Actual Rating: 2.5 Stars

This book was ok. I was really excited for it when I read the description, but it ended up falling a little flat for me. Six friends head to a villa in Portugal for the wedding of two of them, but then some secrets come out that affect them all in different ways. I'm trying to be super vague with my description because honestly, anything else will give too much away. I didn't guess quite everything, but there were some things that were pretty predictable.

I think my main issue with this book was that the first half was really boring. It was mostly them just sitting around, gossiping and drinking, and that's basically it. It does pick up in the second half, although it's more the thirty percent, but by then, it was just a little too late for me. I also think the author didn't quite know what genre they wanted to write. I normally don't mind overlapping genres in fiction, but I think this one was trying to do a little too much, and ended up not doing any of them well. The characters also didn't have much depth, with the exception of Ali. I felt like they were all mostly one dimensional, and I found myself not really caring about most of them.

Overall, I can't say that I recommend this, but I didn't mind finishing it to find out what happened.

Three couples go away on a trip that should be the experience of a lifetime. However, soon after embarking on their journey it becomes evident that the couples don’t know each other as well as they thought. The trip quickly takes a dark turn and only one thing is for sure, nothing will ever be the same.
This story was a fast paced, domestic thriller that kept me guessing at who was friend and who had sinister intentions. I listened the audiobook and would highly recommend it. The narrator did a wonderful job of bringing the characters to life. Put in your headphones, enjoy the ride, and try to guess who can be trusted.

This is the story of three couples who lives are interwoven. Rachel and Noah have known each other since University, Rachel is married to Jack and Noah is married to Paige. Rachel and Paige become best friends over the years as they both raise their children. Jack’s brother is getting married and it brings all the couples together in what can only be described as a crazy trip!

This book was a fast read full of twists and turn!

The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones is a domestic thriller in the truest sense. Two couples, Rachel & Jack and Noah & Paige, travel to Portugal for the wedding of Ali and Will, Ali is vivacious and outgoing, but childish, leading to suspicion from the established couples. Things escalate, leading to a far-fetched final climax and an ambiguous denouement.
Those more familiar with Jones' previous books might have recognized this for a domestic thriller, but unfortunately, I did not. The synopsis led me to believe it would be a traditional thriller/murder mystery, so I was left disappointed. The books was slow and repetitive, with Rachel (the POV character) bouncing from suspicion to trust and back again. I think it just wasn't for me.
I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator was good. I think it's what kept me even somewhat engaged.
Overall, an average read I probably won't remember in a month.

I was excited to read this book because of all the great reviews I was seeing, and it did not disappoint. Four friends leave the country to attend their friend's wedding. While on their trip, suspicions arise around the bride and secrets begin to unfold, causing one heck of a wedding.

It's hard to talk about the many layers of secrets in the book without giving away the juicy details and ending, but the ending has so many twists and turns that you wonder what's going to spring up next in each of the remaining chapters. The book is well written and I found myself liking many of the characters, but I never really knew who could be trusted, so I was always met with suspense and surprise.

I highly recommend this book; it is well worth the read!

This was a rollercoaster of drama. At first, I couldn't get into this book. I left it for awhile and came back to it. Then, it picked up and things were moving along well. The drama came along fast and furious and I was really intrigued. But by 50% into it, the plot was feeling somewhat repetitive. There wasn't a lot of forward movement keeping me intrigued. It wasn't until about 80% in that the drama and impact picked back up. And a lot of that time could have been solved with a conversation, a complicated one but nothing that would necessarily take this long to solve. The ending did throw me for a loop, which was unexpected! But wish the epilogue said a little more than just the few lines.

Drama, drama, and then more drama! Damn, remind me to never go on vacay with this crew! (Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the ALC of The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones!)
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The Guilt Trip is a crazy thriller that works because it leads the reader down so many red herring paths. I guessed some of the twists, but not all of them and was happy that there was some mystery left til the very end.
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Jack & Rachel and Noah & Paige are headed to Portugal to celebrate Jack's brother, Will as he marries the love of his life, Ali. While everything on the surface appears to be a fun couples' trip with a celebration at the end, there are several hidden secrets encompassed within this group of people. Not everyone is as they seem. (Duh duh duhhhhh)
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I generally enjoyed this story and wanted to know what would happen - it definitely was a page-turner. However, it felt like it took a bit too long to "get there" and there were so many repetitive details that I could have done without. Essentially, this could have probably been a short story and I would have found that a bit more enjoyable. 3.5/5. Fun summer thriller, but not likely one that will stay with me.

This book was less thriller, and more domestic drama. I didn't love it until it was about 75% finished, which normally I hate in a book. However, the ending was WILD, which really helped my rating. It was hinting all along that someone could be hurt/dead, but when the book was 80% over, I kept thinking "WHEN is this going to pick up??" And pick up it did - absolutely loved the ending.

If you're a fan of domestic thrillers, I would recommend this one!

Thank you NetGalley for this audio-arc. At first glance this book looked like a novel similar to Lucy Foley. I originally thought it was a murder mystery who-done-it but it was not that at all. It was a novel rich with lies and deceit. I was constantly guessing what was true and what was false. The author was able to spin such a web of deceit that constantly made me question everything and everyone. I don’t know if I can trust people ever again lol. This book was definitely an enjoyable read and I would love to read more from Sadie Jones in the future.

This is the story of 3 couples. Five have a past connection to each other. They weren’t always the same “social media perfect” couples they were when they arrived to celebrate the wedding of Ali and Will.

At first it doesn’t seem strange that some guests arrived complaining about not wanting to being there. As the story unfolds, readers will learn quickly that past secrets begin to surface and threaten to change everything…in a bad way!

The question is… who is really to blame for things going south, lives being overturned, the “sh!$& hitting the fan”? Can someone in the original friend group prove to be as sinister as Sandie Jones wants you to believe? Or.. is Ali, the newcomer and Will’s fiancé, an awful person with ulterior motives?

In a very drama filled-Jersey Shore vibe… Sandie Jones creates a story that will leave readers shaking their heads at the utter craziness of these flawed characters

The Guilt Trip follows two married couples (Rachel and Jack, Paige and Noah) who travel with Jack’s brother Will and his fiancé Ali to Portugal for their wedding. They stay together in what sounds like an amazing seaside villa. Right away, there’s some contention towards Ali, the newcomer to the group. Rachel is more welcoming toward her because they will be sisters-in-law. Also, Ali used to work with her husband Jack.

Ali is younger, flirtatious, over-dramatic and high maintenance. Much of the drama centers around Ali as Rachel discovers inconsistencies and half truths in her stories.

There’s quite a bit of conversations and character development in the first half of the book, mostly between Rachel and bestie Paige. Speculations of extra-marital affairs, paternity, and deception between the couples seem to be the theme here. For long time friends, seems a lot of “stuff” gets revealed during this destination wedding. It makes me wonder how they’ve been able to maintain this friendship with the secrets and lies. But in any drama, things aren’t always how they appear. I thought Ms. Jones did a wonderful job with creating this tense energy.

I found this book entertaining, it kept me guessing throughout due to misdirections and misunderstandings between the characters. I was expecting more of a thriller in a vacation spot, but I liked how all is revealed in the end with some juicy twists.

The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones is a thriller surrounding six friends who are at a destination wedding. There are lots of lies amongst the group, lots of jealousy, and even more drama. As the weekend continues, secrets at exposed and marriages are beginning to crumble.

Oh, the way The Guilt Trip starts tells you all you need to know. Something bad happened. Why? Was anyone angry with anyone? Yup. Everyone. And then we get to go back and find out why. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer? What about when your friends may be your enemies? Do you get even closer? More characters are making that decision than you will at first realize. Everyone has secrets and they all come out. This was quite a fun read/listen (I did both back and forth between having time to do it and setting up my classroom). I liked the narrator and her ability to help me keep the characters straight in my mind. There were quite a few that she subtly and not as subtly made different. Her voice became my inner voice for the parts I read myself. Thanks to all involved for the ARC. I will be recommending this book.

Wow. The premise sounded promising but it was a lot of boring to get to the ending. The majority of the book didn’t feel necessary and I just kept waiting for something to happen.

This was a entraining book it’s filled with drama, friendships, secrets & lies. It read likes a soap opera with of course lots of mystery and drama. So if you miss all them old time soap opera you will like it’s book.

This is the story of 3 couples. Five have a past connection to each other. They weren’t always the same “social media perfect” couples they were when they arrived to celebrate the wedding of Ali and Will.

At first it doesn’t seem strange that some guests arrived complaining about not wanting to being there. As the story unfolds, readers will learn quickly that past secrets begin to surface and threaten to change everything…in a bad way!

The question is… who is really to blame for things going south, lives being overturned, the “sh!$& hitting the fan”? Can someone in the original friend group prove to be as sinister as Sandie Jones wants you to believe? Or.. is Ali, the newcomer and Will’s fiancé, an awful person with ulterior motives?

In a very drama filled-Jersey Shore vibe… Sandie Jones creates a story that will leave readers shaking their heads at the utter craziness of these flawed characters.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I have an e-galley and advanced listening copy of The Guilt Trip.

First off, I loved the narrator. Clare Corbett did a fantastic job and is a large part of why I enjoyed the book. I will definitely be checking our other books she narrates. I knew something was coming, but I had no idea that it would go the way that it did. I also really liked how the ending wrapped up.

I wasn't a fan of how all of the women in the book were pitted against each other. I understand Rachel's anxieties about Jack cheating on her, but so much of what he was telling her wasn't even remotely believable. Rachel and Paige seemed so determined to hate and distrust Allie. I was really surprised Allie worked so hard to protect Rachel. Allie was a much bigger and better person than the other women in the story.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read and review as well as access to the audio book.

First off, I loved the narrator for the audio. She did a fantastic job on what I felt what not a great story. I honestly didn't like many of the characters and the fact that Rachel and Noah were obsessing over something from 20 years ago was cringeworthy. Had the story taken place five years after 'the incident' it would have been more believable. I also feel like the characters all had a huge dinking problem - maybe its a UK thing, but the alcohol consumption seemed excessive. I'm sorry to say I didn't really like this one.

This book was packed chock-a-block full of drama and secrets! I did struggle at times to keep all the characters straight because there were just so many and each of them intertwined with each other in different ways. I feel like lately there have been quite a few thrillers to release that focus on a wedding or reunion or special event on a remote island, an isolated location, or otherwise difficult place to travel to, and while the guests are there, some weather event essentially traps them there and drama (and often murder) ensue. This one definitely kept the drama level high throughout. One I really got a feel for the characters it made it a touch easier to follow all the drama but I still found myself missing things as I attempted to play back the character's history in my mind. The ending caught me off guard not necessarily because of a twist but because of an event that I just didn't see occurring. Overall I enjoyed the story. This was my first book by this author but I would definitely read more.

The Guilt Trip is full of lies, secrets, and deception between friends all set against a beautiful villa in Portugal. It was a quick and intriguing read, but overall it ended up being a little disappointing. Thank you so much to Minotaur Books, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for my gifted copies!

The story basically follows three couples that are all friends as they get together at an expansive villa on the coast of Portugal for one couple’s nuptials. Most of the characters seem normal at the beginning, but the story soon becomes toxic as the blurred lines between relationships and friendships are brought to light.

This was my first book by Sandie Jones and I definitely think I will more of her books, but I went in expecting a thriller. It ended up being more of suspense/drama with a little bit of “thriller” right at the end so be prepared.
The first half of the story was very slow for me, but since I was reading and listening I was able to get through it quickly. The second half did become more interesting, but it was difficult to keep up with all of the directions of the story. There also seemed to be some plot holes and an ending that was a tad confusing. I’m still not 100% sure what really played out which is where I ended up being a little disappointed.

I know it may sound like I didn’t enjoy The Guilt Trip, but I have to say it was an entertaining and twisty story that I did enjoy despite the few issues I had with it. It does seem that I may be in minority with my overall thoughts for this one so please do not let me deter you. It is definitely a good summer read!