I'll be honest, I'm still not sure what happened. But I couldn't put this book down and I really enjoyed the writing style. This is an addictive thriller with a gorgeous atmosphere and characters that will keep you guessing. Definitely a quick weekend read.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Wow!! This was one crazy ride!! It kind of reminds me of Desperate Housewives and their train wreck trips.

A group of friends, and I use that term loosely, take a trip to Portugal for a wedding. While there secrets and lies abound and start coming out.

It had some nice twists and turns. I did figure out the ending about 2/3 in but it was still a good, fast paced, interesting read.

I think the fact that it feels like a soap opera kept me turning the pages even though at times all the characters are hard to like.

I have quite enjoyed Jone's other books and this was no exception.

I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Guilt Trip follows 3 couples as they travel together to Portugal for one couple’s wedding. There are secrets, jealousies, and infidelity amongst this group and it takes until the end to really see who was a loyal and honest friend with the others.

There were so many things about this book that I enjoyed. The plot was intriguing, I understood the characters, and I genuinely wanted to know who was cheating and what all of the secrecy was really about. Unfortunately, my enjoyment of the book was marred by less than great writing. There were too many times when there were blatant plot holes or things just did not flow well from one paragraph to the next. I hope that it can be fixed before publication because I saw a lot of potential in this story.

The Guilt Trip is Sandie Jones'fourth novel and it was a really fun, twisty thriller. I absolutely loved her first two books but was not a fan of her third book The Half=Sister as that seemed to me to be more of a women's fiction and not a thriller. Although I was a tad worried it would be like that again, I was very happy that it wasn't for me. This book definitely gave off The Other Woman vibes. I was sucked into the story from page 1. This book is full of twists and turns. I had my guesses and sometimes I was second-guessing myself as I was reading.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Marti's Press for an advanced copy of this book.

I've really enjoyed Sandie Jones' previous books and the synopsis for this one sounded so compelling. However, I'm disappointed by the story itself. I was expecting a thriller and this is more of a drama around complicated friendships. Usually Jones' books are packed with suspense; by the time I was 30% through, the only tension seemed to come from one character's grating personality and the questionable, but not interesting, behavior of another. Additionally, everyone felt so one-note. I didn't finish this book, but I look forward to trying her next one.

Sandie Jones is back with another engaging tale in The Guilt Trip! Rachel and her husband Jack travel to Jack’s brother’s destination wedding, and there the drama begins. As if emotions don’t already run high at weddings, Rachel comes to think that her husband may be having an affair. However, the tides keep turning and she isn’t sure whom to believe - the resplendent bride that denies ever sleeping with Jack? Her husband of 20 years that is accusing the bride of blackmail? Her best friend that accuses the bride? Or even her best friend’s husband, with whom Rachel shares a significant secret that threatens to tear about both their marriages? Events continue to climax until the wedding reception, when everything comes to a final, appalling halt.

Although I eagerly read this book and found it tough to put down, several of the characters were seemingly too cliched for me to find them believable and really invest in them. The bride, Ali, is portrayed by Rachel as strikingly beautiful but quite self absorbed and childish; others paint a picture of her inner beauty matching her outer beauty. Rachel is quick to believe whomever has spoken with her more recently, but does make critical moves to get to the bottom of the mystery. Overall, this was a quick read that I enjoyed and didn’t want to put down - good for a rainy day or a day at the beach.

The Guilt Trip comes out on May 31, and you can pre-order using the link below. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Sandie Jones for the advance copy!!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

First off, I have been a fan of Sandie Jones since I read The Other Woman. What a twist! It's been months since I read it, and I still remember the ending. This is pretty exceptional, considering I tend to forget the plots of most thrillers that I read. I was looking forward to reading this book when it comes out in August. I was so excited to get approved to review this book before its release date. Thank you again to the publisher for this opportunity!

The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones is a gossip-filled thriller that reminded me of grown-up Pretty Little Liars. One of the character's names, Ali, probably reminded me of that show, which was my favorite show a few years ago, but the secrets, lies, and jealousies of the main characters also reminded me of PLL. When I first read the plot of The Guilt Trip - three couples at a destination wedding, but some of them are keeping secrets - I was ready for a typical thriller set in an exotic location. I wasn't expecting how juicy and gossipy this book would be. It reminded me more of Crazy Rich Asians than it did The Other Woman, to be honest. There is some action near the end, but for the most part, the story revolves around the three couples and their relationships with each other.

Rachel and Jack, a married couple, are heading to a destination wedding with Ali, the wife-to-be, who is going to marry Jack's brother Will. From the beginning, there seems to be something off with Ali. Here's an excerpt from Chapter Two when Rachel and Jack are discussing Ali with Paige and Noah, another couple:

"“So, what’s your problem with her?” Paige asks, like a dog with a bone.
Jack looks into his glass, as if he’s deliberating whether to say what he’s about to say.
“I . . .” he starts, before looking around. “I . . . just don’t trust her.”
“Why not?” asks Paige.
“P . . .” says Noah, warning her not to push it.
“I’ve got my reasons,” is all that Jack says.

With that ominous note lingering in the air, the couples continue with their fun vacation at their exotic locale. The wedding goes off without a hitch, but tensions are brewing. People are keeping secrets, and someone is determined to reveal everything.

Overall, The Guilt Trip is a fun beach read that is more of a drama than a thriller. When a twist was revealed and one of the characters turned out to be more than what they seemed, I thought it was funny, as opposed to shocking. There is also an attempt at a twist ending, but I found it to be rather ambiguous and not clear-cut at all. The ending definitely wasn't as impactful as the one in The Other Woman. Even though this book wasn't much of a thriller, I am still giving the book 5 stars because I enjoyed reading it. I had trouble putting it down and was hanging on to every word of the dialogue, because I was really invested in the relationships between the six main characters. If you're looking for a book with relationship drama, and need something more light-hearted than a typical thriller, you won't regret checking out this book with it comes out in August!

It took a really long time for this book to finally get going. Like other people have commented, I expected a different story based on the synopsis so that was a letdown. The storyline was pretty predictable and I didn't feel particularly invested in any of the characters.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book started compellingly but got bogged down in the lead protagonist”s endless internal dialogues. I skipped through many of them. As many have noted none of the characters is likeable and many of the situations ring melodramatically untrue

Sandie Jones is one of my Favorites and if I could give this book 6 stars I would! In typical Jones fashion I was guessing until the last page! A small wedding weekend with affairs and secrets make for a page turner that I couldnt put down! Readers will love the back and forth of who the real
villain is! Thank you for the advance copy!!!

I've loved Jones' some of Jones' previous works, so when I saw this one was available on NetGalley, I was thrilled to be approved. After a string of heavy reads, I was looking for something a little lighter, and thought a wedding thriller was the perfect remedy.

No one is that thrilled to be traveling to Will and Ali's destination wedding in Portugal. Ali has a tendency to get on everyone's nerves, but the friends have been tight for years, so they band together, put their grievances aside, and try to enjoy the weekend. But as Jack confesses some lingering doubts about his brother's fiance, Rachel finds herself questioning everyone around her. Are her suspicions grounded? Is she seeing things that aren't there? Everyone has a secret, and the wedding is going to bring them all to light.

I liked this book.

To start with what I liked: Jones' writing is effortless and engaging. The voices were distinct, and her ability to move between characters made this a quick, well-paced read. I didn't particularly like any of the characters, but you really don't need to in order to get lost in the weird relationship-angles happening here. There are plenty of twists, and because every character is unlikable, unreliable, or downright sketchy, there's a constant tension running through the discourse. Who can we believe? Who is telling the truth? Is *everyone* lying? The ambiguity and back and forth is wonderful.

Without going into spoilers, however, I didn't care for some of the "big reveal" secrets, some of which realllly missed the mark for me. It could've been a plot point taken out of any late 90s rom com and seemed really out of place in a 2021 read. Not that there isn't merit to the character's motivations and feelings, but having that be "the secret" that is almost capable of ruining her wedding day just didn't sit right with me.

This wasn't a homerun for me, but I think many readers will enjoy the twists, as there are plenty and the characters keep you guessing.

Overall, The Guilt Trip is a slow-burn drama with an likable cast full of secrets and deception.

Big thanks to Minotaur and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for honest review consideration.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. I usually really enjoy Sandie Jones’ books, but this one fell flat for me. The premise is one we have all read before and most of the twists were quite predictable. Also, all of the characters were so unlikeable, it was hard to root for any of them.

Lots of good juicy twists and turns written in signature style. A great escape for the afternoon in this crazy world that we are now living in. Thanks

Three couples go on vacation together to celebrate the days before Ali and Will's wedding. Twisted secrets, affairs, and interconnected romantic relationships come to light. Ultimately, there is a major tragedy. This book fell a little flat for me and I struggled to really connect with the storyline. However, im glad I read it.

Holy WOW! What a fun ride! Reminiscent of Lucy Foley’s The Guest List & J.T. Ellison’s Her Dark Lies, The Guilt Trip takes us to Portugal for a destination wedding. But everything is not as it seems with the six main characters, mainly the bride Ali, who appears to be rubbing everyone the wrong way.

I honestly liked Ali from the beginning. She’s like that annoying little sister who deep down you just love. It was evident from the beginning she was a bit flighty, but had a good heart & it was hard not to cheer for her. Jack, on the other hand, I disliked from the start. While it absolutely shocked me how his character played out in the final pages, I knew from the outset he couldn’t be trusted. What man makes his wife share a suitcase for a trip abroad because he’s too cheap to pay for luggage? One that’s having an affair apparently! I’m so happy Rachel & Noah found one another in the end. Their loved seemed genuine & a better match than their previous spouses. As for Paige - she was easy to see through too. She had issues with Ali from the outset, though it really wasn’t clear why. It wasn’t until their scene together on the beach that I really turned on Paige & believed her to have more to her story than what we knew.

I love a good psychological thriller with lots of twists & turns, and as always, Sandie Jones delivered! Grab this book when it hits shelves in August!

Thank you to NetGalley, Sandie Jones, Minotaur Books & St. Martin’s Publishing Group for the ARC!

I have enjoyed many books by this author, but this one was "just ok" for me. It was a quick, entertaining read, but overall, it didn't seem very suspenseful or thrilling. By the "45% read" mark, I had already (correctly) predicted a major part of the story. The remainder of the book was just fitting the pieces neatly together. I would rate it 3 - 3.5 stars.

Another page turner by Sandie Jones. Every page has lies, twists and betrayals. Who’s lying, who’s keeping secrets ,who’s cheating on who. This gripping page turner has you glued till the very last twist

Hooray! So good ! So good! So good!
I felt like I ran 10K marathon. I can’t move my hands. I clasped my reader so tight and now my poor hands suffer from the worst kind of addicted reader’s cramp syndrome ( I don’t know if there is disease like that: I could be the one invented it so they may feel free name it after me!)My heart is pounding so fast! It pumps in my ears like the worst kind of mashup of techno- death metal rhythm.

Cancel your entire schedule! Call it sick! Cancel your husbands, your kids, your colleagues, your friends! This book earns your entire focus! Grab your finest bottle of wine, reserved your favorite couch at your home, just lay down, disconnect your phone, put your ear plugs, wear your most comfy PJs and jump into this beauty blind! Hundred percent enjoyment is guaranteed!

This book is smart, exciting, intriguing, stimulating, twisty fun! Think about 6 close people seem like know each other very well gathering around an exotic Portuguese villa to celebrate two of them’s wedding reception as they grit their teeth, clench their fists, barely restrain their boiling anger, fantasizing to cut throats of each other, keeping very dirty secrets which may change everything in their relationships and ruin their entire lives! Are you sold? You’d better be!
Let’s make a quick look at the synopsis!

Ross and Rachel have been friends forever and they have never gotten a break! Okay! I tested you to make sure you’re still reading. I’m correcting: Noah and Rachel has been friends since their college time and everyone has thought they were destined for each other but as we see after 20 years later, they chose to marry with different people, had kids and interestingly Rachel became best friend of Noah’s wife Paige as Noah learned to tolerate Rachel’s husband Jack. So they’ve been seeing each other for years as long time family friends.

When Jack’s wanderer brother Will decides to tie the knot with dazzling, young, beautiful, daunting Allison ( Ali) : an old employee of Jack’s company, they find themselves at a gorgeous villa in Portuguese perched on a cliff-edge overlooking surfing beaches of Nazare!

Seems like they have time of their lives but they don’t! Sorry Rachel, you’re not the baby Francis and you’re doomed to put in a corner. Even though you’re performing last dance scene of Dirty Dancing with your husband, only dirty thing about your marriage might be bunch of terrifying secrets that ruin everything you’ve worked for!

Before they arrive the location, Rachel feels husband’s hostility around Ali and Ali acts so strange. When Jack comes clean he tells them Ali had an affair with one of his company’s coworkers, Rachel still feels like her husband didn’t tell the entire truth. He still rejects to warn his brother because he doesn’t want to risk their relationship.

Ali’s extra flirty manners around her husband force her rethink the situation. Could be the guy Ali’s cheating Will, her own husband?

But unfortunately Ali and Jack are not the only ones keep terrible secrets from them! Rachel has its own which can damage everything in their beautiful lives! But time is moving fast! The marriage ceremony is about to begin! Each of them is ticking bombs! Guess who is gonna blast first and create a massacre?

I was thinking to give four stars this book because I found some characters so much naive ( yes Rachel, you’re a saint but be a little wiser to gather the clues dancing in front of her eyes) and some of them are truly irritating. ( I’m not gonna give my names. No intention to ruin the surprises) But I liked the gripping, engaging story line, smart, complex development and rich, layered characterization.

The author skillfully wrapped up the conclusion and I liked the way how the karma worked for each character. Everyone got what they deserved.

So I’m rounding up 4.5 to 5 heart pounding, high tension, I think I will wear gloves from now on not to bite my nails anymore during whirlwind, extremely gripping readings stars!
I think this is my favorite book of the author.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ Minotaur Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

Great story and suspense overall a good read kept my attention for a couple hours a solid novel.. Thanks to net galley for the opportunity.

3 solid stars.

Since I enjoyed the author's previous works, I was excited to receive The Guilt Trip as an ARC! Three couples travel to a beautiful villa in Portugal for Will and Ali's wedding weekend. What's supposed to be a romantic getaway quickly goes wrong as all the secrets and lies pile up and everyone is a suspect.

The story moves fast and I was able to finish in just a few hours. However nothing too exciting or thrilling happens until the last few chapters, and I can't say the ending was too surprising for me as there were clues throughout the book that hinted towards the big reveal. All in all, it is a good read that I would recommend.

Special thanks to Netgalley, the publishers, and the author for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.