Solid light psychological thriller that started off slow, built to a decent peak and left off with a convoluted and rather confusing ending. Love this author but not my favorite from her.

This title is the perfect name for this trip to Portugal for a destination wedding!
⭐⭐⭐ + Stars
Noah and Rachel has been friends since college and everyone was sure they would married ~ yes they did but not to each other; they are actually friends now as married couples Rachel and Jack, Noah and Paige.
Jack’s brother Will is marrying beautiful Ali in a gorgeous Portuguese villa and our couples are attending.
Story starts with the two couples plus Ali traveling by plane. However, before leaving Ali claims she doesn’t have her passport creating drama at the airport. Jack and she return to the car and sure enough it is there. Ali’s behavior is only the beginning of a lot of drama. Ali has worked for Jack and yes she will be his sister-in-law but he doesn’t seem to like her.
Strange things happen to Ali all the time! Everyone believes she ‘just embellishes the truth’ or Ali is just being Ali! But can anyone trust anything she says?

Things get totally crazy at the wedding. There are twists and turns lies, secrets and Ali isn’t the only one telling lies embellishing or exaggerating the truth.

The end actually left me speechless!!

Want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press ~ Minotaur for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for professional review purposes.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for August 17, 2021

Three couples travel to Portugal for a wedding. They are staying at a gorgeous villa on a cliff overlooking the ocean. Rachel and her husband Jack, along with their friends Paige and her husband Noah are not looking forward to the wedding of Jack’s brother Will to Ali. Rachel and Paige are best friends and Noah is Rachel’s childhood friend. Jack was previously Ali’s boss.
Nobody, other than Will, seem to care for Ali and they can’t seem to understand what Will sees in her. Rachel begins to notice that Jack acts strangely around Ali and begins to wonder if there’s something going on between them. She confides in Paige who is totally ready to fully support her friend. However, there is history between Rachel and Noah and Jack is uncomfortable with it.
As the weekend leads up to the wedding, secrets come out that threaten to hurt friendships. At the wedding, things take a disastrous, fatal turn.
I thought the book was well-written but dragged at times. First book I’ve read by this author and while I will read more books by this author I’m not sure this one should be as long as it is. I did predict one aspect of the story but didn’t see the twist at the very end.

First of all, I love Sandie Jones' books. However, this book was not bad but it wasn't good either. There is a disconnect between the character and me, the reader. I love a good mystery; however, the story started with a suspect and throughout the whole story this character was the main suspect. When a story starts with a suspect I usually disregard this person. Especially when I know the writing style of the author. Sandie Jones is a master of twists and turns of a good mystery. However, the evidence against this person was very weak. Which was very shocking to me as I know this author. Characters never had any depth. Every character is very on the surface. I feel that their background story didn't have a whole picture. Perhaps it was too many characters comparing to her other books. The last five sentences were a huge twist that I didn't see coming and that's the author that I come to love. However, this story left me feeling empty and wondering what happened.

Thank you to Martin's Press and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sandie Jones never disappoints! This novel takes us to a beautiful villa for an exclusive wedding between two members of a 6 person friend group! This group is full of secrets and as their time together adds up, so does the suspicion between them! Honestly, I don’t want any of them as friends in real life and they are all deplorable for the most part, but the characterizations are believable as is the conflict between them! This is a true story of an unreliable narrator AND character cast. No idea who to believe, who to trust, or who to side with!

I devoured this book in a day on the beach and it did not disappoint right down the very last page and word!

Three couples headed to Portugal for a wedding - but complications ensue and there is a lot of "twists' and turns among the players. I wouldn't necessarily say this was a thriller (maybe a light suspense novel with a soap opera feel) and I was able to figure out the direction it was headed (which is why the twists were not surprising). I did enjoy reading the book, even though I did think some things didnt make perfect sense.

This one lost me. I felt like I was reading text threads with all the conversations between characters. And it felt like not a ton happened. Truth be told, it took me a while to finish this book, because I felt like I was reading the same thing over and over. Sorry, I do not recommend.

This book is about six friends who travel to Portugal for a wedding and uncover secrets that threaten their friendships and even lives. All of the characters in this book were unlikeable, who all jump to conclusions, spread rumors, and generally betray everyone else in the friend group for their own selfish reasons. That doesn't necessarily turn me off from a book, but it seemed like the plot gradually got more and more ridiculous to the point of unbelievability on the part of the characters' behavior. If the reader can suspend their disbelief, I think they will enjoy this book for what it is, a fun thriller with lots of misdirection.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It was well paced with enough teasing of the mystery that it kept me ready but did not frustrate me. I began to suspect one character over another, but it was well-plotted and engaging and I'd definitely recommend it to other mystery fans.

The Guilt Trip is such a hard book to rate! I went into it thinking it was going to be a thriller/murder mystery similar to The Guest List, but it was not that at all. The book starts with someone dead, but with no information on who/how. I wouldn’t even categorize the book as a thriller, but more of a drama. The “conflict” throughout the book somewhat weak and repetitive for me. However, I do think the last 10% of the book was a what the heck is happening in a good way. There was also some unnecessary fatphobia and unlikeable characters that the book could have done without.

3.5 rounded up


Thank you to the author, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for providing an early copy to review!

Too many cookie cutter characters that were all equally unlikable.   Very slow and repetitive, 'is he?', 'is she?', 'are they?' over and over until I wanted to push them all off a cliff.  Did not like. Would not recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Minotaur Books for a gifted copy of The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones. All opinions are my own.

A group of six friends and family travel to Portugal for a destination wedding. Ali is the only new member of the group. She is marrying Will in Portugal. The story is told by Will's sister in law, Rachel. How well do you know your friends and family? Secrets start coming to the surface as the group of six share a villa in the days leading up to the wedding.

This book starts at a very fast pace. It was one that I didn't want to put down. The middle moves a little slower but it still held my attention and kept me wanting to know more. There are old secrets and new secrets that will keep you guessing who is telling the truth.

Sandie Jones has become one of my favorite modern authors. I have enjoyed all of her books including this one and look forward to her future books.

Mystery & Thrillers
Women's Fiction
Release Date: August 3, 2021

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free e-book ARC copy of this book in exchange for my review.

I'm in the minority here, but I really didn't like this book. There were parts I did really like, I did have page-turning moments, then it would switch and I would find my mind wandering. I would have stopped reading had this not been an ARC, but I wanted to give it a fair chance to review.

For me, this is a 2 star book = 'it was ok' But I do seem to be the outlier for most of this style of book, so maybe it's just me.

It took me forever to finish this book. Three couples vist Portugal from the US for a destination wedding. Then the relationships get complicated. They also get stupid. The main character Rachel, was so annoying I wanted to smack her in the back of hte head. The climax is ridiculous.

I do not recommend this book.

First off, I love Sandie Jones books. You don’t really know someone until you’ve traveled with them. Also… things aren’t always what you think they are. Love this story and really enjoyed getting to know all 3 couples. Sandie Jones writes phenomenal quick paced thrillers.

Three couples head to Portugal for a destination wedding. They left as friends and returned as suspects. The sad thing is... it didn't have to end this way. There were signs that something wasn’t right before getting on the plane and dealt with immediately. Trust and betrayal plays out over the next few days and what should have been a happy occasion for all, is anything but happy.

I’m not really into reading about petty accusations and infidelity, but the author had me captivated and I couldn’t put the book down. It was as if I had a front row seat to the unraveling of friendships and marriages continuously sitting with one hand over my mouth, gasping at what was unfolding. There were plenty of red herrings and lots of ‘he said’ ‘she said,’ but a perfect read to beat the heatwave here in the south.

Sandie Jones gives just enough information to make you turn the page, and the fluid plot reads like a movie in your mind. She executed this story with the precision of a surgeon. The cover is brilliant as it foreshadows the darkness ahead and creates a great sense of foreboding, capturing the essence of the story. The reminder of things not being always as they seem as well as to ensure you have all the facts before placing judgement, is what our current society needs. It's amazing the carnage when ONE person makes a split second decision without realizing how many lives it will affect.

If you are a lover of mystery and suspense you will most certainly want to read The Guilt Trip. Without any spoilers, the secrets and lies that are formed in this threesome are jaw-dropping. You’ll change your mind on who to believe several times and even then, you’re still left wondering at the end "do I have this right?"

You never really know someone until you travel with them.

Truth?!

Three couples head to Portugal for a destination wedding. Three couples with a history. They left as friends, but they returned as suspects. The sad this is, it didn't have to end this way. There were signs that something wasn’t right before they even got on the plane and it should have been dealt with immediately. Trust and betrayal plays out over the next few days and what should have been a happy occasion for all is anything but happy.

I’m not really into reading about petty accusations and infidelity, but my curiosity got the best of me! Before long, Jones had me captivated and I couldn’t put the book down. It was as if I had a front row seat to the unraveling of friendships and marriages and I was sitting with one hand over my mouth, gasping at what was unfolding and the other feverishly turning pages to see who the ‘villain’ was. There were plenty of red herrings and lots of ‘he said’ ‘she said,’ but I thought this was a perfect read to beat the heatwave here in the PNW. The ending surprised me and I had to re-read to make sure I understood what had just happened!

I like how Sandie Jones writes. She gives just enough information to make you turn the page and the fluid plot reads like a movie in your mind. She executed this story with the precision of a surgeon.

The cover is brilliant! It foreshadows the darkness ahead and creates a great sense of foreboding, capturing the essence of the story fully.

I loved the constant reminder that things aren’t always as they appear and that we should make sure we have all the facts before placing judgement. It's amazing the carnage when ONE person makes a split second decision without realizing how many lives it will affect, both in the present and in the future.

I was gifted this book by Sandie Jones, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones is another page-turner!!! I really enjoyed getting to know these three couples, wading through all the drama. This is an absolutely perfect beach read!!!!

There were a lot of characters to follow in this one: some had known each other for years and others are just meeting for the first time. Ali and Will are getting married and they’ve invited only a select few to their destination wedding on the coast of Portugal. 2 guests, Jack and Rachel, are married. Paige and Noah are another married couple. Will and Jack are brothers. Rachel and Noah have known each other for over 20 years. Jack doesn't want Will to marry Ali, but what is the reason? Every characters is hiding something from the others and this wedding is the tipping point. The secrets will come out as the tension and suspense build with the rising action. If you are a lover of mystery and suspense you will most certainly want to read The Guilt Trip. Without any spoilers, the secrets and lies that are formed in this threesome are jaw-dropping. You’ll change your mind on who to believe several times and even then you’re still left wondering at the end do I have this right?

Another great book by this author. She has a way with fast paced plots and believable characters. She has become an auto buy
Y author for me . Pick it up you want regret it