A REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BEST THRILLERS OF 2020
“I loved this book. It gave me the same waves of happiness I get from curling up with a classic Christie…The alternating points of view keep you guessing, and guessing wrong.” — Alex Michaelides, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Patient
“Evok[es] the great Agatha … wrong.” — Alex Michaelides, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Patient
“Evok[es] the great Agatha Christie classics…Pay close attention to seemingly throwaway details about the characters’ pasts. They are all clues.” — New York Times Book Review
A wedding celebration turns dark and deadly in this deliciously wicked and atmospheric thriller reminiscent of Agatha Christie from the New York Times bestselling author of The Hunting Party.
The bride – The plus one – The best man – The wedding planner – The bridesmaid – The body
On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.
But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.
And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?
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Very entertaining and fun read. Read in one day!
Once I got into the story, I couldn’t stop until I finished. There are multiple narrators, which I love, to get many perspectives and each one had a secret. I will say, without giving anything away, to pay attention to the secrets of each narrator. There’s a lovely twist that Foley throws in. There’s something I’d love to say, but I’ll leave that for you, the reader, to discover!
4 nail biting stars!
This is a taught psychological thriller that you could very easily read in one sitting.
The even though the ever changing point of view kept you guessing, it also distract from truly getting to know each of the characters well enough. Each chapter changed what I thought was going to happen next. I enjoyed the book, but it didn’t capture me.
I love a twisty, creepy read set on a spooky island. This book was the perfect diversion!
I was surprised that it was so difficult to figure out who the victim would be.
This novel will keep you entertained and guessing from beginning until the last word. THE GUEST LIST by Lucy Foley is told through multiple narrators that could have been confusing, but, instead, gives the reader insight into each of the characters and how things got to this point. Foley’s description and development of the setting was amazing. It was so well-done that it became a character itself.
This is a twisty, dark, atmospheric (this is a great word for it) novel that will draw you in and keep you turning pages until the surprise ending. This was my first Lucy Foley novel, but it won’t be my last.
Thanks to the Publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.
#THEGUESTLIST #LUCYFOLEY #WilliamMorrow #TheBookClubGirls #BookClubGirl
Lucy Foley has done it again!
The Guest List; well this is one wedding you would soon not forget if you were on The Guest List.
The wedding is to take place on a remote Irish Island.
I love a book where the suspects are limited.
I wasnt even sure who would be murdered but there were quite a few not so nice characters so it was fun to guess.
Don’t miss this book , a great read with twists and turns that keep you on your toes!
4 stars
I just finished The Guest List. This book is a great summer read for a rainy day or sitting on the beach. It has an old quality of a mystery thriller. Lots of characters on a remote island attending a wedding of two well-known people. My advice to a reader. Keep a chart of the characters. Lots of clues are given. The chapters alter between characters told in first person. It was a little confusing at first trying to remember which character was speaking. The chapters also alternate in time. This book might suggest a second read to appreciate the writing craft of Lucy Foley.
Thank you William Morrow and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I found it really hard to put down this book! What a toxic group of “friends”!! They are a cast of not very likeable characters besides Olivia who has gone through something horrible. I loved the setting of the wedding on an island that has a somewhat creepy and disturbing past. Foley masterfully reveals the way these characters are tied to each other that left me shocked. I loved all the twists and turns and trying to figure out the whodunnit at the end. I’m looking forward to more by this author.
Loved this book. It keeps you guessing (and changing your mind) right up to the end – and what an ending. A real page turner that you can’t put down.
This was a great page turner book that I had fun reading. I have always enjoyed “locked room” type mysteries (in this case a remote island off the Ireland coast) and the thriller elements (stormy weather, loss of power) in this story added a nice bonus.
We follow several different characters, getting their points of view of wedding festivities the day before and day of the wedding. There are connections that surprised me and definitely made me not like the groom! Though that’s great writing because I’m not sure you’re supposed to! Lol! Trying to piece things together with the different points of view was exciting and fascinating all at once. Someone ends up dead and who did it will surprise you all! A must read!
Very entertaining and a definite page turner!
I seem to be in the minority with my rating on this one. I had high hopes for The Guest List by Lucy Foley, but unfortunately it fell short! Really short! Chalked fully of forgetful and rather pathetic characters. While I have no issues with books that bounces its narrative from person to person and back and forth in time, this one did not flow right. As I was dragging myself to read each chapter, I was hoping that it would pick up pace and get interesting. That didn’t happen until about the 80% mark and it didn’t last long. I am only giving The Guest List 2 stars because the end had a couple of things I had not put together. Hard pass here.
Thank you to Netgallery for the free digital copy in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. All opinions are my own.
The Guest List is full of seemingly normal and well put together individuals. But quickly you will learn how deceiving looks can really be. Between the changing points of view and the uncanny ability Lucy Foley possesses to tell a story in the most unassuming way, it was inevitable that I would have been sucked in.
This story is so binge-worthy that I considered shutting myself off to finish it without interruptions or stopping for meals or sleep. The characters, while very clearly all burdened by some past slight or trauma, are all so consumed by projecting the perfect appearance –– the perfect illusion –– that they don’t often stop to wonder if they are doing something wrong. As it is made obvious to the wedding planner, Aoife, the island turns these people into animal versions of themselves. She is not wrong. Something about Inis an Amplóra changes these wedding goers. This place haunts its guests with cryptic whispering caves, cormorants signaling bad omens, Celtic gravestones ominously projecting death and despair, and the present storm that approaches.
Page after page you will find yourself trying to make predictions as to what will occur next, but I promise you, you will be dead wrong. The way Foley presented this tale of betrayal, deceit, and treachery gives away little details until the very last minute. I was so taken aback by the events unfolding that I quite literally shot up in my seat, gasped, and said “what the f***”, much to my husbands amusement.
If you love a good psychological thriller as much as I do, get your hands on a copy of The Guest List now!
It started off a little slow in the beginning but then I couldn’t put it down. Such a hot mess of a wedding weekend!! I couldn’t wait to find out all the secrets & find out what happens. The ending who dunnit had me going!! Loved it!!
Oh what a tangled web we weave. THIS BOOK GUYS! The Guest List by Lucy Foley was phenomenal. I really enjoyed The Hunting Party, but I loved this one. When I got towards the end I couldn’t put the book down and I HAD to know what happened.
Just like in The Hunting Party, the pinnacle of The Guest List takes place during a crazy storm in an isolated location. This was a super atmospheric, slow burn and it does have quite a few characters. I really loved how Foley labeled each chapter, and it made it so things weren’t confusing for me. I thought I was going to have to keep a list of characters but luckily I ended up being ok. If you want a book with likable characters this definitely isn’t it, there were about 2 people in the whole book that I actually really liked. So in short, brace yourself for lots of people to hate!
I can’t say much without giving the book away, but I would definitely consider The Guest List a must read for thriller loves that enjoy a slow burn. It was so gripping and suspenseful, and I never guessed the ending. So many jaw-dropping moments, and I was literally yelling at my book almost the whole time I was reading thanks to a lot of douchy characters. But don’t let that scare you! The Guest List may be full of unlikable characters but it is super addicting and will keep you guessing until the end. I read this as a buddy read which I highly recommend as there will be lots to discuss and people to complain about!
If I could give The Guest List 100 stars I would, and I have a feeling it is going to make my top 10 for the year as well. If you like thrillers, read this book.
Another exciting book to blog about! With Lucy Foley’s memorable book covers and fast-paced plots, who could resist! It’s definitely a five star read from me!
What a cracking read! Here’s a thriller that definitely stands up to the hype! A tense, and perfectly paced murder mystery I couldn’t put down.
I hadn’t read anything by Lucy Foley before, but the outstanding reviews of her previous book, The Hunting Party, encouraged me to dig further. I’m so glad I did. The Guest List is definitely going to be one of my favorite books so far this year.
Will Slater is marrying Jules Keegan. He is a television celebrity, she is the publisher of an online magazine. It is publicized as the wedding of the year, set in the ruined chapel on Innis Amploir, an island off the Irish coast. Publicity is sure to be mind-blowing, paparazzi are bound to be on site, but is the venue across choppy seas worth the trek? Is the island a little too cut-off from the mainland? And is the setting potentially a little claustrophobic? I would say yes, to both. And that’s what makes this locked-room mystery so exceptional.
Each chapter POV makes up the wedding party. Bride’s sister Olivia is bridesmaid, Charlie is the MC, Johnno Briggs the best man and friend of the bride, and Hannah, Charlie’s wife. On the island also is wedding planner, Aoife and her husband, Freddy. There are ushers and plenty of other character to chew on, but it’s the wedding party I found so fascinating. They are far from settled in such idyllic surroundings and you can’t help feeling a sinister vibe with each page.
The relationship between the party has a history and it’s this history that threatens the status quo. There are crushes where you wouldn’t expect, which makes the story all the more deliciously entertaining, and a narcissist point of view that reveals a whole other layer to Foley’s well-fleshed out characters.
Firstly, Hannah and Charlie are not as wealthy or as well-connected as the bride and groom, and must feel very much out of their social bracket. Since the groom’s father was headmaster of Trevellyans, the guests are mostly made up of former students, coming from the so-called higher echelons of society. The ushers seemed to have a herd mentality, and no sense of right and wrong, which hastens the menace and ups the heart-rate. You anticipate something bad is going to happen early on and the ending is something I didn’t see coming. There are clues sprinkled all the way through, but not ones I could easily recognize. Everyone is a suspect and that makes for a niftily executed read!
Wow what a thrill! This starts off as a slow build up, getting the reader familiar with the characters – there’s about five each with a story. The author did a great job because it then became all twisty and it was tough to put down.
It’s intense, gripping, and the setting is creepy so good! Thank you to Book Club Girls, William Morrow, and NetGalley for this ARC.