I really wanted to like this book based on the description, but it fell short for me. To me it was very slow to start (and honestly most of the book) and only picked up the last 1-2 hours of the audiobook, but even then I was not very shocked by the revelations that occurred. The narrator was great.

The premise of THE GUILT TRIP is all too familiar. Old friends gather for a destination wedding in a foreign country. The bride, as usual, is not a part of this closely knit group of friends. She is marrying the brother, Will, of her former boss, Jack. The wild, roaring sea surrounding the secluded island resort, sets the stage for the long hidden revelations of the friends. Eighty eight per cent of the book is devoted to discovering which of the married friends are having affairs with each other. The bride seems to know the answers, but no one believes her. Finally, at the wedding, a tragic event takes place. All is revealed in a fast paced ending. Or is it ?
I have read, and enjoyed Sandie Jones’ other books. THE GUILT TRIP seems too familiar.

I’m preferred reading this book, rather than listening to the audio. I was not a fan of the narrator.

I received an ARC from the publisher for my honest review.

A keep you on the edge of your seat read! A great story about love, attraction, and learning about how well you really know those close to you. When I had to pause the book I found myself itching to get back to it to hear what happened next. Just when you think the story is going in one direction you’re twisted in another. Even when I reached the end I wasn’t sure I really knew what had happened and I found myself thinking about the details for a couple days after I had finished. This thriller does not disappoint

The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones

Audiobook
Narrated by Clare Corbett
300 Pages
Publisher: MacMillan Audio
Release Date: August 3, 2021

Fiction (Adult), Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Relationships

Three couples go away for a destination wedding in Portugal but how many will come back? The main character, Rachel is married to Jack. It is Jack’s brother Will getting married to Ali. On an impulse, Will invites their friends Paige and Noah to come along. Tensions begin to run high as they arrive at the airport to leave. Ali is missing her passport and Rachel makes Jack go with her to look for it. Paige begins to put thoughts in Rachel’s mind that Ali is/was having an affair with Jack.

Rachel’s suspicions begin to build as Ali seems to be flirting with Jack. When Ali gives Jack an inappropriate best man gift, it all but confirms their affair. An incident at the wedding will change everyone’s lives forever.

The book has a slow pace since it takes place over the course of a couple of days. The characters are somewhat developed. The story is told in the third person point of view. This is the first book I have read/listened to by this author, but it will not be the last. I enjoyed the twists and turns in the plots and the fact that they left me guessing until the end.

Well! Sandie does it again! I’m a huge fan of her previous works, and I’m so excited that this one lived up to her name! I find that a lot of authors can never quite measure up to their first explosive debut, but everything Sandie has written sense is definitely keeping the ball rolling.

The Guilt Trip kept me on my toes, while I also found myself deeply concerned for the characters, their well-being & their futures.
It’s hard sometimes in thriller books to really be invested in the characters, but the depth of the characters in The Guilt Trip was a nice surprise.

The guilt trip is a novel full of twist & surprises, that will have you gasping on one page, cringing on the next, and tearing up after that! It was a nice surprise that once I finished the book, I noticed there was a strong message about how we treat each other.
The first half of the novel is desperately entertaining. I loved reading about the dynamics of the friendships & relationships, and reading about Ali’s Over the top ways. The second half of the book is where shit gets real, where it all goes down.
The twist ending was a bit predictable, but trust me when I say it didn’t make it any less fun!
If you looking for a quick, binge-able thriller, and are a fan of Sandies previous books than I’d highly recommend this one!

Thank you @netgalley and @monotaurbooks for this advanced listeners copy of The Guilt Trip by @SandiJones in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. What can I say? This was one wild ride. The drama and the suspense started from the very beginning and kept going until the very last page. There were several points when I thought I had it figured out, but I was so far off. The author had a way of deceiving the reader into thinking one way and then twisting the story in a totally different direction. It was amazing. The main point here is trust NO ONE.

Rachel is anxious about her upcoming trip to Portugal for her brother-in-law's wedding. First there is the strange way her husband Jack is behaving and then there is the way Ally, the bride- to be is grating on all of their nerves before they even leave the airport. Luckily, her best friend Paige and her husband Noah are coming along too, and she is thankful for their presence for the sake of her sanity.

Upon their arrival to the beautiful seaside villa, the drama between the 3 couples begins to escalate and Rachel begins to question her husband's fidelity. But Rachel is hiding a secret of her own, one she had buried for nearly two decades. As the wedding day draws closer the tension becomes unbearable. It seems everyone is hiding something and Ally seems to be flaunting her indistrections right in front of all them. Rachel is not sure who she can trust anymore or if they will even make this home from this trip alive.

Luckily, you will not have to wait long to check this one yourselves. It is due out August 3rd!

I couldn’t get into this book at all. The synopsis made it sound good but the book ended up being a DNF for me because it was just not hooking from the very beginning. Maybe if I had hung on, it would’ve gotten better. However, I honor and respect the author for her ability to write a book.

Three couples, all six of them friends, head to Portugal to celebrate the upcoming marriage of Will and Ali. But the longer the group is together, the more the secrets start spilling, and the more the friends jump to conclusions and look at each other through a new set of eyes. Are any of these secrets true? Or is Ali a pathological liar and trying to remain the center of attention?

I listened to the audio version of this book and the narrator did a good job. She was clear and precise and her emotions added an extra element to the story.

The writing was well done, and had a lot of potential for this to be a fantastic, thrilling, shocking book. Unfortunately, it ended at good writing.

The beginning of the story was interesting and I had a lot of hope for a twisty, shocking thriller. The ending was a twist, kind of, but it wasn’t mind blowing or really even that surprising. I guessed the ending by 3/4 of the way through.

My biggest issue with this book was the characters. I don’t think I have ever read a book with such annoying, whiny, immature characters. Every single one of them had thought someone else had done something horrendous, but not a single one wanted to confront anyone about it. The entire story was one person jumping to conclusions and gathering “evidence” against another, and listening to what other people had to say about the same person, but never actually talking to that person about the issue. Communication is not a strong point with these characters, but gossip runs rampant.

The ending was honestly the best part of this book, in my opinion, but it was also extremely confusing. One of the big reveals was kind of glossed over and it wasn’t even blatantly stated. It was kind of revealed in a hidden meaning, beating around the bush type of way. I had to really think about what was said to get the full impact of the reveal instead of just having that “aha!” moment. I also felt like the ending left a lot of loose ends, not everything seemed to fit together or feel completed. I don’t know if that was on purpose or if the endin was rushed, but to me it felt like the latter.

I think this story had a lot of potential but I couldn’t get past the annoying characters. I was constantly rolling my eyes and thinking they sounded like a bunch of middle schoolers who had their feelings hurt because someone else called them a mean name. I also think the ending should have been more detailed and complete to really give a final punch. I think the reveals were important and great, but they were done in a poor manner and it took away from the overall impact.

This book was just okay for me. I didn’t love it nor did I hate it, but I don’t know that this will be one I recommend solely for the confusing ending.

"Guilt Trip" is perfect for fans of " The Guest List". A group of friends, brothers, and partners go to a destination wedding. Most of them bring the baggage of years long secrets from one another. Not all of them will return alive.

I found this to be entertaining while I was reading it after a slightly slow start. But I think I would enjoyed it more if it had been a multiple POV instead of just from Rachel. Even if it was just one other person.

One critique I had was the others characters continuously talked about the bride as if she was a 19 years old instead of a 29 year old. Reminiscing of there life at her age when they are only in their mid to late 30s themselves.

Overall this was an average thriller, but the event at the wedding was definitely surprising and I would guess the no one could predict that happening.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an advanced audiobook for review.

This book was just an ok read for me. I give it 3 stars.
The story was interesting from the beginning where 3 couples came
together for one of their weddings. Drama and secrets between each other
begins to unfold. The story seemed to drag at some points and get confusing at others. The book I felt was good but not Great. 3 stars.

Thanks netgalley for the audio arc copy of the book! I was super intrigued by the synopsis of this book and the actual story wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. I was thinking there would be a murder or death or something that we were trying to solve, but the story is really about a group of 6 friends unraveling truths/secrets about each other.

The beginning was interesting enough, figuring out what was going on, and the end was pretty good because there was a huge twist at the end that totally came out of nowhere. But the middle really dragged and even though the audio book was only about 8 hours it felt loooonnnggg. The main character, Rachel, was super annoying and pretty naive in my opinion. My husband and I had figured out the ending several times and then Rachel would jump to a wild conclusion with basically no basis and make us question if we were right but knowing we weren’t. It was frustrating.

If you enjoy character driven, slow paced thrillers definitely check this one out. But if you prefer fast paced and action packed thrillers you might give this one a pass.

A good summer thriller. With plenty of plot twists. Four characters that need to know who your friends are. Recommend to anyone who loves psychological thrillers.

3.5 rounded up..

I really liked this book. The first half felt just like a contemporary drama to me with 3 couples going away for a wedding weekend and then drama ensuing between all the couples. The story line was well developed and j was really intrigued to see what happened with the characters at the end. The twist was kind of out of no where for me though and I didn't love how everything wrapped up in the end, even though I was page turning until the end to figure out what happened! I like Sandie Jones though and would recommend reading this I thought it was a fun time!

Five long-time friends are traveling to Portugal from GB for the wedding of one of them. The sixth person is the bride-to-be, a boisterous young woman who seems rather self-absorbed. Everyone has secrets. Which are true? Which are false? This book focuses on interpersonal relations and suspicions among partners. It was an interesting book, with some surprising outcomes. I'd recommend it!

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Summary: Three couples at a destination wedding are about to have their lives unravel as secrets are revealed and lives destroyed.
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Review: While I love mysteries and thrillers this book was so powerfully centered on sexual intrigue that it felt a bit out of my wheelhouse.

That said, this book quickly captured my attention. The secrets and revelations came one after another leaving me desperate to know what the heck was going on. Even to the very end though…wtf???

The audiobook was well-narrated and a pleasure to listen to.
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3.5/5 I think folks interested in romance would probably rate this even higher. It’s a good book.

The Guilt Trip takes place at a villa in Portugal, where Ali and Will are getting married. Talk about an amazing destination wedding! I’m also so in love with this cover.
Ali annoyed me from the first page (as was intended!). She was the embodiment of all my biggest pet peeves: bad traveler, fake drunk, damsel in distress. I would’ve left her at check-in at the airport and said see ya at the gate!

I’m all for drama in my thrillers, so the beginning of this book had me hooked. Three couples, all with secrets to keep from the other members of their group? Sign me up. I was eager to figure out which secrets were just run-of-the-mill drama, and which would cause the blowup you know is coming. The ending, though, wasn’t quite as twisted as some of Sandie’s previous novels. I read her first three books back to back about a year ago, and I remember being absolutely blown away by the twist in The First Mistake. That was a five-star read for me, so I think I was holding The Guilt Trip to that standard.

On audio, it was a bit confusing to get a handle on who all the characters were and who was married to/related to whom, so I’m glad I had the physical book to follow along with. The audio production was great overall, and I really liked the narrator.

This book had me scratching my head wondering "what is going on here?" until the very last sentence. A non-stop ride from start to finish where the reader is left not knowing who to trust or what to believe. Stories don't add up. Emotions weight heavy. It can't possibly be him or her, could it? Could this character really be that dense? Could they really be that cruel? If you are looking for a book that will suck you in and leave you furiously saying "just one more chapter!"... this is it. Be warned, however, once you pick it up, you won't want to put it back down.

Since reading/listening to The Other Woman, I haven't encountered another of Sandie Jones' books that I like nearly as much. I was hoping this new release would be better than her last (The First Mistake) but no luck.

This book was a disappointment all around. It's labeled as a mystery and psychological thriller, which isn't accurate. It's not a fast paced twisty type listen. There's a little mystery and definitely suspense, but it's a slow burn, domestic drama.

The story follows three couples traveling together for the wedding of one couple. Their lives are intertwined in various ways, which come to light as the plot unfolds. I didn't like any of the characters. They're all vicious drama queens, even when best intentioned. I hated the way the women gossiped about each other. It was stereotypical competitive women BS that shouldn't be written anymore because it justifies the behavior. Women are not always out to steal each others men and make fun of their fat phases, gross.

The author tried too hard to throw the reader off course. I guessed many of the "twists" which always bums me out. I also found the writing generally weak and lazy.

The narration by Clare Corbett was one of the few redeeming points here. She did a great job giving the characters personality and adding to the drama.

I doubt I'll try this author again, though I would recommend this book for anyone who liked her last one.

A slow beginning with lots of relationship drama. Some of the situations the characters found themselves in were believable and others were just annoying. This was just an OK read/listen for me.
I'm very happy I wasn't invited to this destination wedding and most grateful to
NetGalley and Macmillian audio for the advance copy..

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced audio copy of The Guilt Trip.

Rachel's brother-in-law, Will, is getting married and she, her husbands, and their two closest friends, Noah and Paige, are attending the destination wedding in Portugal. Rachel adores Will but his fiancée, Ali, is another story, she is a bit of a loose cannon who her husband, Jack, has grown to despise after Ali quit working with him. On the way to the villa Jack reveals a secret about Ali to his wife and friends, that rocks the group because he has decided to keep it from Will. The tensions between the three couples are high but they have all agreed to put on a good face and share a villa in preparation for the nuptials. As the weekend unfolds it turns out Ali may is not the only one keeping secrets, as it turns out they all are. Will anyone's marriage survive this fateful weekend?

I really enjoyed The Guilt Trip, it is a suspenseful novel full of twisty story lines and flawed characters. With all of secrets each character is keeping it is hard to know who to champion for, but this is done well which keeps each person interesting. There were a few subplots that were a little more forced and the ending was a bit unexpected but otherwise this was a good emotional thriller.
I had the audiobook read by, Clare Corbett, I greatly enjoyed her performance and look forward to more of her work.