I loved loved loved it!!

I previously read The Other Woman by Sandie Jones and enjoyed that very much as well, but I thought this was even better!

There are so many twists and turns throughout the book that I could not put it down because I just HAD to know. I was very pleased with all the revelations and how the book ultimately turned out.

It's well written, it's quick-paced and it's got some characters you will love to hate and love to love.

If you like reading mysteries/thrillers, this is one you should not miss. Is it revolutionary? No, but it is so very enjoyable and for books of this genre, that's basically a 4-star review in my book.

I DO have a question about the epilogue but I feel like I can't say much more than that until YOU read it too!

When Rachel, Jack, Paige and Noah fly to Portugal for Jacks brother’s wedding to Ali, no one is exactly excited. Rachel and Noah are old college friends. And Jack introduced his ex coworker Ali to his brother Will. All these intersections weaved together make for some very interesting drama once they arrive! Rachel begins to suspect something is off because Jack isn’t in a good mood around the bride to be and Ali is annoying the bunch with her outlandish stories and attitude. When little secrets start to emerge about each of them, they could never imagine what it will lead to in the end. I flew threw this book! Couldn’t put it down. All the characters seemed suspicious and/or like they were hiding something. I just wanted to know the truth ASAP! Ms. Jones has another hit on her hands for sure! This is a great summer read! And a reminder, keep your friends close and your enemies closer!

Rachel and Jack, Noah and Paige, Ali and Will are all headed to Portugal for Ali and Will’s wedding. Noah and Rachel had a fling years ago, but thats far from over, right? And why is Jack being so weird anytime Ali is around? Something is going on and Rachel needs to get to the bottom of it.

I’m sad to say this one just wasn’t a favorite for me. I felt like I spent the entire book waiting for something to happen, and when it finally did it was underwhelming to say the least. I didn’t hate it, it was an enjoyable read overall but just not what I expected. While Ali could be infuriating, I also kind of loved her crazy over-exaggerated self! I will say Rachel annoyed me sometimes by not just confronting Jack about what his freaking problem was! I think if you like slow burns this one will be great for you, I just needed something a bit faster paced.

Two couples, Jack and Rachel, Paige and Noah have been good friends for a long time, going all the way back to college. So when Jack’s brother, Will, is getting married it’s only natural they would plan to go together, especially since this is a destination wedding in Portugal. The two couples make plans for an exciting long weekend enjoying fun, food and sea. Traveling to Portugal with them is Will’s fiancé, Allison, who, at one time used to work for Jack and is now a thorn in his side, for reasons Rachel can’t figure out and which cause her imagination to run wild. Allison’s behavior doesn’t help, as she continues to taunt Jack, finagles to see him alone, and insinuates he has something to hide. All of which makes for a most interesting wedding weekend full of surprises.

The individual characters are extremely well developed, especially Rachel. Her imagination runs wild as she imagines what Jack and Allison might have been up to, and we can feel the speed at which she reaches the conclusions she does. Allison, acting as the vamp, brings out the worst in Rachel, Paige and the reader, who will fully buy into the perception of Allison’s deceit. This writer’s skill describes very vividly the guilt trip, and who among us hasn’t taken one.

I wanted to love the characters in this book and empathize with what they were going through, however, all of the characters just seemed to be such a hot mess. They all have some sort of secret which made me wonder why any of them were married at all. Rachel is weak and even though she suspects Jack is cheating on her, she does nothing about it. Noah still loves Rachel and Paige knows it. Will is marrying Ali who seems so flighty that no one seems to like her other than Will. And Jack is a narcissistic jerk. Because the characters were so unlikeable, it made it really easy to not care about what would happen to any of them. I usually love Sandie Jones' books because of the great characters and exciting twist at the end, however, even the twist at the end of this book seemed really farfetched. A fun read but nothing to get too excited over.

Thank you to Netgalley, Sandie Jones, and St. Martin's Press for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first book by Sandie Jones and now I wand to read more by her. I really enjoyed the story and trying to determine what secrets this group of friends were hiding and who was telling the truth. Plus, destination wedding! Yes, please! Also, I think the pacing of this book was great. It really kept me turning the pages. I think this was a really fun book. If you're looking for a beach read, then try this suspense that takes place on the beach.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.

This book was just okay. It was slow at the beginning. Many characters were introduced at once, so I had difficulty keeping straight who was married to whom. For me, this book was predictable and easy to figure out. However, it was an easy read, and would be good for a beach day.

This book left some to be desired. It reminded me A LOT of The Guest List, destination wedding, remote island, secrets between couples. The writing style really felt like I was reading stage directions and that didn’t appeal to me. I wasn’t invested in this story— the first 75% felt really slow and the ending felt rushed. It went from lots of character driven dialogue to a lot of internal dialogue within a page to try to wrap things up. My final rating would be 2.5. Thank you to St. Martin’s press, NetGalley, and the author, Sandie Jones for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book defines character development. Each player in this game has a distinct personality. The writer has made you feel like you know them personally. We have been conditioned to trust or not trust certain people. This makes you feel like you are immersed in this story, watching, feeling it play out. So many twists and turns and jaw dropping moments. There are point where you simply don’t know who or what to believe. One thing is for sure... you never know who you can trust.

I could not put this book down! It was such a page turner. I think my hand cramped from holding my kindle for so long. I love a book with lying, betrayal and karma!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

Rachel and Jack are headed to his brother's wedding to Ali in Portugal and Rachel's best friend Noah and his wife Paige are coming along. The three couples are sharing a house in the days leading up to the wedding and something is off. Rachel isn't sure what is going on with Jack, he claims it is about Ali but Rachel isn't sure. Things are not adding up but she didn't expect it to end this way. A twisty tale that keeps you reading to the end.

This is my 4th book by Sandie Jones so I was excited to dive right in! Unfortunately, I’m extremely disappointed in this book. I don’t know what my problem was but there are so many characters that I was having a hard time keeping everyone and everything straight. Who was married to who? Who was dating who? Who cheated with who? Sadly, I did not finish this at 38%. Just wasn’t working for me. I will definitely look forward to her next novel as I have loved all of her previous ones. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. To be published August 2021.

The setting of this book is perfect. Two couples Jack and Rachel, Paige and Noah travel to a gorgeous villa to attend Will and Ali’s wedding. Most of the story is told from the POV of Rachel. I was a little annoyed with her as she kept on suspecting her husband having an affair and wouldn’t confront him. It was tedious and repetitive. Although she isn’t a saint and she came across as a hypocrite and superficial to me sometimes. It was slow in the first half as most of it was spent on these couples and their shared history which goes back to their college days. Loved the descriptions of this picturesque location.

Most of the book’s pace is languid and spent a lot of time about these people's relationships, their affairs, suspicions, and the ending felt rushed as all the exciting action happened at lightning speed.

Jones has cleverly misdirected the reader to cast their suspicions on a particular character, only to surprise them with a brilliant twist(s) at the end. Though these twists left me with a couple of questions.

Thank you to St Martin's Press, NetGalley and Sandie Jones for an advance copy of this book.

Does anyone else feel like book plots/settings seem to come in and out of fashion? Even since The Guest List, I've seen a lot of books that take place at/after weddings (Her Dark Lies, Every Vow You Break). I'm not complaining - weddings are a great setting for high drama and thrills! So of course I had to pick up The Guilt Trip - thank you to St. Martin's Press for my NetGalley ARC!!

Genre: suspense/thriller, books about friends
Pub date: August 3rd

Three couples head to Portugal for a destination wedding. Ali and Will are to be married, and Will's brother Jack is married to Rachel, who is BFFs with/used to date Noah in college before he met his wife Paige. Cue the drama and danger.

I enjoyed this book because I love books about friends (I even have a Goodreads shelf called books-about-friends for this very purpose). To me, it didn't really matter what happened in the book plot-wise - I just wanted to hear about this group's dirty little secrets. There are some good and surprising plot twists that happen about 80% of the way through the book, but I can understand that some readers won't want to wait that long.

If you are looking for suspense, #DespairOnTheBeach, and characters behaving badly, you might give this one a try. But if you want a mile a minute thriller, this is probably not your cup of tea.

4.25 ⭐️Stars! Pretty good little domestic thriller that kept me pulled in following the story line and then about 80% complete, get ready for a roller coaster ride of emotions. Betrayal, deceit, questioning what you thought you knew, judgment of certain characters and finally explanations of it ALL! As it wraps up nicely….the epilogue throws you for a real loop making you question: Who/What/Huh?! This might be Sandie Jones’ best to date.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were real, the plot took twists and turns that I didn’t expect and it kept me turning pages into the night.

A riveting psychological/domestic thriller! This book is focused on intertwining relationships of a group of people that effect each other. The tension is so extensive that I noticed it made me nervous and I had to put the book down a few times. The anxiety produced due to mistrust is nerve-wracking and guilt producing as the characters blame themselves and each other for the issues.

All the characters are flawed. I was in shock at some of the things going on with them. And you couldn't trust and of them. The story centers around three couples and they all have secrets. The revelations are jarring. Did I like any of the characters? Not really. The all seemed self-absorbed. I did kind of like Noah and Will.

I would have given this four stars except for the ending so I bumped it back to three. I'm still not sure of some things that I really think should have been wrapped up. I'm guessing the author intended to leave the reader questioning, but I really need - after reading the entire book - to have some things wrapped up for sure. Personally I don't like to be left without all the answers.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press / Minotaur Books through Netgalley for a digital advance copy.

I wanted to love The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones, but frankly it reminded me too much of multiple other books that I have read previously with similar storylines. And the thriller/mystery part of the book didn't really come until about 80% in and by then, I wasn't invested in the characters or plot. I also could have done without the fatphobic commentary and the constant slut-shaming of one of the characters. I do like the author's writing but this one missed the mark for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

BRING ON THE DRAMA!

Wow the tea has been spilt and this beach read is as fast paced as the characters themselves. 3 couples are traveling together on a trip to Portugal for a destination wedding. Rachel is married to Jack and begins to put some puzzle pieces together as she wonders if he has really been as faithful as he appears.

Just when I thought I had all the plot figured out...I was blown away by all the twists.

These couples and their friendships become unraveled over the course of a rehearsal dinner amidst drinks out in the beautiful backdrop of Portugal. Who can you trust when the ones closest to you are lying? How well do you know your husband? Wife? Are they a cheater?

I loved this thriller so much that I found myself sneaking a few pages in at every available moment. This is the epitome of beach read mystery with so much drama! I truly felt involved in the couples trip and found myself confused on who to root for.

Way to go Sandie Jones!

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Minotaur books for an advanced reader copy of The Guilt Trip for my honest review.

Oh the guilt trip! Who is guilty and who is not?? The Guilt Trip is one of those books where you don't really like any of the characters but that is part of the author's plan. You also know something really bad happens after the first two pages of the Prologue. Jones did a great job changing the story and the "bad guy/girl" throughout the book so you keep guessing who the did it and who it was done too! The only character that is likable throughout the story is a secondary character that is oblivious to what is going on around him. There is so much going on around him you want to reach through the book and just shake him until he realizes he is surrounded by some very flawed crazy people. Overall, great book that kept me interested and I love any book that makes me want to go on vacation and this one definitely made me want to hop on a plane to Portugal. Thank you NetGalley for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.