I’ve ready every book by this author and have enjoyed them all immensely, this book was no exception. While the book wasn’t what I was expecting, it drew me in and I couldn’t wait to find out what the heck was going on. Who was being authentic who wasn’t. I’d for sure recommend this book for anyone who wants a little escape from reality. I’d like to thank the publisher for proving me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to read this book, but ended up feeling underwhelmed. I had a hard time getting interested in the story, and struggled to get through. Maybe it is because I didn't really like the characters or connect with them, but I just felt like the story dragged on. I have read other Sandie Jones books before this one, and enjoyed them more. I didn't get many thrills from this book, and suspense is my favorite genre!

I enjoy books that grab you from the start! Will and Ali are getting married and have planned a destination wedding. Invited are her fiancee's brother, Jack and his wife Rachel, and their friend Paige and Noah. No one seems to like Ali, especially Jack and Paige.

Little hints drop here and there about secrets that EVERYONE has.... I mean, Every. Single. Person! And though I figured out pretty early one where this story was going to go, the author threw out some misdirections and kept the story flowing. I loved how the author tied everything up, and even left a little doubt at the end!
3.5⭐

Thank you to Netgalley, Minotaur Books, St. Martin's Press and Sandie Jones for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a completely addicting soap opera. I would not call this a thriller at all, but all the drama and misdirection certainly kept me hooked. The first half- 3/4 of this book reminded me of BA Paris’s The Dilemma because all I wanted was for these people to communicate with each other instead of all the tip-toeing around.

A lot of the characters were awful people, which was how it was supposed to be (but I questioned why they all agreed to this weekend in the first place?) I wasn’t a fan of the narrator. She was so naive and easily manipulated by anyone she spoke to, which was irritating.

The ending… could have used some work. I had to reread multiple paragraphs to understand what was going on, what went on, and what was just made up in the narrator’s head (all the daydreams she had constantly got in the way of the story). It seemed rushed and unclear, especially considering how much of the lead up was dragged out.

I read this in less than a weekend, but could have been less than a day if I had the time. I just didn’t want to stop! 😆 If you love binge-watching addicting tv dramas, like Gossip Girl or Degrassi, this is one to grab.

The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones, is the first book that I have read by this particular author. I thought the premise of the book looked promising, and was really looking forward to reading it. Rachel and her husband Jack, go to Portugal for the wedding of Jack's brother Will. Will is marrying Ali, a woman that Rachel and Jack find annoying and hard to deal with. Rachel somehow convinces Ali to invite her bestie Paige, and her husband Noah. She wanted someone else there to distract herself from the wedding activities and just basically hang out with. Without giving too much away from the actual story, Rachel gets an idea into her head about her husband being unfaithful, and just runs with the idea. Once that idea is planted in her head, there is no turning back for Rachel. The whole book then centers around the "investigation" that Rachel conducts at Ali and Will's wedding, and the secrets that are revealed (and there are a lot!!) during the short weekend away.

I did like this story, but truly, I wanted to like it more. I didn't connect with Rachel that much (the main narrator and POV of the whole book, with the exception of the last chapter.) I felt like once a seed of doubt was planted, she absolutely ran with it, seeing each behavior (minor or large) in her husband as a clue to his fidelity. According to Rachel, all of these feelings came up SOLELY on this weekend away. I had a little trouble reconciling she's 100% sure of her husband's intentions prior to the wedding weekend, but suddenly they're abroad and now she has these major suspicions about him. It just didn't jive with me on the whole. And she didn't approach him about any issues, which also doesn't connect with the rock solid marriage that she states that they had prior to this wedding weekend.

What I did like: The story itself was twisty and kept me guessing until the very end. The ending prologue also was a twist in itself, that I didn't see coming at all. I definitely liked the actions, and the pace that the secrets were revealed. I enjoyed most of the other characters that were written, but had that difficulty connecting to Rachel. Overall, this is definitely an entertaining read, and one that I would recommend to those who enjoy domestic thrillers. It had enough twists to keep you interested, and a shocking ending that I was not expecting.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sandie Jones is a must read author for me and I’ve read all of her books! The Guilt Trip is up there as a favorite with The Other Woman. It was the perfect blend of drama and suspense!

You know something goes terribly wrong when three couples go away to Portugal for a destination wedding and the novel begins with a police interrogation in the hospital. The Guilt Trip is a bit of a slow burn developing strong, unique characters and the dysfunctional and often inauthentic relationships they have with one another.

This novel was tough for me to put down. There are a lot of glaring signs that something is amiss but some are so glaring it had me second guessing everything! I loved the twists, flawed characters, beautiful and detailed setting, and the whole plot line.

This is a fun summer suspense book that can’t be missed!

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for a copy of this novel.

Ali and Will are at last having their dream wedding in Portugal. They’ve kept their guest list at 40 to ensure a gathering with only their closest friends and family. Right away doubts and accusations are revealed about one of the individuals in the couple. The story focuses on Will, Ali, his brother in law Jack and his wife Rachel, and their best friends Paige and Noah. Oh, did I forget to mention that Noah and Rachel were best friends from college who may or may not have been more than that at one point??

This juicy story had so many secrets revealed I could barely remember who I was supposed to be rooting for. Everyone was lying about something, choose who you believe.

The story was moving along nicely, but then it just got a little muddied for me. All of a sudden one of the characters who had a perfect figure and didn’t have to work out was shocked by a photo released of her when she was overweight. That felt thrown in. I’m still a little confused about the end, so if you read this- DM me about the Epilogue.

Overall an enjoyable read, but a little predictable in some spots. The ending was a surprising twist- but I’m not sure I bought it.

Thank you to #netgalley and #minotaurbooks for the ARC to read and review.

The Guilt Trip gets 3 stars from me. Sandie Jones has given us a juicy beach read of a novel that kept me delishishly distracted and wondering where the truth lies throughout.

Three couples head off for the destination wedding of one of them. Rachel and Noah were close friends in college; so close that everyone expected them to end up together. Yet with twenty years behind them now, they have each married and formed families with other people (Jack and Paige respectively). Jack's wandering brother Will has finally decided to settle down and tie the knot with beautiful, young (29) Ali, someone the others seem to have a hard time accepting.

There is so much drama awaiting these six characters, and as things unfold it becomes quite challenging to know what is true, what is not, and who among them, if anyone, can be trusted. Marriages and friendships begin to unravel forcing each of them to question their relationships with the others, how they have played a part in the events of the weekend, and whether they could have prevented the outcome.

My thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for allowing me to read an ARC of this book which is scheduled for publication on 8/3/2021. All opinions (and any errors) in this review are strictly my own.

The premise for “The Guilt Trip” sounded right up my alley-destination wedding where a mystery ensues. I thought it would keep me guessing similarly to “The Guest List” which was one of my 2020 favorites last year. However, this book just seemed to be soap opera drama with very little anticipation. I’m not sure how it is categorized as a thriller as there was no real intrigue. There is soo much setup that by the end, I had very little interest in the “climatic” part. I was so excited to read this initially, but it really just fell flat. 2.5 stars ⭐️, rated down because there was not much memorable. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

Oh, what tangled webs we weave...…

"A single lie discovered is enough to create doubt in every truth expressed." - taken form Wisdomlifequotes.com

Three couples arrive to a picturesque villa perched on a cliff in Portugal. The six include: Rachel and Noah longtime best friends married to Jack and Paige. They are there to attend the wedding of Jack's brother, Will and his bubbly finance, Ali.

Sounds like a lovely time. A destination wedding in a beautiful setting. Sounds like bliss. Love is in the air but so is suspicion. Paige instantly has an aversion to Ali. She finds her to overbearing, childish and attention seeking. Rachel initially was happy to get to know her future sister-in-law, but she can't get past Ali's strange behaviors and comments. Jack has a work history with Ali that is troubling to Rachel. Plus, Jack appears to have it in for Noah and when he is not being testy with Noah, he is acting suspiciously. Fun in the sun, this trip is NOT. It's more like a nightmare! Did I mention secrets????? This book is packed full of them. Secrets and suspicion go hand in hand in this book.

There is drama, there is arguing, there are secret discussions, there is a whole lot of suspicion. I will admit that I enjoyed all of this. I loved sitting in my reading chair watching/reading as these characters fumbled all over themselves and jumped to conclusion after conclusion. It was like a nighttime soap opera. It got a little juicy, it got a little ridiculous, then it got a little too over the top for me. I was at 4 stars going into the end of the book. Then I thought “Seriously?" I was expecting some craziness to go down, but I wasn't expecting THAT kind of craziness and then the epilogue had me thinking "huh?". I don't feel that was necessary except to further throw readers off. If that is the case, then kudos because you threw me off.

For me an enjoyable book. I enjoyed it but the ending and epilogue took it down a star for me. Still enjoyable and I will certainly be reading more of her books in the future.

Full of secrets, suspicion and drama.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

I want to thank Netgalley for giving me an ARC of this book. Rachel and her husband are in Portugal for her brother in law's wedding to Allie, a girl who is a bit too flirtatious for Rachel's liking. This book was hit and miss for me. I went into this book thinking it was a mystery/thriller, but it was more of a family drama. Rachel is convinced her husband is having an affair with Allie, and isn't sure how to approach the topic.I had a difficult time liking any of the characters, but wanted to see how it was going to end. The ending was a bit grey for me as well. I'm not sure if the ending is actually what happened or if it was all a lie. I did like that the author brought in secondary characters to vouch for the characteristics of the one character. If you like books with endings that let you bring your own interpretations to the table, then this book is for you.

Three couples find themselves in a tangled web of lies leading to murder. As the pieces come together everything unravels showing that things are not what they seem to be. The persons you least suspect of doing wrong will be the ones to surprise you. It has good characters and manages to keep the reader guessing as to their intentions for some time.

Thank you to publisher @minotaur_books for my gifted eARC via @netgallery


Think gossip, DRAMA, and lots of it! A huge wedding brings a group of friends on a trip to Portugal. Leading up to the big day lots of gossip and drama unfolds, but on the wedding day itself all secrets are unleashed.

Rachel and Paige are good friends who despise Ali, the newcomer to the group of friends & the bride to be. Rachel & Paige believe Ali is having an affair with her husband-all signs confirm Rachel’s worst fear to be true, or do they?!

There was drama on every page, lots of secrets come to the surface, and that ending was definitely not what I was expecting! What a twist! This is a great domestic suspense novel that I definitely recommend. It is a quick and easy read!

What I didn’t really like was that the first half of this book was really well put together and set up really nice and then felt like the ending was jumbled together and left me a bit confused-like a bunch of stuff was revealed in the last few chapters of the book🤷🏼‍♀️


Overall, this was a good book that I did enjoy and recommend!

Once I started this book I could not put it down. Six friends travel to Portugal for Ali and Will's wedding. Will's best man and brother Jack can't seem to stand Ali. Jack's wife Rachel gives Ali the benefit of the doubt and tries to play peacekeeper. Meanwhile, Rachel's best friend Noah and his wife Paige are along for the ride and the drama.

And oh my god the drama. Poor Will seems to be in the dark while the other 5 of them are making and putting out fires every other hour. There's jealousy, possible infidelity, lies of omission, temptation and anything else you could think of that would make this short trip a recipe for disaster. There was a lot going on in this story, and a lot of characters involved, but it was easy to keep them all straight.

I do think the story went on a little longer than it needed to in the middle. The back and forth do we trust Ali? We don't trust Ali, no maybe we do trust Ali! got a little repetitive. The big 'reveal' wasn't that jaw dropping but there is a bit of a twist at the end which almost seemed thrown in unnecessarily. Overall though I really liked this story. I think it's much more of a dramatic suspense story than thriller.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!
The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones had tons of potential but unfortunately fell flat in a few areas!
When three couples head to Portugal to celebrate the wedding of one of them, drama ensues and deep secrets are revealed that threaten to tear relationships apart. I was immediately intrigued by this story line! However, The Guilt Trip had a whole lot of talk and no action for way too long. It was very repetitive, which was unfortunate because other than the repetition, the writing style was great and did drawn me in from the start!
I also did not care for the turn that things took around 90% of the way through. Not only did from there to the end feel very rushed, especially compared to the slow burn up until that point, but it was very unrealistic and just too much.
I'm rating The Guilt Trip with 3 stars because I did enjoy the whole destination wedding scene and the smart writing style.

Wow. Wasn't sure at first, what I was getting with this story but it ended up being even better than I had thought when I'd read the premise.
So many lies and cover-ups and misunderstandings. And I think I kept waiting for the other penny to drop but that doesn't happy until the VERY end. So enjoy the ride while it lasts.
Rachel is off to Portugal for her brother-in-law's wedding to Ali. Ali annoys basically everyone else, especially Jack, Rachel's husband, who Ali used to work for. And Ali is all set to marry his brother. But is she up to no good? Is she having an affair with Jack? And what of Noah and Paige, Rachel's best friends, who seem to be along for the ride. How will their presence complicate matters?
A really fun domestic thriller. *Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this novel.*

“The Guilt Trip” by Sandie Jones
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙚: 𝙏𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧
𝙍𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝘿𝙖𝙩𝙚: 08/03/2021

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC! This is my first book by this author even though I do have her others on my list! I binged this. I basically read this in one day. If it wasn’t for being exhausted I would have finished it in one day!

A lot of thrillers tend to be slow since there is a lot of build up before the thrill. I found this relatable as a married woman with kids! Rachel and Jack are headed to a destination wedding with their two best friend Noah and Paige. Rachel and Noah have been best friends since University and at one point they both had feelings for each other they ended up marrying other people and having families.
The lucky couple are Will and Ali. Will is Jack’s brother and he introduced the couple at his birthday gathering three years ago. Jack despises Ali, but not for reason you would expect. Once the six get to their villa suspicions are flying, everyone is whispering to each other, and secrets are revealed. While some parts may be predictable with marriage and love the way is plays out is wild.
Suspicions, jealousy, and secrets make this book a must read!

The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones is about six friends traveling to a destination wedding in Portugal. The three couples arrive at a beautiful villa overlooking the beautiful beaches of the Nazare, where there is an itinerary of fun planned before the actual wedding ceremony. The three couples, who have known each other for twenty years…Rachel and Noah have been friends since their days at university. Rachel is married to Jack, they have one son ready to start university himself. Noah married Paige, they also have one daughter also getting ready for university. Both families are facing the future as empty nesters. Will is Jack’s brother, he is the one getting married to Ali, who used to work with Jack. Very confusing, right? Each character has their own secrets which causes issues between the group. Ali seems like a force to reckoned with, Rachel is trying to get to know her future sister in law, but her actions are not easy to ignore. Paige is not a fan of Ali, and as Rachel’s best friend, she seems to be creating more problems rather than help Rachel with her insecurities. Jack is trying to support his brother Will’s choice of a future wife, which is difficult for him, but he is also having a hard time playing nice with Noah.

As the wedding day approaches, secrets start to emerge and they are so shocking it’s difficult to let them go. The friends are finding it hard to trust each other. Then things really get messy. It is a thriller, so we all know there is going to be a murder, but when the story unfolds and the truth starts rearing its ugly head, you will need to be on your A game to understand what is actually happening. The ending is crazy, confusing and seems rushed, with added twists right up until the final page.

The characters are not likable, at all, not one of them. The first half of the book was focused on Rachel and her insecurities, suspicions, and he lack of happiness in her marriage. Jack is a jerk, Noah seems like a flake, and Paige is just a bitch. Will isn’t really a main character, so I don’t have much to say about him, and Ali seems to have self esteem issues, which we do find out when in the end.

Anyone could have easily guessed the ending, or at least the overview of the ending. The author seemed to throw in some twists, but hey really didn’t make sense and maybe weren’t necessary. It just convoluted an already confusing scene. I’m giving this a 2.5 to 3 stars. I think the potential was there, but I felt lost through most of the story and just wanted it to end.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Minotaur Books for an advanced reader copy of this novel in exchange for an honest opinion.

“…Rachel can’t tell which is the lie and which is the truth.”

The Guilt Trip focuses on three couples who are deeply entwined either by old friendships, marriage or blood. They all go away to Portugal for the wedding of one of the couples, and none of them will come out of it the same as secrets are revealed. Rachel, our narrator, has been best friends with Noah since university 20 years ago, and they are married to Jack and Paige respectively. Jack’s brother Will is getting married to Ali, who everyone sees as a party girl.

The books starts with tensions running high right from the first page, and I was excited for a wedding weekend I would never forget. Instead I found that Rachel was painfully naive and oblivious. I am a frequent reader of “domestic suspense” so I found many of the twists to be obvious. Rachel is constantly worried that her husband is involved with Ali, and opines on this on several occasions, and studies the evidence for countless pages.

The end of the book took a shocking turn, but it was also unbelievable and absurd; with an epilogue that made it even more confusing and odd. 80% of the book was setting up the last 20% that was rushed. While I didn’t love this book, I would recommend it to someone that hasn’t read a lot of the genre. It was fun, quick, light, but a bit too obvious.

2.5 Stars - Rounding up to 3

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Minotaur Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

Rachel and Noah are old friends from college. Fast forward a couple decades later and Rachel is now married to Jack, and Noah is now married to Paige. Jack’s brother, Will, is getting married to the young and beautiful, Ali. Will and Ali will be married in Portugal, so all 3 couples travel together for a wonderful weekend.

After they arrive in Portugal, things start to go a little sideways when Ali starts to make bad impressions on many of the group. Finally Rachel makes a shocking discovery about Ali that could change everything. Now the secrets of the entire group start to spill one by one. Will this weekend be ruined?

Overall this was a good book and I thought it was a quick and easy read. If you enjoy storylines with plenty of secrets and lies, you may really enjoy this one. This would be a perfect beach read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) on August 2, 2021.