This one honestly fell flat for me, I was so incredibly bored for the first 50% of the book, and really skimmed the remainder. This book follows a therapist who gets wayyyyy too involved in her clients lives (ICK) and the drama that ensues is honestly to be expected. Wish I would have skipped this one.

Naomi is a psychologist specializing in domestic abuse, something that is part of her past history. She is currently residing in London with her husband Leon. She tends to get very invested in her client’s lives, so much that she even offers them a place to stay on her estate. She is currently treating Jacob, who claims that he is being physically and mentally abused by his wife. When Jacob goes missing, Naomi is the number one suspect since she was the last person to see him. She knows that she has nothing to do with his disappearance, but how does she prove it? There is numerous evidence that all point to her involvement- text messages, emails, CCTV footage. Who is behind all of this? Is it her husband? Jacob’s wife? Her long-lost sister who she abandoned when they were separated as young girls? Is it her father who was just released from prison?
The story is told from Naomi’s perspective. I found it somewhat confusing at times with all the different possibilities. The plot was fast moving and you wanted to keep going to see where all the different leads were going. I suspected some of the events but was still surprised by the ending.
If you like domestic psychological thrillers, this may be the book for you.
Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a slower paced mystery and even though it started off really interesting it ended up dying down and I lost some interest. I enjoyed the flashbacks and the suspense but this fell short for me. There were some plot holes and I just did not feel invested in this story.

Sandie did another amazing job writing this book. The twists and turns, the deception, and the fact that I could NOT figure out the ending is amazing. I highly recommend this book. You will not want to put it down.

From my blog: Always With a Book

This is the fifth book I’ve read by Sandi Jones and I absolutely love her writing. She has certainly mastered the psychological thriller/domestic suspense genre and this latest one definitely proves that.

I love how addicting her books are and this one is no exception. I think when best describing her books I would call them popcorn thrillers – once you start reading them, you quickly get pulled in and do not want to put them down. I ended up reading this one in two sittings and was quite entertained the entire time.

This story is full of twists and secrets and really takes us on quite an emotional, drama-filled ride. Naomi is a psychologist who specializes in domestic abuse. She genuinely cares for her patients but has a hard time when it comes to professional boundaries. It’s questionable whether she’s reliable, which lends to an air of suspense. She also has a dark past and I really wish this had been explored a bit more – this really had so much potential, and I feel it went nowhere.

I will say that I did at one point guess one of the twists, but then dismissed it, so when it was ultimately revealed, I was both shocked and not, if that makes sense. I still enjoyed the book but do feel it was a bit on the lighter side when it comes to thrillers. It’s still quite enjoyable and fast-paced – just what I want from my summer reads!

As a psychologist specializing in domestic abuse, Naomi has found it hard to not become overly invested in her clients’ lives. That's where her troubles start.
Jacob Is a client of hers who is being abused by his wife and needs help. Naomi just can't seem to listen to her husband, Leon, when he says keep everything professional. Naomi helps Jacob outside of her office and that's when things go bad.
Anna is also a client of Naomi's and abused by her husband after a year of grief , of losing their son.
Naomi's family was torn apart as a child, she saw her father kill her mother after years of abuse. Her and her sister were put into foster care and they were seperated. Now her dad is released from jail and her sister is reaching out to her.
I really liked this book and would have loved it but when Naomi is questioned about a lot of things she decides to lie and cover things up. If she had sat down ad told the whole story things might have been much better for her. Especially with her husband. I read it in 1 day because I could not stop reading. I had to know what was going on and was I surprised.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press Minotaur books for the book to revview.

I’m a skeptical person by nature, so books that involve potentially unreliable narrators are like soup for my cynical heart. The Blame Game by Sandie Jones had me questioning character reliability the entire way through. This one is filled with questionable motives and storylines, and it left me guessing right up to the end.

If you’re looking for a book where the protagonist makes wise choices, then this one isn’t for you. I found the main character, Naomi, exhausting and annoying. Her life choices were the antithesis of what I would expect from a psychologist. That said, I rarely find books that surprise me, and this one left me guessing all the way up to the final pages which is why it was a 4 star read for me. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

Naomi is a psychologist and specializes in domestic abuse. Trauma in her own past has lead her to this career.

A patient, Jacob, is being abused by his wife and becomes very dependent on Naomi. She tends to get very personally involved in the lives of her clients, doing all she can to help them. Her husband tries to discourage her involvement. When Jacob turns up missing, Naomi becomes the chief suspect!

Things get intense. Her husband doubts her. The police doubt her. Even as a reader, I began to doubt her. How can she prove she is innocent? Did she cross boundaries as a psychologist? And where could Jacob be?

I enjoyed the twist and turns and wasn't sure what to expect next.

Is Naomi guilty or innocent? You'll have to read to find out!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur for advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

This is my first book by Sandie Jones, but it won’t be my last. This book has so many twists and turns I felt like I was on a roller coaster! Naomi is a psychologist but she gets a little too involved in her clients’ lives.
I had a hard time putting this down. This is a perfect beach read. I want to thank Minotaur Books and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This was a slower paced mystery. You knew that something was going to happen, but a substantial part of the beginning just follows a shrink who is worried about her patients and their observations. It was too slow and uneventful for me to really enjoy it. It’s a solid read, but not one that I’d anticipate reading again. 3 stars ⭐️.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this read. Sandie Jones is not new to writing as well as the genre and. this book shows that. She has written a good one here. The POV, Naomi was a piece of work and the book was full of twists and turns that had me wondering what next. Well written.

Thanks!!

Naomi is a psychologist specializing in domestic abuse that really goes above and beyond for her clients. She lies to her husband and puts one of her clients up in an empty apartment they have to get him away from his abusive wife. Files go missing and the client disappears as well. During all of this, she’s also trying to hide her past as the police keep asking her questions.

I had a hard time with some of the decisions that Naomi was making. I really expected better of her and sometimes I wanted to throttle her. The ending was a bit ambiguous as well. But overall it’s a decent book with good pacing.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur Books for this eARC.

I was apprehensive about this one since there are mixed reviews and while some aspects require you to suspend disbelief, overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this psychological thriller. It was gripping, fast-paced and I didn’t predict the ending at all. I recommend you go in blind and let the twisty story unfold.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copies in exchange for an honest review.

Sandie Jones delivers another amazing book. Naomi is a therapist that works out of her home. She specializes in domestic abuse clients and Naomi is admittedly too invested in her clients, helping them off hours and offering places for them to stay. When her husband client goes missing, Naomi quickly becomes the main suspect.

This book is so hard to put down. It kept me guessing until the very end with what was true vs what was a lie. It’s told from Naomi’s POV so you can’t see what anyone else is thinking. This style is perfect for this story. I will definitely be reading more from Sandie Jones!!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Sandie Jones for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a big Sandie Jones fan so I was excited to read this one and it did not disappoint me. This was the perfect popcorn thriller and it hooked me from the beginning. I found myself going back and forth throughout the novel trying to figure out who the heck was the puppet/puppet master in the different relationships. I also seem to really enjoy thrillers that feature therapists so that was another added bonus for me. As always, I look forward to reading more from this author in the future!

I recommend this quick read to any thriller lover and it is available today (8/16/22)!!

4.5 stars!

Naomi is a psychologist married to Leon. They are living on an estate where a big concert is being planned by Leon which is a huge undertaking. Naomi meets with patients in a small cottage in the back of their home.

A patient called Jacob has been seeing Naomi for counseling. His wife is abusive to him and he wants out of the marriage but doesn’t know if he has the strength to leave with their children.

Naomi genuinely cares for her patients and has often gone out of her way to help them. So, when she offers Jacob the use of her’s and Leon’s beach cottage for awhile, he is grateful. However, Leon is furious and wonders if there is more to their relationship than psychologist and patient.

Naomi had a very difficult childhood with her father being abusive to her mother and that is what has brought her to doing this work.

But things go awry and Jacob disappears. Fingers point to Naomi as having had an affair with him. Her marriage is at risk and her life is floundering. Where are the lies coming from? Is someone out to get her?

This book is of a woman who is too impetuous and does not think things through. I wondered if she was guilty or if someone was trying to make her look guilty. It was difficult to get through this story when the plot jumped from one spot to another. The ending was good and was not expected. In all fairness, I will give this book 4 stars even though I found it confusing at times.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Release date: August 16, 2022

Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of The Blame Game ebook from NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first book by Sandie Jones and won’t be my last! The Blame Game is a psychological thriller/mystery that kept me interested throughout.

Naomi specializes in providing therapy to domestic abuse victims. After moving from the US to the UK to escape her own demons from the past, Naomi has settled into her career and life in the UK with her husband Leon.

Naomi’s biggest fault is her inability to draw a line between personal and professional with her clients. She is always willing to help keep them safe even if it means crossing the line here and there.

This time she may have crossed the line with the wrong person. Desperate to help her client, Naomi gets too involved in a domestic situation that feels so much like what she escaped as a child. When the police show up the door looking for her missing client and accuse her of being responsible, she may have crossed the line for the last time!

I enjoyed this book and it was a quick read and kept me engaged. The ending left a bit to be desired, I would have liked Naomi’s story to have been wrapped up a little better. This was a four star rating for me and would recommend for any fans of psychological thrillers (BA Paris or Lisa Jewell).

#NetGalley #theblamegame #sandiejones

Jones leads readers on a merry chase. I was questioning the sanity of Naomi for most of the book but also felt that someone was setting her up.
I thought she was totally unprofessional and way too involved in her patients’ lives in her crazy ambition to save every patient.
It was a good twisty read, but it the dead ends were a bit cumbersome.

This could be a parable warning about the dangers of lying. The protagonist, Naomi Chandler, is a psychotherapist and a deceitful busybody. Both of these tendencies contribute to her becoming embroiled in a chaotic, life threatening situation, leading to the unraveling of her previously happy life. This is a fast paced mystery with lots of red herrings and a twist at the end that I never saw coming. An easy fun read that kept me guessing until the end.

Another edge of your seat thriller by Sandi Jones.So many twists and turns so many surprises.Kept me up reading guessing till the last page.#netgalley #st.Martins