“But I do know that I’ve seen people wait years to find out what happened to their loved ones, and when they finally do, the answers aren’t enough. The emptiness is still there. Sometimes it’s even worse.”

It has been ages since I last reviewed a book and it feels like I don’t know how to do these things anymore! *insert laughing/crying emoji here*

Anyway, I really have enjoyed reading this book by Kara Thomas, and so far, this is my top favorite from all of her books. It gets better and better. Fans of mystery and suspense books will definitely enjoy reading this one. Another gem introduced in the literary world!

Imagine my joy when I was invited to review this book, at this time of year. Again, I cannot thank PRH enough for the endless invites and books! I was just browsing and saw Kara’s name. I immediately started reading, without knowing what the book is even about. And honestly, I’m very happy I did. I went in blind.

Back to my review. I cannot describe how incredible Kara wrote this book. Each time she releases a YA mystery, it just gets better and better. She’s found her sweet spot in this kind of novel, her way with words that just really falls into place, and her mind boggling plot twists are purely magnificent and just out of this world. I swear to you the ending will just blow your mind. Because I was, and until to this writing, I still am.

*Read at your own risk. This part of review may contain spoilers. I cannot guarantee a spoiler-free review. Hehe.

The story started when Claire was found in a hiking trail by a woman named Sunshine and her dog. Claire couldn’t remember what happened to her and her friends 48 hours ago. All she can remember was that they ditched prom and were supposed to be secretly hiking in Bobcat Mountain. Apparently, when she was found, her two other friends, Kat and Jesse, were nowhere to be found. No one knows if they’re dead or still alive. Claire tries so hard to remember everything that happened to them that weekend in order to find answers. Claire’s hardheaded-ness on trying to find answers on her own paid off as she finally found a clue. A small thing that would connect her to Kat and Jesse. And the thrill starts here. This is where the mindfuck lies, where it questions you if you should trust this person or not. It morphed into a whole new level of wickedness and unpredictable events.

The story was told in two time frames — before and after everything happened — it really worked out for me because it’s somehow connecting the now and then. There will be a time where you think you knew what finally happened, why it happened but everything you thought you knew was just. The back and forth time frames will insanely open your mind and let you think what happened before or even give you an insight why this certain event happened or why this certain person said such thing. I honestly want to give more information but I want to stay clean and not give off too much information. Hehe. 😈

Overall, I am truly head over heels amazed at how this book turned out. And ew (read it and you’ll know why 😈)

My new favorite YA summer thriller - That Weekend feels like a cross between The Last Mrs. Parrish and Flowers in the Attic. The story starts with a bang from Claire's point of view but halfway the reader gets a new narrator. Thomas earns 5 stars for plot and intrigue - so many unpredictable twists and turns that I could not put it down. I might have liked a little more character development all the way around, especially some of the ancillary characters like Novak.Cummings and Mike Dorsey. I know I won't be able to keep this book on my classroom shelves. Thanks so much to #NetGalley for the opportunity to preview #ThatWeekend by author Kara Thomas. I absolutely loved it!

Ugh, I was really with this at the beginning. I liked Thomas' The Cheerleaders and this one was giving me major Ruth Ware vibes - it specifically reminded me of In a Dark, Dark Wood. But (spoilers) there was a real Gone Girl kind of twist right around the middle, and I found that both disappointing and stressful. There was a lot of setup for this to be something completely fresh, but I saw too much of other books reflected here. Definitely creepy and I - a complete scaredy cat - was freaked out for most of the book - but it just didn't do it for me. I was going to go with three stars but there was an additional twist right at the end that I just really, really hated and left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

A fast, suspenseful read with plenty of twists and turns.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

That Weekend is listed as a Young Adult book, but it really works as just a mystery/thriller. Right from the beginning the reader is just as in the dark as Claire. She wakes up on a mountain path, covered in blood and no idea how she got there. Yes, that has happened in a lot of books. This one does it well. Claire is taken to the hospital, where she meets the absolute worst nurse ever, and soon finds that she has lost over a day and her best friends are missing. Claire being unable to remember what happened makes a lot of people very suspicious. She deals with being speculated about by friends and strangers alike. The first part of the book goes back and forth between the few days heading to that weekend that Claire remembers and the aftermath. It seems that the mystery is solved in the first half of the book but it’s just getting started.

I was really enjoying this one. Started reading it one night and had to finish the next day. There was one twist thrown in at the end that almost ruined it for me. It seemed unnecessary and took away from Claire’s journey for me a little bit. That aside, I really enjoyed being with her on this journey.

Thank you for the Read.. I did enjoy this book however even though it was a good read I felt as though the ending was a bit rushed and left you wondering what the heck.. The plot I felt they were trying to make you think on was a bit predictable and easy to guess.. Would I recommend? Yes for the fact that it was over all a interesting read..

~Happy Reading~

trigger warning- blood, domestic abuse, child abuse, child death, alcoholism, kidnapping, car accident, incest, suicidal thoughts, cancer.

honestly, i really liked the writing of this book. i feel like thomas did a very good job about talking about what happened before, and then going back to what happened before, and then parts were it was present day, which was just super cool. and i honestly really thought it was cool to have everything being shown instead of us being told about how they got their or whatever else happened.

with that being said, everything about this book is solid and not a mess. like, for one, i feel like Thomas really knew which twists and turns and all the speed bumps she wanted to throw into this book, and really made it amazing with that aspect. like, i feel like everything was done so seamlessly, and that it was honestly so cool. there are definitely some books, and even one of Thomas' other books were the twists just don't make sense and aren't even that good, so in here, it was just done to perfection honestly.

but, i also feel the second part of this book honestly got to be a bit little to much romantic. like, for one we got this redemption arc for the guy that we were supposed to hate in the end of the book. but, also just i think it was so stupid cause i feel like we didn't need to have this secondary romance plot and i wish it just stuck to the whole mystery / thriller plot.

i do feel though, this book did have its slower moments, like i do feel like there was parts that it was really just skim reading, since it was just shit we already got told about, or just other things that were just basic and boring. which, i feel like most mystery books do have that moment, which sucks, but it also is kind of just a basic thing in some books.

but, i do think most of this book was honestly very good and fast. i do think that it happened rather quickly and that it all worked very well. and also just how everything unfolded just worked very well and also was just engaging and worked very well. but, also there were things that were stupid and i think it could have worked better.

if you don't know, i do read quite a few mystery thriller books, so i like to think of myself as a pro in here. so, i do feel like in here we were have steps ahead of claire in this book. granted, i feel like it might have just been me, but claire would be like, oh no who did this ?? and than the person that actually did that was right in front of her face and i felt like it would have been so easy for her to be like damn it's them.

and also i think that there were way to many secrets in this book, and not from character x character, like character x reader. and i know that there needs to be secrets, and it honestly makes the secrets better. but, in something that will forever be burned into my brain, and i'm gonna paraphrase this here, was someone came to kat's grandma and accused kat's father of something, and that is all we got told. that this lady caused a scene and it went bad, so we don't know why or how what happened till like chapters and chapters later. and than also like, we know kat's grandma hated jesse but, like i think other people in the book knew, but they weren't gonna tell us and i was like, just tell us already. and it's not like a murder confession that would break the whole story, when in this case it was just gross.

but, i will say, i do feel like the research thomas did into the true crime world was just terrible. like, for one, there were just so many questions and things brought up that could have been solved if she used google or even ask a police or sheriff office, since i think some authors do and say so in their authors note. so, i feel like some of it could have been solved if they helped themselves and not just kind of half assed the whole story.

there also is this part of the novel were we get talked about how there is this mountain / lake thing, and the lake thing was like super deep and that there was all of these caves and more dangerous places to go in, which were they think kat and jesse's bodies might be in there. granted, i don't know how dangerous this place could have been, but, if a person go in their cause it's to dangerous and they were like damn, we can't search it, but if you really want to recover their bodies you could probably just scan it with a camera or something, just to give the families a piece of mind. but the police were also like we can't search the body of the lake since it's too deep, and it was like huh??? shouldn't you search it cause their might be the bodies.

but, i also feel like this story wrapped up so quickly. like, i'll go into the end of this book more in the spoiler warning, which i think was just so gross and disgusting, but i feel like this book wrapped up so quickly, like this plot twist happened, something got resolved, gross moment, and than it was the end. and i think it was just not good, and i think that it should have had wrapped up better, and maybe take the stuff about the romance taken out and all the back and forth, than wrap it up better, and not so grossly.

but this book completely lost me with the romance, like, jesse's a kat's was a whole thing, which i'll talk about later, but more so with the whole romance with ben and claire. so, the romance between them, we got told in the very earlier parts of this books they broke up cause he cheated, but then she goes back to town for christmas break and than they get a little 'romantic' on the couch, which i thought was stupid, cause once a cheater, always a cheater. and the romance honestly just slowed this book down so much, since it was so unneeded.

next thing we know, we get this whole plot about kat's dad is a very abusive to the girls throughout this book, but mainly when she was a kid. which, i think is always a harder part of a book, since you need to do it well enough and be kind of honest about it all. but, i do feel like they brought up, but than it was resolved rather quickly. and also kat would be like, yeah my father is abusive to her grandma and to the people he worked with and they were like, oh he's just misunderstood, which just pissed me off.

than the next part of this book we kind of get this reveal that jesse and kat and amos, her cousin, are hiding out in this cabin in the middle of the woods, not to far away from the incident. which, at this point they are all like 18-19 years old, but, i just felt like it was so unrealistic that these teenagers could go unnoticed and that nobody ever put two and two together, since it was pretty easy to figure out. and jesse's and kat's face was plastered everywhere, so everyone knows who they are and what they look like, so kat would make these comments about how she would go to the store or go babysit and nobody would know recognize them. which, i think is just not realistic, since if you face was everywhere for months, someone is going to be like, oh shit she is the missing girl.

so, if you read the trigger warnings, you probably say the word incest as one of the words in there, and if you follow me on twitter, bookish_r, you would probably already know this. and boy, did i never think i would read a book published in 2021 have this whole plot with incest. which, honestly just pissed me off, since i feel like having kat and jesse be half siblings was so gross. like, i think there could have been so many different ways to wrap this book up, but being like 'hey yeah, sorry they are siblings' was just so gross and i think it was just so gross and bad, since they were like lovers, and not even like friends or anything.

The twists in this book never stopped! I was fully engaged in this story the whole time. I loved the different perspectives during the story, and I never saw the ending coming. There was plenty of suspense, and I liked how the twists were surprising but not too farfetched either. I could see this whole story happening in real life. An excellent thriller, I would definitely recommend this to others!

Kara Thomas does it again!! She truly knows how to make a story come alive with suspense, fear, and concern. She drops hints that let you feel confident about what’s going on, then sends you down a twisted path that was not what you were expecting.
Claire turns up in the woods totally bartered and not remembering how she got where she is. All she knows is her 2 best friends are missing, and the last thing she remembers is them getting ready to go camping.
The time that the novel spans, the loose ends that get tied up neatly. There’s so much to love about this book!

I received a complimentary copy of That Weekend from NetGalley.  Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Wow—novel that kept me guessing from start to finish! Loaded with love and loss, (a missed relationship opportunity), friendship, betrayal, danger, this one has everything—even memory loss: molding Claire into an unreliable narrator, and family trauma: causing Jesse to be overly loyal. Kat is just plain selfish. Fantastic novel. I could easily see this one morphing to the silver screen.

This just wasn't for me. I don't really care
about teen drama. Some of the story and twists were good, but after around half way through it was a little too much. If you like YA thrillers then you might like this one.

This novel tells the story of Claire, who goes on a weekend getaway with two of her best friends, who also happen to be a couple, the weekend of their high school prom. We meet Claire two days after her arrival at the getaway when she wakes up bloodied, with no idea where she is, and no clue where her friends are. The book then explores the mystery of what happened in that missing 48 hours -- and where are her friends. This is an exciting, twisty thriller. A perfect summer read.

Highly recommended!

That Weekend by Kara Thomas drew me in and kept me wondering what would happen the entire book. This YA mystery will be a huge hit with my later middle grade students and high school students. Thomas's format of the book, her craft, etc. all lends well to great discussions that students can have while instilling a love of mysteries.

This was a fun YA thriller. I thought I knew what was happening, but the second half of the book is one big twisty twist, and it was great.

This YA mystery had some hit or miss moments for me, and readers should be aware that there are a fair number of serious content warnings about this book (much of which come into play in the very last section of the book). Without spoilers, I think that one of the twists is one that the story could have done without. Otherwise, this is a pretty well done YA mystery that kept me guessing, and would be one that I think older YA readers will gravitate towards.

It’s getting really hard for me to form my thoughts on this. I feel like Kara and I are one-upping each other every time she writes a new book. To be honest, I’m not winning! I’m always left in awe and slack-jawed every time I finish.

As for That Weekend, I went in totally blind except for the synopsis. I believe that’s the best way to go into this book and any Kara Thomas book for that matter. As a fan, I know what to expect but Thomas still managed to surprise me in the best way possible. This book really had me on edge and I couldn’t put it down!

I’ve learned my lesson not to read Kara Thomas’ books very early. It sucks when you read a really good book but you don’t have anyone to talk to because it hasn’t been released yet. True story, that happened to me with Little Monsters.

Anyway, for this one, I was going to wait until Week 2 of June but Kal of Reader Voracious slid into my DMs asking if I’ve read this yet. I haven’t read it yet at that time so I told her that I will read it on that same day. It took me less than 24 hours to finish this book.

The story starts right off with Claire waking up as she gets rescued by EMTs in the mountain. Moreover, she had no recollection of the events from the last 48 hours. The story was told in a dual and non-linear timeline. One in the past, and one in the present. I totally enjoy books told in this manner, especially when executed properly because I feel like it adds to the overall reading experience.

I was hooked from the very beginning because of how gripping the narrative was. Also, It’s hard not to root for Claire because as a reader, I also want to know everything that happened. I easily related to her character being the sleuth that I am.

That Weekend dealt with heavy topics and I think it was well-written in a way that didn’t rub off as being glorified. Another thing I really enjoyed was the shocking revelations that left me stunned.

I really tried my best not to drop any spoilers as I didn’t want to ruin your reading experience. Trust me when I say that you want to go in this without knowing anything.

That Weekend might steal Little Monsters’ spot as my favorite Kara Thomas novel. I’m not concluding anything yet, but it just might. Kara Thomas’s writing style is captivating and her delivery of plot twists and revelation truly packs a punch. Plus, she knows how, when, and where to drop them.

The book is fast-paced and the tone is riveting, plus the ending really left me in shock. I think the only issue I had was the lack of character depth outside of Claire. Kat and Jesse were fine but the others just felt a little flat. Then again, the book was mostly plot-driven. It didn’t really take away my overall satisfaction with the book.

Do I recommend this? Absolutely! That Weekend will leave you on the edge of your seat with its compelling narrative and execution.

Claire wants to spend the weekend with her friends. She just broke up with her boyfriend and now isn’t the time to sit at home when everyone else is at prom. Claire and her friends hike up the mountain to camp, but she is the only one who comes down. She also doesn’t remember anything after Friday, when they arrived at Kat’s family’s place. What happened during the missing time on the mountain? Are Kat and Jesse alive?

That Weekend is a stand-alone mystery that will quickly grab the reader’s attention. Claire discovers that there are secrets everywhere and not everyone has her best interests in mind. Thomas has written a novel that made me want to stay in one place so I could keep reading it. All the questions do get answered in the end and everyone who enjoys a good suspenseful book should give this one a try.

Four and a half stars. I could definitely have devoured this book in one sitting if life didn’t get in the way HAHA. The expert way the story builds and then the twist hits, then another small twist thrown in. Whoa! I really felt for Claire and Kat, the two main characters. I was so invested in their story that it felt so real. I highly recommend this one!

Thank you to Netgalley, Delacourte Press and Kara Thomas for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was such an unexpected gem. I really enjoyed reading it. One night I stayed up late and was so creeped out I had to keep checking that the doors were locked.

Thank you NetGalley and Delacourt Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

THREE BEST FRIENDS, A LAKE HOUSE, A SECRET TRIP -- WHAT COULD GO WRONG? Turns out a lot!

This book takes you down a windy path where secrets, betrayals, lies, and surprises lie at every turn. Such a wonderful journey. I enjoyed the entire book and the characters. Kara Thomas does a great job of doling out information in small morsels that make you think you know where you going— but whoa! Nothing is off limits in this story! If you like thrillers, definitely add this one to your to be read list.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions expressed herein are mine alone and may not reflect the views of the author, publisher, or distributor.

So, here's a fun little story. I read Kara Thomas' THE CHEERLEADERS back when it came out, and I wasn't taken with it at all. Hence my hesitation to really dig into this despite the great blurb. But man, am I glad I gave her another chance, because THAT WEEKEND was fantastic.

Claire and her best friends Kat and Jesse go to stay at Kat's family's lake house in upstate New York instead of going to prom. They arrive Friday, planning to spend Saturday hiking up the mountain, but something goes horribly wrong. Claire comes to in the forest, her hands covered in blood, and with no memory of what happened. Now Kat and Jesse are missing, and the only person who could give the authorities information has amnesia. How long before any clues turn up, or worse, the bodies?

I'm trying my darndest to find a critique that doesn't sound nitpicky, but that's all I can summon. Nitpicks. And any reader or writer can tell you that that's pretty impressive. The one thing I can bring to mind immediately treads deep into spoiler territory, so I'll let you figure out what this means, dear reader: some of the characterization lacked depth. I really liked Claire and her parents, though.

The pacing is probably the thing I appreciated most about this book. Point A to Point B takes some heavy backroads, a few U-turns, and when the Big Reveal comes about, you feel satisfied, but expectant. Clearly not everything has unraveled, and then that unexpected...thing...comes out and makes your eyebrows hit the roof. Usually I'm spot-on with forecasting the Twist, and with this one, I was right. But there was more that I didn't anticipate and could have had I been watching closely. Made me sit back and say, "Kara Thomas, you clever bastard."

I blew through this once I got over my hang-ups, and I'm really glad that I did. This book is definitely worth the investment.

Content Warning:
Domestic abuse, blood, kidnapping, alcohol abuse, incest