Book Review: The First Mistake by Sandie Jones (Audiobook)

The First Mistake

Author: Sandie Jones

Publication Date: 11 June 2019

Genre: Adult Fiction – Domestic Suspense

Publisher: Macmillan Audio/Minotaur Books

From Sandie Jones, the author of 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 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

When Alice met Beth, her best friend, it was the icing on the cake. A friend without judgement, to celebrate with, commiserate with, Beth is the most trustworthy and loyal person that Alice knows. So when Nathan starts disappearing for stretches of time, Alice turns to Beth. But soon, she begins to wonder whether her trust has been misplaced…

The First Mistake was my introduction to Sandie Jones, and it will most certainly not be my last. This book was one hell of a roller coaster ride that I did not want to get off of. This is one of those books that you read and makes you appreciate the life you have since it is nowhere near as twisted as the life of the characters.

Alice is the epitome of the American dream. She has a wonderful husband Tom, who is the love of her life and business partner in a thriving company, and a daughter Sophie that worships the ground her parents walk on. Her perfect life is shattered when Tom suddenly dies following a tragic skiing accident leaving Alice to mentally cope with her loss as well as pick up the fragmented pieces that are left behind. After a stint in a psychiatric hospital, Alice realizes that she owes a life to herself and her daughter, and they must move on.

Years later, Alice is given a second opportunity at happiness with Nathan. He is a doting father who loves Sophie as his own, but gives them another daughter Olivia as well. He always stands by Alice’s side as her partner in her business, and he wants nothing more than to see her company succeed.

Unfortunately, Alice starts to question Nathan and his motives as his behavior patterns start to shift after an important client in Japan comes into play. Both the love and security that Alice thought they had seem to be fading by every second. Alice’s best friend Beth agrees that Alice should be weary of trusting Nathan since she’s literally an expert on partners who cheat in secret.

This book took me by complete surprise. Every twist and turn I went down lead to a new revelation that I was (sometimes) prepared for whereas as others simply left my dumbfounded. My heart pounded every time a new secret came to light, but nothing prepared me for the ending.

All I can really say is that you have to give this book a chance. Nothing is as it seems in this story, which makes it even more tantalizing. Sure, some of the twists and turns may seem a bit predictable, but that ending will pack a punch that will leave you breathless.