The Weekend Away

By: Sarah Alderson

Narrated by: Helen Keeley

Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's Summary

Two friends go on holiday. Only one comes back.

If you loved The Holiday, get ready for your new obsession....

Orla and Kate have been best friends forever. Together they’ve faced it all - be it Orla’s struggles as a new mother or Kate’s messy divorce. And whatever else happens in their lives, they can always look forward to their annual weekend away.

This year, they’re off to Lisbon: the perfect flat, the perfect view, the perfect itinerary. And what better way to kick things off in style than with the perfect night out?

But when Orla wakes up the next morning, Kate is gone. Brushed off by the police and with only a fuzzy memory of the night’s events, Orla is her friend’s only hope. As she frantically retraces their steps, Orla makes a series of shattering discoveries that threaten everything she holds dear. Because while Lisbon holds the secret of what happened that night, the truth may lie closer to home....

A twisty holiday listen for fans of The Holiday and Date Night.

©2020 Sarah Alderson (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Oh my!!!

That was a crazy tense ride.... Not a dull moment. So many twists and turns I'm dizzy. Now this is a thriller. Recommended!

Good mystery story

I really like this author. I had an issue with the narrator though. One of the characters in this book was named Marlo. Maybe the narrator was just tired or maybe the lighting was bad, but several times in the book, she called the character Mario! Kind of funny. I didn’t really care for the ending either.

Ending needs revision

It's my belief that tacking on unexpected (preposterous?) twists at the end of mystery novel doesn't make it more thrilling. The storyline here initially engaged me, and things didn't begin to drag until about the half-way point. Then an unexpected twist re-engaged me. Unfortunately, the abrupt twists at the end just left me cold. Maybe some revisions would make it smoother. Overall rating: 3.5 stars rounded up

So many twists... SO MUCH Originality!!

I have been listening to audio books for years, so originality isn't a compliment I get to give out often, but this one tops the list! As for twists and turns.... WOW!! I wasn't sure about this book for the first chapter or two, and sometimes the main character frustrated me, but overall this was one of the best stories I've listened to in 2020... with excellent narration, and it held my attention to the very last word!

Awesome!

Very well written and the narrator was so great! I didn’t want it to end! I would love a sequel!

not that great

ok but unbelievable. Could have been better but I'm not exactly sure. The characters were fine but it just seemed they were random. Not recommended

Impressed

I thought this was a great book. I listened to it on a road trip and it really helped the time fly. I can honestly say it was twisty and turny and the author does a good job of trying to throw off the reader. There were a few moments that left me speechless. Now, I will say, Orla can be super foolish. It’s almost cringeworthy. But - I like how the author recognized Orla naivety and you kind of see that internal struggle with Orla as she decides to trust someone that may (or may not) hurt her in the end.

I thought the ending was risky and I think it may make some people mad. I thought there were some loose ends with how she ended the book. But, I thought it took guts and left room for interpretation

Good story

This is definitely worth the credit, lots of unexpected twists. Good narrator, just tiny bit soft spoken in volume; very consistent & easy on the ears. I was surprised as I though this was a typical ‘girl on the train’, etc similar stories, but pleasantly surprised, it kept me guessing until the very end

Finally a brilliant mystery

Storyline, characters all well thought out. What a story with a great and satisfying ending. Buy this book. Cant wait for Sarah Alserson's next book. Some of these characters need to show up in a series. Brilliant.

Spoilers/Plot Holes

The narrator is definitely worth listening to in this book. There were a couple of points where the plot seemed to have holes. At one point she can’t remember the names of the escorts but when she is reflecting just a couple seconds later, she says their names even before finding out what their names actually were. Another part is when Orla says that she received a voicemail from Toby about Kate and the credit card bill. When she mentions the credit card spending to Toby later, he says that he wasn’t aware of Kate still having access to his card.

I feel like Orla was infuriating, and I absolutely disliked Kate from the beginning. Rob/Toby were horrible too, which helps to make the story line even more suspenseful because anyone that new Kate could have something against her based on many things

I do want to make sure to give the author credit for an enthralling plot though. I ended up finishing it in less than two days because I decided to not only listen to it while driving and on my run, but while I was eating dinner and working too.