The Trip was not what I expected, in a very good way! Two couples on a dream vacation in Thailand, all with their own worries and secrets, but one of their secrets may end up with someone dying. Phoebe Morgan does a fantastic job of making you feel like you are right in Thailand, experiencing the heat, anxiety and dread right alongside the characters.

Thank you NetGalley, Phoebe Morgan, and William Morrow for the ARC of The Trip.

The premise of this book drew me in. 4 friends on vacation in an exotic location then someone dies.

The book starts with 4 friends (2 couples - Saskia & Theo and Holly & Lucas) leaving the UK for Thailand. After arriving at their destination everything starts going wrong. There is a mix up with their reservation and they have to find somewhere else to stay for the night. They leave the luxury hotel to end up in a hostel not too far away. Not letting the rough start to their trip get them down, the next day they set off to explore the local sights. Holly loses her bag which has everyone’s passports, her wallet, and phone. Luckily Caleb comes to the rescue finding her bag and returning it to her. After their day out the couples return, gather their belongings, and leave the hostel and check into the luxury hotel. At the hotel they run into Caleb, who becomes a 5th wheel on their vacation. He turns up everywhere they go. At first they think he’s just a lonely traveler and don’t mind him tagging along. However, his constant presence begins bothering them but he doesn’t take the hints that they want to be left alone. That is because he knows one of the 4 friends and wants something from them.

The book is told in multiple POVs. Saskia and Holly’s POVs are told in first person and they are the ones moving the story forward, albeit very slowly. Lucas POV is in third person and seems to only be there to remind everyone that he is too broke to be on this vacation. This book moved a little too slowly for me. I felt Lucas’ POV was unnecessary and the story would be just as impactful without it. At least 3/4 of the book is just the couples on vacation with Caleb showing up everywhere they go and threatening the one he knows to go along with his plan. Then someone dies, the remaining characters go home, with one final twist and the book is over.

The Trip by Phoebe Morgan was everything you want in a great beach read - fast-moving, suspenseful, exotic location! Perfect for my thriller-loving library patrons.

The Trip is about two couples who take a trip to Bangkok. One of the couples is in a rather dire financial situation while the other couple is quite rich.

Each of them has their secrets. The addition of a villain who incorporates himself into their lives ups the ante for the couples.

Some of the secrets become easy enough to figure out prior to the reveals, while some other surprised me. I wish that the whole book had been hard to figure out.

I read the book quickly. The addition of the Bangkok streets and culture was fun to read and the private home that they rented on a peaceful island was relaxing.

It is a good read

This was fantastic. I really enjoyed reading it and didn’t want to put it down. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

I read this mainly for the details of a trip to Thailand, but enjoyed the straightforward plot of trouble found not in that country, but trouble that follows one of the four travelers from their home in the U.S. The last half of the book was suspenseful even though most of the plot was predictable. The very end of the book was a plot twist I didn't see coming.

A fun thriller that kept me guessing throughout. A quick read about four friends, a vacation and a secret! Loved the twisted ending!!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.