I flew through this thriller and it’s definitely an easy read. Unfortunately, I didn’t love this one though. I felt there was a lack of depth of the characters and their relationships and I never really connected with them.

As the book went on I felt it became far fetched and confusing; the connections never really added up for me. I also felt there were some characters that were unnecessarily introduced to the reader.

I will say the epilogue was great and it did clear up some of the confusion. This book kept me wanting to read more so I could figure out what was going on! I do think a lot of people will really enjoy this book, it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for this ARC!

This was one of those novels that the suspense build-up was so much, I almost skipped several sections so that I could hurry up and find out if my scenarios floating around my head were true! Every angle I could think of, I could not figure out where Jones was going with this? But, as I’ve come to expect with this author, she didn’t let me down.

Meet Naomi Chandler. She’s the type of psychologist you want on your side. She’s a great listener. She’s very attentive to her patients' needs. She takes on the role of Captain-Save-a-Patient and gives her all to assist those who need it. Especially patients who are in domestic abuse cases. So how is it that a woman this well put-together with a strong constitution and will power finds herself in a web of lies, deceit and blame?

For starters, her weakest attribute was her strong suit. Hmm…you may be wondering what in the world am I talking about? Because Naomi was a great listener, she took on too much of her patients’ woes and problems. So much so that her willing to give so much of herself was beginning to crumble her marriage to Leon. It was Naomi’s role to guide and give advice when needed, but she never quite took that advice for herself. She was entirely too trusting and that was due, in small part, to her past with her parents and sister, Jennifer.

One thing Naomi could not stand for is any type of domestic abuse. It didn’t matter which adult was performing it—if you struck your partner in any way, shape or form, she was the woman to help guide you otherwise. So, imagine, on the night her patient, Jacob, calls her in a panic and asks her to meet him at a hotel bar so he could talk, this was the opportunity for Naomi to bow out gracefully. But, did she do that? Of course not! She meets him there and words were exchanged. From the outside looking in one could easily assume the two of them were lovers or having some type of an affair, but did that matter to Naomi and Jacob? No! When the police track down Naomi to ask her questions about the disappearance of her patient, Jacob, that’s when the movie reel in her mind began spinning out of control. She did everything to cover her tracks, or so she thought.

When Leon gets home and Naomi tries to explain why the police wanted to talk with her, she realized fairly quickly that she could either tell her husband the truth and nothing but. . .or, she could lie and place blame somewhere else. And that, readers, is where this story begins to go left.

One thing I love about Sandie Jones, she most definitely knows how to keep her readers wrapped around her finger until we’re about to bust! Holy cow, this novel had so many red herrings that it almost muddied the story line. I must have had about four key scenarios happening and I was right with the four I had, but it was the order in which they played out that made all the world of difference. Was this story as good as The Other Woman? For me, not as good, but it had some great twists and turns that I absolutely loved! Jones truly toyed with the story line and bent it in ways I didn’t think was possible. And what really brought it on home for me was the ending. It was something so sweet and simple, there wasn’t any room for doubt.

Lies upon lies upon lies! I do love a fast paced, messed up psychologist story. This is a super quick read so you have to pay attention to all the twists. This is my first read with this author and I’ll be checking out her backlist. Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book is available for purchase on August 16, 2022.

Naomi is a psychologist who specializes in patients who are victims of domestic abuse. However, she crosses the line between patient and therapist big time. This puts her into situations which are dangerous, inappropriate, and damaging to her career. I found it very hard to like and emphasize with her character because she is so self destructive.

Her lack of boundaries is also causing turmoil in her marriage to her husband Leo. In my opinion Leo’s character is unlikeable and not that well developed.

I do feel though that the plot was entertaining and well paced, even though it was a bit far fetched. It definitely kept me entertained, and it was a quick read. She crosses the line with her patient Jacob, who then goes missing. She then becomes the major suspect in his missing persons case.

Overall, I would say this was an entertaining read. I’m deducting 2 stars for 1) Unlikable/poorly developed character 2) Hard to believe storyline.

Thank You to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for providing me with an eARC of this book to read and review!

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: August 16, 2022
Naomi is a psychologist who treats victims of domestic violence. As a survivor herself, Naomi feels personally connected to her clients and sometimes she goes above and beyond to help them, causing tension in her marriage and in her personal life as a whole. After meeting with Jacob, a client who is escaping an abusive wife, Naomi again breaches protocol by offering Jacob a place to live in her rental property and keeps it a secret from her husband Leo. When Jacob’s file vanishes from her office, and then Jacob himself vanishes without a trace, Naomi wonders if Jacob’s wife has finally caught up to him, or if the lack of boundaries in her relationship with Jacob has opened the door for Naomi’s past to come calling- taking Jacob along for the ride.
Sandie Jones is the author of “The Other Woman” and “The Guilt Trip”, to name a few, and I was beyond excited to get a copy of her newest release, “The Blame Game”. A novel with domestic violence at its core (and the stereotypes associated with female on male violence), Jones’ takes the reader on an emotional rollercoaster of tense drama and riveting suspense.
Naomi’s background is tragic and it’s awe-inspiring that she was able to build such a successful life, and sustain a (relatively) normal marriage. Although she broke almost every role in the “psychologist handbook” by completely obliterating her boundaries she manages to keep her own personal boundaries up (way up) when it comes to her husband. Throughout the novel I kept thinking “if she had just told Leo from the beginning, we honestly wouldn’t even have a story”. Her dishonesty made Leo look like a bad guy for his reactions, and I think he deserved more credit than that.
I wanted more of Naomi’s background, with her estranged sister and her convict father. Since it is obviously so relevant to Naomi’s life, Jones provided the applicable details and the important bits, but I was still left wanting more. Jones could have created an entire novel on Naomi’s backstory and I would’ve been completely satisfied.
The twists and turns in this one were abundant, and when the final twist was revealed, it was not entirely unexpected, but enjoyable all the same! Jones delivers a gripping, page-turning novel about boundaries, stereotypes, and the devastating effect of domestic violence on everyone involved. “The Blame Game” has a little bit of everything- for everyone!

I'm now convinced that Sandie Jones just isn't the thriller author for me. I found the characters to be incredibly one-dimensional.

A digital ARC of this book was provided to me by NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books. The opinions are my own and freely given.

Main Characters:

Naomi - a psychotherapist
Leon - her husband
Jacob - her patient
Anna - her patient

Naomi has a garden office as a psychotherapist. She specializes in domestic violence stemming from her childhood. Her husband thinks that she works too hard with the patients she sees, but she just wants to be able to help them to feel safe. One night, one of her patients, that she hasn't told many details to her husband about, goes missing. The police start to question her relationship with the patient, and everything spirals from there.

I enjoyed the storyline of this book, and it was really a quick read; however, I ended it with a few unanswered questions. A scene in the book alludes to Leon and a patient knowing each other, but it is never brought up again. Also, when Naomi's past threatens to be part of the present, that isn't really explained further. That piece seemed like a very big part of the storyline, and I felt like I needed a little closure.

Every scene was written well and descriptive. I felt like I was there with the characters. Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and Sandie Jones.

The Blame Game is a light, quick thriller about Naomi, an American therapist living in England, with a traumatic past, who feels very strongly about her clients, who are mostly victims of domestic violence. Her support for them crosses some lines, and she finds herself suspected of the disappearance of one of them. There are some plot twists, some make more sense than others, but it's overall entertaining.

I've read several of Sandie Jones's novels and enjoyed them, so I was happy to pick this one up. This is a domestic suspense / thriller type of book involving a psychologist who specializes in domestic abuse and her clients. Naomi always trys to go above and beyond for her clients, and sometimes crosses professional lines in order to do so. She has done that for Jacob, who is being abused by his wife, and she allows him to live in the flat she and her husband were thinking about renting out. But she doesn't tell her husband about this.

When Jacob disappears and the police become involved, Naomi has things she is hiding from her husband and from the police. Naomi's previous history has left her with trust issues and this entire fiasco of a situation blows up to a climax that surprises.

Unfortunately, I didn't find any characters here I really liked or identified with. The plot was a little unbelievable to me, but I tried to just accept that this is fiction and you can spin it any way you want.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on August 16, 2022.

Thank you to Minotaur and NetGalley for the gifted ebook of The Blame Game! All opinions in this review are my own.

I was thoroughly creeped out by this book. This was not the book to read before going to sleep! There is so much going on that it's hard to write a succinct summary without giving away parts of the book. While almost everything does connect at the end, there are a lot of story lines to keep track of while reading.

The Blame Game was a bit of a miss for me, but I loved The Guilt Trip by the same author when I read it last year. I'm still excited to explore her backlist titles!

Thank you to Minotaur for letting me read this one early. You can find it on shelves August 16.

This book sucked me in pretty early on. I loved the premise and plotline at the beginning. The ending was something I figured out early on but kept reading hoping I was wrong. Honestly this book was a little bit unbelievable while also being predictable at the same time. I’m not a fan.

I really really wanted to love this book. The premise was so interesting and caught my attention right away. I liked the initial plotline, and was totally sucked in by Naomi and Jacob's connection/ relationship. However, I had guessed the ending as soon as Naomi's other patient (the woman being domestically abused) came into the picture. I found myself getting a bit bored by about 25% in. Also Naomi's lack of boundaries with her patients was totally astounding, I found that particular piece to be a bit unbelievable. Overall, I wanted to love it but definitely did not.

"The Blame Game", what an adequate title for this book! Who's to blame for the disappearance of psychologist Naomi's client Jacob...or is his name Michael? Did she finally become too involved with one of her clients, has her estranged family come back for revenge, or has Naomi finally lost her grasp on reality? Just a few of the possible scenarios in The Blame Game!

This one kept me guessing till the very end with an intriguing storyline! However, I did not like the main character, Naomi. She told the most ridiculous lies and just did ridiculous things! It was hard to focus on the story when her actions made me roll my eyes continuously!

Thank you Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for this honest review.

As a psychotherapist, Naomi specializes in domestic violence. As a survivor herself, she has a personal stake in her clients. When one of her clients turns up missing and the police suspect Naomi of being involved with him, she feels cornered. Soon she feels as if she’s not safe and she’s going to have to figure out how to save herself this time.

This is the first book I have read by this author and I was hooked from the first chapter! I can guarantee this won’t be the one and only book I read by this author either. The reason for a 4 vs 5 rating is that I did have a little trouble trying to follow some parts of the books at first, but I got along quickly and was still hooked regardless.

I feel a bit neutral about this book. Did not love it, but didn't like it either.
The Blame Game is entertaining and has many plot twist and turns. What helped the story were the psycho characters. I found the plot so twisted it was not realistic. The ending felt rushed and left too many unanswered questions leaving the reader to their on interpretation..

Thank you St. Martin Publication and NetGalley the opportunity to read and give an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Blame Game by Sandie Jones
What a mess! Trying to keep track of who was who and who knew who from where was a real struggle.
How do you know who anyone is when everyone is lying to you about who they are?
Naomi is a psychotherapist specializing in domestic violence. She’s experienced domestic violence firsthand. Her father murdered her mother and was sent to prison. She struggles trying to keep professional boundaries with her clients and that is about to be her down fall.
When one of her patients turns up missing the police suspect that she’s having an affair with him. And every time they back her into a corner she lies and her troubles get bigger. But what she doesn’t know is that both of her patients who are claiming domestic violence have big secrets too.
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley for this title. Our thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is my first novel by Sandie Jones. This book starts out STRONG, and will hook you and keep you turning the page from the very beginning. This book has a TON of potential….it almost felt a little rushed. I wish the author could have developed the story a little more, with her clients, other client, her sister, her relationship etc.. While I did see the connection between the two clients, it did not take away from the story and it did keep me hooked and guessing what was next to come. The first 50% of the book was great, the 2nd half of the book was a little confusing and just crammed together. Overall, I did enjoy the book and am looking forward to reading more from Sandie.

Naomi is a therapist specializing in helping victims of domestic abuse. Ever since her mother was a victim of abuse she has vowed to help save others. That is why she sometimes has trouble setting boundaries with her clients and has gotten reprimanded for it in the past. Her current client, Jacob, is being abused by his wife and Naomi so wants to help him by letting him stay in an empty flat her and her husband, Leon, own. After he goes missing though, Naomi becomes a suspect and her past comes back to haunt her.

I absolutely love Sandie Jones and have read all of her books, hands down this is my favorite so far. This book was fast paced that made it a quick read for me. So many times I thought I knew what the heck was going on and then, NOPE, guess again. There were lots of lies, stories and betrayal that kept me hooked. Naomi made me cringe almost the whole time so while I wasn’t rooting for her she made the book uncomfortably good.

I am not 100% sure I know what I just read, but it sure did keep me entertained!

I read 50% of the book at night when I should have been sleeping (but I couldn’t because I was INVESTED). I started reading the second half almost as soon as I woke up because what the hell is going on here?!?

I’m still not sure. 😂

I mean, I know. But… what?

I swear I thought I knew what was going on about 25 times throughout the book - and then I’d second guess myself and I just repeated this over and over until the very end.

I really did not like Naomi. I know she meant well, but what’s with all the lying and just plain stupidity?!?

To say I thought it was a good story would be an understatement. The story was crazy (I liked how the backstory tied into her current life) and the twists and surprises just kept on coming.

It seemed a little short for me, though. I thought there was a lot that maybe should have or could have been said that wasn’t. It’s hard to explain without spoiling things, but I thought it was more simplistic than it should have been, I guess. I just wanted more!

This one will keep you guessing.

Lies upon lies. This book was a fast read with a quick pace. It kept me guessing and changing my ideas. The MC made a lot of poor choices and I wanted to yell at her. The ending left a few things unresolved and it wasn't satisfying. The epilogue did explain some things though. I really like this author and look forward to her next book.