Well, it was a hot mess to keep up with all the people and the lies! But, the end was definitely worth it!

The writing had me all over the place in this book. It was so confusing and slow that I finally gave up and just stopped.

Sandie Jones does it again! I love all of the books by Jones and this one was no exception. I could not put this one down! I always look forward to Jones' new releases!

This is probably one of the most predictable books I’ve read. It’s still good though. Luckily, it a short we’ll written book. The characters are great and well thought out. You really root for Naomi. But it loses stars for being predictable.

The Blame Game
•Author: Sandie Jones
•Rating: ✰✰✰✰ (3.5 rounded up)
•Genre: Thriller

Sandie Jones leaves me shocked once again! The Goodreads ratings on this one almost scared me off but I’ve always been a fan of this author so I decided to give it a go. I’m super glad I did! I really enjoyed this short thriller, the only thing that keeps me from rating it a little higher was the confusing ending. Overall, it was good!

𝙎𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙨𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨: Naomi is a psychologist who specializes in domestic abuse. She is way too quick to go the extra mile for her clients. She tries to help her client Jacob and he ends up going missing…

Naomi is a psychologist specializing in domestic violence. She has a huge heart and wants to help everyone, sometimes to her own detriment.
Jacob is her newest client. He is a man trapped in a abusive marriage. He believes his wife is out to kill him, so she offers a place for Jacob to stay… then he disappears. As the investigation begins, Naomi finds that Jacob may not be who he seems. As Naomi becomes embroiled in the investigation, it seems that her own past is about to catch up with her as well.

Sandie Jones is an auto-buy author of mine so I was thrilled to read her latest, The Blame Game. I loved the thrills and suspense and the plot was absolutely perfect. I was hooked from the very beginning and was unable to put this one down. All the stars for this one. Definitely recommend.

I always love Sandie Jones' books. She writes a solid, fast-paced thriller. This one was nothing out of the ordinary, just a run of the mill thriller. A solid 3 stars!

🚩Book Review:
Title: The Blame Game
Author: Sandie Jones
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/3 stars

I originally rated this with four stars when I read it in early February, but when doing this review I took it down to a three. I cannot for the life of me remember exactly what happened during this book. For me to not remember much makes me realize it didn't really have an impact on me at all. That of I'm starting to get memory loss 😌. And if that's the case then I apologize for the lower rating 😆.

So here's the basic summary of this book taken from Goodreads. I've really got to get my focus back. 🤦‍♀️

She knows she’s telling the truth. But the evidence says she’s lying.

"As a psychologist specializing in domestic abuse, Naomi has found it hard to not become overly invested in her clients’ lives. But after helping the middle-aged Jacob make the decision to leave his wife, Naomi has begun to worry that she’s gone too far this time. On the morning of Jacob’s first session after his escape, doors that Naomi is sure she’d locked have been mysteriously left open, and Jacob’s client file is missing.

Then, another client approaches Naomi for assistance in leaving behind her abusive husband, and Naomi is once again unable to turn aside someone in need. But are the missing papers and unlocked doors symptoms of Naomi’s own dark past raising its ugly head, or something more? And is it possible that her clients aren’t the only ones in danger, but Naomi herself?"

Thank you, @netgalley and @stmartinspress, for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Published August 16th, 2022

The last few Sandie Jones books had fell just a little flat for me but this one was fantastic and reminded of why I love her domestic thrillers. It was fast paced and exciting and kept me on my toes. highly recommend this one

I’m a fan of Sandie Jones’ books & really enjoyed the Blame Game! She writes so well that you really do have a hard time knowing who to trust or what to believe, what a great story!

This book was good and full of some unexpected twists and turns, especially in the last couple of chapters! It had me want to keep reading all the way through to find out what happens.

Interesting enough storyline, with a slew of unreliable characters. Didn’t hold me attention the way I hoped it would, but a fair read.

OHHHH!! I really liked this one... Naomi is a domestic abuse therapist. When she over helps one of her clients Jacob, leave his abusive wife and stay in her guest house... things all start going wrong. He misses his session which never happens, The door to her office is unlocked and His file goes missing, Then another client she has needs her help in leaving her abusive husband and she just cant turn away.. but something is off with this situation and she cant shake it. When Jacob does missing, Naomi becomes the number one suspect. She knows she did nothing wrong, but how can she prove it when all evidence points to her?

I was really invested in this one... I had the opportunity to also listen to the audiobook, which was amazing !! Naomi as a character was a very messy, but in the best way possible for a thriller. and the TWIST at the end OMG... totally surprised. I did still have so many questions at the end of this book... I need answers!!

Overall, very good thriller, great narration!! I will definitely be reading more by her in the future !!

I've been a huge Sandie Jones fan ever since her debut and went into this rather hopeful despite the lackluster reviews, but clearly the reviews are lackluster for a reason. It also didn't feel like under 260 pages as I took ages to finish reading.

Despite its promising premise and intriguing set-up, The Blame Game is your typical domestic thriller and a big mess. There are several plotlines hastily thrown together, none of which turn out to be particularly satisfying. The epilogue was super unnecessary and I wish the author had just stuck to letting you-know-who prevail.

What make this book so aggravating is its naive and foolish protagonist, who keeps digging a larger hole for herself while her lies continue to snowball. I found Naomi's motivations and justifications extremely unbelievable. She also really annoyed me by refusing to just come clean over minor matters, showing no respect for her job or marriage.

I did like how the author discusses toxic and abusive relationships though, as it was so painfully relatable. I loved that Naomi was a psychologist. Which might be why I feel extra disappointed overall. This is my 5th Sandie Jones novel and I look forward to her next one still.

I really enjoy everything I've ever read by Sandie Jones. This was no exception! I don't want to spoil anything, so please please please read this one to see for yourself!!

I typically LOVE a Sandie Jones binge read. I cannot lie, I didn’t enjoy this one. The whole time I found myself internally screaming, “WHY ARE YOU EVEN LYING ABOUT THIS?!” This entire book would have been nothing had Naomi just stopped telling lies when she didn’t even have to. There were a lot of plot holes throughout the entire read.
Overall I was just frustrated during the entire book. Almost a DNF, but I was already 70% through it before I hit my “oh my god, what am I even doing reading this??” so I powered through. I will say, the epilogue was pretty solid!

*I received a free copy of this novel from NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for my honest review.*

Naomi is a psychologist specializing in domestic abuse relationships and she has a past that she left behind in New York when she moved to England. And now that she has overstepped boundaries, her client and her client's files have gone missing. And in her search, she begins to look like the one who is in need of mental health.

Sandie Jones' novels are always thrillers with twists and turns! And she also makes you want to shake the main character from time to time. This book was no different. But there were so many things going wrong, I started to wonder if I was being gas lit into seeing Naomi as a bit of a nutter. Did not see the ending coming! Great read!

4 stars

I always love a good Sandie Jones book!

The Blame Game truly lived up to its title. It’s very twisty and keeps you guessing throughout the entire book!

I highly recommend and can’t wait for Ms Jones next book!

I need to learn that this author just isn't for me. I haven't enjoyed many of her books, but I keep picking them up. This one really just didn't do it for me, but it was very fast-paced and leaves you with questions at the end, which is always fun.