The Guilt Trip

Amazing book with more twists and turns than a mountain road! I loved the well-developed characters who kept me guessing and suspecting. I had to read it in one sitting to find out the ending. Highly recommend.

Hooray! So good ! So good! So good!
I felt like I ran 10K marathon. I can’t move my hands. I clasped my reader so tight and now my poor hands suffer from the worst kind of addicted reader’s cramp syndrome ( I don’t know if there is disease like that: I could be the one invented it so they may feel free name it after me!)My heart is pounding so fast! It pumps in my ears like the worst kind of mashup of techno- death metal rhythm.

Cancel your entire schedule! Call it sick! Cancel your husbands, your kids, your colleagues, your friends! This book earns your entire focus! Grab your finest bottle of wine, reserved your favorite couch at your home, just lay down, disconnect your phone, put your ear plugs, wear your most comfy PJs and jump into this beauty blind! Hundred percent enjoyment is guaranteed!

This book is smart, exciting, intriguing, stimulating, twisty fun! Think about 6 close people seem like know each other very well gathering around an exotic Portuguese villa to celebrate two of them’s wedding reception as they grit their teeth, clench their fists, barely restrain their boiling anger, fantasizing to cut throats of each other, keeping very dirty secrets which may change everything in their relationships and ruin their entire lives! Are you sold? You’d better be!
Let’s make a quick look at the synopsis!

Ross and Rachel have been friends forever and they have never gotten a break! Okay! I tested you to make sure you’re still reading. I’m correcting: Noah and Rachel has been friends since their college time and everyone has thought they were destined for each other but as we see after 20 years later, they chose to marry with different people, had kids and interestingly Rachel became best friend of Noah’s wife Paige as Noah learned to tolerate Rachel’s husband Jack. So they’ve been seeing each other for years as long time family friends.

When Jack’s wanderer brother Will decides to tie the knot with dazzling, young, beautiful, daunting Allison ( Ali) : an old employee of Jack’s company, they find themselves at a gorgeous villa in Portuguese perched on a cliff-edge overlooking surfing beaches of Nazare!

Seems like they have time of their lives but they don’t! Sorry Rachel, you’re not the baby Francis and you’re doomed to put in a corner. Even though you’re performing last dance scene of Dirty Dancing with your husband, only dirty thing about your marriage might be bunch of terrifying secrets that ruin everything you’ve worked for!

Before they arrive the location, Rachel feels husband’s hostility around Ali and Ali acts so strange. When Jack comes clean he tells them Ali had an affair with one of his company’s coworkers, Rachel still feels like her husband didn’t tell the entire truth. He still rejects to warn his brother because he doesn’t want to risk their relationship.

Ali’s extra flirty manners around her husband force her rethink the situation. Could be the guy Ali’s cheating Will, her own husband?

But unfortunately Ali and Jack are not the only ones keep terrible secrets from them! Rachel has its own which can damage everything in their beautiful lives! But time is moving fast! The marriage ceremony is about to begin! Each of them is ticking bombs! Guess who is gonna blast first and create a massacre?

I was thinking to give four stars this book because I found some characters so much naive ( yes Rachel, you’re a saint but be a little wiser to gather the clues dancing in front of her eyes) and some of them are truly irritating. ( I’m not gonna give my names. No intention to ruin the surprises) But I liked the gripping, engaging story line, smart, complex development and rich, layered characterization.

The author skillfully wrapped up the conclusion and I liked the way how the karma worked for each character. Everyone got what they deserved.

So I’m rounding up 4.5 to 5 heart pounding, high tension, I think I will wear gloves from now on not to bite my nails anymore during whirlwind, extremely gripping readings stars!
I think this is my favorite book of the author.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ Minotaur Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

Another page turner by Sandie Jones. Every page has lies, twists and betrayals. Who’s lying, who’s keeping secrets ,who’s cheating on who. This gripping page turner has you glued till the very last twist

Holy WOW! What a fun ride! Reminiscent of Lucy Foley’s The Guest List & J.T. Ellison’s Her Dark Lies, The Guilt Trip takes us to Portugal for a destination wedding. But everything is not as it seems with the six main characters, mainly the bride Ali, who appears to be rubbing everyone the wrong way.

I honestly liked Ali from the beginning. She’s like that annoying little sister who deep down you just love. It was evident from the beginning she was a bit flighty, but had a good heart & it was hard not to cheer for her. Jack, on the other hand, I disliked from the start. While it absolutely shocked me how his character played out in the final pages, I knew from the outset he couldn’t be trusted. What man makes his wife share a suitcase for a trip abroad because he’s too cheap to pay for luggage? One that’s having an affair apparently! I’m so happy Rachel & Noah found one another in the end. Their loved seemed genuine & a better match than their previous spouses. As for Paige - she was easy to see through too. She had issues with Ali from the outset, though it really wasn’t clear why. It wasn’t until their scene together on the beach that I really turned on Paige & believed her to have more to her story than what we knew.

I love a good psychological thriller with lots of twists & turns, and as always, Sandie Jones delivered! Grab this book when it hits shelves in August!

Thank you to NetGalley, Sandie Jones, Minotaur Books & St. Martin’s Publishing Group for the ARC!

I am a huge fan of Sandie Jones' books so I was delighted to get this one! And we know from the get-go that this will be one amazing twisty novel! Six friends travel to Portugal for Ali and Will's wedding. Of course each of these people has a backstory that is intertwined with the others,,,so I dare you to try to read it in more than one sitting! I couldn't do it (fortunately my husband knows I'm a Book Nerd so why argue with me)! Each chapter has Jones ramping up the drama and always the last sentence has you thinking, "I can't wait until tomorrow for this!" So just settle in for more surprises than Christmas ,as true to form, she doesn't disappoint and your head will spin for sure! Maybe my favorite of hers so far! Loved it!

The Guilt Trip is Sandie Jones'fourth novel and it was a really fun, twisty thriller. I absolutely loved her first two books but was not a fan of her third book The Half=Sister as that seemed to me to be more of a women's fiction and not a thriller. Although I was a tad worried it would be like that again, I was very happy that it wasn't for me. This book definitely gave off The Other Woman vibes. I was sucked into the story from page 1. This book is full of twists and turns. I had my guesses and sometimes I was second-guessing myself as I was reading.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Marti's Press for an advanced copy of this book.

Sandie Jones is one of my Favorites and if I could give this book 6 stars I would! In typical Jones fashion I was guessing until the last page! A small wedding weekend with affairs and secrets make for a page turner that I couldnt put down! Readers will love the back and forth of who the real
villain is! Thank you for the advance copy!!!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

First off, I have been a fan of Sandie Jones since I read The Other Woman. What a twist! It's been months since I read it, and I still remember the ending. This is pretty exceptional, considering I tend to forget the plots of most thrillers that I read. I was looking forward to reading this book when it comes out in August. I was so excited to get approved to review this book before its release date. Thank you again to the publisher for this opportunity!

The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones is a gossip-filled thriller that reminded me of grown-up Pretty Little Liars. One of the character's names, Ali, probably reminded me of that show, which was my favorite show a few years ago, but the secrets, lies, and jealousies of the main characters also reminded me of PLL. When I first read the plot of The Guilt Trip - three couples at a destination wedding, but some of them are keeping secrets - I was ready for a typical thriller set in an exotic location. I wasn't expecting how juicy and gossipy this book would be. It reminded me more of Crazy Rich Asians than it did The Other Woman, to be honest. There is some action near the end, but for the most part, the story revolves around the three couples and their relationships with each other.

Rachel and Jack, a married couple, are heading to a destination wedding with Ali, the wife-to-be, who is going to marry Jack's brother Will. From the beginning, there seems to be something off with Ali. Here's an excerpt from Chapter Two when Rachel and Jack are discussing Ali with Paige and Noah, another couple:

"“So, what’s your problem with her?” Paige asks, like a dog with a bone.
Jack looks into his glass, as if he’s deliberating whether to say what he’s about to say.
“I . . .” he starts, before looking around. “I . . . just don’t trust her.”
“Why not?” asks Paige.
“P . . .” says Noah, warning her not to push it.
“I’ve got my reasons,” is all that Jack says.

With that ominous note lingering in the air, the couples continue with their fun vacation at their exotic locale. The wedding goes off without a hitch, but tensions are brewing. People are keeping secrets, and someone is determined to reveal everything.

Overall, The Guilt Trip is a fun beach read that is more of a drama than a thriller. When a twist was revealed and one of the characters turned out to be more than what they seemed, I thought it was funny, as opposed to shocking. There is also an attempt at a twist ending, but I found it to be rather ambiguous and not clear-cut at all. The ending definitely wasn't as impactful as the one in The Other Woman. Even though this book wasn't much of a thriller, I am still giving the book 5 stars because I enjoyed reading it. I had trouble putting it down and was hanging on to every word of the dialogue, because I was really invested in the relationships between the six main characters. If you're looking for a book with relationship drama, and need something more light-hearted than a typical thriller, you won't regret checking out this book with it comes out in August!

I couldn't put this one down! I don't know where to begin with this thriller thrill ride. Twists and turns, surprises to keep you on the edge of your seat. Sandie Jones gets thrillers and knows how to keep readers engaged.

I became a fan of this author a few years ago, when I read a couple of her other books. Just like her other books, this book did not disappoint! Several friends take a trip to attend a friend's wedding. Things turn sour very quickly. Are they actually friend's or enemies in disguise? This very suspenseful page turner of who did what to whom will leave you guessing to the very last page! What a nail biter! I could not put it down! Thanks for another great book, Sandie Jones!

Whoa! Nothing is what it seems in this twisty story! I couldn’t put it down, I even stayed up late so I could finish it. Kudos to the author, it took me forever to get everything straight in my head! I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of twisty suspense. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my free arc in exchange for my honest opinion, I loved it!

The guilt trip was about three different couples going away on a holiday for one of the couples weddings, only to find out there were lies and cheating etc going on behind everybody's back. The books a quick read and had a few twists and turns I didn't see right away so overall it was pretty good.

Thank you to the publisher & Netgalleyfor an arc and exchange for an honest review

This story took my breath away. Literarily. You know, I’ve read so many books which has fabulous synopsis and been disappointed. The synopsis for this book did not do it justice. Just saying. I can’t believe I’ll read a book without any sex scenes, no heavy emotional scenes, and enjoyed it! The only scenes or emotions are that of betrayal. Ali was a perfect set up as a flighty, amorous, and immoral young thing. Apparently appearances can be deceptive. I couldn’t put my Kindle down till I finished the story.

This is the story of what happened at a destination wedding. It was just three days. Three days from hell. There were three couples. Two have been ‘happily’ married for about two decades. Rachel and Noah were supposed to end up together but didn’t, and they are both married to two different people. They are still friends though with their respective spouses. What do you know. As it happens, someone was having affairs with someone, but not Noah and Rachel. The twist was right there under our noses. You need to read this. You’ll see.
Awesome all through. Just shows you can’t trust nobody.

The Guilt Trip
By Sandi Jones ~ Release date 08/17/2021


I’ve read every book by Sandi Jones, and her latest is like all the others to be a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 star read
This book is full of characters, some have been friends for years and others are just meeting. But the drama starts from page one....
Ali and Will are getting married, they’ve invited just a small crew to their destination wedding. Jack and Rachel are married as are Paige and Noah. Will and Jack are brothers. And Rachel and Noah have known each other for 20+ years.
Without giving too much away the secrets and lies that are formed in this threesome are jaw-dropping. You’ll change your mind on whom to believe several times. And you’re still left wondering at the end do I have this right? Def add this to your TBR pile in august, I read this book in 3 hours. I could not put it down! 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼

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.

So. Good. Thank you Sandie Jones for another fantastic story. Setting is so important in a novel and I'm a sucker for anything tropical. Jones will have you guessing till the very end and even at that, I had to reread the ending several times to make sure I knew what happened. Such a trip! Great characters, strong plot, lots of twists and turns. I really enjoyed this book!

WOW! Amazing book. This Author is incredible. A destination wedding. Secrets and lies are plentiful. Clear your plate before starting this one. The ending and just before blew me away. Didn’t see that coming. Everything this Author writes is fantastic, Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and the Author for allowing me to read and review this book.

I'll be honest. When I first started reading, I was underwhelmed. There were a lot of characters introduced at once, each mixing into each other to be some bland mess. Maybe it's because I've spent one and a half lifetimes staring at Pinterest wedding boards or I have a crippling fear of eventually being a middle aged individual with a life full of regrets, but the novel sucked me in. After I got past the beginning and situated myself into a comfortable state within the novel, I sped through it and found myself enjoying it. You'll enjoy it if you love drama, some hints of mystery, and romance. Overall, it's a really solid novel, enough that I skipped my looming responsibilities enough to finish.

I was so lucky to receive an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and opinion. Sandie Jones is one of my absolute favorite authors and I patiently wait each year for her new release. I couldn't wait to sit down and read this and let me tell you it's so worth the wait. I LOVED this book! Her writing gets better and better with each book she publishes. This is no exception! My advice - get outside and read this book ASAP!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for this eARC of The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones. This was such a good thriller! It follows several couples traveling to a destination wedding in Portugal. Told from the perspective of Rachel, future sister-in-law to the bride-to-be, we see the wedding weekend quickly unravel with alleged affairs, strained friendships, and life-shattering secrets.

I loved that this was told from just one perspective - so many of my thrillers lately have been jumping around between voices. This was refreshing! It moved rapidly and I read it in just a couple of sittings. I never knew who was telling the truth, who was lying, and when I say the ending was SHOCKING, oh my gosh. I am still thinking about it!! Out August 3rd, I'd highly recommend this five-star read!

I could not put this book down! Be prepared to stay up all night finishing this one. Rachel and her husband, Jack, embark on a trip to Portugal for Jack's brother, Will's, wedding to Ali. Rachel 's best friends, Paige and Noah, are also in tow. From the beginning it's hard to tell which of Ali's stories are fact of fiction. Rachel begins to discover that there may be some truth to Ali's stories. With an ending you will never see coming, this is a must read

This is my first novel by Sandie Jones, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Despite starting off a bit slow, I found that the story was written very well, with lots of twists and turns. It kept me guessing and I couldn’t put it down. I was definitely not expecting the ending! I’m still thinking about it!

I highly recommend this novel if you love twisty thrilers.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sandie Jones and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for the opportunity to review this ARC. This review and all opinions are my own.

After loving Sandie Jones’ THE OTHER WOMAN, I was so excited for the opportunity to read her newest work — THE GUILT TRIP, coming August 2021!

I started this book a week or so ago and found it a bit hard to get into — you get hit with 6 main characters at once, and I was having a bit of a hard time telling who’s who. Once I sat down and committed some time, I quickly became engrossed and finished the book in under 24 hours! There seem to be a lot of new releases centering around a wedding or honeymoon, and this one tops them all. A 5/5 for sure!

It’s Ali and Will’s wedding, which will be a special destination event! Will’s brother and his wife are attending along with another close friend couple. While the other two women are content to secretly make fun of the over enthusiastic, over exaggerated bride — two of the men seem to have some secrets brewing. Will the weekend away be a disaster? Will the wedding go on? Will everyone survive? You will want to find out!

One thing I especially loved is that it wasn’t told from differing perspectives. So many thrillers seem written that way, and I always find it so convoluted and confusing. This was fantastically written, and I feel like I was truly shocked when I learned all the secrets — and there is a “whodunnit” aspect, but the true shocker in this book lies in discovering the morals, history, and secrets of the six main characters. Never be too quick to judge someone…

This is one worth pre-ordering now so you don’t miss it this summer!

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for my review ARC. All opinions are my own!

Oh, unholy wedding weekend. The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones is awash in secrets and it's not just one person... it's pretty much the entire cast of characters. Three couples who are either related by birth, marriage, former romances, or workmates and all trying to hide some very horrible secrets. If one secret comes out, the whole symbiotic relationship will fall like dominos and when the crap finally hits the fan, someone is dead. This all goes down during a wedding weekend where the three couples share a luxury home and too much liquor. My stomach was in knots but in a good way. What a delicious read and what a yummy plot. As the book implies, carrying around a ton of guilt makes it hard to live a good life. Well done Ms. Jones!

The Guilt Trip will keep you on the edge of your seat with the many surprises found in this gem. The book is hard to put down as you will enjoy spectacular scenery vividly described by the author as well as a story that unfolds to reveal mysterious activities. Highly recommended! Thank you to NetGalley.

Oh my goodness! I truly feel this book was well written. It kept me guessing all the way to the end of the book. So many elements at play, so many pieces to the story. I loved it!

This book was everything I wanted: fast paced, hard to put down, and full of twists I didn’t see coming. Everything from the gorgeous setting to the chemistry between the characters had me from the beginning. I absolutely loved the dynamic between the couples in the story and how history has shaped them in different ways, from the brothers to the best friend duo. Ali’s character is one I haven’t seen in thrillers and I appreciated the nuance given to the “fun party girl” type. I also found Rachel to be the one I rooted for the most, from her struggles with career and motherhood to her strength. Overall, this is a perfect summer read and I’m so happy I had the chance to get my hands on it.

I loved this book! I really relate to one of the main characters and the way get brain works and how she gets caught up in overthinking and second guessing herself. Highly recommend for anyone that loves a good mystery or domestic drama. The epilogue still has me guessing and I love that!

I feel like with every thriller a reviewer will say, "I couldn't put it down!" but really.... I couldn't put this down! I had to finish the book as soon as I started it. There's so much that happens, so many twists and turns, and it's so intricately woven that you can't help but be sucked in! Highly recommend to anyone who loves a great thriller. While reading, it really did play like a blockbuster movie in my head. I'd love to see it adapted to the screen some day!

This was my first time reading a book by this author, however, I just purchased their other books and can't wait to read those!

This book is a wonderful and suspenseful read. This is the first book for me to read from Sandie Jones and it won’t be the last. I can’t wait to read her previous and future books.

All the characters had me guessing and as soon as I thought I had things figured out another twist came up. Loved the suspense and the ending of this book. I read in two days because it was hard to put down.

Suspense, drama, a wedding-- what's not love and leave you wanting more?! Sandie Jones does it again with another thrilling and compelling read.

Just when you think you’ve got it all figured out, the author completely flips things around and leaves you completely stunned. This book was unbelievable, and I couldn’t put it down. What starts off as a gathering of friends and family to celebrate a wedding turns into a maze of betrayals, secrets and murder. This book was so well written and I absolutely loved it. It’s been a while since I’ve finished a book in one shot, but this one now holds a spot on that list!

This was a really enjoyable thriller. The author did a great job sprinkling in misdirection and red herrings to make the ending unpredictable. The main character was sympathetic and the supporting characters were layered and interesting. Overall, it was a suspenseful and addicting read.

Wow!!! This book had me on the edge of my seat the whole time! Every page was a new twist and it just blew me away. This was smart and highly entertaining.

Sandie Jones has the talent to write a mystery where you think you know what is going to happen and it is exactly the opposite. This book was such a good story with twists and turns that were never expected. It shows that first impressions of people are not always what you think and sometimes people have had a rough life and the people who you think are your friends are exactly not. The characters were well developed and I felt the book left us knowing what happened, this was a one sitting book constantly keeping you on the edge of your seat to wonder what was happening next. Sandie Jones is one of my favorite mystery authors and this is another excellent book by her.

What a ride! I love when a book keeps me guessing end-to-end, and that is exactly what The Guilt Trip accomplished. The plot twists and turns, adding little facts here or there that make you question and wonder exactly what the truth is. Who is telling the truth? Once I started I could not put the book down, wanting to know exactly how the turns were going to play out and what secrets the characters were or were not hiding. Pacing well, you don't get bored before the next turn, and you find out just enough leading up to the main event, and even then, what really happened? A great book all around, I read it easily in one night, and I would recommend to anyone who likes thrillers and unpredictable plots.

Six friends--three couples--are travelling to Portugal for the destination wedding of two of them: Will and Ali. Accompanying them are Will's brother Jack and his wife, Rachel, and Noah and Paige. Noah and Rachel go way back--to their university days when they might have been something more than friends. But old feelings die hard and secrets among the group make things spin out of control, especially when Rachel learns something about Ali that could destroy them all.

I've enjoyed all of Sandie Jones's books and The Guilt Trip (love the title--it captures the plot perfectly) is no exception. This offers plenty of twists and you'll be left guessing what's going to happen until the very last page. I thought I knew where this was heading many times, but Jones surprised me until the end. Highly enjoyable and reads quickly, this would be the perfect beach book.

Thank you to Minotaur Books/St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for granting me this copy to review.

I love stories about vengeful, conniving and gossipy women and this one did not disappoint! Rachel and Jack are married, with one grownup son, Josh. Paige is married to Noah, a lifelong friend of Rachel’s. Will is Jack’s brother engaged to Ali. They have all gathered, along with others, at a tropical location for the wedding of Will and Ali. There were so many twists and turns and an unexpected turn of events which gripped me. So many questions, is Josh Jack’s son, are Noah and Rachel really just friends, is Ali a pathological liar? I loved it!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Well, that took several turn of events I wasn’t expecting! 🤯 Rachel, Jack, Paige, Noah, Ali, and Will head to Portugal for the weekend for Ali and Will’s nuptials. Over the course of the weekend, we learn the deep, dark secrets of each of their pasts, and how they are now colliding in the present...and it may change all of their lives forever. Much of the novel is spent learning about each of the six friends from the perspective of one character, Rachel. We learn that the opinions Rachel forms about each friend, and the things she learns, may or may not be accurate, making the reader second-guess each and every one of her thoughts. Jones does a really brilliant job of creating complex characters that almost jump off of the pages as if they are real. The second half of the book continues the character development, with quite a bit of action added in, as well. Just when you think you know what’s happening and you know what each friend is capable of, Jones twists it in a direction you will never see coming. Brilliantly written with beautifully developed scenery, characters, and plot twists, this is a novel you won’t be able to put down until you reach the end.

This book is the perfect summer read! Recommended for fans of Lucy Foley, Liane Moriarty, and Ruth Ware, The Guilt Trip is a binge-worthy drama filled with cheating spouses, a destination wedding, and a potential murder. Jones excelled at writing a captivating thriller with characters you easily fall in love with (even if that results in a love to hate dynamic). This book of deceit had me guessing up until the very end who was guilty of what, and I found it to have a very satisfying ending. Highly recommend!

I loved The Other Woman so I was really excited to get my hands on a copy of her latest book The Guilt Trip. I found it very hard to get into at first but as soon as I got past the first two chapters I was hooked. I couldn't put it down. I needed to know how it ended. Another thrilling book by a much-loved reader.

This was a nail biter in all kinds of ways. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, It took all kind of twists and turns. Really good and I would recommend it highly.

There is a lot of finger pointing, back stabbing, distrusting and resurrecting buried secrets between the characters in this book. For a group of friends, they certainly had a lot to say or assume about each other in the first part of the book, and most was unkind. While all those issues are evident on on the surface of the story there is a whole other level of deceit that the reader doesn’t discover until later.
One of the characters finally sees through the lies and realizes her assumptions were misplaced and regrets the damage she has caused but that shame comes a little late to the party for the resulting consequences.
The constant he said/she said storyline reminds you of your days in grammar school, not of a group of worldly adults and it is wearying as you read it.
While I had my hunches about the outcome there was still a surprise at the end and I was glad I stayed with the book.

I really loved this book!! It had so many twists and turns. It kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next!! This was my first book by this Author, and it won’t be the last!! Quick read!! Highly recommended!! You won’t be disappointed!!

…and Sandie Jones knocks another one out of the park!

If you’ve been here a minute you know one of my favorite genres is suspense/thriller. The Guilt Trip is the very definition of thrilling suspense!

It is heart-pounding, mind-blowing, unputdownable magic!

As the daughter of a detective and a naturally Nosy Rosy, I pride myself on being able to deduce the plot of most books pretty quickly. I find enjoyment in proving myself correct, but it’s an even bigger joy when I’m stumped and questioning my own judgment. This one did just that! Every single time I thought I knew which end was up, the script would flip and I’d be at loose ends again!

If you enjoy second-guessing yourself and reading books you simply can’t put down, this is the one for you!

5/5 ✨

Rachel and her husband Jack are excited for a kids free weekend celebrating her brother-in law Will's wedding. Rachel's close friend Paige and her husband will also be in attendance. As the couples settle in, in paradise, it becomes apparent that not everything is bliss. Rachel starts to have suspicions about her husband's behavior and wonders what causing him to act differently.

This mystery was a great guilty pleasure. It was easy to read and had lots of twists and turns along the way. I would definitely read more of Jones's books in the future.

I received an ARC copy of the book for free and am leaving my review voluntarily.

Wow! Starts a little slow, but just keeps getting better! A fantastic book - really enjoyed the story, and by the middle couldn’t put it down until I saw how it ended! Great read!!!!

Rachel and her husband, Jack, along with Rachel's best friend, Paige and her husband Noah are headed to Portugal to attend the marriage of Jack's brother to Ali. The 3 couples lives are intertwined with many secrets and lies. While partying and drinking heavily the day before the wedding, mind games and innuendos begin to cause Rachel to question things she has been told. The suspense continually builds as the lies pile up and make Rachel suspicious of those around her. The wedding day proceeds as the truth surfaces and ends with a surprise climax.

Another great book by Sandie Jones! It's a page turner, you will not want to put it down! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy.

A destination wedding in Portugal. A seaside mansion to stay in. Being with your best friends. What could go wrong?

Rachel and Noah have been best friends since they were in university together but are now married to Jack and Paige and the four are a tight knit group despite questions about past feelings between the two. They are heading to Portugal to attend the wedding of Jack’s brother, Will and his fiancé Ali. Ali is outgoing and tends to rub the other couples the wrong way, especially the flirting she is doing with Jack. As the festivities begin the secrets and truths the 3 couples are hiding intertwine and cause deadly repercussions.

This book is fantastic, by far my favorite of all of Sandie Jones’ books. I loved the setting, the characters and all the secrets. I didn’t want to put it down and wish I could read this again with fresh eyes.

This book is full of amazing characters, some have been friends for years and others have just met one another. The drama starts almost immediately when a small group of friends are meeting to attend Ali & Will’s destination wedding. There are so many secrets and lies in this story - so much fun to read. This is a must add to your TBR pile!

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc of this book!

Great book! I read most of it on my drck outside in the late Spring sunshine. Perfect beach read for this summer.

A group of British friends travel to Portugal for their friend's/brother's destination wedding. Good character development, you got to knew about the characters and who they really were as the story developed.

Good drama/mystery. I need more of this author!

Thanks to Net galley for my ARC.

This was the first book I have read by this author and I loved the details of the characters. Two couples and Ali were heading to Portugal for Ali’s wedding to Will. Jack is Will’s brother and he is married to Rachael and then Noah and his wife Paige are the couples. Rachael and Noah were best friends forever and Noah wanted more but never told Rachael his feelings until she becomes involved with Jack. Ali is a bit challenging when it comes to managing her life. She forgets and misplaces things such as her passport to get on the plane. Jack truly cannot stand to be around Ali and she used to work for him. Rachael thinks it is because he had her let go but then she starts having suspicions that Ali is having an affair with Jack. There is so many secrets with all of these couples that you keep thinking what is the truth? I loved how what suspicions the couples have may not be the actually truth and how the author makes you start believing them. It is the kind of book you want to keep reading to see what is going to happen next or what is a lie?

I received an ARC for free from Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily!

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's Publishing for this Arc, what a fun, twisty, perfect summer read. I am a fan of thrillers and I really enjoyed this plot and the approach Ms. Jones took in revealing twists and turns. The pacing was fast, the engagement in the plot and characters was quick and consistent, and the plot fit a lot of my favorite thriller tropes (friends/family, secrets, trips, exotic locations, and insecurities with twists and fast pacing). I also appreciated that the book, even with twists, was not too silly as some thrillers can be and that the plot had drama too it, not just twist and turn after twist and turn as those books just end up being messy. I can tell that Ms. Jones had a goal of entertaining readers, bringing them on a fun escapist summer read, and that she also had fun developing the story, the characters, and the plot. I have a of friends who enjoy thrillers and this is one that I can easily recommend.

The Guilt Trip is in intense book of different personalities being stuck together in one location, just awaiting a boil of emotions. Rachel and Jack's marriage seemed great until they were in this position and everything started unraveling. Why would Ali marry Will if she's actually involved with his brother, Jack? Nothing is clear in their alcohol infused emotions. Can they get though this wedding without an explosion?

Let me tell you, explosions there will be. SO many things start coming to a head. It's hard to put this book down and the ending is unexpected. Keep this one close for your interesting Summer read.

I read this book from start to finish. This is the kind of thriller where the characters, the setting and play are irresistible. Perfect guilty pleasure read.

I was unfamiliar with Sandie Jones before reading a NetGalley copy of this book, but now I am going to make a point of reading her previous works.

The Guilt Trip is a psychological thriller with all of the crucial elements nailed down: a group of people, with complicated and intersecting relationships, who are spending a weekend together as part of a destination wedding. Rachel and her husband Jack are there to celebrate his brother Will’s marriage to Ali. Also on the trip are Rachel and Will’s good friends Paige and Noah. While Ali is new to the group, the other five are old friends.

What seems like a fabulous weekend for these six begins to unravel quickly as each of them hold secrets that when unravelled create dangerous currents and eddies that threaten to upend all of their relationships. Accusations of infidelity are lobbed about leaving scorched earth. Despair leads to desperation, which ultimately leads to murder.

I Highly Recommend this book to everyone who is planning a wedding or planning on attending one soon. It was a fast read with lots of twists and turns that kept me turning the pages.

The Guilt Trip is filled with family drama. Sandie Jones writes a twisted story that kept me guessing how this book would end. I am still scratching my head at what really happened. It is a book that I am still talking about and want to discuss with other readers.

This is definitely a fun read, in summertime or otherwise! The story focuses on six interesting characters (3 couples) heading off to a destination wedding and a stay in an amazing villa. There’s suspicions amongst the group of various affairs and misguided feelings leading to lots of tension. Everything culminates at the wedding as ultimatums are made and the guilty parties scramble to maintain control. Entertaining up to the very end!

Great book, kept me up late reading. Tons of twists and turns, lots of betrayals and lies. Every time I thought I had things figured out something else came along. Didn't see the ending coming.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I read this straight through in one sitting. I had no idea who did what until the end. This was like a ride at a theme park. I was constantly asking Who? What? No!!!

The story begins with Jack and Rachel. Married with one son at Uni. Getting ready to fly off to Portugal for Jack's brother, Will’s wedding to Ali.

Also on the trip, although no one is sure why, are Noah and Paige. Noah and Rachel have been best friends since their university days. And twenty years later they are still friends but happily married to other people.

Ali is traveling with them as well. She seems to be flighty, well put together, damsel in distress. Always looking to be alone with Jack, which is suspicious. They have all judged her through Jack’s lens since she worked for him for a short time.

When they arrive things just get weirder. Everyone is tense. Most are lying. Rachel finds out something about Ali that changes everything and the lies get crazier. You can feel the tension ratcheting up to an ending that I did not see! And as friends become enemies, there is a big-screen finale!

A definite winner!

NetGalley/August 3rd, 2021 by Minotaur Books

Loved it!!! Absolutely amazing! From page 1 I was hooked! I loved all the twist and turns leading up to an amazing ending!! Perfect summer beach ride thriller!

This book was great. It had so many twists and turns that kept me guessing which isn’t easy to do. It reminds me a lot of the guest list by Lucy Foley. The characters and their intertwined relationships made you think you understood people when you really didn’t, just like the main character.

Ohhh this was AWESOME. I love sandi jones’ writing and The Guilt Trip was full of secrets, lies, and those friendships that you just wait for to fall
apart. This is a perfect summer read full of all the deceit, twists, and backstabbing that make a book unputtdownable.
Yes to the twist too!!! 5 stars!
Thank you Netgalley, the author and the publisher for my free arc in exchange for my honest review.

Fantastic read! What begins as a seemingly nice weekend among friends in a sumptuous Portuguese villa quickly unravels into a tale of love and betrayal spiraling out of control. Six friends—three couples whose lives are deeply intertwined with one another in a fat web of lies and long-buried secrets—head out to Portugal to marry two of them. Soon, tensions arise. Suspicion of infidelity, jealousy, doubt, and betrayal threaten to collapse their friendship and upend their lives in this superbly crafted domino game of twists leading to unthinkable horror. A phenomenal psychological page-turner.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advance copy: Sandie Jones at her best.

If you are a Sandie Jones fan you will not be disappointed with this title. It is full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing right up until the end. They characters are all well rounded so they can go from being relatable and sympathetic in one chapter to unlikable and disagreeable in the next. It is the perfect mixture of suspense thriller with just enough of a little romance thrown in.

amazing book !!! wow!!! blew my mind!!! Well written, very easy to read, amazing characters no predictable book i just loved it. i will for sure read more about her

Another great book by this author. She has a way with fast paced plots and believable characters. She has become an auto buy
Y author for me . Pick it up you want regret it

You never really know someone until you travel with them.

Truth?!

Three couples head to Portugal for a destination wedding. Three couples with a history. They left as friends, but they returned as suspects. The sad this is, it didn't have to end this way. There were signs that something wasn’t right before they even got on the plane and it should have been dealt with immediately. Trust and betrayal plays out over the next few days and what should have been a happy occasion for all is anything but happy.

I’m not really into reading about petty accusations and infidelity, but my curiosity got the best of me! Before long, Jones had me captivated and I couldn’t put the book down. It was as if I had a front row seat to the unraveling of friendships and marriages and I was sitting with one hand over my mouth, gasping at what was unfolding and the other feverishly turning pages to see who the ‘villain’ was. There were plenty of red herrings and lots of ‘he said’ ‘she said,’ but I thought this was a perfect read to beat the heatwave here in the PNW. The ending surprised me and I had to re-read to make sure I understood what had just happened!

I like how Sandie Jones writes. She gives just enough information to make you turn the page and the fluid plot reads like a movie in your mind. She executed this story with the precision of a surgeon.

The cover is brilliant! It foreshadows the darkness ahead and creates a great sense of foreboding, capturing the essence of the story fully.

I loved the constant reminder that things aren’t always as they appear and that we should make sure we have all the facts before placing judgement. It's amazing the carnage when ONE person makes a split second decision without realizing how many lives it will affect, both in the present and in the future.

I was gifted this book by Sandie Jones, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Sandie Jones never disappoints! This novel takes us to a beautiful villa for an exclusive wedding between two members of a 6 person friend group! This group is full of secrets and as their time together adds up, so does the suspicion between them! Honestly, I don’t want any of them as friends in real life and they are all deplorable for the most part, but the characterizations are believable as is the conflict between them! This is a true story of an unreliable narrator AND character cast. No idea who to believe, who to trust, or who to side with!

I devoured this book in a day on the beach and it did not disappoint right down the very last page and word!

Sandie Jones has a fan for life! I love her books! Great writing, such a good story and twists and turns to rival a rollercoaster! Characters are all such fun as well. Can't wait to read more! All the stars!!

This was such a jaw dropping read! I could barely keep up with what was happening most of the time and loved every minute of it!

Love, love, love The Guilt Trip and Sandie Jones’ mesmerizing writing style. Not only was I guessing until the very end, but there will be no more couples vacations in our future!

I have attached the link to my 7/7/2021 Instagram post. Thanks for the opportunity to review and share!

@girl_loves_dogs_books_wine

https://www.instagram.com/p/CRCf2-ZLng7/

A weekend get-away at a beautiful, cliff-top villa in Portugal for a destination wedding sounds awe-inspiring, right? Until its not! Five close friends with complicated histories, and a new-comer who is marrying one of the five settle in at the villa expecting fun and frivolity. But, as often happens, people and things may not be what they seem! As insecurities, strong personalities, and questionable loyalties begin to take their toll, a barrage of secrets, lies, and deception take hold. Skeletons begin toppling from everyone's closets! Who loves who? Who's betraying who? The author creates a whirlwind of twists and turns with an ultimate death among the group. Advice to readers, don't jump to conclusions, you may be surprised! This was my first book by Sandie Jones but it will not be my last! Thank you Sandie Jones, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for the advanced reading copy!

I was so excited to read this book. It was a first Sadie Jones for me, and I was absolutely NOT disappointed!

The book starts with 3 couples heading to Portugal for a destination wedding for two of the friends in the group, Ali and Will. But you quickly discover that they are not as friendly with each other as they seem.

Filled with twists and turns you honestly don't see coming, you will find yourself anticipating every next move they make! Also finding it almost impossible to put down.

This book was so good! There was so many secrets and lies between the friends, I couldn't wrap my head around what to believe! Which made it that much harder to put down because I felt like I NEEDED to know what was going to happen next.

I would highly recommend this book! It is a must in your TBR pile!

This was a great book! The surprises that are revealed with the turn of each page make this a story I couldn’t stop reading until the end! The twists and turns did not stop and kept this reader guessing the whole time. This is a must read, page-turning thriller.

A girls read thriller which I stayed up very late reading so I could finish it before turning off the light. An easy recommendation for book groups and readers who don't enjoy cozy mysteries.

I have loved Sandie Jones since I read The Other Woman. And her latest does NOT disappoint. Friends since college, Rachel and Noah, married to Jack and Paige respectively, have always stuck to the story that they were never more than friends, but were they? Traveling to Portugal for Will (Jack's brother) and Ali's wedding, the only thing you know for certain is that nothing is as it seems.

Rachel, her husband, Jack, her college friend Noah and his wife Paige travel to Portugal for her brother-in-law's wedding along with the bride, Ali. Everyone Ali extremely childish, annoying and are barely able to put up with her due to her attention-seeking attitude. Jack is absolutely irritated with Ali though they were colleagues earlier. At the wedding location, everyone seems to be hiding some major secret and Rachel is constantly doubting everything. But the main issue is she suspects her husband, Jack of cheating on her with Ali and these doubts keep intensifying day by day. What does Rachel decide to do about her cheating husband when she herself has a life altering secret that she is holding out for close to two decades.

Even though Rachel was very gullible and trusting of her husband, it was annoying when she decides to ignore each and every time. If she had decided to handle the situation in a matured way, things would have been so different but due to her own secrets, she stays silent, The secrets that come in to light span from their college days and it changes the whole dynamic among the four main characters. The first half felt slightly repetitive with constant suspecting attitude of Rachel but the second half was absolutely fast paced and I was clearly hooked by then. There were so many twists and I enjoyed the mega twist right at the end. I had to read the last page another time to make ensure I didn't miss out any small details as the ending was really cool. I am sure readers will feel satisfied that karma gets back at people who make fool of others.

I am a HUGE fan of Jones and couldn’t have been more excited to read their newest book! I was not disappointed. I really enjoyed the writing style in this book. The twists and turns kept my attention throughout. I will definitely be checking out other books by this author and I would recommend this book to friends and family.

This was my first Sandie Jones and I’m very much regretting putting her other books off for so long!! The Guilt Trip is a story about 3 couples with VERY complex relationships. The way the characters were written and their dialogue with eachother was just so real and raw, I loved it so much just because of the relationships. But I guessed the ending less than half way in, but it was still fun to watch everything unravel.

Absolutely fantastic! I read a lot of thrillers and this had me on my toes until the very end!!! Two thumbs up!,

I have loved Sandie Jones’ other novels, so I couldn’t wait to read and review The Guilt Trip. However, sometimes after a couple great books, an author’s writing will go downhill. I’m glad to say that’s not the case here!

Noah and Rachel and best friends from their university days. Rachel married Jack, and Noah married Paige, and now all 4 are best friends.

Jack’s little brother, Will, is getting married to a girl named Ali. All 4 are invited to the wedding, and they begrudgingly go. Ali is over the top; she dresses provocatively, is flirtatious with the husbands but especially Jack (her soon to be brother-in-law), and she exaggerates every single time she talks. Regardless, everyone hopes that the destination wedding to Portugal will be a fun way to unwind.

This is Sandie Jones writing, so no, it’s not a fun weekend at all.

Tensions grow as Ali first loses her passport, gets drunk on a plane, and begins talking about everyone’s sex life; Paige pokes fun at the bride-to-be, putting Rachel in the precarious position of balancing all the emotions within the group; and Jack and Noah seem to be growing tense after an incident at the beach. It’s the beginning of Rachel’s suspicion towards Ali, as Ali is hanging all over Jack, drinking too much, and leaving clues that she has a relationship with Jack. Rachel has a dark secret of her own, and she can’t help but wonder if Ali knows what it is.

As things come to a head on Will and Ali’s wedding weekend, your mind will jump to a thousand conclusions and it probably won’t be the correct one. Is Ali as major of a liar as they all believe? Is it Ali doing all the flirting, as Jack claims, or is Jack actually cheating on Rachel with Ali? And what is the secret Rachel is so desperate to hide from everyone?

This is a fun and enjoyable read!