Hello everyone!
Today I have a book review of The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones. Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the audiobook. This post may include spoilers.
Let’s get into it!
Here are the quick facts: Audiobook Publisher: Macmillan Audio Publishing Date: August 3, 2021 Narrator: Clare Corbett Genre: Mystery & Thrillers Rating: 3/5 stars Length: 10 ½ hours
Rachel Hunter is struggling to enjoy a destination trip to Portugal. Her brother-in-law, Will, is marrying Ali, a 29-year-old with a propensity for exaggeration and flair for dramatics. Accompanied with her husband, Jack, and their friends Noah and Paige, they try to enjoy their ocean side villa. However, as they spend time together, Rachel wonders what Jack’s relationship is actually like with Ali. Struggling to find out the truth, and work through her own secrets, Rachel’s world is in a tailspin.
Thrillers tend to be hit or miss for me. This particular book was a miss. While I enjoyed the setting and the concept of the book, the execution was not the best. I was able to get all of the plot twists and clues before they happened. The book is set on the coast of Portugal as the characters stay in a villa in preparation for Ali and Will’s wedding. Even though the book is only set over four days, it seems never ending. The chapters seemed to drag on and be filled with a lot of fluff.
It was very clear that these couples were unhappy. They felt stereotypical, middle-aged women jealous of young woman in her twenties, rich middle-aged man has an affair, young woman is seen as a slut and liar. I spent a lot of the book disliking the characters, particularly the narrator Rachel. She is very clearly in love with Noah and only married Jack because she got pregnant so young. She would not make any decisions with conviction and spent a lot of time being walked over by everyone else. She is also used in direct comparison to her best friend, and Noah’s wife, Paige. She is a high-level attorney in London who is brash and speaks her mind. They find themselves to be irritated/insecure around Ali, who is 29 and marrying Will. She is loud, fun, and a bit of an exaggerator. Rachel spends a lot of the book distrusting her. The men were no better. Jack is a high-level executive at a record label. He is demanding and thinks he deserves the highest level of comfort. Noah is meant to be the most like Rachel. Easy going, malleable, and quit. They are in direct contrast to their wives. Will, though a main character, is not included in as much of the drama. He is described as being “struck with wanderlust” and doesn’t have roots down. The main focus is on the other characters and not Will.
What really made it enjoyable for me was the narrator. Clare Corbett did a fantastic job. She did a great job differentiating between characters and how grating or soothing their voices could be. It was not for me, but it might be great for someone else.
Again, thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy!
The Guilt Trip is out August 3, 2021, I will link websites where you can purchase the audiobook.
Until next time!
Links
Macmillan: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250265586