When Jack’s brother Will and his fiancée Ali invite them to their destination wedding, Jack’s wife Rachel convinces them to also invite their best friends Paige and Noah. The 4 friends can’t stand Ali, but decide to make the best of this “vacation“. None of them could imagine how much this short trip will forever change all of their lives. At the end, too many secrets are exposed. One of them will be dead, one will be a murderer, and the rest will be left wondering how well they all knew each other.

Maybe it's just me, but I feel like I've read a glut of books lately about a group of 6 to 8 "old friends" getting together for a destination vacation or event. In this case, it's a destination wedding in Portugal. Some of the books are excellent (The Guest List by Lucy Foley), some are huge let-downs, and some are just OK. The Guilt Trip fell into this last category for me.

In The Guilt Trip we have six "friends" getting together for a wedding. The main character is Rachel. She's married to Jack, and the wedding is that of Jack's brother, Will, and a former coworker of Jack's, Ali. The other two attendees are Noah and Paige. Noah and Rachel were best friends back in university, but they ended up marrying other people. Paige is now Rachel's best friend. What transpires is a soap opera on steroids. No one (but her fiancé) seems to like Ali, who comes across as a total ditz. Jack seems to be particularly antagonistic to her. Jack also is a douche when it comes to Noah. Paige is a pot-stirrer and is gossiping to Rachel about everyone. There's lots of drama and too much alcohol, leading to a huge shocker during the wedding.

Sandie Jones is an excellent writer and knows her genre. There's nothing new in The Guilt Trip. It would make for an great beach read -- fun to read and easily forgotten. The best of the action takes place at the wedding, which comes late in the book, but at this point, a lot of new characters are introduced into the mix. I found it a bit confusing as written, although I think it would work well in a movie.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of those books where you seriously dislike every character. Between the lack of enjoyable people, the story line and writing were incredibly confusing at first for it to be this slow.

It starts to pick up towards the end, but if I wasn’t so determine I would have DNF’d it before that point! I also would say that this is more of a drama than a thriller, so if you go into it expecting that then it’s probably not for you.

Sometimes the love of your life gets away and you don't even know it. Then you end up in a twisted love triangle at a destination wedding and it all comes to the surface. But not at all the way you may have expected. Keeps you guessing until the end. Good stormy weekend or beach vacation read.

Review will be posted on 8/25/12
Will and Ali are getting married in gorgeous Portugal and four of their closest friends are coming along with many family members. What could go wrong? Well, a lot. Ali, Will, Paige, Noah, Rachel and Jack are all sharing a beautiful villa on cliffs that overlook the ocean. No one likes Ali, the bride, as they find her manipulative and attention seeking. Will's brother, Jack, doesn't even like her even though he is the one that introduced the two. Readers find out that Ali once worked for Jack. Jack's wife, Rachel, has her own problems on this trip. She is excited her best friend, Paige, is coming along with her husband, Noah, but she and Noah were best friends in college. They have a romantic history and one that she can't seem to forget. While at their beautiful villa that they are all staying in, secrets start to come out, suspicions get serious, and there's tons of drama that unfolds in The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones.

At first I wasn't sure why no one liked Ali, but the more I got to know her, the more annoying she became in The Guilt Trip. She wasn't exactly bridezilla, but she is extremely attention-seeking. She has some major secrets and they will seriously disrupt the wedding if they get out. Then there's Jack, the groom's brother, who is mysterious as well. Rachel can't help but feel like he is hiding something. She starts to suspect he is having an affair. Or maybe it's her mental affair that she is having with Noah, her college boyfriend? Rachel can't seem to let go of the fact that twenty years ago she walked away from Noah to be with Jack and she is still grappling with this decision. Being here at a wedding in Portugal with Noah doesn't make anything easier, not to mention her best friend, Paige, is Noah's wife! So, as the story unfolds none of the characters are who they seem. They are all withholding secrets and as they get closer to the wedding, the drama comes to a head.

What makes The Guilt Trip more of a beach read than usual is the cliff side villa in Portugal. Jones really brought it to life and made me feel like I was on vacation too. The rocky caves, the large waves, and the beautiful cliff side homes and restaurants were all perfect settings for a beach read.

I thought The Guilt Trip was going to be a thriller, but it actually reads a bit like a domestic suspense novel. There's a lot of drama. At times I felt it was overdone; it was like car accident you can't stop staring at. I was drawn to the drama just to see how it would play out. And things get really dramatic towards the end. So, if you like an immersive soap-opera of a novel, check out The Guilt Trip as summer comes to an end. It would be a great book to get lost in over vacation or a lazy day at the pool.

I just left Sandie Jones! She keeps me on my toes with all of the investment in the character development and then turning it on his head with all the twists and turns!
I was up into the middle of the night reading this book because I couldn’t put it down! SJ does it again.. put this on your must read list for the year!

The Guilt Trip was another good read by Sandie Jones. I enjoyed the story, but felt that at times parts of it were just too easy to predict. It was definitely an ending I did not see coming, which redeemed the book back up to a four star read. Jones is an author I will read again and again, as her stories always surprise me at the end.

These three couples travel to Portugal for a destination wedding for Ali and Will. Five of these friends have known each other for quite a while. Ali is the newcomer. But, as time goes on, secrets about Ali start to surface. This leads to other secrets, and more secrets…until!

This story has a good many characters. It might have been different for me if I had read and not listened to it. But, I had some issues at the first keeping up with everyone. I will be honest…I almost put it aside a time or two. I am glad I finished it. The ending was not exactly what I expected.

This story does move a little slow in places and tends to get bogged down in stuff that is not really relevant. However, I did enjoy the intensity of all the secrets, especially the who, what, when and where?! Definitely kept me guessing!

I received this audiobook from the publisher for a honest review.

3.5 stars. This book is written in a way that made me want to keep picking it up. I enjoyed the setting especially and the three couples/friends banter. The affair and suspicion of the affair was a little overdone for me. I think it was pretty easy to predict what was happening and knew who would be the one to wreak havoc. I enjoyed how the end wrapped up though. Overall, good Sandie Jones novel but not my favorite of hers.

I both read and listened to an early copy of this book. Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books and Netgalley!

The Guilt Trip is my third book by Sandie Jones and I am so happy to have received this one. A group of adult friends travel to Portugal to celebrate the wedding of Allie and Will. While the story unfolds, the characters develop more and the plot line has the twists and surprises that made Sandie Jones’ book; The Other Woman so memorable. I loved the history of choices made two decades ago rising to the surface on this trip, and don’t we all know a girl just like Allie? I highly recommend this book for a quick read on your next getaway or that last beach weekend before you wrap up summer! I received the audiobook and digital copies as an ARC, all opinions are my own.

The Guilt Trip is the 2021 offering by Sandie Jones. All I can say about this book is “WOW!” This is the story of a weekend getaway that should have been a joyous time for all involved. Will Hunter is marrying his lady love Ali Foley in a destination wedding in Portugal. Joining Will and Ali in the villa they’ve rented are his brother Jack and wife Rachel as well as Jack and Rachel’s long time friends Noah and Paige Collins. Other family and friends will be staying locally as well.

Throughout much of this novel Ali is portrayed as a needy woman always seeking to be the center of attention. To the casual viewer, but even more for Rachel, it would appear that Jack and Ali are having an affair. She is always maneuvering to get him alone, and circumstantial clues are found that would easily confirm an illicit liaison. Since Aly readily embellishes stories, it takes little stretch of the imagination that what she says may also be blatant lies. Between Jack and Paige prompting this dialog, it puts Rachel in a downward spiral of not knowing who to believe. Who’s is the liar, really?

This drama transitions to a thriller before the reader’s eyes. I felt hints of Hitchcock as the story built to an unexpected crescendo and an ending that will leave the reader guessing the longer they think about it. I very much enjoyed this book and I do recommend it!

I struggled with this one. I enjoyed the premise and I overall enjoyed the book…I just couldn’t get past that if one person would have said how they felt, none of this would have happened. The ending was “meh” for me and I don’t understand why the main character would want to protect her cheating best friend. I also HATED that the big “secret” was that Ali was fat. Stupid. As a bigger person myself, I don’t feel like being fat is such a life struggle that shamed her so badly and that all these lies ruined peoples’ life. The overall premise of the book was good…but the execution was not there for me.

Best friend couples, Rachel and Jack along with Paige and Noah travel to Portugal for the destination wedding of Will and Ali.

The scenery is breathtaking, with the couples staying in a cliff top villa overlooking the ocean, and Will and Ali are in love. Sounds like the perfect wedding weekend, what could go wrong?

The drinks are flowing and the secrets start to unfold. Secrets that will break friendships and ruin marriages for good.

Let’s just start by saying that this is not a thriller, more of a mystery. It was a slow burn with no action until almost the very end of the book. I loved the setting -the beaches of Portugal, but I had a hard time picking this one up. The characters were all unlikable and the suspense was just not there.

I would recommend this book to those that enjoy slow burn mysteries.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was good! I never expected the ending that happened which was a refreshing quality! I did think Ali could have used a little more character development in the beginning.

I really wanted to like this book, but I am almost thirty percent in and the story is just not going anywhere. I thought it would be more of a thriller or at least more drama than people keeping secrets from each other. The secrets are not even any fun. I can't care about the six main characters. Which, six are also too many to keep track of when they all feel interchangeable. I have read great things about this author's work, but this one is a miss for me. I will check out one of her other titles.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

This is the first book I have read by Sandie Jones. It was difficult for me to get into at first as there were a bunch of different characters in the story to connect with. However, with about 40% left in the book, it ended up getting really good. Since there were so many characters, Jones made you question a few different characters. It ended in a way I didn't see coming.

A destination weekend. A luxury wedding. Six friends. Something tragic is going to happen. Secrets of the past are beginning to surface. There are three couples involved. Rachel and Jack, Noah and Paige and Will and Ali, the couple about to marry. Rachel and Noah were very good friends when at university. In fact, their friendship might have become more. Instead, twenty years have passed and the two have married other people. Will is Jack's brother and Jack makes it clear that he does not approve of Ali.

Dislike of Ali does not stop with Jack. In fact, Rachel is not too fond of her, and Paige thinks Ali is rather immature. Will everyone settle down and accept Ali, or will long-hidden secrets upset the impending wedding? Meanwhile, something very specific about Ali comes to Rachel's attention and she has to decide if she will tell Will, or even her husband Jack.

Then there is the past to consider, and how it comes to bear with present events. Rachel and Noah are forced to face their pasts, and the fact that they both have strong feelings for one another, despite being apparently happy in their marriages. So, there is drama on many fronts in this compelling read by Sandie Jones.

Many thanks to Minotaur Books and to NetGalley for this ARC for review This is my honest opinion.

This book was crazy! It was definitely a page turner for me and when I had to do something else I was thinking about what was going to happen and all the characters. It did remind me of The Guest List by Lucy Foley a little bit. So much drama so many secrets and a death you don’t see coming.

Thank you @netgalley for this ARC!

Reading Between the Wines book review #91/115 for 2021:
Rating: 3 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book 🎧: The Guilt Trip
Author: Sandie Jones
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
RELEASED on August 3, 2021!!!

Sipping thoughts: Most grown married couples love to find like-minded married couples to hang out with. But when you have married couple friends like Rachel, Jack, Paige, Noah, Will and Ali, I am not sure if it is worth it. When Ali is added to the group’s dynamics so many lies, and deceit begins to be uncovered. Is Ali the catalyst or just another victim?

I don’t think there are any groundbreaking twists in this book or ones that you don’t see coming, except for maybe one small one. However, it still was an interesting book. This is not one of my favorites of Sandie Jones, but I didn’t dislike it. I will continue to read Jones’s future books as I really enjoy her writing style.
Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley, @StMartinsPress, and @MinotaurBooks for an advanced copy of @TheGuiltTrip.

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Six friends gather for a destination wedding in Portugal, and will weave you into a tangled web of lies that will have you turning the pages until the very end. Filled with drama and suspense, this book moves at a rapid pace, and will keep you highly entertained. The characters are flawed and filled with secrets that will grab your attention and keep you guessing right up until the end! Highly enjoyable book!!