(SPOILERS)

I enjoyed this book, but the ending let me down.

Heads up: the synopsis makes this book sound like a murder mystery, but it isn't. (To be honest it wasn't particularly thrilling either— I'd probably categorize it as a drama.)

The Guilt Trip follows three couples as they go from London to a stunning Portuguese villa for one of their weddings. Plenty of drama ensues— mainly focusing on infidelity and betrayals — but there are also sweet moments of friendship and loyalty to balance it all out.

It's a fun, twisty, and quick read that proves appearances can be deceiving. The rushed and confusing ending, however, didn't match the quality of the rest of the book.

The 'fatal misunderstanding' happens towards the end, and it's wrapped up disappointingly quickly. I don't understand why it's even referred to as a misunderstanding. Rachel assuming the affair was with Ali was a misunderstanding. Paige driving a car towards her lover's wife and accidentally dying in the process was fatal, yes, but not a misunderstanding. Am I missing something?

Actually, the entire ending confused me. Jack must've had the worst lawyer ever if they couldn't get the court to throw out that "evidence." Sounds like no witnesses could say if a person jumped from the vehicle moving towards them or not, which is incredibly convenient, and therefore there's no real evidence putting him in the car *at the time of the incident*.

Then there's the epilogue. Did they lie about what they overheard? Was Jack in the car at all? I don't know, because the author didn't make it clear enough.

3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Three couples travel for a destination wedding to the beautiful shores of Portugal, and get more than they bargain for. Rachel and Noah have been BFFs since college. While they harbor secret feelings for each other, they are both happily married to other people, Jack and Paige respectively. Jack’s brother, Will, is getting married to Ali, who is impulsive and rubs Jack and Paige the wrong way. As the weekend unfolds, relationships are tested, betrayals surface, and lives are endangered.

This book reads more like a domestic drama then a “locked room” style book, which is what I originally thought based on the synopsis I read. (It seems other reviewers agree! Also, the book info looks more accurate now). With that said, the secrets and betrayals among the group were interesting and held my attention. There is no “thriller” aspect until the very end, which I felt was too quick and a little blah. I liked where Rachel’s story ends up.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

The Guilt Trip-written by Sandi Jones was the first book I’ve read by this author and I enjoyed it very much. This story is based on the friendship of two couples, Rachel and Jack and Paige and Noah. Rachel and Noah were best friends in college and remained best friends for 20 additional years even though they were married to different people. It is a story based on love, trust, and betrayal with twists and turns around every corner. Every time I thought I had it figured out, I was wrong! I found this book very difficult to put down and am very much looking forward to my next read by Sandi Jones.


Review written by Irene G

The Guilt Trip is reminiscent of Lucy Foley's The Guest List and Ruth Ware's One by One. A group of 6 friends, 3 couples, travel to the Portuguese coast for a destination wedding. Once there, secrets begin to become uncovered that have potential to destroy relationships. The bride, Ali, is prone to histrionics and drama......but what is really happening here? Is Ali the one to blame for the drama that ensues? While the storyline and plot of the book are interesting, the book left me wanting more. I felt it was slow moving at times with an abrupt ending. There was a long, and somewhat drawn out, build up that came to a quick climax. I felt that I wanted more at the end of the book. Thank you to NetGalley, Sandie Jones and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this book.

This was fun! The main characters were perfectly annoying (realistic!) and I was hooked pretty quickly.

I did predict one of the major twists, but there were little pieces I did not see coming.

I like trying to guess who the "bad guy" is, especially when everyone is doing something sketchy. It actually made me annoyed with my own husband, because each of the characters were suspicious and guilty in aspects of their marriage.

3.5 stars, rounded up

Book Review for The Guilt Trip
Full review for this title will be posted at: @cattleboobooks on Instagram!

3 Stars
I read the description and though I would really like this book. It was hard for me to finish. I guessed a lot of what was going to happen in the book before it happened.
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. I did enjoy the way Rachel and Ali’s relationship developed throughout the book.

Thank you to Net Galley & Publishers for the exchange for an honest review.

When Rachel and Noah met in college, they thought they might have a future together, but twenty years later, Rachel is married to Jack and Noah is married to Paige. Now with Jack’s brother getting married to Ali, the three couples head out for Portugal for the wedding. Rachel and Paige are both uncomfortable around the volatile Ali, but while Rachel tries to get to know her for her brother’s sake, Paige is completely put off. Over the course of the weekend, jealousy, secrets and guilt threaten to tear apart marriages and friendships, and may even cost someone their life.

The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones is a gossip-filled thriller that reminded me of grown-up Pretty Little Liars. From the opening few chapters I was absolutely hooked. I flew through this book, because I needed to know what the answers were to the questions that were brought up. The constant lies, betrayals, twists and turns kept me guessing and although the ending was very dramatic, I really enjoyed it! It was well written, with fantastic character development, especially Rachel, and I really loved the dimension Ali added to the story. The author skillfully wrapped up the conclusion and I liked the way how the karma worked for each character. Everyone got what they deserved. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ Minotaur Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my opinions.

Huge amount of thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur books for an e arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Sandie Jones is becoming one of my favorite authors. She’s great at creating believable, relatable, and flawed characters and putting them into stories that grab your attention and keep you guessing until the end.

Six friends are in Portugal for a wedding that won’t be forgotten. Six friends that each have their own secrets. Six friends that uncover each other’s secrets. Tensions rise as the wedding goes on and it is indeed a wedding that will never be forgotten. A horrifying accident occurs and 5 friends are left to wonder what and why.

In this new thriller by Sandie Jones, a group of couples are headed to a destination wedding for their friends, Will and Ali. Ali is over the top at all times and her "friends" have a hard time dealing with her. But as the saying goes, you can't judge a book by its cover...

I felt like this book immediately introduced so many characters that I had a hard time figuring out who was who. It took me several chapters to figure out which couples were together and get familiar with all their names. I also spent most of the book being aggravated with the characters for not communicating with each other. That would have saved them all a lot of trouble. There was a lot of dishonesty between the characters in the book so I wouldn't even say they could call each other real friends. I figured out part of the big reveal ahead of time so I wasn't entirely surprised by the plot. I also was left confused and with many questions at the end of the book. This was not my favorite from this author, but it was still a page turner that kept me reading to find out what would happen next.

Thanks so much to the author, publisher, and netgalley for the chance to read and review this book!

A suspenseful story, perfect for a beach weekend! Didn't love these characters but I don't think I was supposed to!

I devoured this book in less than a week always trying to hurry things so I could get back to reading ! I love Sandie Jones so I had high expectations and this did not disappoint !!!! I don’t really watch real housewives but this book made me think this must be what the shows are like the relationship DRAMA!!!! It was non stop and so twisted !!! I really enjoyed this ! 5/5 stars and now I also want to go on vacation just not with the bunch in this book lol

The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones is the 4th of her books that I have read and she just continues to write some of my favorite books.

The Guilt Trip was honestly the BEST title for this, with so many underlying messages. In this story, we are following Rachel, Jack, Paige, Noah, Will, and Ali. Everyone is off to a secluded resort for the wedding of Jack's brother, Will. As the trip commences, Ali seems to become more and more difficult to bare: she is a lousy drunk, she is a liar, she doesn't have a filter, and she can't seem to hide her feelings for her fiancé's brother, Jack. However- Ali isn't the only one carrying secrets to this wedding. As our characters are exposed, the reader is left constantly wondering who will make it out of this trip.

I could not put this book down! I was heavily invested in each character and Jones leaves you on edge through the whole story! You are left wondering not only when the shoe is going to drop but also....which shoe will it be!? I went into this expecting more of a fast paced thriller, but this one read more of a dramatic suspense. I want to make that clear to the reader going in. That being said, the drama had me hooked just like the drama in her previous books and I would compare it to the drama and thrills of Big Little Lies. The Guilt Trip is one that you need to make sure you have on your TBR for its August release!

O.k. Sandie Jones, you did it again. Someone call Netflix and turn this into a short series or movie ASAP!!!
Noah and Rachel are best friends from college. They each went on to marry other people (Paige and Jack). Rachel and Paige become best friends, and the couple hang out together often. Jacks brother Will is getting married to one of Jack’s former employees (Ali) , a young flirty girl with an unknown past. The two couples head to Portugal to attend Will and Ali’s wedding. All should be fun, right.... Tensions start at the airport, Paige doesn’t like Ali, Jack acts like he has zero patience and Rachel just tries to keep peace for the sake of her brother in law Will.
Once at the villa, things get hairy. Ali is flirting with Jack. Noah thinks Rachel’s son is his and Paige keeps throwing daggers at Ali. But 2 secrets get out, one is true and one is not. Who can Rachel believe?. Her best friend Paige or Ali, her future sister in law who keeps flirting with her husband.
Definitely grab this one....

I love Sandie Jones' books, and the synopsis sounded so interesting! Being that I love page-turning books, I couldn't put this one down! At first I was concerned about the amount of characters within the story and being able to develop them all, but then I realized the intricate parts they all played. And the twist at the end was great!

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

Wow! Amazing book! This author never disappoints. The beginning was a bit slow but as it builds up it draws you in. I could not put it down! So many twists and so much drama. This author really knows how to write a good twist! I also recommend “The Other Woman” by this same author.

This book was sent to me by nethalley on Kindle for review. At times it was confusing. Other times, intriguing. Try it

The Guilt Trip is a gripping thriller. It was a slow burn-which I really liked. The synopsis of the book was intriguing to me and in my opinion was done very well! My main gripe with this novel would have to be with the characters. They fell flat for me. The main character complained a lot which was a bit annoying and the other characters were not that likeable. This is not usually a problem, I don't think characters have to be likeable to be good but I found myself not invested in them or rooting for them which took away from the novel. Overall though, the plot was very interesting and worth a read!

☆☆☆☆☆ - Absolutely loved phenomenal
☆☆☆☆ - Liked this book a lot
☆☆☆ - I liked it.
☆☆ - I didn't like this book/was bored
☆ - DNF'd
**Thank you to Netgalley and St.Martins for the ARC in return for an honest review. **

TITLE OF BOOK: The Guilt Trip

QUICK REVIEW:
The beginning was a little hard to keep all the characters straight and I didn't enjoy some of the mean girl attitude but it meshed together and the ending was great.
Characters - ☆☆☆
Plot - ☆☆☆☆
Star rating- ☆☆☆.5 / ☆☆☆☆ rounded up


CONTENT WARNINGS ⚠️ :
Death//alcohol use//cheating

SYNOPSIS:
Six friends gather for Alis upcoming wedding in Portugal. What they didn't expect in this beautiful location is all the secrets and mess that would emerge with it.

PLOT:
The plot in the beginning of the story was confusing but as the story progressed and we got to understand what was happening the story began to take shape and the end was twisty and turny and things aren't always how they seem though I'd classify this as a mystery vs. Thriller.

CHARACTERS:
In the beginning there were so many characters introduced at once I was very confused and was sure who was with who and it was a bit confusing for me. As we got their personalities through the middle I was able to keep track of some of them better.

WRITING:
The writing was phenomenal and the Author did a great job on keeping me interested throughout the story. It was unique and quick paced I look forward to reading more from her.

CONCLUSION:
Overall, I enjoyed the ending of this book much more than the beginning. The beginning was hard for me to read and a bit confusing though I enjoyed pushing through because it was worth it for the overall story. I would reccomend this book.
Star rating : ☆☆☆.5

Another excellent read from Sandie Jones. I got into this one right away and even though I can usually guess the ending in most books I did not guess the twist in this book so that’s why I gave it 5 stars.