A Gripping Dive into Journalism and Mystery
"The Trade Off" by Sandie Jones was my first introduction to this author's work, and I went into it not knowing what to expect. What I found was a truly interesting and unique story—something I haven't quite read before.

The deep dive into the world of journalism and investigation was a standout for me; I thoroughly enjoyed that particular aspect. The mystery itself was great, and the journey to unravel it was nothing short of thrilling. I was able to connect with the main characters on a real level, which made their experiences all the more impactful. This book has definitely made me eager to pick up more of Sandie Jones's work in the future!

The Trade Off by Sandie Jones is a sharp, twisty thriller that dives into the cutthroat world of tabloid journalism, where truth and ethics collide. The story follows two women working at a high-profile British newspaper—Jess, a principled reporter, and Stella, her ambitious, seasoned editor—whose differing values lead them into dangerous territory.

Jones does a solid job of building suspense, blending newsroom politics with moral dilemmas. The narrative switches between perspectives and timelines, slowly revealing secrets and betrayals that keep the tension high. Themes of power, manipulation, and the cost of integrity make the book more than just a fast-paced thriller—it also poses thought-provoking questions about the media and personal responsibility.

While some twists feel a bit over-the-top, the pacing is brisk and the characters are compelling. Fans of domestic and psychological thrillers will enjoy the layered plot and ethical gray areas explored throughout.

Unfortunately I had technical difficulties streaming this book, but I do still plan to procure the file another way and listen to it eventually! Thank you to the publisher for the gifted audiobook.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* another great book from sandie jones! i like her books and they are super hard to put down, looking forward to reading more from her

The Trade Off is my favorite Sandie Jones novel to date, and I can't believe it took me so long to read it! I listened to this in basically one sitting because I couldn't put it down, and I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen. The viewpoints alternate between Stella and Jess, and I don't think I had one I preferred over the other. They each added something different to the storyline and while I can't say I loved either of them, they were interesting and flawed characters. This turns into a search for the truth/uncovering of something quite despicable, so I would be sure to check triggers prior to entering.

The audiobook was fantastic, and I loved both Nathalie Buscombe & Sofia Engstrand. They perfectly fit their respective characters, and I have zero complaints about any part of their narration. Tone, pacing, and pitch all were on point, and they further pulled me into the story, so I would recommend the audio as the way to go. I also appreciated that the author herself read her note at the end, and it gave me a better understanding of the reason she wrote this. The Trade Off had some great twists and an explosive ending that I didn't see coming. While it deals with some very current and upsetting topics, it is also very suspenseful, and I loved every minute of it.

Another enjoyable read/listen from Sandie Jones. This time it's about the sordid world of tabloid newspapers. Jess is newly recruited to the Globe Newspaper in order to bring back some moral standards to its pages and to keep an eye on some of the reporters' tactics. Stella, who has been at the paper for many years and wants the editor job is promised the position in return for some "favours'. When a person commits suicide as a result of an article in the paper (based on lies), Jess takes it upon herself to bring justice for all the people who have suffered at the hands of the globe but ends up in danger herself.
A good insight into the tabloid world, with a story that keeps you reading/listening until the end.

Slow paced. Didn’t very much enjoy the plot. I was not engaged at all. I did like the short chapters and I enjoyed the premise of the book but unfortunately it just wasn’t for me.

This was one of my favourites by her! Mostly an along the ride thriller there wasn’t a huge mystery/thriller aspect

Thank you Netgalley & Macmillan Audio for an ALC of The Trade Off by Sandie Jones! 3.5 stars.

This one was less thriller for me and more suspenseful and extremely interesting and thought provoking.

Stella is deputy editor of the Globe, and she'll stop at nothing to get the best story. She's got quite a reputation for crossing lines when necessary. Jess is a rookie reporter who wants to focus on the truth and coloring within the lines...but, if she makes an enemy in the process, will it be fatal for her?

Really thought provoking - One of those books that makes you wonder what you'd do in a certain scenario. I love ethical dilemmas in my reads and this one is chalk-full of them. Really enjoyed the audio on this one.

This book really just took me for a ride. I loved the build up, the character development, and the writing. I would definitely read more from this author!

The Trade Off was a solid mystery/thriller about the power of the press to destroy lives mixed in with a #metoo scandal. Fast-paced and thoroughly enjoyable, this was one of my favorites by this author and good on audio, too!

3.5 stars! I’ve come to love a domestic suspense, and author Sandie Jones does them so well!

I really enjoyed THE TRADE OFF, which centers around two journalists, veteran to the business named Stella, and newbie Jess, who searches for the truth.

It was definitely more slow burn with the pacing, and I was grateful for the audiobook format in this case. I really enjoyed the narration, and loved seeing the reveals of how things played out in the end.

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

Thank you Macmillan Audio for granting me access to this title!

Sandie Jones is new to me, but the synopsis for this novel caught my attention so I requested it. The Trade Off was a solid three star read for me. The premise is beyond intriguing and I was hopeful it would be a one day listen because I was so captivated by the story. However, the story is superrrrr drawn out for more than half the book. The second half picks up, but I was already feeling disconnected from the book. It took too long for the intrigue to occur which is why I rated this 3 stars.

I enjoyed the narrator and would definitely try other novels by this author!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC of "The Trade Off" by Sandie Jones. This is a new-to-me author and I mostly enjoyed the listen. It took a little bit for me to settle into the premise but I enjoyed the backbone of tabloid journalism and the seamy underbelly of that world. Once I settled int, it was an enjoyable listen. I would recommend it to those who want an intense fast-paced (eventually) listen.

Stella is a determined all-business tabloid journalist. She has sacrificed her safety and almost her career to get to where she is. Jess is the new rookie reporter at the Globe. Jess finds herself caught up in Stella’s manipulative reporting. Will Jess choose to be ethical or continue her dream career?

The book was exceptionally slow paced, but once you get halfway through the story picks up.

The Trade-Off by Sandie Jones was a good read. The book laid the ground work in the beginning so it was a little slower for my taste but the plot points and twists were worth it. This is my 2nd Sandie Jones and I plan to read more by this author.

Very meh book for probably the first 60%, I really had no idea what was happening because I was too bored to get invested. However the last bit was really powerful and important and excellent. The writing was still great regardless of the slow story which is why I’m giving it 3 stars.

They were parts of this book that I really felt we’re unnecessary to the story and just added confusion to the plot. While I understand that part of the allure of this book was to not know who to trust or who to like, it really left me a bit disconnected because I had no idea who’s side I was on. Well, the overall message of the story is very important and the ending provided a really good read, the boring first half of this book really lost it for me.

"RISK or REWARD. JUSTICE or REVENGE. INNOCENCE or GUILT."

This story is about two journalists, veteran Stella who has a sketchy relationship with the truth and newbie Jess who stands for the truth. As Jess is peeling away the layers of Stella's untruthful stories in the past, Stella is facing very dangerous backlash for one of those stories.
This story started off and built a bit slow for me. I also felt like the storyline didn't flow well in the beginning and it left me a bit confused. With that said, when the story picked up at about the 60% mark I was fully engaged. It almost felt like a different book in the last part, full of action and reveals. I did enjoy the ending and think that if the entire book gave the same energy as the last 40% it would have knocked it out of the park for me.
This was my first book by this author, and I look forward to reading more her work.

⭐⭐⭐💫 (3.5)

Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for the gifted copy of this book.

I enjoyed this story with all the characters within. The main character were Stella and Jess.

Stella work at The Globe an newspaper office. She is an editor. To get a story she will do anything. It doesn't matter how low she has to go to get the story. But when something happens it changes her mind of how the globe works and her ways of getting a story.

Jess gets hired on at The Globe an newspaper office. She want to write story that are true. So when she finds out that the newspaper is doing dirty tricks to get stories. She want to get them to stop this. She want to find the person responsible for this and bring them down. But it not that easy.

This was a fun story to read or listen to. It had action, drama and suspense throughout. It had a few giggles within.

I received a complimentary copy both in audio and book format. The narrative did a good job with the audiobook. This is my honest unbiased opinions.

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.