Check out on Goodreads | Buy on Amazon Genres: Adult, Mystery/Thriller
Publisher: William Morrow
Source: Libby (My Library app)
It's the wedding of the year. But someone won't survive it.
On a remote island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate the wedding of Jules Keegan and Will Slater. Will is a rising television star, handsome and charming. Jules is a smart, ambitious magazine publisher. Though the sea is a little choppy and the cell service spotty, their wedding is everything you'd expect of a young power couple: designer dress, four-tiered cake, boutique whiskey, vintage champagne. Every detail has been curated to perfection. All that's left to orchestrate is the happiness.
But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. It's not long after the cake is cut and the champagne popped that resentments and petty jealousies come out. Worse yet, the latest barometer reading shows the weather has shifted from FAIR to CHANGEABLE, and dark clouds are looming overhead.
Everyone on the island has a secret. Everyone has a motive. And someone won't leave this wedding alive...
Look, I’m not usually someone who gravitates towards thrillers or mystery books. I always enjoy them once I pick them up, but I probably read three a year from author’s I already know I enjoy. However, I’m obsessed with BooksandLaLa’s channel, which based on mystery/thriller/horror reads. She’s encouraged me to focus on reading more thriller and mystery reads this year, which I’m quite excited about. I also took this moment to read a BOTM book I’ve never gotten around to… The Guest List by Lucy Foley!! It doesn’t hurt that this book has literally been screamed about all over the Bookstagram and BookTube communities since its release, so I knew chances were pretty good that I would enjoy it.
Honestly, I loved it. The story was moody and atmospheric, as it should be, taking place on an isolated island castle in Ireland(?). I had no idea what I was getting into in terms of how the story would even be told, so I certainly wasn’t expecting six POV’s (“The bride ‧ The plus one ‧ The best man ‧ The wedding planner ‧ The bridesmaid ‧ The body”) telling the story in such quick snippets. Even though I thought I was getting into more of an Agatha Christy-style whodunnit à la And Then There Were None or like the iconic Knives Out movie, I adored it.
“Life is messy. We all know this. Terrible things happen, I learned that while I was still a child. But no matter what happens, life is only a series of days. You can’t control more than a single day. But you can control one of them. Twenty-four hours can be curated.”
It was a strange narrative, with such an abrupt beginning and an equally abrupt ending, but I adored the mix of flashback and present day throughout the story. I wish there was more of a sense of justice at the end, however. I craved a dramatic confrontation where they got read the riot act by each wronged party, and I wanted resolutions for some of the other characters. But the book knew its identity, and even though I really wanted those moments, the book ended on as strong a note as it came in with, and those extra scenes would have just weighed it down.
Verdict: A successful read! I’m not sure if it’s because I basically read it in 1.5 sittings or because of the zero-to-hero speed of the story, but I thrilled at each twist! If I had more time between sittings, I’m sure the one or two I didn’t catch would have hit me, but I enjoyed this ride :) I will absolutely be picking up more Lucy Foley books, too! She just released a new one called The Paris Apartment (“The socialite – The nice guy – The alcoholic – The girl on the verge – The concierge”), and I think I’ll enjoy it even more now that I’m used to her format. The Literally Dead Bookclub hosting it’s release, so it will be fun to watch that live show 😁
Other books you may enjoy…
Have you read any of these? What are your favorite mysteries / thrillers? Let me know in the comments down below, I’d love to hear from you!
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