Atmospheric, creepy, tense, dark and menacing. The characters all have secrets they are hiding, with their many grudges and envy only amplified among the unsettling and remote location.
If you’ve read Lucy Foley’s previous book, the fantastic “The Hunting Party”, The Guest List is written in a similar format and style. The narration jumps between characters and timescale - before the evening of the wedding and the time after - which only adds to the mystery.

The perfect book for reading during lockdown, as it sucks you right in and makes you forget the strangeness of the world right now. I can’t wait to see what Lucy Foley comes up with next, she’s becoming a firm favourite of mine.

With thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins U.K, HarperFiction for the opportunity to read this ARC, in return for an honest and unbiased review.

It’s been a while since I read ‘The Hunting Party’ which I loved so I was overjoyed to hear that Ms Foley had a new book out!

On a remote island somewhere off the Irish coast, guests are arriving for what is sure to be the wedding of the year – TV star Will Slater and his beautiful bride Julia Keegan.

The book begins during the wedding reception - the lights go out due to the bad weather and suddenly there is a blood curling scream.

Thereafter the story unfolds from the day before the wedding when the chosen few have been invited for the pre-wedding meal and to stay overnight and culminates in what happens when those lights go out. Each chapter is told from either Julia, Will, Olivia (the bridesmaid), Johnno (the best man), Hannah (the plus one) and Aiofe (the wedding planner).

I don’t want to say too much more about the story for fear I accidentally let slip a spoiler. I just want to add that this book is so cleverly written and I didn’t want to put it down.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced read copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Greatly anticipated after reading the Hunting Party and didn't disappoint. Another great thriller, packed full of larger than life characters, and a plot that grabbed me right from the off.

The follow up to The Hunting Party, this read is similar but just as captivating. Atmospheric setting on a remote island off the Irish Coast, guests gather for the wedding of TV star Will Slater and his high flying fiance Jules.
A great line up of superb characters, most of whom you love to hate because their various behaviours make them such obnoxious and toxic individuals.
The wedding is not exactly the happiest event of the year. People have come together in a desolate and windswept place full of ghosts and long buried secrets. Everybody has something to hide and whilst it isn't too difficult to make some of the necessary (and appalling) connections, the plot is thickly strewn with plenty of motives for murder and the reader is kept guessing to the very end. Loss, grief and terrible deceptions threaten to unravel and damage a lot of relationships beyond repair in a Lord of the Flies type Survival game where only the fittest will come out to live another day.
I will definitely be eagerly awaiting Lucy Foley's third novel.

The Guest List by Lucy Foley is a thriller that starts when things have gone horribly wrong, but only gives you a vague idea that things aren't right.  You then get taken back to the start.

Jules and Will are the perfect couple.  She's turned her blog into an online magazine, and he's the star of a reality series that sees him pitted against the great outdoors.  Their wedding is happening on an island in Ireland, and is of course going to be the event.

We have a number of different points of view on the event.  Aoife, the wedding planner, whose Folly is where the event is happening. Hannah, the plus one, whose husband is Jules' best friend.  Olivia, the half sister, who is the bridesmaid.  And last, but not least, Johnno, the best mate from school.

If you've read  The Hunting Party  (also by the way) then you know to expect tense situations, secrets coming out, and people not being whom they seem to be, with things coming to a crashing head.

As you can tell, I've enjoyed The Guest List, just as I enjoyed The Hunting Party.  I would be very interested in reading more of Foley's work!

 The Guest List  was published on 20th February 2020, and is available to buy on  Amazon .  I've found a link to where you can search for  local bookshops , including independent!

You can follow Lucy Foley on  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram .

If you're interested in tense thrillers, then here's some others I've reviewed:

 The Island  by Ragnar Jónasson

 Run Away  by Harlan Coben

 What She Found in the Woods  by Josephine Angelini

I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, and so my thanks to NetGalley, and to  HarperCollins  (the publishers) for this book. 

You can have a look on my GoodReads to see what else I've read!

I loved The Hunting Party, so was delighted to see there was a new book by Lucy Foley.

This time, the setting is a gorgeous yet eerie island off the coast of Ireland, and the event is a celebrity wedding. Yet again Foley’s wonderful descriptions immediately draw you in to the wild and stormy atmosphere.

The book begins towards the end of the wedding, when a waitress says she has seen a body. We then jump back to everyone’s arrivals to the island as the events are told by a number of different characters. Having the perspective of different people really adds to the story, and shows that no one can be trusted.

Another brilliant, character driven story which will keep engrossed throughout!

I enjoyed Lucy Foley's previous novel The Hunting Party and was delighted to be given the opportunity to review The Guest List. A posh wedding on a remote Irish island, a murder and an unexpected denouement. A great piece of escapism.

A twist on the old ‘locked room mystery’ this book features a body found on an island cut off from the mainland during a huge storm. The majority of people on the island, off the coast of Ireland, are there for a rather exclusive, celebrity wedding and we move back and forth – from the discovery of the body back to the arrival of the wedding party. Chapters are told from the point of view of the bride, the best man, the bridesmaid, the wife of the bride’s best friend and the wedding planner. Oh, yes, and the body too…..The bride is the perfectionist editor of a hugely successful online magazine and the groom the star of a Bear Grylls-style tv show called Survival but it seems they are not as loved as they think they are. From bride Jules’ complicated relationship with her oldest and best friend Charlie to the bullying and sense of entitlement of groom Will’s schooldays there are dark undercurrents a-flowing. A great bit of escapism and could be perfect for fans of reality tv and celebrity blogs: how the privileged go wrong…
3.5 stars

This is the wedding of Julia Keegan owner of lifestyle magazine and Will Slater tv star.
They are getting married at a place called Inis Amploir ( Cormorant Island) just of the Irish coast.
Most of this book is set the day before the wedding and the night of the wedding when someone is murdered.
This is told from quite a few different points of view and you don't find out who has been murdered till near the end.
Thanks NetGalley

The guest list by Lucy Foy.
Off the windswept Irish coast, guests gather for the wedding of the year.
Old friends
Past grudges
Happy families
Hidden jealousies
Thirteen guests
One body
ONE GUEST WON'T LEAVE THIS WEDDING ALIVE...
GUESTS ARE INVITED TO CORMORANT ISLAND.
A brilliant read. I loved the story and some of the characters. Had no ideas who it was although I had my suspicion. I did get confused over the then and now. 4*.

Really enjoyed this! A light “read in one sitting” type of book with just enough mystery to keep you turning the pages. Loved the way the author portrayed the different guest personalities, most of which you would definitely not like to have at your own wedding so it had me hooked from the word go!

This is a recounted story which takes place over two days on the beautiful Cormorant Island just off the coast of Ireland. Jules the bride(zilla) is marrying Will the TV star. The author initially introduces us to some of the guests who are attending, most of whom you want to murder yourself! As a reader, I could literally feel the atmosphere at the wedding and coupled with the location and the weather, it was a perfect setting for what was about to happen. On the night of the wedding, somebody is murdered (we are not sure who it is until towards the end). We realise that most of the guests had a motive so it was really hard to guess the culprit. Lucy Foley has a great way of holding back and unfolding the clues slowly throughout the book keeping the reader interested and guessing until the end.

This book has it all, secrets, lies, cheating etc. A brilliant murder, mystery psychological thriller which I would recommend to all.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lucy Foley and HarperCollins UK for my advance readers copy.

A slow burner that failed to hold my interest.

I liked the premise of this book and even though the writing was quite good, I still struggled to get invested in the characters, which made it all the more difficult to care about who did what and for what reason. Most of the twists were rather predictable and the finale was a bit too hasty for my liking.

This book was not my cup of tea but I’m sure a lot of people will find it quite entertaining!

I would like to thank the Publishers, NetGalley, and the Author for sending me an ARC of this book.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book, which is a modern whodunit set on a remote island. It’s atmospheric and tense. The plot is full of twists and turns, and many potential motives for murder. The victim is also a mystery until near the end, which made things even more intriguing. I liked getting to know the characters and their secrets, and as the story went on, I found myself very involved. They all had interesting backstories and I enjoyed seeing how they were connected to each other as more about them was revealed.

It’s an engaging read that makes you think “just one more chapter…”. I would definitely recommend it, and I look forward to reading more by Lucy Foley in the future.

I loved this book! I found it difficult to put down, reading way too late at night & then wondering when I could next pick it up again.

It's like a modern day Agatha Christie - I did try to guess who the murderer was but got it completely wrong!

I loved the style of writing it drew me in straight away.

A really enjoyable book - can't recommend it highly enough.

I haven't read the Hunting Party yet but it's definitely on my reading list now.

This is a very readable thriller with a wide cast of (mostly unlikeable) characters getting together for the wedding of TV survival expert Will and rich blogger Jules. We get the points of view of a few of these characters and although we know from the start that there's been a murder, we don;t know who is dead until the end, making everyone not only a murder suspect but a potential murder victim.
It's an enjoyable book overall with a few good twists (and one very unbelievable coincidence towards the end).

What another stonking murder / thriller/chiller mystery from Lucy Foley! I devoured The Hunting Party so was very excited to hear Lucy speak at a Waterstone's event about The Guest List - her reading of the opening chapters resonated with me, when I read the printed words myself, she's a great storyteller! I was also really pleased to learn about how Lucy came up with the novel concept, based on her family history / roots of Ireland and it certainly helped to bring this dramatic setting to life off the printed page.

The Guest List focuses on the wedding of Will and Julie, two glamorous 30 somethings. Will is a burgeoning TV star (think Bear Gryllis) and Julie is the owner of a hip magazine called The Download, together they're a power couple turning heads. Julie has decided to offer wedding venues the chance to host their wedding to get exposure through her magazine and the winner is The Folly, set on a remote island accessible only by sea, lovely token feel of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None.

Throughout the narrative you are exposed to different wedding guests, the Bride and Groom, the Bride's sister, Groom's best man, wedding planner and owner of The Folly and Hannah (the wife of the Bride's best male friend). At first I was worried that all these split stories would confuse me, but they were detailed, delightful characters and I was intrigued to see when they would next 'pipe up!'.

The journey is a dark and twisted one and is certainly not all it seems, yes there are some 'obvious' red herrings / twists but others were deliciously unfurled to make you think...I'll just read one more chapter....

The only slight negative I would have is that there were too many possible killers! But I won't tell you what happens, you'll have to read that to find out yourself.
A stonking book which I will whole heartedly recommend to my two book clubs, friends and family - already got a signed copy for my mum to enjoy

Having enjoyed the Hunting Party I couldn't wait to get my hands on her next novel and I definitely wasn't disappointed by this skillfully constructed psychological thriller. From the moment it is explained that the wedding is to take place on the isolated island off the coast of Ireland called Inis Amploir with a history of ghosts unsettling the original inhabitants the build up to the tale begins. Lucy manages a host of characters who tell the story from their point of view and one realises that the glamourous pair have not known each other long, that the groom, Will is an outdoor adventurer who pits himself against the elements for his programme whilst the bride, Jules, who is beautiful is an ambitous online magazine publisher. It is evident early in the story that each person in the bridal party has a secret and given the isolation there will be only one conclusion - but what will that be! The best man seems to be incompetent from the beginning and why he is there could be questioned.The compere for the night is the bride's best friend Charlie who arrives with his stressed wife Hannah, whilst the groomsmen are his pals from a public school who despite their civilised behaviour show a wildness that is unnerving. Into mix throw a younger sister of the bride with massive problems, a mother who didn't want to be a mother and a father who has married many times, not forgetting the ex- Head of the public school who is Will's father and then let the storm arrive and the lights fail and one has a nerve wracking tale that twists and turns to confuse the reader before an amazing finale.

On an isolated island of the coast of Ireland, a wedding takes place that will end in murder. With a series of unexpected twists, the bridal couple discovers their guests have many dark reasons to wish the happy duo much more than their congratulations. I found this a compelling story, I liked the multiple viewpoint approach, and as a mystery story, it kept me guessing until the end. It has well-defined characters and is an easy read. Great quarantine reading.

Having read almost all of Lucy Foley’s novels and enjoyed them immensely, I was excited to be a sent a copy of her latest release, The Guest List, by Harper Fiction. Like her previous murder mystery, The Hunting Party, we are whisked to an isolated location. This time we are invited to a wedding party on a remote Irish isle, where each cast member has secrets and a motive for revenge. What I loved best about The Guest List is the clever way Foley utilises the power play and drama of a family wedding as a backdrop to help untangle her characters complex back stories. Who hasn’t attended a family wedding where tensions run high? Perfect escapist reading during uncertain times.

Expect the unexpected.

As guests gather for the what could be the wedding of the year, what they are hoping for is good drink, great food and glamour beyond belief.

What they weren't counting on were storms, powercuts and bodies on the beach!

Jules is preparing to marry the man of her dreams (Will) but as she will come to discover, the man of her dreams might well be the man of her nightmares.

The Guest List is quite the read.

Lies upon lies, secrets that are determined to be uncovered and a cast of characters who are definitely wearing more than one face.

This is a novel that will have you on the edge the whole time.

Flipping between various characters and travelling between the past and the present. What we are presented with is a whirlwind of events and emotions.

And I guess the saying 'it's a small world' really means a lot as it becomes apparent just how close they all are without even realising it.

I have to say this is a thrilling read, if only those guests could predict the future, would they be so eager to R.S.V.P?