I really dislike rating a book this low. Two stars is supposed to mean "it was ok" and I guess that's really, truly the best thing I can say about this one. The premise is really difficult to describe, but if I had to, I would say it's about an under-occupied homemaker who, over a weekend wedding, decides that every little thing that everyone else in her friend and family group is doing is in some way related to her, or is "all my fault" and as a result, she runs around making poor decisions, starting drama and ill-advised conversations that ultimately help precipitate a tragedy.

Here's the set up: Rachel is in her late thirties and not pursuing the career of her dreams. Having dedicated her younger years to raising her now-university-aged son, she struggles with feelings of inadequacy, envy and mild dislike directed at her brother-in-law's bride-to-be, Ali. Ali is a career woman, and very beautiful but can come across as somewhat vacuous. And also there's this weird undercurrent between Ali, and Rachel's husband, Jack, who used to be Ali's boss. All those factors culminate to somehow persuade Rachel that the perfectly pleasant Ali is her archenemy who is for unknown reasons (and despite all evidence to the contrary) "out to destroy" her life. It doesn't help matters that Rachel's friend Paige is there to stoke the suspicion that the weird thing that might be going on between Ali and Jack is an affair.

Most of the book is driven by Rachel's suspicions and fevered imagination, as well as a twenty-years-in-the-making and completely unnecessary plot-twist of a drama between Paige's husband, Noah and Rachel. You see, among her other imaginings, Rachel imagines herself in love with Noah who was her college best friend, even while she tells herself that her world will be obliterated if it turns out her husband, Jack is indeed unfaithful with Ali. This double-standard is often remarked upon in Rachel's mind, almost as though it is plot and character inconsistency that the author felt duty-bound to point out, in lieu of having to actually explain.

I kid you not when I say that fully 90% of this book is Rachel concocting farfetched scenarios in her head involving some confluence of her and Noah's drama, and Jack and Ali's drama; and the rest of it is Rachel demonizing Ali simply because she's younger and sexier and holds men in her thrall. It's fine for a character to be unlikeable (and trust me, most of them were) but it's almost unforgivable for them to be ... irrational. And trust me, most of them were.

All in all, I was somewhat let down by this rea

As a travel blogger, I love trips of all kinds. Well, I thought I did. 

Three couples travel to Portugal for a dream destination wedding. Rachel, Jack, Paige, Noah, and Will have been friends for years. Ali, Will's fiancée is new to the group. 

But this dreamy destination turns into a nightmare as secrets are revealed that threaten friendships and marriages. One thing's for sure-- history isn't everything and first impressions are not always as they seem!

What a bummer.

I have loved 2 books by this author, and really liked another, but this one fell short for me. It’s over the top drama, just too much. It isn’t a long story but the conclusion doesn’t come until the absolute end. Because of this the middle seemed to go on forever (plus it was repetitive). I am not one for so many central characters. It’s confusing until you get some character development.

The writing style was still solid. This didn’t hit the mark for me but if you like a crazy, over the top, story then it probably will for you. I will still always look for he next from this author (and encourage you to check out her previous stuff too). Thanks to NetGalley, the author and St. Martin’s Press for a copy in exchange for a review.

Sandie Jones is quickly becoming a must read author for me. I enjoy her writing style so much! The Guilt Trip had so much drama and it held my attention so well. I couldn’t stop reading this one!! This was such a grippy 5 star read! I HIGHLY recommend this one!!

So many twists, lies, he said/she said scenarios that will keep you guessing who’s telling the truth until the very last page. Looking forward to more from this author. A good book club selection.

2.5
I didn't enjoy this novel. I found the characters annoying and therefore the character-driven plot was also irritating. I almost stopped reading at the halfway point. I think the pacing of the story picked up and the story was more interesting for the second part, but it was just not a unique or compelling plot. The characters are all self-focused and there is a lot of wondering and musings about the behavior of each other. I was unsure until the end, of the direction of this novel. I think some readers would find it entertaining and enjoyable, but I am not one of them. The execution and writing is fine, but if I'm honest this was just "okay" to me. It's hard to love a book without a character that feels sympathetic or relatable.

A fun thriller that takes place when two couples set off for a wedding trip. I thought that some of the mystery in this one was a little predictable, and I really didn't like any of the characters. While I feel like unlikeable characters is fairly common in thrillers, this one left me wanting a little bit more. There was so much drama packed into the story, and right off the bat you know it's going to be an unreliable narrator story.

I thought the book was a great length though, and a good thriller to pick up when you want something that is more dramatic and less of a scary thriller.

I adore Sandie Jones as an author - I have devoured her previous books, but this one..... it doesn't seem like her voice. The story is paced rather slow and the characters are uninteresting.

This was a fun beach read. I gave it 3 stars because I didn't feel pulled in by any main character. The writing flowed smoothly. I could see this becoming a lifetime movie.

Ah so much drama!! I loved it. It took me a bit to figure out all the characters and relationships but once I did wow. So many plot twists. Great book

I appreciated the opportunity to read and review this piece, as I often love domestic suspense books featuring complicated relationship dynamics. This particular selection ended up missing the mark for me. I found the narrative was very bogged down by Rachel's internal dialogue, with pages and pages of her questions about what's happening around her. It seems like for much of the book nothing happens, and then suddenly there's a chaotic ending and an epilogue, in which all of the character issues have been resolved "off-screen." While this makings of a exciting drama, it ultimately fell flat for me.

I enjoyed this soapy, domestic drama about three couples who fly to Portugal together for a wedding weekend. Sandie Jones is typically very hit or miss for me with her books, and I'm glad to report this one was a hit, albeit only a 3 star one.

First of all, I enjoyed the development of Rachel, the main character. She's got a LOT of thoughts and Jones isn't shy about letting us see all of them. Rachel has suspicions regarding her workaholic husband, Jack, and the bride-to-be (and her future sister-in-law), Ali. Along for the ride are her lifelong best friend Noah, and his wife (and Rachel's other best friend) Paige. Jones took these three couples, mixed them with a lot of alcohol over a destination wedding weekend, and threw in some very shady dynamics between several of the characters. Sounds like a party, right?

Well, you'd be right about that but I also had a hard time with the pacing. So much of the book is Rachel worrying about her husband's intentions that the middle portion got a little bogged down with it. Once the action starts, however, it STARTS and does not stop until the final shocking page.

If you're a fan of Jones or the domestic drama with a little mess thrown in, pick this one up. It's definitely my favorite of her novels.

Loved reading this book. A suspense novel that captured my attention from the first page and held me until the end. It certainly made me a believer of the old adage ‘don’t judge a book (person) by its (his/her) cover.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

This was an okay weekend read, a bit of a thriller, with a somewhat not so surprising ending. The book started out really well, but it felt like i was always waiting for something to happen and then when it did, it wasn't that exciting. I liked how the story was told but felt it should have been more of a short story or novella. Most of the characters were quite unlikeable, which for most of them worked in their favour. I wanted so much more for this book. I would definitely check the author out again.

Six friends go on a trip, they come back as suspects. Secrets are exposed and relationships begin to unravel. Will they remain together, or will everything change?

This story is about entitled young people who are consumed by gossip. The whining is in every scene and the characters are able to turn on emotions with a remote control. The dynamics between the couples is odd and not believable. Clearly, this is for a younger audience, who may be fans of dating sites / programs.

I love Sandie Jones but this one was not my favorite. I just felt like it was lacking something. I still enjoyed it but definitely not as much as her other books. Her writing is superb. This story was just not what I was hoping for.

What a fun, delicious, twisty ride with the latest novel by Sandie Jones-The Guilt Trip! Six friends/family travel to Portugual for a 4 day wedding event and return as suspects. Jack's brother Will is marrying the provacatively dressed, outgoing Ali and as his best man Jack and his wife Rachel have to attend the wedding-even if Jack can't stand to be in the same room as Ali. Paige and Noah, best friends of Rachel and Jack, are also invited and Paige has a hard time keeping her true feelings about Ali a secret. Ali comes off ditzy, brash and man-hungry. But secrets are divulged, suspicions raised and twists abound-all while heading to an event no one will see coming. This fast-paced psychological mystery will thrill fans of Jones, Ruth Ware, and Sally Hepworth. Pick this one up!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

I didn’t love this as much as her previous books but I did enjoy it, I wouldn’t put it at the top of your TBR but I would add it to the list.

DNR. Computer broke down with Kindle app and couldn’t recover nor download again. My apologies. I would have liked to have read this.