Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an eARC of The Trade Off in exchange for my honest thoughts!

While I don't necessarily consider The Trade Off by Sandie Jones to be a particularly groundbreaking thriller, it nonetheless kept me engaged the whole time with its dark dive into the sleazy and ruthless world of tabloid journalism. I'm seeing quite a few reviews point out how the first half of the book drags along, and I can admit that it does feel slower than I'd expect from a book that's being marketed as a thriller, but I was able to vibe with it once I decided to process it as a deliberately paced mystery. If The Trade Off had been promoted in that fashion, I think readers would have been more willing to forgive the plot's first half.

The characters themselves, particularly our two leads, Stella and Jess, are interesting enough to follow in that first half as they engage in morally gray decisions, but (and again, I can understand people's criticisms here) their intriguing facets don't get all that revealed until the second half. And then that's where we pick up the pace, where we confront a whole bunch of twists for the rest of a narrative that's being written with a post-#MeToo perspective in mind. On a side note, the climax (without getting into spoilers) includes a beat that's evocative of the Michael Mann action thriller Collateral. If you've already read the book and you've seen the movie, you probably know what I'm referring to.

Overall, I'm giving The Trade Off an official rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars. If you can accept the relatively slower pacing for the first half of the book and view it as a mystery instead of a thriller like I did, I think you'll be able to have a compelling time with this.

"The Trade Off, by Sandi Jones is a page-turning novel about the British Tabloid Press. Jess, a rookie reporter is tasked by her seasoned editor Max to turn the paper, The Globe, away from its evil ways. The only obstacle is the deputy editor, Stella, who will stop at nothing to get the best story possible. The end result is that Jess gets pulled into one bad situation after another as she tries to reveal Stella's unethical methods.

It's hard to put down this novel; there is always the curiosity of what might happen next. The different perspectives provide views of journalists at different points in their careers as they try to make a name, keep a name, or keep a job. There is enough suspense without the cliched drama or action to keep the reader well engaged.

"The Trade Off" is a well crafted, intriguing read that offers the right mix of character development, suspense and story-telling to make it well worth your while.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan for the ARC!

I received a free copy of The Trade Off by Net Galley. I have read most of Sandie Jones’ novels and I have really liked them. The Trade Off is a little different from her other novels. I wouldn’t classify this novel as psychological suspense. I think it is more like literary fiction. But I did truly enjoy the book. It was a well written expose of British tabloid journalism. The book starts with Jess getting a job with a big British tabloid. She tries to retain her moral compass as she watches her colleagues entrap various celebrities. The Trade Off gave me a lot to think about about how I view different stories.

Look on over here at this cutie patootie…

Sandie Jones is back with her 6th publication, The Trade Off.

NetGalley is literally the gift that just keeps on giving when it comes to giving us early access to some of our most favored authors.

After reading every previously published Jones book I knew I just had to have this one.

I had tried to hold out reading this one until my cruise this Sunday but the suspense was killing me. I promised myself I would only read ONE chapter….

Lies
Lies
Lies

I just finished.

This book was insane!!! I have always loved Sandie Jones but this book right here is definitely her best yet but don’t take my word for it, pre-order yourself a copy!

Due out August 15th, this is not a book you want to miss!

5 stars ⭐️

Teaser :

For Stella, deputy editor of The Globe, the choice has always been clear. It doesn’t matter how low she has to stoop―getting the best story is what she’s built her reputation on.

For Jess, The Globe’s rookie reporter, the story stops when the truth does. But she knows that the dirty tricks of the tabloids will be hard to overturn.

And when a celebrity is hounded by The Globe and pays the ultimate price, Jess wonders just how much Stella and the paper are responsible. Determined to show the world what the tabloid is capable of, Jess will do whatever it takes to uncover the truth, but she needs to watch her back, because someone else is prepared to kill to bury it.

EVERYONE HAS A PRICE. WHAT’S HERS?

The Trade Off by Sandie Jones was on point. There were many twists and turns that kept my attention and wanting to see how it ended. Jones does a nice job with unexpected events and unfolds them nicely for the reader. I'm sure there is some truth to how tabloids get their story and sell it to the world as reality. It makes me second guess what the real truth/reality vs. the created reality of news companies is. Which version can you trust? Stella seems like the typical bad guy, but is she really? Lives are destroyed all for the sake of a headline and so editors can make a name for themselves or their news outlet.

I am a huge fan of Sandie Jones and was super grateful when I got approved to review one of her novels. This book was great because you never knew who was after Jess and what happened to the celebrity. I disliked Stella and I think in this day and age we hate the tabloids and the TMZ era of reporting which helped us dislike the job and respect Jess more for seeing these celebs as people and not stories or paychecks.

Jess thinks she's been given the opportunity of a lifetime when she's hired by The Globe as a rookie reporter! Jess is hired to work under deputy editor Stella, who Jess quickly realizes will stop at NOTHING to get the story she is after!! The Trade Off shows the dark side of shady news publications at their worst but as with most thrillers, nothing is quite as it seems!

I hate giving a book a bad review but the prologue was the best part. The Trade Off attempts to address two controversial subjects in the Me Too movement and the lengths that tabloids will go to publish a story even if it's destroys lives, however, the results were just off and felt very unrelatable with poor character development. I enjoyed The Other Woman by Sandie Jones so I know she's a capable author but this one missed the mark.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this E-arc in exchange for an honest review!

I normally really enjoy Sandie Jones, so I'm bummed to say that this wasn't a hit for me. I finished it, it was fine, but it wasn't anything that pulled me and made me stay up past my bedtime to read. I found Jess and Stella to be very one note - we have the "good one" and the "bad one" and that was the basis of their personalities for me. Additionally, there's Max, who is the most wishy washy, confusing character ever. Ultimately, this one was just ok for me - this certainly doesn't turn me off from reading future work by the author, it's just not my favorite of her work.

I really struggled to get into this as it was marketed as a thriller and I was hoping for something along the lines of The Other Woman as Sandie Jones absolutely killed it with that thriller. However, it ended up being more of a contemporary fiction. If I had gone into this knowing it was a contemporary fiction, I likely would have liked it more.

The first half is very slow paced. It spends most of the time on fluffing up the characters as there really wasn't much development, but I didn't find any of the characters likeable, and I didn't even enjoy any of them being unlikable, which is a big draw back for me. The second half did pick up some, just not enough to offset the beginning.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading The Blame Game last year so I was looking forward to reading this one!

Jess is a reporter with a solid moral compass who is trying to make a difference. Stella on the other hand is a different story. However, both women will stop at nothing to get what they want.

The whole MeToo theme hit a little close to home but it was a page turner and I read it in one sitting.

I'm looking forward to going back and reading other Sandie Jones novels!

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

Jess and Stella are investigative journalists who discover that their company might not be aboveboard when releasing juicy news to the public. Corrupt thing begin to happen, and the women have to figure out their next move to put a stop to it. 4/5 stars, I really enjoyed this book.

The Trade Off is the story of a new reporter, Jess, eager to improve the corrupt world of journalism. Jess was a rapidly rising reporter at a small paper, and then her boss recommended her for an opportunity at one of the largest tabloids in the country. Jess is excited and can’t wait to make a positive difference in the world of reporting, as her head of the paper wants to change their reporting practices. However, her immediate boss, Stella, seemingly stands in her way.

Stella started off much like Jess, but now she knows the increasing importance of getting the scoop, even if she has to put subjects in a particular situation to create her own scoop.

Jess unwittingly participates in several of Stella’s stunts to manipulate the story, and then feels incredibly guilty for her part once she realizes what happened. Soon, Jess realizes that somebody is trying to stop her from revealing the truth, and may be willing to kill to cover up the backstory. Will Jess be able to stop Stella and the Globe before it’s too late, will Jess turn to manipulation herself to get the viral views, or will Jess be taken out of the picture before she can do any damage to the Globe?

A multitude of twists keep the reader eagerly turning pages while reading The Trade Off. Told from the multiple perspectives of Jess and Stella, this story makes you think about the world of digital media, viral videos, and immediate gratification that we live in, and the impact this has on viewer expectation and the lives of these in the public eye.

Thank you to Sandie Jones and St. Martin’s Press for the advance copy. The Trade Off will be on shelves on August 15th.

What I didn't like about this novel is how it's marketed as a thriller. It's more of a contemporary fiction. It's like the narrative of a young journalist understanding the tabloid industry. It took me till the 45 percent mark to really know what was happening in this story, and by that time I was really disengaged. I felt like the ending was clever and wrapped everything up nicely, but it takes too much to get to this point. I have loved Sandie Jones previous novels but I found this one incredibly slow and could not connect with or appreciate any of the characters. It felt forced.

Book Title: The Trade Off
Author: Sandie Jones
Publisher: Saint Martin’s Press- Minotaur Books
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Pub Date: August 15, 2023
My Rating: 3.6 Rounded up

This is author, Sadie Jones sixth novel and my sixth as well! I am a fan.
My favorite was "The First Mistakes".
I went into this story knowing nothing about it~ other than ~ Ms. Jones does not disappoint!

Alex is a deputy editor and does whatever it takes to make a story scintillating which sells more issues.
Jess is a new reporter starts to work there and she can’t believe the way that Stella manipulates people to sell a story.
Alex doesn’t hesitate when offered salacious information about a beloved TV personality and splash it across the front pages.
However, when the woman—devastated by the shame —kills herself, Alex for the first time questions what she did to sell a story is Stella at blame as well?

Story got my interest but then it slowed down. Glad I hang in there as it does pick up.
I was actually glad for the slow down as it gave my eyes and brain a bit of a rest early as my eyes were soon racing as fast as I could focus to read all that was going on.
I loved the twist and the ending is great!

Want to thank NetGalley and Saint Martin’s Press – Minotaur Books for granting me this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for August 15, 2023.

To tell the truth, I am not sure what I think about this book. I love Sandie Jones books, but this one was by far not my favorite. The plot was interesting, but it I just could not get into it. The story did get better, but I had to force myself to read it. I did not feel interested in or even like the characters. All in all, the best I can say is, even though the plot was a good idea, I did not enjoy the book.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC for an honest review.

The story’s pacing starts out slow. It picks up at the halfway point and never stops.

The second half is the better/stronger part of the story.

Far more mystery and secrets, backstabbing, etc.

Overall, a pretty good read.

This is a slow paced book. Nothing was really happening for a long while in the book. Not one of my faves. I really loved The Other Woman by this author.

I have mixed feelings about this one. My students would probably enjoy it and it would open up discussions about the media and what is being presented as reality and what are the ethics of exposure. As an adult, it seemed overly melodramatic, characters weren't very deep or developed, though there was some growth with some of them. So it wasn't for me but for my students, yes

#TheTradeOff #SandieJones #NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-Arc copy of this novel.