this is my 3rd book from Jones and I have yet to give her stuff anything more than 2 stars, so I guess it’s my time to sever ties with this author. Another insufferably naive protagonist (which annoyed me so much in The Other Woman), and I felt like there were just so many things going on that didn’t make a lot of sense, there were several parts I had to re-read a few times to make sure.
And on a more personal level, I really don’t like this recent trend of unorthodox/unethical therapists - there’s already enough stigma surrounding mental health…

3.5 Stars. The title of the book really speaks to what the story will be about. There is a whole lot of blaming, deception and lies. Naomi is a psychologist whose past led her to specialize in domestic abuse. She cares deeply for her clients, which has made it difficult for her to draw the line between work and home. One of her patients, Jacob, is in an abusive relationship and afraid of his wife. When Naomi gets a call from the police that he is missing, all evidence points to her despite being innocent. 

What I enjoyed:
-This was a super fast bingeable read
-The big twist was unexpected 
-I enjoyed playing detective to figure out who was telling the truth 
-The English countryside setting 

What I didn't love:
-I struggled with how unethical the therapist was, especially with the patient/ client boundaries
-The ending did not have the closure I was expecting 
-There was piece about Naomi's family was left unanswered 

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: 8/16

Ugh! I was pretty disappointed with this one! It was a fast read and decent mystery, but I would not classify this as a psychological thriller. The story lacked substance in some major areas and some of the characters were too sparse. The only thing that held my interest was needing to know the truth and hoping that I was wrong with my assumptions. There weren't any WTF moments or surprises with the reveals. I was able to put most of it together even with the confusion of characters, none of which were likeable by the way. The ending left me with so many unanswered questions. I just wasn't impressed. I've read all of Sandie Jones' books and absolutely loved The Other Woman and The First Mistake. Unfortunately, The Blame Game is now my least favorite. I really wanted to love it, but I needed more and just didn't get it.

Thank you to the author, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing me to preview this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Blame Game was my first book by this author, and I was hooked. There were so many twists and turns that kept me reading until the very end. Highly recommend! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I've enjoyed Sandie Jones' other books, but this one was in need of help. I was going to give it 2 stars, but figured 2.5 stars was about where it fell for me, so rounded it to 3.

Not one of the characters were likeable or relatable. As a shrink who worked with domestic abuse or violence patients, the MC made so many unethical decisions that there's no way she should have even been allowed to practice. Her husband and the other characters were all equally shady and poorly fleshed out.

For most of the book very little happened, just a lot of lies and deceptions on every character's part and then BAM, in like the final 20 pages it was over. Okay, maybe not 20, but it certainly was an extremely rushed ending almost as if the author was fed up with this stew she'd concocted that turned out to be inedible.

If you're a person who just loves "twisty, turny, psychological dramas" you may enjoy this so please don't let my review stop you from trying it. As for me, this is my last by this author.

I try very hard not to be a mean reviewer or to be overly harsh and I'm aware that this will come off that way. It's the truth and no matter how I try to soften it, this just wasn't enjoyable on any level. I should have DNF'd it.

I do appreciate Netgalley and the publishers approving me for an ARC. I just wish I had enjoyed this more...

Naomi is a psychologist who specializes in domestic abuse cases. Naomi herself, has a secretive past, and that impacts her work with her clients as she often becomes too involved. The story centers on her patient, Jacob. Jacob is afraid of his wife. Naomi becomes overly involved, and invites Jacob to stay in one of their properties. Suddenly, Jacob is missing, and the clues point to Naomi’s involvement. Like any good psychological thriller, there were twists and turns involved. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

My mind is mushy mess! I keep asking myself who is who, what I am, what’s the meaning of this book, who’s telling the truth? I’m way too much dizzy and confused, smelling the smoke coming from my overworked brain cells and I finally gave up!

What I really liked about this book:

The plot line was intriguing: A psychiatrist who is ready to cross the lines to help her fragile patients in expanse putting herself and her traumatic past in the spotlight! I always go blind with psychological thriller and twisty mysteries

The epilogue of the story was fantastic! I gave additional star for the smart ending!

But… There are so many things I truly hated:

The characterization was weak! I couldn’t connect with heroine: Naomi, raises by her aunt in NYC, suffering from traumatic death of her mother, losing her connection with her little sister, a psychiatrist who acts so irrational to help her patients and slowly disconnects from the real world, estranging her husband, being obsessed with her patients’ problems, bringing them into her life and her own house.

Her husband Leo and her don’t have any chemistry. Leo acts like suspicious jerk! But he is so right because Naomi acts like a cheater, keeping any information away from him.

And Naomi’s two patients keep giving red flags. Jacob insists her wife abuses her ; ( after Heard and Depp trial : my perspective about abusive partners completely changed and I wish Naomi listens both of the parties’ stories) and Anna suffers from estranged marriage and losing her child. Both of them were lack of emotional depth and irritated me. They were extra demanding and relentless. And Naomi keeps involving one their lives without thinking any further.

The twists were not foreseeable because they’re too far fetched and unbelievable! Come on! There are so much plot holes and I reject to buy the entire execution! Sorry, it’s not my cup of Chardonnay!

I was so close to give two stars but I looked from the bright side: even though the plot’s direction turns into a very far fetched way and the characters were very dislikable, I didn’t get bored and pacing was still good! I also enjoyed the ending so I gave extra star and my conclusion is 3 solid, I didn’t like it but I also not completely hated it stars!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

2.5 stars
I'm normally such a huge fan of Sandie Jones, but this one missed the mark for me. I put everything together super early, and I felt like the ending itself in the book was really rushed and didn't answer all of my questions.
I would not recommend this to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I have given Sandie Jones' books a chance in the past, but they just are not for me. I am not quite sure if it's her writing style or that her thriller's always take awhile to get into, but it makes it hard to like the story and characters. Sorry.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a solid 4 stars for me because I love thrillers especially psychological ones. Part One of the book lays out the groundwork about who Naomi is and how she operates as a therapist. You get this amazing sense that something is not right along with eerie vibes.

Part Two everything starts to speed up as we try to figure out what is happening. Unfortunately, Naomi has stretched herself too thin and it’s all coming to a breaking point. The second half of this book will make you question what you’ve read and see the lengths people go when they blame one another.

The only things that didn’t make this a five star read was the unethical boundaries that Naomi had set up. I found it very unrealistic as someone who went to school for therapy. Also, this wasn’t as twisty as I was hoping and I was able to figure out the twist early on. One plus is that Jones’ writing is easy to follow and sucks you right in and I still enjoyed the mystery of the story.

This page-turning thriller is full of twists and turns and a surprise ending that I didn’t see coming. The story was interesting, and I never knew who to believe. I will say, though, that I found the ending a little rushed and confusing. Still, it’s a fun, fast-paced read. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.

The beginning of the book was awesome and I was hooked. However, the plot took some turns that I did not think was realistic. There were also parts that made no sense. I have read other books from this author that I love but this one just didn’t work for me.

Interesting read

Interesting and a bit confusing at times. But it certainly keeps you reading and trying to find out the truth of it all. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book received via NetGalley.

INSANITY. Pure insanity. 5 edge-of-my-seat, read-straight-through, gripping stars!!!

As I buckled in for my 4+ hour flight, I cracked this lovely little thriller open and WOAH did it grip me! I completely binged it all in one sitting, quite like all of the meals I was eating on my all-inclusive.. xD

Naomi, a psychologist who specializes in domestic abuse issues, often bends over backwards for her clients and their safety. But how far is TOO far when mixing business with personal?

She helps out one of her clients, Jacob, whom has the desire to flee his abusive relationship. Then things go south. Like a LOT... Her job, reputation, and safety may all at once be at stake. Can she piece together all the clues to save herself before she goes down with the ship?

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC!

The Blame Game is a psychological thriller that leaves you guessing until the last page. I couldn't put it down! The story follows a psychologist who works with victims of domestic violence who has a tendency to cross professional boundaries to help her clients. Naomi becomes a prime suspect when one of her clients goes missing, and all signs point to her. She tries to clear her name by investigating, and only succeeds in making her look guiltier. I highly recommend this book! It is the first novel I have read by the author and will definitely be checking out her other works. Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC!

How much can a therapist trust their patient is telling the truth? How can you help a patient without getting too involved? These are the questions that form the basis for this thriller about a woman running from her past and finding the same amount of drama and turmoil in her present. Naomi is an American born therapist living in England with her husband Leon. Naomi had a difficult and traumatic childhood which caused her to become a therapist dealing with people who have been a victim of domestic abuse. She operates out of a cottage on the grounds of a grand estate where her husband works booking concerts and other events to help the owner maintain the property. Naomi and Leon also live in a small house on the estate. The book begins when we meet her patient Jake who is being abused by his wife. Naomi fears for Jake's safety but also realizes she is becoming too involved when she invites him to move in to a flat she and her husband own. She has another patient Anna who is mourning her child that died and trying to navigate a marriage that is. becoming increasing abusive emotionally. While all this is going on, we see some of Naomi's childhood memories of living in an abusive household and strange things beginning happening in the present like files disappearing and Naomi sensing someone is in her house.

I usually love this author but this book wasn't as strong for me as her others. Naomi wasn't very likable as she lies to everyone once Jake goes missing. She lies to her husband, her friend and the police. The author also saves most of the action until the very end and the story ends up being confusing and doesn't always make sense. I did guess one of the twists which never bothers me but overall I felt this story just lacked a solid reason for all the lies and deceit. I also thought the red herrings could have been used better because it was obvious they were not part of the story. Thanks to St. Martins Books and NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for a review.

I always enjoy anything Sandie Jones does! This had me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out the mystery of Naomis clients! I did find the ending blunt and rushed. Over all a good mystery!

The story revolves around a psychologist, her patients and her husband.
Giving a detailed plot summary to me feels like being back in school and doing a book report.
I thought I saw where this book was going, but the twist at the end….didn’t see it coming

The Blame Game by Sandie Jones is a fast paced psychological thriller set in England. A therapist, who is too invested in her clients, threatens her own marriage when she blurs the line between professional and savior. That one little lie turns into a series of events leading her further and further into a world of deceit. Her world is turned inside out and she doesn’t have a clue who is behind it all. It is a thrilling story that weaves mystery, manipulation, trauma, and an invested therapist named Naomi together with just the right exhilaration to make it a fast read that leaves you wanting more! I devoured it in one sitting… a clever and completely original take on a domestic thriller!

I have read all of Sandie Jones’ books, so I was very excited to be approved for this one. Thank you to the publisher for this approval. This book, however, didn’t seem to be as twisty as Jones’ previous books, so I was a little disappointed. I will still be a Jones’ fan, but this one was not toward the top of my list.