the police sooner rather than later, instead of taking matters into her own hands.

Despite these criticisms, I did enjoy this entertaining read. I had plenty of conspiracy theories as Orla tried to uncover her friend’s fate – none of them proved true! This is evidence of how well Alderson has created the plot. Whilst it did not feel ground-breaking, the twists were plenty to keep me intrigued. Indeed, setting the story in Lisbon adds to the panic in the story – successfully reflected in Orla and her running around the city. The setting felt alien to me and this added to the whole theme of disorientation throughout the narrative. Furthermore, although Orla comes across as a bit of a weak doormat to begin with, I enjoyed watching her grow in strength and determination; she grows into her own independence who is desperate to fight for her innocence and discover the truth.

This was a pretty good read and one I would recommend for the suitcase! Even if you are not on holiday this year, you are transported to the streets of Lisbon and the quest for the truth: what really happened to Kate after that eventual evening?

With thanks to Avon books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! Just Wow! I have just finished The Weekend Away and it is by far the most suspenseful book I have ever read. Run to your nearest library or bookstore and take this book home. You won’t be disappointed and I guarantee you’ll read it straight through as I did!

I’ll sum up quickly without spoilers. Best friends Orla and Kate have planned to spend a weekend in Lisbon together. It’s been awhile since they’ve had a girls’ time away. Orla and her husband Rob struggled to have a baby and she has been reluctant to leave her young daughter. Kate has a demanding job and is newly divorced. She’s booked them a luxurious AirBnB, planned tours and shopping. The first night, after champagne, is dinner at a Michelin starred restaurant and a visit to a club. The next morning, a very hungover Orla awakens in an empty apartment. Kate is missing. All that happens next will keep you turning the pages as fast as you can read. There are so many twists, turns and surprises and an ending that will leave you breathless.

Lisbon, with its rabbit warren of cobblestone streets, provides a perfect setting for this mystery. The supporting characters, especially Konstandin, are well described and add to the suspense.
If I could give more than 5 stars, I would.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon Books and Sarah Alderson for this ARC.

Kate and Orla are best friends they have said they would always go away together but as they got older time and families got in the way.
So they decided to go to Lisbon for the weekend. Orla leaves her baby with her husband and Kate is getting away from her soon to be ex husband.
After their first evening out Orla wakes to find Kate missing and has no recollection of the evening before.
There are plenty of twists and turns and red herrings .
Great Read
Thanks NetGalley

“The weekend away” had not caught my attention until some of my goodreads friends (you know who you are) wrote fantastic reviews about it, so I immediately went to request it on NG.

I want my mysteries/thrillers/domestic suspense stories to grab me like I grab a pizza after a long week on a diet, and “The weekend away” most certainly did! I was hooked from page one and found myself saying just one more chapter several times before I was able to put it down.

The city of Lisbon made such a nice setting and, although I think it could have been used a little bit more, it gave a certain atmosphere perfect for this story. All characters were well fleshed out. Orla was a credible character although a bit naive sometimes. I specially liked her pairing with Konstandin, and his backstory added a very interesting layer to his character.

As usual in this kind of books there are twists and red herrings galore, but unlike some times, here they all felt natural and not forced at all. I liked the resolution and how it wasn’t really solved until the last page with a final twist I didn’t see coming.

Overall, a perfect summer read that will keep you glued to the pages.

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The predictability of this story's foundation makes it relatable, and when it all goes wrong so much more chilling. Orla and Kate best friends embark on a long-awaited weekend away. Orla, a new mum, is torn between rekindling her friendship and lost identity and staying home with the child she idolises. She goes and quickly gets into the weekend away vibe. Unfortunately, the next morning Kate is missing, and so is Orla's recollection of the night before.

The story follows Orla trying to find Kate and what she uncovers along the way. There are lots of twists, plenty of smokescreens and unreliable characters. Who can she trust? The suspenseful, pacy plot engenders a sense of danger.

I like the dynamic between Orla and her unlikely hero. The ending is true to the psychological thriller genre, unexpected, unexplained and unsettling.

I received a copy of this book from Avon Books UK via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

3.5 buckets of 🍿

I REALLY wish we could award 3.5 stars!

On one hand, Sarah Alderson’s style is immediately engaging and it drew me right in...

But, on the other hand, I kept envisioning this SUSPENSE novel as a movie, and it would come across as more of a COMEDY, instead...🤭

I had Amy Adams playing Orla, an EXTREMELY naive, 40 year old, new mother, on a weekend getaway with her long time BESTIE, the glamorous Kate...
(Amy could pull off the Irish accent, right?)

When Kate goes “missing” after their first “wild night” away, their Albanian UBER driver, Konstandin (played by Austrian-American Arnold Schwarzenegger) comes to the rescue..

“I’m going to break your nose and ruin your pretty face unless you tell the truth” (actual line from the book)

What ensues is an extremely CAMPY search for Kate, and the truth, filled with a few good twists!

If you enjoy that STYLE, you can pick this up TODAY!



Thanks to Avon books for providing a digital ARC of this book in exchange for a candid review!

Orla and Kate are two best friends who decide to take a trip to Lisbon. After a night out one of them goes missing and the other tries to track her down! I really enjoyed reading this and was surprised and which way it went. There were loads of people who could of been guilty so it kept you guessing!



Thank you to netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for a review!

A weekend away with your bestfriend gone wrong like horribly wrong.

The story started right away with Orla our main character leaving for a weekend getaway after months of being a stay at home mom to their months old baby Marlow.

The pacing, the tone and buildup was going smoothly since I got into the book 20% in my first sitting. I have always been drawn to books that has this complex and interesting female relationship and usually best friends. Orla and Kate has been best friends since college which they were inseparable. And when both of them got into the adult world and even got married. Orla had troubled getting pregnant she has been distant and busy and it got more worse when she did got pregnant with Marlow they haven’t spent some time together for a couple years just calls from time to time.

This is the type of story of you claiming you’re a hundred percent sure you know that person you’ll go; “I know this person, like I know them since forever” kind of statement and they do shit so out of character and in a grand scale you get blown away. That’s what happened with Orla.

Kate went missing within the 24 hours span of time they got to Lisbon. They went to dinner and went to a bar and met some handsome men and things led from there.

It’s basically Orla running around playing detective to find her best friend with an Uber drive that has happened to be an former soldier that has this skill to intimidate people in talking and has alot of connections that to be honest was to be convenient to be true nonetheless Konstandin was an interesting character and he was a big help and a weird addition to be a somehow love triangle between Orla and his husband Rob.

Kate was written to be not likable. I didn’t feel any attachment with Kate because she was painted to be a bad friend and absolutely a bad person. Or I didn’t have the chance to know her more as she disappeared and all of the information and details of her is in Orla’s perspective and other people that knew her.

This wasn’t a bad thriller/mystery book it just didn’t drawn me enough to finish it in one sitting I have to put it down for weeks just to get back into and also I knew who killed her from the first couple of pages. I just had a gut feeling so that’s why in the end I wasn’t taken by surprise.

The ending made me go “what?” rather than ‘WHAT?!?!” you know what I mean? Lol, it ended with a cliffhanger which I don’t know if there’s going to be a sequel. The ending climax has no buildup whatsoever it was just thrown in there in the purpose of suspension that did a terrible job tbh.



PS: I didn’t find any quotes again. Sad T.T

I really enjoyed this book! I started reading it in my lunch break, and because it grabbed me from the beginning, and just wouldn't let go. I had to keep having sneaky little tea breaks so that I could keep getting my fill of this story!

I enjoyed the twists and turn in the book, and while some of the events were predictable, I do like how they
were unrolled throughout the book. I was kept guessing at many points of the story, and loved the surprise ending.

I wasn't really a big fan of Orla. Mainly, I felt that she was perhaps a bit naive, especially when the story started to detail the crazy things she and Kate got up to when they were younger. I just felt that she could perhaps have been a it more street-smart.

Konstandin was a wonderful character though. I love how his character was developed throughout the story, and I'm glad we got to meet him.

All in all, this was a very satisfying read, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a gripping thriller.

' The Weekend away' by Sarah Alderson tempted me to request for it by its premise of a who dunnit.
The cover is beautiful and depicts the underlying them of a holiday but it conveniently hides what you will experience while reading the story.

This is the first time I am reading any work of Sarah Alderson and after this story she goes into my lists of authors whose works I will look out for.

This book has all things that you expects from a mystery thriller, fast paced, events revealing itself in unlikely times, plot twists and a grand ending that will land you that punch in the gut.

Orla and Kate are long time friends, who have knwon each other for many years but by the time you read the story you start questioning whether do we really know the people we think we know.
They have this ritual of going on a weekend away every year and this year they have planned to go to Lisbon. A perfect Airbnb home, a perfect setting, a weird landlord, an exciting night out. The next morning when orla wakes up she finds her friend missing with no memories of the night. Here begins her journey to look for Kate.

Its a pacy read although started slowly. I would have loved to guess who the perpetrator was but unfortunately I couldnt but I was thrilled as I was in for a real surprise as to how the story progressed and just when I thought i had made peace with the explanation the author delivers a twist.......

Read this thriller if you like to be surprised at the end.

I thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for accepting my request to review the book. The opinions expressed are entirely mine.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of The Weekend Away in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. Kate and Orla have been friends for years and often do weekend breaks to foreign cities. This time they go to Lisbon. After a wild night out Orla wakes up to find that Kate has gone missing. What follows is a desperate search to find out what has happened to her. This is a story of friendship, secrets and betrayal. It will keep you guessing right to the last page. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

Two best friends who have been through everything. One is marries with a baby and the other is still living the single life with her busy career. As they have done many times before, they are off on a girls trip to Lisbon. Going out in Lisbon leads to Orla waking up to a massive hangover and Kate is dead. Orla now is thrown into the mystery of what happened and possible charges for murder.

This is a powerful story, looking into Orla's darkside. The backdrop of Lisbon only added to the elements of this story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.