This one is a fast paced thriller with lots of unreliable narrators and twists.

The psychologist, who is the MC, honestly annoyed me so much. This lady has no boundaries with her clients.

I will say that I guessed one of the biggest twists very early on so was t shocked by most of the storyline.

Sandie Jones is the queen of domestic suspense, but this one was not my favorite by her. While the story was interesting to follow, confounding character motivations and slapdash detective work dragged this one down for me. The plot was a bit of a jumble.

Naomi came to England with her husband when his American visa ran out. She is a psychologist and they are living on a large estate where Leon is managing events. Leon is Naomi's only family. Her father murdered her mother in one of his rages when she was a child and her sister was lost to her in a world of drugs. She was glad to leave the States and start anew.

Naomi specializes in domestic abuse cases. Leon says that she is overinvested in her patients but Naomi sees it as doing whatever she can. She currently has two such cases. Anna is deciding if she needs to leave her abusive husband. Jacob is a more uncommon case. He has been married and abused physically, emotionally and psychologically for years by his wife, Vanessa. Naomi offers Jacob the use of a cottage she and Leon own which is over the line. She also meets him one night at a local hotel to calm him down when he believes his abusive wife has found his new residence. When Jacob goes missing, the police focus in on Naomi and believe that she has been having an affair with Jacob and is responsible for his disappearance.

Sandie Jones is known for psychological suspense novels. This one features a main character who might have been as well off being treated for her issues instead of treating others. She crosses the professional line and as one might expect, it is a disaster for all concerned. There are lots of twists and turns and the reader won't be sure until the end who is lying and who is telling the truth. This book is recommended for mystery readers.

What the hail did I just read? There was a ton of sleight of hand by putting a ton of information to distract you. I wasn’t sure where to look, who was good or bad. Honestly there were some issues I had with the book. Like with so many characters I still have no clue where one of the guys at end came from.

That being said it kept me wanting more so I’m rounding up to 4 stars.

This was very slow. The only reason I finished it was to see how it played out. It left a ton of loose ends, and it didn’t all make sense.

Thank you Minotaur for my gifted copy in exchange for a honest review.

This novel is a perfect example of what happens when the thriller genre runs slightly amok. This novel went so fast and so furious that there was zero character development, too many twists and turns to keep track of, and a plot that strained credulity to such a degree that I skimmed the last forty pages or so just to get it over with. The writing isn't particularly good, either. Skip this in favor of Sheena Kamal or Clare Mackintosh.

A very interesting thriller about a psychiatrist getting too involved in her clients lives. Naomi just wants to help her clients, but gets entwined in a missing person case. It kept my interest throughout, but I thought it was just a typical thriller.

*Thank you @minotaurbooks and @macmillanaudio for the egalley and audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Review not posted to Amazon/Goodreads because less than 4 stars or DNF.*

Sandie Jones is one of my favorite thriller writers. I love that she can write engaging, pulse pounding thrillers with smart female characters who have agency over their lives. Not every thriller needs to be a femjep. This one is especially twisty, and has some pretty gasp worthy moments. That being said, it wasn't my favorite of hers. I did enjoy the audio narrator, it contributed to the feel of the story.

This thriller was just okay for me. The beginning is a little slow and I never really connected to the main character Naomi. There were many twists toward the end, and that is why my rating is bumped up to ⭐️⭐️⭐️. As I mentioned earlier, I didn’t dislike it, but was never invested completely. I did enjoy the narration, and felt it added a layer of suspense and mystery. Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my audiobook.

For me this was a no-nonsense book. It didn't take much thought, I could sit back and enjoy reading it, while appreciating the twists and turns and the story.
This one actually was my favorite out of all Sandie Jones book and I know i am an outlier.

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 listened to the audio, thanks to NetGalley. Bingeable with flawed characters, twists and turns and not too long and overdone.

Thank you to @netgalley and @Stmartinspress for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to @macmillian.audio for a free download of the audiobook.

Sandie Jones is auto read author for me. She does such a good job with domestic suspense. The Blame Game is no different. Naomi is a psychologist that has a habit of getting too close or involved in her clients lives. In this case, she offers for one to live in an old apartment she owns with her husband that isn’t being used. But then that client disappears…

This book was bingable. Between reading and listening, I couldn’t stop. It’s not often I can say that I didn’t see the end coming, but here we are! If you need a book to keep you on the edge of your seat, give this one a try!

4 stars

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #stmartinspress #macmillianaudio #ltbreaderteam #theblamegame #sandiejones #smpinfluencers

Such a disappointment. I found myself falling asleep with this one. The protagonist was extremely frustrating and made super poor decisions. Not the book for me.

This book felt so familiar. I think we've all read books where we aren't sure if we can trust the narrator and even if we do, we are cringing at the decisions they make. This was so that book.

Naomi is a therapist and to say she is overly invested and unprofessional is putting it mildly. She gets overinvolved in her clients' lives, going so far as to give them lodging and free sessions.

I did this book on audio and it was a very quick read. The narrator was great and really helped keep the story interesting and exciting for me.

If you read a lot of thrillers, and maybe even if you don't, you might find this one pretty predictable. I questioned myself at times, but ultimately, this book went exactly where I thought it would. It was still entertaining, but not one that will likely stick with me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the copy.

I really enjoyed the therapist aspect of this one. it kept me on the edge of my seat and I couldn't wait to find out what happened. the ending fell a little bit flat for me but it wasn't awful.

This one had my thoughts all over the place. Some of the content was a little crazy, but I could not stop listening. This is a must read! Highly recommend!

I really enjoyed the narrator of this book and feel like they brought the story to life that just reading the book wouldn't have done. The characters were good and the story engaging. The twists and turns along the way were good, but not necessarily edge of your seat good.

I absolutely adore author Sandie Jones, and can always guarantee that her books will become my next favorite with suspense.

THE BLAME GAME is a heart pounding new novel that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Games can be dangerous. But blame can be deadly.

This was a great read overall, and I enjoyed the twists and turns. I'm not sure if maybe I needed to read the physical copy along with the audio to really grasp what was going on, but in this case, I only listened to the audiobook format, which was narrated by Karissa Vacker.

*many thanks to Minotaur and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copy for review

This book was a wonderful audio selection. The narrator was great and brought to life the story the author was telling. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters as well as the story line. It was a wonderful beach read with just a bit of mystery.