From the New York Times bestselling author of the Hello Sunshine Book Club pick The Other Woman, comes an addictively readable new domestic suspense about a wife, her husband, and the woman who is supposedly her best friend. THE WIFE: For Alice, life has never been better. With her second husband, she has a successful business, two children, and a beautiful house. HER HUSBAND: Alice knows that … beautiful house.
HER HUSBAND: Alice knows that life could have been different if her first husband had lived, but Nathan’s arrival into her life gave her back the happiness she craved.
HER BEST FRIEND: Through the ups and downs of life, from celebratory nights out to comforting each other through loss, Alice knows that with her best friend Beth by her side, they can survive anything together. So when Nathan starts acting strangely, Alice turns to Beth for help. But soon, Alice begins to wonder whether her trust has been misplaced . . .
The first mistake could be her last.
Praise for The Other Woman:
“One of the most twisted and entertaining plots.”–Reese Witherspoon
“A perfect beach read.”–Kristin Hannah
“Whiplash-inducing.”–New York Times Book Review
“Such fun you’ll cheer [Emily’s] chutzpah.”–PEOPLE
“This thriller will hit close to home.”–Refinery29
more
The First Mistake”is a domestic suspense novel and the very first book I’ve read by Sandie Jones. Like many others, I was a little hesitant about reading it because of the intense plot and storyline. That being said, once I started this book I couldn’t put it down. The story pulled me right in, completely held my attention, and even surprised me by some of the twists and turns of the plot! I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience of reading this book.
“The First Mistake” is divided into three parts. Part 1 is from Alice’s point of view and it takes place in the present. Alice is living a normal domestic live. She’s found happiness once again after her first husband Tom’s accidental death on a skiing trip. She is now married to Nathan who is a very encouraging and supportive husband and father. Nathan helps Alice run the design business that was originally started by Tom’s inheritance. Although Alice still holds onto Tom and his memory, she has managed to move forward and tries to be a good, attentive mother to her two daughters. Her fear of losing someone again holds her emotionally captive and often prevents her from doing normal things like traveling. Nathan works alongside Alice in her business and continually encourages her to broaden out but because of her fears he often travels alone. He has just arranged a new deal that will allow the business to grow and extend into new markets. Just as Alice begins to believe that she can be strong and happy once again and even travel to Japan to close the deal, Nathan starts acting suspiciously. Alice starts to believe that Nathan may not be the man she thinks he is when three strange events make her doubt his loyalty. Alice turns to her best friend Beth looking for advice but Beth isn’t as supportive or as understanding as expected. By the time Part 1 comes to a close, Alice realizes that the people she has relied on and trusted might have been betraying her all along. She is so confused by all the odd behavior and strange occurrences that she even begins to question the circumstances around her first husband’s death and wonders if he too was disloyal. As Part 1 ends, Alice feels completely betrayed and doesn’t know if she shoul trust anyone.
Part 2 takes place nine to 10 years in the past and it’s from Beth’s point of view. Beth was young and working as a school teacher. She was born to wonderful, supportive parents who gave her everything she could ever want. Her father owned and ran very successful restaurants and Beth had a very close relationship with him. She spent a lot of time with her father on their boat and in the restaurants. When her father suddenly died Beth was lost. Thankfully she and her mother were financially secure. When Beth meets a man named Tom she falls in love. Although he was often away on business, he seemed supportive and protective of Beth. Beth sensed that at times circumstances were off and sometimes even strange but she’s was so happily in love with Tom that she dismissed her suspicions. Just as Beth felt that her life was perfect, she discovered her boyfriend leaving her home with another woman. Then, Tom completely disappeared. Not only did Beth find herself alone and pregnant, she came to the realization that Tom also left her and her mother financially destitute and emotionally broken.
Part 3 is once again in the present and it’s from both Alice’s and Beth’s point of view. I found the use of both points of view very interesting and helpful in understanding what the two women were feeling and why. Alice is determined to pull herself together and discover what is really going on. She must figure out who is lying, whether or not she is being manipulated and most importantly by whom. When Alice and Beth join forces, after Beth admits her past and what she’s done, it was impossible for me to figure out who to trust. Who do you trust more, your husband or your best friend? At this point in the book, I was questioning if this was a story of infidelity, manipulation, money and greed, or revenge or possibly all of the above. In the end who does Alice trust and will she be brave enough to confront all the lies and deceit?
I truly enjoyed “The First Mistake.” I found it to be a quick and easy to read story that held my attention and had me questioning everything and everyone. Although I suspected what was really going on and why at the the start of Part 2, there were quite a few events that I did not anticipate at all. I thought that the premise of the story was believable but sometimes I would get frustrated by Alice’s inaction and her willingness to ignore or justify her discoveries. The only negative about this book and the reason I gave it 4 Stars is that I found the ending to be very vague and it left me with a lot of unanswered questions. I really don’t like it when I finish a book and yet find myself questioning my own conclusions. The short, almost nonexistent epilogue was confusing and therefore frustrating.
The cover of the book is beautiful. The title of the book intrigues me and still has me contemplating what was “The First Mistake” and who made it, perhaps all of them? I found this standalone book excellent and very entertaining as I tried to put together all the pieces of the story. I enjoyed the plot and found it mostly believable especially when considering Alice’s emotional state of mind. Some events were a little far reaching but still completely entertaining. I definitely recommend this book and I look forward to reading future books by Sandie Jones!
I would like to thank the author and publisher for a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.
I’m most likely going to be in the minority with my opinion on The First Mistake but I honestly was disappointed with it. I really enjoyed Sandie Jones’s debut novel so I was really looking forward to this one. I very much enjoy her style of writing, quite fast paced with chapters that end leaving you anxious to turn the page and continue reading. I liked the idea of the plot in The First Mistake though I didn’t care for the execution at all. By page 40 or so it seemed telegraphed it was just so obvious. Second, I have got to mention the utter absurdity of these highly professional women seeming to simply take a person at their word on HUGE issues or things supposedly not seeming to occur to them. As I was reading I found myself actually yelling in anger Are you kidding me at MANY actions taken by these “strong” characters, which completely led to my disappointment. This one just didn’t work for me but I won’t let that deter me from continuing to read everything Ms. Jones writes after this.
I received this book as an ARC.
The book was not at all what I expected. Following Alice along as she tries to muster through the drama the seems to encircle her life, I couldn’t help but wonder if she would ever move forward past her husbands death. From the beginning, there were things about Nathan I didn’t like, but I never could have guessed what would happen. Very intriguing and interesting. I’m still now sure exactly what happened at the end.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. It was a little hard to follow at first, but once I got into it, I thoroughly enjoyed it. This is the first book that I have read by Sandie Jones.
There was a few plot twists throughout the book that I didn’t see coming, especially at the end of the book. Wow, that was a total shock. It truly had me guessing until the end.
This book kept me on the edge of my seat. Every time I thought I figured out something, the author proved me wrong. Excellent read!
The First Mistake by Sandie Jones is an emotional story with great characters. I had figured out that Nathan was really Beth’s Thomas rather early on but the ending was still a surprise. It took take Alice a long time to pull up her big girl panties and take responsibility for her life. But, who knows what they would really do under the same circumstances? We tend to think we aren’t that gullible but grief tends to do a number on most of us. It’s a scary world out there. Recommended!
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this novel.
While I really like the twists and turns of this story, I would have found it more enjoyable if I hadn’t listened to a recording of the book. I found the overuse of “incredulously” very annoying as well as the narrator’s voice often times. I would highly recommend an e-reader or paper version of this book though.
Sandie Jones’s The First Mistake was a good suspenseful novel. The plot was definitely twisted. Alice is married to Nathan. Alice’s best friend is Beth. Nathan seems to be having an affair and Alice turns to Beth for advice. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? This story is anything but simple and has more twists and turns than a mountain road. Would definitely recommend this book.
Husband, wife, best friend and money…what could possibly go wrong?! The First Mistake is Sandie Jones’s follow up to The Other Woman and she doesn’t disappoint! I was quickly pulled into the story and read it in one sitting. I don’t want to say too much so I don’t give any spoilers…if you love thrillers/psychological fiction, grab a copy now!
This is the first book I have read by Sandie Jones. Thank you #netgalley and the publisher for this arc.
I went into this book blind, I hadn’t read the blurb but I knew it was a psychological thriller. The first part of the book for me was slow. It was mundane, but now having finished the book I understand why. We are following the life of Alice & Nathan and Alice’s bestfriend Beth. The narrative is by mostly by Alice and then Beth.
The book picks up ten years after Alice’s first husband’s death. She is remarried with a child from her first husband and a second child with Nathan. Alice is still grieving her first husband’s death. Nathan and Beth have both played parts in helping her move on in her life and business. Alice starts to notice things are not quite what she thought they were.
From this point forward the story rockets off. You think you have the story figured out and then the twists begin to unfold & let me tell you I clearly had no idea. The ending is surprising and the twists shocking. This was a great book & one I recommend.
In this new book by author Sandie Jones we meet Alice whose first husband died in an accident and left her fearful of many things. Through her grief she met a new man who seemed to get her and made her feel safe. He helped her with her business and all seems to being going well for the couple. He’s great with the children and life just seems to be prospering for the happy couple. Nathan has been a god send since the death of her first husband and Alice does her best to make there life a happy one. She turns to her best friend Beth when she needs someone to talk to and appreciates all that Beth has done for her. When Alice starts to notice little things that don’t seem quite right or don’t add up she calls Beth for advice. Alice thinks that Nathan might be cheating and isn’t quite sure how to handle the situation. When she confronts him he blows it off and makes her feel like she is crazy for even having thought such a thing. When more strange things start to happen Alice begins to question who she can trust, even Beth. She wants to know what is going on and why. This was quite the interesting read, I would think that I had it all figured out just to be thrown a new curve ball. By the end I couldn’t wait to see what was really going on and hoped that at least a few of my assumptions were correct. The author did a wonderful job of weaving a web of mystery and making you think this was going on when it was actually something totally different from what you thought. I can’t wait to see what this author writes next!
/ 5
Here is the nitty-gritty truth – The First Mistake by Sandie Jones is a solid book that I really enjoyed, but it didn’t blow me away near as much as a lot of other readers.
What it’s about: After Alice’s husband Tom died, she was torn apart and left with a small child on her own. So she was ecstatic when, a short time later, she meets her current husband Nathan and falls in love. Now life is good again; she has 2 girls, a happy marriage, a beautiful home, and a thriving business. She also has a best friend named Beth whom she instantly connected with when she moved her daughter Millie to the same school as Alice’s daughter Olivia. But when Nathan starts doing suspicious disappearing acts, Alice starts to wonder just how solid her marriage actually is. She turns to Beth for support, but just might find out more than she bargained for.
I wanted to be really vague in my summery because the synopsis to the book is vague, with very good reason. Saying too much would definitely spoil this one which of course I don’t want to do. There are a lot of twists in The First Mistake, and while some people will figure them out, I was not one of those people. I just wish there had been a little bit MORE of a wow factor. I can’t really pinpoint why I was slightly disappointed, but there was just something about the end that left me wanting more.
That being said, this was a gripping novel that had me devouring it as fast as I could. While it still took me 4 hours and 36 minutes that is pretty dang quick for me so that should say something. I haven’t read her first book, The Other Woman, but I definitely want to, and I’ve heard it’s amazing, even more amazing than The First Mistake.
As far as the characters go, Alice and Beth were a bit of a struggle for me at first, but by the end of the book I started to like Alice a lot more. At first it seems like this is going to be one of those books where the women don’t stand up for themselves and go along with a man, but towards the end is full on girl power/women standing up for themselves which I absolutely loved.
Song/s the book brought to mind: 18 Wheeler by Pink
Final Thought: If you are looking for a quick, twisty read then I recommend reading The First Mistake. I know it didn’t blow me away, but I am definitely still going to be recommending this to everyone since it’s not boring, addictive, and most people will truly love it. I seem to be getting a little burnt out on thrillers lately (I haven’t really loved anything lately except Some Choose Darkness), so take this with a grain of salt. Either way, I am for sure an instant Sandie Jones fan!
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy of this book via Bookish First!
I am of two minds on this book. It was a little predictable, and yet completely fun to read. I wanted to smack Alice and tell her to wake up so many times and found myself skimming some parts. Yet, I wanted to see where it went.
Alice, a widow, never thought she’d survive losing her husband Tom. It nearly broke her. She took the business she and Tom had started and made it into a success. She met and married Nathan, who became father to her first daughter and had a child of their own together. He helped run the business and seemed like the perfect husband.
Alice also has her best friend, Beth, who is a single mom and the only person she really trusts.
Alice starts to learn that no one is who they seem.
Unfortunately, the story sometimes becomes ridiculous. At one point Alice thinks to herself that something is just too unreal to believe and I was right there with her on it. This is another one of those books in which the entire thing is explained in the last few pages. You don’t get a lot of moments of making connections, because the author holds back information that would have made that possible. Instead, you can just guess the main plot “twists” and the backstory is just tacked on the end.
The more I read of The First Mistake, the more my feelings about it waffled. In the end, it was in the fair to midland range for me. Sandie Jones writes a fast-paced and entertaining story with interesting characters. However, this one was totally predictable. I can even point out the exact moment I had most of it figured out. I even bookmarked it because when I read it, I thought ‘surely not, it can’t be that simple.’ Turns out it can be and was. The problem was that point I bookmarked was pretty early in the story, and from there, it was easy to see why certain other things led to the same conclusion. I think we’re given a little too much information too soon and the only thing left is to either finish the book to see if we’re right or skim the rest of it. Either way would lead to the same thing. For me, the characters and writing did hold my interest enough to finish, but it was a little disappointing to find the book so thoroughly predictable.
I really enjoyed The First Mistake. The 3 part storyline worked very well and once again, Sandie Jones delivers a tightly paced psychological thriller / domestic drama with twists, turns and enough secrets to keep you turning pages faster and faster.
The characters are well done and I often found myself really feeling for one or more of them. I started to question myself ~ how well do I know people in my life? Who has secrets and what are they? Are they devastating secrets?
That’s what this book is about and it will make you thank the heavens that the people in your life are “normal”. Or are they?
Pick up The First Mistake and see for yourself. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for approving my request for an ARC. My review and the thoughts in it were freely given.
This is another novel by Sandie Jones that just when you think you know what is going to happen; she throws something at you that sends you in an entirely different direction. This is fast-paced, twisted, and a fun ride that will keep you guessing until the end!
I was fully invested from the first page, and couldn’t wait to see where it went. A thrilling ride I enjoyed until the last word. Pick it up when you don’t have anywhere to go, because you won’t want to put it down.
#TheFirstMistake #MinotaurBooks
Alice and her daughter Sophia were devastated when Tom (husband/father) died unexpectedly. Alice had to be medicated in order to put their world back together. When she met Nathan it was like there was light in her world again. Fast forward 10 years later and life seemed to be going well until it wasn’t. Her best friend Beth was her rock. Can Alice find her way through the lies and deception to find herself again.
This book just kept getting better as I turned the pages. The twists and turns took me to totally unexpected places. I was right up to the end trying to figure out the truth. Sandie Jones knows how to write an amazing story. Looking forward to her next book.
The First Mistake was filled with so many twists and turns that I never saw coming. Fans of psychological suspense will definitely enjoy this fast paced novel.
Do you really know the people closest to you? Alice finally has her life back on track. The death of her first husband destroyed her. That was years ago. Now she’s married to Nathan. He’s a supportive husband and a loving father to her two girls. Alice has it all. Or does she? Sadly she can’t forget Tom. Is that why Nathan is cheating? He denies it. I wasn’t sure. Why would someone plant false evidence. I understand that revenge can be a powerful motivator. I was glad that Alice had a best friend to confide in. Beth doesn’t judge. I trusted her until I heard her life story. I could understand Beth’s desire for revenge. I was shocked by how the lives of these people were intertwined. The story shocked me. I couldn’t put this book down. Sandie Jones wrote a book filled with greed, betrayal and revenge. The characters were complex and their true motives were hidden behind a facade of civility. The dialogue was sharp and to the point. The ending took my breath away. The twist was unexpected. The First Mistake was an entertaining thriller.
It took me way too long to read this book. I kept picking it up and then putting it down as it didn’t hold my interest. I didn’t care for the cheating husband thing. It was also annoying to read about her pinning away for the dead husband. The ending does have a twist but not enough for me to cheer for this book. I was bored and didn’t care at all about the characters in this book to really like the twist. The very ending of the book was lack-luster also. I was really hoping for more when I got this book but unfortunately it was disappoint.
*I received a free copy of this book via the publisher and am voluntarily leaving a review.*