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AMAZING! Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this ARC. Such a great book!

The Group Trip tells the story of six friends who all met in college. They continue to keep in touch throughout the next ten years, as they go through the ups and downs of their lives. I was drawn to the crazy strong bond these characters had with each other; and how their lives intertwined. Each chapter has an alternating time line, so the reader understands how the characters interacted with each other early on, how they have changed ten years later; and all the years in between.

LOVED it! #booksbyashleynicole

Absolutely the book of the summer!!! I can’t wait to recommend this to anyone who will listen to me. This story had everything. Think Happy Place by Em Hen but better. I loved the dual timelines that allowed me as a reader to follow the friend group along on their journey to becoming adults. And a splash of mystery right from the beginning?! I ATE THIS UP.

What a lovely summer read. I loved the friendships between the characters and I really enjoyed reading about their relationships and the dynamics between them.

This book does a great job showing real friendships and how they change over the years.

It was a very solid 4/5 read.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Group Trip by Audrey Ingram was my first time reading one of her books. It won’t be the last. I loved the way she developed the characters and the way she tells a story, weaving present with the past.

This book was a perfect beach read. I found myself stealing moments throughout my day to read another chapter. It’s been a while since a book grabbed and held my attention.

Buy the book - you won’t be disappointed!

- The Group Trip
Get Lit: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5


A group of six friends who met in college and have grown up together into adulthood face the potential collapse of their close-knit circle after a breakup. The story unfolds through dual timelines, revisiting several past trips with the group while also following their current reunion after a year-long hiatus, which stirs up all sorts of drama. I loved this book and its diverse cast of characters. It grabbed me from the first chapter, and I couldn’t put it down!

https://www.instagram.com/p/C814R0-AXAt/?igsh=MXh4YzVlMXZvdHdwNw==

Reading The Group Trip felt like watching a movie. The group of friends go through a lot of realistic growing pains over the years as they transition from college kids to adults with careers. Most friend groups have trouble surviving for so long and the conflicts they had were common yet still interesting. The story started out feeling like a murder mystery (which it is not) and showed how they evolved together with flashes back to the past. Towards the end the flashbacks almost felt interruptive rather than needed. Overall this was a great story about relationships that will stick with me. Thank you Netgalley and Alcove Press for the ARC to review.

Loved this one! Great and fun read. Highly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for my ARC.

I don't think there is anything as poignant (and heartbreaking) as watching relationships evolve from best friends in college to functioning adults. It is never easy to make that transition. Relationships oftentimes take a huge hit, and you're left there holding all your memories and wishing things could have stayed the same. Such is the case with these six friends, navigating (oftentimes poorly) life after college. Flung to separate corners of the country, trying so hard to still maintain their relationships, all of them struggle accepting and living their new realities. It's so true that you "can't go back home". The only thing that you can do is let go and cherish the new stages of life and allow each other grace. This story is a beautiful tribute to those times in these young peoples lives where they redefinie their relationships and find their new normal.

This book will truly resonate with anyone who picks it up! The character development is amazing while still being complex. It doesn’t seem like development for the sake of development. Everything was so beautifully tied together in the end / resolved it felt good for my heart.

3.5 stars!!! A fantastic beach read and well-paced, I love books about friend group drama. Some characters can be frustrating at times but that’s part of the fun of course. I enjoyed seeing Chloe’s growth too. Thank you for the advanced copy!

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

With a premise that sounded right up my street, I was so excited to read this book. Unfortunately, it didn't grip me from the start and it took me a while to get past the prologue. My main issue with this book is the constant use of first names in place of a pronoun. 'Chloe did this and then Chloe did that'. It was so distracting being reminded of the main character's name on every line that I was searching for any use of a pronoun instead of reading the book.

I really wanted to like this but sadly it just wasn't for me at this time.

I enjoyed this book. I liked the dual storylines. I'm a sucker for those. Perfect story if you need a easy fun read. Characters were easy to relate too as well.

Thank you for the ARC. I flew through this book about 6 friends that met in college and all their trials and tribulations as they navigate their early years after college.It was fun that it was set in Seaside Florida -as I have vacationed there and recognized some restaurants and shops named in the book.

The Group Trip
by Audrey Ingram
Pub Date: August 13, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Firefly Lane meets Happy Place in this touching southern-set novel about what it means to grow up together–hopefully without growing apart.

Told through dual timelines, Ingram paints a stunning portrait of friendship for fans of Kristy Woodson Harvey.
Since Ingram’s debut “The River Runs South” was one of my favorite reads of 2023, I was stoked to get an advanced copy of “The Group Trip” (shout out to Alcove Press and NetGalley!). The Group Trip definitely lives up to my high expectations. The characters all had such a depth to them. The story was intricately woven and tied in the full story line. It was powerful to get a view of the friend group over time - it was much more than just a group trip, and I’ll be recommending this book.

Chloe meets Luke in college and instantly falls into his friend group- forming a gang of 6 best friends. 10 years later Luke is proposing, Chloe declines, and everyone is completely shocked. Chloe becomes a loner, and The Group Trip follows the group over 10 years- from meeting to present day, as we try to understand why Chloe said no, and if the group can recover.

thank you netgalley and alcove press for an arc of this book to review. the description of this book drew me in and the first 1/3 of it captured my attention. as the book went on, however, i found myself disliking most of the characters- especially the two main characters luke and chloe. initially this felt like a perfect combination of “happy place” and “the big chill” but it devolved into something else entirely. the last little bit of the book felt very rushed in an attempt to tie everything together with a bow and end on a light note but it left me with a feeling of “that’s it? that’s what i kept reading for?” this book may be for you if you have an easier time connecting to and relating to the characters than i did but it was unfortunately not for me.

Six college friends who become so close that they form their own type of family. The story is told in a dual timeline: now and at different points in the past 10 years. This is a story of friendship through the years. My only complaint is that the story felt wrapped up too nicely in the end. Otherwise great read.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Possible triggers: Parental death, sudden death, vehicular death, infertility, house fire, and infidelity.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I will not be giving feedback for this book. I unfortunately did not get to read it before it was archived.

Chloe met Luke her freshman year of college and quickly became his girlfriend and joined his friend group. The six friends—Chloe, Luke, Sloan, Alden, Wyatt, and Marianne—survive college and adulthood until Chloe inexplicably says no to Luke’s proposal. In a last ditch effort to bring everyone back together, Sloan invites the friends to her home in Florida. Everyone is desperate to understand what happened between Chloe and Luke, but the friends soon realize they’ve all been keeping secrets.

I absolutely loved this! It’s sort of like a modern version of the show Friends: an inseparable friend group that overcomes relationships, breakups, marriages, kids, jealously, growing up, and everything in between. It was easy to tell where the story was going with the Wyatt storyline, but it didn’t make the plot any less interesting. Every character is likeable and unlikeable in their own ways, but they worked well as a friend group. They all face very real issues but support each other, no matter how messy it looks at times. I enjoyed the alternating timeline, switching from the present to the last 10 years of Chloe’s life with Luke and the friend group. Every character got their own version of a happy ending, and while I don’t think it was necessarily realistic, I’m glad it ended on a positive note. Thanks to NetGalley, Alcove Press, and Audrey Ingram for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

ARC REVIEW:

The Group Trip by Audrey Ingram
Release date: August 13

This book revolves around a group of 6 friends in their college and early adult lives. Very much like Happy Place by Emily Henry! If you enjoyed Happy Place you’ll enjoy this one!

I did not enjoy this book very much and it actually took me forever to finish. Every other chapter is a flashback and it was kind of hard to keep up with and the flashbacks were all over the place it felt like. By the end of the book I felt like the flashbacks weren’t necessary and were forced and I ended up skipping the last 4 flashback chapters because I was so ready to finish it and wanted to know how it ended!

The ending was good and exactly what I was hoping for so I will give it that! I was rooting for 1 character in particular but I won’t say any more than that 🤐🤫

3/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️