6 friends, one beach house, many secrets. What could go wrong? This was a soap opera of friends with pasts they want to stay hidden, current dramas and lots of hidden guilt that spirals out of control.

The story is told from the view of Rachel who has her own secrets and is riddled with heavy guilt to the point she starts transferring to her friends. A lot of time is spent in her head, what if? What, if? What if? At one point it was a little daunting, but in the end we see she had plenty of cause for worry as all secrets are revealed and you won't believe the ending.

I enjoyed all of the twists and misdirection. The explosive ending was definitely one I didn't see coming so kudos to the author for ending with a bang! I did find the epilogue confusing and had to chat with a few bookstagrammers to get a better handle on it, but I think the author's intent was to leave you a hanging a little.

Overall, a fun twisty read full of drama.

3.5/ 5 stars

The Guilt Trip is my fourth book by this author. I would consider it domestic suspense.

The narrator is Rachel (42 years old, British, 3rd person POV).

The book is about six friends (three couples) who go to Portugal for a destination wedding.

Rachel is married to Jack. Noah is married to Paige. Ali is marrying Will. And they each have different and interesting relationships with each other.

The book started off strong for me. And it ended very strong. However the middle was a bit slow for me. I just wanted more to be happening.

I absolutely loved the idea of the story taking place in Portugal. Although I wish that more of the scenic aspects had been described.

Rachel was an interesting narrator. And I did enjoy reading the story from her point of view. I also really enjoyed all of the secrets and big reveals. Although I wish that more of them had shocked me (I definitely think that they will be shocking to many people).

Overall this was an enjoyable read. And the epilogue was pretty epic!

Six friends, three couples: Rachel and Jack, Noah and Paige and Will and Ali. Rachel and Noah have known each other since college and go along with their spouses to the destination wedding of Will (Jack’s brother) and Ali in Portugal. Rachel is excited to get to know her new sister-in-law while others in the group feel quite the opposite as Ali’s behavior rubs them the wrong way. Soon Rachel begins to notice little things that she initially overlooks but then realizes could be signs leading to a truth that could change everything. As the weekend progresses, secrets and lies that have been long time buried begin to resurface and shatter the lives and marriages of these individuals forever.

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Wow this was one crazy drama-packed story with the perfect fitting title. I don’t know if I would really consider this a thriller, the beginning starts a little slow with the drama gradually unfolding which kept me turning the pages needing to find out what was the truth. But then the action is kind of thrown in towards the end within a couple of pages and I wish there was more emphasis and detail on it.

I found myself getting SUPER frustrated with the characters, particularly Rachel because literally everything could have been avoided if everyone just used communication instead of turning a blind eye and trying to act like everything is fine. This story gave me The Real Housewives meets The Guest List vibes and it was definitely an interesting ride to read how the drama unfolded and effected each character specifically.

Happy Pub Day!! Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Three couples travel to Portugal for the 3rd couple's wedding.

This book was just mediocre for me. It is billed as a domestic/psychological thriller but wasn't all that thrilling. They were building up to something, but it just didn't hook me. The character's were not particularly likeable, although I don't think that they are supposed to be. I didn't feel connected with the story and just felt as if we were circling and circling around a big reveal, that wasn't all that big to begin with.

This read is definitely reminiscent of a soap opera, but a really enticing one that will keep you reading to the very last word. Three couples are traveling to Portugal for a destination wedding, Will and Ali, the bride and groom to be, Will’s brother, Jack and his wife, Rachel, and Rachel’s long time best friend, Noah and his wife, Paige. The beginning sets the stage with revelations and innuendos of cheating with most of them. Their connections are revealed slowly and suppositions are made by the reader and then changed. I truly didn’t find many of the characters to be likable, they weren’t supposed to be, but kept frantically reading to determine if my latest suppositions would be true. I have to admit that the ending was shocking, but I am not sure it fit with the rest of the story. This will be a great beach read. Many thanks to Sandie Jones, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of this domestic drama.

The Guilt Trip was aptly named. There is so much "guilt" circulating in this book that it's hard to find anyone completely likable. However, it was one of those books that I couldn't stop reading. It was a page turner where you just needed to see what crazy, brazen thing the characters would do next.

The book begins with a police interview of one of the characters. Right from the beginning you know something goes terribly wrong. The rest of the book is told from a point in the past up until the moment that the police come to the hospital to do interviews;. I liked the way the different clues in the book end up fitting together to explain what is really going on. I thought it was a clever storyline with a mystery that I didn't fully see coming.

There were a great deal of things that happened during the book to make me truly not know who I liked. However, in the end, it is fairly cut and dry. You are given a resolution and even somewhat of an HEA in the epilogue. Overall, everything is tied up nicely.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW:
I really enjoy listening to mysteries and thrillers via audiobooks. The Guilt Trip was no different. The narration was very well done and helped with the flow of the storyline. The narrator even did an outstanding job of making Ali uber annoying - - which even though it drove me nuts, was appropriate for the character.

With the audio version, it was very easy to picture the frustration of the characters at many of the story's events. The narration was expressive and easy to understand. As I both read and listened to this book, I can easily say that there were many times I thought the audio made the story even more entertaining.

Thank you to NetGalley for advanced copies of both the ebook and the audiobook. I voluntarily chose to review them and the opinions contained within are my own.

This was an interesting book. I was expecting more, sooner, though. It seemed to go very slow at first. I would definitely suggest it.

I have read all of Sandie Jone’s books and have loved them all so I was pleasantly surprised when I received an ARC of her latest book. Sadly to say, I almost stopped at the quarter mark of this book. I hate to give a negative review and I love this author so I continued with it. As you know from the blurb, three couples embark on a trip, with Will and his fiancée who is new to the group named Ali. Jack is married to Rachel and Noah is married to Paige so when they embark on a weekend destination with Jack and his fiancée Ali a newcomer to the group things just don’t sit right to the others about Ali. I gave this book 3 stars but it was a tough read for me. I don’t want to give away any spoilers but it was not what I expected from this beloved author. I received this ARC from net galley and the publisher for an honest review. There are great reviews for this book so go in blind and hopefully you will enjoy it because Sandi Jones is an awesome author.

Two married couples (Rachel and Jack; Paige and Noah) travel to Portugal to stay a fancy villa near the water for Jack’s brother, Will’s wedding to Ali. Soon after they arrive the secrets and misunderstandings start to affect all of their relationships.
I’m not sure what to think about this thriller. It was definitely a page-turner, yet the characters were quite unlikable and tiresome. The amount of deceit between the friends and spouses was almost unbelievable and I was confused by the ending. What was actually true? I have no idea. . Thanks NetGalley for an digital arc of this book that releases August 3, 2021. 2.5 stars.

This action packed suspense novel was expertly crafted and written! I was reminded of the game Clue, a genuine whodunit trying to fit all of the puzzle pieces together. Friendship, love, desire, and intrigue mingle with drama, secrets, deceit, and jealousy to create this riveting read that keeps you on your toes with all the twists, turns, and surprises. Memorable and colorful characters will leave you feeling exasperated, frustrated, and speechless. Such a juicy and fun read!

This book ended up being a DNF for me. It was incredibly difficult to get immersed in with the multitude of characters and feeling extremely drawn out.

I wanted so badly to like this one but I struggled to enjoy it. It felt really predictable. Everyone was cheating on everyone and the amount of infidelity was just unreal. I forced myself to finish in hopes it got better but it didn't. I was glad it came to an end when it did. Also the car scene at the end felt rushed and confusing. I had to read it twice to understand. It felt so out of nowhere and that the author just wanted the book to be over.

The Guilt Trip By Sandie Jones takes place over a wild wedding weekend in Portugal. Ali and Will are getting married but their family members and guests seem to have packed lots of secrets to reveal at the wedding. This story keeps your mind spinning as you try to figure it all out. Read and enjoy!

This reminds me of a telenovela except for the humor. We start out at an ER in Portugal and flashback to a destination wedding where we follow a few of the guests.

The story is a lot of dialogue between the characters gossiping and trying to figure out who is sleeping with whom or better yet since they are all married or engaged, who is cheating on whom.

This probably just wasn’t for me as I prefer my thrillers to have a hint of imminent danger and while I know this started in the ER, I just never felt any threat.

If you like slow burn soapy mysteries, you’ll enjoy this book.

Wow, this book was heavy on the relationship drama and light on the thriller. And the build-up was very gradual as the 3 couples' secrets (and lies) slowly come to light. The prologue mentions the accident, but the reader does not find out who died until the last 1/4th of the book and the how is not revealed until the epilogue.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. It was a but too much like a soap opera of who was sleeping with who and all for the characters were unlikable. I also found the first half really tedious to get through all of Rachel's inner monologuing.

This one just didn't do it for me....I tried to get into it but this was more domestic drama than a thriller.
I normally get really into Sadie Jones's stories, but I found this one a bit dull.
There was so much lying and cheating with manipulative people it made it hard to care if anyone dies or if they all just end up divorced and unhappy by the end of the book.
If you like drama and marital secrets, this book is for you.
If you are looking for a more thoughtful thriller that will bump to the top of your favs for 2021, I think this will fall a bit flat.

I have been able to read early copies of Sandie Jones’ latest releases and was excited to be approved for both the E-ARC and the Audiobook for this book.

I struggled with the audio of this book but I feel that it was because my focus wasn’t completely there. There were many characters that appeared at once and I had a hard time keeping them straight. Once I switched to the physical edition as was able to read it, I was fine. This was no fault of the narrator of the audio edition and strictly my own lack of attention.

The storyline was interesting as it dealt with adult topics that some may not want to read about. The characters did come off as a bit immature and obnoxious and this was not my favorite read from Sandie Jones. By no means was this a bad book, it had its twists and turns and startling conclusion.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and Sandie Jones for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I think I may need a break from domestic thrillers because the lack of communication between married couples in these types of thrillers is starting to drive me crazy!

Female Protagonist: OMG! My husband/best friend/babysitter is absolutely cheating on me/a killer but am I going to confront this person regarding my suspicions? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Instead, I’m just going to spin out in my own head for 300 pages.

Sigh…

Overall, this was a solid domestic thriller from Sandie Jones. The tension between the three couples begins almost immediately and is relentless throughout the book. I think if I had read this one at a different time I would have enjoyed it more.

So if you’re a fan of Sandie Jones and domestic thrillers, then I would definitely recommend picking this one up.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3954760938?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
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Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing the arc of The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones in exchange for my honest review.

The Guilt Trip follows six friends as they travel to Portugal for a destination wedding. Our MC, Rachel, and her husband Jack. Jack’s younger brother Will and his fiance Ali, and Rachel’s friend from college Noah and his wife Paige. Three couples, a beautiful setting, a wedding, and lots of secrets, what could possibly go wrong?

Everything!

From the start, the trip is doomed when Ali discovers her passport isn’t in her bag. Paige, Rachel’s BFF and Noah’s wife, is obviously threatened by or jealous of Ali. There’s tension between Jack and Noah. Will is giddy to be marrying the love of his wife. Ali is excited to get married and start her life with Will, but her “tell it like it is” attitude is rubbing everyone the wrong way. The connections between non-couples create soap opera-ish drama that would make most people run for the hills. Rumors fly, tensions build, suspicions run wild, and no one knows what to believe. When confrontations begin nothing is what it seems.

I found the MC, Rachel, tough to cheer for or get behind because she hides her true feelings for everyone. It’s not until the very end that we finally get the truth from her, even though it’s obvious from the start. There are a number of twists throughout The Guilt Trip, for a while I thought the story was just about Rachel’s guilt, but once the twists started I realized what was really going on. For me, the final twist was hard to accept, even with the evidence provided.

In the end, you may question, can you really believe the people in your life? I’m on the fence with this one, I had to push myself to finish because I never became invested. I will recommend it to people who enjoy suspense books.