I always am pumped when a new Sandie jones comes out. This was no exception--a very intriguiing suspenseful read--kept me wanting more. Well done! Thank you net galley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for a review.

This book is so compelling and is filled with tension and suspense that keeps you guessing until the final reveal. I thought I knew what was going on and then something else would come to light that would have me guessing again. I kept internally yelling at the main character as she continually inched her way further into a web of lies that ultimately became her undoing. The book explores themes around trust and communication in marriage in an interesting way. Readers of psychological suspense will find this to be a satisfying one sitting or weekend read. I enjoyed it! Many thanks to Minotaur Books for the ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Look for this title from your favorite bookseller on August 16, 2022.

This story which focuses on a psychologist named Naomi had me confused, then angry, then confused and finally I reached that ah-ha moment at the epilogue. The epilogue made me happy that I had read the book, but it did take a while to get there. I thought that the book was brilliantly written with a plot that dragged at times but with such a lot of twists that it did keep me engaged. Naomi works with domestic abuse victims and is not having such an easy time with it since she personally invests herself in their lives and becomes more involved with her patients than she should. When Jacob comes to her and tells her his gut-wrenching story about his wife’s abuse, she can do nothing less than offer him a place to stay to escape Vanessa. This is where the plot got really strange because Jacob disappears and Naomi is accused of having something to do with his disappearance. With Naomi none too psychologically stable herself, the narration was unreliable and there were times when I did not know what to believe about what was happening. Leo. Naomi’s husband, resents her personal involvement with her patients and distances himself from her. There are new characters introduced, like Naomi’s sister whom she left behind in NYC after the death of their mother. The guilt of leaving Jennifer behind is a plot twist that plays into Naomi’s mental condition and thus adds more layers to the story. Without presenting any spoilers, I cannot go into more details about the plot and what happens to Naomi, but I will say that I did not particularly like any of the characters, except perhaps Detective Robson who was clever and intuitive, like a Sherlock Holmes who was following the clues to the inevitable end. Naomi was a hot mess, her husband Leo was a secondary character who was weak and disloyal and the other characters were not who they seemed to be. This book made me question what was really going on and if there was anyone in the book who was trustworthy. Good read and a definite domestic thriller with a lot of psychology thrown in just to keep it interesting!
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

The Blame Game was one of my most anticipated reads of the summer and it didn’t disappoint! I flew through the chapters like there was no tomorrow. Literally couldn’t put it down. I enjoyed the twists but the ending was very abrupt and felt rushed. Still recommending this to all of my friends! 4 stars!

This one was just a little disappointing for me. I have been a fan of Jones in the past but for me this one fell short

What the holy heck is going on?! Lies, deceit, confusion and BLAME take on the theme of The Blame Game by Sandie Jones. The story is told by Naomi, a psychologist who specializes in domestic violence and abuse. She has great intentions and a heart of gold, but sometimes she's too emotionally involved. Her latest client is Jacob, who fears that his wife is going to KILL him.
Naomi -with her 10 times too big heart- just has to cross the line and offers to protect him with a safe place to hide. When Jacob goes missing-it's Naomi who becomes the prime suspect. It's a dizzying, full throttle story!
The twists are totally unexpected, you may have to suspend belief and enjoy. Never a boring page on this one. The ending will blow you away!!! 3.5 stars and a big thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC.

Sandie Jones always writes a great thriller!
When psychotherapist Naomi tries to help a client in trouble, she begins down a path of disaster. I really liked this book, it reads easily and is full of twists and turns. Naomi is a bit daft, but the ending definitely was unexpected.

Sandie Jones' book The Blame Game is a quick summer read. I finished it in a few hours. Throughout this new twisty thriller Jones' writing holds your interest and keeps you guessing.

Synopsis:
Naomi is a psychologist dedicated to helping domestic abuse victims. Her patient Jacob disappears after leaving his abusive partner. As the police begin actively searching for Jacob, Naomi's past comes to light casting doubt on her motives. In her quest to find Jacob, Naomi soon realizes that he may not be the only one in danger.

The Blame Game has an enjoyable storyline. Although, I wished for a little bit stronger ending I was still intrigued by the plot twists. It's the type of book that you read for fun while eating popcorn. It's very entertaining and keeps you out of the summer heat.

The Blame Game by Sandie Jones is available on August 16th.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for allowing me to review this engrossing novel. I look forward to reading more books by Sandie Jones.

The action begins after Naomi, a psychologist whose clients for the most part are people who have suffered or are suffering from domestic violence, offers one of her clients, Jacob, a safe place to escape from his wife, whom he believes is killing him. The action really picks up when Jacob suddenly goes missing.

The plot line is definitely an intriguing one, and there are plenty of twists and turns, but many of those twists are really unbelievable. Yet, the ending is a good one. and all in all this proved to be a good read (and a relatively short one at that) — especially for the summer!

I have recently become a fan of Sandie Jones. Throughout the book ‘The Blame Game”, I found myself increasingly disliking Naomi, the lead female character, for her obvious naivety and immature actions. However, once again Ms. Jones, has created a suspenseful and unexpected ending, and an enjoyable novel.

I think the choices the narrator makes in this certainly adds to the tension building, but I found her incredibly frustrating. A lot of what she does doesn’t really make a lot of sense and just digs her further into a hole. I kind of wanted to shake her most of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Sandie Jones for the advanced copy of The Blame Game in exchange for my honest review.

I have admittedly gone on a rollercoaster with Sandie Jones's books in the past, but I'm firmly in team camp "yes please" for this one! I flew through it in just a few hours, I loved the pacing and the mystery.

Truthfully the only thing I didn't like about this book (and it's a pretty big dislike) was the main character, Naomi. I found her exceptionally hard to root for.

I definitely did not see the end coming, and I was satisfied with how it all played out. As per usual, I can't wait to see what Jones comes up with next!

The Blame Game will be on US bookshelves August 16!

Thanks to Net Galley for an ARC of this book.

I love suspense, but the events of this book, especially the end, were preposterous and hard to believe. As someone who works in the mental health field, I couldn't suspend disbelief long enough. I also had a hard time connecting to the characters.

I received this book as an ARC and this is my review. I loved this book! It is loaded with the twists and turns the author is famous for. The characters are flawed and the action is non-stop. Readers who enjoy thrillers with a psychological edge will enjoy this story. If you have never read a book by Sandie Jones, start with this one!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this Digital ARC of The Blame Game

This was my first Sandie Jones book and sadly may be the last too. It wasn't very well written, a little rushed in writing it felt like. This story line fell flat and Jacob's story felt too overreached. Almost DNF

I think I’m finally realizing that maybe this authors books are just not for me. I was a huge fan of her debut and then her last few books have been just ok for me. I’ve been waiting for another amazing read from her and instead I end up being underwhelmed and disappointed. Her books always start out strong for me, I’m usually interested and they are definitely fast and addictive reads. But then everything falls apart in the end and that’s unfortunately what happened again with this one. Things just got ridiculous and a lot of the story didn’t make sense. It was either predictable or just downright absurd and I just couldn’t believe it. Definitely would classify this as a popcorn thriller but if you do decide to try it know that’s it out there, dramatic and incredibly over the top.

I’ve read enough domestic thrillers to know you need a slightly unreliable MC to really sell the story and the over-the-top, convoluted situations they get themselves in, but this was all too much. There were major plot points that I don’t recall getting resolved. Things got rather confusing near the end. I had to go back and re-read a few pages to make sure I hadn’t missed anything. The bottom line is that this book is a lot and Naomi should probably take some time away from her career and work on her own issues. I think this read would have been just as thrilling and more enjoyable if the main character had been more stable.

I love you Sandie and I will continue to recommend everything you write, including this. It wasn’t for me, but I suspect there is more than one person out there that is going to devour this book and go absolutely mad for it.

This was one I struggled with. I felt the characters to be unrealistic and I could not connect with them sadly!
Not a good book for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Naomi is a therapist who goes a little too far to help her patients, at least as far as her husband Leon is concerned. Her client Jacob has been abused by his wife for years and is working up the courage to leave her, when Naomi allows him to stay in the rental flat she and Leon own. But he disappears and the police think Naomi is involved.

I thought this book was a little slow to start but then it picked up in the second half and I was interested in finding out what had happened to Jacob. As usual, it was a better than average read from this author and I am sure I will read more from her.

The Blame Game was absolutely unputdownable for me. Sandie Jones' latest comes out just in time for those last few weeks of summer, which is perfect - because The Blame Game was written for a long day by the pool. Thanks to NetGalley for giving me an eARC of this book that comes out August 16th, 2022!

The story centers around Naomi, who is a psychologist who specializes in domestic abuse. However, because of her personal history she finds it hard to not become overly involved in the lives of her clients - after all, she just wants the best for them. She toes the professional line when she helps her client, Jacob, leave his wife. Then things get really bad when Jacob goes missing, and strange things start happening around her home and office. Police start to question her, but things aren't adding up - and no one seems to trust Naomi anymore, not her closest friend or even her husband. Who really knows what happened to Jacob? Because there seems to be only one suspect - and that's Naomi.

Again, I found The Blame Game to be a very compelling thriller, that I could not put down. The first 75% started out SO strong, I was constantly itching for the next time I could read it. The last 25% though....was....rough. The ending felt entirely rushed, a few things were not explained at all (but also don't see how there could be a sequel to this?) which felt really disappointing to me. Overall, I give it 4 starts because it was such a compelling and fun read - but was not satisfied with the ending.