Jack and Rachel, Noah and Paige, and Will and his bride to be, Allison, are on their way to Portugal for Will and Allison's wedding. Jack and Will are brothers, Paige used to work for Jack, and Rachel and Noah are long time friends. The group of friends are very close, besides Allison, who they are all worried about her true intentions with Will. Rachel has many suspicions, but when she finally figures out what is going on everything changes as drama begins to unfold.

This book was giving me The Guest List vibes. A group of friends traveling for a wedding turns into lies being revealed and them questioning everything. I loved the book, it was a quick read that had me turning pages to figure out what was going to happen next. Just when you think you have it figured out, another piece falls in that changes it all. Even down to the epilogue, that has you wondering if you really know what actually happened. The twists were great and I loved the characters and all of their unique relationships. Sandie Jones is definitely an author that is at the top of my radar now!

This audio book has been a pleasure to listen to, especially in the light hearted summer mystery style. It has a good story line, a good narrator, and a good series of events, with a couple of twists.

It was odd though, that a couple of times I stopped the audio to search for the story. The group of friends in a secluded location is fine but there were some details that were really reminiscent of other stories I could not find.

This did not cause it to be less likable.

Thank you to NetGalley for the book.

Rachel and Jack. Noah and Paige. These couples are about to attend Ali's and Will's wedding. However, the fireworks are already popping before they even leave the airport. Will these couples survive this wedding?

This book frustrated me in a variety of ways. It felt like it didn't have an identity. Is this book supposed to be a mystery/thriller, a romance, or a drama? As a mystery/thriller, the chapters were too long. Also, the book was extremely predictable. I had a good inkling of what was going on in the first couple of chapters. As a romance, this book fell completely flat. The Guilt Trip didn't really capture the nostalgia of an old love. Also, for all of the rumored activities, there was not a great amount of steam. It felt mostly on the PG side of things when this book should have had more The Hunting Wives flair. Finally, this book as a drama failed to deliver. The plot wasn't really moving along fast enough. The dialogue was where the book was really progressing and most of the book could have just been skipped. The Guilty Trip could have been much better as a short story.

Overall, this is a big pass for me. The story was horrible. I do think that the narration on this was wonderfully performed, and I enjoyed the different voices. In the future, I would love to hear more from this narrator, just with different content.

Several friends arrive for what is supposed to be a fun getaway and a fabulous wedding. Instead one ends up dead, while the others are left to come to terms with secrets that were discovered, opening up old wounds, but creating second chances and new beginnings. In the end, the reader is left guessing who did what, and if you’re gullible like me, the answers will shock you. I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery and will recommend to patrons! Also a huge thanks to Netgalley! I was able to read AND listen to this one. The narrator was great!

So, The Guilt Trip starts off with a dead body. Then, backtracking, we follow three couples as they travel to a destination wedding, and stay together in a scenic villa in Portugal. We follow Rachel, a 40yo mother, as pieces of old and new secrets are uncovered, ratcheting the tension ever higher as they get closer to the wedding.

This book was kind of like watching a train wreck in motion, you just can't look away, as these characters start to unravel before your eyes. The tension was excellent, and tightly strung the whole way through. We live heavily inside Rachel's unreliable, overimaginative and highly paranoid mind as she struggles to keep her secrets hidden, while also desperately trying to pry open everyone else's. I think this book did an excellent job of keeping us guessing on what was true and what was a lie, as everyone became more and more unstable. And I will give it to this book, I did not know how it was going to end, and it definitely gave me that, "I have to know feel."

But, Rachel was not my favorite.... I wouldn't say I actively hated her... but there was definite dislike. She's highly hypocritical, constantly beating around the bush, quite repetitive in her justifications and worries (maybe trying to convince herself of certain things perhaps, but still a little wearisome), and honestly just overall hard to connect to. I didn't really get why the other characters liked her... and I definitely didn't get the connection between her and Jack at all. I guess my one biggest beef was that this book hinges on a past mistake she made that I still just *Really* don't understand, and makes her really unlikeable. I actually had to stop and look at my husband and ask if her actions made sense in any way. Answer: Um. No.

But, despite that issue, I still enjoyed the listen. I thought the narrator did a wonderful job with the voices and the tension, and even though I didn't like Rachel, I blew through this twisty story, and was mostly satisfied with the ending. If you're into dramatic relationship-based thrillers, I would totally recommend this. (3.75/5)

Loved the locale and fast paced action in this exciting novel set in a villa on cliff overlooking the sea in Portugal! 6 smart friends gather for one of the couples wedding there. All are intertwined so pay attention to their conversations and affairs and enjoy the surprises as they unfold. It’s hard to know who one should believe, all seem suspect. The narration went a bit fast for me and was quite shrill at times when speaking for Ali, I actually jumped several times w her loud bursts ( a bit too overdone). I had to rewind several times to absorb all the details. In all, a great beach read, w a good ending and possibly a bit ambiguous!! Enjoy your listen.

The Guilt Trip is Sandie's Jones' latest thriller. Six friends go away for a destination wedding with their suitcases packed full of secrets and lies. Ali, the fiancee of Will, knows all the friends the least. Ali is also liked the least by the other two women, Rachel and Paige. Jack (Will's brother) and Noah add more suspicion to the mix. The trip doesn't even start off well and the tension just continues to mount. The narrator did an EXCELLENT job of creating the perfect annoying voice for Ali, it honestly made me cringe. She had good pacing and made it easy to distinguish all six main characters. I found some aspects of the plot implausible, but not so much that I wasn't able to set my doubts aside. This will be a thriller that will be a crowd-pleaser. Public libraries all over should purchase and promote this title--a great book club title as well. Thank you to Netgalley for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

The Guilt Trip is quite the trip! Literally! I loved everything about this story. The drama, the characters, the entire story line. I was questioning everything and it all tied together well at the end! An ending you definitely didn’t expect!

I definitely liked this book better toward the end. It started as a slow burn but got juicier as it went along. The Guilt Trip is told from the perspective of Rachel, who along with her husband, Jack, is traveling to Portugal for her brother-in-law, Will's, wedding to fiancee Allie. Along for the ride are Rachel's current best friend, Paige, and her husband, Noah, who was best friends with Rachel in college. Confused yet? Yeah. There are a LOT of interwoven connections and relationships to keep up with. Slowly, dark secrets about the vast cast of characters are revealed, and the friends begin to question whether Allie and Will should be getting married after all. The last 20% ends with a pretty drastic "twist" that wasn't exactly suspenseful, but I suppose it did pack some action. After getting the characters straight, I enjoyed this book but the "couples exposing dark secrets on vacation" trope just felt a little unoriginal. I certainly wouldn't consider this a "thriller"--maybe more "domestic drama." 3.5 stars rounded down.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for my honest feedback!

The Guilt Trip, by Sandie Jones, is a soap opera worthy domestic drama until the climatic end. And whoa that ending – mind-blowing!! I was on the edge of my seat.

Without spoiling too much, this book reminds us to not judge others. You may think something of someone but keep your mind and your eyes open. They may not be who you think they are at all. Gasp!

This is my second book by Sandie Jones. Her descriptive and intriguing writing has moved her to my automatic-read column.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Sandie Jones for the ARC in exchange for my honest review! ❤️️

The narrator was good but this book still dragged for me. I tried to read the actual book and just couldn't stay focused. I found I was also losing focus while listening and that has never been a problem for me. Wish I could've liked it more!

A decent read it is a bit slow in places but would recommend. Three couples. A trip to Portugal for a destination wedding. A gorgeous villa overlooking a scenic and violent ocean. As family and friends gather for a weekend together in a Portugal Villa for Ali & Will's wedding...tensions rise. Even the most complex bonds within them are tested over some of life's most challenging moments. What should have been a celebration of a new family member for Rachel and Will's brother, Jack, Ali's lively personality irritates the guests. Rachel's best friend throughout her childhood is Noah and his wife Paige.... her go-to-girl and confidante. They draw conclusions about Ali and become fixated on her flaws. Then Jack delivers some scandalous info about an apparent affair she is having, which would crush his brother if he knew. This circle of friends become engaged in so many situations...some are rather hot and steamy scenes. Ali, the bride of The Guilt Trip, is a drama queen, making her someone the reader will find a bit annoying. Most of the first half of the book is filled with Rachel’s inner thoughts and suspicions, her dialogue with the others and basically how unhappy these couples are in their marriage. The marriage took place at a very picturesque spot. I did enjoy the descriptions of the cliff side restaurant and venue and the crashing of the waves off the ocean. The characters were not relatable and mostly unlikable. These characters are in their 40's and acted like immature teenagers.

It is of interest trying to figure out who is the guilty party but there is so much going on that it appears the whole party is guilty of something.

Thank you to publisher St. Martin's Press, the author and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a review. Expected publication date: 8/3/21.

The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones was just okay. It was a bit too "mean girls" meets "Guest List." I was looking forward to the fact that this story involved a destination wedding in Portugal but I barely even noticed it. There were almost no cultural references and other than what you see on the cover of the book, there is very little done to create scenic setting for the reader.

I truly loved Sandie Jones’s book The Other Woman. I thought, here is a remarkable new voice in domestic suspense fiction.

Then. The First Mistake. Strike One.

Then. The Half Sister. Strike Two.

Both of her follow up books were major disappointments.

Ever the optimist, I decided to pick up The Guilt Trip, and, I wanted to love. I did. I really did. But. Strike Three, you’re out.

Six friends...three couples....are traveling to Portugal for one of couples wedding. And they all have secrets their keeping from each other. You can guess what the secrets are. It’s boring. There’s no suspense at all. And then some bat**** crazy thing happens 25 pages from the end that’s random and makes no sense. I don’t know. It’s by far her worst book. And it makes no sense. The end.

I’m so sorry for this negative review, but thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy; the audiobook was fantastic, it was really well produced, but I do not recommend it.

To start off, I loved the narrator for this book. She emphasized at the right places, held back at quiet moments, and gave everyone a unique voice.

Onto the book - if you want twists and turns and flips and some more turns and a few more twists, this book is for you! This wedding weekend is not one this group of friends will ever forget. Speaking of friends…are they? Are the couples happy? What lies underneath? This book will have you questioning who you can trust, who is a true friend, and who has been deceitful in their relationships. And to add, you won’t know all until the very last bit, so sit back and hold on. There’s more than a few reveals at the end of this book. To measure this book, at times, I felt like I was being deceived myself. Or that I was questioning a friendship. Or that I felt like I may have just been stabbed in the back by someone I love, and thought loved me. I was the fly on the wall at this entire wedding weekend of reveals and revelations.

I did take a star off. I was hesitant to, but in the end, I decided I did have an issue with the book. Even reading the audiobook, with distinct character voices, I found at times it was hard to track who was talking to whom and what character was being talked about. The author does use their names pretty frequently which I appreciate, but I think for me, this issue started at the beginning of the book because I didn’t feel like the reader is given a strong foundation to emphasize who is married to whom. Who was character Xs best friend? Who previously dated or had a fling with character Y? (I don’t want to use their actual names to prevent any kind of spoiler.) There we’re some points where I felt like I needed a friend+family tree to keep things straight because these characters are so intertwined with each other in so many ways. Maybe one day I’ll read it again and make my own character tree and see how I feel then. ;) This might be a 4.5 for me because my issue isn’t a huge one in my opinion, I just felt like I should mention it for any readers that have difficulty tracking characters sometimes.

Glad I got to read it!

I was able to listen to this audiobook and found it to be wonderful! The main story revolves around three couples that are friends some of which might or might not be more than just friends. The story started with the main character, Rachel, wonders how her life might have been different if she had chosen her friend, Noah, over her husband, Jack. Rachel’s now best friend is married to Noah. The four friends are off to Jack’s brother’s wedding. The bride is a bit much to take and is quite a flirt, clouding Rachel’s judgement about her husband. As you can imagine, this was all a setting for quite a drama field wedding weekend!

First and foremost - this narrator is fantastic! I think she made me enjoy the book a lot more than if I had read it on my own. This book starts out really strong but after hallway things get a little of weird. I figured out the main plot twist early on but still wanted to see how it played out. There were lots of things left unexplained and I’m still perplexed why the author thought doing what she did at the end was a good idea? I was still hooked all the way through and still recommend reading this! Especially grab the audible!

3.5 stars

There is a lot happening in this book, including several plot arcs and false leads. There were things I didn’t love (ex. the bride’s past trauma/current confidence comes largely from the fact that she used to be fat but is now miraculously thin, stylish, and admired), parts of the story aren’t super original (I think I’ve read too many from this genre over the past few years, but it does remind me a bit of a Lucy Foley novel as well as a couple other stories), and it felt like a few elements weren’t necessarily wrapped up super smoothly,
but overall, I did enjoy it. The title is also clever, which I appreciate. If you’re looking for a fun read (or listen, for the audiobook version; I’ve listened to books from this narrator before, and I usually enjoy her voice), then you should give this one a try.

🐸🐸🐸/5 BOOK REVIEW 📖
The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones. Release Date August 3rd.
Rachel and Jack. Paige and Noah. Ali and Will.
Six friends, three couples travel to Portugal for the wedding of Ali and Will. As the couples arrive at the cliff top villa, secrets and suspicion start to unfold. Rachel discovers things may not be as they seem, while also trying to keep her own secrets from surfacing. Told from Rachel's point of view, sometimes being in her head was chaotic and confusing. The narrator made Ali's character overly obnoxious. Overall I did like the book. It definitely kept my interest and enough mystery to keep me guessing. More drama than domestic thriller. Listened in one sitting, It was a good distraction for the day.

Thank you to @netgalley and @minotaur_books for an arc audiobook for an honest review.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free e-book ARC copy of this book in exchange for my review.

I'm in the minority here, but I really didn't like this book. There were parts I did really like, I did have page-turning moments, then it would switch and I would find my mind wandering. I would have stopped reading had this not been an ARC, but I wanted to give it a fair chance to review.

For me, this is a 2 star book = 'it was ok' But I do seem to be the outlier for most of this style of book, so maybe it's just me.