One Mistake

by Rona Halsall

How far would you go to protect your happy home?

Sara made one promise to herself when she was growing up in foster care: that if she was lucky enough to have a family, she’d always do whatever it took to protect them. Looking around her home with its cosy kitchen and living room, where her energetic teenage daughters and gorgeous four-year-old son all eat, play and live together, she knows she’d do anything to keep them safe.

So when Sara’s husband Matt loses his job and every shred of his confidence with it, she knows it’s up to her to bring the family back from the brink. Though she doesn’t know where she can possibly find the money they need to keep afloat.

Until her boss at work offers her a deal. He’ll help out. She just has to do him one little favour. But could trusting him save Sara’s family, or will it be a mistake that costs her absolutely everything?

This year’s most gripping psychological thriller – perfect for fans of My Lovely Wife, The Girl on the Train, and Something in the Water.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Ebooks, Psychological Thriller, Mystery Thriller

304 pages, Paperback

First published April 30, 2020

About the author

Rona is the #1 best selling author of twisty psychological thrillers and loves to create mayhem in her characters' lives to keep her readers guessing. She lives halfway up a mountain in Snowdonia, North Wales with her three dogs - Maid, Evie and Sandy who are the writing support team.

She is an outdoorsy person, who loves nothing better than stomping up a mountain, and wandering round forests and woodlands while she's plotting her next book. Outside is where the ideas are!

The peak of her writing career was being short-listed for the International Thriller Writers Awards 2024, for THE BIGAMIST. The translation was also shortlisted for an award in Holland.

For the latest news and information on all her books you can check out her website: https://ronahalsall.org/

You can also sign up to her newsletter here:
https://bit.ly/RonaHalsallNews

Also...If you follow her Author page on Amazon, you'll get notifications when a new book is out. You can have a look here:

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Reviews

[Oscar · Rating 3 out of 5]

"They both knew that the truth didn't always lead to justice; that victims could be made to look like perpetrators."

tw: molestation/fondling
One Mistake involves a controlling and alpha male of a husband, a gullible wife, and sketchy close friend. All of these are recipes for a twisted disaster. Unfortunately, the gullible wife committed a mistake. One mistake that can put everything she holds dear in danger.

First of all I just want to say that I think I may not be the perfect audience for this. I didn't found it thrilling like the others who read it. The main character is just too trusting and oblivious. She barely question things offered to her until its too late. I mean the red flags were there in the beginning and she still chose to ignore it. If a person suddenly gets to friendly, something is definitely up. If a person suddenly distances himself and offers little to no explanation, something is up. That's like the law of the universe. After the first half, I was so ready to root for the heroine. And Mark? Piece of shit.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hmmm I think it was okay. RTC!

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sara and Matt have a good life, twins daughters plus a younger son, acceptable house and enough money......this all changes when Matt is made redundant and needs cash quick, he starts a new ‘venture’, secretive but apparently lucrative and Sara takes on more hours at the Community Centre,
Both spell disaster
Sara is tempted to an easy solution to solve their money issues and as she hovers deciding whether to do it little does she realise the chaos this decision will invoke
Matt has his own dilemma, just what has he agreed to to make money and just how consensual is the fetish dating app he has been asked to devised...things really hit the fan when Sara appears on it, on video, but has no memory of it happening
Things are unravelling, at a rate of knots and who will come out of this unscathed, whose mistake will change their lives forever
Fast paced, addictive ( I read it one go, more or less ) with a charge of unsettling menace the author, once again, has written a fab dark and unsettling psychological thrill (er)
A full range of characters to like, and despise 🤗 great story telling and a really good tale to immerse yer sen ( loving the Yorkshire locations as lived there 10 years ) in

10/10
5 Stars

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One Mistake by Rona Halsall is a psychological thriller that focuses on how one mistake or lie in your life can snowball into so much more. The main character in the story makes a mistake that soon has her tangled in a dangerous web of lies that definitely kept the pages turning.

Sara is a loving mother of three and wife to her husband, Matt, who is the bread winner in the family while Sara had focuses on raising the kids. Sara did have dreams of her own though now that her children were getting older and she took a chance by investing the couple’s savings with the hopes of growing enough to help her go back to school.

One night though Matt comes home obviously upset and Sara is shocked to learn he has lost his job. Sara had taken a part time job recently but even with more hours there is no way she can pay the bills without Matt. Matt then let’s her know he wants to use the opportunity to start his own business, he only needs their savings to get started, savings that Sara has now lost when her investment didn’t pay off leaving her frantic with what to do.

One Mistake was definitely one of those incredibly addicting books that you just want to sit and finish in one go. From the first moment of learning of Sara’s mistake you just know this isn’t going to go well but from then on the author took the story to levels I never would have saw coming. With anything from deception and lies to the bonds within a family tested this was quite the ride all the way through.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was time for a change of pace for me. And oh - what a tangled web we weave. That was tense! I’m often critical of books that include copious amounts of introspection by clueless female protagonists. Yet in this book it was really well done (and it wasn’t even copious and Sara was not totally clueless).

Sara and her older sister, Hailey, had a pretty awful childhood. Sara has managed to put all that behind her. She has been happily married to Matt for 18 years, has a lovely house and three children that she adores. So when Matt loses his job one day and later comes up with a business idea and asks Sara to put in the £9,000 she inherited from an aunt so he can set it up Sara just wants to sink through the floor. She has lost the money in a dodgy investment. How can she tell Matt? Simple - she doesn’t tell him. Instead she comes up with another idea to ‘save’ the family. That was her mistake! The repercussions though are shocking and quickly escalate into an horrific situation from which there is no easy outcome. There will be pain.

Her boss at her part-time job offers to help her out in return for some favours. No, it’s not what you think but it still leads to some ugly happenings. Sara is a mess of nerves and is riven by guilt for the lies she has told. But with the help of her sister she begins to plot a way out of the mess she has created - but will they all live happily ever after?

This was a very compelling read which I devoured in one day. I felt Sara’s tension and despair. What the author did really well was to keep it real. I could almost see how this could happen to some poor unfortunate in real life. Thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and Rona Halsall for my review copy.

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a domestic drama full of completely unlikeable characters who do really stupid things, make bad decisions, and can't communicate. So many secrets, lies and misunderstandings complicated by a plot that hinged on the characters never acting sensibly or honestly.

I couldn't bring myself to mark this as a DNF, so I did manage to get through the whole of it -- all the while worrying about how to write this review. I find it very difficult to express my true opinions without coming off too harshly. I'm just not the right audience for this type of book and I apologize to any die-hard fans for not finding this twisty, exciting, suspenseful or thrilling. The characters annoyed me with their behavior and I am glad I don't know any people like that. They sure all liked to control things in different ways. Sara did not elicit any sympathy from me despite all her excuses, Matt was all of a sudden a jerk, well -- I'll just leave that here. I am sure that I'm the exception but this was not the book for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read and review.

[Yvonne G · Rating 5 out of 5]

“How far would you go to protect your happy home?”

...

This is my first encounter with author Rona Halsall’s writing, but it will definitely not be my last, that’s a promise! She has written nine psychological thrillers to date, with this book, One Mistake, sitting at exactly half way through the catalogue.

I do enjoy a tense storyline and this one ticked all the boxes, I didn’t even mind that there was no body count involved!

Now, how to set the scene without giving any spoilers away?…

...

Sara and Hailey are sisters, closer than most, despite having spent much of their childhood being cared for by the system, following the death of their father. They were separated into various foster families, with short interludes back with their neglectful mother, until her next bout of not being able to cope. Hailey is Sara’s senior and has a daughter Cassie, who is away at university. Although her marriage was brief and ended in separation, she is now quite self-sufficient and has dedicated her life to working with children in crisis, helping to give something back to, whilst hoping to improve, the care system which had never quite done its best for herself and Sara. Sara has been married to Matt for almost twenty years, having fourteen-year-old twins Sophia and Amelia (Milly) and late arrival, four-year-old Ezra. Life seems to be ticking along quite nicely for them, albeit with a few cracks beginning to show, until Matt receives some devastating news which will affect them all and Sara decides that, partly through a desire to regain some independence and partly through necessity, she must get a job, especially when she discovers that because of a costly and stupid mistake she has made, which Matt must never find out about, matters are ten times worse than they need to have been.

Sara has been volunteering a few hours a week at their local community centre, so when paid employee and one of her school mum friends, Fiona, is appraised of the family’s run of bad luck, she pulls a few strings and secures Sara a salaried temporary contract, which soon becomes a full-time permanent position. Within a few days, and because of the quickly deteriorating situation at home, coupled with Matt’s mood swings and sudden bursts of anger, Sara does something completely out of character, which puts her on the wrong side of the law and in the same position as her late mother had often found herself, something Sara had always promised herself she would never do. It also places her in an awkward position with the centre’s boss James, who discovers Sara’s deception and offers her a way out of her predicament – but at a huge personal and moral cost, although at the time she doesn’t realise just how great that is going to be! Matt meanwhile, has decided to put his IT skills to good use and when a client with a potentially very lucrative proposition approaches him, he sets up his own business – but this also comes fraught with challenges and some very unethical online content which, whilst it makes Matt feel very uncomfortable, he chooses to turn a blind eye to, distancing himself even further from his family in his efforts to keep his secret safe.

With Sara and Matt pulling against each other, both wrapped up in their own worlds of lies and deception and each reluctant to involve the police, things quickly escalate out of control and even the direct threat to someone they both adore, doesn’t have the power to bring them to their senses. Hailey and Fiona become the lynchpins on which the family all rely, but are they right to trust either of them? Eventually, with Matt still in denial, becoming more and more out of control and violent, Sara and Hailey need to have the kind of heart to heart conversation they thought they had left behind in their childhood, and when each manages to convince the other that they are still the closest of friends and natural allies, a plan of action is set in motion to protect those who are the most vulnerable in this volatile situation, whilst they bring an as yet unknown enemy to justice.

When the sisters eventually piece together what they think has happened, the instigator and insidiously manipulative force behind all their troubles becomes obvious and with a little help from a most unexpected source, the game is eventually up and the authorities are called in. Is there any going back, or indeed any way forward, and what future is there for this broken family?

...

This multi-layered, highly textured storyline was compulsive reading, which was intense and suspenseful from beginning to end, exuding a claustrophobic atmosphere so thick and cloying, I could have cut through it with a knife, and which seemed to linger, like a dark cloud, long after I had closed the final page.

Sara and Matt’s individual storylines were the edge-of-the-seat stuff of which nightmares are made, but unfortunately oh! so relevant to the fragmented society in which we find ourselves living today. One where a moral compass is all too often lacking. One small lie turns into a landslide of unstoppable deception. Fractured families slip through a system which is ostensibly there to help them, albeit with a tenuous security net which is full of holes. One where no one knows what goes on behind closed doors, even those of neighbours, friends or family. Where the opportunities to take advantage of the most vulnerable are seemingly limitless and almost undetectable.

Everyone appeared to be keeping secrets from everyone else and it was inevitably only a matter of time before so much deception and duplicity would cause a chink in someone’s armour, causing the whole situation to blow up in their faces, with a sure and certain outcome that other people would get caught in the crossfire and damaged in the fallout from the blast. There was a relatively small cast of characters, so just about everyone made it on to my suspect list to begin with. Even when I had narrowed things down to one or two names, those names changed every time the author added a slightly new twist to the storyline, of which there were many and I only worked out exactly what was going on just before the big reveal happened, so not a huge success for me and still a genuine surprise when the identity of the sole perpetrator of this devious, sick scheme, which was at the root of so much misery, was finally put out there for the world to see.

With such a morally corrupt and dangerous storyline, it behoved the author to present a cast of characters who were well defined and multi-faceted, yet dour and lugubrious by nature. This made none of them particularly likeable, trustworthy or relatable, so I was never really bothered about what happened to any of them. Yes, I might have started out by having some sympathy with Sara, although that quickly evaporated when her morals disappeared out of the window, along with her common sense. Why she would not have taken any one of a number of opportunities to confide in Matt rather than go behind his back in such a deceitful way, was only surpassed by her naivety. But what really turned my stomach, was that she selfishly put her own reputation and future before that of someone she claimed to cherish above all else, until Hailey took a hand in helping her see the error of her ways. Mind you, I wouldn’t have been quite as lenient with whining, whinging Matt in the first place. He was an unbelievable piece of work, who deserved everything he had coming his way. Definitely not parents of the year!

Although characters and plot are the two most essential elements of this storyline, the beautifully rugged Yorkshire location, with its wonderfully scenic Moors on the doorstep, is also described in sufficient detail, to afford a real sense of time and place, definitely more than enough to satisfy this most ardent ‘armchair traveller’, together with real place names which I could track and plot for myself.

What always makes reading such a wonderful experience for me, is that with each and every new book I read, I am taken on a unique and individual journey, by authors who fire my imagination, stir my emotions and stimulate my senses. This story definitely had the power to evoke so many feelings, that I’m sure I won’t have felt the same way about it as the last reader, nor the next. I was taken to a place I didn’t want to be, with people I didn’t want to be with and I was only to happy to make my escape relatively unscathed.

[Dun's · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book stressed me out! 😆 Most of the characters are unlikable, which is actually fine and very rarely stops me from enjoying a novel. I was just frustrated by the lead character's (Sara) actions and decisions. It's like watching a silly horror movie on telly and you want to shout, "Don't go there! The killer is behind the door. Oh, so you want to die? Go ahead open that stupid door then."

Stressful reading moments aside, I still finished the book because of a few reasons: 1) there are some good parts and twists, 2) I quite like the author's writing style, 3) I want to know the ending, and 4) I lived in Yorkshire for a bit and love the locations of the story.

Re: point #2 above, I will look for Rona Halsall's other books.

[Louise Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sara has the happy family life that she has always wanted. That is until her husband, Matt loses his job. Are is offered a way out of her situation by her boss. All she has to do is a little favour in return. You will need to get yourself a copy of this book to find out what it was.

Sensitive and difficult subject matter is covered in this story. The characters you will either love or loathe. It's a bit slow to start with then before you know it, you're hooked and gripped y the events taking place. It's full of twists, suspense and deceit. This is a well crafted psychological thriller. I do recommend this book.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Bookouture and the author Rona Halsall for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Ankit Garg · Rating 4 out of 5]

One Mistake by Rona Halsall spins an intricate web of lies and deception one resorts to in order to cover up a single mistake made in the most desperate of moments. The plot revolves around the theme of marriage, family, and friendship.

The book is addictive. It is slow at the beginning, but picks up pace as it nears conclusion. Once it is in the top gear, there is no stopping it! A well crafted psychological thriller indeed.

The characters and situations were fairly relatable - nothing too far fetched.

Thanks to the author and the publisher for the ARC.

Verdict: Recommended.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sara is fairly happy with her life. She is married to a man she loves, has three children and has a pretty much stable life. The only thing she wishes, is that she could do more with her career. You know how the saying goes though, be careful what you wish for.

I really felt for Matt and Sara when he breaks the news of losing his job. Financial worries are a massive strain and it isn’t long before it starts putting a strain on their relationship. My heart went out to Sara who is doing her best to try and makes things okay. Whilst she mainly stays at home looking after the kids, she does help out at the community centre and it seems the perfect idea to increase her hours there.

James her boss, I really didn’t know what to make of him. He seems a genuinely nice guy but to nice if you know what I mean? To not only help Sara out but to take her out for lunches and dinners, alarm bells started to ring in my head. The further into the story I got the more I was urging Sara to steer well clear.

The relationship between Hailey and Sara, I enjoyed. Through her relationship with her sister, we get to find out what life was like for the two of them when they were children. It certainly wasn’t the most happiest of upbringings but helps the reader to see how it’s moulded the pair into who they are today.

I Owe You is a novel that kept me on the edge of my seat all the way through. As the story goes along, I was constantly taken unaware of the direction the author was sending me. I thought the story was heading one way only for it spin me around, hurtling me in another direction. I loved that it kept taking me by surprise, sending my heart and pulse racing. A nail biter of a read where the suspense doesn’t let up. Loved it!

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy of this book All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.

[Michael David (on hiatus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent, unputdownable book of suspense (and stress...lol) from author Rona Halsall!

Sara has a husband (Matt), two teenage daughters, and a young son. When Matt loses his IT job with a lucrative paycheck, Sara decides to extend her hours at the community center she works at. In a moment of desperation, she does something extremely out of character to ensure things will be okay for her family. It comes with a price she never expected, and one that will uncover a disgusting and infuriating turn of events.

I was absolutely gripped from the beginning, and had no idea where this novel would go. I was appalled, couldn’t understand why Sara dealt with Matt and his terrible and selfish attitude, and suspecting of many characters as culprits. That’s a successful read for me.

Thank you to Bookouture, Rona Halsall, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent psychological thriller by author Rona Halsall.

What would you be willing to do to protect your family? With teenage daughters and a four year old son Sara always said she would do anything to keep them safe and when her husband Matt loses his job she feels she is going to be tested. Matt is feeling very low, out of work and low in confidence leaving Sara to find the money the family require to keep going. With little idea of where the money is going to come from she is offered a lifeline from her boss at work. A deal she finds hard to turn down, he will help her but she just has to do him one little favour. The problem is will this save the family or break it.

Interesting addictive plot that builds the suspense throughout making it an exciting read.

Fast paced, page turner.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sarah has a happy life with her husband Matt and her children. two teenage daughters and young son. She will do anything for them as Sara had a tough upbringing, she was in and out of foster care when she was a child so, she wants the best for her children. Her husband Matt has a top job in I.T. and Sara works part time at a community centre. Her life is mainly looking after the children and Matt brings home the money.
When one day Matt comes home early to be told that he has been made redundant from his job. Sara shocked and panics at first but, decides to see if she can extend her hours at the community centre. But the extra hours, still won’t cover all the bills. Sara always goes by the book but as she is stressed out on where she is going to get the money and she takes some money from the community centre, thinking no one will notice. But James founds out and tells her that he will replace the money for her but, he wants some favours in return.
This is another great story by Rona Halsall, full of suspense deceit and lies. This had a great story line; the characters were well developed but I didn’t like the character of Matt and I couldn’t believe how naïve Sarah was in her actions. If she was a real person, I would have given her a really good shake up and tell her not to be so stupid. Four stars from me.

[Nila (digitalcreativepages) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant book from beginning to end which thrilled me off my seat many a time with excitement.

Sara had a beautiful, loving family. When husband Matt was made redundant and she lost her savings, her one mistake started the ball rolling with devastating after effects

I have read all of Rona's books, and this was one of my favorites. The nuances of naiveté of the main character mixed with the suspense of the plot added a dash of spice, making this a heart-stopping thriller. Relationships were etched in a comfortable zone bringing me to a lull up to a point where the author then subtly pushed me toward the realms of my doubts.

Many delicious bits kept popping up which tingled my spidey senses and made the plot so juicy. The author certainly knew how to keep me on my toes through the entire book. The roads shown and led on were the delicious pieces of mirage that I thought to be true, only to realize in the mid-book I was walking on air. And plop did I land on my arse with some shocking reveals.

Sleight of hand was the trademark of this suspenseful writer, whose ink was pure magic, dipped in oodles of suspense. Not giving me a moment to gather my senses, I was gripped by this compulsive read, an oasis in the world that had gone into crisis. Absolutely enthralling!!

[Susan Z (webreakforbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sara and Matt are married with 3 kids. It's painfully obvious that Matt is completely selfish with no regard for what Sara wants. There were so many times I was rooting for Sara to speak up, fight back, but she seemed to just roll over.

Things really heat up when Matt loses his job and thinks he has everything all figured out, putting Sara and her needs on the back burner yet again. Sara decides to take matters into her own hands and agrees to a favor for her boss. It takes a while to really understand what the favor entails, the boss is vague and the mystery of it all hangs in the air. This book took a while to really get into the thriller aspect, but it's not a bad thing. I enjoyed watching the story unfold, uncertain where it was going.

Even though it was Sara's mistake, I despised Matt. He was a terrible husband and his actions didn't make sense and had me constantly trying to figure him out. I enjoyed watching the story unravel, never sure how it was going to play out.

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Robin Loves Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sara has the perfect family and a hard-working husband, Matt. When he begins to act strangely, she wonders if he is having an affair. That fear is quickly removed, but still things are pretty bad - he’s lost his job, made redundant, which is something becoming all too common.

Sara had always wanted to reenter the workforce one day. With twin teen girls and a four-year-old son, she was always too busy. Now with Matt without income, Sara is more than willing to step up. Having already taken on part-time work at a local community center, so she asked and was then able to take on full-time work.

Meanwhile, Sara had a little nest egg and when Matt comes up with an idea to start his on business, it is then that Sara hatches a deadly plan. The thing is, Sara lost the money in a bad investment but never told her husband. She “borrows” the money from the community center, with every intent of paying it back. When the manager of the community center, James, gets wind of what Sara has done, he promises to make things right with the center’s accounts - if Sara will do him a favor. This “little” favor has long-reaching consequences for Sara and things begin to unravel in unimaginable ways for her.

Now Sara is all twisted up. She is now keeping secrets from Matt, dealing with the stress of problems with her teen daughters and she is trying to balance her relationship with her sister Hailey, as the two had a very difficult childhood and their relationship is very sensitive. Meanwhile, Matt is changing before her very eyes. Then there is Sara’s situation with James - how far with one favor go?

I love how Rona Halsall juggled so many balls between all of these scenarios. I also loved that my assumptions about what was actually going on were so wrong! I just had to read this book in one sitting. I felt like I was on a speeding train while reading this book! I just kept thinking it would derail at any moment. I will say that this book truly was rife with situations bound to explode, and they certainly did! This exciting book was thrilling from the very start and the tension never once let up.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

[Sharah McConville · Rating 5 out of 5]

One Mistake (previously I Owe You) is a Domestic Thriller by Rona Halsall. This book took me about 100 pages to really get into it and after that I couldn't put it down. This intriguing story is about Sarah, a Mum who works at a community centre, and the big mistake she makes. Soon the effects of her mistake start to effect her family. Sarah then finds that her family can't be trusted and the lies start to build up. Can she trust her twins, her sister, her boss or her husband? Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for my digital copy.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This was a bit of a rollercoaster. I never guessed who did it!
The ripple effect of actions is very clear in this story. I was glued to the second half of this story, loving the twists and turns.

[Elaine Gruet · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unputdownable??

The only reason I can think of that someone would say this was an ‘unputdownable psychological thriller’ is that you keep reading thinking it HAS to get better. It does not.

[Ashley · Rating 1 out of 5]

No...... just no. This book is full of unlikeable characters who made bad decision after bad decision. The “twist” felt weird and just wrong.

[Ami-May · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plot

Sara married to Matt, two teenage daughters and a four-year-old Son. Life seems perfect until Matt looses his job along with his confidence. It is now her job to bring in the money and her boss offers her deal to do him a favour. She will do anything for her family. Family is her top priority, because of her and her sister growing up in foster care.

An interesting plot line with many lies, deceit, financial problems and so much more. Many surprises and misdirections throughout, a gripping unputdownable book.

4 star rating

Characters

Sara is the main character, she is a likeable character but also somebody you wish you could slap around the face with a wet fish. At first seems, it she has a happy marriage with a good man, but his true colours show with his selfish attitude, his behaviour towards Sara and the children.

I loved the relationship between Sara and her Sister, Hailey. We get many glimpses of their childhood, which adds to the story greatly.

James is another character who you love and hate, especially him being a 'too nice' person and leaves you wondering how you feel throughout, constantly.

4 star rating

Writing

Ronas writing is awesome, she knows how to craft a story with many themes that many people go through every day, create an interesting backstory of a horrible childhood and does so brilliantly. crafting many complicated, untrustworthy characters and a brilliant plot line.

4 star rating

Pacing

This is a fast-paced book full of suspense, misdirections, twists and turns and keeps you addictive along the multiple level plot lines.  It is psychological,  engrossing, thrilling, suspenseful thriller which I thoughly enjoyed.

4 star rating

Cover

4 star rating

Overall Thoughts

An Engrossing, addictive, suspenseful thriller full of misdirections and twists and turns. intriguing characters you love and hate constantly changing your opinion throughout. A top-notch writer with a brilliant plot with multiple levels. 

[Julie Lacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great psychological thriller that will have you hooked from the first few pages.
I loved this book as it really pulled me in to the story and I was desparate to know how it would all end.
Sara’s life crumbles around her when her husband, Matt, loses his job and she has to work full time.
This is where things start to go wrong both at work and at home.
Sara makes a terrible decision but could never contemplate the consequences this would have for her.
I really felt sorry for Sara during the book and was left shocked at some of the things that happen to her.
This is a great read that I highly recommend.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

[StinaStaffymum · Rating 3 out of 5]

How far would you go to protect your family and your happy home? Well...I know I wouldn't go as far as Sara did!

ONE MISTAKE by Rona Halsall is a domestic drama full of unlikable characters who make really stupid decisions and fail to communicate, resulting in endless secrets, lies and a wealth of misunderstandings. Which is only complicated by a plot where everyone acted in a way I can only describe as stupidly bordering on insanity. And though the book is called ONE MISTAKE, in my opinion it is riddled with stupid mistakes!

Sara and Matt have a happy marriage, a perfect life. Matt works in specialist IT and Sara works part time at the community centre. They have a beautiful house, three wonderful children and life could not be better. After spending most of her childhood between foster homes, Sara vowed she would not put her family at risk and would do anything for them. But when Matt loses his job and is left without a redundancy package, life starts to look bleak for them. That is, until Matt comes up with a plan to start his own business and this is where he begins to irk me. He becomes all alpha male and demands his needs are met without a thought for his wife, using emotional blackmail to bend her to his way of thinking.

Some time ago, Sara inherited some money from an aunt and she decided to put it into an investment account where it would attract high interest and make money for her to be able to update her business studies degree at a later date. But Matt had insisted she keep it in a deposit account for when they might need it. When Sara opens what she thinks is the latest statement detailing how well her money is growing, she is shocked to discover that it has all gone. The investment company has gone into liquidation and, though she could appeal, it is doubtful she will ever see her money again. £10,000 - gone. What will she tell Matt? But that's not the least of her worries, for Matt has decided that with her inheritance he will be able to set himself up in business nicely - for as low as £9,000. But how can she tell him she no longer has that money? She went against him and moved it from the account and she knows he will be livid.

So what does Sara decide to do? Not tell him. First mistake. Instead whilst working on the community centre accounts, she stupidly comes up with an idea to "save" her family. £9,000 - the centre won't miss it. And she will have it paid back before they do. Or will she?

When her boss James uncovers her "mistake" he offers to help her out by paying back the money in return for some favours. Uh-oh! Alarm bells ringing! But no, it's not what you may think but it still leads to some unsavoury happenings. And further mistakes. Lunches out on the moors, dinner at events where Sara begins to feel uncomfortable around some of the men. It all seems a bit duplicitous...but in what way? And then James invites Sara away for a spa weekend because he's "lonely" and "doesn't want to go alone". Seriously? She bought that? But if Matt were to get wind of her going away with another man, it would be the end of their marriage...even though it is all quite innocent. And so her world begins to implode.

By this time Sara is quite obviously a bundle of nerves and comsumed by guilt. She endeavours to tell James that their deal is off but she only seems to dig herself deeper and deeper. And then a video emerges of Sara...and all her dreams are shattered. Matt throws her out of the house with just the clothes on her back. She turns up at her sister Hailey's house and, after confessing to all her stupid mistakes, the sisters devise a plan to plot a way out of the mess Sara has created and uncover the truth. But will they live happily ever after?

ONE MISTAKE is slow to begin with the pace does pick up, particularly near the end. But everyone was far too unlikable and making stupid decisions for me to have any sympathy for them at all. In fact they did nothing but annoy me from start to finish with their behaviour. Sara did not elicit any sympathy from me - she made her bed with her stupid decisions and lying to her husband - and Matt was a selfish manipulative bully. I seriously could not relate to any of them. From the first moment of learning of Sara's mistake you just know this isn't going to end well. I will say that for once I did not see twist coming...but even so, it wasn't enough to endear me to this story. It just felt sleazy and I wanted to immerse myself in the shower to wash away its filthy grime afterwards.

A quick read, I read ONE MISTAKE in one night really because I wanted to escape it and move on. I couldn't bring myself to DNF as Rona Halsall is a favourite author and I owed it to her to see it through. And while I did manage to finish it around 2.30am this morning, I was worried about how to review it without coming across harsh. The fact is, even our favourite authors are going to write a book that we don't enjoy as much as the others. This book was that for me.

While ONE MISTAKE was not the book for me, I'm sure there are plenty of those who will love it. I can't say that I wouldn't recommend it because like I say, there are those who have loved it and do recommend it. Reading is subjective and what one loves another doesn't. I don't discount Rona Halsall as an author because I have loved her previous books and I'm sure I will love many of her future ones. Just not this one.

2 stars for the book and an extra star because it's Rona.

I would like to thank #RonaHalsall, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #OneMistake in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

[Lindatugby81 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh wow, what a great read , certainly had a few twists I didn’t see coming. Definitely recommend reading this one 💜📖

[Lee Husemann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a slow starter for me but in the end I really liked it. Sara and Matt have 3 children and she recently started working part-time at the community center. Matt loses his high paying job and decides he wants Sara's inheritance to start a business of his own. The trouble is, Sara invested her money in order to make more and she ended up losing it. She comes up with a way to get money to give to him and from there everything goes downhill. I felt there were some things that needed explained in the end but never were. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this very interesting book in exchange for an honest review.

[Alison Cairns · Rating 5 out of 5]

This kept my attention for the whole of a very long 5 hour train journey. I was gripped by the story, wondering what Matt was up to, how Sarah would make good her mistake and what effect it would have on the family. Alluding to Sarah and Hailey's past gave glimpses into their characters as adults. They didn't have it easy and Sarah will do anything to keep her family together. Matt's jealousy shone through from the start and he seemed very controlling to me. So much going on in this story and well pulled together. #onemistake

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rona is one of my favourite authors! As soon as I see a new book by her I know it is just going to be amazing.

I Owe You is absolutely no different. Rona has an art of weaving this big web of deceit and suspicion, when you think you have it all nailed to the coffin. And then you turn the page and she throws in so much doubt that you begin even doubting if you name is really your name.

I cannot wait for the next book by Rona!!! Counting down the days

[Robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

One Mistake by Rona Halsall is one doozy of a messed up read! There are so many things I want to say about this story and how brilliantly written it is. I don’t even know where to begin! Let’s just say the one big mistake in this story has a snowball effect you will never see coming.

This story just hooked me right from the prologue and I found myself settling back knowing it was going to turn into a very long night of reading. Again, I continue to ask myself, why must I start reading after 11PM especially when I pick up a fantastic story with a premise that draws me in from page one. Needless to say, I was up until the sun came out.

If you want to read about how one mistake can potentially have the power to ruin one’s life, then this is definitely the story for you. I just never realized how deep Halsall would go…..and it is quite evil and mind twisting and so f*** up! I freakin loved it!

Sara, oh Sara, how I wanted to just reach through the pages and slap her silly. She is a good person at heart, but is very very naive. She is a great mother and a good wife to her husband, Matt (more on him later!) She would do anything for her family and she does, which leads her down a dark and quite dangerous path. Okay, so more on the dear ol’ hubby Matt. I just wanted to punch him in the face over and over again. Geez Halsall really got my blood boiling over the hubby. I can probably add in a few cuss words, but I’ll be nice! I hate the way he treated Sara. He is such an unlikeable character and the way he talks down to Sara at times had me fuming. What a piece of work!

One Mistake has many twists and turns you will definitely never see coming. Sometimes I felt I knew who was behind it all and then Halsall would flip the script and confuse you all over again. Well done keeping me guessing. This story will just suck you right in and never let go right up till the very end.

One Mistake is a brilliantly written, intense story that will play on all of your emotions right up until the very end. I wholeheartedly recommend reading this amazing book! A definite 5 stars from me!

[Kelda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant
Everything i love in a thriller
Kept me on the edge of my seat and you were never certain how it would end even though you could take a guess.....would you be right??

[Julie Quine Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good book by Rona Halsall, a few unexpected surprises and twists throughout the book which kept you wondering how it would end up. Will definitely read some more of her books