It's that time of the year where I want thrillers to deliver on sun as well as murder, and I'm pleased to say The Weekend Away does not disappoint. Orla has gone away with her best friend Kate for a weekend in Lisbon, an old tradition that they've neglected for a few years. Unfortunately Kate seems to want a wilder weekend than Orla had planned for and things go even more awry when Kate vanishes on the Friday evening. With only a local taxi driver to help her, Orla is left to try and work out what happened to her friend.
I really enjoyed this book. It is extremely well-paced with events happening at exactly the right moment. I loved following Orla around and there is plenty going on to keep you invested. It isn't strongly holiday-focused but there are some nice scenes (especially at the start) which would make this a great thriller to take away with you somewhere. The characters are also great and Orla felt very real to me as a person. She still makes some questionable decisions but you can get a better sense of why she is making them than some other thrillers so it didn't end up bothering me.
If this book has one weakness, it's that it didn't really surprise me at any points. There was one or two plot elements I didn't necessarily expect but I didn't feel that huge shock factor either. I think that many characters came across as suspicious or creepy so, when they were revealed to have done something, it lost some of the impact. That's what really stopped this being a great thriller for me, although I still enjoyed it hugely.
Overall, this is far better than most of the summer-themed thrillers I have read and I recommend considering it if you're looking for a good summer or holiday book. I would definitely check out more from this author on the thrillery-side.
Overall Rating:
.5
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