Sandie Jones is a hit or miss author for me, and this one was a hit. Twists, turns and lots of drama!!

Six friends, three couples, board a plane for the elite coast of Portugal - a dream destination wedding for two of them - Will and Ali. Jack and Rachel and Noah and Paige accompany them to help celebrate Jack's brother Will's wedding to the sparkly, flirty, maybe unreliable Ali. Yes, it's complicated. These couples have history and a whole trunk full of secrets. Rachel believes Jack is cheating on her with Ali who used to work for Jack. Her best friend Paige helps feed that theory every chance she gets in a being helpful kind of way . . . or does she have ulterior motives too. Rachel and Noah are best friends from forever and deny ever having been anything more than friends, but Jack and Paige don't buy it. They've seen how they look at each other when they think no one's looking. Ali wants Rachel, her soon-t0-be sister-in-law, to like and accept her into the family so she shares a few things she's noticed happening in an effort to help, but Rachel doesn't trust her. After all, everyone but Will knows she's a liar and a cheat. Right? Will doesn't seem to know what's going on. He's just there to marry the love of his life. So...who's cheating who, who's being true, and who won't live to return home?

The Guilt Trip is one wild, convoluted guilt trip similar to a crazy, mixed up soap opera. Narrators change with chapters and thus the story unfolds from all six player's points of view which kept my head spinning and mind guessing. It's obvious not long after they arrive at the resort that things are going downhill fast - a train wreck waiting to happen. The action is driven by a lot of gossiping, back stabbing, outrage, and always the dirty little secrets. Readers are charged with decoding all the secrets and figuring out who can be trusted and, by the end, who's a murderer. I'll admit to changing my mind several times.

While this is not a group of people I would ever want to travel with or have as friends, they make for a highly entertaining read especially once their masks start slipping and the true people emerge. Jones does a brilliant job with characterization - so much so that I may have wanted to slap a character or two. Having said that, the ominous undertone is always there growing louder like a ticking bomb until the twisted, climatic end that Jones leaves just a wee bit open-ended. All plot lines are tied off, but as a reader I was left wondering if . . . well, wondering. Sandie Jones's writing lends itself beautifully to thrillers like The Guilt Trip with alternating points of view and slightly choppy chapters. She's proven once again why she's one of my most anticipated authors. Highly recommended to fans of mystery, suspense, thrillers and highly entertaining reads.

I couldn’t make it past the first 10% of this book; all characters flung on the reader at once is offputting. I couldn’t keep them straight. Who was married to whom, who had dating one but is now marrying someone else? College shenanigans were the current topic, but I still couldn’t figure out who was talking and decided to give up.

Having enjoyed Sandie Jones in the past, there was something about this book that was too much of a jumble for me. Maybe next time, I will pull out a whiteboard and red string to visualize who is who.

No other reviews will be left.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4!

Destination wedding … good friends, beautiful setting, you’ll have fun they said, what could go wrong? Married couples Rachel & Jack and Noah & Paige are traveling with the groom, Will (Jack’s brother) and Ali (bride) to Portugal. The couples have been friends forever, since university/marriage. A lot of history between these 4. Ali is semi new to the group and doesn’t seem to fit in. You always have that one friend who rubs you the wrong way, and you are not sure of their motives. That’s Ali! Preconceived notions will be tested with a shocking outcome.

This is a combination ChickLit/Thriller. I recommend this book for a vacation read, easy to pick up and put down, but it will hold your attention. Story seemed to drag a little in parts, but the last quarter of the book is fast moving. I enjoyed the writing and the of the dynamics between the couples and the friends. Loved the character development! Enjoyable drama played out. I look forward to this author’s next book!

Thanks to Ms. Jones, St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur Books and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.

Mini
You just know when you read a synopsis about six friends/three couples going on a trip for one of the couples' weddings that drama will eons. Boy did it ever! The tension starts early with Jack and Rachel giving the bride to be Ali a ride to the airport. For some reason or another Jack can't stand Ali, but Rachel shrugs it off. When all six of them reach their destination it seems that the only person who likes Ali is the Will the groom to be....but why?!
Oh the secrets are stacking up in this crazy book. Almost everyone had a secret they were trying to keep from everyone else, and it was getting hard to keep everything and everyone straight. Then there is the ending that is just one big cluster! There was so much going on in those last chapters that I gave up trying to figure it all out. If you like books with a whole lot of friend drama then this one's for you.
Available now!

Thank you Minotaur for my #copy!

Book Rating: 3/5

I am a huge fan of books by Sandie Jones, ever since I read her novel The Other Woman. She is one of my go-to authors and I was thrilled to hear of her latest novel The Guilt Trip. SO of course I had to get my hands on a copy of this newest release ASAP. And of course I was NOT disappointed!

This book is the recipe for a deliciously juicy, thrilling, gripping edge-of-your-seat thriller. Full of friendships, relationships, betrayals, lies, secrets, and a past that just cannot stay kept in the past, you will DEVOUR this book once you read the first page, until the very end!

Six friends, three couples. A trip that is supposed to be full of excitement, fun and making memories that will last a lifetime. What better than an exciting trip to bring six friends closer to one another, what could possibly go wrong, right? Apparently a lot can go wrong. Especially when you add into the mix all of the elements these couples and friends have among them. Something is bound to go wrong.

I loved the dynamics of this group. Two of them had a past together as really close friends, and they are now married to other people. Some of them have something to hide, and lie to one another, putting on a face to hide the truth. I enjoyed learning about the different dynamics among this group of friends. There is so much drama and I loved it!

A novel that I highly recommend that you get, like now!

Well done Sandie! I cannot give enough stars for this novel. I am excited to see what your next novel brings!

•Ｒｅｖｉｅｗ•

★ ★ ★ ★
Pages: 320
Genre: mystery/thriller

“𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚏 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚞𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚗 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚙𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚜.”

Thank you Netgalley & St. Martins Press for an e-arc AND advanced audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book! This was totally The Guest List vibes but… better executed! I have not read anything by Sandie Jones so this was a delight for my first.

I really enjoyed reading about the Portugal scenes and learning the connections between these 6 friends. Despite the build up of secrets and drama, there was a lot of love in this story!

However, that being said, I feel like the end was a little confusing/rushed. With all of the build up and drama, the end kind of fizzled out too easily for me. I had to sit and process after what actually happened and make sense of it.

I guess that just means I wanted more! The audio was narrated by Clare Corbett who did a wonderful job with all of the characters and personalities. Also, she nailed it with the annoying voice for Ali 😂

High Anxiety Alert - this book had me on edge.

You're basically inside the mind and though processes of Rachel. Rachel is a woman in her early forties, happily married to her husband, Jack, and a mother to their teenage son, Josh. The book opens when Rachel and Jack are getting ready to leave for a destination wedding. They are traveling with their best friends, Noah and Paige, and the bride-to-be, Ali. It's an interesting dynamic. Tensions are high before they even leave.

And although the villa and destination is a true dream, Rachel certainly is living a nightmare. It's on this trip and just day's before the impending wedding that she starts to suspect her husband is having an affair with her future sister-in-law. Paige is really no help either, planting seeds of doubt and suspicion and Ali and Jack have certainly both been acting strange.

It all culminates at the wedding with a finale I truly did not see coming.

This is a book that will play on your nerves. Rachel is suspicious at every step, questioning and then running it back as she explains away any odd situation she's witnessed. Her constant questioning and distrust of her husband and friends can give you whiplash. Not to say it's unwarranted. Rachel is clearly being toyed with on this trip, but she can't figure out who is pulling the strings.

Rachel's feelings, while not necessarily invalid, after all, your feelings are your feelings, often felt irrational. I was so frustrated with Rachel's anger toward the other woman and apparent apathy toward her husband's suspected behavior. I read through this rather quick, the events all take place over the course of just a few days and yet so much happens your brain will be doing double-time to keep things straight.

I received an eARC of The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones from St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Book and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

A beautiful setting and lots of drama among three couples at a destination wedding in Portugal. It was an enjoyable read. 4 stars!

Rachael and Jack, Paige and Noah have all been close friends for many years. They are off to Portugal to attend the wedding of Jack’s brother Will and his fiancé Ali. No one seems happy about the wedding as they seem to view Ali as a drama queen and are suspicious of almost everything she says. She used to work with Jack, Rachael and Noah dated in college, and Paige has a very strong personality. There are a lot of secrets amongst the group, and they slowly begin to come out, but not in the way the reader would expect. Each of these characters are quite complex, and the ending is shocking!

Also reviewed on Kobo - IrishEyes430

I was excited to dip into a new book from Sandie Jones. I didn't like it as much as THE OTHER WOMAN, but would read her again. While the premise was interesting--six people sharing a villa for a destination wedding, and all their connections and secrets, past and present--I found myself getting frustrated with the main character, Rachel. She kept leaping to conclusions about her husband that didn't seem to be based on anything factual, and ruminating, and having visions of his betrayal. There was a great sense of foreboding and suspense, but the twists were easy to see coming. Jones did craft a satisfying resolution to the events, however, and is especially gifted at distributing karmic justice in her novels.

This was so good! A list of characters that somehow didn’t get too confusing (there are 3 couples) and no one to be trusted. I’m still in shock by the ending. So happy I was able to read this before the release date!

This book had me all over the place...but in a good way. It's hard to write a review without including spoilers on this one because honestly, almost every little detail, no matter how insignificant they may seem, eventually ties in to something else.

I thought this book was unique in the fact that all the characters were essentially stuck with each other. Sandie Jones does an amazing job of describing the characters so you like some and can't stand others. Much like "The Other Woman", you think you have everyone all figured out.

This novel is filled with drama, drinking, love, sex, and so much more. I really did NOT see the ending coming, though once it happened, it really did make sense. Kind of like a "Big Little Lies" type of novel, so I would recommend, but only for older audiences.

*I received a free copy of this novel from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my honest review.*

Secrets and a destination wedding... It sounds like a book I've read before, but I would definitely hit this party again! Messy secrets that could destroy any family - what is better than this for a novel? The misdirection is fantastic throughout the unfolding of the story and you never know who to trust. Jones is the queen of the misdirection and I wasn't expecting anything that happened.

I received an ARC of this book. A riveting story of gossip and assumptions, things are not always as they seem. I couldn't put down this engrossing tale.

I really enjoyed this book by Sandie Jones. Her books have such intricate storylines and then all of a sudden - BOOM!!! Unexpected twist! The Guilt Trip is no different, I was on the edge of my seat the entire book. She is very much a must read author for me.

Oh Sadie Jones, you did it again. I truly love the other books I have read by her and her fabulous twists. I feel like this one didn’t fail me and couldn’t stop turning the pages. I just binged this in a day. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a twisty thriller.

I did not like this book and I don't want to post such a negative review for it.
It was not nearly as good as I thought it was going to be and I was surprised as this author usually gives me what I love to read.
I'll have to leave it at that.

Thank you #NetGalley, #SandieJones, #StMartinsPress
2/5 stars and I can't recommend this one.

This story is somewhat difficult to rate. There are three couples, Rachel and Jack, Will and Ali, and Noah and Paige and they travel to Portugal for Will and Ali’s wedding. Rachel and Noah have known each other since university and there seems to be some friction with their respective spouses as to whether Rachel and Noah were really just friends or more, even after 20 years. There is a lot of gossiping, misunderstanding of situations and comments, wondering who did what and Rachel seemed to go around and round in circle with her thoughts. Paranoia seems to reign and I couldn’t decide from one moment to the next who to believe about anything.

Ali seems to be a problem for everyone and many assumptions are made about her. I found it quite interesting as different people at the wedding had different knowledge and views on her actions. WHO is really the ‘bad’ person in the story?

The entire story was somewhat tedious and yet the later part got more interesting as we know someone will be dead by the end of the story. THEN, the epilogue – I’ve read it a few times and it’s somewhat explosive on what you think you know and what may or may not have happened.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this new work.

Sandie Jones is an absolute favorite author of mine, and I honestly will pick up any book she writes. Thank you to Minotaur and Netgalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review,

Jones has done it again. The Guilt Trip is a true who done it, this book will leave you wondering, who to trust, who to like, and give you the OH NO moments we all crave as readers,

Jack's brother Will is getting married, and his bride Ali is beautiful, eccentric, she is someone who pulls others to her. Rachel and Noah have been friends since University, and while their relationship only stayed as friends, they're both still great friends, and married to other people, and they run in the same circle.

Set in a gorgeous Villa set above Nazare, the couples begin to suspect that something isn't right with Ali. Jack is the most suspicious, and tensions run high. While Jack is trying to be supportive of his brother Will's bride choice, seeds are planted, and a whole dark story unfolds. Greed, sex, affairs, revenge sweep a tale so masterfully created that I read this book in one sitting.

I cannot wait until Jone releases her next book! I will read anything she writes