It truly hurts me to rate a Kara Thomas book below 5 stars. The Cheerleaders was the first book I read when I got back into reading and it blew my mind. As soon as this book was announced I pre-ordered the audiobook, and then forgot about it for almost 2 years.

So we follow Claire as she wakes up stranded in the forest. She is able to get help and winds up in the emergency room, the catch being she can't remember anything past friday night (the story starts on Sunday). Part 1 follows Claire and her quest for answers. I was so invested and devoured this first part of the story.

Part 1 ends after a body is found. The body being a local who hit kat's dad with a car and police presume he killed Kat and Jesse later tossing their bodies into the river. This felt like a very natural ending but since we still have 3 parts let I knew something more was happening.

Part 2 follows Claire after police have closed the investigation. Watching Claire grow and cope with her best friends death was so depressing. She then finds a missing piece of information that could open the investigation back up.

Part 3 & 4 were a pretty big let down. This follows the same plot that "Suicide Notes from beautiful Girls" by Lynn Weingarten. However I was really liking this take on it.

Claire finds out that her friends did in fact survive and planned the whole thing. At this point we follow Kat's perspective and find that her dad was abusive. This led to them faking her and Jesse's kidnapping to escape the abuse and get her families money. At this point Kat and Claire are now mortal enemies because they love the same boy, ignoring the last 10-15 years of friendship. Claire tracks down their location and finally finds out the truth. I was pretty over it at this point. Like there wasn't a moment where Claire was just happy that her bestfriend Kat was alive. It felt like the emotional growth we watched Claire have was just thrown out the window. I also HATE the ending twist of Jesse and Kat being siblings. I'm sick of that twist and have never once liked it. Also why would the grandma say "don't date him" instead of "He's your half-brother"? And the fact that Jesse knew before all of this happened was fucking disgusting.

One thing I was missing in this book was the secretiveness of the story. In The Cheerleaders there was a mystery that was never solved. We as the audience were told in the last pages but none of the characters knew. I was really hoping that would be a common theme across the authors novels. I am still so excited for "Out of the Ashes" and can't wait to read it.

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beckyremillard's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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themoodreader's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

_chelseachelsea's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Something I really like about Kara Thomas is her skill for pacing. Many thrillers unfold too slowly - dragging out the mystery until the last possible second, then rushing through the explanation like a Bond villain - or too quickly, in a way that feels unrealistic and overly convenient. This was my second Thomas novel (the first being The Cheerleaders) and I continue to be impressed by the way she manages to balance tension with realism. That Weekend feels like a play, with a first act that lays out just enough information to draw you in, a second act that unravels with impeccable timing, and a finale that delivers satisfying answers. While the mystery isn’t necessarily jaw-droppingly clever or unique, I don’t think that’s a weakness. In fact, I‘m finding more and more as I read thriller after thriller that a believable story is infinitely harder to pull off than a ridiculous one.

For most of the book, I had a 4.25-4.5 star rating in mind. I loved the narrator, Claire, who we follow as she struggles to recall the events that led her to be found bloody and concussed on a mountain she doesn’t remember stepping foot on. Claire is smart, but stubborn. She is petty, but she cares. She feels like a real teenager, on the cusp of adulthood and unsure of who she wants to be. When her life is toppled by trauma her response to it feels true, not contrived, and when she starts digging for answers it’s not because she’s a scrappy hometown hero with a sudden burst of detective skills - it’s because she cannot move forward from her own grief without the answers she thinks will resolve it. Again, Thomas demonstrates a real understanding of loss.

The one complaint I have, which ultimately caused me to drop my rating to a 4.0, is that while the finale does give a satisfying resolution to the story - without tying it up too neatly in a way that feels cheap - there are a few “bonus” twists that I felt warranted more attention. One of my biggest pet peeves in a thriller or mystery is when a plot point feels rushed or thrown in at the last minute. By the time these shockers are dropped on us, the pages are drawing to a close. There’s no time to explore the meaning or impact of them. I found it frustrating that by the time we were really getting to learn more about these other characters, our time with them was over.

Outside of that peeve, That Weekend is an excellent novel about guilt, grief, and the burden of secrets - even the ones we must keep to protect ourselves.

Content Warnings

_ladypearce_'s review against another edition

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dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I love Kara Thomas’ books and this was no exception. It kept me engaged and interested till the very last pg.

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igre's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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pollyhall's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

nicoleherz's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Family secrets, muddled memory mystery, how far would you go to escape?

Practically read it in one sitting, a really gripping story. I liked the writing and how the author gave the characters a lot of depth and unseen facets to their personalities and relationships.
Some twists were a little predictable but some of them were a total surprise!! Loved that

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