It's difficult to do justice to just how brilliant this book really is; I was gripped from the start. As we move between the different points of view, the connections, histories and past grievances begin to come to light. Moving back and forth between the characters first arriving on the island for the wedding and a point leading up to the body being found, Lucy Foley creates a tense atmosphere which kept me on the edge of my seat and unable to put the book down. Her descriptions of the island evoke an eerie sense of isolation from the outside world and from any form of help as a storm begins to rage in both a literal sense and amongst the characters.

Who's the victim and who's the murderer? The author kept me guessing to the very end!

This book gets 5 out of 5 from me.

This is the second book I’ve read from this author. She seems to be carving herself her own little formula – a group of twisted characters whose friendships are a thin veil for bitterness and rivalry, an isolated location and a murder…but she does it in a perfect way which never feels formulaic. This book, like her debut, was pure thrills and chills, complicated personalities, a visceral setting and plenty of twists. I loved it – it’s the most ideal escapism (welcome right now).

With her second thriller she takes things up a notch – it’s on an island, which adds an immediate sense of isolation and confinement, especially when we learn the island has a controversial past involving numerous deaths. And, rather than just a gathering, the occasion is a wedding. Not just any wedding, but the wedding of Jules and Will – owner of a successful online magazine and a minor TV star.

This glamorous couple want only the best from their wedding and their guests – it’s a wedding suitable for a feature in Jules’s magazine; a beautiful location, designer outfits, boutique favours. There’s a strong sense of elitism, particularly from the pack of public school boys on Will’s side – but there’s a fine line between that prim and proper upbringing and a sense of wildness dwelling just beneath the surface. “There is a pack feeling about them, like dogs that might behave well on their own but, once all together, don’t have their own minds”.

Foley narrates through a few key characters’ perspectives, including the bride, the wedding planner, the bridesmaid, the best man and the plus one. What I love about her writing is that all of her characters are flawed, but none are cast as villains or heroes. There’s no black and white here, just a whole load of grey area and complex relationships which kept me guessing.

So, we have an atmospheric setting, clever character building and an ever-increasing sense of tensions as the murder mystery unfolds. There’s not much more you could want from a book of this genre – I loved this even more than the first. I have to admit I was a tiny bit disappointed by the very end (I wanted a different murderer) but that’s my view – it’s the author’s story to tell, and she does it brilliantly.

The Guest List was a great book, definitely a page turner for me, I was hooked. Set on an island off the coast of Ireland what could possibly go wrong..... Plenty. Looking forward to the next book by Lucy.

Lucy Foley here takes what she gave us with The Hunting Party and improves on it.

We have a familiar set-up: guests stranded on a remote island, cut-off from help or resources when tragedy strikes. In this case, the small cast of suspects are surrounded by a mass of unknowing, irrelevant witnesses, as the other party guests frolic around them, but Foley keeps the reader’s attention firmly on the main players and allows the rest to blur into background noise.

Her style also feels familiar now. We start with the reveal of the body – minus the identity or even the gender of said body – then skip back to days earlier to find out what happened, to whom and why. There are plenty of motives for murder, present and past, as we gradually realise that nearly every guest on the island has dark secrets they would rather keep hidden.

We see the action unfold from multiple viewpoints, as the narrative voice alternates chapters between the bride (Jules), the bride’s sister and bridesmaid (Olivia), the best man (Johnno), the plus-one of the bride’s best friend (Hannah) and the wedding planner (Aoife). Each of these main characters uncovers different threads as the story knots and tangles around them, before completely unravelling for the big reveal.

I confess that, while I guessed some aspects as I played along, I was completely thrown by many of the reveals, but in a satisfying way – the clues were there to be picked up by the alert reader.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoyed The Hunting Party or who likes classic whodunnit mysteries with a focus on the characters and their motives.



It feels personal, this storm. It feels as though it has saved all its fury for them.
This isn’t the first time the electrics have shorted. But last time the lights snapped back on again within minutes. The guests returned to their dancing, their drinking, their pill-popping, their screwing, their eating, their laughing…and forgot it ever happened.
How long has it been now? In the dark it’s difficult to tell. A few minutes? Fifteen? Twenty?
They’re beginning to feel afraid. This darkness feels somehow ominous, latent. As though anything could be happening beneath its cover.

Finally, the bulbs flicker back on. Whoops and cheers from the guests. They’re embarrassed now about how the lights find them: crouched as though ready to fend off an attack. They laugh it off. They almost manage to convince themselves that they weren’t frightened.

The scene illuminated in the marquee’s three adjoining tents should be one of celebration, but it looks more like one of devastation.

– Lucy Foley, The Guest List

Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog

*3.5 stars*

I loved The Hunting Party, like full-on loved it, and unexpectedly too, so I was ready to love this too. While I enjoyed it, The Guest List didn’t quite live up to THP for me.

It was a lot slower in the beginning and it took me a while to get into it, I also actually guessed a few of the twists as well whereas the THP totally blindsided me.

The Guest List is still a fun, involving thriller that’s perfect for escaping the world, though.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for allowing me to read an eARC to this book. I haven't read her other book but i've heard such good things that I couldn't not request this one when I saw it was available... I regret my choice.

There were so many things that I just did not enjoy about this book and the main one was that it was just so damn slow to start with. I honestly was so bored and so close to DNF'ing this book early on because it just didn't pick up for so long and we kept jumping between characters who we barely knew and yet were expected to just get a clear sense of who they were.

There were too many "twists" in this book; i honestly can't even remember them all because there were so many and when you put that many twists into one book it really stops my enjoyment of the book. Some of the twists were also so predictable; Hannah's sister being connected to Will was just so obvious because there was no reason for us to know about that plot point unless it was going to be related to Will and so the big "reveal" of this later on literally had no impact. The reveal about Olivia and Will surprised me but literally only because I forgot she'd even had an affair with an older man; she already had the focus on her break up with her ex who then started dating her friend, and the self-harm and mental health issues, so I honestly forgot she'd even had another relationship. This is what I mean by there being too many twists in one book because I literally forget about half of them and so the "reveals" literally have no impact for me. The last twist of it being Will that was dead, also obvious, and Aoife being the one to kill him - not surprising - she had to have been involve because there was so much focus on her.

I also feel there were just some plot threads that literally didn't go anywhere; Charlie and Jules's relationship but also Charlie's drinking? Hannah kept referring to him drinking but this never really went anywhere.

All of the characters were unlikable, bar Olivia and Hannah who were tolerable, there was literally nothing likeable about any other character and so I just did not care what happened to them. They could have all died and I wouldn't have been bothered.

I really wanted to enjoy this book because i've heard such good things about this author but it just really really wasn't for me. I have The Hunting Party to read so i'm hoping that will be better...

I love this author’s books. She has a way of writing well written thrillers that never seem ‘run of the mill’ like some.
This one definitely had me hooked, look forward to the next one.

The Guest List is, for me, the perfect read. A classic, modern ‘whodunnit’ set in an atmospheric location with various points of view, all combining to make an absorbing and exciting read.

The characters in this novel are varied and interesting, and feel like people I can imagine in real life. I really like books that flick between the point of view of different characters, and this novel does just that throughout but without ever becoming confusing, as each chapter starts with their name and their relationship to the wedding party. There’s five main characters who give their side of the events before, during, and after the wedding – the bride Jules, ‘plus one’ Hannah, half-sister of the bride Olivia, the wedding planner Aiofe, and best man Johnny. Through their recounting of events we learn more about them all and try to work out who’s involved in the ‘incident’ that takes place right at the beginning of the book (I don’t want to give too much away here).

The story builds slowly as tension ramps up higher amongst the guests, and I loved the way Lucy Foley effortlessly leads us further into their world, as we’re unsure ‘whodunnit’. It’s atmospheric and very entertaining to read – and very easy to find yourself turning page after page without wanting to put it down!

Super book.. set on an Irish island with the stories and secrets of a group of wedding guests. Twists and turns that shock you! Excellent read !

This mystery manages to be a slow burn yet hold your attention all the way through. It's atmospheric, suspenseful, and it kept me guessing the whole time! Lucy Foley is a master.

This is the first book I've read by this author & it won't be the last
The book was quite Agatha Christie-esque in the sense that there was a strong story, relatable characters & the story evolved in an interesting way. One of the most interesting elements of the story was that we knew somebody had been murdered but we didn't know who the victim was!
At every turn another character was revealed to have a link to somebody else & not necessarily a good connection. I wasn't quite so keen on the little flashbacks, they disrupted the flow for me, but I sort of understand why she wrote it like that.

Disclaimer: I received this book free via Netgalley - all opinions are my own

Having enjoyed The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley, I jumped at the chance of reading this one.

I really enjoyed it, the background of the island and atmosphere of the place really adds something to the story. I appreciated seeing the goings on from different points of view, and the way everything came together in the last third of the book was very satisfying. The only thing I struggled with was telling the groom's friends apart as they’re not given much attention, but this really doesn’t affect the enjoyment of the story.

I’m looking forward to more from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! A great story line that kept me hooked and excellent main characters. I would highly recommend this book.

The bride ‧ The plus one ‧ The best man ‧ The wedding planner ‧ The bridesmaid ‧ The body

Another intensely gripping and taut thriller from Lucy Foley. There are comparisons to Agatha Christie, primarily in the isolated setting and limited pool of suspects, but Foley has a darkness all of her own.

Very atmospheric! I raced through it, thoroughly engrossing and escapist.

Not my usual type of read.
A group of friends meet on deserted island in Ireland. 2 fabulous people in their own field and a very unusual venue for their wedding.
As the guests gather we soon realise that the wedding did not turn out as they might have hoped.
A very well written, intriguing book which keeps you hooked right to the last chapter when all the pieces fall into place..... nearly.
I can absolutely recommend this to any reader who loves something thrilling or who wants to try something different!

After devouring The Hunting Party, I had high expectations for The Guest List. I was not disappointed and raced my way through this, desperate to solve the mystery.

The Guest List is best read when you want to be a guest at a Irish wedding to die for 😉

The Guest List is a pacy, exciting mystery, set on a remote island off Ireland. It’s a real page turner, with short, snappy chapters and snippets of insights into the characters. Everyone is a suspect and has secrets to hide.

My favourite part of The Hunting Part was the characters and this is the sans for the guest list. Lucy writes flawed, interesting and realistic characters really well.

The isolated island setting of The Guest List adds to the tension of the story. There’s a sense of danger and claustrophobia throughout the story.

I love a good murder mystery, although set in modern times, this had all the essence of a classic whodunnit.

To summarise, this is a gripping and highly entertaining murder mystery. The Guest List is a perfect distraction read.

After loving the Hunting Party I had high hopes for the Guest List. There is something classic about the whodunnit nature of this book, I also loved the fact that we didn’t know who the victim was until near the end. Very atmospheric and spooky setting of the island itself. So well written once started you can’t put it down. Lucy Foley is now who I recommend for a really gripping read.

As luck would have it, I was reading this book set in stormy, windy Ireland during a trip to... stormy, windy Ireland.

Last year I read Foley's Hunting Party and was instantly drawn in by the atmospheric and gritty writing. The characters were the absolute highlight for me and this book shares a lot of similarities with the author's first in terms of strong characters trapped together by crap British weather.

The twists and turns of the narrative were predictable enough that this feels like a comfort read - the quality of writing and brilliance of the characters just adds to that. All of the characters are strongly written in their own right and complex, the reasoning behind their behaviours (good and bad) is explained and makes it all the more addictive.

I love the trope of old, haunted places in nature drawing the truth out of people - in a place of no TV or internet, people have to communicate directly and they can't hide the truth about themselves.

This book has earned a coveted spot on my bookshelf, once the print copy arrives.

This was too slow paced for me and felt it dragging at too many points. I do seem to be in the minority though! I expected more from the premise but I felt it was too jumpy between characters and time frames.

A great thriller told from the various points of view of guests on a remote island.Irs well written and the story flowed well.Took a while to get to know the characters as many POVs but a decent read.