Sandie Jones’ newest book The Guilt Trip had me on the edge of my seat on every page! Six friends travel together to a gorgeous vila in Portugal for Ali’s and Will’s wedding. Will’s brother Jack and sister-in-law Rachel were not looking forward to spending time with Ali. They dragged Noah and Paige along for the trip. Ali can’t help but rubbing everyone the wrong way. Rachel is really trying to get along with Ali. Jack is trying to make his brothers wedding go smoothly. Until one fatal misunderstanding……


Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this amazing ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Three couples set out for Portugal for a destination wedding. Innocuous and fun right? It’s anything but. This book is rife with betrayal, lies, deceit, and truly ugly characters. I was a complete voyeur while reading. I was the snoopy neighbor listening at keyholes to get all the dirt. Jones leads readers on a merry chase. Who is having an affair with whom? Who is lying about what, whom, and why? The wedding is kind of an after thought with all of the drama swirling about the three couples. The ending was explosive. I loved it. I could barely tear myself away in my haste to find out the truth for myself. Some of it I figured out, but there was plenty more to be discovered. Whatever you do, think twice about a destination wedding with a terrace.

I have never read a book by Sandie Jones before but when I saw this title I knew I was intrigued. The Guilt Trip is a Domestic thriller that is such a slow burn. The last 20 to 30 percent is when things begin to come together.

Rachael, Jack, Paige and Noah are all going to Portugal for a wedding. All seems perfect from the outside but secrets, lies and betrayal loom underneath. Nothing is what it seems on this beautiful get away.

I thought I nailed this story from the start. But when I finished it, I had it all wrong. I was glad I was wrong though because what happen actually surprised so much and the ending was perfect.

If you are in the mood for a slow burn with a major plot build up that turns into a large dumpster fire by the end, then this book is for you.

But reader beware, if you do have issues with cheating in novels then you may want to skip this read.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Books for this Arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I am a big fan of Sandie Jones and was so excited to get early access to this one. This was such a quick read. It took me a little while to get into the book because the characters were not super likable, but I think that’s partially the point. My biggest complaint was that the ending was so quick and abrupt. I was left wanting more, little more insight and explanation of what happened. But overall, this was a quick fun read and I’ll continue to read this author.

couldn't get past the first few pages - I found nothing appealing about the characters, and was turned off right away.

Sandie Jones is a master of the twisty plot. Loved the First Mistake, couldn't put it down! The Guilt Trip didn't have as many shocking moments, but still had me on the edge of the seat. Three couples take a trip to Portugual. Each of the six has a history with someone in the group other than their spouse and no one is as they seem. I am still unclear on what exactly was truth and what was lies by some of the characters! If you are looking for a story that will keep you guessing, pick up the Guilt Trip. Thank you NetGalley for the advance readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

DMF I gave up on this book halfway through because the middle was so unbelievably slow and repetitive.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this novel, which RELEASES AUGUST 3, 2021.

Let me begin by saying that I absolutely love everything about this book. Sandie Jones has outdone herself. I thought her previous books were good, but this one truly takes the cake. All of the characters in this novel are unique in personalities and makes you wonder why they are all truly friends and why they stick together. The deep dark secrets start coming out and you begin your emotional rollercoaster of mixed feelings and non-stop betrayals.
Ali ended up being my favorite character. In the very beginning I thought she was beyond annoying with her quirks and overbearing personality, but that just goes to show how talented Sandie Jones is with her writing style. Rachel and Jack were your goal couple, your end game. Their history and dedication to each other was off the charts. So what happened to Jack? Why is he so angry at Ali? What is really going on? I wish I could tell you, but I can’t!! Read the book! So much drama, so so much angst, and most of all SO MUCH of the past comes launching high into their focus once secret after secret gets spilled.

Who can you trust? Who should you believe? Why can they not have a lovely weekend and not have to try to pinpoint the villain? They say Happily Ever After is the dream come true… I think closure is topping the number one spot for this crew. Paige, Noah, Rachel, Jack, Will, and Ali will all become your next reality stars in this epic novel.

Get your copy as soon as you can once it’s published, it’s a MUST READ. Thank you to NetGalley and Sandie Jones for allowing me an advanced copy. I’m so excited to have won on Sandie’s facebook page. Can’t wait for your next debut, You’re truly talented.

I was extremely excited to read another book by Sandie Jones as I really enjoyed “The Other Woman.” The Guilt Trip did not disappoint and I felt transported to Portugal.

I liked the characters, plot, and did not see the ending coming! Sandie Jones is an author I will continue to reach for when looking for a easy, enjoyable thriller!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Guilt Trip is the perfect name for this suspenseful and twisted novel. A weekend away for a wedding in paradise. 3 couples. Secrets. Lies. Cheating. Guilt. A fatal accident. One couple still standing. An engaging story that will pull you in almost immediately. 4 stars of suspense and an ending you won’t see coming.

Three couples. A trip to Portugal for a destination wedding. A gorgeous villa overlooking a scenic and violent ocean. Everything will go smoothly like they always do in this scenario...right?

Rachel and Jack, and their friends Noah and Paige, are not looking forward to the wedding of Jack’s brother, Will, and his future wife, Ali. For one thing, none of them see to really care for Ali...and can’t understand what Will sees in her.

As events lead up to the big day, tension fills the air as Rachel thinks Jack is acting a bit funny, Noah brings up his own history with Rachel, and Ali seems to rub everyone the wrong way and put them on edge.

Revelations come to light that will test everyone’s patience, friendships, and relationships. Not everyone will return to their everyday lives unscathed.

This is more of a domestic drama with a touch of suspense than a thriller. I knew that going in, but it might help others to set expectations.

While I really enjoy Sandy Jones’s writing, The Guilt Trip feels longer than it needs to be as the first half is mostly Rachel and Paige talking back and forth about Ali and the other characters. It’s repetitive and gets old quickly. However, I was engaged enough to want to know what was going to happen, and flew through the book.

While there is absolutely nothing new that blew my mind, I quite enjoyed the direction it went in towards the end that showed another side to some of the characters and their motivations...revelations that would’ve come to light much sooner if everyone took a step back from jumping to conclusions. You know what they say when you assume...

The ending itself lost me as it went into confusing OTT territory that didn’t sync well, finishing with a “twist” that had a significance I didn’t really understand.

Overall, it’s a decent read that has its moments, but surely not one that will stay with me for very long.

Thank you to Minotaur Books for sending me a physical ARC in exchange for an honest review. Expected publication date: 8/3/21.

Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com

The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones
#fiftysecondbookof2021 #arc

CW: adultery, violence

A destination wedding turns disaster when different members of the party are accused of crimes of the heart. Who is telling the truth, and who can be trusted? No one, it seems. I enjoyed this domestic thriller, which focused mostly on suspected adultery, and I spent much of the book switching my loyalties between the characters as the circumstances changed. But I didn’t feel like any real stakes were involved, and none of the characters were super likable other than the groom Will, perhaps because we see him the least. It’s an easy, enjoyable read, and worth picking up if you want to read about mostly inconsiderate people talking about their marriages.

Thank you to @netgalley and @minotaur_books for the advance copy. (Pub date 08/03/21)

Jack’s brother, Will, is about to marry the woman of his dreams. Jack, his wife Rachel and their friends Noah and Paige are travelling to Portugal for the wedding. They have a long friendship including Rachel and Noel being best friends for many years.

Will’s new bride to be Ali is a gorgeous woman who was introduced to Will when she worked for Jack. There is definitely an element of six degrees of separation here. Things quickly take a turn for the worse and the groups past history and secrets look like they are coming back to haunt them.

I had read my first book by this author last year and I truly enjoyed it. This one has a fairly slow build with a lot of teasers mixed in. I think the unknown and the element of secrets being kept hooks you in and makes you want to keep reading. I felt the story really only got interesting towards the very end. I definitely did not guess the ending and thought it was somewhat surprising. Overall, this was a good thriller that should be read by all thriller fans.

If you like psychological thrillers, this is your type of story. We follow Rachel, who along with her husband Jack, her childhood friend, Noah and Noah’s wife Paige (who is best friends with Rachel) are headed for,a destination wedding of Jack’s brother, Will and Ali, a former coworker of Jack’s. Trust No One would be a good mantra to keep in mind as the story unfolds. These three couples share a villa leading up to the wedding and it’s increasingly becoming a pressure cooker. Paige doesn’t like Ali, there’s tension between Jack and Noah, Rachel suspects Ali has a secret and is trying to figure out what is going on. The story held my attention and is great escapist fiction.

The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones was a thriller in what appears to be a new subgenre of "stuff that happens at destination weddings" that's emerging. The story focuses on six friends that make up three couples. Rachel and Noah are college friends who are now married to other people - Jack and Paige - and also insist there has never been anything between them. The two couples are at the wedding of Jack's brother Will and Ali. When the wedding weekend begins, all the secrets start to come out. Well, they start to be revealed different characters. Everyone seems to know something about someone else, and the characters have to weigh who else they should tell as there is some big stuff that is unearthed. Given this is in a subgenre I've identified, I do have to say there are others in this vein I have liked better, but this was an intriguing thriller. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this August 2021 release.

I've had the pleasure of reading two other novels by the author and enjoyed them tremendously. Unfortunately, The Guilt Trip was not in the same league. First of all, there was not one redeemable, likable character in the whole book. More than once, I found the plot farfetched and unbelievable. I hope Jones gets her mojo back for the next novel.

This one ... wow! There was so much going on, so much drama ... it definitely held my interest from beginning to end. This story could have gone so many ways and I was not expecting what happened. Lots of twists and turns. Completely invested in the outcome and the characters.

Will definitely recommend this one!

Thank you #netgalley, #stmartinspress and #minotaur books for the eARC.

this book was so good and i think so many people would love to read this book. the twists and turns about the 3 couples will keep you guessing till the end

A group of friends gets together for a destination wedding. What do you know? There are secrets within the group that start being revealed. This book was frustrating for me to read. There are so many characters it was hard to keep them straight. The ending felt rushed and just didn’t do it for me.

So many secrets!!

I have read two previous books by Sandie Jones, both 5-star reads. I’m giving The Guilt Trip 3.5 stars, and I’ll explain why in some spoilers below.

This book is what I have come to think of as typical Sandie Jones. With every chapter, everyone becomes more and more suspect. You never know who can be trusted, even your own instincts as you read, because as soon as you think you have things figured out, something happens to misdirect you.

There’s a prologue to this where someone is dead. We clearly don’t know who, just that there’s a policeman asking someone if they knew the deceased. Cut to chapter 1 where everyone but Will is at the airport getting ready to leave for Portugal. Ali is being what appears to be her typical flighty and boisterous self, to the annoyance of everyone else. But she’s marrying Jack’s brother, so she’s going to be part of the family so they have to at least try to get along.

Throughout the book, we learn a lot of back story and a whole lot of secrets. Everyone, with the exception of Will, seems to have a secret in this story. Jack has a secret about Ali. Ali has a secret about Jack. Rachel and Noah have a secret from when they were in university together. Ali discovers a secret in Portugal. Paige is confronted about a secret. There’s more, but I don’t want to say too much.

The story is told mainly from Rachel’s perspective. I wouldn’t call her naïve exactly, but she seems to be the least worldly. When Jack reveals the secret he has about Ali, Rachel wants more information because she doesn’t want Will to be hurt. While she’s looking for information, she finds things that throw suspicion on others, and I feel like she is too quick to give everyone but Ali the benefit of the doubt.

I don’t want to give too much away because, as I said, Jones is very good at misdirection and I don’t want to spoil this for anyone who doesn’t figure things out. The story is definitely faster paced at the beginning, and I think there are elements at the end that don’t necessarily add up for the story, which is why I knocked it down to 3.5 stars. Still worth the read though, especially if you’re already a Sandie Jones fan.

***SPOILERS***

So the major thing I didn’t like about this is how Ali is portrayed once we find out she really isn’t the villain here. When Ali’s relatives talk with Rachel, they talk about Ali as if she should be sainted or something. Everything she does, she does for good. She stayed with her mother 24/7 for two years because she blamed herself for the accident that put her mother in a wheelchair. She created a new persona after losing a lot of weight because she didn’t want a reminder of the bullying she experienced for being morbidly obese. She would never do anything to hurt Rachel, so she wanted Jack and Paige to come clean before she exposed them to Rachel herself. She can see clearly how Rachel and Noah are still in love and meant to be together.

The other piece that bothered me was all the “stuff” that happens to wrap up the story, which doesn’t really wrap it up at all. The climax of the story is when Rachel confirms that Jack and Paige have been having an affair for a couple of years, and then a car slams through the wedding reception, running down multiple guests. Jack and Ali are both seriously injured, Noah seems not to be injured at all, and Paige is missing. Clearly, we are to believe that Paige was driving the car. However, when we find out at the end that Jack’s watch was found in the car, and he had thrown out the theory to the police that Ali might have been driving the car and jumped out at the last minute, we are expected to assume that someone (Ali?) is trying to place Jack in the car because Rachel had found his watch in Ali’s room. But then the epilogue indicates that Rachel put the watch in Paige’s purse, so are we to assume that Paige was in the car alone?

You see what I mean? It left a lot of questions for me, and in a story like this one, you really want to know what happened. You don’t want to get to the end of a thriller and not know who the real bad guy is.