Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC! This book was exactly what I expected. A quick mystery read. The first half of the book felt a big dragged out and repetitive and the second half felt rushed with a lot of action all at once. The twists were a bit predictable but followed the flow of the story. It wasn’t my favorite book, but it was a nice quick summer read.

This for me was a poor mans Guest List. A wedding murder mystery that really never gets of the ground for me. The character are are not likeable and quite caricatures, i never really cared for any of them let alone care about their marital issues. The marital strife is annoying, and worse of all right were i was getting into it, the ending was just weird and the last two pages changed everything and I didnt really understand.

The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones
Three couples head to Portugal to attend a wedding. Ali and Will, one of three couples, are getting married…and what wedding doesn’t come with a whole lot of drama??
These friends have a long history together, and Ali, the newcomer of the group, is disliked by most of them. She’s flirty, needy, and just about everything she does, the other 2 ladies scoff at her!
The truth behind each of the characters begins to unfold, and while it is predictable, it still kept me guessing throughout the entire book!
I absolutely LOVE Sandie Jones, but this book was not one of my favorites. To me, it seemed like a very long, drawn out story that could have been wrapped up so much sooner.
This one comes out on August 3rd.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones
Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the eGalley of The Guilt Trip by @sandiejones_author

I loved The Other Woman so when I was approved for this eGalley, I was psyched to read it. And it was the perfect airplane read for my first post-pandemic trip!

The Guilt Trip follows Rachel and her husband Jack, their friends Noah and Paige, and Jack’s brother Will and his fiancé Ali on their wedding weekend in Portugal. Jack seems to hate Ali and Rachel can’t figure out why.

Rachel and Noah have a past history their spouses don’t know the full story about, Ali keeps rubbing people the wrong way, and Rachel keeps noticing Jack and Ali ending alone together or having innuendo laced conversations. What is really going on?

The Guilt Trip is more focused on the psychological part of the psychological thriller. It opens with letting us know it ends in a death, but we don’t know whose. But instead of being a murder mystery, it is a deep look at a group of friends and their relationships. Not everything or everyone is what they seem. What is the real truth behind the relationships of this group?

I really enjoyed this book. My perspective kept changing on who was lying and what was going on. It kept me guessing until the very end!

#theguilttrip #sandiejones #stmartinspress #netgalley

This is a solid domestic suspense about three couples at a destination wedding. The main focus is on Rachel, and her concerns that her husband, Jack, may be having an affair. From the prologue we know that at least one character ends up in the hospital, but we don't know who or why.

This book was readable and kept me entertained throughout. It's a lot of "Is he cheating?" and "....should I be cheating???" instead of action for most of the book, so if that's not your thing, give it a pass. If you like drama, trash-talking, and back-stabbing in your novels, though, this might just be the one for you! And there is a dramatic ending that includes some good action, so it's not entirely about relationship drama.

My major problem with this one was that the ending was vague and it wrapped up too quickly. More importantly, I don't think the author intended for the vagueness--I think there is a fine line to straddle between leaving things intentionally vague, and leaving out too much and confusing the reader. I'm not sure what she was intending to imply with the ending, and it left me unsatisfied.

Still, I enjoyed reading this book. It was a good time.

*eARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

This book is tagged on Goodreads as a Thriller, and the cover copy suggests that as well. However, I would not classify this book as a thriller at all. This novel is probably better classified as women's fiction, or general fiction.

At its heart, this book is about three couples, most of whom are sleeping with people they shouldn't be. The plot is concerned with who exactly is sleeping with who, and who is trying to keep those relationships secret. In the end, the drama comes from the lengths individuals will go to keep those secrets.

Had I known the true focus of this book, I would not have picked it up. Honestly, this is a storyline I do not find interesting to read about or watch (this book very much reminded me of "reality" TV).

Readers who enjoy dramas revolving around truth and untruth in relationships may enjoy this novel, but it was not for me.

If you like summer thrillers with a beach setting and a sense of impending doom, look no further! The Guilt Trip was a quick read with a suspenseful slow burn, a major plot twist and drama galore.

A few things to note:

✨There were a lot of characters to keep up, and it took me a good minute to get everyone and their stories organized in my brain.

✨There were some major missed opportunities with these characters that could have been avoided by resisting making assumptions and by engaging in simple adult communication.

✨I found the epilogue to be confusing. Was that just me?

All in all, I really enjoyed the Guilt Trip and definitely recommend it for a summer afternoon on the back porch.

My thanks to @NetGalley and @minotaur_books for the opportunity to read this book before its August 3 publication date.

This was nearly a DNF, I ended up skimming just to get through it. I've loved some of Sandie's other books, but this one felt repetitive and the middle got very slow. The ending subsequently felt rushed.

Rachel and Jack. Paige and Noah. Will and Ali. Five friends who’ve known each other for years. And Ali, Will’s new fiancée. The couples travel to Portugal for Ali/Will’s wedding. Everyone is there to get to know Ali better but when Rachel discovers a secret everything changes and things begin to unravel.

Thoughts: Thank you @netgalley and @minotaurbooks for my advance copy! Where to start…the book is marketed as something that it isn’t. I am not sure if that is purposely done or not. All of the characters are pretty unlikeable. Again-not sure if that was the intention. The beginning half of the book started off much stronger but the second half was super confusing and there were so many potholes I was left wondering if pages were missed. Also one of the characters has a total personality change at the end and it’s just well, weird. All that out of the way I will say I liked the atmosphere of the story and it did have some suspenseful elements. All of the lying and surface drama may appeal to some and it does make it an easy read. I just really wanted to like this one more.

I read this straight through in one sitting. I had no idea who did what until the end. This was like a ride at a theme park. I was constantly asking Who? What? No!!!

The story begins with Jack and Rachel. Married with one son at Uni. Getting ready to fly off to Portugal for Jack's brother, Will’s wedding to Ali.

Also on the trip, although no one is sure why, are Noah and Paige. Noah and Rachel have been best friends since their university days. And twenty years later they are still friends but happily married to other people.

Ali is traveling with them as well. She seems to be flighty, well put together, damsel in distress. Always looking to be alone with Jack, which is suspicious. They have all judged her through Jack’s lens since she worked for him for a short time.

When they arrive things just get weirder. Everyone is tense. Most are lying. Rachel finds out something about Ali that changes everything and the lies get crazier. You can feel the tension ratcheting up to an ending that I did not see! And as friends become enemies, there is a big-screen finale!

A definite winner!

NetGalley/August 3rd, 2021 by Minotaur Books

I have been dreading reading this arc just because I’ve never read anything by this author before and with good reason because I was greatly disappointed. I was really excited to receive this arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review because it was categorized as a mystery thriller and those are my favorite. However, this novel is farther from being a mystery thriller that I can even imagine. The first ninety percent read like a family/romance/drama and the last ten percent had a slight resemblance to a thriller but just barely. I was hoping to find a new favorite thriller novel, but this was definitely not it.

To begin with, The Guilt Trip is about a woman named Rachel and her husband, Jack, who are invited for a weekend to Jack’s brother’s wedding. However, as things get underway, Rachel starts being suspicious of her brother-in-law’s bride and starts to suspect that she may not be exactly who she says she is. The plot was just eh, very mediocre. It wasn’t anything too out there and yet I do enjoy the closed location trope, if it’s done well but, in this case, it was not executed well in my opinion. The first ninety percent of the book read like a romance drama, and I was frustrated because that’s not what I signed up to read. For this reason, it stretched for far too long and what should have been a quick read, became a bit longer one.

Secondly, the characterization was okay, as was everything else in this novel. The characters felt bland and none of them stood out to me and felt even remotely real. I didn’t really care what happened to them and only kept reading because I find it my duty to finish a book to its very end and give my brutally honest opinion of it. I wish we would have seen more into the characters’ psyches, aside from just the romance aspects that they had to other characters in the story. The uninteresting characters made for a rather difficult time getting through the whole story.

Finally, the writing style was okay, if maybe slightly above average for my tastes and preferences. I like the simple writing style; however, it might have been a bit too oversimplified. I am happy to say that it didn’t make the story any harder to read, which is a good thing. However, it also didn’t add anything to the story either, which could have helped immensely in making me feel as if I was immersed in the story and actually living it myself.

In conclusion, I would not recommend this book to thriller lovers because it’s very hard to call this even somewhat close to what a thriller is. Maybe fans of romance dramas would enjoy it or someone who is looking for a rather easy and very forgettable read but otherwise I wouldn’t waste my time. I will check out some of the author’s other works in the future because I would like to give her work another chance and would like to find a book of hers that would resonate better with me and be more my taste.

Three couples from London embark on a four day trip to Portugal. Rachel and Jack and their best friends Paige and Noah are joining a small group of family and friends for the destination wedding of Ali and Will. Will is Jack’s younger brother and Ali is his over the top fiancée, who used to be employed at Jack’s company. Soon after arriving in Portugal, Rachel begins to suspect that there might be something going on between her husband Jack and the soon to be bride. However, Jack is not the only one with a secret. As the clues mount and multiple secrets unfold, what began as an idyllic getaway becomes a complete disaster. This book has more twists and turns than a corkscrew rollercoaster and just when it seems that a resolution is in sight, it spins out of control again with whiplash speed. A twisty good read!

Sandie Jones' books are great beach reads. Are they the best? Maybe not? But if you like a messy friend group, a wedding and possible infidelity in a gorgeous Portugal beachside villa then this is the book for you. I was reading this at the DMV and wishing I was there on the beach with them, Sure, I might have nearly drowned in a surfing accent but I would have had a great view and sardine pate while doing it. I was surprised at the feminist subplot in the book with the ardent feminist not being very nice to her fellow sisters and the character who everyone under estimated having more depth.

What a whirlwind of a book! A group of friends go to Portugal for a small wedding and everything gets turned upside down right from the start.. Betrayals aplenty run through the tightly knit group and you start to question everyone's loyalty. The ending was so unexpected I'm still reeling. Loved it.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc.

I could not get on to read this book. Tried to contact support and they couldn’t help either. Dying to read this.

Gripping thrill ride! Sandie Jones always delivers with her masterful storytelling. The Guilt Trip is everything I love in a suspenseful story. Well written and evenly paced. This book is good from start to finish.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

I have read all of Sandie Jones' thrillers and really enjoy her writing style. She truly knows how to draw you in from the first page and will keep your nose in the book, neglecting everything else you need to be doing until you reach the conclusion. The Guilt Trip has all the elements that make a great thriller: idyllic villa on the coast of Portugal, friends and family gathered for a destination wedding, and secrets aplenty between spouses and friends. Each of the characters is hiding a secret or two from the others and this wedding is the tipping point. The secrets will out as the tension and suspense build with the rising action. This is one wedding getaway that will be unforgettable in all the juicy thrilling ways. If you are a lover of mystery and suspense you will most certainly want to read The Guilt Trip. Thank you to Minotaur Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Great book, kept me up late reading. Tons of twists and turns, lots of betrayals and lies. Every time I thought I had things figured out something else came along. Didn't see the ending coming.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher for the e-ARC of this book, but quite simply, I didn't love it. It reminded me of Girl on a Train, in that, none of the characters were likeable enough for most of the book for me to be invested in what happened to them. I started this book and struggled to get into it, so set it aside, returning nearly six week later, knowing I just had to check it off my list. I did, and though the ending was a little like Big Little Lies, it never got off the ground for me.