The Guilt Trip

June 28, 2021
In this soap opera masquerading as a suspense novel from Jones (The Other Woman), two British couples in their 40s—Rachel and Jack, and Paige and Noah—head to Portugal for the wedding of Jack’s much younger brother, Will, to the manipulative and impetuous Ali. They all stay at an awe-inspiring clifftop villa overlooking a fishing village. Deeply insecure Rachel gave up her one true love, Noah, some 20 years earlier, in order to marry and start a family with Jack, a brash record company executive. Noah is now married to Paige, Rachel’s best friend. Ali, who once worked for Jack, is seen as a rival by the older women, who are beginning to question their own life choices. Meanwhile, avid surfer Will is too busy riding the waves to notice the undercurrent of tensions that ebb and flow through the other characters’ every waking moment. Toward the end, someone drives a car in Rachel’s direction with fatal intent, and one of the principals dies. This works well as a telenovela, but those looking for a mystery or thrills will be disappointed. Agent: Tanera Simons, Darley Anderson (U.K.).