Fast paced and immersive. A recommended purchase for collections where crime and thrillers are popular.

The Trade Off by Sandie Jones is a suspenseful thriller where everyone has their own motive and everyone is manipulated.

I love books featuring characters who are journalists, so I've read a few now, but I still found this one to be different from others. The media takes on the darkest roll within these pages, showing the gritty underside of what it takes to get a leading story in the tabloids. It truly represents the cutthroat world of getting the biggest story and getting it first, destroying anyone required.

It's a quick, fast-paced thriller that keeps you on your toes as to where the story is heading. It's dramatic and cinematic the same way a car chase is. There is such a sense of urgency throughout the whole book, which really sets the tempo.

What else:
-dual POV
-#MeToo movement
-prologue and epilogue connection
-fantastic audiobook narration

As Jones says in her acknowledgments, there is such a strong sense of empowerment and resilience represented from the perspectives of these two female characters!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for the complimentary copy to read and review.

I'm a little torn on what to write for this one. I loved the premise and message about tabloid, and maybe today spilling into the mainstream, news. But I found when I set this down for life, I was strongly drawn back to picking it up. Maybe it was a little too close to what is happening in the world today and it is just a me thing.

There were a lot of twists and turns and a lot of unlikable characters. I did not really know where this was headed and none of my guesses panned out.

I switched back and forth from reading and listening.

This was a fun cat and mouse tale. I thought the plausibility of it had some to be desired but overall I enjoyed it. I would continue to read more by the author.

If I hadn't recently watched Meghan and Harry's special on Netflix and seen the harassment they endured and the absolute insanity that the London Press was, I probably would have found The Trade Off totally out there and unbelievable. But wow. Having a bit more knowledge into what actually happens added so much sincerity (and horror!) to this story!!

Jess was such a naive character and I really struggled with her. I didn't understand what she expected when she joined The Globe and why she didn't the job would be exploiting people and doing whatever it took to sell the tabloid.

Stella was a much more interesting character for me and I really enjoyed her parts. Her sordid romantic history, fear about McAllister being released, and her fearlessness (and questionable morals) to get the job done were fascinating.

I listened to the his novel on audio and it was decent. It's a great story for audio but I didn't love the narrator for Jess and I wasn't particularly fond of Stella's narrator for male voices.

Overall, this was entertaining and highly relevant to current events. It definitely made me question (even more) what I see on the cover of gossip rags and it was an exciting and fast paced story.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, MacMillan Audio, and NetGalley for the copy.

Unfortunately this book didn’t work for me and was a DNF but I am sure other readers will feel differently! Thank you for the ARC!

Going into this book, I wasn't sure what I was going to think about this book. I wasn't a big fan of Sandie's last book. But, this book was much better. I loved the different POV. On one hand, you have Stella who will do anything, literally ANYTHING to get a story. Then, on the other hand, you have Jess, who will only do what is moral and right to get a story. If it crosses the "line," she doesn't want to do it. I had a good idea of who the characters were in this book. I also loved that it was about a journalist. I don't think I've read a book like this before. Or maybe I did, and I forgot. I read this book for Arctober and listened to some of it and read the ebook. Both versions were good, IMO. I wish I had read this book sooner.

a bit dry in my opinion. I just don't think Sandie Jones is for me. Her thrillers are not thrilling in my opinion.

Jones’ thriller The Trade Off could almost work as an expose of the types of ways the media sets up celebrities and public figures to be taken down, and we all contribute to it by buying into it. Set in the world of journalism, the book sets its sights on the unscrupulous, aggressive, and even corrupt practices that some news outlets (particularly British tabloids) employ to get sales up, no matter who takes the brunt of the consequences.

In a piece Jones wrote for Crime Reads about what inspired the book, she talks about working in journalism for over two decades and seeing the types of journalists who will do anything for the byline and the media outlets who not only allow it, but actively encourage it. The full piece is worth the read (I’ve linked it), but one passage stands out:

“They quietly build celebrities up, setting them high on a pedestal, but don’t be fooled, because as they lurk in the shadows, they’re lining up for the kill. Waiting with baited breath for the chink in the armour to reveal itself – and just as soon it does….KAPOW! Out comes the hammer and chisel with which to systematically carve out their victim’s insides, leaving them devoid of integrity and honour.”

This very concept is central to the story Jones crafted in The Trade Off, set around the fictional newspaper The Globe and featuring two journalists who couldn’t be more at odds in the cutthroat world of the media.

My Review | The Trade Off

Told in one continuous timeline and dual perspectives, The Trade Off is narrated by two women who couldn’t seem more different. It opens with young journalist Jess in the office of editor Max Forsythe late one evening in the final stages of a job interview. Jess had worked at a small local paper, but now she’s up for a big spot at The Globe, a major news outlet that covers major stories. This is the type of place that can make the career for a young journalist.

The conversation between Max and Jess hooked me. Told from Jess’s perspective, Max is interviewing her late in the evening after everyone but his assistant has left, and some of the questions he asks makes Jess on edge. Is Max the guy she has heard rumors about? But Jess passes his test when she turns down a suggestive comment made by Max and he explains that he needs someone like her. Max wants to change how journalism is done and make it more of a force for good than destruction. But he needs someone like Jess to help.

Jess as a character is so pure. Her moral compass points due north. She’s not the most fleshed out character, but this seems intentional. Jess is a symbol for justice in a sea of journalists who will do anything for their careers to take off. This may mean looking the other way when something objectively wrong is happening, to flat out setting up people to get the stories they want. Jess isn’t someone I necessarily grew to care for as a person, but I did care about her perspective and her story. And that’s in part because Jess’s story—narrated in first person—is a window for the reader to put themselves into the story. Jess herself has very few defining characteristics, but this allows the reader to fill in those gaps themselves.

Meanwhile Stella is the deputy editor for The Globe. In every way that Jess lacks strong characteristics, Stella has an overabundance of them. She’s ambitious, tough, seemingly ruthless, beautiful, intimidating, and sharp. She presents as calculating and cold, but the reader can see that behind that she’s much more vulnerable and thoughtful than she appears. Stella’s story is narrated in the third person, a choice certainly used to set Stella up as a figure for the reader to be shocked by, to judge, and at times to root for. The reader only knows some of what Stella is thinking at any given time. We see her actions, but she only lets us into her thoughts and emotions in small glimpses through much of her story. We are left questioning if she’s better or worse than what she portrays. At times I considered that she might be both.

Stella is introduced to us in the middle of capturing a story, when an escort is being paid to intentionally bring one of her long-time clients (and a high profile political figure) to a hotel and allow The Globe to get footage of the affair. Stella is orchestrating everything down to the second, and coordinating with a whole group of people who are doing their part to capture the story. When the escort asks for more money or she will go to another outlet at the last minute, Stella’s boss Max prompts her to offer The Trade-Off.

“Of all the questionable practices that come with being deputy editor on a tabloid newspaper, ‘The Trade-Off,’ as Max always likes to refer to it, is the one thing that pricks the very small conscience Stella has left. Despite making it sound as if there’s an option, in reality it gives the paper what it wants or their lives could be ruined within a few column inches. It’s blackmail—pure and simple.”

This is the first glimpse we get into Stella potentially not being the cutthroat person we first thought. While we don’t know her motivation or thoughts right away, we see Stella try to divert Max away from a story they never ended up using that would tank an athlete’s career, or express a “tightness in her chest” when she is asked to employ The Trade-Off. These moments made me wonder if Stella might be less corrupted than she seemed. At the same time, other evidence suggests that while she may have a conscience, she engages and often leads some of the very practices that make journalism so unscrupulous.

The story builds towards a moment where Jess and Stella are confronted in their complicity towards a shocking event. A story about a celebrity chef ends with her taking her own life. In the aftermath, Stella and Jess will both be forced to decide if this career is worth it and how they will each respond. The book pits Jess and Stella against one another, and following the celebrity’s death it seems as though they are on a crash course where only one will survive. But Sandie Jones isn’t done with the story yet.

I won’t spoil where it goes, but suffice it to say Jones went into this with the intent to play out what might happen if someone were to really try to take down a media outlet like The Globe and expose their practices. Twists and turns along the way add the fun and the themes and messages add depth. The ending was exactly right, in my opinion.

A bold and timely thriller!

I liked that the plot of this book was different, being that it was about two tabloid journalists and that it explored what lengths the press will go to in order to get a great story. However, it was slow paced and didn't really hold my interest. It picked up near the end, but I never connected with any of the characters to really care. I did like the dual POVs and some of the twists.

I did the audiobook for this and thought that the narration was well done.

If you like books with strong women and that show the competitive, cutthroat side of tabloid journalism, I think you will enjoy this one!

Thank you @Netgalley, @stmartinspress and @minotaur_books for the #gifted e-ARC of this book!

The Trade Off takes a look at the world of journalism and what you’d trade for the ultimate stories. Stella has built her journalism career on doing anything it takes. She’s focused and aggressively working to further her career at the Globe. Jess is a new reporter, seemingly sink-or-swimming when she discovers the reality behind the journalism at the Globe. When Jess discovers an awful truth about the Globe, how far will she go to expose everything?
I enjoyed the journalism elements and not knowing who you could trust. I personally found some of the twists a bit far fetched and felt Stella’s change was a bit abrupt but overall I enjoyed this slow burn, psychological novel.
Thank you St Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, for the copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this one but it fell a bit short for me. You’ve got the dark side of journalism presented but it was a sloooow boogie. It kind of felt like a checklist was made and it had all the little check marks checked off and it made them happy to use so many checks to make this. Lies and deception - Check! Drama and more lies - Check! A little twist in the end - check!!

Thank you netgalley and st. Martins press for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

The moral question any tabloid reporter has to ask themselves how far am I willing to go to break a story first?
Told in dual perspectives from Jess the 25 yr old newbie reporter & Stella the 40 yr old deputy editor who thrives in publishing scandalous stories.
This one started off a bit slow but once it picked up I was glad to have stuck through reading this one.
Quite a realistic fictional story of how tabloid journalism works and what a dirty ruthless business it is.

⭐⭐/5

DNF at 30%. Unfortunately, I struggled with the characters and the pace of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC.

I love Sandie Jones' work. She is so good at a fast paced quick page turner that is full of twists that make her work enjoyable for me. This one was a bit different and a bit slower, but I still really enjoyed the book and look forward to anything she puts out.

Aim all honesty, this wasn’t my favourite book by Jones, it was just OK. Although the writing was good, the storyline was solid, there was just something missing (in my opinion) to make it “great”. I do always look forward to this author’s books, I hope her next release is more of a thriller like I’ve enjoyed from her previously.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC!
2.5/5 rounded up

What I liked about this book:
1. Sandie Jones is a repeat author for me and she does a great job in pacing the plot twists and turns so that even with some of the "flaws" in the book - you are compelled to keep reading!
2. The journalistic story was interesting and if half it is true - it really makes me sad!
3. I thought the author did a good job of weaving in contemporary themes that happen in the workplace and showing that they are not all easily approached or solved.

What I wished was a little different:
1. Pacing: It started really slow and picks up 1/2 way through the story.
2. It is a book that unambiguously starts off as a thriller, but by the second half, that becomes debatable as the plot veers off into something that more resembles drama and workplace suspense which has a lot of complexity involved.
3. I wasn't a fan of the characters....Jess seemed too naive to be real!

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

Unfortunately this was a DNF at 15% for me. I struggled to get into the story and didn't feel like the pace was going to pick up enough to compel me to continue.

This book is definitely a slow burn. I mean a really slow burn. I really enjoyed The Other Woman by this author, so I thought I would like this one more. It just needed to pick up the pace. I felt like parts were repetitive and I just wanted to yell "Get to the point!"

This was my first book by Sandie Jones. Oof, I wish I enjoyed this more than I did.

This was a slow burn, and not much of a thriller, in my opinion. If you are into fictional dramas, this one might work for you.

I never felt connected to the characters, unfortunately, and had a hard time being invested in the story. By the time things started to transpire, I was already checked out.