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k_lenn's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book, but the ending let me down.
Heads up: the synopsis makes this book sound like a murder mystery, but it isn't. (To be honest it wasn't particularly thrilling either— I'd probably categorize it as a drama.)
The Guilt Trip follows three couples as they go from London to a stunning Portuguese villa for one of their weddings. Plenty of drama ensues— mainly focusing on infidelity and betrayals — but there are also sweet moments of friendship and loyalty to balance it all out.
It's a fun, twisty, and quick read that proves appearances can be deceiving. The rushed and confusing ending, however, didn't match the quality of the rest of the book.
The 'fatal misunderstanding' happens towards the end, and it's wrapped up disappointingly quickly. I don't understand why it's even referred to as a "misunderstanding."
Actually, the entire ending confused me.
Then there's the epilogue. Did they lie about what they overheard? Was Jack in the car at all? I don't know, because the author didn't make it clear enough.
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Heads up: the synopsis makes this book sound like a murder mystery, but it isn't. (To be honest it wasn't particularly thrilling either— I'd probably categorize it as a drama.)
The Guilt Trip follows three couples as they go from London to a stunning Portuguese villa for one of their weddings. Plenty of drama ensues— mainly focusing on infidelity and betrayals — but there are also sweet moments of friendship and loyalty to balance it all out.
It's a fun, twisty, and quick read that proves appearances can be deceiving. The rushed and confusing ending, however, didn't match the quality of the rest of the book.
The 'fatal misunderstanding' happens towards the end, and it's wrapped up disappointingly quickly. I don't understand why it's even referred to as a "misunderstanding."
Spoiler
Rachel assuming the affair was with Ali was a misunderstanding. Paige driving a car towards her lover's wife and accidentally dying in the process was fatal, yes, but not a misunderstanding. Am I missing something?Actually, the entire ending confused me.
Spoiler
Jack must've had the worst lawyer *ever* if they couldn't get the court to throw out that "evidence." Sounds like no witnesses could say if a person jumped of the vehicle moving towards them or not, which is incredibly convenient, and therefore there's no real evidence putting him in the car *at the time of the incident*.Then there's the epilogue. Did they lie about what they overheard? Was Jack in the car at all? I don't know, because the author didn't make it clear enough.
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
corinnab's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars. Just not a thriller by any stretch of the imagination. I guess the last 10% was...
jlutje's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
readerpete1's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
latyz's review against another edition
2.0
2.5. The protagonist was painfully dumb and the ending was implausible at best. But I enjoyed the pointless drama for what it was. I found it to be an easy listen as an audio book. The reader did a good job of using different voices for the characters, it made it more enjoyable than I imagine reading it would be.
alihickey's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
oliviollo's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Much more HBO drama than murder mystery- the actual mystery aspect is pretty minimal. Still enjoyable!
or10n's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This book was FUN. I love "darker" fiction with characters that are unlovable, and the easiest way to make a flawed character is to make them slutty and judgemental! This felt like the equivalent of a soap opera in the best way. The only thing that could have made me enjoy this book more is if I had been able to read it on a beach in Portugal!
hayleybeale's review against another edition
2.0
Worst wedding ever! Rachel, her husband Jack, their friends Noah and Paige, are in Portugal for the wedding of Jack’s brother Will and his fiancée Ali. The six of them are staying in a luxy villa on the coast for a couple of days prior to the event.
The structure felt a lot like a Lucy Foley novel, but unfortunately without enough interesting characters to keep things moving along. Even a reader (or listener) who isn’t paying that much attention will be able to guess at least some of the secrets without too much trouble and then be annoyed that it takes so long to get there, or maybe that was just me.
We know right from the start, in the Prologue, that Something Happens and that these six characters are somehow involved. We then shift back a few days and live through the trip right from the start when ditzy Ally has apparently forgotten her passport.
It soon becomes clear that each of the six has a secret and this all come out over the course of the next few days. There are affairs and other entanglements, suspicions, and recriminations. Unfortunately there just isn’t enough plot to keep the novel moving at a decent pace - there is a lot of filler where our narrator, Rachel, speculates on various things and muses about what will happen if she does various other things and this just bogs the whole book down.
The narrator of the audiobook does a very good job of keeping all the characters separated with a range of different tones and accents (I thought her Ali was particularly and appropriately annoying) but even she seems to find the whole thing rather wearying as she starts yet another chapter in which nothing much happens.
This is a decent enough thriller but, frankly, there are so many others that are better that I wouldn’t bother.
Thanks to Macmillan and Netgalley for the digital review audiobook.
The structure felt a lot like a Lucy Foley novel, but unfortunately without enough interesting characters to keep things moving along. Even a reader (or listener) who isn’t paying that much attention will be able to guess at least some of the secrets without too much trouble and then be annoyed that it takes so long to get there, or maybe that was just me.
We know right from the start, in the Prologue, that Something Happens and that these six characters are somehow involved. We then shift back a few days and live through the trip right from the start when ditzy Ally has apparently forgotten her passport.
It soon becomes clear that each of the six has a secret and this all come out over the course of the next few days. There are affairs and other entanglements, suspicions, and recriminations. Unfortunately there just isn’t enough plot to keep the novel moving at a decent pace - there is a lot of filler where our narrator, Rachel, speculates on various things and muses about what will happen if she does various other things and this just bogs the whole book down.
The narrator of the audiobook does a very good job of keeping all the characters separated with a range of different tones and accents (I thought her Ali was particularly and appropriately annoying) but even she seems to find the whole thing rather wearying as she starts yet another chapter in which nothing much happens.
This is a decent enough thriller but, frankly, there are so many others that are better that I wouldn’t bother.
Thanks to Macmillan and Netgalley for the digital review audiobook.