This is not a thriller or suspense as advertised but more of a a domestic drama. I did however really enjoy the story. A group of friends all with hidden secrets and likes/dislikes of each other. Ali is the younger "typical blonde" of the group and also the bride who the story centers around and the rest of the group feels is a bit over the top and annoying. As the drama unfolds you question who is hiding what and even who is cheating with who? Once I thought I had it figured out - I was wrong!

THE GUILT TRIP by Sandie Jones is a chilling and twisty domestic thriller that kept me guessing until the end. Three couples travel to an exclusive cliff-side villa in Portugal for one of the couple’s wedding. Rachel and Jack and their longtime friends, Noah and Paige have been invited to Jack’s brother, Will’s destination wedding to Ali. Rachel and Noah were very close back in their university days, but now twenty years later, they are happily married to Jack and Paige. The friends question whether Will has made the right choice in the beautiful, but self-centered, Ali. As the wedding weekend unfolds, several assumptions and misunderstandings lead to secrets and lies being exposed that threaten the friendships and relationships of these three couples. Soon the idyllic setting proves deadly and each character must question who is telling the truth and who they can trust. I enjoyed this fast-paced and suspenseful story and look forward to reading more from Sandie Jones. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy.

The characters were way to stereotypical to be relatable or believable. I barely made it past chapter 2. This was very choppy and not intriguing for a thriller.

4.5⭐️ - I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The premise of three couples headed out of the country together for a destination wedding, with one ending up dead and all remaining characters ending up as suspects caught my attention, along with the beautiful cover. I was pleasantly surprised and did not want to put this book down. Nobody in this story was innocent and I was not able to figure out “who done it” until the very end. I liked how it left me questioning the ending & leaving it somewhat open to interpretation. If you want a quick and easy read, that you don’t want to put down, with a satisfying ending - this is your book!

This is the first book that I have read by this author, (although I do have The Other Woman in my TBR pile). I cannot wait to read her other books!

Thank you NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I do enjoy this author and I really wanted to love this book. I just felt like it was a group of adults acting like children. And are any of them honest about anything? I should say I didn't hate it, I enjoyed it, I just didn't love it.

The Guilt Trip focuses on 6 characters (3 couples) as they navigate a wedding in Portugal.

This was marketed as a thriller but I don’t really think it was a true thriller. It was mostly interpersonal drama and the only thriller moments happen in the last 35 pages. I didn’t like the characters and it all felt a little over done. Their communication skills were terrible which caused the drama. I also think the ending defied all logic. It was unfortunately a miss for me.

I loved this triller book. It was full of many twists and turns. As soon as you thought you had it figured out, a new twist was thrown in the story. I liked it because you never really knew who was at fault until the end. The ending left me speechless! I would definitely recommend this to others.

This was a trip. Literally & figuratively. I loved that you never got a tangible feel for who was the shadiest person! I have a thing morally grey characters, & this was packed with a questionable crew of people. I struggled at times to keep the relationships straight in my head, but that gave a little bit of a “Clue” aspect to the story.
I will say it got a little far fetched for my tastes towards the end, and the conclusion felt a little rushed. The twist didn’t really pop for me because I kept getting taken out of the story trying to keep everyone straight.

Thanks to NetGalley & Minotaur Books/St Martin’s Press for the digital advanced copy!

This was a great book! The surprises that are revealed with the turn of each page make this a story I couldn’t stop reading until the end! The twists and turns did not stop and kept this reader guessing the whole time. This is a must read, page-turning thriller.

Sandie Jones' newest novel centers on 6 main characters: Rachel and Jack, Paige and Noah, and Ali and Will. Ali and Will are getting married and his brother, Jack and good friend Noah are there to enjoy the festivities. Ali seems to irritate everyone with her ditziness, her skimpy outfits and flirtatious manner. Rachel is convinced Ali is after her husband. Paige is disgusted with Ali on behalf of her best friend Rachel. But it seems as though Ali is uncovering secrets that the other 2 couples don't know about. By the time the night of the wedding approaches, friendships and loyalties are being questioned and Ali might not be the person who they all thought she was.

I like psychological suspenses but this one was SO hard for me to get into. The characters annoyed me from the beginning and I pretty much forced myself to finish it. There were so many misunderstandings that it was hard to believe that these characters were all good friends for so many years without knowing what was going on under the surface. I've read other novels by Sandie Jones and enjoyed them but this one just didn't do it for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for early access to this ebook.

I don’t handle drama well. And Ali, the bride of The Guilt Trip, is a drama queen. From the first few pages, she was under my skin. I truly felt for the others, who are all friends of the groom and responsible adults. “There’s only thirteen years between her and Ali, but it may as well be thirty for the way she makes her feel.”
It’s a fun premise. A destination wedding provides an excuse for three couples to stay in a villa in Portugal. It’s a beautiful setting and should be relaxing, but things are tense from the get go.
The story is told from the perspective of Rachel. I’ve always found couple dynamics interesting, especially here. Rachel and Noah were best friends in college but went on to marry others. Here, we get to see the strengths, the insecurities of each of the six. Who gets along with whom and exactly how well. The story mixes the present day with lots of memories and flashbacks.
The book centers on jealousy and pining over the one that got away. It seems everyone is jealous of somebody else. Lots of alcohol, lots of recriminations. To be honest, it got old after a while. It also quickly becomes a question of who to believe. I thought several of the twists were fairly obvious, but I didn’t see the ending coming. That said, to me, it wasn’t a particularly satisfying ending. It seemed overly contrived.
I have a hit and miss relationship with Jones’s books. This one was more of a miss.
My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

Thank you St. Martins, Minotaur, and Netgalley for letting me read this one early. This book publishes August 3.

I just couldn't get into this book because I hated every single character. It was just too much and I need someone to root for. Sorry, I can't recommend this one but I'm sure there will be people who do enjoy it!

This book features 5 friends who are two couples and a new fiancee. The three couples travel to Portugal for the wedding hoping to reconnect with old friends and welcome the newcomer to the group. A secret is found out and everything switches when people start jumping to conclusions.

I was so excited to read this book. It was a first Sadie Jones for me, and I was absolutely NOT disappointed!

The book starts with 3 couples heading to Portugal for a destination wedding for two of the friends in the group, Ali and Will. But you quickly discover that they are not as friendly with each other as they seem.

Filled with twists and turns you honestly don't see coming, you will find yourself anticipating every next move they make! Also finding it almost impossible to put down.

This book was so good! There was so many secrets and lies between the friends, I couldn't wrap my head around what to believe! Which made it that much harder to put down because I felt like I NEEDED to know what was going to happen next.

I would highly recommend this book! It is a must in your TBR pile!

This book was a definite page turner! Life long friend, long time couples, and a destination wedding, what could go wrong? As the secrets start to unravel, no one is safe from the path are headed down. Who can you trust, with fingers being pointed in every direction. Life will never be the same for any of these wedding guest.

Three couples head to Portugal for a wedding. As the days progress, more is revealed about the couples and their relationships with each other. As the story unfolds, it is hard to distinguish between the truths and the lies. Fast read - surprise ending.

A weekend get-away at a beautiful, cliff-top villa in Portugal for a destination wedding sounds awe-inspiring, right? Until its not! Five close friends with complicated histories, and a new-comer who is marrying one of the five settle in at the villa expecting fun and frivolity. But, as often happens, people and things may not be what they seem! As insecurities, strong personalities, and questionable loyalties begin to take their toll, a barrage of secrets, lies, and deception take hold. Skeletons begin toppling from everyone's closets! Who loves who? Who's betraying who? The author creates a whirlwind of twists and turns with an ultimate death among the group. Advice to readers, don't jump to conclusions, you may be surprised! This was my first book by Sandie Jones but it will not be my last! Thank you Sandie Jones, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for the advanced reading copy!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided to me through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to the author and publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

Sandie Jones’s “The Guilt Trip” will take you on a holiday unlike any other you’ve ever been on before. Rachel and Noah have been friends since their college days, and are married to Jack and Paige, respectively. The four take a trip to Portugal for Jack’s brother Will’s wedding to Ali, and things will never be the same.

All I could think while reading this book is “Whoa! What is happening? And why are there soooooo many secrets?” This book will hook you from the very beginning, and the pages will keep turning until the very end. It’s so dark, twisty and just makes you want to keep reading to see what will happen next. It kept me guessing until the very end, and I will definitely be telling my friends to throw this one in their beach bags for their next read.

I'd read and love previous books from Jones, so I had high expectations for this one. Sadly, it didn't meet those expectations.

I wouldn't label this as a thriller. As it focused on three couples, it felt more like women's fiction. This reminded me of reality shows that I choose not to watch. I found it repetitive, and the pace was too slow for the thriller genre. I found myself doing a lot of skimming on this one, particularly since I didn't like or connect with the characters. I hope the author's next book goes back to the formula she used in prior books.

I'm having a hard time reviewing this one. I didn't love it, didn't hate it. The premise was good enough that I was engaged and wanting to know what was going on. However, the story was kind of all over the place and I found it a bit convoluted at times. The characters weren't very likable at all either. It chugged along at a good pace but a bit all over the place at times. The ending was satisfying but also a little wild and over the top and if I'm being honest, I guessed one of the major twists pretty early on in the book.

Overall, it was entertaining!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Ali and Will are getting married and head to Portugal with two other couples - Paige and Noah, and Rachel and Jack. The weekend begins and they start to turn on each other and suspect each other of things.

There were things I liked about this one. I liked the main character Rachel. I liked how the author made you love a character one moment and hate them the next! I was continuously surprised by this book. I did feel it was a bit repetitive and circular with Rachel’s suspicions and thoughts and wanted to get to the point sooner. A good thriller for people who like domestic thrillers and drama.

Thanks to NetGallwy for the advanced evaders copy of the book which will be available to purchase on August 3.