⛱️🌊Book Review:
Title: The Group Trip
Author: Audrey Ingram
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/3 stars

Every year, a group of six friends, since their freshman year at Mayfield College in Tennessee, take a Spring Break vacation.
This year, the plan is to spend their break on the Emerald Coast, a panhandle in Florida. In the town of Seaside, they have an exclusive shoreline/oceanfront mansion.
6 friends: Chloe- who now lives in New York, Sloane and Alden (these two are married) Marianne (pregnant/married), Wyatt (Luke's best friend) and Luke (Chloe's ex-boyfriend).
When Luke proposed, after 9 years, to Chloe, she says no.
Now, they must navigate trying to keep the group and friendships together after such a devastating break-up. Especially when the mansion catches on fire and Luke is missing. Secrets are revealed, and these six friends soon realize that people change, and what once was, may not be any longer.

Published: August 13th, 2024

Thank you, @netgalley and @alcovepress, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

4.5 stars rounded up! "Love isn't the absence of conflict. It's important to fight for the love you deserve."

I read Ingram's debut novel and really enjoyed it, but this one was even better! It was not at all what I was expected, which was a mindless beach read about a group of friends on vacation filled with drama and romance. Yes, it had those elements, but there was so much more to this story and I could not put it down.

The novel alternates timelines, which involve present day when a group of six friends gather at a beach house in Seaside, FL, and their past vacations that they have taken together. Prior to that, we also learn about how the FMC, Chloe, met her boyfriend Luke as a freshman in college and quickly became enveloped into his friend group, which includes Wyatt, Alden, Sloane, and Marianne.

Although the romance part of the novel was predictable, that was not a detriment to the story, as I appreciated watching the characters grow up and find their paths in life. We witness the friend group as they navigate careers, breakups, makeups, deaths, marriage, babies, and infertility. I highly recommend this one if you enjoy stories about found family and staying true to yourself.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for this e-book ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I think relationships need to grow with the friends and this story confirms that it is not always as easy as it may seem. The back and forth format of this story was well done and kept things interesting. This is a good summer read! Thanks #NetGalley

This was a really good book. I loved how the two timelines showed the deep bonds of friendship. I was able to see the love story, but it was still fun to read. It was great to see this group of friends always there for each other.

Late for this review- but I loved this book. The story reminded me how friendships take effort, and that some friendships change more than others. Friendships are like relationships, and take a lot of effort. Would recommend this book!

I know I am incredibly late on this review but wow! I absolutely loved this book. I honestly felt like I was watching an episode of Gossip Girl. I predicted everything with Wyatt pretty much from the beginning but I still loved going on the journey of the story. I loved the flashbacks to the past because it really made you understand everything with Luke and Chloe. At first I thought she was nuts for turning him down but once explained, I’m so glad she did. Great book!

This book felt like an ode to friendships amid all the different directions life takes you. It was so very heartwarming and just what I needed. The writing was also beautiful!

Think cozy summer read that takes all the best parts of Emily Henry’s Happy Place and ideal friendships over the years. Over two timelines it is so fun to see how friendships evolve and shift over time. Cozy lovely summer and beach read vibes!

I loved this story told throughout the decades of a group of friends from being young adults through the years from celebrations, defeats, grief, hurdles, and just the seasons of life. It made me wish I still was a s close to all of my friends from college. I don't think this group of friends know how lucky they are. I sincerely enjoyed this read from Audrey Ingram. I enjoyed the setting of Seaside Florida as this is a part of the country I haven't been to. I anticipate this being a perfect summer read for many summers to come and think it will only rise in popularity.

This was a great read. The two timelines showing how deep the friendships run was amazing. I did kind of see the love story coming.
It was great seeing this group of friends constantly be there for each other.

Definitely recommend!!!!

As someone who is navigating various life stages with my college friends, I connected with this novel on how we change but our friendships sometimes take a bit more time to get there.

This cover pulled my attention in!

The chapters alternate between current time and years prior as we get to know six friends from colleges. Luke and Chloe have always been together and the others in the group hold steady. Chloe declines Luke’s proposal and the entire dynamic of the group changes and shifts, as friend groups do. Sloane is determined to keep the six of them intact by inviting them on their annual vacation, but not all goes as planned.

This gave me Emily Henry vibes!!

I did read this end of 2024. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I always love books told in alternate timelines and with this one you get little pieces to the puzzle of their friendships. I enjoyed the setting as I spent many summers on the beaches of Florida. I definitely understood Sloane’s jealousy at Marianne and I have 100% felt that.

What happens to relationships and friendships as we "grow up" from college freshman to full blown adults with responsibilities? As we change, how do our relationships change? And how do we adapt to those changes? Ingram does an excellent job addressing these very real and difficult challenges, telling the story of 6 friends who get away on a "group trip," as they adapt. Poignant and nostalgic at times, powerful and strong at others, The Group Trip is an excellent read!

4.25 🌟, rounded to 4.

4🌟! I thoroughly enjoyed this. It wasn’t what I was expecting but at the same time I have no idea what I was expecting. First of all I do not like Luke at all he was just so icky. But the rest of the characters I really enjoyed. I liked the flashbacks compared with the present day POVs because it added depth to the story. I also loved the beach vibe it reminded me of “The Summer I Turned Pretty”. I feel like this is a very accurate representation of group friendships and dynamics and it was nice to see it be realistic rather than romanticised.

I absolutely loved this book. I thought the writing was great and enjoyed getting the perspectives of going back to each trip that the friend group took over the years. I think it takes such an accurate look at what a group of friends can struggle with over time and what individual people struggle with as they age (and those that say they don't aren't being honest with themselves). It's refreshing seeing this represented in books. It was open and honest and a display of true heartbreak and healing. It brought out all of the emotions, something that I don't find often in this type of novel. I can't wait to see what else Audrey Ingram comes out with.

I have to agree with the "Firefly Lane meets Happy Place" that I saw here on NetGalley that initially sold me on this book. This book had many of my favorites themes: found family, second chance romance, and dual timeline. This story will definitely pull on your heartstrings as it shows the evolution of friendships and what it feels like to yearn for those connections even as you grow up. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and was invested in them finding a a resolution. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!
Six friends connect in college, and start a long standing tradition of a group trip. This year, things are different, as everyone has seemingly grown apart in so many different ways.
Reading this, and finding out if these friendships are actually going to stand the test of time, fall apart, or turn into something else entirely was so entertaining, it made it hard to put this book down.

This is a fun read. I don’t think it’s one I will remember or think about, but it was entertaining while reading.
This story follows a close knit group of friends. When Chloe turns down Luke’s proposal she fractured the friendships but tries to mend it during their group trip to the emerald coast.
Again, I liked this one, but didn’t love it.
Thank you netgalley for the arc!

Chloe finds herself feeling uncertain that she made the correct choice after leaving behind everything that she has ever known on the West Coast to attend university in Tennessee. After the conclusion of her first semester, she is packing up to head home early for winter break when she meets Luke, a classically handsome guy who appeared in her doorway. Seeing as how she made the decision to not return for the spring semester, she indulges this man’s attempts to get to know her. One thing led to the next, and she finds herself situated at a Waffle House table with four other people that are all friends with Luke, and this chance meet changes the trajectory of her entire life.
The Group Trip explores finding yourself, your found family, the intricacies of those relationships, and ultimately your place in the world. Spanning a decade, we are shown different events that have shaped the friend group, changed the friend group, and threatened to break apart the friend group. This was a quick read that did a fantastic job of letting you get to know the characters and allowing you to bond with them over their triumphs and tribulations.