Drama!!

Everyone knows a girl like Ali. Beautiful, outgoing and popular with the men. Ali is young and energetic, and maybe a little "much", but being as she is marring Rachel's brother in law, it's safe to suppose she's permanent.

Rachel and her husband Jack, along with her best friend Paige and husband Noah, all travel to Portugal for Ali and Will’s destination wedding.

Over the weekend, staying in a gorgeous villa overlooking the ocean, the three couples drink and mingle and chat and start... acting strangely. It soon becomes apparent that these "good friends" have secrets that they would rather not have washed up on the shore...

As is typical for this author, this novel was an enjoyable domestic thriller with a lot of fun drama, a beautiful back drop, and some characters one would rather avoid if one could.

I really enjoyed this novel and all of the twists, but I think the amount of infidelity throughout the entirety of the novel really bugged me. I get that’s what most of the story was about but I just wanted to grab Rachel and shake her for about 3/4 of the story. It was really fast paced and I definitely enjoyed it, but it wasn’t quite what I was hoping for. Thank you for my free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I alternated reading and listening to the audiobook of The Guilt Trip. I found it to be suspenseful and explosive. The characters are all together for a wedding. The intrigue lies in the relationships and figuring out who is lying to whom. The story culminates as the wedding unfolds. The writing is easy to read and perfect as an audiobook, as well. The narrator is outstanding, and I enjoyed both the style and cadence of her reading.

I received an ARC and audiobook from St. Martin Press and Macmillan Audio through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an ALC.

Three couples gather together at a beautiful Portuguese villa for the marriage of one of the couples. Lots of drama, secrets, and lies ensue, and it's not until almost at 90% of the book that something actually happens. I understand that for these types of books, when there's a tight-knit group of friends with years' worth of history welcoming a newcomer into the group, there's bound to be some time spent telling the reader about the friends' history, but this book just dragged on and on with it.

Now, if you like a lot of drama, unlikeable characters, and a lot of paranoia, this book is definitely for you. There were some twists and turns along the way. but it wasn't as thrilling as I hoped it to be.

An enjoyable mystery. The setting is perfect at an exclusive resort, some quirky characters with secrets. Personally, I found some of the characters to be whiny. I became annoyed with the unwillingness of some not to just say what they meant rather than holding back and causing more confusion and distrust. I understand how that kept the intrigue moving. I personally just found those characters annoying. Over all, I would certainly recommend this book. The narrator was enjoyable to listen to.

It took me a couple of chapters to get into this book, but after the story was set up, I couldn't put it down, wanting to find out what was going on. It is full of twists and turns and the title, The Guilt Trip, is really the perfect title. It's hard to say much without spoiling it, but you shouldn't assume who you should root for because everything will change. I wish it had just one more chapter, to delve into that ending a bit more.

I really enjoyed this book. As with audiobooks with 5+ maincharacters I have a hard time getting sorted out at firs. But, once I did, I only wanted to read it! I always love when I don’t have the mystery figured out. I changed my mind about what was happening several times and definitely didn’t have the ending right.

A long climb to the top of this cliff!

The Guilt Trip is a slow build drama/suspense centered around a destination wedding and 3 couples; the bride and groom, the groom's brother and his wife, and then another set of friends. It all seems like a fun plan, but there is definitely a bit of tension that grows and builds as the story unfolds. Told from the groom's sister-in-law, Rachel's point of view, we see a serious questioning of what is behind the extra annoying bride-to-be, Ali. Strange behaviors begin to add up and it all leads up to the big day when it all comes crashing down in extraordinary ways.

I thought this was an easy and quick suspense story that for most of the book felt pretty obvious. Of course, it was less so, and I knew it was leading me in a direction that was not likely the outcome, but it ended up being less surprising than I hoped. There was a really big build for it all. I did figure out the twist, which I actually try not to do, but maybe I am just getting better at it!

I was able to listen to this audio book in one day at work and I was pretty invested. I wanted to see what would finally happen, so the suspense factor was present. I just felt like I had it mostly figured out pretty quickly. I didn't love the characters, which I don't think we are meant to for the most part! At least we are meant to be suspicious of some of them, I felt.

I would say I liked this story, but didn't love it. If you enjoy slow build dramas with lots of tension, this may be just the thing! I am thankful to NetGalley and the publishers for the Audio copy in exchange for my opinion.

The blurb from the publisher says this book "will have readers gripped to the very last page." No, it won't. In fact, for the first 90% of the book there is nothing gripping whatsoever. And that last 10% is more like a relief that something finally happens than it is gripping.

To begin with, there are a lot of "main" characters with a lot of backstory, so it took me a while to be able to sort out who was who and how they were related. There was really only one issue, and that didn't fully come to light for about half the book, when it split into two.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator, Clare Corbett, was very good. She was easy to listen to, and I was able to tell the difference between the characters, even though there were six main voices.

My thanks to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the drama and mistrust between the three couples on this trip. Just when I thought I had a bit figured out, I was wrong. The narrator added to the story with her emotion and I will listen to other books by this narrator as well.

For fans of Lucy Foley! The Guilt Trip centers on 3 adult couples who have gathered together in Portugal for a destination wedding. Ali and Will are getting married. Will's brother, Jack, and his wife Rachel accompany them along with Rachel's long time friend Noah and his wife Paige. Beautiful location, beautiful event, and so much drama! This book is literally the guilty trip: EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN THIS BOOK HAS SECRETS!

I was intrigued by the storyline, although I did not find it to be too groundbreaking. It seemed like a mash of Foley's The Hunting Party mixed with The Guest List. The middle part of this book was slower to me, as it is mainly Rachel's obsessive thoughts that keep circling. I was surprised by some of the turn of events at the end, even if I'm not entirely sure it fit the tone of the book. This book was a quick read, but overall was just a mediocre thriller to me.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for granting me a free copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

Well, this may be an unpopular opinion, but I had a hard time getting into this one. I kept hoping it would get better, but sadly I couldn't finish it. I tried listening to this audio on two separate occasions. Perhaps I should pick up a hard copy to read next time, as I know there are many rave reviews about this one.

As a fan of Sandie Jones, I was very excited to read her newest book. When I saw that it was a B&N Book Club selection that excitement hit another level.
This book lives up to the name.
A wedding on an island.
Friends with history.
Infidelities.
I was hooked from the beginning.

Thank you NetGalley, author Sandie Jones, and Macmillan Audio publishing for giving me a free arc audio copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
3 stars
This is my second book by this author. The first book I read by this author was "The Other Woman" and I absolutely loved it!
Six friends will take a trip together for a wedding ,but will the secrets each of them has brought with them on the trip come to light?
While this book is marketed as a thriller, I just did not feel this story qualified as one. This book has more of a feel as a contemporary fiction with lots of drama such as one might fine watch a daytime TV soap opera. I could find none of the characters likeable. Each was selfish, shallow, and down right deceitful. I felt removed from these characters. I could not find that I could relate to any of the characters, which made it feel like I was an outsider looking in. Most of the first half of the book was filled with Rachel’s inner thoughts and suspicions, her dialogue and interactions with the other characters and how unhappy these couples were in their marriage. It was redundant. The second half was just a big secret reveal by each of the characters with a very quick wrap up. The writing and the pacing kept me wondering how much more drama was going to be introduced, so I had to keep reading until the very end. The scenes I did enjoy was the wedding venue and the restaurant! It was well detailed and beautiful. I would not say I would recommend this book to fans of thrillers, but I might recommend this book to those who love marriage/couple dramas. I would like to read another book by this author in the future.

A lot of interesting characters but none that were very likable. Seemed like a lot of build up and boom, then it was over; maybe trying to be a slow burn, but not really working for me. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook

𝐓𝐈𝐓𝐋𝐄: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐩⁣
𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑: 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐞 𝐉𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 ⁣
𝐏𝐔𝐁 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄: 𝟎𝟖.𝟎𝟑.𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏⁣
⁣
𝐒𝐢𝐱 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬⁣
𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬 ⁣
𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 ⁣
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Rachel and Noah best friends since college now twenty years later, Rachel is married to Jack, and Noah to Paige. They are off to Jack’s little brother’s destination wedding in Portugal with the mesmerizing and beautiful fiancée Ali. A misunderstanding leads Rachel to a rabbit hole, and a paranoia of feelings that her husband Jack is having an affair with Ali. ⁣
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This was a great domestic thriller that will leave you guessing as it builds up to a great crescendo of twists to an explosive ending I never saw coming. I love the fast paced read, the characters, and all the red herrings Sandie Jones wrote throughout the story. It was so fun and exciting read I never put down!
⁣
I really enjoyed this thrill ride of a read!

I received this an ARC through Netgalley. The Guilt Trip had a slow build for a while. Then when you think you've figured it out, it keeps twisting and turning. I felt it repetitive in some parts as Rachel keeps saying the same type of things over and over and over again. That really bothered me. Happy to have read it though.

I give 4.5 ⭐️ for THE GUILT TRIP by Sandie Jones. Wow this book really keeps you guessing! Right up to the very end. It makes you start to question everyone in your life - all their actions and possible motives! There wasn’t a tremendous amount of action in this book, but it still holds your attention. The one thing you take away from this is trust no one, especially those who are closest to you!

#minotaurbooks #minotaurpublishing #netgalley

Book description:

They went away as friends.
They came back as suspects.

Rachel and Jack. Paige and Noah. And Will. Five friends who’ve known one another for years. Then along came Ali, Will’s new fiancée.

The three couples travel to Portugal for Ali and Will’s destination wedding. The weekend away at the gorgeous cliff-top villa is a chance to relax and get to know Ali an little better. She seems perfectly nice―and Will seems happy after years of bad choices.

But when Rachel discovers a shocking secret about Ali, everything changes. As the wedding weekend unfolds, the secrets each of them holds begin to spill, and friendships and marriages threaten to unravel.

In Sandie Jones’s explosive new suspense novel, jumping to conclusions can become the difference between life and death.

Sandie Jones is one awesome storyteller. This book was a twisty blast! I love a good wedding story with juicy relationship drama, page-turning who-did-it mystery, and a setting that sweeps me away! Rachel and Jack, Paige and Noah, Will and Ali: Three couples and three-hundred secrets! This character-driven, suspenseful story perched atop the cliffs of Portugal is perfect for fans of The Guest List by Lucy Foley and The Perfect Couple by Elin Hildebrand, two similar summer mysteries I adored! This one kept me guessing and gasping from start to finish. I really sped through it! Highly recommend!

Three couples travel to Portugal for a wedding. While there, misunderstandings, suspicions and secrets unfold.
I had mixed feelings about this story. All 6 characters are a part of the story from the beginning so it did take a little bit to keep everyone's names and relationships straight. The middle also seemed a little repetitive and dragged some for me. The last third of the book really picked up with the suspense and was the most entertaining.