This one kept me hooked but it was more of a domestic "is he cheating on me or am I being crazy?" type of book until very nearly the end. The suspense is good but I wish the ending had been explained a little more instead of the reader being left to draw clues. Who else was in that car? Noah? I mean either way Jack is a bastard.
Thanks to Netgalley for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The first half of this novel definitely entertained me. Rachel was living the life: stay at home mom to Josh, beloved wife of Jack, and best friend to Noah and his wife, Paige. Maybe this was not the reaction the author was aiming for, but I had quite a few chuckles over Rachel's tortured suspicions and "head in the sand" coping mechanisms. Rachel was not evil or conniving - she, like so many before her, chose the safer path in love and wanted to maintain the status quo, even if she had to delude herself Jack was indeed the faithful and loving husband she had "settled" for.

This is a thriller, so, of course, nothing is as it seems. I actually didn't blame Rachel for marrying Jack and having no faith in Noah's declarations of love, because, as she reminded him, Noah used to brag about his conquests to Rachel all the time. Who can blame her for mistrusting his feelings for her when he finally got up the nerve to confess them to her? This part of the plot reminded me so much of the British TV series Lovesick, which I thoroughly enjoyed because some of the characters and scenes in that series were HILARIOUS! Daniel Ings and Yasmine Akron had me rolling on the floor with laughter. So good!

But I digress! The second half of the novel needed a bit more tightening up, and I felt that the ending was a bit confusing. There was an item that helped convict the murderer which shows up in the last scenes of this story. And I still can't figure out the "why" and relevance of it showing up like that. This was one of the weakest elements of this story. And did I guess the twist? I don't see how anyone could NOT have seen that one coming, so I read on and was not disappointed. The ending did disappoint me somewhat, though, because even then the author was busy misdirecting our attention and pulling little "surprise" hat tricks on us. I was anticipating rating this one a 4 out of 5 based on the first half of the story, but I kept coming up with so many holes in this mystery after I had turned the last page that I reduced my rating to a 3.4. I get that it is hard to maintain the same level of enthusiasm for a story right to the very end, but the second half of the story needed serious editing. Still, it was a great and entertaining read, and I might search out the series Lovesick and give it another watch!

N.B.: The Portuguese dialogue/conversations at the destination wedding location were spot on! Well done!

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Two couples travel to a wedding. Both couples are hiding things and the couple getting married are also hiding secrets. Put all of these secrets in a blender, add a little closeness caused by staying in a house together, add a hefty dose of alcohol and you have a great beach book.

I became a fan of this author a few years ago, when I read a couple of her other books. Just like her other books, this book did not disappoint! Several friends take a trip to attend a friend's wedding. Things turn sour very quickly. Are they actually friend's or enemies in disguise? This very suspenseful page turner of who did what to whom will leave you guessing to the very last page! What a nail biter! I could not put it down! Thanks for another great book, Sandie Jones!

DNF @11% sorry I just could not connect to the characters and the style of dialogue between them. Thank you for the ARC.

Wow! Sandie Jones simply does not disappoint! I started reading her latest novel The Guilt Trip and could not put it down! I finished this gem in two sittings because I just had to see how it ended!! I was on the hook from the beginning and I had about a half a dozen conspiracy theories—if I am being honest I wasn’t able to crack the case lol! The twists and turns were plentiful and extremely well placed—love that!! The Guilt Trip is the perfect summer read! I am already looking forward to the next Sandie Jones’s next novel—if you haven’t gotten a chance to read Sandie, I highly recommend ALL of her books!

I really wanted to love this one - a thriller at a wedding in an exotic location? Count me in! I had heard it compared to The Guest List, which I was a big fan of, so I was excited to get into this. Unfortunately, though, this one fell flat for me. There was a lot of build-up for very little action - I kept waiting for it to pick up, but nothing really happened until about 80-85% into the book. I don't even know that I would really categorize this as a thriller - it's mostly examining the drama and relationships between the 6 main characters with one horrific event towards the end. It also felt like, for as long as it took for the action to build up, it finished incredibly quickly. That being said, I did think that it was very well-written, and the characters were all complex. I think a more accurate comparison would be to Jane Harper's The Survivors and would recommend to those looking for a slow burn with a focus on interpersonal relationships and drama.

Super excited to start this and it didn't disappoint. Could not put it down. Great thriller, kept me guessing the whole time. Definitely recommend for any mystery lover.

Started out decently but got progressively worse. It was a confusing, idiotic plot that was too cray to be believed. The ending was ludicrous. Not the caliber of her other novels, A real disappointment

I couldn't put this one down! I don't know where to begin with this thriller thrill ride. Twists and turns, surprises to keep you on the edge of your seat. Sandie Jones gets thrillers and knows how to keep readers engaged.

✨BOOK REVIEW

I am a sucker for thriller books centred around complicated, life long friend / couple dynamics so I knew I was going to enjoy this one. The novel was everything I expect from a thriller; fast passed, twisty-turny and kept my attention all the way through. I will say, I wish that the single narrative voice was a multiple POV or that it was structured a bit differently; the novel is written in third person limited with many flashbacks / memories peppered throughout to give the reader background on the characters relationships and at times, I found it a bit confusing. I am partial to multiple narrative voices / POV when it comes to thrillers, so this could just be a me thing, but with 6 characters and their past and present relationships to keep track of, I found it got a bit convoluted.. Also, I didn’t think the twist was overly shocking. I expected it to play out that way approximately half way through but I really enjoyed reading the book and appreciated how the author meticulously structured the plot was

The Guilt Trip is about 6 friends- 3 couples, who travel to a villa in Portugal together for a wedding.

The drama starts almost immediately and doesn't really stop until the very end. Although I didn't overly care about the characters or the outcome of the plot line, Sandie Jones has a way with twists and turns that kept me turning pages until the end (even if I did roll my eyes quite a few times).

If I'm being honest, I was expecting a thriller and this book fell a little flat for me. The description didn't match what was actually happening in the book and it definitely felt more drama than suspense.

This book reminded me a lot of The Guest List and I think if I hadn't read and enjoyed that one so much, I would have enjoyed The Guilt Trip a bit more.

It also reminded me of an extended 90210 episode which is fine, but wasn't what I was really looking for right now. I mean, the fault lines appeared in the friendships as soon as they landed in Portugal and I was often left thinking 'what kind of friends are these?'

I don't know, maybe I've been in isolation too long or maybe I need a break from this genre.... life seems too short for drama. At least, this kind of drama.

I've been super drained lately and needed a break from the heavier books I've been reading. This book was definitely light. If you need a quick palette cleanser grip lit for the beach or something, this might be it.

Giving this a 2.5/5.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

oof
I really did not enjoy this one at all sadly. I think this is a bad case of mismarketing; based on the synopsis I was expecting a locked room mystery, similar to The Guest List, which is one of my FAVORITE tropes so I was VERY excited to be approved for an arc of this one!
But oh boy...this was NOT a thriller at all, we spend the first 80% of the book dwelling on the secrets and affairs of the couples, most of which are based on miscommunication, and it felt very repetitive and I kept wondering when the action was gonna pick up. We don’t get to the murder part of the book until the last few chapters and then everything is wrapped up pretty quickly. It actually reminded me a lot of The Dilemma by B.A. Paris - a book by a thriller author that was really more of a family drama, and also suffered from mismarketing.

the_book.look
The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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🏝Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for letting me read this ARC!
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🏝Who's read The Guest List? This book has major creepy, beach wedding/something bad is gonna happen vibes. The burn is slow, the suspense is intense, and the family drama is binge-worthy. Pick up this book when it comes out in August!
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🏝Rachel and Jack are happily married.... or so they think until Jack's brother's destination wedding. Rachel really wants to dig to the bottom of the rumors that Jack is having an affair with his brother's future wife..... but maybe Rachel isn't that innocent either...

Amazing. I wasn't the biggest fan of her last book but this redeemed everything. This book was full of high tension, secrets, affairs, and I genuinely felt like the characters were flushed out. I was worried about the conclusion. The ending can make or break a story like that. But the author killed it. Karma is a b----.

Thank you for the arc and opportunity to review this book.
I was intrigued by the title, cover and description, but the execution of the book fell flat. There was an excessive amount of dialogue that made the book tiring to read. Some of it was talking in circles and the twists were predictable. I also did not connect with the characters.

I am a huge fan of Sandie Jones' books so I was delighted to get this one! And we know from the get-go that this will be one amazing twisty novel! Six friends travel to Portugal for Ali and Will's wedding. Of course each of these people has a backstory that is intertwined with the others,,,so I dare you to try to read it in more than one sitting! I couldn't do it (fortunately my husband knows I'm a Book Nerd so why argue with me)! Each chapter has Jones ramping up the drama and always the last sentence has you thinking, "I can't wait until tomorrow for this!" So just settle in for more surprises than Christmas ,as true to form, she doesn't disappoint and your head will spin for sure! Maybe my favorite of hers so far! Loved it!

I enjoyed this book; it was a fast-paced suspense/thriller that did a good job of keeping me guessing- I can see it being a fun/soapy by the pool read this summer.

I have read previous books by Sandie Jones and really enjoyed them so I was excited to read this one. I had high hopes going in however, this book fell short for me. It was an okay read but not great. I didn’t care much for any of the characters, the writing was slow at certain points, and the ending was predictable. There was a lot of drama and not very much suspense. It wasn’t quite what I expected or was hoping for.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin’s press for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC

I feel like this was super predictable. The characters were not particularly likeable and all the plot points felt half baked. Like it should speed up and slow down all at the same time. I liked her other books but this one most definitely fell FLAT.