Sandie Jones hits another drama-packed thriller out of the park.

The Guilt Trip is a well-paced domestic thriller about a group of longtime friends and the secrets they keep. Rachel and Jack, Noah and Paige, Will and Ali. Three couples share a villa over a long weekend, to celebrate Will and Ali' wedding. Rachel, the soon to be sister-in-law of the bride, suspects that the bride isn't the sweet person everything else thinks she, and Rachel feels her life begin to unravel as her suspicions grow bigger and harder to ignore.

I had my theories about what was really going on, and while I was partially right, Jones still managed to surprise me with her delightfully twisty ending.

The audiobook, narrated by Clare Corbett, was a great way to experience this soapy domestic thriller. If you enjoyed Jones' previous books, you'll definitely want to pick up The Guilt Trip. It's the perfect summer read.

Huge thanks to the publisher and Macmillian Audio for my ARC and ALC in exchange for my review.

I really enjoyed listening to this audio book - “The guilt trip” by Sandie Jones. I would say my favorite book so far this year.

A beautiful blend of secrets, lies, affairs and mystery. Well written 👌🏽

This book will keep you guessing and turning the pages so you can find out what is going to happen next! Because you can just sense something building and something really bad might happen. Three couples are traveling for the wedding for one of them. There are different layers to the connections between everyone. The ending will reveal secrets and surprises. The audiobook narration was wonderful.

A group of friends, both new and old, embark on a wedding weekend at a gorgeous beachside villa in Portugal. Some have known each other for years, some are married and some have secretly been lovers. As the wedding day nears, arguments ensue and tensions rise. Their many buried secrets threaten to destroy the lives they've carefully built for the past 20 years.

The Guilt Trip was undoubtedly a trip filled with palpable tension and had me on the edge of my seat - especially toward the end. The domestic suspense novel left me frustrated at times because I could tell things weren't what they seem and I was anxious to find out the truth.

If you're a thriller/suspense lover, willing to let the story slowly unfold for a big twist and shocking ending, this book is for you. I also recommend the audio version as the narrator does an excellent job of building the suspense and bringing the different perspectives to life for the reader.

THE GUILT TRIP by Sandie Jones, narrated by Clare Corbett

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books/Macmillan Audio for an advanced audio-ARC for my honest review.

I found this to be an enjoyable romantic suspense/mystery. There are secrets and incorrect assumptions that arise during the Portuguese destination wedding getaway. Due to misdirection, we wonder who is telling the truth. It all leads to a dramatic fatal conclusion.

The narrator was excellent.

#NetGalley #TheGuiltTrip

I really wasn't sure I would like this book and I had a feeling this book was going to be similar to the guest list but it was so much more different then I imagined. I have given it a 3 out of 5 stars because I didn't hate it but definitely didn't love the narrator or the authors writing style.

Heavy domestic drama that keeps your attention until the last page. I will be reading other titles by this author.

This is one of those books that has some high points, but there are so many twists, unlikable characters and people lying that I was often wondering what else could happen. There were times I got into the story, especially at the beginning, but then things got strange. There are two married couples Rachel and Jack and Paige and Noah, who have been invited to a wedding in Portugal. They are great friends, with Rachel and Noah having become BFFs at university. Will, is Jack's brother and he is marrying Ali. Ali is not a favourite of this group and they consider her a flake. She used to work for Jack, but has moved to another position. They all want Will to be happy and Ali seems to be the one that does make him happy, so they accept it. She is also gorgeous and she knows it and flaunts it. The other women seem jealous and don't treat her all that well. After arriving in their villa in Portugal though Rachel begins to discover secrets that have her questioning not only Ali but her husband, Jack, as well. The story is full of secrets and unreliable narrators. I wasn't quite sure who was telling the truth, who was sleeping with who and whether this wedding would even happen. I kept hoping this book would get better and I did read it all, but the ending????? Huge twist and somewhat unbelievable. I don't know what else to say about this story. It definitely blindsided me and had me shaking my head. If you enjoy unreliable narrators, unlikable characters and books with a huge twist, then this one is for you. I did listen to the audiobook narrated by Clare Corbett. I did enjoy her performance with her expression and emotion, which is probably another reason why I finished this one and may have enjoyed it a bit more than some others.

Sandie Jones' 'The Guilt Trip' shows it doesn't have to be a grisly murder mystery to have twists and turns that keep a reader on the edge of their seat. It's hard to include surprises that shock the readers (or in this case, listeners) that stay in line with the characters as we know them, but Sandie Jones manages to allow her audience to get to know her well-developed characters, and still pull out some big time twists. Such a fun book!

This was an enjoyable read that transported me to Portugal for a destination wedding. During the times of covid when travel is not so simple, the setting was great appreciated! There was a lot of delicious and scandalous drama and lots of twists and turns. It definitely kept m guessing, but there were some points were it started to drag and lose me a little bit. Overall, another solid read from Sandie Jones.

Ok so this was a pretty mundane drama for me but It definitely grabbed my attention because it’s pretty crazy how everyone has something to hide.

I’m not going to spoil this book for you but let me say that this was like talking to friends and just talking bad about each other and knowing that something doesn’t seem right, they still let it happen. I mean what kind of friends are these people? It’s also funny how that they think they have the right to judge someone when they are also in a predicament that they know it’s wrong.

The way these couple think of themselves is far from the truth and it’s intriguing how so much is unraveling on their secrets before the wedding. Who’s to say that there is a villain in the story. Not an actual villain if you know what I mean.

This is more of a slow pace buildup in my opinion. It was a good novel but it wasn’t something exciting when it got to the point. This is a 3 out of 5 stars. I had both formats of this book, e-book and audiobook so in my opinion it would be good either one to pick up.

The Guilt Trip is such a fitting name for this book. While I found the lead up a little long, the ending was something I didn’t see coming. The relationships between friends and clues were well wrote that I was going back and trying to figure out how I hadn’t figured things out earlier.

A story with a lot if twist and turns. This book kept me wanting to read more. Secrets from the past surface and new secrets are revealed. Will spouses find out or will their secrets stay buried?

I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants to stay on the edge of their seat!

I was eagerly awaiting reading this book after it was touted as "A Reese's Book Club Future Pick", the author having landed that coveted title with her previous book. I was thrilled to be approved and jumped right into the audiobook.

"The Guilt Trip" has some identity issues... is this a soap opera or a suspense thriller? Is this a slow-burn romance or a revenge plot? The sheer number of characters introduced in rapid succession within the first chapter was daunting enough!

Two British couples, Jack and Rachel & Noah and Paige are traveling to attend the wedding of Jack's younger brother Will. Got that straight? The women see Will's fiance Ali as a threat, she is young, beautiful, and charismatic. A tale as old as time. A web of history between the group is quickly outlined and the wedding ends in tragedy. But who is at fault?

While I love a thriller, I found myself waiting for the actual mystery. Is Jack cheating? Is Ali really a liar? No, those aren't the climax endings I am looking for. The real twist came too late and then was wrapped up too quickly in a downright confusing way. The audio was well done, and it was a quick listen if you take it for what it is. A tangled relationship parallelogram that ends in heartbreak all around.

Look out where you talk about lifelong secrets you never know who will overhear! Don’t judge, maybe they aren’t the only one with secrets. So many unreliable narrators and the ones you think you should believe may not be the right ones!

I wish there were chapter titles of whose point of view we were at.

I wish the narrator, Clare Corbett, had more delineation between the voices of Rachel and Paige. Ali’s shrill voice was extremely annoying!

Could have done without the little bit of fat shaming, so what if you were heavy? Who cares?!? That storyline was unnecessary. This little short part of this book wrecked it for me and will take a full star off for it because it was 100% unnecessary.

I liked the story except for what I noted above the completely unnecessary former fat person storyline.

3 stars



I received this audiobook from the publisher MacMillian Audio and NetGalley

The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones was a good story but one that I keep feeling I had read before., however, it was a good story that I did enjoy.

Wow! This is an amazing audio book. I really enjoyed the narrator.

This murder mystery is also a who slept with whom? I was able to figure things out quite simply. I think it was well plotted but character development is lacking.

THE GUILT TRIP | Sandie Jones
08.03.2021 | Minotaur Books
Rating: 3/5 stars

Rachel and Noah have been friends since they met at university. Twenty years ago they thought that they might become something more, but today they each find themselves happily married to other people, Jack and Paige. Jack’s brother Will is getting married to the dazzling, impulsive Ali, and the group of six travel to Portugal for their destination weekend. As the wedding weekend unfolds, the secrets that each of them hold begin to come to the surface, and friendships and marriages threaten to unravel.

THE GUILT TRIP is marketed as a thriller, but is in actuality more of a contemporary fiction piece surrounding the dramatic happenings of a wedding weekend. When I think of thrillers, I think of fast-paced action, which this story started out promisingly offering the reader. As I got further into the book it started to become more and more plagued by uses of excessive dialogue between the characters. There was a lot of talk and barely any action. Coupled with repetitive storylines this just didn’t work for me as a whole.

The story itself wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t something fresh or new. I managed to stay invested thanks in large part to the audio and the excellent narration. I found myself rolling my eyes at the unbelievable naivety of our main character. I think if you’re looking for a very light suspense fiction piece this one would work, however, if you’re looking for a thriller, I would suggest looking elsewhere.

🎧: A absolutely loved the narrator for this audiobook and the way she was able to bring the characters to life! The narrator turned a slow story into one I didn’t mind finishing until the end.

In my opinion the narrator made an excellent job!
The book itself wasn't my cup of tea, unfortunately; I love thrillers but this one had too many flaws and absolutely not likable characters.
But I am sure that many readers will find this book great.
Thank you to the NetGalley and the Publisher

I was a little skeptical going into this book because I am not a fan when a group of people who have been friends for years go on a trip and secrets will be revealed. But I am a fan isolated mysteries so I was going to give this one chance and I am glad I did! In this one we are following Rachel and Noah we have been friends for 20+ years and they go to wedding with their spouses. The groom is Rachel's brother-in-law and she thinks that his fience and her husband were having an affair, soon things are revealed and the three couples will never be the same again. I liked all 3 couples and even though I knew things were going to get bad I was still rooting for all of them! Highly recommend this one! Thank you St. Martin's Press, Minotaur and Macmillon for my gifted copies for review.