I loved this contemporary fiction arc! The story of six friends that began at a Waffle House during their college years! Its centered around two of the friends that dated for a decade and when it ended it put damage on their friend group. The story goes through how this group and romance started and present day. It has everything you want including lots of drama! Highly recommend!

I really enjoyed this. I feel like I can’t rate it 5 stars because I doubt it’s going to be a book I think about a lot going forward, but it was just a super solid summer read. I loved the different timelines, getting flashbacks to when Chloe was in college and how the friend group developed and evolved over the years. Despite the short length (only 230 pages!) the friendships felt so lived in and I totally bought them as found family. I liked the slow reveal about Luke cheating and why they broke up and how Chloe had been trying to make herself fit into his world.

The tension between Wyatt and Chloe was great and them bonding over both being the poor(er) members of their friend group was nice. I liked that Chloe and Wyatt live in DC like I do now because I got such a kick out of the local aspects of it that I recognize. And I haven’t read Happy Place yet, but I really like that this one doesn’t end up with Chloe and Luke getting back together and it has them moving on separately, but getting to a place where their friend group can remain intact.

Thanks to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Group Trip by Audrey Ingram is a contemporary novel about a group of friends with all the secrets, foibles, and intricacies of being besties for years. The group met in college and formed a bond dancing on the tables at a diner. They have been there for each other and the various bumps and thumps with growing into an adult.

Chloe was the last to join the group. In her mind she feels that she is in the group because of her relationship with Luke. Then she refused Luke when he proposed, which threw the group dynamics into a mess. Chloe feels like she is alone, since to her mind, she has lost her true family.

All of the friends are expected to show up at the latest request. Reluctantly they all gather at the beach in Florida. Slowly secrets eek out as the ‘besties’ realize that there are unknowns between them. Questions, tearful confessions and even an explosion help these best friends find answers, but can they still be friends?

The Group Trip was told in a couple of timelines, helping the reader understand the past as they navigate the present. I liked the characters - well most of them. The Group Trip by Audrey Ingram was a good read.

Thanks for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book. Loved following the story of a group of friends that meet in college and go through life. I enjoyed the past to present back and forth storyline. When your friends are all mutual to your relationship what happens if you break up. This is the story of a breakup and the fall out. Highly recommend. Could feel the emotions in her writing.

This is a great summer book. I really enjoyed it. I loved the characters. Great background. Great character development.

Apologies, I cannot provided feedback. I did not realized it archived multiple months before it released and it is not yet available at my local library.

*Spoilers*

This was a wonderful book of friendship. Jumping between present day and past, you’re able to watch as it grows between a group of friends, as some date for that length, others get married, yet their friendship continues.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Watching Luke and Chloe’s relationship change through the years, giving insight as to why, after almost a decade, Chloe refused his proposal. And then seeing the group friendship continue after this was inspiring. I loved watching their friends stick by both, not choosing sides through this.

I will say, I didn’t see Luke’s personality shifting as it did. I did not predict the reasoning for Chloe’s refusal, though looking back I guess I should’ve. Also, Luke’s response really should’ve given some insight. He was my least favorite character and I’m still not his biggest fan.

Also, watching them, even as they all go through different walks of life and struggles, stick together was amazing. You see some real trials and arguments, but watching them forgive and stay with each other regardless was a great testament of friendship. I really appreciated it.

Through it all, I just very much enjoyed this one, and hope to check out more by this author!

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, received from the publisher and author through NetGalley. However, all thoughts and views reflected are strictly my own opinions.

Having had the same group of friends since childhood, this book resonated with me. The way relationships evolve through adulthood is very relatable. Loved this story about six group of friends from college filled with relationship issues, secrets, friendship, and growth. Loved the characters and enjoyed the story throughout.

I really enjoyed this book. It follows a group of friends from college to present day, and is told from the perspective of one of the female characters. The story starts with a dramatic scene, then backtracks so you can learn who the characters are and how the scenario from the beginning of the book plays out, The timeline does flip back and forth, which helps give context to the friendships and how relationships progress along the way. I was able to deduct where one of the story lines was headed, but there were some twists and turns I didn’t expect. Overall, it was a great tale of prioritizing friendships. I can’t say I have a friend group like the one in the story, but this book certainly makes you think a bit about the people close to you. I give this 4 out of 5 stars and would recommend.

Friends from college, the group dynamics traverses from friendship to intense relationships (some within the group), to brutal honesty even when it's painful. Can they stay friends when college ends, and life moves them in different directions? Can the friendship survive when one of the couples breaks up?
At first the constant change in the timeline back to the beginning to the present and back and forth through the years was a challenge. However, I got into the rhythm of the timeline and could follow it easier.
I would have rated this a 5 star, but some of the open-door scenes was too detailed.
Releases Aug. 13th. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book was one that will make readers stop and think about all the friendships that have in their lives and how they evolve as we get older.
Chloe, Luke, Sloan, Alden, Wyatt, and Marianne have been friends since starting college. Being with them as their lives go in different directions is an adventure through their lives.
Things happen within the group and there are secrets among them. This is a book that was hard to put down as I was reading.
Thank you NetGalley, Audry Ingram and Alcove Press for the copy of The Group Trip. This is my personal review.

If you’re looking for a beachy summer read then the Group Trip by Audrey Ingram is it!! This book follows six friends that as they navigate life and friendship. The characters are lovable and I couldn’t put it down it let me wanting more.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book and my honest review

Thank you to NetGalley, Alcove Press, and Audrey Ingram for the ARC e-reader copy of this book!

This is a heartfelt story following a group of college friends turned family and how they navigate friendship, relationships, and the transition into adulthood. This story is told in third person and the timeline jumps from present day back into the years leading up to now. They discover they’ve all been keeping secrets in an effort to protect their friendships, when in reality those secrets are only pushing them further apart. Can they navigate the changes in their lives and come back together to keep their friendship unit together?

The first chapter immediately drew me in and I needed to know more about what was happening. It was dramatic and intense, and I knew it could become an emotional story.

This book was so sweet in that it encompasses all aspects of a lifelong unbreakable friendship. The book feels so real, and it has all the vibes you could ever want. Thank you Alcove Press for sending me this book.

Six friends, ten years. This is all about found family and the secrets we keep to keep our relationships. This group met at college and all seemed perfect until Chloe refused Luke's proposal. This pushes the others to think about themselves. There's nothing especially dark here (unlike some in the genre) and it moves back and forth in time to tell their individual and collective stories. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. No big surprises but it's. good read for a lazy day.

I was not able to download this book to read before it was archived. I sent it to my kindle but it never got delivered so I was unable to read the book. I was excited about this story.

It was an okay book. I love the found family aspect in the friendship. I didn’t like Luke at all and I didn’t think he deserved to have a HEA. I loved Wyatt and how much he loved Chloe. I thought it was so cute that he had feelings for her and noticed her from the beginning and how he mentioned he would go out of his way to see her in college. It was so cute!

This is was my first Audrey Ingram book and it will not be my last! I wish I was Chloe as her group of college friends is something to cherish. Their friendship spans time and they are fiercely look out for each other. This is a great beach read and I would recommend to lovers of Kristy Woodson Harvey.

Thank you Net Galley, Audrey Ingram and Alcove Press for the opportunity to preview this novel and the opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC of The Group Trip by Audrey Ingram.

College can be some of the best years of your life and as Chloe is packing up to return home and give up her dreams of being an artist because she hasn’t found her place, she meet Luke. Meeting him changes her trajectory because with him comes Sloane, Marianne, Wyatt, and Alden and they become inseparable. From dance parties at Waffle House, to weddings, babies, and adulthood they are together every moment. That includes the moment Luke proposes to Chloe and she says no.

That is the moment that breaks the whole group because even though Chloe has been waiting for this moment,or at least so she thinks she has, she walks away from that relationship, and ultimately her friends. The group took yearly trips every year except the year Luke and Chloe called it quits, but now Sloane is determined to get them back together and forge on with their inseparable bond.

This novel takes you through twists and turns of friendship, love, loss, success, and sacrifice. Through broken bonds and rebuilding. Through betrayal, upset, and ultimately forgiveness. After Sloane forces the group back together, what may be their last spring fling comes to light and some losses are greater than others. This book is a great read and was captivating from the very first page. At times the reader can see where things are going, but it’s worth holding out because the end is something unexpected. A great pool side or beach read to wrap up your summer.

Pub Date: August 13, 2024
🌟🌟🌟🌟

A coming of age story told in a parallel timeline.

"Sloane and Alden. Chloe and sometimes Luke. Steady Marianne. Reserved Wyatt. The six friends meet in their freshman year of college and quickly become inseparable as they navigate the bumpy road into adulthood." The characters are likeable and relatable. These are all people that have appeared in our friend groups at one stage or another. While I found Chloe annoyingly dependent and overly self-pitying at times, I could still relate to how she became like this. I think they each develop well and convincingly throughout the story.

"But when Chloe inexplicably refuses Luke’s long-awaited proposal, their breakup fractures the close-knit group. Uncertain about the future of their friendship, they all reluctantly agree to gather for a luxury getaway on Florida’s Emerald Coast. As Chloe struggles to mend what she broke, the friends discover they’ve all kept secrets from the people who are supposed to know them best." And when an accident occurs while they are on holiday and one of them might be lost forever, we learn that the things we thought were broken may be for the better.

A story of love lost and then found again.

This book made me long for the carefree days at university and the many friends that have long grown apart. I wonder what it would be like to get together again and see how our lives have all changed. Would we still get along? It also made me glad for the friends I am still close to.

One of the best books I've read so far in 2024.

**Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.