Member Reviews
Six friends (three couples) go to Portugal for a destination wedding. Rachel is married to Jack. Noah is married to Paige. Ali is marrying Will, and they each have different and interesting relationships with each other. The characters have lives that were tangled together in a web of secrets and deceit. The suspense is a slow brew and the characters are mostly unlikable. In fact, this is more of a domestic drama with a touch of suspense than a thriller. There is absolutely nothing new explored in this book, but it was written in a way that left you intrigued in the story until the last page. Overall, it’s a decent read, but not one that will stay with me once the book is closed.
Friends since college Rachel and Noah at one time tossed the idea around they could be more, twenty years later they are each happily married to other people and remain friends. Rachel’s husband Jacks brother Will is about to married in Portugal to Ali a former coworker of Jacks. Noah and his wife Paige join Rachel and Jack for the wedding and they are not looking forward to it. Ali is a drama Queen and she just rubs them the wrong way, plus she’s flirty and it doesn’t help she’s gorgeous, they also feel Will
Is rushing into the marriage. Arriving at the Villa they are shocked it’s a dream, the villa is perched on a cliff overlooking the ocean. the days and events leading up to the wedding are filled with tension, Rachel feels Jack is hiding something he’s acting funny and is very hostile towards Ali, soon Rachel begins to wonder if there’s something going on between Ali and Jack, but Rachel has her own secrets she doesn’t want anyone to know, as the tension builds which each new revelation you begin to wonder when the bomb is going to go off, whose going to snap first? This was more of a domestic drama with a dash of mystery. I loved the tension you could cut it with a knife! Four stars!
A twisty thriller! I liked this one better than The Other Woman, it was fast paced and a quick read.
Have you ever taken a trip with your friends? Did everything go smoothly? I was blown away by Sandie yet again. You always suspect the person who seems to cause the most trouble, but it is the ones who always play it cool that tend to be the troublemakers. There are so many twists and turns in this book that you start to wonder who to trust and who you shouldn't trust.
The Guilt Trip is a ball of chaos and deceit all wrapped into a destination wedding weekend. A group of friends and family are gathering in Portugal for Ali and Will’s wedding. Will is brother of Jack and the story is narrated through Rachel, Jack's wife.
In this story, you will be infidelity, rekindled romances, secrecy, humor, and lots of lies and misdirection. The result is a car accident, pointing fingers and broken relationships. There was a bunch of lead up to the ending of the book and I feel the author took the right amount of time wrapping things up. It was clearly by design, but I wasn’t fond of Rachel being portrayed as clueless and constantly making excuses for people including her husband. It’s frustrating to me when women are characterized this way.
Sandie Jones had we wondering the whole time who was really being honest. It was entertaining but not as suspenseful as I was hoping.
Thank you to @netgalley and @Macmillanaudio for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.
3.5 stars – Rounding to 4 for Goodreads
I enjoyed this book! I do think tho it was more of a drama/suspense than a thriller. The characters were so flawed & not particularly likable. The first half was a little bit slow but then it really picked up in the second & got a bit wild! And i loved the twist! Totally unexpected!
Also the setting was so great and i loved the surfing scene and one was so suspenseful. The best part!
A twisted story of how five friends and an acquaintance who travel for a destination wedding return as suspects. They still pretend to be friends when in truth they are frenemies with secrets. Just by the description I thought The Guilt Trip would be a murder mystery, but to my surprise this was more of a drama with suspense that revolves around the said secrets. The plot was interesting but the writing fell flat for me, I was confused at places. I felt like the author experimented with the ending, wasn’t concrete like I expected it to be. I don’t regret reading this though.
Thank you St.Martin’s Press Minotaur via Netgalley for the arc.
Sandie Jones's books are not for me. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This was a suspense filled story about six friends as they get together for a wedding. Some of the story you could guess ahead of time but there were a couple of great twists at the end. Overall I enjoyed this one even if some of the events were a bit over the top and the decisions made by some of the characters were frustrating. That’s what makes the story move forward though and it’s what keeps us engaged as readers. Give this one a try if you like a suspense filled story. It’s fast paced and perfect for summer.
I'm a bit torn about this book, because for about 80% of it, I was wondering when we'll actually get to the suspense/thriller part of the story. It promises murder, but that only happens very late in the book. Having said that, I *LOVED* the complexity of the characters. When I let go of the expectation of a fast-moving thriller, I found that I actually really enjoyed reading about these vulnerable, flawed, complex characters. So I would definitely recommend this, but don't go into it expecting a thriller. It's more of a slow-burn suspense drama.
This book is fantastic! I loved every minute of the audiobook and those twists and turns in the story were amazing. The characters were complex and I loved that nothing was as it seemed. I need to get the physical copy for my shelf as this is a new favorite!
I had high hopes for this book after reading and loving The Other Woman a couple years ago. While the premise was interesting and the writing was fantastic as always from Sandie Jones, the book was a major slow burn. It took until the very end of the book to get a twist that wasn't predictable and then it was just over. The main character was so over the top and unlikable I think that played a big factor as well.
I enjoyed this book, but probably won't remember it. I think that I enjoyed this author's other read much more.
I love books about friends that have been together for years and then something happens and it all falls apart. I wonder what that says about me? 🙂
The Guilt Trip was like reading a soap opera. Lots of drama, mis-direction, gossip, talking behind backs, dishonesty and big, dramatic reveals!
It’s not the best Thriller I’ve ever read but it sure was a fun one! I was easily led where the author wanted me to go and only had the faintest idea of what might actually be going on. I did guess eventually but probably way to slowly. Such fun!
The very beginning was a bit confusing, in my opinion. So many characters introduced at once, I had them all mixed up for a couple of chapters. But once I straightened it out, the rest of the read was simple.
Thank you to #MinotaurBooks and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
I wouldn’t classify The Guilt Trip as a thriller. I felt it was more of a soapy drama with a splash of thrills. You need a score card to keep up with all of the lies and deceptions. Initially I didn’t like any of the characters, but grew to really like a couple by the end. This is a quick, easy read that kept me interested and entertained. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my copy.
This book was a slow burn for me. We follow best friend couples Rachel, Jack, Noah and Paige as they travel to Jack's brothers wedding. Will is marrying Ali, but something about Ali doesn't sit well with her soon to be sister in law Rachel.
As the story progresses we watch Rachel become more paranoid with every memory and clue. She has cheating suspicions with some of the couples, but perhaps she isn't looking in the right direction.
The author writes the story in a way that keeps the page turning, but that happens near the back half of the book. The first half of the book is a historical build from the couples relationships, from present day to previous events (this part was the slow burn for me). These memories start to put ideas and thoughts into perspective for Rachel.
I will say I didn't see the ending coming, it was a twist that I didn't expect and that is a credit to how the author wrote the storylines and relationships.
I gave this book 3 stars, it kept me interested, at times I did find Rachel to be a bit annoying, however by the end of the book, I found myself rooting for her. I would recommend this book for the fall, it has a thriller element to it that is perfect for cozy, fall reading.
Six friends head to Portugal for Ali and Will's wedding. Each friend has a history that is interlocked with the others. Drama, Twists, and turns in each chapter leaving you unable to put the book down to get some shut eye! your head will spin for sure!
The story was very slow and then the last quarter was so fast that I felt like I was reading an entirely different book. It ended with quite a few unanswered questions and was overall pretty predictable. I did enjoy it though and look forward to more by Sandie Jones.
initial thoughts: overall, this book was just “okay.” the majority of the book delved into the three main relationships in this story, and the drama & miscommunications that happen in these relationships.
there wasn’t really a murder mystery or thriller element to this book, and the last 25 pages of the book seemed completely wild & out of left field. the ending was just a bit too unbelievable to me.
I won’t let this book stop me from checking out other books from Sandie Jones, as I’ve heard really great things about her other books.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this novel. I was not able to connect with the characters so I won't be leaving a full review.