Orla and Kate have been best friends for years. Over the years they have taken weekend girl trips all over. Life has taken them in different directions, Orla a married mom and Kate a recent divoroced woman who still likes to party and play. But through it all Orla is determined to keep their friendship alive.
The first night of their weekend in Lisbon, the girls go out to eat at a bar. Determined to have fun, Kate insists they invite two men they meet back to their apartment. Resisting Kate is useless, and besides Orla finds herself too drunk to put up much resistance. Soon after they arrive back to the apartment, Orla passes out. When she wakes up the next morning, both the men are gone, but so is Kate. Trying to piece together the events of the night before to determine what has become of her best friend proves more frustrating and eye opening that Orla expects. Because secrets always have a way of coming out. Will Orla find Kate and be able to move past all that she has uncovered about her best friend?
This is a great thriller, fast paced, lots of twists and turns, and really keeps me guessing until the last paragraph. Recommend this book to any suspense thriller fans. My only complaint was the way it ended. I won't spoil it but left me wanting more!
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Lots of twists and turns in this thriller by Sarah Alderson! This one kept me engaged from beginning to end. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, what a ride this read was! I thought this book was going to be about one thing and instead it veered off in about 20 different directions. It was really good. I kept reading faster and faster, catching my breath with every new twist and turn. About halfway though a revelation is made that I did not anticipate. Orla is a strong character and the author knows how to keep adding to the buildup. There is on discrepancy. Orla is able to supposedly able to read and take dozens of pictures of texts and email them to herself when she only has a phone for mere minutes and the narrative states she had only a couple of minutes with the phone. One person was super sketchy which I Honed in on and I was right. One thing is for sure, you’ll think twice about going away for the weekend.

The Weekend Away started off like a dream... Two best friends reconnecting for a girls' weekend away from their normal lives. However, the idyllic plan went awry fairly quickly. Prior to this, I never read anything from Sarah Alderson, but I will be adding to her my list of authors to read and follow. There were so many twists and as soon as I thought I had things figured out, it all changed. This is a great weekend read and I can't wait to recommend it to my friends!

The Weekend Away by Sarah Alderson captures your attention fairly quickly and doesn't let up until the very last page. It starts with longtime friends Orla and Kate going to Lisbon for the weekend. They go out to a bar/club and one of them disappears. Add a creepy landlord, Kate's ex, Orla's husband, two male prostitutes, a Russian uber driver and two police officers and you are off through a maze of deceit and secrets. The only negative is the end left a small question unanswered but in the grand scheme of things the main questions are. A fun read that keeps you guessing. Great characters and well written. I recommend this novel!

WOW! WOW! WOW! The Weekend Away was amazing! So many twist and surprises, I was not able to put it down!! OMG so many suspects, who, what, where, how?!?! It's one of those stories that when you finally get to the end you ask yourself "How did I not see that??" and those are the BEST kind of stories!!! I simply LOVED it!

woah. this story was filled with so many twists and turns. I was hooked turning the pages and read this one cover to cover in one day, I couldn’t put it down!! While reading, I kept having different ideas of what happened to Kate and after each one new information sprung up that I changed my mind to another idea. The ending totally caught me by surprise!

Orla, a new mother, and her friend Kate decide to get away for the weekend like the used to do. Kate is more of the partier and goes all out with drinking, drugs, and sex, while also encouraging Orla to do the same. Orla drinks too much, gets sick and passes out. Then when she wakes up the next morning, Kate is gone. What happened to her best friend? And why can't Orla remember most of what happened the previous night?

This book is full of what my nightmares are made of when I think about traveling abroad. Things can go sideways really quickly, especially when you don't know the native language and have to rely on others for help. Kate goes down so many different paths, you start thinking anyone could have done something to Kate. This is a gripping read that will have you hooked in to the drama and mystery surrounding Kate. Overall, it wasn't a total surprise what ended up happening to her, but it was a very enjoyable read getting there.

Thank you NetGalley, Sarah Alderson and Harper 360/Avon for the ARC The Weekend Away. This is my personal review.
A vacation away for a weekend is just what Kate and Orla both needed and looked forward to doing. It was their annual trip and they both so look forward to being together every year. This time they decide to go to Lisbon. Everything looks like it is going to be perfect.
They start their weekend off by going out but when Orla wakes up the next morning Kate is nowhere to be found.
As I was turning the pages the story just kept pulling me deeper and deeper into trying to figure out exactly what happened and why.
You will want to pick this book up and jump into the story to find out what happens!

Wow this one blew me away!! I couldn’t put it down for wanting, no needing to find out what happened ‘that night!’ It kept me guessing too which can be hard to do! I’ll be recommending this one!! 3.75.

Kept me enthralled until the very last word! Great book overall!
A weekend getaway in Lisbon for a new mom, Orla and her best friend Kate who is going through a divorce! A beautiful flat in an ideal location and the promise of fun and spending time with a dear friend. It starts with dinner, then to a bar wheee they meet 2 men that Kate invites back with them. Orla is exhausted and very drunk and wants only to go to bed. Orla heads to bed alone and Kate stays up partying with the men. When the sun comes up the next day, no one is there except Orla. The men have left and Kate is nowhere to be found. All of her clothes are there but her purse and phone are not. Orla gets sent to vm immediately upon calling her friend.
She is worried that something has happened and sets out to look for her, but the clues only lead to more questions and the police won’t take her seriously. With the help of a unusual ally, she combs the city and her mind for clues of what happened the previous night! As she finds out more that occurred that night, she is left wondering if she really knew Kate and what was the real reason behind this vacation?
Thank you netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review!

The Weekend Away was a complete surprise for me. It was a strong thriller that was hard to put down. At a little over 300 pages it seemed to just fly by.

Orla and Kate have been friends for 20+ years. They haven’t been together for a while since Orla had a baby. To reconnect they decide to go away for a girls weekend to Lisbon. Orla really doesn’t want to leave her baby but she knows that it will be good to get away with Kate. Kate has always been a fun party girl and know doubt has a weekend of fun planned.

The first night there Kate convinces Orla to go to dinner and then to a club. At the club Kate picks up two good looking men and invites them back to their Airbnb. Orla is angry, she is married and doesn’t want strange men to come to their house but Kate doesn’t care what Orla wants.

The next morning Orla wakes up fully clothed with a strange taste in her mouth. She realizes she had too much to drink but she feels like she might have been drugged. As she goes to find Kate she realizes Kate is gone. Her clothes are all there but her purse and phone aren’t. Orla’s recollection of what happened is pretty fuzzy but she tries to retrace their steps. Eventually, she goes to the police but they seem to blow her off and don’t take it seriously. Young girls are always having a good time in Lisbon and eventually come back after they sobor up.

Finally the police take her seriously and Orla becomes the number one suspect in Kate’s disappearance. The police won’t let her leave town, the creepy landlord kicks her out of the Airbnb they rented and the only person who wants to help her is the Uber driver that drove them around the first night. Her husband comes but can’t stay to help because he has to get back to the baby.

This is a novel of betrayals and lies with some great twists and turns. I definitely didn’t see the end coming! This is an entertaining and fast read leaving you asking the question, How well do you really know your best friend?

This was a very fast paced mystery/thriller. It kept me on my toes while I was racing to finish. The character development throughout was fantastic. Several twists, but that last twist. I thought I had it all figured out and then the further I read, the more off I was, which ultimately made the ending that much more exciting.

I would not say that this was a totally compelling and riveting book, but it had enough interesting twists that I kept returning to it to find out what Orla was going to discover about her friend Kate in the next chapters. It was paced just right for building the suspense, with some chapters teasing to the next one. When Orla goes on vacation to Portugal with her best friend Kate, she was just looking for a relaxing weekend away from baby, diapers, bottles and the general demands of the life of a young mother. What she did not expect was for Kate to disappear their first night there after a long night of drinking with handsome young men. Narrated by Orla, the voice is an authentic one of a tired, new mom. As I read, I didn’t know who to trust, but there were definitely some likable characters. Konstandin, the Russian Uber driver who befriends Orla, was the most helpful but at times, the one I suspected the most. Sebastian, the landlord in Portugal, just gave me the heebie-jeebies. He was creepy in the “Adams Family” kind of way, just totally creepy. There were too many twists and red herrings for me to keep count, but those did keep my interest in a story that fell flat for me at times. In fact, by the time the ending came (which was a surprise), I just wanted the whole vacation to be over. I think the book was well-written but could have been a lot shorter and still entertaining. There were too many scenes with the police, a team that was completely uninvolved in Kate’s disappearance and not at all sympathetic to Orla’s plight. Of course, by the end, I wasn’t too sympathetic either, so there is that. Fans of suspense thrillers may enjoy this slow burning novel of a vacation that ends in disaster.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Harper Collins via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

Best friends, Orla and Kate go on a girls weekend trip to Lisbon. Orla being a new mom is excited to have a break and time to sleep. Kate however has other plans.

Kate plans a night out to dinner and drinks after at a club. Orla just wants to go back and sleep. But things soon spiral into trouble. The next morning Kate wakes up with little memory of the night before and thinks she was drugged. Kate is missing, no where to be found.

Orla starts her own investigation and many details come to light about her so called "good friend" Kate. There were so many twists and turns, I found this book hard to put down. The ending left me speechless!

I would highly recommend this book to those who love thrillers. It was my first novel by Sarah Alderson and she did not disappoint. I can't wait to read more of her novels in the future.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper 360/Avon for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Orla and Kate have been best friends forever. Together they’ve faced it all – be it Orla’s struggles as a new mother or Kate’s messy divorce. And whatever else happens in their lives, they can always look forward to their annual weekend away.

This book was very well written, but didn't bring anything new to the table. It was okay, but nothing new.

2 friends go on a girls weekend away. 1 girl goes missing. What happened to her? This book kept me on the edge of my seat and just when I thought I had figured it out, nope! I was wrong. This book was just ok. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

Wow - I really enjoyed this book. Kate and Orla (best friends for 20 years) plan a weekend away in Lisbon. Orla has just had a baby and needs some “me” time. Nothing like a girls trip to reconnect two friends who have grown apart due to their lives changing over the years. Kate plans a special night out at a fancy restaurant and then to a bar for drinks. {Luckily for Orla, their Uber driver to the bar, Konstadin, turns out to be a “count me in” kind of guy for what comes next.)
There they meet 2 men and Katie invites them back to the apartment they were renting for the weekend. From the beginning the story pulls you in and keeps you guessing until the end. Once you think you have it all figured out, another twist is thrown at you! Great story and the author does an amazing job of developing the characters without dragging it out. The ending is somewhat of a cliffhanger, without making you feel like the book is incomplete.
Thanks netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review

Excellent writing! What a rollercoaster of events. The mystery between Orla and her best friend Kate on this overdue vacation between friends keeps you reading!

Wow! What a fabulous book. I finished it last night and my adrenaline is still pumping. What begins as a girls' weekend away, becomes a search for the truth when one of the longtime friends goes missing. This book has everything a mystery reader could possibly want in an intriguing read: friendship, love, mystery, sex, lies and the list goes on. Every time I thought I had the book figured out, another curveball would be thrown. Fantastic to the end!!! Will leave you reeling for more.