This book was good! I never expected the ending that happened which was a refreshing quality! I did think Ali could have used a little more character development in the beginning.

I really struggled to get through this one. 85% of the book was setting up only around 15% of actual action. I had high hopes for this one but it feel short of what I look for in a book. The audio was very distracting and did not feel 100% completed (like a draft was on here).

The Guilt Trip
By Sandie Jones

Three couples, a destination wedding at a gorgeous villa on the coast of Portugal, this had all the elements of a very good story. The couples are Rachel and Jack and Noah and Paige; both have been married for years and raised a child. Rachel and Noah are best friends since childhood. Rachel and Paige became close after Noah married Paige. The bridal couple are Ali and Will, Jack’s younger brother.
I really wanted to like this book. Rachel’s insecurities and wish washy nature made me truly dislike her. The book ended up being a soap opera with a deadly twist.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the audiobook.

This book was entertaining but I found it so hard to believe any of the events would actually happen. The books starts out with the three main couples in the novel arriving at a villa in Portugal for the wedding of Will and Ali. The other two couples consist of Wills brother Jack and his wife Rachel and their friends Noah and Paige. First I find it hard to believe that a couple getting married would invite people to stay at a villa with them for their wedding who they are not that close with. It seemed so unrealistic.

Then the events that happen later on, I wont mention as it is a spoiler, I could not believe someone would set in motion at their own wedding. No one in their right mind would want to ruin their own wedding day with another couples drama. So much drama! This book to me was more a drama/fiction then a thriller. So this took me out of the story at times and made me just frustrated with the characters.

Overall the audio book had great narration and I enjoyed the authors writing style but did not love the plot. I kept reading to see what happened but had to push myself to pick it up. I will in the future pick up books from this author though as I did like her writing.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Sandie Jones for an ARC of this book.

This one was just ok for me. I think it was a tad confusing and all over the place with wayyyy too much family drama. I was expecting it to be a thriller but it really wasn’t. It was more of a soap opera with some twists at the end. I wasn’t really a fan of most of the characters so that made it hard to connect with any of them. The ending was more of a page turner but it was a bit random.

I listened to the audio and I really loved the narrator but it didn’t help me like the story more. I didn’t hate it but it definitely wasn’t my favorite. If you like family dramas then you would like this!

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This is a book that keeps you engaged and doesn't let you go. I enjoyed the intrigue and mystery. I would have like to have known more about the characters motivations especially over the big event that happened, but that being said it kept me guessing until the end!

I listened to this on Audio and it was easy to follow and identify the characters.

Reading Between the Wines book review #91/115 for 2021:
Rating: 3 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book 🎧: The Guilt Trip
Author: Sandie Jones
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
RELEASED on August 3, 2021!!!

Sipping thoughts: Most grown married couples love to find like-minded married couples to hang out with. But when you have married couple friends like Rachel, Jack, Paige, Noah, Will and Ali, I am not sure if it is worth it. When Ali is added to the group’s dynamics so many lies, and deceit begins to be uncovered. Is Ali the catalyst or just another victim?

I don’t think there are any groundbreaking twists in this book or ones that you don’t see coming, except for maybe one small one. However, it still was an interesting book. This is not one of my favorites of Sandie Jones, but I didn’t dislike it. I will continue to read Jones’s future books as I really enjoy her writing style.

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley and @MacmillanAudio for an advanced copy of @TheGuiltTrip

#TheGuiltTrip #SandieJones #MacmillanAudio #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThriller

The Guilt Trip starts with the disruption a seemingly forgetful, attention-craving young woman, Ali causes on the way to her destination wedding in Portugal. Ali's heading there with her soon-to-be brother-in-law Jack, his wife Rachel, and their close couple friends - Paige and Noah.

Small things rouse suspicion, everyone is either judging or influencing from their perspective, and the cumulative impact - regardless of good or bad intent - comes to a peak with far ranging consequences.

I listened to this as an ALC, thanks to Netgalley and to Macmillan Audio. It took twists and turns, with a cadence that could sometimes feel slow - but if you didn't listen, you could miss small details that add up. The ending wasn't quite was I expected - it kept me guessing and was a fun listen!

Three couples head to Portugal for a destination wedding for one of the couples. Two have been friends for most their lives and had thought the relationship would lead to more. Twenty years later, the Bride joins the group when she gets engaged to the brother of one of friends. When some secrets start to be revealed during the trip, the wedding trip is in jeopardy of being ruined as well as the relationships of the couples.

There was a lot of conversations, back stories, drama, but sadly not a lot of suspense. Unfortunately, this was not a book I enjoyed. I have read several of this author’s books and I enjoyed them all. I really like her writing and the suspense and for that reason I completed it and gave it a higher rating. For this book, the characters were annoying and unlikeable. I really didn’t care what happened to them and thought they deserved what happened. The ending was rushed and confusing with a twist that I found farfetched. Unbelievable endings are the worst for me in this type of book. I would recommend one of her other books instead like The Other Woman or The First Mistake.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read and review this advanced reader copy.

Email: DaniReadsTooMuch@comcast.net
https://www.instagram.com/dani.reads.too.much/
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4725184-daniela-arena

Six friends, a destination wedding, Portugal…what can possibly go wrong? Filled with paranoia and suspense amongst the friends. I didn’t care for the audio version of this. The narrator had a loud piercing voice that was bothersome.

Juicy, juicy, juicy! Give me alllll the dirty details, spill alllll the tea... I want to know E•V•E•R•Y•T•H•I•N•G!!! These characters had SO much going on & I was ready to take on their messy world and make sense of it. Chapter one had me hooked and I sped through the book like there was no tomorrow. 💁🏻‍♀️
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Rachel & Jack, Paige & Noah, and Ali & Will head out to Portugal for a destination wedding. Their stay at a villa by the sea was meant to be perfect bliss leading up to the special day, but when the newest addition to the friend group starts to rub the others the wrong way, secrets start being uncovered, and threats are made between friends, their lives will be forever altered.
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This was a fun, fast read. It had me developing theories from the get-go and doubting every character, especially our dear narrator, since it felt like she was busy coming up with theories of her own and whispering them into my ear. 😂 I believed some of it, but my skepticism was on high alert the whole way through. 🧐 The ending was TRULY unexpected, but I feel like the last couple of pages were supposed to pack a punch that I somehow missed (probably due to my speed reading 🤦🏻‍♀️). I went back and reread certain sections, but I don't think it had the intended effect. 🤷🏻‍♀️

This is the perfect beach read! Scandal, affairs, lies, deceit, attempted murder, revenge…. it has it all! I thought this was an intriguing novel that kept me guessing. I found myself rooting for some couples, then changing my mind. I was also hating some characters because of their choices, but then later changed my mind on them too! It was a character driven book and I was trying to figure out who to trust the whole time! I liked how everything was wrapped up nicely at the end. I both listened to and read this book. I needed to find out what was going to happen! The narrator was great and had a nice voice to listen to. I really enjoyed this book and it helped keep me entertained through end of summer chores!!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a lot of lead-up and not a lot of climax or conclusion. So much time was spent on what-ifs and what is happening type of scenarios that when the final catastrophe happens I literally stopped and went “what???” It came out of nowhere and then had a short aftermath before it was resolved fairly easily. You find out the resolution in the epilogue. It didn’t give me the “oh shit!” Moment that I think was the goal here, more of just a confused, glad it’s over feeling. It all felt pretty pointless and it was sad because I really wanted to like this book.

I received an audio-arc from NetGalley for an honest review. I want to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity!Thank

Sandie Jones NEVER EVER disappoints. This book had me hook line and sinker. I am so grateful that i was able to listen and review this title early!

The twists in this book are incredible and truly not ones you can see coming, this further solidifying Sandie Jones as an absolute master of her craft!

Stars 3

Netgalley, thank you for early access to this e-arc audio.

I had some trouble rating this story. I head the audio and the narrator was great, making you feel each situation.

The beginning of the book was very promising. It kept me engaged with all the characters, setting you up to like certain characters more than others. By the time they reach the Portugal coast you wish you were part of the small group of friends. However once you reach that first night in the Villa you wonder how these people are actually friends which made my reading excitement taper off. By the half way point the pace of the story begins to slow down, making the moments a bit hard to read through. By the ending your left wondering what just happened and why. It did keep me engaged, even through the slower parts, to find out if everything I guessed was correct, which pretty much did.

Keep an open mind, this story requires it..

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my review copy.

Having thoroughly enjoyed The Other Woman, by Sandie Jones, I had high expectations for this read. It, unfortunately, fell quite a bit short for me. There was a lot of dramatic background, yet I didn’t find any “thrill” until the last quarter of the book. I’m sure it’ll hit the mark for many…it just didn’t for me.

Thank you to the publisher for my review copy. All opinions are my own.
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I am reviewing the audio book only. I am not going to speak on the story itself too much.
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This audio was very and I mean very hard to follow. Lot's of characters. Not enough back story to keep up and overall. I did not enjoy it. To be completely honest....I did not finish this audio. I couldn't keep up. The characters all ran together for me.

Fast paced and atmospheric. Pick this up for a late summer, vacation thriller!

I enjoyed this, but some typical thriller tropes annoyed me (repetition, clueless of the MC, affairs, etc.) However, I have never read a book in this setting (Nazarè, Portugal) so I liked that aspect. Also, the characters felt more dynamic than typical thriller “nameless” characters.

I ended up not believing the ending, so that knocked down my rating, but that’s extremely common for thrillers for me! A good comparison is “Girl in the Mirror”, so if you liked that, I recommend this!

The Guilt Trip was an okay book. Nothing I will remember a few weeks from now, more soapy drama than exciting thriller. It is a serious slow burn type of book, and it really not much happens until the very end. If slow build and anticipation is your jam, then this might work for you. It wasn't for me. I struggled keeping up my attention and I really didn't care for a single character in the book. Sometimes unlikable characters are fun, but these guys and gals were just annoying to me.
The narrator of the audiobook version was doing a fantastic job voicing the different characters, and I enjoyed listening to the performance more than the story itself.

🌟 ARC copy Book Review 🌟
Let’s start with a big thank you to Macmillan Audio productions, Minotaur Books and Netgalley for a free audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I am sure all the readers and reviewers fraternity love audiobooks but one thing which scares me is when a book involves multitude of characters. These characters need individual voices to help us differentiate and help us invest in these graphs. Huge credit to the narrator Clare Corbett and author Sandie Jones for giving each character an individuality- loved Ali- more about her shortly. The Agatha Christisque environment set up is pitch perfect as well.

So the story in brief, couples Rachel and Jack. Paige and Noah head to Jack’s brother, Will’s and fiancé Ali (Jack’s ex- employee) destination wedding in Portugal. Things start getting weird as the book moves between each individual’s grey past and more secrets keep getting unearthed leading to an explosive climax.

Although the book has been categorised as a mystery/thriller, it’s borderline domestic drama with a thriller element towards the final stretch. Credit to the author, the drama doesn’t drag, rather keeps you engaged as every chapter had a new twist coming. The whole story is narrated through Rachel’s viewpoint so the readers keep going through the same turmoil of judging the other characters and then feeling stupid for gaging someone just based on their outward attitude. That’s precisely why Ali was such a fascinating character and the evolution of the character (shoutout to the narrator) leaves you wanting more.

So overall, the book works great as a domestic drama- not a huge fan of the thriller touch at the end.
A Thoroughly Enjoyable experience ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

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