Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this advanced audio book!

Unfortunately, I couldn’t keep listening to it. I was not a fan of the narrator’s voice. I was really looking forward to this book since I loved the Other Woman by Sandie Jones.

I will pick up the ebook to read instead!

I went back and forth listening to the audiobook and reading The Guilt Trip.⁣
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The narration was fantastic. I really enjoyed listening to the story.⁣
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As for the story, it reminded me a bit of The Guest List- lots of secrets, lies, and drama amongst a family and friend group. Each character was keeping something from someone, and each character got some closure. ⁣
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I liked that every chapter almost ended on a mini cliff hanger. Not many of the characters were very likable since each one was unreliable but it made for a quick read, filled with drama and some twisty turns.⁣
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
Thank you @minotaurbooks for an ARC for my honest review. #netgalley #bookstagram #books #theguilttrip

The main character Rachel, whom most of the story is told from her perspective, is in love with her beat friend Noah, even though Rachel is married to Jack. Noah is married to Paige(Rachel’s other best friend). The two couple’s are in Portugal at a seaside resort for the wedding of Jack’s brother Will.

This is the first book I have read by the author Sandie Jones. I expected this to be more of a thriller since this book was tagged as a domestic thriller but it wasn't. It is more like a romantic suspense story. I felt like some parts were way too confusing, it was hard to keep up with all of the characters.

Overall I did enjoy reading The Guilt Trip. Clare Corbett narrated the audiobook and she did a fantastic job reading. The Guilt Trip will be available on August 3. Many thanks to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4121209306
First, let me thank NetGalley for the opportunity it’s to listen to this audiobook in rent for my honest renew. This is the first book I’ve read (listened to on audio) by the author, Sadie Jones. It starts out with friends heading from England to Portugal for a wedding weekend. A lot is packed into this one weekend. Who is sleeping with who, did they sleep together, who is cheating and lying? Back and forth for most of the novel, which kept me on my toes. But the author often repeated information, either to fill space or because she didn’t think the reader would remember. I found that to be off putting. However, there were some good twists and if you’re looking for a light read set in Portugal, this is enjoyable enough.
#netgalley #theguilttrip

When I think of a solid suspense or thriller I think of turning the pages. Most of the time that involves a story with great pacing and short chapters. At 25% in, I was only on chapter 4 and nothing had happened. Way way too much dialogue as well. The characters felt one dimensional and lacked any real intrigue for me. I’m throwing in the towel now.

This is a story about looking around if you’re guilty.

I really enjoyed this! The author has been hit & miss for me, but I found this to be compelling & twisty! I appreciated that my assumptions were wrong, and that the author played on the judgments many readers will hold. I didn’t see the end coming at all!

Thank you Netgalley & Macmillan Audio for this Alrc!

Oh wow wow wow did I love this! Soooo what do you get with 3 couples, a beautiful secrets, and 100 hidden secrets? THIS BOOK!

Where do I even start? Rachel and jack have been married for 20 years. Rachel and Noah have been friends (maybe more than friends?) for more than that! Jack’s brother Will has fallen for the beautiful and bubbly Ali. Are you confused yet? I was at the beginning bc of all the characters! But once I got everyone sorted out, I was hooked! There is so much drama and secrets, and mixed with the idealistic setting there’s no way you couldn’t fall in love with this book.

I think the best way to go into this book is completely blind. For me that made all the twists and turns along the way hit harder. Thank you so much NetGalley for a chance to experience all the drama!

Meh… This book was nothing special, in my opinion. I think I got more of a thrill from reading the description than I did from listening to the narrator tell me the story. I was also having issues with the app and I had to skip a few chapters, so I’m only critiquing what I heard (94% of the book).

I’m not sure why I didn’t click with this book. Maybe it was the dialogue that never seemed to end. I get it, it’s a dramatic story so the readers need to know what’s going on and who said what. Something about it was excessive to me. I also had a very difficult time keeping the characters straight. The dynamic between Rachel and Noah (double-checking right now to make sure I’m talking about who I think I’m talking about… I indeed had it wrong) threw me off and I had to pause every so often and get it straight in my head. Maybe I would have had an easier time if I read the physical copy instead of listened to the audiobook, although this problem hasn’t occurred in the past for me. Hmm… The twist as the end was just okay. I don’t really know what happened since I had to skip the previous chapter and honestly had no idea who the hell anybody was except for Ali, so maybe it made more sense to people who had the whole story. There was also something about a big secret that, without spoiling anything, just seemed too unbelievable even for a fictional story. If it was real life, I don’t think it would have played out like it did in the story.

I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The book is set to be released on August 24th, 2021.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio arc in exchange for an honest review!

The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones is a hard book to review. I went into it thinking it was going to be a thriller, but after finishing it I don't feel like that is what it is.

I liked this book a lot and the narrator does an excellent job bringing the story to life, so I would definitely recommend the audiobook to anyone who likes to consume books in this format.

Now as far as the story, I liked the messy relationship dynamics, I liked that every one of these characters seems to be a pretty awful person and I like that Rachel, the narrator seems to be so neurotic that it makes most of her actions seem to make sense.

*minor spoilers ahead*

What I didn't like is that our central villain is humanized because she used to be fat – and that her life's biggest fear seems to be that people may find out that she was "morbidly obese." It rubbed me the wrong way and felt like a stretch for that to be the earth-shattering secret she has been hiding. I also understand that this is a book so we need some conflict and excitement, but the major incident just seemed so absurd. I had a hard time buying what Jones was selling. I guess in the end we are meant to identify that the villain is a sociopath and that justifies their actions.

I also only allow for inception-like, giant question mark endings if they are executed flawlessly. This just seemed like a lazy ending.

Overall, I enjoyed the read but it's not high on my "you must read this right now" list. I didn't find it overly cerebral or overly original so if you are looking for something that is easy to tear through in a day, this one will hit the spot.

Closer to 3.5 stars but rounded up to 4.
The story of three couples at a destination wedding that should be trip of fun but it turns into a soap opera. The couples are much more entwined than any of them realized and how all of those twists can unravel.
Admittedly, it took me a little bit to sort out all of the characters but the story was overall very good. I felt that it was reminiscent of books by Liane Moriarity or The Guest List by Sally Foley.
Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur books for the Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4118272744

This was a really fun ride!

My only complaint...too many characters to keep track of. I struggle when there are lots of people so this is not unique to this book, but man oh man was this a fun, wild and DRAMATIC juicy ride.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance audio copy - I loved it!

All the twists and turns! This definitely felt like Days of Our Lives with all the different story lines to follow, all of which wouldn't exist if everyone was just honest and had common sense. <spoiler> How does your best friend not notice that your son looks exactly like him when a stranger can see it?!!! </spoiler> There was a lot of drama and action in this one to keep you on your toes. The ending was unexpected. All in all, an entertaining read (listen). The narrator was excellent, no issues.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I loved the concept and set up for this book, but I spent about two hours of the audiobook being extremely annoyed with the main character. It's a huge pet peeve of mine when otherwise intelligent and/or strong female characters suddenly believe the lies others tell them or act in ways that only seem to be in service of the plot. As the story wrapped up, I was left wondering why these people were even friends with one another. I just wish that the main character had stood up for herself rather than falling for lies and gaslighting from those who are supposed to care for her the most.

I was a fan of televised soap operas as a kid because I watched them with my mom and grandmother. This felt like a delicious modern soap opera with everyone involved in some way with everyone else. Lots of fun with a good narrator telling a good story!

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Macmillan Audio through Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

As the weekend unfolds questions and rumors spread. Ali is bubbly and sexy but Jack Will's brother doesn't seem to like her. In fact there are frequent secret arguments brewing between the two of them leading to others to question whether or not they were having an affair. The twists and turns get deeper and the secrets more damaging as the young couple and their friends navigate this tumultuous week. In the end as tempers flair and the truth comes to light something devastating happens that threatens them all.

Reminiscent of The Guest List by Foley this story of friends with secrets that could rip lives apart, but who is telling the truth? In the end the truth always seems to come out - yet one more book that teaches us that lies never stay hidden.

I was swept away in the drama of this book by the narrator who really embraced all the characters so well. I got a little tired of Rachels angst but under the circumstances I can understand why she was so torn in two. There were so many twists and turns but they all came together in the end.

The Guilt trip by Sandie Jones is pretty similar to The Guest List by Lucy Foley. However its not as thrilling. Its drama galore !

Three couples go on a trip to Portugal for attending. the wedding of two of this group, Ali and Will.. The story is all about drama between the couples ( Who slept with whom?). I felt this book was drawn out at some parts and definitely could have done well without few chapters. We get swirled on The main character Rachel's inner monologue most of the time.

I listened to the audio book version of the book and I loved the narrator. So the book kinda went by fast. Still, its not a bad read. If you want a quick read, go for it.

3/5 stars.

Ali and Will are getting married in Portugal and two other couples; Rachel, Jack, Noah and Paige are joining them. When in Portugal, there are secrets that begin to unfold and take the reader on a rollercoaster of a ride throughout the story. There are flashbacks throughout the story, which added more dynamics and details. Who's truth are you going to trust? This book had me riveted throughout trying to figure out all of the pieces. I couldn't stop listening to it! The narrator was a great fit for the story!

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillian Audio for a chance to listen early! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Two couples, Rachel and Jack along with Paige and Noah are heading to Portugal to attend Jack’s brother Will’s wedding to Ali. Nerves are already frayed by the time they arrive to the gorgeous cliffside villa mostly because Jack seems to have developed a very low tolerance to Ali and her flightiness but Rachel begins to suspect there’s more going on than meets the eye.

There’s a lot of history between Rachel and Noah, best friends since Uni and as the trip develops more comes out about their past relationship, Paige’s insecurities and Jacks increasing disdain for his future sister-in-law despite her attempts to insert herself into his activities. Rachel does a bit of sleuthing and picks up clues that lead her to a shocking conclusion but is all really as it seems? Turns out more than one person has a secret to hide!

This is such an intriguing and suspenseful book, with full on plot twists that had my head spinning all the way to the very last page. So much deceit and treachery and just when you think you know what’s going on – the big a-ha moment – some new revelation occurs and you realize you know nothing!

The author plotted this so beautifully and developed the characters with highly distinctive personalities, making me either love, hate or empathize with them – strongly! While reading/listening to this I found myself feeling tense with the suspenseful atmosphere and an overwhelming need to know what the heck was going to happen which led to me finishing in just over a day! I was so gratified by the ending!

Narration: Clare Corbett narrates and she is phenomenal! She brings the characters to life, giving them depth and personality and making them unique and unforgettable!

Highly recommend this to any fan of the genre! My thanks to Macmillan Audio for this gifted ALC and to Minotaur Books for the gifted DRC.

This was the most stressful trip I've ever not been on. I definitely had no idea where it was going but I enjoyed the ride. Listened in one sitting.

The Guilt Trip is about three couples, six people that go on a destination wedding to Portugal. The amount of lies and secrets that are thrown are enough to fill an entire room.

This eerily reminded me a bit of The Guest List by Lucy Foley. Maybe destination wedding on a coast with a massive cast does it for me, ya know? Each couple has some connection to the other couples. Besties, brothers, secretive connections as well. I got lost. I actually made a web connecting the couples as to who was who and how they were connected. There were a lot of question marks and scratch outs! It was entertaining once I was able to distinguish relationships.

The paranoia and uncertainty in the trust really through me for a loop. At some parts, I wanted to shake Rachel. Other parts, just wanted to hug her. She’s that naive friend that you just want what’s best for her, even if she doesn’t know what’s best.

I did an audio/reading combo and was so happy Clare Corbett was the narrator. You may recognize her from The Girl on the Train or The One. She’s one of the narrators i am always happy to listen to and enjoy her tellings.

Overall, It started off very suspicious and strong. I was here for it. But, the she said/he said was just a bit too much that I lost interest on the truth. The ending came crashing into you for a final reveal. The very last page threw me for a loop that I read it twice. It was a quick, entertaining read, but it left me with more questions than answers. Thank you so much Minotaur and Macmillan audio for the gifted copy! The Guilt Trip is out August 3rd!