Reviews

The Weekend Away by Sarah Alderson

sslovesbooks_1's review against another edition

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4.0

I have not come across this author before and had no idea what this book would be like but I was interested in the description and so signed up with The Pigeonhole to get the opportunity to read this before publication. I enjoyed this book, it was tense and thrilling and left me waiting for the following day to get the next part of the book.
Orla and Kate are best friends and have known each other for years but they are also at different stages of their lives. They head to Lisbon for a weekend together on what used to be yearly trips but they have not happened for a while. On arrival, they both get ready to head out for the night and after a few drinks in their apartment, they make their way to a restaurant. Kate tells Orla that her soon to be ex-husband Toby is paying for the food and after eating they Kate is desperate to go clubbing but Orla who has a 9-month-old baby would prefer to go back to the apartment and get some sleep before they head out to explore the next morning. Kate convinces Orla to go and in the nightclub, Kate heads over to two young good looking men and ignoring Orla's reluctance they take them back to the apartment.
The next morning Orla wakes up and Kate is gone. Orla has little memory of the previous night, she is convinced she has been drugged and she finds that Kate's handbag and phone are also gone. She is unable to make contact with Kate and so tracks down the Uber driver who took them to the club Konstandin who then helps her track down the two men who came back to their apartment. She informs the police that Kate is missing but she is not convinced that they are interested. From there Orla and Konstadin try to piece together what has happened. The story has many twists and turns and I loved the way the author drew the reader to be suspicious of several different characters throughout the book. I do not want to say anymore as I don't want to give away any spoilers.
I gave this book 4 stars. It was a thrilling read with great twists and turns and it would make a great film/tv series. Thanks to the author, the publisher, and The Pigeonhole for the opportunity to read this book. Recommend this as a great read.

mombydayreaderbynight's review against another edition

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mysterious

4.0

This was a really good book to me.  This story is completely from Orla's perspective.  We meet Orla and her best friend Kate as they begin a girl's weekend in Lisbon.  Weekend trips are a tradition for these friends, this one being the first since Orla had her baby and is during Kate's divorce.  I think the author did a good job setting the scene in Lisbon.  The apartment booked for the weekend, the restaurants visited, the tourist filled streets.  I felt like I saw it all.  As Orla is out searching for Kate, the characters become more complex as layers are uncovered.  Orla finds help from an unexpected source as she searches for clues and she learns the extent some people will go to in order to keep secrets.  It was a page turning story as the mystery unfolded.  There were multiple trails to follow that eventually led to one truth in the end.  Overall it was a great story that I enjoyed from beginning to end.

staceyjl's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

bookworm5041's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

4.25

mirth88's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

purplesssy's review against another edition

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3.0

Definitely a good book. Surprising and engaging. But I don’t feel good about there being a second book (which is what the ending of this one seems to lead to.) I wish it would have ended with the police officer being guilty or at least her finding out her husband did kill Kate, but not the “where’s my baby?” part because it does seem to imply a second book and I don’t think there is enough story left to warrant one.

whatkateeread's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

rachael1786's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

jessvetrano's review against another edition

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3.0

Really fun storyline, really bad editing. Her dad died when she was eight and then her dad died when she was thirteen and then later her mom couldn’t visit because she was taking care of her sick dad? Just sloppy.

kacycl716's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5