4 friends (2 couples) embark on a trip from the UK to Thailand. Buoyed by excitement, the anticipation turns to dread as horrible things happen and dark secrets are revealed.

I really liked the premise and the vibes of this book, but I had some trouble with the head hopping. Having 2 POVs in one chapter was a bit confusing for me. I also didn't like how the tense changed based on who was talking. I think if that had been straightened out, I would have enjoyed it more. The bouncing around pulled me out a bit too much.

Told from alternating POVS, this was a twisty domestic suspense vacation thriller that sees two British couples travelling to Thailand only to have secrets from their past come back to haunt them in lethal ways. I thought this was good on audio, kept me guessing, had a great shock ending and was one I would highly recommend for fans of authors like Roz Nay! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Phoebe Morgan’s The Trip is a suspenseful getaway gone terribly wrong. The Trip follows four friends on vacation in Thailand, with the story escalating quickly from a dream escape to a nightmare.
I found the pacing in the first half of the book sluggish, & the plot seemed to drag on without delivering any surprises. By the time the twists began to roll out, they felt more expected than shocking, undermining the suspense that was so carefully constructed.
That said, the atmosphere of the book is one of its strongest points. The setting is lush & vibrant, providing a backdrop that adds to the sense of dread building throughout the story. The dynamic between the four friends is a central focus, & the exploration of their relationships added layers of tension to the narrative, even if the plot itself sometimes faltered.
The book’s conclusion, unfortunately, falls flat for me. After an entire book’s worth of tension & anticipation, the ending feels somewhat lackluster & doesn’t deliver the emotional punch or the shocking twist I usually expect from a thriller. While the resolution provides closure, it doesn't offer the cathartic payoff that the mounting suspense deserves.
Ultimately, The Trip is an enjoyable, fast-paced read—especially for those looking for suspense—but it doesn’t break new ground in the genre. For readers who enjoy a story rich in atmosphere & drama, it might hit the mark, but if you’re looking for a thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat with unexpected twists & turns, you may find The Trip a bit too predictable.
Thank you @williammorrowbooks for allowing me access to an ARC via @netgalley All thoughts are entirely my own.

This was a fun thriller to read. I enjoyed this book a great deal. I thought this was a very enticing thriller. I definitely would consider reading more by Phoebe Morgan in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. 4 close friends go on vacation to Thailand. Were secrets come out and there are twist and turns the whole way.

Thank you to NetGalley, Phoebe Morgan, and William Morrow for the ebook. This captivating thriller is filled with secrets from the past that resurface to haunt the characters, keeping you hooked from start to finish.

The synopsis pulled me into this book, despite it being vague. Now that I’ve finished reading it, I know why! I thought I had already read this, but I was thinking of a similarly named story I recently read. My apologies go out to the publisher and author, but at least I can say, this book was worth the wait!

Saskia and her new husband Theo are taking a trip with their best friends, Lucas and Holly. The four leave London to head to Thailand with a few secrets under their belt. Lucas has something he’s keeping from Holly, and Saskia has something she’s keeping from everyone - especially her new husband.

On the first night, their week of luxury doesn’t start off as planned when they find out they have to stay in a hostel instead of the hotel that lost their booking. It’s sketchy, they’re stuck with a bunch of loud, younger people, and they come back to their dorm after a night out drinking to see the padlock on their locker is broken.

Luckily nothing is missing, but the next day, Holly loses her bag with all of their passports in it. They are about to go crawling to the British Embassy when a man runs up to them with the bag. His name is Caleb, and he saved them. Now he wants to hang out with the two couples, but one person in the group is not happy with the new addition. They know Caleb, and he could ruin their life.

This was definitely a page turner, though it threw me off that for some reason Holly and Saskia’s chapters are in first person, and Lucas and Theo’s are in third. I had the ending pegged, but I would have been disappointed if it ended differently. There was also another twist in the last chapter that I definitely didn’t see coming, and it was great. This is a fun and suspenseful thriller! 4.5 stars.

(Thank you to William Morrow Paperbacks, Phoebe Morgan and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.)

**3 Stars: *The Trip***

This fast-paced thriller delivers an intriguing premise—a tropical paradise turned deadly as secrets unravel among friends. While the story kept me engaged, its twists and turns often felt too implausible to fully immerse in. The relationships and motivations lacked depth, making the drama less compelling than it could have been. An entertaining, quick read for fans of escapist suspense, but not one that lingers long after finishing.

This is a thriller that lovers of the "locked room" / island will love, full of drama and backstabbing, with an atmosphere of desperation and not knowing who to trust.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for a copy of this book for review purposes. This is a pretty fast read. Enough to keep you interested but not so overwhelming that you can’t remember the characters. Holly and Lucas, along with their friends Theo and Saskia all head off to Thailand for a week of sun and fun. The book opens at the airport, very upbeat but Holly feels as if someone is watching her. They land in Bangkok and instead of a room at a wonderful hotel, they are forced to spend the night at a hostel. Things get weird when the find a newspaper clipping with “I am watching” on the back. Holly loses her backpack at a temple and it is found by a man named Caleb. Fortunately, all their passports are still there along with Holly’s phone but some cash is missing. When Saskia sees Caleb, she seems surprised. Caleb starts following the four around, bumping into them at dinner, having drinks with them. Holly doesn’t like it. Luke doesn’t like it but he has something he needs to tell Holly and Saskia wants Caleb to go away because, he is not a stranger, but a man from her past. The ending isn’t really a surprise. I don’t think this is deep enough or with enough character development for book club, but you will like a nice, simple mystery. Read it and thank me later.

This was a lot of fun! Thrillers like these are my kryptonite and I devoured this in one sitting! I can't wait to read more from the author!

The premise of this book made me really hopeful for this book! It was kind of misleading? Almost all of this book was just fluff and some alluding details sprinkled in. The main plot happened in the blink of an eye. And then it was over and so was the story. I was expecting a little more… suspense. There were a lot of crucial details that felt missing and left out. But this is just my honest opinion.


If you think it sounds interesting, please give it an honest try! I don’t regret reading it at all. It just wasn’t what I find interesting.


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this e-arc.

An entertaining mystery with murder, lies, and deception. Overall, average and read it before in a different setting type of story.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the DRC in exchange for an honest review.
#NetGalley

The Trip,

I could sure use a trip right now.

However, I was not "settling" for a fictitious version when picking this book up but more like a book that would transport me from this realm and into another. Well, I got what I had come for.

Phoebe Morgan is a mastermind behind a keyboard. Time and time again, I was left with my jaw on the floor

This book right here holds every key component to a bestseller and I am so here for it! Don't believe me? Check out this teaser :

A new heart-stopping thriller from the author of The Wild Girls in which two couples go on vacation and murder ensues.

How well do you know your friends?

Four friends are on the vacation of a lifetime in Thailand. Until a vicious murder shatters their paradise.

Four friends who would do anything for each other—until now.

Only one of them committed a crime.

But all four know how to keep a secret.

And they’re all guilty of something…

*The Trip* had an interesting premise, but ultimately, it wasn’t quite for me. Following a group of friends on vacation in Thailand, the story was hard to engage with; the characters often seemed unprepared, making questionable safety choices, and it was sometimes difficult to keep track of who was speaking. The main event—a murder—occurs very late in the story, with minimal impact on the group, and while there were a few twists, the pacing felt slow, leaving some suspense underdeveloped. However, the author’s writing style shows promise, and there are lovely descriptions of Thailand, which may appeal to fans of travel mysteries with interpersonal drama. Thank you to William Morrow and Goodreads for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

I probably picked this one up for the wrong reason -setting. It was your run-of-the-mill mystery with a meh twist at the end, but i wanted more about everything. I didnt grow to care about any of the characters or what they were doing. I finished the book and kept reading mostly hoping for more description of where the story took place. The one good thing that came from this is my exploration of Thailand and planning a future vacation.

I started reading this book slowly, and while I appreciated the intriguing secrets the characters carried, I found it difficult to connect with them because of how they were treated. The portrayal of their experiences didn’t resonate with me, and I struggled to empathize with their journeys.

The vacation experience depicted in the story felt like a nightmare, and the solutions the characters pursued didn't work for me. I can see how some readers might appreciate the themes of coping with personal challenges, but for me, the treatment of the characters overshadowed the potential enjoyment. This story may appeal more to those who enjoy character-driven narratives, but it just didn’t hit the mark for me.

As I was reading The Trip by Phoebe Morgan, all I could think about was that the vacation described was NOT for me, at least in Bangkok. The setting just made me anxious.

Between the lights and activity and the crowds, it sounded like a sensory overload! Once they got to the luxurious beach, I felt better however that's when things began to get worse for the couples.

The background is this: two couples (four friends) head to Thailand to get some sunshine and a break from the cold winter.

As you can probably guess, things take a turn with betrayals and secrets. Every chapter was tense and I couldn’t read the pages fast enough.

Synopsis:

How well do you know your friends?Four friends on the holiday of a lifetime. Until a vicious murder shatters their paradise.Four friends who’d do anything for each other, until now.Only one of them killed Caleb.But all four know how to keep a secret.And they’re all guilty of something…

I don't really know how I felt about this story. I love a good slowburn mystery, an island, secrets, etc. but I feel that this book was just *slow*. I wasn't compelled by the characters or plot, I just found myself fighting the pacing a great deal. Once the story pressed on, the pacing did improve, though. But for me it was a little bit too late for me to get invested and care. While I didn't care for the secrets or characters, the world and the settings were lushly described and very vivid.
Overall, this was okay/bordering on good, but I think that the initial pacing of the book really shoots itself in the foot.

My thanks to William Morrow, Phoebe Morgan and Netgalley.
I quit this book damned near halfway through.
For shits sake! I was over it at the 25% mark!
Stupid people. Keeping stupid secrets.
I hate that!
I know its just a book and I should see how it all plays out, but really?
I am someone who lies like a rug, "what i call anecdotal fibs" otherwise known as increasing the humor. But on the big things I'm ALWAYS honest. Usually to my detriment, but I don't want to try to keep my facts "lies" straight. Why bother and stress?
Because of this ridiculous part of my personality I often find it difficult to enjoy books like this. It has to be really well written and the characters absolutely have to be likable.
This book was not that.
Secrets annoy me.
I am an open book.
Liars get no play.
Unless you're a serial killer or rapist, then what's the point of lies?
It all comes out in the wash.
It's a lifetime. Everyone screws up, and if you haven't? Boring.
No recs for this book.