I really wanted to like this book, but I am almost thirty percent in and the story is just not going anywhere. I thought it would be more of a thriller or at least more drama than people keeping secrets from each other. The secrets are not even any fun. I can't care about the six main characters. Which, six are also too many to keep track of when they all feel interchangeable. I have read great things about this author's work, but this one is a miss for me. I will check out one of her other titles.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

This is the first book I have read by Sandie Jones. It was difficult for me to get into at first as there were a bunch of different characters in the story to connect with. However, with about 40% left in the book, it ended up getting really good. Since there were so many characters, Jones made you question a few different characters. It ended in a way I didn't see coming.

A destination weekend. A luxury wedding. Six friends. Something tragic is going to happen. Secrets of the past are beginning to surface. There are three couples involved. Rachel and Jack, Noah and Paige and Will and Ali, the couple about to marry. Rachel and Noah were very good friends when at university. In fact, their friendship might have become more. Instead, twenty years have passed and the two have married other people. Will is Jack's brother and Jack makes it clear that he does not approve of Ali.

Dislike of Ali does not stop with Jack. In fact, Rachel is not too fond of her, and Paige thinks Ali is rather immature. Will everyone settle down and accept Ali, or will long-hidden secrets upset the impending wedding? Meanwhile, something very specific about Ali comes to Rachel's attention and she has to decide if she will tell Will, or even her husband Jack.

Then there is the past to consider, and how it comes to bear with present events. Rachel and Noah are forced to face their pasts, and the fact that they both have strong feelings for one another, despite being apparently happy in their marriages. So, there is drama on many fronts in this compelling read by Sandie Jones.

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

This book was crazy! It was definitely a page turner for me and when I had to do something else I was thinking about what was going to happen and all the characters. It did remind me of The Guest List by Lucy Foley a little bit. So much drama so many secrets and a death you don’t see coming.

Thank you @netgalley for this ARC!

Reading Between the Wines book review #91/115 for 2021:
Rating: 3 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book 🎧: The Guilt Trip
Author: Sandie Jones
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
RELEASED on August 3, 2021!!!

Sipping thoughts: Most grown married couples love to find like-minded married couples to hang out with. But when you have married couple friends like Rachel, Jack, Paige, Noah, Will and Ali, I am not sure if it is worth it. When Ali is added to the group’s dynamics so many lies, and deceit begins to be uncovered. Is Ali the catalyst or just another victim?

I don’t think there are any groundbreaking twists in this book or ones that you don’t see coming, except for maybe one small one. However, it still was an interesting book. This is not one of my favorites of Sandie Jones, but I didn’t dislike it. I will continue to read Jones’s future books as I really enjoy her writing style.
Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley, @StMartinsPress, and @MinotaurBooks for an advanced copy of @TheGuiltTrip.

#TheGuiltTrip #SandieJones #StMartingsPress #MinotaurBooks #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThriller

Six friends gather for a destination wedding in Portugal, and will weave you into a tangled web of lies that will have you turning the pages until the very end. Filled with drama and suspense, this book moves at a rapid pace, and will keep you highly entertained. The characters are flawed and filled with secrets that will grab your attention and keep you guessing right up until the end! Highly enjoyable book!!

I enjoy books about boarding schools or colleges, however this one never was able to grab my attention. 25 years ago a student and teacher went missing and now a journalist is trying to uncover what exactly happened to them. The ending was pretty predictable with a couple of twists.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This was a solid 3.5 star read for me. It kept me involved and entertained and I finished it in about 3 sittings. This story is set with 3 main couples, some additional side players, during a wedding on a remote island in Portugal. I thought the premise of the story was very entertaining, our narrator is unpredictable and unreliable. She puts a lot of guilt on herself for things that she really has no control over and at the same time doesn't know who or what to believe throughout the entire book. I like a book that makes all of the characters suspicious and you are then unable to figure out just who did what. The author gives you clues throughout the story that are timed well and easy to keep track of. Sometimes in stories the author gives you so much and you are trying to keep it all straight in your head and then are left with some unresolved plot points at the end. That did not happen in this story. You were able to keep track of everything and have it all answered in the end. At times I felt the book could have had better pacing as we seemed to revisit the same thoughts inside Rachel's head over and over instead of just pushing the story along. That being said, I really enjoyed this story by Sandie Jones and will definitely read more.

This book is a trip indeed! It kept me questioning the motives of the characters and which were trustworthy until the end. As always, Sandie Jones has written a compelling triller you won't want to put down! Thanks to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advance copy!

Thanks Netgalley for a copy of THE GUILT TRIP by Sandie Jones.
Another great read by Sandie Jones. I have been in a reading slump but this story really drew me in. Highly recommend.

Wow! This is the perfect summer book club book! Scandal, affairs, lies, deceit, attempted murder, revenge…. it has it all! I think it would lead to some great discussions. I thought this was an intriguing novel that kept me guessing. I found myself rooting for some couples, then changing my mind. I was also hating some characters because of their choices, but then later changed my mind on them too! It was a character driven book and I was trying to figure out who to trust the whole time! I liked how everything was wrapped up nicely at the end. I really enjoyed this book and it helped keep me entertained through end of summer chores!!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Six people travel to Portugal for a wedding. Rachel and Noah have been friends since college while it may have been something more it never went to the next stage. 20 years later, Rachel is married to Jack and Noah is married to Paige and they are all friends! Jack’s brother is marrying Ali in a destination wedding. Ali seems to rub everyone in the group the wrong way. Rachel starts to worry there are some hidden secrets in the group! It doesn’t take long for things to unravel.
I am not sure how to rate this book. I found it interesting, but I did guess some of the plot twists. Some of the characters annoyed the crap out of me but again, it kept me entertained. So 🤷🏻‍♀️ I enjoyed this book more than the author’s last book. It came out last Tuesday!! Thank you @netgalley!

This book reminded me so much of the Latin soap operas I used to watch growing up. The lies, the secrets, the desires, the affairs, the suspicions, the betrayals, the angst, the DRAMA! And while all of this is happening (most of it due to miscommunications and misinterpretations) not one single person acts like an adult and confronts any of the others.

The story definitely kept me reading in order to find out what in the world would happen, however I found it dragged at times. I wanted so badly to shake some sense into Rachel, and all the overdone angst just frustrated me.

Overall, I'd say it was interesting and kept me engaged, but it wasn't my favorite Sandie Jones book.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

This is the third book I have read by Sandie Jones and she is becoming one of my favorite authors. This book though was not as good for me as her others. The characters were difficult to like and annoying at times. It was hard to believe they would behave like that. I was engaged in the story, but it was a little slow at parts. The ending picked up but was confusing and I had to reread it to understand what was happening. The setting (and Portugal) sound lovely and would be a great place for a wedding. Even though this book wasn't her best for me, I would highly recommend this author.

For most of The Guilt Trip it felt as though I was immersed in a dramatic soap opera. Characters whose lives were tangled together in a web of secrets and deceit. To me, the suspense aspect didn't really even come into play until perhaps the last 25% of the book. I felt the story up until this point was engaging, but it lacked surprise. As the lies came to light and the drama unfolded, it wasn't all that shocking. Still, I was satisfied with the ending, so I'd say that although it wasn't a "blow-me-away" read, it was still an alright reading experience.

If you're in the mood for a domestic drama/suspense novel, check it out for yourself.

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*Complimentary copy for review provided by St. Martin's Press. All opinions expressed here are honest and entirely my own.

Sandie Jones NEVER EVER disappoints. This book had me hook line and sinker. I am so grateful that i was able to listen and review this title early!

The twists in this book are incredible and truly not ones you can see coming, this further solidifying Sandie Jones as an absolute master of her craft!

Thank you to the publisher for my review copy. All opinions are my own.
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If I am being honest, I put this story down. I had it both on audio and in print. I did not enjoy either. There were a lot of characters. I got very confused as to who was who and why were they involved in the trip. The characters I experienced were very unlikeable. Sometimes that works for me, sometimes it doesn't. In this case....it did not. Overall. I felt like it was missing something and I chose to put the book down without finishing it. I will read her again.....but this title was a no go for me.

Interesting premise, but kind of predictable. The predictability got old after awhile and I thought that the end was confusing.

Special thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for this ARC in exchange for my own opinion.

I really didn't read every page, I have to be honest. I skimmed after about 70% in and maybe should've skimmed a lot sooner. It wasn't that I didn't like the book, just been there, read this same book many times over. Three couples, well two couples and one couple who are friends but were something long ago....they are all going to see one couple get married.

And then cut! Back to the same old, same old, hundreds of books just like this one of lying, backstabbing and deceit. I just read one too many books like this, but if you haven't then this is as good as any.

3 stars!

The Guilt Trip was an okay book. Nothing I will remember a few weeks from now, more soapy drama than exciting thriller. It is a serious slow burn type of book, and it really not much happens until the very end. If slow build and anticipation is your jam, then this might work for you. It wasn't for me. I struggled keeping up my attention and I really didn't care for a single character in the book. Sometimes unlikable characters are fun, but these guys and gals were just annoying to me.