Three couples have traveled to the coast of Portugal for a destination wedding. Rachel and Jack and Paige and Noah are the old married couples. Will and Ali are the bride and groom. Ali is the new one of the group, the others have a history that goes back decades. Rachel and Noah have an even longer history. Things are rocky before they even leave the airport, but they are committed to making sure that Will has a great wedding weekend. But then Rachel suspects that her husband, Jack, is having an affair with the bride, Ali. It becomes all Rachel can focus on, and she is convinced that Ali is a truly horrible human being. When the wedding arrives, it becomes clear that not everything is as it appears. Will the five friends be able to deal with the truths once they are revealed?


I started and stopped The Guilt Trip a few times. I couldn't get into it at first, but I knew that Sandie Jones wouldn't let me down if I could just stick with it. At first, I really liked Rachel and Paige, but then I thought that Rachel was being paranoid. I didn't really think that Ali was a home-wrecker, but instead a flighty young woman. I was also very intrigued by the past that Rachel and Noah shared. I knew that there was going to be more to that story. CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS Things rushed to an explosive conclusion that left me spinning.

Bottom Line - I knew that Sandie Jones wouldn't disappoint me and I was right. The Guilt Trip was one heck of a ride!

Details:
The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones
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Pages: 320
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: 8/3/2021
Buy it Here!
Thank you to NetGalley for the book in exchange for a review.

From Sandie Jones, the bestselling author of THE OTHER WOMAN and THE HALF SISTER, comes THE GUILT TRIP, a riveting “locked-door” mystery sure to find its way into every beach bag this summer.

Rachel and her husband, Jack, have been best friends with Paige and Noah for almost two decades, their various milestones --- children, promotions and the woes of age --- marking the time they have spent together and solidifying their friendships. But Rachel and Noah were friends first, ever since university, and no one can deny that their bond is one of the stronger ones in the group. Now in their 40s, Rachel, Jack, Paige and Noah are enjoying being empty-nesters and rekindling their romances now that their children, Josh and Chloe, are off beginning their own education adventures. First up in their new lives is Jack’s brother Will’s wedding to Ali, a blonde-haired, curvy and salacious drama queen.

Things are already off to a rocky start as Ali nearly derails the couples’ flight to Portugal when she “loses” her passport somewhere between the car and the security checkpoint. Rachel tries to be sympathetic, knowing how frantic any bride would be when jetting off to her fancy destination wedding, but Jack and Paige make it clear that they have had it with her antics. Not only is Ali always the most gorgeous woman in the room, which annoys Rachel and Paige, she always has to be the most bombastic storyteller, the girl who gets right up and does a final dance with the performers of a musical and saves a man from dying by suicide on her way to the doctor...allegedly.

At least in Portugal, the couples have an idyllic setting in a gorgeous villa to distract them from Ali’s shenanigans. Still, Rachel cannot help but wonder why Jack seems to hate Ali so much, despite their background as coworkers. Nor can she ignore the obvious tension between her and Noah, her best friend and secret one-time lover. All the while, Ali continues to stir up drama, giggling incessantly at nothing and bouncing around like a first-class bimbo. Needless to say, her wedding to Will is sure to be unforgettable.

Shortly before the cermony, Jack lets it slip why he doesn’t like Ali: He claims to know a man who was seeing her while she was also dating his brother, now soon-to-be husband. Rachel, Paige and Noah agree that no good can come from derailing Will’s wedding --- for better or for worse, no one thanks the person who ruins the big day --- but the idea of infidelity seems to stick to the forefront of their minds. As Ali alludes to having a former married lover, and Jack’s behavior starts to reek of hypocrisy, Rachel must wonder: Has Ali slept with her husband, too? And if so, does their crime of passion outweigh, or excuse, the single night she spent with Noah early in her relationship with Jack? With each member of the wedding party seeming to hide something, the couples’ marriages and friendships start to unravel, one broken secret at a time.

Sandie Jones has penned another serious suspense story, with plenty of conclusion-jumping, red herrings, lies and misdirection. While the idyllic Portuguese villa makes this novel scream “beach read!” the plotline is no less serious or devious than her previous works. After kicking off with a murder scene and working backward, Jones expertly wields her characters’ deepest fears and then throws them into a pressure cooker of suspense until each one has something precious to lose --- and to fight for. Add to that some decidedly gray-area friendships, and you have a guaranteed implosion...and an incredibly fun, riveting journey on the way there.

Jones is a master at playing with cookie-cutter relationships --- husband, wife, best friend, brother --- and alerting her readers to something sinister just beneath the surface. At one point, Rachel notes, “They all got something from each other’s spouses that they didn’t get from their own.” While there’s no harm in this gray area, Jones pushes it to its limit, asking just how much our spouses can ever complete us, and whether or not it is ever truly acceptable, or honest, to find these missing pieces in others. Even if it is, she reminds us, it does not mean that there will never be jealousy, rage or competition, and her characters run the gamut of these emotions in the action-packed weekend that makes up the book.

An instant beach-read classic with plenty of room for discussions on infidelity, friendship and marriage, THE GUILT TRIP is a twisted and endlessly entertaining thriller from an excellent author.

'Three couples, and one fatal misunderstanding' - Rachel and Noah have been friends since they met at university. While they once thought they would be something more, they are happily married to other people - Jack and Paige. Jack's brother is getting married to his dazzling but impulsive fiancé, Ali. The group of six all travel to Portugal for their destination weekend. Six people in a gorgeous Country, what could go wrong...

As someone who has been a big fan of the author Sandie Jones and all of her books (including The Other Woman, The First Mistake, and The Half Sister). Although this book is categorized as thriller/mystery, I felt that a more suitable category would have been romance or drama. I found that maybe the book felt a little lost. In terms of the genre, as well the character development, I had a hard time connecting to each of the characters. As I read books, I like to imagine each of the characters as part of my own life, and how would they fit in. Would the person be my friend, my enemy, my lover, my sister etc. This book unfortunately didn't provide me with enough character development for me to be able to ultimately connect with anyone. For me, it fell flat. The couples are in one of the most romantic places in the world, and yet they were missing the deep love connection to not only each other, but also the reader.

Although the narrative and story line of the book moved along quickly, it felt repetitious and long. This book was lacking the 'thriller' element that I had expected. For myself, the book focused too much on the secrets and affairs amongst the couples, rather than the thriller element I was hoping for.

Despite this not being a success for me, I still look forward to other books my Sandie Jones.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an advanced read copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

#bookreview

👰🏼 The Guilt Trip
✏️ Sandie Jones

5 friends travel to Portugal for a destination wedding for one of their own, Will and his fiancée Ali. The weekend takes place at a gorgeous cliff top venue with plenty of chances for rest and relaxation with friends! When one of the friends discovers a shocking secret about Ali, everything changes! Who can be trusted? Are the friendships and marriages even real?

👍🏼: I love a good exotic destination thriller setting …. add a wedding into it and 👏🏼 I do have to say, I really didn’t see the last quarter of the book happening! This made the book for me!

👎🏼: Honestly, I disliked every single character up until the very end! This book did turn around the last quarter but I found the problems and issues the adults were fighting about and how they were acting juvenile for most of it! They should be ashamed! 😂

This book would be great for fans of The Hunting Party and The Guest List!

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The Guilt Trip see's three connected couples spending a beach getaway together. Naturally, as time passes, tensions rise and the novel quickly becomes a tale of secrets and threats.

Sandie Jones' newest novel is one part soap opera and one part domestic thriller. Interesting and unreliable characters paired with Jones' laid back writing make for an engaging read. Although at times the book felt long winded and a bit tedious, it was never boring. With a gorgeous setting and an ending that will have you guessing until the bitter end, The Guilt Trip is a fun and fast paced thriller.

Who can you trust? Your husband, your best friend, the girl your brother-in-law is marrying? Will a destination wedding change everything for Rachel?

A wedding is the main focus of the book, but there are so many side plots that the connection one might feel for the characters is lost. Rachel is so suspicious that something is going on behind her back that the entire book is dragged down. Pages upon pages are filled with her paranoid musings, as well as the author's not so subtle and thinly veiled hints at the truth. The climatic scene in the book reminds me of a made for television movie, whereas the camera angle is focused on the out of control actor with an ax to grind.

I am a big fan of mystery thrillers normally, but The Guilt Trip did not live up to its promises. It is not "explosive" or "gripping", so I would not recommend it to other readers.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy of The Guilt Trip by NetGalley and the publisher, Minotaur Books. The decision to read and review this book was entirely my own.

This book was ok for me. It wasn't bad per se, it just wasn't my type of thriller/suspense. I felt like I saw the story coming from page one and didn't really like any of the characters. I think maybe it was too drama-filled for me? Don't get me wrong, I love a good drama, but this seemed a little too cliche with the storyline and characters. They were annoyed with each other from the very beginning; it's like the story had already begun when I started the book.

Easy read, easy thriller. It won't knock your socks off, but it will keep you entertained.

Having greatly enjoyed the author’s previous novels, I had such high hopes for The Guilt Trip. The description sounded so promising. Three couples, five of whom have been friends for years, travel to Portugal for a destination wedding. The groom is Will. His wife-to-be, Ali, is the newcomer to the group. The setting is a luxurious villa located on a clifftop. Soon, one of the women, Rachel, stumbles upon a shocking - is there ever any other kind? - secret about Ali, which as things unravel, leads to disastrous consequences for all three couples. This could have been an excellent book if only it had had different characters. Paige and Rachel are stereotypical mean girls of the type straight out of novels targeted at junior high school girls. All six of the characters are so narcissistic, vicious, and unsympathetic that it’s impossible to enjoy reading the book. This is the first time I’ve ever given a book a one-star review. Had the author only populated it with different characters, it could have been a much better book.

This Book Was Meh For Me
I Wasnt A Fan Of This Book At All
Yeah I Didn't Like It
It Was Bad I Hated It Every Second Of It

Three couples arrive at a waterfront villa in Portugal, but one little misunderstanding could prove fatal… “The Guilt Trip” by Sandie Jones is a story of lies, betrayal, and miscommunication that you won’t be able to put down.

I think the thing that made this book such a quick read is how jumbled all the relationships are in the story. There are three couples, but the tangled web they create is wild. Mainly- when everyone is suspected of cheating on their significant other things are bound to get interesting.

In the end, I gave this book 4 stars! It was a quick mystery read, perfect for a vacation or a weekend spent with a book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This title was a perfect nail-biter and my lovers of psychological fiction will love it. It's fascinating to see the interplay between couples and friends and how quickly things can change. A great read!

Such drama!!

I enjoy reading these drama filled books where you cannot trust the narrator or some of the characters. This book kept me guessing who to believe and who to suspect.

The ending was unexpected for sure!

Da die Jones didn’t let me down! This book is amazing and such a read that kept me a little tense and anxious the whole way through. I will read every book by her for sure. The ending was a little rushed to me personally but this didn’t take away from the story line!!

Fast paced, engaging and twisty-turny, this was a great read! Sandie Jones creates compelling characters with believable drama. This book has it all - romance, deception, murder and more.

I thought the book was fast paced and easy to read, but the characters annoyed me overall. I liked the writing and the premise and the twists were good but a little predictable. Jones did a good job with character development and really put the reader in Rachel's shoes as an unreliable narrator, but I wish there was more depth to the characters.

This novel and the DRAMA within its pages is one of the reasons I do not go to weddings anymore. Let alone the about of money that is tossed away. IN this case three couples "shake up" for the weekend in Portugal for a destination wedding. Old friends talk and things spill out. The Novel unfolds fast, then slow, then fast again, it takes days in the lives of the characters JUST for it to all go BOOM! for us the readers, You think I read all of that, and then that is the answer I get....that is the conclusion the characters get????
That is why I hinged on 4 stars instead of 5. All the drama of a Showtime Movie is there BUT a little more could make it a thrilling blockbuster.

I was so bummed that I didn't love this one. I had a hard time following the characters (so many of them) and the plot was a bit confusing for me. I hate to say anything negative about an authors work as I could not do what they do but this one did not hit the mark for me. I do look forward to more from the author in the future as I have enjoyed her other books. (2.5 stars- rounded to 3).

I started this one and struggled to get into it. Could be the timing, I'm going to try and pick it up at a later date and see if that helps.

LOVED this one so much. Really enjoyed the setting, trope, and the who dun it vibes. If you enjoy domestic thrillers, this one is perfect for you. I was hoping the ending would have more of a punch, but it is still a book I will be recommending! Thank you so much for a copy of The Guilt Trip!

I felt slightly disappointed with this one. This was my first Sandie Jones and I had higher expectations for the novel as a thriller. Really the entire novel is circling this massive event which we know impacts a group of friends on a vacation before a wedding. Do we know what happened? Not yet. The buildup was too slow and frankly overdramatic, and then the event is unbelievable! And usually I never think that! I did not like the ending at all. Thought it was over the top and ridiculous with little explanation as to character actions. Not an enjoyable thriller for me. I did give it two stars because something inside of it kept me reading vs just DNF so that's something.