I expected this one to be a bit of a locked room mystery with a destination component (a la THE GUEST LIST), but it wasn’t that. It’s being described as domestic suspense, and since there’s a spectrum to that, I’d say it seems to be in the ‘domestic drama’ end of the spectrum - further away from the ‘high suspense, twists and thrills end.’

Sadly, as I was reading this latest book, I went into ‘revise’ mode. This is when my brains begin to cut and rework the scenes WHILE I’m reading, which is not only unenjoyable, but it takes me right out of the story. Once that switch gets flipped, I know I should probably just put the book down because it isn’t working for me.

There are so many incredible writers in this genre -- Riley Sager, Jennifer Hillier, Lisa Gardner ( I could go on!) -- who work SO VERY HARD to always keep things interesting and boil their story down to its basic elements -- to avoid non-essential details, repetition and meandering - out of respect for their reader and to tell a better tale. I NEVER go into revise mode when I read them because I get so pulled into the story and the world and the characters that they’ve created.

Unfortunately, I didn’t feel that kind of care was taken with this particular book.

People rave about THE OTHER WOMAN, the first book by Jones, which I haven’t read yet. She must be a writer with considerable talent given all the praise that book got, so I think I should definitely give that a read at some point!

This one comes out on August 3, and while I wouldn’t personally recommend it, fans of Sandie Jones and those who enjoy domestic drama will most likely love this read!

This was a slow start and never really got any better for me. It was a very typical domestic thriller - group of friends go on vacation, secrets are revealed, and someone ends up hurt. The very end was better than the beginning, making the read worth it overall, but it took a while to get there.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The only guilt I feel right now, is that I was reading this instead of my other books.

It was some kind of mediocre with a twist of odd. 85% of the book focuses almost exclusively on various forms of infidelity and then like it knew it was running out of steam, it quickly turned into a suspense read with few pages left to iron out that portion of the story.

I was drinking red wine the first time I finished, so I forced myself to go back and read the last 15% again. I assumed that my wine goggles had mislead me. Nope 20/20 over here. It didn’t do anything for me the second time either. From a quick look at other reviews on Netgalley, I might be the minority – but I feel fairly confident in this ol’ opinion of mine.

Still interested? I guess you want to know what it’s about.

Six friends, three couples, attend a gorgeous villa in Portugal for one duo’s wedding. Once there, secrets are the name of the game and everyone has plenty. A once tight-knit group slowly unravels with friendships and marriages being equally threatened.

Unfortunately highly disappointed in this one. I went in with really high hopes, based on another book by her.

I didn’t feel tension. I felt the similar storyline to another recent getaway story…

Three couples, a destination wedding and a beautiful villa perched on a cliff in Portugal. What could go wrong to ruin this idyllic getaway?
They are all there to celebrate the wedding of Jack’s brother Will and his future wife, Ali, who used to work for Jack. Rachel and Noah have been friends since University and may have been something more before Jack came into Rachel’s life. Noah’s wife, Paige and Rachel have gotten very close over the years and they each have a child in college. Rachel and Paige is are suspicious of Ali and insist that there is something that she is hiding.
Everyone on this trip is holding their own secrets that could ultimately tear them all apart. As they get closer to the wedding, the secrets are starting to spill out. When secrets are revealed, how many lives will be ruined and relationships torn apart?
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review! 4.5/5

Th Guilt Trip is a quick and easy read. The tension mounts from the first page of the novel and rapidly escalates in the last 4th of the story.
This the the story of three couples traveling together to an idyllic destination wedding off the coast of Portugal. The scenery is lovely and the villa is beautiful for what's sure to be a fabulous wedding. (The COVER is gorgeous!)
Ali is the bride and she's a little flighty and also younger than the other friends. Characters were constructed nicely through the novel as we see the secrets and twists revealed.
While it was atmospheric, it was ultimately suspenseful but the voice of the writer was a bit juvenile. I wasn't fully invested in the characters but I went along for the ride and was rewarded with a twisty, delicious (yet abrupt) ending. This is my 2nd Sandie Jones novel and I will continue to be a fan. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the galley.

3 couples are in Portugal for the destination wedding of Ali and Will. Will's brother Jack and his wife Rachel are there, along with Paige and Noah. Noah and Rachel had a relationship years ago, and have claimed to be 'just good friends' ever since. Jack was Ali's boss for a while. Paige and Rachel are best friends.

All of the couples are keeping secrets from each other, and as the trip continues and lots of alcohol is drunk, clues and innuendos are spilled forth. The story is told from Rachel's point of view, and both Rachel and Paige are clearly feeling the effects of being in their forties and mothers of kids. Both find Ali very annoying, and it promises to be a difficult time to all stay friends on the trip.

The novel took several turns that I did not expect and the ending was very surprising. However, this doesn't mean that I didn't guess one of the major twists from early one - I knew the identity of the adulterer without being fully aware of the relationships that were involved.

The book started well and kept me interested initially, but it definitely dragged in the middle. I felt several of the plot points were repeated too often, and there were a few hokey clues given that just didn't seem necessary.

The Guilt Trip by Sadie Jones

I was very excited to get an early copy of The Guilt Trip by Sadie Jones- I loved her previous novel, The Other Woman. Unfortunately, this one was a miss for me.

The novel starts with the group going away for a wedding. They don't like the bride- and honestly the reader is pushed not to like her either. Most if not all of the characters are unlikable and make poor decisions. I kept waiting for anything to happen, but this was just a very slow set up and I struggled to get through the first half. At that point, I decided to not continue with the novel.

With so many characters, there was not much development for them, we were left wondering how these people even maintained relationships for all these years. It just didn't add up.


I am very surprised by this book's lack of story and character development because The Other Woman was such a memorable thriller to me.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝:⁣⁣⁣⁣
◘ That cover is gorgeous.
⁣⁣⁣
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐝:⁣⁣⁣⁣
◘ What the actual shit? What. The Shit. Had all 6 characters sat in a round table and just talked for 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 2 minutes, there would be no drama or confusion. Obviously, there would be no book either, but holy shit communication goes a long way.
◘ Every character was stupid. STUPID. DUMB AS ROCKS. They all became insecure morons and made the worst decisions. I suspect my husband is cheating? Well instead of approaching him, I'm gonna wait it out. I'm gonna wait til I catch him with his pants down. I'm gonna wait until a wedding to see if I could ruin everyone's day.
◘ This felt like a soap opera with over-the-top drama. The cesspit of infidelity and secrets and various unreliable characters (𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴?) (who cares) was just too much packed into an already shaky plot. Also I could not keep track of who was married to who. Don't ask me why.
◘ That ending. Like... what tha fuck? Left field. Random.
⁣⁣⁣
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠:⁣⁣⁣
★★☆⁣⁣⁣⁣☆⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣☆⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
I'm not sorry... no. This was just not good. Too much stupidity. Too many unlikable characters. The ending was bizarre. I got this in eARC 𝘢𝘯𝘥 audiobook, very thankful to be approved twice.

I loved the setting and backdrop of this story but I had a hard time connecting with the characters. For a middle aged adult group of couples, the drama and conflict felt very immature. The ending, although abrupt, was definitely a twist and very unexpected.

The first half of this book was entertaining, Jones did a great job building suspense and making me unsure of what was happening. Since this is a thriller, the first suspicions are usually the wrong ones, and the author did a great job leading our mind certain ways and even caused me to doubt myself.

I did however feel that the second half of the novel and the ending were a bit confusing. It felt like Jones was trying to make to many "ah-ha" reveals, and in some ways it made the reveals less entertaining for me. I also felt that it took a little long for reveals to happen, and hoped that the first half of the book would have a couple reveals that would keep me wanting to read.

Overall, this was an enjoyable book. I was able to get into it and it kept me wanting to read to find out what would happen next. I received a copy of this from NetGalley and the publisher for an open and honest review. All opinions are 100% mine.

While I enjoyed the atmosphere and setting of this book, I didn't really feel that it should be classified as a thriller. Even mystery felt like a stretch. The story focuses on 6 friends who are coupled up and extremely dysfunctional. This ultimately was a disappointing slow burn for me.

I was disappointed in this story as it lacked anything that would involve being a thriller. The only good part of the book was the setting. The characters were boring and immature while the story was just plain boring. This could have been great but it was just a gossipy/rumor-has-it/hot-mess of a story.

Perfect weekend read! An excellent book to read by a lake or by the pool. Twisty, turn-y, and keeps you guessing. Very enjoyable.

The Guilt Trip was a bit different than I expected. It was more of a domestic drama rather than a triller. The plot was a little slow at first as all the relationships and characters were explained and developed. During the second half of the book as secrets and twists were revealed the pace picked up.

I had a couple of small problems with the book. The first was there was a lot of inner dialogue by the narrator that was repetitive at time and made the story drawn out. The narrator also had a few flashbacks that were thrown in to explain a past scenario. These flashbacks we’re well defined and it was often difficult to tell when the events and conversations were happening. Another problem I had was that most the characters were unlikable (especially the main character). The characters that were “okay” were underdeveloped and I never felt a connection to them.

Overall this was a quick, easy read with interesting twists and a shocking ending that makes it worthwhile despite some issues with the storytelling.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC.

Three couples travel to the coast of Portugal for a destination wedding. Two couples, Paige and Noah and Rachel and Jack are married and are longtime friends. The third couple is the bride and groom to be. Flighty Ali is more than a decade younger than the other couples. Will, the groom, is Jack’s younger brother.

On the surface, everything looks perfect. The rented villa is gorgeous, the scenery is breathtaking, the rehearsal dinner is beautifully staged and the wedding location, on terraces cantilevered on the side of a cliff, is stunning. But what is under the surface is the problem. Everyone has a secret. Some are innocent. Some are not and some will prove deadly.

The Guilt Trip is one twisted thriller. Just when you think you have it figured out, another secret is revealed. I read this in one sitting and you will too. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Sandie Jones for this ARC.

Three couples travel together to Portugal for a wedding. The bride-to-be, Ali, is new to the group who have known each other for years. However, Ali is not the person she appears to be and more than one secret is being hidden by Ali and others in the group. By the end of the weekend one of the six is dead and one of them is guilty. As the story unfolds, it is hard to distinguish between the truths and the lies. Who can be trusted and who has their own agenda, who hasn‘t ?

The Guilt Trip is a quick and easy read, with tension mounting significantly towards the last quarter of the book. It kept my attention and kept me turning the pages. It felt like a bit like a soap opera, which isn’t a bad thing for a quick thriller that had a beach read feel !

Special thanks to NetGalley and St.Martin‘s Press for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Pub Day: August 3, 2021

I have enjoyed Sandie Jones’ previous books, however, like those, it’s the first half that I enjoyed, but the second half dragged and it was hard to finish - I found myself skimming to get through it. I wanted to like this a lot, especially since her books start on such a high note. I will certainly still read her books, but I did feel a letdown, especially after being a Reese’s Book Club pick previously.

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for an e-galley in exchange for my honest review.

There are definitely two halves to this book. The first half where I was just meh. I'll keep reading, but all of these people are annoying me. Then the second half where I had my holy crap moment and the detective in me kicked in trying to figure out who was actually telling the truth. Rachel annoyed me the most throughout though. I definitely did not see that ending. I did feel like I had to piece some of it together at the very end. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy of The Guilt Trip. This was one of those books that are on the slower side but at the same you can’t not finish it. I needed to know how it ending and let’s just say it wasn’t what i thought.