I've read The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones and really enjoyed it so I was excited to receive an eARC of The Blame Game. This one was great too! Having to do with domestic violence, stereotypes and boundaries, it was a gripping read full if twists and turns; some were unexpected but I also saw a few coming as well. I'm sure this one will keep most readers interested until the very end.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was a fast paced book and I enjoyed all of the twists as well as the ending. Sadly I found Naomi to be insufferable - between her overstepping with her clients and blatantly lying to literally everyone, I was so sick of her by the time I was halfway through the book. That being said, I did question every single character and had no idea what the truth was by the end, so a job well done there.

Overall it was just okay and not one I would go out of my way to recommend to friends.

I listened to the audiobook and Karissa Vacker did a fantastic job narrating this story. It's a twisty thriller with an unethical psychologist and two different clients with unreliable stories. I always enjoy being surprised when reading this genre and there were a few shockers here. Despite a little confusion here and there, the epilogue wrapped it up nicely.
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Every since The Other Woman, I RUN at any chance to read a Sandie Jones book. And so I dropped everything to read The Blame Game.

As a psychologist specializing in domestic abuse, Naomi has found it hard to avoid becoming overly invested in her clients’ lives. But after helping Jacob make the decision to leave his wife, Naomi worries that she’s taken things too far. Then Jacob goes missing, and her files on him vanish. . . .

But as the police start asking questions about Jacob, Naomi’s own dark past emerges. And as the truth comes to light, it seems that it’s not just her clients who are in danger.


The Blame Game kept me up ALL night. The plot was clever, and Naomi's backstory was developed perfectly. It was one of my favorite books of 2022!

I always love a Sandie Jones book - I never know what interesting plot twists she'll come up with and I'm eager to dive into her world. To get into Naomi's mind and past were page turning - its scary that all of us may have that side to our personality buried deep.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the EArc of this book! Once I started reading it, I had a hard time putting it down, I binged this book in just a couple of sittings and found it to be a really fast paced and interesting Thriller.

The plot line was interesting, I always love when thrillers lean towards being psychological and the mystery isn't as straight forward as it might appear. And the twists in this book were truly unpredictable for me, I didn't see them coming at all.

The one aspect of this book that didn't work so well for me were the characters themselves, I had a hard time connecting with any of them or even liking them. Which I know isnt always the goal of a thriller, but I just lacked any sort of connection to them. I found Naomi and Leo to be a strange pairing as well, as they didn't have any chemistry in my opinion.

Love seeing a new book by this author, and this one was no disappointment. There were many twists and turns throughout the book that kept you thinking about everything the author was throwing at you throughout the read.

I don't know if I was a fan of how many time a therapist who gets extremely close to her clients, and breaks the therapy code in doing so.

I will always look forward to books by Sandie Jones.

Naomi is a psychologist specializing in domestic abuse. She tends to get overly invested in her client's lives. After helping 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.

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

This one was tough for me. It felt incredibly unbelievable. All of the characters were unlikeable, though that was likely on purpose. I was left with a lot of questions by the end. I enjoy books being wrapped up. I did like some of the twists. This had potential, for sure. I do recommend it. You may love it.

The Blame Game started out strong for me but ultimately didn’t do it for me. Some of the twists were far fetched. I’d give it 3.5 stars. It was entertaining and kept my attention but not a favorite. I would definitely read more from this author and look forward to her next book.

Oh man what a good book. This was one of those books that all the characters were terrible. All the lines were crossed in this one and I enjoyed the demise of the characters.

good book and really enjoyed the characters and their journey. I liked the romance.. I enjoyed how the characters grew in the book and what happened.

Sandie Jones is one of my favorite authors. She has a way of writing that compels you forward and you can't stop.

I really loved this book! The plot was fantastic. I usually have a hard time not guessing "whodunit" so with this one I was correct about part of what I thought was going on, but not all of it. And it was so so much better than what I had guessed!

This was a fast and fun thriller!

In The Blame Game by Sandie Jones, we meet Naomi, a psychologist who specializes in domestic violence. She agrees to help out a client, Jacob, who believes that his wife is out to kill him. Jacob goes missing and all fingers are pointing at Naomi. The twists and turns in this book were so outlandish I didn't know what to even think! But in all honestly, it kept me entertained and kept me reading late into the night because I just HAD to finish to see what the conclusion was!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book.

Sandie Jones is quickly becoming an auto read author for me. All of her novels keep me wanting to keep reading to find out what is going on. This book was no exception. Naomi is a psychologist specializing in domestic abuse and she helps convince her client to leave his wife when he disappears and then all the files on him disappear as well. Its a wild ride and I can't wait to read more of her work.

The Blame Game was one of those books you couldnt trust anyone to tell the truth. Naomi is a therapist who gets too close to her clients. This was an OK thriller more of a drama.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this digital arc. All opinions are my own.

⭐⭐⭐

𝙂𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙨. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙡𝙮.

I really struggled with the story in The Blame Game. It had a super intriguing premise, but unfortunately, it was a disappointment. I thought it was just okay, it reminded me too much of other thrillers like this that did it better IMO.

Naomi was a character I found to be super unlikable. It’s always hard to care for a story with a MC that isn’t likable. Also, she made so many unethical choices that made me dislike her even more, especially the way she was with her patients. She’s a therapist so I would expect her to be more knowledgeable with knowing what’s right and what isn’t. There was also a backstory about our MC, but it was too rushed and I would’ve liked more about her past.

While I do appreciate the twists provided, I found them to be a bit underwhelming and random. Overall, I didn’t love or hate this one. I just found it to be a bit bland with its twists, they were very far-fetched and came out of nowhere. Naomi wasn’t super likable either and there was a huge miss with focusing more on her backstory. There were some things I appreciated and it was a quick read so I went middle of the road with a three-star.

I couldn’t get into it and hate to admit it was a do not finish for me. Waiting was slow and I couldn’t get into the story. I will get it another try soon

An intricate web of lies that explodes.

“The Blame Game” is Naomi’s first-person narrative. She talks directly to readers, sharing many things, but not everything. She is a therapist specializing in domestic abuse; she wants to help her clients, to change them, and to give them a chance for a better future. Her clients share their troubles and their secrets with her. They may think that she will never truly understand how they feel because she has not experienced what they have, but little do they know that she, indeed, has. She has troubles and secrets that she does not want to share with anyone.

One client has a story different from that of most of her clients. Jacob Mackenzie reports that he has been abused by a woman for ten years. He wants to kill he, so he wants to leave, to “save her” from what he might do. Jacob does “escape,” but that is not the sought-for solution. Jacob is not telling everything, and his relationship with Naomi is perhaps becoming more than it should be. Lies are numerous and nasty.

I received a review copy of “The Blame Game” from Sandie Jones, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books. It is an intricate web of lies that explodes, starting an unexpected a chain of events. Naomi’s clients are not the only ones in danger, she is as well. “The Blame Game” is now available in print, as an e-book, and on audio from independent bookstores, online booksellers, retail stores, public libraries and anywhere you get your books.

I had a hard time relating to Naomi. She is an extremely unethical psychologist. She blurs the line between a professional and a friend. The best thing about the story was the epilogue because it tied everything together.

I enjoyed this book although I feel like that as a psychiatrist, the main character crossed multiple lines. I did enjoy the multiple characters and not knowing exactly who I could trust and who I couldn’t. This book just proves that boundaries are good and necessary!