Scan barcode
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.
vkoka89's review against another edition
3.0
3 solid stars.
Since I enjoyed the author's previous works, I was excited to receive The Guilt Trip as an ARC! Three couples travel to a beautiful villa in Portugal for Will and Ali's wedding weekend. What's supposed to be a romantic getaway quickly goes wrong as all the secrets and lies pile up and everyone is a suspect.
The story moves fast and I was able to finish in just a few hours. However nothing too exciting or thrilling happens until the last few chapters, and I can't say the ending was too surprising for me as there were clues throughout the book that hinted towards the big reveal. All in all, it is a good read that I would recommend.
Special thanks to Netgalley, the publishers, and the author for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Since I enjoyed the author's previous works, I was excited to receive The Guilt Trip as an ARC! Three couples travel to a beautiful villa in Portugal for Will and Ali's wedding weekend. What's supposed to be a romantic getaway quickly goes wrong as all the secrets and lies pile up and everyone is a suspect.
The story moves fast and I was able to finish in just a few hours. However nothing too exciting or thrilling happens until the last few chapters, and I can't say the ending was too surprising for me as there were clues throughout the book that hinted towards the big reveal. All in all, it is a good read that I would recommend.
Special thanks to Netgalley, the publishers, and the author for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
morganlmace's review against another edition
5.0
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided to me through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to the author and publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book!
Sandie Jones’s “The Guilt Trip” will take you on a holiday unlike any other you’ve ever been on before. Rachel and Noah have been friends since their college days, and are married to Jack and Paige, respectively. The four take a trip to Portugal for Jack’s brother Will’s wedding to Ali, and things will never be the same.
All I could think while reading this book is “Whoa! What is happening? And why are there soooooo many secrets?” This book will hook you from the very beginning, and the pages will keep turning until the very end. It’s so dark, twisty and just makes you want to keep reading to see what will happen next. It kept me guessing until the very end, and I will definitely be telling my friends to throw this one in their beach bags for their next read.
Sandie Jones’s “The Guilt Trip” will take you on a holiday unlike any other you’ve ever been on before. Rachel and Noah have been friends since their college days, and are married to Jack and Paige, respectively. The four take a trip to Portugal for Jack’s brother Will’s wedding to Ali, and things will never be the same.
All I could think while reading this book is “Whoa! What is happening? And why are there soooooo many secrets?” This book will hook you from the very beginning, and the pages will keep turning until the very end. It’s so dark, twisty and just makes you want to keep reading to see what will happen next. It kept me guessing until the very end, and I will definitely be telling my friends to throw this one in their beach bags for their next read.