Thank you to the publisher for allowing me access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I loved the concept and set up for this book, but I spent about two hours of the audiobook being extremely annoyed with the main character. It's a huge pet peeve of mine when otherwise intelligent and/or strong female characters suddenly believe the lies others tell them or act in ways that only seem to be in service of the plot. As the story wrapped up, I was left wondering why these people were even friends with one another. I just wish that the main character had stood up for herself rather than falling for lies and gaslighting from those who are supposed to care for her the most.

I was a fan of televised soap operas as a kid because I watched them with my mom and grandmother. This felt like a delicious modern soap opera with everyone involved in some way with everyone else. Lots of fun with a good narrator telling a good story!

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Macmillan Audio through Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

As the weekend unfolds questions and rumors spread. Ali is bubbly and sexy but Jack Will's brother doesn't seem to like her. In fact there are frequent secret arguments brewing between the two of them leading to others to question whether or not they were having an affair. The twists and turns get deeper and the secrets more damaging as the young couple and their friends navigate this tumultuous week. In the end as tempers flair and the truth comes to light something devastating happens that threatens them all.

Reminiscent of The Guest List by Foley this story of friends with secrets that could rip lives apart, but who is telling the truth? In the end the truth always seems to come out - yet one more book that teaches us that lies never stay hidden.

I was swept away in the drama of this book by the narrator who really embraced all the characters so well. I got a little tired of Rachels angst but under the circumstances I can understand why she was so torn in two. There were so many twists and turns but they all came together in the end.

The Guilt trip by Sandie Jones is pretty similar to The Guest List by Lucy Foley. However its not as thrilling. Its drama galore !

Three couples go on a trip to Portugal for attending. the wedding of two of this group, Ali and Will.. The story is all about drama between the couples ( Who slept with whom?). I felt this book was drawn out at some parts and definitely could have done well without few chapters. We get swirled on The main character Rachel's inner monologue most of the time.

I listened to the audio book version of the book and I loved the narrator. So the book kinda went by fast. Still, its not a bad read. If you want a quick read, go for it.

3/5 stars.

Ali and Will are getting married in Portugal and two other couples; Rachel, Jack, Noah and Paige are joining them. When in Portugal, there are secrets that begin to unfold and take the reader on a rollercoaster of a ride throughout the story. There are flashbacks throughout the story, which added more dynamics and details. Who's truth are you going to trust? This book had me riveted throughout trying to figure out all of the pieces. I couldn't stop listening to it! The narrator was a great fit for the story!

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillian Audio for a chance to listen early! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Two couples, Rachel and Jack along with Paige and Noah are heading to Portugal to attend Jack’s brother Will’s wedding to Ali. Nerves are already frayed by the time they arrive to the gorgeous cliffside villa mostly because Jack seems to have developed a very low tolerance to Ali and her flightiness but Rachel begins to suspect there’s more going on than meets the eye.

There’s a lot of history between Rachel and Noah, best friends since Uni and as the trip develops more comes out about their past relationship, Paige’s insecurities and Jacks increasing disdain for his future sister-in-law despite her attempts to insert herself into his activities. Rachel does a bit of sleuthing and picks up clues that lead her to a shocking conclusion but is all really as it seems? Turns out more than one person has a secret to hide!

This is such an intriguing and suspenseful book, with full on plot twists that had my head spinning all the way to the very last page. So much deceit and treachery and just when you think you know what’s going on – the big a-ha moment – some new revelation occurs and you realize you know nothing!

The author plotted this so beautifully and developed the characters with highly distinctive personalities, making me either love, hate or empathize with them – strongly! While reading/listening to this I found myself feeling tense with the suspenseful atmosphere and an overwhelming need to know what the heck was going to happen which led to me finishing in just over a day! I was so gratified by the ending!

Narration: Clare Corbett narrates and she is phenomenal! She brings the characters to life, giving them depth and personality and making them unique and unforgettable!

Highly recommend this to any fan of the genre! My thanks to Macmillan Audio for this gifted ALC and to Minotaur Books for the gifted DRC.

This was the most stressful trip I've ever not been on. I definitely had no idea where it was going but I enjoyed the ride. Listened in one sitting.

The Guilt Trip is about three couples, six people that go on a destination wedding to Portugal. The amount of lies and secrets that are thrown are enough to fill an entire room.

This eerily reminded me a bit of The Guest List by Lucy Foley. Maybe destination wedding on a coast with a massive cast does it for me, ya know? Each couple has some connection to the other couples. Besties, brothers, secretive connections as well. I got lost. I actually made a web connecting the couples as to who was who and how they were connected. There were a lot of question marks and scratch outs! It was entertaining once I was able to distinguish relationships.

The paranoia and uncertainty in the trust really through me for a loop. At some parts, I wanted to shake Rachel. Other parts, just wanted to hug her. She’s that naive friend that you just want what’s best for her, even if she doesn’t know what’s best.

I did an audio/reading combo and was so happy Clare Corbett was the narrator. You may recognize her from The Girl on the Train or The One. She’s one of the narrators i am always happy to listen to and enjoy her tellings.

Overall, It started off very suspicious and strong. I was here for it. But, the she said/he said was just a bit too much that I lost interest on the truth. The ending came crashing into you for a final reveal. The very last page threw me for a loop that I read it twice. It was a quick, entertaining read, but it left me with more questions than answers. Thank you so much Minotaur and Macmillan audio for the gifted copy! The Guilt Trip is out August 3rd!

A book about a fancy wedding and problems between 3 couples. Nor my favorite book by this author. The book was good but not great.

Thank you NetGalley!

3.75 stars

After spending 2020 reading mostly thrillers, I had gotten so good at guessing the twists that I decided to take a break from them in 2021. The reason that I ended up picking The Guilt Trip despite that self-imposed break was because it gave me very strong Guest List vibes. I figured I would dip my toes back into the genre to see if anything had changed.

I will give two major props to this book, one of which has to do with the actual writing and another that doesn't. I appreciated how Jones explored paranoia through the character of Rachel. I could really see how her fears and guilt clouded her judgment of the various situations occurring around her. The audiobook narrator also really helped with that as well with incredibly distinct vocal choices for every character that completely captured my attention.

While I did enjoy the story overall, a lot of the big twists felt overly advertised to me and I found that I could not completely get into the book because of it. Spending time waiting for characters to catch up with you can be fun if you play it right, but this was not one of those cases. I will say to anyone reading this review that I am probably more attuned to potential twists than most and you might actually find yourself guessing at every turn. If so, happy reading!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

I absolutely devoured this family drama novel! Jones does an amazing job of revealing secrets slowly and in a way that is believable. In this one, the main character vacillates between two possible scenarios, with the truth only revealed close to the end. I definitely recommend!

Five friends and the new comer "bride to be" set off for a beautiful weekend and wedding. Set on a clifftop at a splendid resort in Portugal. what could go wrong?
But these good close friends have secrets and so does the soon to be married Ali. Secrets that could ruin friendships and destroy marriages.
The story swiftly takes off from the first page and moves at a pace to keep you fully engrossed. Lies start to be revealed, or are these people looking for conflict. To cover our own secrets will we invent some about others.
Tempers flare, minds speculate and everything these friends know about one another comes into question. Is it truth or prejudgment.

The ending is both exceptional and satisfying, as well as unseen.

My one take away word from this one is "Brilliant" Sandie Jones has created another great thriller that should not be missed

The narration was excellent throughout the entirety of the book.
Thank you NetGalley for the advance edition of the audio book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for not one, but apparently two copies of this book to review! This will be a combined review of the book and the audiobook.

I’ve never read a book by Sandie Jones before. I DNFed her book The Half Sister but still plan on reading her Reese pick because eventually I’d like to read them all. I’ve heard this is her best one yet which literally gives me zero hope.

This isn’t a thriller novel. At all. It’s a domestic drama book with a convenient wrap up at the end; albeit an extremely rushed ending that is extremely predictable. You see the story unfold from Rachel’s perspective and see her believe lie after lie after lie in an attempt to manipulate readers into twists. The problem is, Rachel is as gullible as they come and the twists aren’t twists…they are extremely obvious who-is-sleeping-with-who scenarios.

Overall, the characters are unlikeable as they come, bland and vapid. A very generic A-typical modern thriller. Pretty much pick up a Ruth Ware, Lucy Foley, or Megan Miranda or BA Paris novel and you’ve read this book. Unfortunately, nothing stood out to me. The writing was sub par and the setting of Portugal was incredibly meaningless. Plop this book in the middle of the Sahara Desert and it’s the same exact book.

I’m sorry I don’t have nicer things to say about this book, but it realllllllyyyyy wasn’t my cup of tea.

2 stars overall because the narrator made this basic book more interesting.

Also, semi-spoilery…but can we stop slut shaming women because they look nice, have worked hard, have opinions, and don’t take male shit? Thanks!

4.25 stars
Enjoyability 7/10

We follow Ali, her fiancée Will and 4 of his oldest friends Rachel, Jack, Paige, and Noah, as they attend Ali and Will’s destination wedding in Portugal. Throughout the weekend, secrets will surface and threaten marriages and friendships. At the end of the trip, all of their lives will have changed forever.

I love Jones’s work and her characters. I slowly got to know them, but at the same time felt like I knew them forever. Each one had their unique personality and voice, and their entanglement was almost a character in itself.

The plot was intriguing and promising, so I am sad to say that the execution fell short for me. I’m shucking it to wrong expectations, though. I was expecting this to be a fast-paced, twisty, and turny, batshit crazy book. It was more of a slow-burning character-focused story than I had anticipated. My opinion is not on Sandie Jones, her narrative is compelling, and I will be picking up more of her books; I was just in the mood for more action.

I first read The Guilt Trip as an audiobook produced by Macmillan Audio and narrated by Clara Corbett. I really enjoyed her narration style; she delivered a well-paced story that made it easy for me to both follow the story and identify the characters. I look forward to reading more books narrated by her. With that said, I feel that The Guilt Trip would have worked better as full-cast audio.

All in all, I do recommend this book as a solid summer read, and I can’t wait to check Sandie Jones's other novels.

Disclaimer: I first read it as an ARC. In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to Macmillan Audio, Sandie Jones, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of The Guilt Trip

This one fell flat for me. I thought the characters were sometimes a bit over the top and the storyline felt very slow. I wouldn't consider this to be a thriller, but more of a soap opera mystery. It was a bit confusing at times and had a very predictable ending.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4114885068

Wow, wow, wow! This is such a great read! So many twists and turns, but at the end I feel completely satisfied! I love how the ending tied a neat little bow. I think we all agree that a mystery book that leaves us hanging is the worst! I will definitely be reading Sandie’s other books :)

This is the first novel I have read by Sandie Jones but I will go back and read her previous novels! While the book had a slow start, the pace increased quickly and it was easy to become engrossed in this soap opera plot. A group of friends: Jack, Rachel, Noah, Paige, Ali, and Will are on a trip to Portugal for Ali and Will's destination wedding. Noah and Rachel have been the best of friends through university but married other people. The story is told from the perspective of Rachel and the facts unfold quickly. We soon learn that all is not well in their multi-layered relationships. The constant lies, betrayals, twists, and turns keep you engaged throughout the book but also keep you perplexed at the actions of all the characters. Rachel’s suspicions guide the narrative and grow throughout the novel and you are left wondering who is actually telling the truth and what is real vs. conjecture. The pace quickens toward the end and while there is a plot twist it is somewhat unsurprising (and a bit over the top). Still, I enjoyed the story and the characters will stay with me. Thank you to NetGalley for the early release copy. This book will be published on August 3, 2021.

Sandie Jones has quickly become one of my favorite authors and The Guilt Trip was one of my most anticipated releases of 2021! This book was full of secrets, lies and betrayals between a group of friends which is normally right up my alley! Give me all the juicy friends and lovers drama! However, this was not my favorite of hers. I didn't like the characters and I had a very hard time staying interested in this one. I liked this book but just didn't love it like I wanted to.

I have recently discovered books by Sandie Jones and have not been disappointed and this book will not disappoint either. It was a great read. Just when I thought I knew where the story was going there was a twist or two and I was thrilled. I would definitely recommend this read.

Lies, lies and MORE lies!

This started off as your typical thriller... destination wedding, close group of friends, and an obvious fly in the ointment.

But the last quarter of the book is... insane! As the story climaxes, you really don't know what is true, and what is a lie.

Jones did a great job encapsulating the human condition here, highlighting how guilt can cloud your own judgment, and move people to do unspeakable things. Overall, well worth the read!