I really wanted to love this book having enjoyed The Other Woman by the author and who wouldn’t like a book set on holiday in Portugal in a gorgeous villa and pool overlooking the sea. But the characters felt flat and I really didn’t care one way or another about it all and what happened to them, the backstories were so well hidden it didn’t make a lot of sense.
Sorry, not for me.

This was a quick read for me,more domestic than thriller but none the less a good read that didn’t take much effort to enjoy,some annoying characters but there had to be re the story,,enjoyable

This is an absolutely fabulous book.

Full of drama, suspense and intrigue. A proper page turner that kept me guessing right up until the end.

If you want a fast paced, superbly written thrilling ride then this is the book for you.

Highly recommended 5 stars from me.

I just didn't enjoy this book. I found the characters annoying, and the pace too slow. Sorry not a book I will remember.

I read The Guilt Trip fairly quickly. It had a great start, dipped slightly in the middle pace wise but redeemed itself with the ending although some of the twists were predictable. This novel follows six friends Rachel and Jack, Jack’s brother Will and his fiancée Ali and Paige and Noah. They’re all heading to Portugal for Will and Ali’s wedding and some seem to be looking forward to it more than others. Ali is one of those overbearing people, prone to exaggeration and has a tendency to rub some people up the wrong way although Rachel is looking forward to getting to know her future sister-in-law better. Paige thinks she is childish and Jack appears to tolerate her for the sake of his brother. But with an incident on the beach and Rachel finding out something about Ali they shocks her will this wedding weekend run smoothly? A book full of secrets, lies and friendships under strain that I would rate 3.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley, Pam Macmillan and the author for the chance to review.

Absolutely brilliant story! Gripped from the get go! Full of twists and turns and jaw dropping plot flips!! I’m still trying to decide on my own ending!!!was it? Or wasn’t it??

I enjoyed this book, it certainly had some surprises in it, just when you thought you knwe what was what there was a surprise waiting for you. Great read!
Thank you to Pan MacMmllan and the author for a free ARC copy in return for an honest review

I enjoyed this book , it wasn’t quite the thriller I usually read but I do love this authors books . I loved the main character despite her flaws , they weren’t as many as her husband and friends in the end. I would recommend this book but it just lost a star due to the lack of intrigue for me .

Sorry this one wasn’t for me. I thought it was slow burner and very repetitive and not a thriller. I found myself skimming through the pages. I did finish the book but it was a struggle to get to the end. Just not for me. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

The Guilt Trip - Sandie Jones

When I saw this one, I just had to request it as it looked right up my street. I did find the beginning a little drawn out, but about half way through it really began to pick up pace. Overall it is a fairly quick read, with a satisfying conclusion and would recommend to someone who loves a twist.

Rachael and Jack are heading off to Portugal with theirs friend Ali, Paige, and Noah. They are going to attend the wedding of Jack’s brother Will to Ali. Although having worked for Jack a few years ago and subsequently met her husband to be, Ali is relatively new to the group.

Staying at a stunning mansion, tensions soon rise to the surface between the three couples, histories come to the surface and the group become suspicious of Ali and the secret she hides. As the wedding comes around, the relationships become more strained and as the reader, you don’t really know who,s story is true or who to trust.

The story is atmospheric, and you can literally place yourself there in Portugal in the lead up to the wedding. The characters are totally believable and the plot well-founded.

What I love about this book is the way that you are drawn in from the first page. The plot doesn’t drop off at any stage and keeps building up to the main event. As the reader, you are immediately drawn into a very realistic plot and just when you think you have got the gist of it, another plot twist is revealed to stop you in your tracks.

With a great twist to the end of this book, I would heartily recommend it.

When I read the synopsis for this book I thought I was in for a twisty turny thriller for the summer. Unfortunately I think the blurb doesn’t do it any favours as I would describe it more as a domestic drama, so my expectations were misaligned from the start.

The story revolves around three couples who stay together at a beautiful villa in Portugal in the run up to one of the couple’s wedding.

I found it a little improbable that they would all stay together, or in fact would have kept in touch over the years as all of them seemed to dislike each other for various reasons! There was suspicion and bitterness from the start and it meant that I didn’t warm to any of the characters in the book.

It moved fairly slowly for me so that by the time it reached its conclusions sadly I didn’t really care what happened to any of them. I’m really sorry to sound brutal as I know authors work so hard on their books, and I certainly couldn’t do it but I do wonder whether I would have felt differently if it had been described accurately before I picked it up.

All in all, you’ll probably like it if you’re into domestic drama, but it isn’t the thriller I was looking forward to. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A weekend away for a friend's wedding turns into a nightmare when secrets and revelations are spilt in every corner. It didnt quite hit the mark for me, I wasnt very invested in who was doing what with who, and all a bit too drawn out. Some of the twists were well plotted and unexpected though

Thoroughly enjoyed this psychological/domestic thriller. It was quite a quick read and couldn't wait to find out what was happening next.

We meet couple Rachel and Jack, Ali, who is marrying Jack's brother Will, and also Noah (Rachel's best friend of 20 years) and his wife Paige who are all heading off to a villa together for the wedding - a few days in a beautiful, Portuguese villa with your best friends for a wedding - what could go wrong? You'll have to read it to find out, but quite a lot as it happens!!

There's a lot going on, but its easy to keep up and a real page turner. They all seem to have history are not who they initially seem to be. Will the wedding go ahead? There's a lot of heartache and secrets but definitely worth the read.

Thanks to Pan Macmillan for the opportunity to read and review this book. A brilliant summer/autumn read.

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.

There is definitely a trend for destination wedding thrillers this year, not that I am complaining as I have been loving them and at least the locations have been different! This wedding sees us journey to Portugal and finds ourselves in a stunning villa. Once again, this provides the perfect backdrop for a destination wedding, secrets being revealed and death.

This is a very atmospheric read and Jones builds the intensity throughout the book until it comes crashing down towards the end as all of the secrets are revealed. As a result, a lot of the action is right at the end of the book but Jones does such a great job at building the drama that this does not matter. I have mentioned about secrets being revealed but there are a lot of secrets to be unveiled in this book and a lot of twists too. Jones really keeps the reader guessing right up to the very final line and beyond.

A book like this does rely on its characters so it is good that they are an intriguing group of people. I hesitate to use the word likeable as I do not think any of them are particularly likeable but they all have something about them and are definitely realistic. I loved that they have known each other for a long time, that definitely comes across and of course, longevity means more secrets!

'The Guilt Trip' is a gripping destination wedding thriller that will find you transported to the beauty of Portugal. This is a great summer read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an advance copy.

I really enjoyed this book! Some hideous narcissistic characters, relationships on the rocks, affairs, secrets and lies, this is the kind of domestic drama I love! At first I thought the storyline was so obvious that I was going to be disappointed but it went in a whole different direction. It got a bit repetitive at times in the middle of the story with too many of Rachel's thoughts being expressed over and over with me thinking come on woman get a grip! But things soon pick up pace again with lots of preconceptions being shattered.
Very enjoyable.

Enjoyable read, especially with it set in Portugal and longing for a holiday here!

Five couples head on holiday, several of whom have known each other for some time. But it’s not the holiday they imagined. All have secrets. There are a few twists and turns, but as the holiday progresses. So does the truth and someone has died.

Not quite the thriller I had imagined but still an interesting cleverly written book.

Loved this book. So fast paced I read it in two sittings as I wanted to know what happened. Great page turner , I highly recommend !

A really enjoyable thriller. I loved the portuguese setting, it gave it a sense of a summer read. The twists were very well executed and the characters were relatable and drew you in to their dramas. I usually read at night and found myself looking forward to delving back into Rachel's world. A book that has secrets, sun, sea, drama and thrills aplenty. Definitely recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book, gripping. the ending did fall a bit flat, but it was still a good read.