After being a fan of The Hunting Party, I was excited to get my hands on The Guest List.
.

It didnt disappoint. Like Lucy Foley's previous thriller, it was a story told via various points of view, with the story slowly building to a murder where there is more than one motive and more than one suspect.
.

It's not a story that makes you think too hard, the clues are there, the stories unravel and lead you to the event but you its anyone's guess at who the culprit is until its finally revealed.
.

It's an enjoyable read, its twisty and with enough turns to make you dizzy, and that's what I enjoyed about both The Guest List and The Hunting Party. It didnt shock me, or really blow my mind but it kept me reading until the small hours of the morning.
.
Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for a copy of this book.

I'd give it a 3.5/5

Good news! I enjoyed this far more than The Hunting Party. Bad news! Everything I disliked is replicated here in the same formula. The difference is The Guest List has some interesting conflicts and I wanted to know how they‘re resolved. I’m still not a fan of the murder victim not being revealed until the end but I feel that it’s handled better here. There are motives against several people so everyone’s fair game. The multiple POVs are also distinct enough. Some of the characters have genuine connections and history which added to the tense setting.

Regarding the murder mystery itself, it’s a little weak and predictable. There are too many coincidences that feel convenient plot-wise. The resolution arrives really quickly and I wish there’s a proper closure. But if you want to read about a weekend wedding from hell this would be a good choice!

The tale of mystery at a wedding on an remote island. Easy to read not the ending I thought. Lots of hidden pasts.

An ancient and atmospheric island is the setting for this potentially perfect wedding. The ceremony takes place in a folly and, although the first couple of chapters are introducing the characters and wedding frivolity, there is the promise of secrets, past misdemeanors and impending doom.

There is a dual timeline - the wedding day as it happens and a couple of days before leading up to the main event. Each chapter is told in the first person from different points of view. Informal and readable, as first person narratives are, complete with thoughts and feelings and a confusion over when to use 'me' and 'I'. And bizarrely, each character 'hisses' when they are angry.

There is a tension as the story builds after the first couple of chapters and the expectation that there will be a murder or something serious about to happen. Reminiscent of Agatha Christie, the reader simply knows there will be something and the search is on to work out whodunnit even before the crime has happened. The short choppy chapters work really well.

​A great, fast-paced thriller. Recommended.

The Guest List from Lucy Foley is my first ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ book of 2020. It’s simply a tour de force of the thriller, whodunit genre. #Bookstagrammers in Foley we have ourselves a modern day successor to #agathachristie.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
The plot and characterisation in the book is razor sharp. Layers of secrets, betrayals and jealousies are slowly unpeeled from the POV of each of the guests, revealing some shocking home truths. No spoilers here but once you start this book be prepared not to put it down until you’ve finished the last page - it’s truly binge worthy. BBC option this book immediately.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Brilliant, I couldn’t put it down thriller ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of five⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

I loved ‘The Hunting Party’ so when I saw that ‘The Guest List’ was available on NetGalley I knew I had to read it! I loved the unexpected twists and turns of the book and thought the story flowed well, it was a bit more fast paced than ‘The Hunting Party’ with a few more plot twists. Would highly recommend!

Apologies, I read this back in November but a personal loss meant I’ve only now notice I didn’t post my review.

This book had me gripped. The multiple narratives really added to the tension and the building mystery.
The writing was perfect, allowing for each character to be formed in such a way that even if the chapter didn’t indicate who I was with, I’d know immediately.
Perfect.

I enjoyed this book. It kept me guessing and wasn’t obvious, which is a must in this genre! I only knocked 1 star off because I feel this familiar storyline is occurring quite a lot in fiction at the moment.

Lucy Foley's latest novel, The Guest List, follows the same 'locked-room' type formula as her earlier novel, The Hunting Party, in that it involves: (1) a death, (2) at an isolated location, and (3) with a closed cast of suspects. It also continues the author's clever trick of revealing the murder at a fairly early stage in the book, and then leaving the reader guessing as to exactly who has been murdered, who committed the crime and what their motive was. This is a formula that cannot help but draw the reader into the story. I was gripped from the first chapter and found myself flying through the pages, eager to find out the identities of both the victim and perpetrator.

The story focuses on the wedding of Will and Jules on the small, remote Irish island of Inis Amploir (translated to mean 'Cormorant Island' in English). Once the location for a massacre, Inis Amploir's dark history adds to the sense of trepidation that surrounds the wedding. The isolated island is bleak and creepy, providing at wonderfully atmospheric setting for the mystery. It reminded me a little bit of Agatha Christie's novel, And Then There Were None, which also features a remote island as its setting for murder. Inis Amplour is only accessible by boat, an approaching storm leaves the visitors stranded on the island overnight with a murderer in their midst, something that could not fail to dampen the most lively of events!

The chapters are split between a number of characters and I liked the way each narrator is given a description: Aoife - the wedding planner; Hannah - the plus-one; Jules - the bride; Johnno - the best man; and, Olivia - the bridesmaid. It emphasised each character's position in the wedding party and also helped me remember who everyone was. The author does a great job with the characterisation, giving them each an intriguing backstory that places them front and centre when exploring the possible motives for murder. The way the author uses the characters to advance the story moves The Guest List from a classic murder mystery to a part-crime-fiction / part-psychological suspense.

The story flips between the day before the wedding and the wedding night, ramping up the tension as each character's motive for murder if gradually revealed. Everyone holds on to some dark secrets about their past and everyone seems to have a motive for the murder.

The story is cleverly and precisely plotted, ensuring the steady increase in suspense as the plot progresses. The high-emotions of the wedding and the gathering appears to have a pressure-cooker-type effect on the group, as tensions come rushing to the surface. It is somewhat unsettling to think that there could be so many simmering resentments amongst one couple's closest friends and family. No one is quite what they seem. The story reminds us that sometimes friendships persist out of shared experiences or merely habit, rather than from respect, like or admiration. Secrets unfold and past traumas come to light as each character takes their turn in the spotlight, resulting in an intricate, gradual and satisfying revelation and conclusion.

I was totally gripped by The Guest List. It was tense, entertaining and full of thrilling secrets and reveals. The book was one of my most anticipated reads of 2020 and it did not disappoint. This book has certainly made its way to the top of my Top 10 reads for the year and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a binge-worthy crime / suspense novel.

Having read The Hunting Party last year and really enjoying it I just couldn’t wait to read this one, and it didn’t disappoint it was so good. I really couldn’t put it down. I had planned to read this over a few days as that’s how long it usually takes me to get through a book I’m really into, but I managed to read the whole thing in just under 24 hrs. I just needed to find out what happened!!

The Guest List is really well written but be warned it is a slow burn. Normally when it comes to books that are told over different time frames I struggle, but this one worked perfectly, it was easy to read and follow. The Guest List is told from the perspective of the different characters, which I enjoyed as it helped to build a picture of who was murdered and who could have done it.

The characters were very well written and I liked how each of them added their stories to the various twists. I have to admit some of them weren’t likeable at first but as the plot thickened and we learnt more about each of the characters, some of them started growing on my and by the end I ended up liking them.

All in all, this was a great read for me and one I would highly recommend. I can’t wait to see what Lucy Foley has to offer next.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for my eARC in return for an honest and unbiased review.

My Rating: 4.5 stars

I read this book in a day. It was an easy read that went back and forth between timelines and a few characters perspectives. So many of the characters were unlikeable and at one point I really didn’t care who was the murdered person, it could have been a few for me! But it all came together at the end with no great surprise as to who was murdered. However who did it was very cleverly done and not something I saw coming.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

This is astory about a wedding based on an island. During the festivities a murder is committed. There are some very unlikeable characters a lot of tension but not difficult to guess the ending. A very quick read.

I loved The Hunting Party, Lucy Foley’s previous novel and The Guest List is just as good. This is a classic whodunit with plenty of twists and turns, secrets and lies.

On an island off the Irish coast, guest gather for the wedding of Jules and Will. They are old friends with plenty of history between them and then one of them is murdered. As a vicious storm sets in trapping the guests on the island, the atmosphere becomes more menacing. Who has been murdered and who is the killer?

The narrative is told in different timeframes and from the perspective of various characters. The tension increases as the novel progresses and the mystery intensifies. I didn’t work out which one of the wedding guests had been murdered until close to the end and the killer was a real surprise. Very clever indeed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this book to bits! The plot was great, the characters in the story were superb. I had just finished the previous book by Lucy Foley and hoped that this one would not disappoint and I was so delighted that it did not! Superb setting and great flow to the story. An excellent read! I do not give 5 stars very easily but this book definitely gets my 5 stars!

This is a really enjoyable, fast-paced read. The multiple viewpoints worked really well and I loved trying to figure out who was responsible. The wild setting also really added to the mystery. I’ll definitely check out other books by Lucy Foley in future.

A so/so murder mystery which was good in places. I didn’t guess the ending but I did find it rather cliched and not much different from the author’s last novel, although there was an interesting twist.

The Guest List is a cracking good who dunnit thriller that leaves the reader guessing until the last minute. Gripping and deliciously dark, this is the sort of book you want to devour in one sitting. Julia Keegan and Will Slater are due to be married on a remote island in Ireland. They are seemingly the perfect 'it' couple, but scratch below the surface, and all is not as it seems. As a storm rages on their wedding night, the lights go out, and a scream is heard. As the book moves between the wedding day itself, and the days leading up to it, we learn that all the wedding guests have a secret they would not want revealed. Who sent Julia a note imploring her not to marry Will? Why is the wedding planner consumed with anger? What event from the past has haunted Johnno the best man? Why does Julia's sister Hannah know Will as Steven? The past catches up with Will Slater in a thrilling crescendo, and with an unexpected twist this psychological thriller will not disappoint.

This is a classic whodunnit in the vein of Christie. Guests gather for the society wedding of the year but before the end someone will die. The setting is not original and the characters are stereotyped but this book is a page turner and really benefits from a one-sitting read, especially when trying to keep in mind each of the multiple POVs. Not my usual read but others will love it.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the advance copy

Fast-paced, tense and suspenseful. Another masterful crime novel from the talented Lucy Foley. I can't wait to see what she does next, but I've no idea how she's going to top this one!

Another fantastic, gripping thriller from Lucy Foley. The plot is full of twists and turns that keep the reader frantically turning pages until the very end. Great stuff!