It was okay. Kind of predictable. A fairly good read. Thanks for the opportunity to read it early on Netgalley.

Thriller Thursday is here and you should pack your bags for the weekend!! Mentally or physically! It’s time to celebrate Friday Eve!

🎧 The Weekend Away
✍️ Miranda Smith
🗣️ Narrated by Madeline Pell
⏰ 8 hours and 21 minutes at 1x speed
📅 Released 10/2023

I had the opportunity to listen to this book thru @netgalley thanks to @bookouture

This book will suck you in from the start, then keep you locked in until the end. If you want to kick your weekend off tonight, go download this book and sleep in tomorrow!

The first thing that caught my eye was the red coat and red luggage in the cover, if I’m being honest 😉 and that set the tone for how I saw Sierra. But I don’t think the cover fits the book, now I’ve listened to it.

Sierra is going away for the weekend with her twin sister’s “friends” in hopes of learning more about her sister Samantha’s death. She passed away nearly a year ago and Sierra was on the other side of the county.

You know everyone is hiding something, some secrets are real doozies, and they’re all getting to their breaking point. Add in a secluded cabin and no cell service, these people are on edge!

This is told in first and third person with added journal entries, which I think really added to the story. I liked that they used the journal entries to gather information from the Samantha’s past.

The setting of this book is in the Smokey Mountains, with no cell service which adds suspense and tension. I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the way it built up the tension over the weekend.

The journey to get to the motive, and to understand what has happened to Samantha is full of twists, the secrets are shocking, you can’t trust anyone. Which keeps you in your toes. This is a perfect popcorn thriller for this weekend!

Who doesn't enjoy a good locked room thriller full of tension? I loved the secluded cabin setting in this book. I also loved the multiple POVs, one being Sienna, one being excerpts from her deceased twin sister's (Samantha) diary, as well as a few chapters from the cabin owner. Sienna is on a quest to find out who or what caused her sister's death.

There. was so much tension and suspense build up in this story. The plot is full of deceit, lies, secrets, and shocking twists. I didn't trust anyone and found myself engrossed in Sienna's quest for the truth. This was a quick and gripping listen. Madeline Pell did a great job with the narration. She pulled off all the characters well.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

#TheWeekendAway #MirandaSmith #MadelinePell #BookoutureAudio

This gripping story follows Sienna, who is on a mission to uncover the secrets behind her twin sister Samantha's death. After finding Samantha's journal, Sienna discovers unsettling truths about her friends and begins to suspect that things were not as they had seemed. Joining her sister's friends on a weekend getaway in a remote cabin, she begins unraveling the tangled skeins that led to her demise.

This is very entertaining, and I enjoyed the narration in this advanced listening copy.

A fast paced read with so many twists and turns. A fun read that all takes place in a cabin and has 5 suspects that it’s enjoyable to try and work out the mystery

Sienna’s sister died by falling off a balcony. Sienna wants to find out what really happened to her sister. After finding her diary and reading it, she suspects it may not have been an accident.

When she is invited to a weekend away, she has to go, these people know something. But, is she in danger herself now?
This was a fantastic book, Miranda Smith is a brilliant author, who keeps me on the edge of my seat throughout the whole book. I did not trust anyone!

The narration was perfect too.

Sienna’s twin sister Samantha died a year ago in circumstances that she doesn’t feel ring true. When she’s invited on a weekend away with Samantha’s friends she takes the opportunity to investigate their relationships with her sister and uncovers lots of secrets.
This is a twisty psychological thriller that keeps you guessing until the end. The narrator added to the suspense and my enjoyment of the book.

This book was good, the fact that this sister went all the way to find out what happened to her sister was awesome and scary. I was wrong the entire time on who did it. This is a psychological thriller that features death, r*pe and suicide.
Sienna, the sister goes on a weekend trip with her sisters friends to find out what exactly happened to her sister, how she really died a year ago. She finds he sisters diary but the last pages on it were ripped off. They all go to a location where no cell signal is available. But with the help of her sisters diary she finds out everything she needed to know. I loved that I kept guessing who the killer was till the end.
This is a good read for October.

Enjoyed listening to the audiobook of The Weekend Away. Great murder mystery that will keep you in suspense until the end. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the Advance Review Copy. #NetGalley #TheWeekendAway

I received an advanced copy of this audiobook through NetGalley. I give it 3.5 stars.

I really liked the premise of the story and it was a good story to listen to on audiobook. The narrator was good and added to the story instead of being distracting.

There were a few twists and turns in the story that I enjoyed that kept me on my toes and interested.
I was happy with how the story tied up and that all my questions about who did what were answered. It also could have gone full dark revenge and avenging her sister and it didnt which I liked.

The only aspect that I didn't like was at times it was redundant and I felt like the book overall could have been a bit shorter if things and phrases weren't repeated overall. However, none of it took away from the story or was so annoying that I wanted to stop reading.

I was really intrigued by the description of this and it really delivered in the suspense department. There was such an underlying tone of tension throughout the book and it just made me wonder when the other shoe was going to drop and everything was going to come to a head. I thought this was really fast-paced but do wish the characters were a little bit better developed. I thought the ending was very fitting and shocking. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I. Could. Not. Put. This. Down!!

I loved the characters and their development, I loved the journal flashbacks and the mystery build up wondering what REALLY happened to Sam, as Sam’s twin sister scrutinized all her friends to find out on that fated weekend away.

The narrator was a dream to listen to, and she did characters so well!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookoture for the ALC of this book!

Madeline Pell's narration truly brings this gripping psychological thriller to life. Her voice draws you in, making you feel as if you're right there alongside the protagonist, experiencing every moment of suspense and desperation. You can hear the fear, determination, and raw emotion in her delivery, making it impossible to stop listening. What I loved most about this book is its ability to keep me guessing until the very end. Just when you think you have it all figured out, another twist is thrown in your direction. The story is filled with unexpected turns and dark revelations that will leave you reeling.

The Weekend Away is a gripping, addictive atmospheric thriller that had me on the edge of my seat. I enjoyed searching for the truth with Sienna about her twin sister’s death. The secluded setting is the perfect background for this compelling whodunnit. The narration added a layer of suspense while bringing this twisty story to life. Entertaining, suspenseful, and enthralling describe this engaging mystery. Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for my audiobook.

It was a nice read it definitely kept me entertained but I wouldn’t say I would remember much of it after sometime passes but regardless it was a fun read
Thank you netgalley for the book

Dramatic and entertaining although I wasn’t the biggest fan of the narrator (I can be picky in that department). I am a twin so I can understand the depths will go for our twin!

3.5 stars. I really enjoyed this fascinating psychological thriller! I finished it in a day. It was engaging and full of twisty turns. I was dying (poor choice of words) to find out what really happened and who (if anyone) killed Sammy. I will say, I feel like it took a while for this book to really pick up, but by the end, I was fully invested.

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for the audio ARC!

This was the first book I have read by this author and I really enjoyed it. It was well written with strong and relatable characters. The plot has lots of surprising twists and turns which keep you engaged.
My only problem with the audio version was I didn’t really like the narrator. But that’s personal preference and in no way detracts from the actual story.
Would definitely recommend.

The Weekend Away by Miranda Smith and Narrated by Madeline Pell was a brilliant audiobook from with lots of twists and turns throughout with a heart-stopping twist that just left me just stunned. I loved this audiobook and the narrator was excellent. This was an audiobook that just kept on giving and was so hard to stop listening once I started to play it.

I highly recommend this audiobook / book I loved it.

Big Thank you to NetGalley, Ms. Smith and Bookouture for the chance to listen to and review this ARC! I loved it!

The Weekend Away by Miranda Smith
Narrated by Madeline Pell

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

My sister died. Her friends lied. And now I’m going to learn the truth…

A year ago, my twin sister Samantha left me a message: I need you.

A day later, she was dead. I always knew it was suspicious, but no one would listen.

But I’ve just found her journal, tucked into a hidden space in the window seat of our childhood bedroom. It shows who her best friends really are: the fraud. The liar. The cheat. The crush.

Now, they’re all together on a weekend away, in a beautiful wood-panelled cabin in the mountain. And I’m going too. One of them killed her, and I’m going to prove it.

But am I ready for the answers I’m seeking? Because I soon realize that my sister had dark secrets too…

And when fire breaks out on the mountain, leaving us trapped, I must decide: what will I risk to get justice for Samantha? Because finding the truth might cost me my life…

My Opinion

This is a great book to read over a weekend. With a tense, gripping plot there is something for everyone. Miranda Smith starts this book with a strong start to hook the reader and manages to hold that attention to the very end. Sienna tags along on a trip to remote cabin to find out the truth about what happened to her twin sister. A real page turner, as you will read on trying to find out what really happened. For me, this was a great introduction to Miranda Smith's writing.

Rating 4/5