An easy summer read
Didn’t have me hooked
But read it till the end
Not one of her best books
But I would read more of her books as I have enjoyed her others
Thanks NetGalley

This book is everything i wanted. I loved the isolated island trope so much. I think the author did such a good job of keeping you entertained and engaged. I flew through this book. Stunning, would recommend.

***ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.co.uk in return for an honest review***

Six friends travel to Portugal for a wedding. A weekend that will change their lives forever.

A great novel full of suspense, the twists and turns coming thick and fast from the beginning. I devoured this book in a couple of days, each new development urging me to read just a few more chapters and then a few more.

📚 BOOK REVIEW 📚
By Sandie Jones - Publication Date 19th August 2021

This book started with several couples at the airport, who are going on a trip for a wedding. These are couples that have clearly known each other a long times. Safe to say there is some friction between certain characters and as the book goes on, we find out why this is so. Someone isnt coming back from this wedding !

I did enjoy this book but the only thing for me personally, it wasn’t as fast paced as I normally like. Some great twists at the end of the book!!

#netgalley #sandiejones #panmcmillan #bookstagramshaz #reviews

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It took me a while to think about my feelings toward this book after finishing it and I’ve decided 3 stars is an accurate reflection for me - I definitely enjoyed parts of it but ultimately I felt like 90% of the book was a build up of suspense to the ‘big moment’ which was all over in about 5 seconds. Maybe I was anticipating a prolonged event or just something more but either way I felt quite underwhelmed by the direction the story took towards the end which is a shame because I was pretty gripped up until then.

I did guess the major plot twist before it happened but I still found the reveal enjoyable because it was subtle and done well. This is basically a story full of deceit, backstabbing and lies so perfect for fans of domestic drama - I definitely wouldn’t categorise it as a thriller. It’s a decent enough read that has its moments but there is too much I’m unsure about to say that I completely loved it. Also, something I couldn’t help but pick up on: the phrase ‘so and so’s jaw spasmed involuntarily’ was used far too frequently and it started to grind my gears after the 3rd/4th time of seeing it. NOBODY’S JAW SPASMS INVOLUNTARILY SO REGULARLY, IF AT ALL. I know it’s pernickety but my review would not be 100% honest if I didn’t include my feelings on this!

Big thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Very slow going more of a romance than a thriller.
Three couples all old friends go to Portugal for a wedding of two of them.
Lots of secrets they all have but the characters are so unlikeable that you couldn`t care if anyone's secret is safe or not.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book. Fabulous locations, characters with lots of issues and complexities. Lots of twists and turns. Perfect beach read. Thank you for letting me review this book.

Five friends – Jack, Rachel, Noah, Paige and Will – have known each other for years, and have enjoyed the kind of friendship that you read about, well, in books. Now Will’s fiancée Ali is in the picture and all six are preparing for the wedding. Prior to that, they head to Portugal to relax and unwind ahead of what’s guaranteed to be a busy time. Will’s friends are happy for him, after so many bad choices when it came to relationships, he’s found someone to make him happy. But the weekend sours when six leave for Portugal but only five remain alive. Because friends who know each other so well, also know how to push buttons. And it seems despite the longevity and closeness of their friendship, not everyone is being upfront and honest. A great analysis of friendship, often one of the most important and longstanding relationships in our lives.

This book is very good and easy to read and i flew through it in only 2 sittings.
It is full of drama and twists and turns that keep you reading on to get to the truth of the story and it was really fast paced which kept me interested.
At first I liked all the characters but as the book went on I began to notice everything wasn't as it seemed but the secrets and reveals were expertly placed to keep me wanting more.
Overall a quick and easy read full of twists that you never see coming.

Six friends travel to a wedding in Portugal, including the bride and groom, and stay in a beautiful cliffside villa. There are some complex relationships in this group… Ali the bride, is marrying Will, who is the brother of her ex boss Jack. Jack is married to Rachel, who’s best friend Paige is married to Noah, who went to university with Rachel. These pre existing relationships undoubtedly lead to a great dynamic between the group…. And most definitely some tension.

At first I found this a bit slow paced, with a lot of character building and background, however as soon as it started to kick off it left me gripped! There was a point for me where it switches from the narrative building right to the drama starting and from there I found I couldn’t put it down and found myself invested.

As always I will keep this spoiler free, but this group of six people are hiding a LOT of secrets, and once these secrets are out there is no going back. The characterisation is spot on; there are characters you love, ones you hate, ones that frustrate you, and ones you completely change your mind about. The end was a shocker I did not see coming at all and left me floored!

This is full of guilt, secrets, betrayal, lies and deception, with a little bit of karma thrown in.

I have some other books by this author but haven’t read them yet, but after this will be moving them higher up the TBR mountain!

Thanks to Sandie Jones, Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for the ARC of The Guilt Trip.

The synopsis of this book really drew me in - I love a good 'who done it' style thriller with multiple suspects so this sounded right up my street.

This domestic/suspense based thriller introduces us to three sets of couples - Jack & Rachel, Noah & Paige and Jack;s younger brother Will who is about to marry Ali. From the outset is clear that there is some history and tension amongst the group. Ali is garish and in your face and none of the others seem to really like her. Jack in particular cannot stand to be around her, avoiding spending any time alone with her unless her can avoid it. There is also history between Noah and Rachel who were friends since university. Back when they were younger Noah had asked Rachel to go travelling with him but she stayed and when he got back she was married and pregnant with Jack.

In one last weekend away before the wedding, they all spend a weekend together in Portugal and what follows is a tense, atmospheric thriller full of secrets, lies and reveals - whilst some twists I did see coming, they still made for gripping reading and kept me on my toes!

The one thing to point out from this book is that it was a little different to what I was expecting in that the death referred to in the synopsis comes very late on in the story - in perhaps the last 15% of the book and as such, the thriller is more of a suspense and lead up to a big event rather than an aftermath of an event. I still very much enjoyed it but that isn't what I was expecting when I picked it up.

3.5 from me :)

I really enjoyed this book. It wasn’t exactly a thriller, more like a domestic story which I don’t normally read but I’m glad I did. Great bunch of characters and a wonderful atmospheric storyline. I certainly didn’t know who to trust and I thought the ending was good.

Well, I'm not completely sure what to make of this book. I was so excited to start reading what was dubbed as 'this season's hottest thriller'. The strap line 'They went away as friends. They came back as suspects' really drew me in and I thought it sounded exactly like my sort of book. After a few hours of reading, it soon become clear that this wasn't quite the thriller that I was used to or that I had been expecting.

The Guilt Trip is based around 3 couples sharing a villa in Portugal for one of their weddings. There is a lot of drama although it is mainly speculation around who is cheating on who. The main character, Rachel, isn't overly relatable as not once does she actually speak to her husband of 20 years about any of her concerns. That being said, I did actually enjoy the book and wanted to keep reading it, although I did feel that I was forever waiting for the 'thriller' element to appear.

I've given it 4 stars as I found it to be an enjoyable read, however I would say that it is more 'chick lit with a little added drama' than a full on thriller.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read the ARC in return for an honest review.

This was a simple premise but led you through a maze of red herrings and dead ends, so thoroughly enjoyable.
Three couples go abroad for a long weekend, Noah, his wife Paige, Rachel and her husband Jack are there to celebrate the marriage of Will, Jacks brother, and Ali. In close proximity it seems everyone has a secret waiting to be revealed which will impact the lives of all.
Rachel is the main character of the story trying to hide her secret whilst revealing the others.
It as a great read and perfect for the beach.
Thanks to Pan MacMillan and NetGalley for anARC in exchange for an honest review.
#TheGuiltTrip #NetGalley

I thoroughly enjoyed The Guilt Trip. It was a definite page turner that I flew through at great speed. It features a stunning setting in Portugal with 3 couples, Rachel and Jack, Paige and Noah and soon to be married Ali and Will. There are plenty of secrets and lies that start to be revealed throughout and the twists just keep coming with an explosive ending I did not see coming.
I highly recommend The Guilt Trip!

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for my ARC.

In The Guilt Trip, Will and Ali are getting married. Wills brother Jack is married to Rachel and Paige is Noah's wife. Rachel and Noah met at Uni and at one time they might have been together for keeps but... no. The six are going to Nazare, Portugal for the weekend nuptials, staying in a seaside villa. It all starts while they are checking in for their flight at the airport.

The story is told mostly from the perspective of Rachel. Sandie Jones's edgy writing enthrals and this is not my first book by this author but my third. The characters were difficult to like but played their parts well. Rachel is pleased to be getting the opportunity to spend time with her future sister-in-law Ali, but Ali isn't always everyone's cup of tea. Paige thinks Ali is attention-seeking and though Jack is trying to support his brother Will’s choice of bride, he is struggling to agree with Noah about things. Then Rachel makes a discovery about Ali. As the weekend progresses, the secrets they have slowly surface and relationships threaten to implode.

The Guilt Trip held my attention throughout and secrets, lies and deception were all liberally scattered. Hidden betrayals were unearthed and the pacing was comfortable. A captivating novel full of drama and melodrama, I enjoyed all of the surprises right to the conclusion. Though not a read for wicked twists The Guilt Trip is still worth a look and I had a ball trying to figure out the characters' motivations.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Pan Macmillan via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Wow what a page turner!! If you love a book to grab you and not let you go until the very last page then this book is for you !!

Will and Ali are getting married in Portugal which means that them and two other couples have all traveled to Portugal and staying together in a stunning villa.

Jack, Will’s brother, and his wife Rachel are looking forward to the break but there is some hostility between Jack and Ali. But why does Jack dislike Ali ?

The third couple are Noah and Paige. Noah and Rachel met at university and have been the best of friends ever since. Despite them both going their separate ways and having their own families they are still really close. Jack and Paige seem to just about tolerate each other but Rachel thinks of Paige as one of her closest friends.

But as you may have expected not all is as it seems. There are plenty of lies and secrets between the friends and couples. Staying so closely together has brought up a lot of things that seem to have been brewing for a while. What will happen when the secrets start to unravel ?

This is a great twisty psychological thriller that will just have you hooked from the very start. It is a brilliant page turner and one not to be missed !!

Thank you to PanMacmillan and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

The Guilt Trip is a gripping novel with more drama than a soap opera and plenty going on to keep you invested and immersed. Rachel and Noah have been friends since they met at university. While they once thought that they might be something more, now, twenty years later, they are each happily married to other people, Jack and Paige respectively. Jack’s brother Will is getting married, to the dazzling, impulsive Ali, and the group of six travel to Portugal for their destination weekend. As they arrive at a gorgeous villa perched on a cliff edge, overlooking towering waves that crash on the famous surfing beaches below at Nazaré, they try to settle into a weekend of fun. While Rachel is looking forward to getting to know her future sister-in-law Ali better, Ali can’t help but rub many of the group up the wrong way.

Rachel’s best friend Paige thinks Ali is attention-seeking and childish, and while Jack is trying to support his brother Will’s choice of wife, he is also finding plenty to disagree with Noah about. But when Rachel discovers something about Ali that she can hardly believe, everything changes. As the wedding weekend unfolds, the secrets each of them hold begin to spill, and friendships and marriages threaten to unravel. Soon, jumping to conclusions becomes the difference between life and death. While I would hesitate to call this a suspense novel as it lacks many of the thrills necessary for that genre, it is a well written and interesting read that held my attention easily. Secrets, lies and deception abound with lots of hidden betrayals coming to the fore and some dramatic reveals. A captivating read, but I recommend choosing a different book if you're looking for wicked twists and ceaseless thrills.

I'm a big fan of Sandie Jones' previous novels, so couldn't wait to get stuck into her latest book.

'The Guilt Trip' tells the story of 3 couples, who holiday together for one of the couple's destination wedding. From the first chapter, it is evident that not everything is hunky dory, and that some people get on better than others.

I found the book to be a real page-turner and enjoyed the build-up for the first half of the book. However, as the blurb said that one of them would die, I expected the death a lot earlier on than about 80/90% of the way through, so I found myself not caring that much, and just wanted the author to get on with it.

The characters weren't particularly likeable or well-fleshed out, but they felt somewhat relatable from the details we were given about them.

Overall, I did enjoy this book and would recommend it to other readers. However, it wasn't my favourite book by this author, so I'd be more likely to suggest one of her previous novels.

I really enjoyed this. For me this was a quick read as it’s fast paced and the different twists kept me engrossed. Three couples in Portugal to celebrate the marriage of one of the couples. Will & Ali are getting married and his brother, his brother’s wife, her best friend and the best friend’s husband are all old friends. Old friends know everything about one another, don’t they? They implicitly trust each other and they’re really not sure about Ali. “Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!" Twisty turny wonderfulness