Wow! the twist in this really came out of nowhere for me- I had inklings that all was not as it seems but was not expecting quite the reveal I got!
Bella swings between a character you have a tremendous amount of sympathy for to someone who feels a bit too whiny and back again depending on the point of view and this works really well to allow you insight to how her support circle must feel after living through the same issues for so long with her- wanting to be sympathetic but just being a bit fatigued by it all.
Those who surround her are also very well written, from the stressed and tired mum of twins to the husband who is relentless in his support, the PA who seems to perhaps have a bit of a crush on the husband and the children who are blasé to why their mum is so paranoid and subsequently are less cautious then she would like.

A great read!

It wasn’t as good as I thought it should have been it was a bit tedious at times and skipped a lot of pages. Bella is traumatised by a kidnap in her own home which happened many years ago who has now been released from prison so consequently she keeps thinking he is stalking her and she thinks he’s everywhere.

The beginning of the book was really good but halfway through it lacked tension.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for ARC

Surviving a harrowing kidnapping and hostage situation that happened when she was a student, Bella has spent twenty years building a comfortable, reassuring family life with husband Jack and children Freddy and Paige, safe in the knowledge that her assailant is behind bars. The only constant memory of the most horrific chapter in her life is the family home, as it is in its cellar that Bella had been held hostage. Bella’s peace of mind is shot to pieces and her safety threatened when she learns that the perpetrator has been released from prison, however. Increasingly traumatised, Bella is starting to believe that the past might repeat itself ….
Fast-paced and well-written, this is an excellent thriller that I would like to recommend to other lovers of this fiction genre. Thank you to NetGalley and to the publishers for the free ARC I received in exchange for this honest and unbiased review.

Oh this is a masterclass in story telling! I literally read this in one day. Couldn't put it down. The ending didn't disappoint either.

I've just spent about five days with married couple, Bella and Jack. Bella is slowly having a breakdown after hearing the news that the man who stalked and held her captive has been released from prison. Jack is trying hard to hold his family together, and prevent his wife from falling apart. Bella us scared though, scared for her life!...
An entertaining, page turner.

What a fantastic book this turned out to be . It had a great start but then about half way through I was eager to get more information and find out why he’d kidnapped her so was getting a bit frustrated with it but wow it soon took off again . I wasn’t expecting it to go in that direction at all and spent far too long reading this in bed last night , I couldn’t put it down. It is a brilliant 5 star book and definitely would recommend it . I will be looking out for more from this author in the future . Great read

A quick read which had me gripped till the end. A really good psychological thriller.

Bella is a bag of nerves since she found out that her kidnapper is now released after serving his sentence.

She doesn't recieve much support from her family who accuse her of being ultra paranoid. Strange things keep happening that she cannot account for. Is she telling the truth? Who will believe her?

I found this book a little bit annoying. I thought that the characters lack of belief a little bit jarring. I thought it was a little bit slow and I felt that the intruege wasn't there throughout.

Twenty years ago Bella was held a prisoner for 5 days. in the basement of her family home by another student whose attentions she had rejected. She did manage to escape, and her stalker and kidnapper Lawrence Knox received a lengthy prison sentence.
Bella herself is now married to Jack and they have two teenage children. Bella is on edge as Lawrence Knox has been released from prison, simple things have been happening that make her wonder is he stalking her again, milk goes missing from the fridge, flowers arrive at her The work, she is sent a Facebook friend request, she sees him in town when shopping with her daughter, she begins to doubt herself and is unsure who to trust, she falls out with her sister, accusing her sister of tampering with her phone
And then, Bella is once again tied to a chair in the basement, unsure how she got there, why has Lawrence kidnapped her again and what does he want from her now, can she escape a second time.?
I felt the lead up to Bella being held captive a second time was very drawn out, but the huge twist is exceptionally well done, the epilogue though a little unbelievable.
Overall a good read.

Thanks to Net Galley and General Fiction for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.

This is a great psychological thriller with a slow but steady start and a rollercoaster of an ending. I got a little irritated with the lack of concern and belief of events that were related but towards the latter part this was explained. I think it would make a great tv drama. I’ll be looking out for more by Jacqueline Grima.

If this was a TV programme I would be hiding behind the sofa!
A great psychological thriller that really picked up speed in the 2nd half. Several unexpected twists that I never would have guessed.
I will definitely be recommending this to everyone.

The Weekend Alone is a slow burning psychological thriller. It plods along and then all of a sudden on the turn of a page it comes alive and races to the conclusion. I did enjoy reading it even though I didn't really like or relate to any of the characters. Thank you NetGalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book,

An interesting book that explores the psychological effects experienced by a woman who was abducted and held prisoner while in her teens. Her state of mind worsens when she is informed that her abductor has been released from prison leading her to doubt her own sanity. The story move s along at a good pace with several twists and turns.
I can recommend this book to readers who enjoy a psychological thriller.

Bella’s happy family life with husband Jack and children Freddie and Paige begins to suffer when her stalker from her university years is released from prison.

Now she starts seeing him everywhere - but her family won’t believe her and we begin to question whether she is just imagining things.

But, during a weekend alone at home, things come to a head and it becomes impossible to know who Bella can trust.

There was a good amount of intrigue in this book, and it wasn’t a bad read by any means, but I did guess what was going on and found that disappointing. And then there was a fair bit of Scooby Doo style “this is what I was doing and this is how I almost got away with it!” explanations at the end which made me feel like things were a little forced.

#TheWeekendAlone #NetGalley
Awesome story.
Bella has the perfect life with her husband Jack and their two children – until the ex who stalked her years ago is released from prison.
Now Bella is convinced he’s back to hurt her, and sees him everywhere – but no one else can see that anything is wrong. With her family away for the weekend, Bella determines to leave the past in the past – but she’s about to discover the danger is closer to home than she ever imagined…
Thanks to NetGalley and HQ for giving me an advance copy.

Twenty years ago, Bella rejected the attentions of a fellow student. Shortly thereafter she was bound to a chair as his prisoner contemplating death. She had managed to escape from this and her stalker and kidnapper, Lawrence Knox, was imprisoned. Over the next few years, she had put her life back together, married Jack and had two children, Freddy and Paige. They live in her former family home, gifted to her by her parents, where she had grown up with her younger sister, Rosie. The house holds so many memories, not least being the fact that the basement is the place where she was held prisoner. Outwardly she is content but, of course, is never truly comfortable. The effect of the trauma is always there beneath the surface (much as the basement is beneath her every day). Then Lawrence is released with a tag at the end of his sentence and her anxiety is suddenly ratcheted up. His parole conditions forbid him from contacting Bella or coming anywhere near her. But then strange things start to happen around her, and she becomes convinced that he is stalking her again. David and Rosie try to explain that he can’t enter Warrington, where her family is based, can’t even leave Leeds. The probation service confirms that he is keeping to his parole conditions, but she is not convinced. And one day, six weeks after his release, she is taken unawares, drugged, and wakes up to find herself once more bound to a chair in the same basement with a knife at her throat.
The story is told mostly from Bella’s point of view, starting with waking up in the basement, then leaping back at intervals to describe the immediately prior six-week period, as her life disintegrates under the belief that she is being stalked despite everyone pointing out that this is impossible. This structure works quite well, although it does make it all feel a bit slow through the opening sections. There is a general feeling of tension but not really of jeopardy. The major twist is well executed, but perhaps not a total surprise if you consider carefully the actions of all the characters. Once past the dénouement, the epilogue is a bit dull and the final fate of most the characters seemed a bit unlikely. Overall, it was an enjoyable read but could have been tighter.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

This was an ok thriller with the last quarter being quite exciting with a massive twist, however the earlier parts of the book were rather repetitive.

A gripping thriller, is Bella's kidnapper trying to continue where he left off when he's released from prison. Plenty of twists and turns in this taunt thriller, well worth a read.
I received this book from HQ digital and Netgalley for a review.

What a chilling thriller! Bella was held captive by a stalker when she was at university and has just heard that he is being released. She is understandably terrified that he may want to take up where he left off and begin to stalk her again. Bella is absolutely paranoid, imagining that she see him everywhere and even thinks that he has sent her a friend request on Facebook. Her husband is understanding and protective at first, but soon tires of her unfounded claims, especially when she put their children at risk.
This tale seemed to rumble along in an obvious way, until suddenly there was a colossal twist! I read the last chunk of the book in a breathless rush to find out what happened and how all the threads were tied up. Masterful story telling, highly recommended if you like Adele Parks and B.A.Parris.

A devoted wife and mother, Bella has the perfect life with her husband Jack and their two children. - until the ex who stalked her years ago is released from prison. Now Bella is convinced he's back to hurt her and sees him everywhere - but no one else can see that anything is wrong. With her family away for the weekend, Bella determines to leave her past in the past - but she's about to discover that danger is closer to home than she ever imagined.

This is a fast-paced psychological thriller. Bella has nightmares over events that took place in her past. Her real problems start when the person responsible for the past events is released from prison. This is a well written and twisted read. I was pulled in from the first chapter. You will think you know where this story is going, but you'll be wrong. This is a new author to me, and I will be looking out for more books from her soon.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #HQ and the author #JacquelineGrima for my ARC of #TheWeekendAlone in exchange for an honest review.