I loved everything about this book. The characters were complex, the mystery was fantastic, and everything was wrapped up neatly in the end.

Stars for a book. When it’s a 5 (omg I am forcing you to read and I will probably read it again), or a 1 (hated it and will gladly tell you why), it’s easy. When it falls in between I struggle to quantify and give stars. The Weekend Away is one of those audiobooks.

I finished it in a day and a half, so kudos to Miranda Smith for keeping me invested. It was a slower burn than I’d prefer, but that could be on me and my perimenopause/squirrel brain which currently requires lots of activity.

The premise was interesting - twin sisters, one dies, a diary is found, clues, a weekend away in an isolated location with all the suspects. Very Agatha Christie-ish.

The audio was well done and helped move the story along.

It’s somewhere in the high 3’s for stars, and to be fair to the author who has penned other books I loved, I’m rounding to a 4.

Trigger Warning : Sexual Assault

This was my first time reading anything by Miranda Smith— The main character suspects one of her sisters friends killed her sister and that it wasn’t an accident—The story had good potential and the prologue definitely pulls you in — but about 50% in and not much had happened — the main character is only trying to test her sisters friends to verify they would admit to the information she has read in her sisters diary —The Narrator of the audiobook is good at doing many different female characters voices — and one can tell the male voices from the female. I guess I expected the story to be more faster paced. About 60% in things finally start happening —and started getting a little more interesting—the book is full of lying, stealing, cheating, and murder. 93% in was the most thrilling and tense moment for me reading this book. I have read hundreds of books in this genre — and maybe due to this — I personally found this book too predictable.

I think if you are new to this genre though you will enjoy it !

Thank you NetGalley and Bookature Audio for the opportunity to listen to this ARC in return for an honest review.

Miranda Smith is always twisted, and I mean that in he best possible way.
This book takes some common thriller tropes, family vengeance, the trip from hell, but makes them fresh with her twisted pen. I wanted everybody dead, in the best possible way. Definitely kept me engaged even when I thought I knew what was coming.

Wow! Such a fun popcorn thriller! Just what i was in the mood for!
Tho there were a few twists i saw coming but it didn't take away the pleasure of seeing how it all played out and i while reading i felt i was in that spider man meme lol where they all keep pointing fingers at each other because i didn't know who to trust 😂
Also can we talk about THAT ending???
What a shocker! Omg!
If you're looking for a fast paced Bingeable thriller, look no further!

I absolutely inhaled this today. I was hooked from the first words After her twins death a year after to be precise, and after finding her diary, Sienna decides to go along with Samantha’s friends to a memorial weekend away with Samantha’s friends and partner to a cabin in the woods. She finds out a lot of details about the friends that she didn’t necessarily know, could one of the have more to tell than they’ve let on?!

Brilliantly narrated. Excellently written with relatable characters. Plenty of twists and turns, and a great ending!

Thank you ti NetGalley and Bookature Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest review.

Sienna’s sister died a year ago and she still doesn’t believe the circumstances of the death. When her deceased sister’s friend reaches out for her to join a group of Samantha’s friends for a memorial weekend, Sienna thinks she can find answers. But how safe is she with the people she suspects hurt her sister?

This is such a great listen, the narrator does a great job! I questioned everyone’s motives the whole book! This is the kind of thriller I love- you never see what’s coming.

After Sienna's twin sister Samantha died while on vacation/work retreat with her friends, Sienna takes it upon herself to find out who the culprit is after she is invited to go on a trip with the group on the anniversary of Samantha's death.

I felt so bad for Sienna with how she had to deal with her sister's death mostly alone. Most of Samantha's "friends" were terrible and it seemed like none of them (with the exception of Jackson) wanted her to go on the trip. What a group of mostly terrible people.

I didn't really see the need for Troy's POV, I think the story could have flowed just as well without it.

This was a fun and suspenseful murder-mystery, thriller that kept me guessing until the end.

Thank you to NetGalley Bookouture Audio and Miranda Smith for access to the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC audio copy of this book and this is my honest review.

The audio narration was fantastic. I was pulled deep into this book.

Worst. Friends. Ever!
If you can call them that. Honestly her sister and Jackson were her only real friends.

Oh this book is going to make you mad. The sad reality is I’ve known people like some of these characters. It’s very realistic, a bit exaggerated, nonetheless realistic.

The way this book handles sexual assault was done well. It’s going to make you furious, and that’s the point!

There are a few twists and I didn’t see any of them coming. When I tell you I was enthralled with this story, I could not stop till I found out the answers.

The ending is satisfying and pretty realistic.

The only thing I really struggled with was the very very end when it said there may be something more between Troy and her… the whole book I imaged Troy as some grungy old mountain man. So that was a bit off for me.

Listened to as an Audiobook:

The Weekend Away: Finished it in a day. Needed to know what happened. Right from the off the character of Sienna reels you in, I really cared about what was going to happen to her, whether she was going to get the answers she needed. The relationship between Sienna and Samantha, was very much alive during the book. And Samantha was very much a fully formed character presence throughout. The exploration of family, friendships and grief as themes during this book was something I really liked.

However there were a couple of things for me which prevented it from being a 5 star read for me: the characters of Harper and Vanessa didn't feel as fully formed for me, the relationship from them to Sammy didn't have as much depth to it to fully understand their motivations or connect with them. I loved the perspectives of Sienna and Troy as a device within the story however during Troy's perspectives the language was more third party than from directly his perspective times.

Sienna’s twin, Samantha, died unexpectedly almost a year ago. The police ruled it accidental, but Sienna has never quite believed that. Something has always seemed off about the night Samantha died. Then Sienna finds Samantha’s journal and uncovers secrets about her sister’s “friends.” Sienna goes on a trip with Samantha’s friends on the 1-year anniversary of her death to try to uncover the truth and reveal their lies.

Will she find out the truth behind her sister’s death?

This was my first time reading anything by Miranda Smith, and after finishing this book, I definitely plan to read more of her work! The Weekend Away was a page turner, I read this book in one day. There was lying, stealing, cheating, murder—everything that makes a great suspense book. This novel had a few twists—as soon as I thought I figured everything out, Miranda would throw another curveball and leave me guessing. Sienna is obviously an amazing sister, she risked her life to get justice for Samantha.

I will definitely recommend this book to my friends AND I’ll be adding more of her books to my ever growing TBR

The Weekend Away will be released October 4, 2023.

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for this ALC!