The Guilt Trip is a slow to start novel with all the pieces coming together in the last few chapters. There is a destination wedding where friends and family fly to Portugal. Rachel and Mark are a married couple as are Paige and Noah. They are flying to Portugal with Ali, Mark's future sister-in-law. Ali seems like a gorgeous ditz and Mark has concerns about her marrying his brother.

The secrets between friends are refered to and there is much back and forth over what they want to share with one another. Lots of miscommunication and it reminded me of a television show where everyone misunderstood one another. Jealousy, betrayal and murder are the themes.

While I didn't love ths book it wouldn't stop me from trying another by this author. I just felt it could have been shorter and some "issues" were rehashed more than they ought to have been. In my opinion.
Publication date August 3, 2021 by St Martin's Press. Genre: Women's Fiction, Mystery and Thrillers.
Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy of this book. I was not compensated for the review, all opinions are mine.

ARC Review: The Guilt Trip
Author: @sandiejones_author

Devoured most of this one on a flight from Colorado back home to Florida and then stayed up until 2am to finish it!

This is my third book by Sandie, so I know what to expect by now. Or do I? This book sets the stage right away-anxiety, doubt, questions. As a group of people all interconnected, travel to Portugal to attend the wedding of one of them, we’re left to decide who has a happy marriage already, who doesn’t, and most importantly-why.

Rachel, Jack, Paige and Noah must tolerate Ali, their travel companion and soon-to-be wife of Jack’s brother. Ali is flaky, a liar, a ditzy blond, and probably wants to sleep with your husband. Or does she?

Told over the course of one hellacious and fast-paced weekend, with flashbacks to fill in some details, this reads like a domestic thriller crossed with Agatha Christie. I’ve enjoyed Sandie’s novels, but this may be my favorite. I thought I figured out all the twists and turns. Or did I?

Overall, a great book with which to kick off summer reading season. I am already looking forward to the next one.

Beach Rating: ☀️☀️☀️☀️
Recommended: Fans of domestic thrillers, “closed room” mysteries, fast-paced reads
Drink in my Hand: Cucumber Gin Smash

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This book is about three couples going to a destination wedding in Portugal. The story started slowly and did not pick up steam until the last 3 chapters. There was a problem between the couples, but no one would step up and talk about the problem. Lots of assumptions and jumping to conclusions. The main character was very annoying since she would not confront the other characters with her suspicions, instead just worrying herself about the situation.

This story turned out to be more expected than I expected it to be! Three couples decided to spend few days before one of the couple’s wedding in Portugal. Four people from this group go way back. Two guys are brothers. The other guy is one of the brother’s wife’s best friend since university. Best friend’s wife was used to be an outsider, but now became best friends with older brother’s wife. The only remaining outsider is younger brother’s soon to be wife. Are you confused already? Good! Because things don’t get clearer as the story unfolds.

Lies and secrets everywhere. World is full of unfaithful people who wouldn’t mind betraying their closest and dearest and they can throw anyone under the bus to get away with what they did. Shortly after arrival to Portugal, suspicions started to come to surface. Everyone started to doubt each other (or control the narrative). At the end, wedding weekend turned into an ultimate showdown. A ridiculous showdown...

If you like observing group of people in a confined space for some time or like stories of wedding weekends gone wrong, you will like this story. Like I said it was bit too easy to guess, if you understand human nature well and know how people react to certain scenarios in general. But it was good break from way too serious topics I was reading about.

Read this book in one sitting. Although I guessed some of what happened, the story was good. I didn’t like any of the characters. Not sure if you were supposed to like them. All of the characters were annoying. Would recommend this book just for the story line.

Firstly, thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book early. It's so very much appreciated!

This is the story of six friends coming together in Portugal for a wedding. Now, the round up of pals include Rachel and her husband Jack, Noah and his wife Paige, and Will (Noah's brother) and his soon to be wife Ali. Of course it's never that simple. Rachel and Noah were old college friends who were besties at the time, and Ali knows Jack because she used to work with him and actually meet Will through Jack. Jack cannot stand Ali for reasons unknown. As time trickles by, and while they are all smooshed together in the place they are all staying for the wedding, things get a bit stressful. Rachel just wants to get to know her sister-in-law to be better, Paige thinks Ali is a real attention seeking annoying twit, and Jack keeps starting little arguments with Noah. When the little things start to accumulate, Rachel stumbles upon something that doesn't seem so little anymore. All of a sudden there seem to be secrets and lies around every corner. As the wedding approaches, things begin to unravel leading to the final climax.
I can't tell you too much because it is a suspense/thriller so I don't want to spoil anything. This book is well written. The characters all have their own distinct personalities and a few of them are quite funny. I love the atmospheric feel this book has. When you're in the cave at one point (you'll see!) or the house they are staying in and surfing beaches, etc., you can see it all as you read it.
There was one thing that I didn't like as much about this story and that is that it was on the slow side at times. It took a long time for things to build up to something. I can see the point of the slow build up but it was a bit too slow. It built up slowly then BAM! things happened so fast and everything came together and all of a sudden the book was done. I will say that you did get a lot of time to learn the characters though. Even though some of what you learned wasn't really... well, you'll see.
All in all this was a good book. I definitely recommend giving it a quick read if you are a fan of the author, a faithful thriller/suspense reader, or just curious about it. I think you'll need to read this one and see what you think for yourself on this one. It's very well written but a little slow going.

Well that ended in an unexpected way! The twists are red herrings but it was a gripping ride along the way. This is a quick suspense, with characters that fit their roles. Ali is the center of attention that is difficult for others to be around, Rachel is the subdued wife that has fallen into the wife and mother role, and Paige is her best friend who married Rachel’s best friend. Who is the true friend? You have to read this book to find out who deserves the honor of being called a friend.


Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the arc.

The premise and setting of this book were intriguing and things I enjoyed about this book. I found it to be much more slanted towards. women’s fiction than mystery/thriller, which was a bit disappointing for me. I also thought the story moved slowly until near the end and then it seemed overly rushed. I think this will appeal to readers who are looking for stories I focused on interpersonal relationships., misunderstandings, and deception. More than readers looking for a mystery thriller.

Read dates-April- May 2021

First, I’d like to thank NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. This review is completely mine and unbiased.

Thoughts- it’s a hard book to start and stop. Each time, I can’t find my place and I find myself rereading portions over and over. Mildly frustrating since I don’t have as much time to read for longer periods of time.

75% of the way on, I’m thinking the main character is an idiot. I’m really having a hard time having sympathy for any character in this story, honestly. Plus- it’s really starting to drag at this point. How this storyline has stretched to last an ENTIRE book is beyond me. I’m tired of the book and just wish we could get on with the ending already.

The last few chapters were excellent- completely unexpected and entertaining.

The ending is so full of twists- wow! I really just wish the entire book was as full of twists as the ending was.

The next day- after finishing, I’m still thinking about the book and connecting the dots in my mind. I’m completely understanding the title and realizing this- GOOD GRAVY THATS THE FREAKING BEST TITLE FOR THAT BOOK!!

Two days after finishing the book- I’m talking to friends at dinner about it.

Entertains book- to say the least.

Three days after finishing- I want to gobble up the next Sandie Jones book!!

Enjoy!

This is my first book by Sandie Jones and I was absolutely impressed! I couldn't put this one down. I had to see what was coming next. It did start off a bit slow, but with all of the twists and turns, it was a quick read.
It kept me guessing, for sure!. I was definitely not expecting the ending! I've thought about the book, well after I finished.
Put this one on your TBR if you love thrillers with twists!

This is a quick read!! Loved reading it on a e-reader but also loved the cover. I would recommend this for a book club!

3.5 stars
This book was a thriller in the best possible way. Every character was hiding something, and there were a lot of start-and-stop to get to the heart of what the heck was actually going on. I enjoyed riding along with the author through the twists and turns. The journey to the end in this one was really something else. Without giving anything away, I'll just say that I was right in hating the two characters I did from the first chapter.
If I had to change something, I'd say there was way more detail in the first chapter compared to the last couple of chapters. I prefer thrillers where the ending is more drawn-out and motives are fleshed out completely.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would not hesitate to recommend it to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press / Minotaur Books for the ARC!

Wow. What a rollercoaster ride!

Three couples stay in a villa in Portugal for a destination wedding but you soon learn that each couple isn't what they seem and someone is lying...but who?

While I wouldn't call this book a fast-paced thriller, it is jam-packed with drama. It felt like a soap opera with all the twists and turns as the plot unfolds and you never really know who to trust. You might think you know what is going on but, there is still plenty to keep you guessing and a big finale that will leave you speechless. I really enjoyed Sandie's writing style and will certainly be reading more of her books in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for giving me this advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a really enjoyable thriller. The author did a great job sprinkling in misdirection and red herrings to make the ending unpredictable. The main character was sympathetic and the supporting characters were layered and interesting. Overall, it was a suspenseful and addicting read.

HAPPY TUESDAY🌸
BOOK: The Guilt Trip
AUTHOR: Sandie Jones
RELEASE DATE: 08/21/2021
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RATING: ⭐️ ⭐️ 🌟 .5/ 5
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SYNOPSIS: 4 best friends 👫🏼👫🏼, 1 wedding 👰, and 1 affair. Can you say, yikes?! The problem is that, Rachel, the main character has coined the affair as Jack (her husband) and the bride 👰‍♀️. Is that really who’s having the affair though?!

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PROS: This book was such a fast-paced and exciting mystery ❓. I loved all of the characters and rooted hardcore for the truth to be outed. 😬 Such a great read!

"The Guilt Trip" by Sandie Jones sounded very intriguing but I found the book hard to finish and very predictable. I did enjoy a couple of the characters but this isn't one I would recommend to friends.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book I've read from Sandie Jones. The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones is about three couples who travel to Portugal for Will and Ali's destination wedding weekend. Rachel and her best friend Paige cannot stand Ali but Rachel puts in effort to get to know her new sister-in-law. The weekend is barely bearable when Rachel finds out a secret about Ali and her husband, Jack. Soon, secrets start spilling between the three couples and friendships are in jeopardy.

I enjoyed reading the book. I thought most of the characters were well-developed, especially Ali. You can see their character change from beginning to end, as the plot unravels. Plot was pretty predictable after a while and the whole book felt a bit dragged. I did not like the ending. It felt a bit lazy and unresolved.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author Sandie Jones, and publisher St. Martin's Press, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Just when you think you’ve got it all figured out, the author completely flips things around and leaves you completely stunned. This book was unbelievable, and I couldn’t put it down. What starts off as a gathering of friends and family to celebrate a wedding turns into a maze of betrayals, secrets and murder. This book was so well written and I absolutely loved it. It’s been a while since I’ve finished a book in one shot, but this one now holds a spot on that list!

This book is an intriguing read. While I was initially expecting more murder and mystery, the emphasis instead is very much on the characters' relationships and group dynamics. Not a lot happens, per say, but the story is still engaging and it is an interesting look into the secrets fueling this group of friends.

When things start happening at the end of the book, they happen quick! This was quite different pacing from the rest of the novel and took me by surprise. (And also left me a bit confused about certain points.) All in all though, a quick family drama-filled read.

I had thought The Guilt Trip, by Sandie Jones was going to be a murder mystery. It really is more of a character drama about college friends going to a destination wedding in Portugal. A wedding that they really don't want to happen and want even less to attend. As the weekend unwinds friendships and marriages are tested. This climaxes with the death of one of the main characters. The story hovered just below soap opera. It's not a bad story, it was just not the one I thought I was getting,
My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. in exchange for my honest opinion.