Rachel and Noah are best friends at the university but go their separate ways at the end classes. Noah goes off on a year long travel to see the world. Rachel ends up marrying Jack and raising a family. Noah marries Paige who is also Rachel’s best friend. When Jack’s brother Will announces his wedding to Ali and invites them to stay in Portugal, there are groans. No one is crazy about Ali. They don’t see anything good about Ali. As they stay at a gorgeous cliff-top villa where the wedding will be held, things start getting difficult. What happens? At the wedding reception, a runaway car crashes partially into the villa and ends up in the ocean. Rachel and Ali end up in the hospital as does Jack. Where is Paige? Will she be found?

This is a mystery thriller with soap opera drama which is why this novel is so fun and curious to read. I say curious because things are hinted at but never told until the end. The story twists and turns. The ending surprised me. I fully expected something else. It’s a great novel!

What a wild ride! Jones did a great job sewing the seeds of suspicion throughout the novel. The dynamics between the couples, both past and present, were fun to follow, and to figure out where they would lead next. While it was enjoyable, the three star rating comes from the fact that I found the plot to be fairly predictable, and that there wasn't much "action" involved until the last quarter of the book or so. If you enjoy thrillers, this one is definitely worth the time.

this book was like a mix between ‘the other passenger’ & ‘the guest list’, just not as good. 😬

notes & things:
- very character driven; I definitely prefer books that have more of a storyline
- I realize I dislike any story with even a hint of an affair- is that because I’m married now?
- the setting was in Portugal, I think after reading a few books in exotic locales, I would’ve liked more descriptors

is it weird that I have nothing to say? I was slower to read this one than I’ve been with others, and if I’m honest, it was just ‘meh’ to me. anyone else read this and feel the same? disagree?

thank you to @netgalley & @stmartinspress for the eARC!

This book was good. You have racheal, jack, Paige, Noah meeting alli and will in Portugal for a wedding. Only alli is a little hard to handle, when jack, racheal husband starts having bigger issues with Alli, Racheal is trying very hard to find out what it is and who Alli really is, secrets are uncovered and no everyone is who they seem to be. The past never stays buried for long.

The Guilt Trip was a roller coaster of a domestic thriller. I really enjoyed the little surprises and twists along the way, it was really hard to put down. The character building was perfect, I loved the development over the course of the book.

If you like thrillers that are more character driven and suspenseful, this one is for you!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

This book is packed with action and a lot of drama in the vein of reality-tv. Overall, I enjoyed it, but think that it may have been a little too over the top for me to a certain degree.

I will be checking out other books by this author though!

It was supposed to be a fun relaxing getaway for four good friends going to a destination wedding. But the fun never really began and they all seemed to be racked with guilt of some sort. Secrets are exposed, lives will be changed forever and jealousy and revenge will rear their ugly heads. More importantly who is telling the truth? Who do we believe? Unfortunately sometimes it’s not the lies, but the truth which can get you killed.

Rachel and her husband Jack and Paige and her husband Noah have been friends forever. Actually, Rachel and Noah have been best friends since college. Even their children have been friends since birth. The couples are traveling to Portugal for Jack’s brother’s wedding to his fiancee, Ali who used to work for Jack.

According to Jack, Ali has a problem telling the truth. Between embellishing stories, her “stylish” garb and always present smile and flirty demeaner, the group can barely tolerate her. But for Will’s sake, who seems totally smitten, they have decided to look the other way. Until Jack tells them something upon arrival to the resort which changes everything. Ali had been cheating with one of his married employees. He had her fired.

But as Rachel begins to look into Jack’s story, something seems a bit off. Ali begins lying to her. She sees Ali leaving her and Jack’s hotel room with Jack in a towel coming out of the shower. She confides in her best friend Paige that she thinks Jack and Ali may be having an affair. This seems to make the situation worse. But as the weekend progresses we find out other secrets the friends have kept from each other. Rachel wonders why Ali is lying. What does she have to gain? Should she tell Will that Ali is not what she seems? What secrets could Ali know? Will Ali expose any skeletons from their pasts? Can she be stopped?

All these questions will be answered in an explosive, shocking ending in which all their lives will be changed, and the guilt they each hid over the years will become visible. As with all Sandie Jones’ books, just when you think the story can’t get any better, she seems to always be able to save the best for last!

Thank you #NetGalley #MinotaurBooks #TheGuiltTrip #SandieJones for the advanced copy.

What happens when you mix three couples (with some being ex-lovers), drama, alcohol, affairs, secrets on top of more secrets and a wedding on a cliffside all together? You get a powder keg that is just waiting to explode!

This book was between a 3 and 3.5 star rating for me, but I rounded down. Here's why - the first half of the book didn't quite grab me the way I expected it to. It was a little slow moving, while still interesting. The second half of the book really had me on the edge of my seat with some twists I did not see coming. Basically, nothing is what it seems with this book, which keeps you guessing. The ending was a tad rushed, and the epilogue was a hair confusing which I think was meant to just add to the mystery of what really happened. I'll go back to my previous comment - nothing is what it seems.

Overall a decent book. I enjoyed the premise of the book, and the twists the author throws in there.

My thanks to Sandie Jones, St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a decent story with quite a few twists.. It’s about six “friends” who are attending a wedding in Portugal. Old secrets and new secrets come out and no one knows who is telling the truth. The story definitely has a climactic ending! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Rachel and Jack, Paige and Noah, and Ali and Will - these couples are in Portugal for the wedding of Ali and Will. Secrets that have been hidden for years come to light this wedding weekend and end in tragedy.

This was my first Sandie Jones novel, but it will not be my last! I enjoyed this book from cover to cover. The ending seemed a bit abrupt and left me wanting to go back a few chapters to see if I had missed something. My to-read list will definitely include more books by Sandie Jones.

I wasn’t sure if I was gonna give this one a shot. I have read all the authors books, but they haven’t been my favorite. But this one sounded amazing I loved the destination wedding setting so figured I should give this a shot.

Too soapy with no action. I just didn’t find myself invested and found the book overall forgettable. I really did want to love this one, it just never grabbed my attention. I think the problem was the first half of the book is filled with Rachel’s inner thoughts and suspicions, and basically how unhappy these couples are in their marriage. The last half things started to pick up, but by then I was just trying to finish.

Very twisty thriller that kept me entertained and guessing up until the very end! The characters were interesting and my sympathy for them kept changing. I am recommending this to all my friends who love thrillers.

This is the first book by Sandie Jones that I've read and I must say I am impressed. I couldn't put this one down, as I was drawn in by the characters and the story. When a group of friends are headed to Portugal for a wedding, small secrets turn into even bigger dramas that will upend everyone's lives. It's an interesting premise and the twists and surprises will keep you engaged, as will trying to guess who is lying and who is telling the truth. The ending was a bit of a head-scratcher, as you're left wondering exactly what happened. But I like that it wasn't all spelled out and that it left you guessing a little bit.

Rachel and Noah have been friends since they met at university. While they once thought that they might be something more, now, twenty years later, they are each happily married to other people, Jack and Paige respectively. Jack’s brother Will is getting married, to the dazzling, impulsive Ali, and the group of six travel to Portugal for their destination weekend.

The Guilt Trip was the perfect poolside thriller. Three couples staying at a luxury beach house in Portugal for a wedding. During their trip we learn about the group’s secrets and lies, as the tension between them mounts. The drama really goes up a notch in the last few chapters and I couldn’t believe what was happening. If you’re a fan of domestic thrillers then you will love this book!
I will be reading more of Sandie Jones’ books for sure.

Thank you MacMillan, Netgalley, and Sandie Jones for this book in exchange for a review. I felt that this was a mixture of a thriller and drama. The ending has a bit of a twist. Overall, I thought it was a good read. 🌟🌟🌟1/2 star rating from me.

Rachel, her husband, and their best friends go to a destination wedding for her brother-in-law. No one likes his ditsy, over the top fiancé Ali and Rachel is suspicious - first of Ali, then of everyone…while trying to hide her own secrets. The last 25% of this book was a twisty ride but the first half was a looooot of Rachel thinking and over thinking every possible secret and outcome. “is this true? What if it is? How will I handle it?”
I would have enjoyed it more if the pacing was more consistent and not just in Rachel’s head.

Several sets of friends and family travel to an idyllic location for a wedding.. and man does drama unfold. There are cheating scandals, wrongful accusations, accidents and more.

Not so much a mystery or thriller, but definitely a twisty ride. I enjoyed this story.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I have enjoyed The Other Woman and The Half Sister by Sandie Jones, and this thriller did not disappoint! I loved the Portugal setting and wedding backdrop, so it reminded me a bit of The Guest List by Lucy Foley. There was lots of drama and definitely a soap opera feel with the three couples. The characters were not very likeable, but I still liked the story. The ending was a bit confusing, but a great twist!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC by Sandie Jones.

I was thrilled to be approved for Sandie Jones' novel, The Guilt Trip. I am a sucker for a story with friendships dating back to the past, following up to the present. This novel fit that bill and more. We have three couples, who travel to Portugal for a wedding. I loved the atmospheric writing about the cliff sided villa! Ali and Rachel begin to unravel their secrets and things change. This is the second book by Sandie Jones that I have read. I really enjoyed The First Mistake by her. The Guilt Trip definitely was not as good in my opinion, but I still enjoyed it. Things did get somewhat repetitive, but it was a decent read.

Just a couple weeks late to reviewing this read and I already can't remember much about the story. I know it took me a while to get into, and it was hard to keep the characters straight at first. Lots of dialogue and not a lot of action. A story set on a destination wedding weekend centered around three couples hiding secrets, of course there is lots of lying and betrayal.

Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for the advanced copy to review.