When three best friends decide to book a converted barn in a remote location little did they know that it was a deadly mistake.
Not for themselves maybe but for their husbands that will be joining them the following day.
Once they arrive at the barn there is a sinister note to tell them that one of their husbands is going to die!
But which one?
This book has some great twists but can be confusing as there isn't any chapters and you have to try and remember who is who.

I enjoyed this book, it has an interesting storyline, with some sensitive subjects thrown in. It was well written and the storyline flowed easily.

There is a lot going on in this book! It’s told from the perspective of several characters and you really feel like you know them. Fast paced and well written, every time I thought I had a handle on what was happening, it shifted and just made me want to read more. I definitely recommend thus book, thank you #netgalley

Now here’s a novel with everything going for it!

Three couples have planned a weekend getaway only, at the last minute, the men are delayed by a day so the women set off together for the isolated converted barn which has been booked for their stay. The road is so inaccessible that they have to leave their car and travel the last bit of their journey in the farmer’s jeep. On arrival, they find a note claiming that one of their husbands’ has been murdered. Panic sets in as they are completely alone, with no landline, no phone signal, no internet and the weather is quickly deteriorating. The splinters in the relationships are showing – and it’s only the beginning . . .

It’s fair to say that I have loved everything I’ve read by Gilly Macmillan; she has such a lovely smiley face but, trust me, behind her eyes is a brain like a steel trap which concocts tales to shock and surprise her readers over and over again. This one dropped another revelation every time I thought that something completely different was going on! A thoroughly gripping read all the way to the very end. I particularly love that we found out what happened to everyone featured after that fateful weekend ; this, for me, was the icing on the cake. Beautifully written as I have come to expect from this author, this is a novel I highly recommend to everyone who enjoys a really suspenseful and thrilling read! This one easily commands a full house of glowing, sparkling stars!

My thanks to the publisher for my copy; this is – as always – my honest, original and unbiased review.

The Long Weekend by Gilly Macmillan
Pub Day 3rd Feb 2022
In an isolated retreat, deep in the Northumbria moors, three women arrive for a weekend getaway.
Their husbands will be joining them in the morning. Or so they think.
But when they get to Dark Fell Barn, the women find a devastating note that claims one of their husbands has been murdered. Their phones are out of range. There's no internet. They're stranded. And a storm's coming in.
Friendships fracture and the situation spins out of control as each wife tries to find out what's going on, who is responsible and which husband has been targeted.
This was a tight-knit group. They've survived a lot. But they won't weather this. Because someone has decided that enough is enough.
That it's time for a reckoning.
The Long Weekend is a suspenseful and absorbing story, full of psychological tension. A thriller about obsession, secrets and lies that jeopardise a group of friends relationships.
It has an atmospheric backdrop, defined characters and a captivating plot.
I want to thank NetGalley, Random House UK, Cornerstone and author Gilly Macmillan for a pre-publication copy to review.

I want to apologise beforehand for this review but I’m always honest in my feedback and this is what I’ll do in this case too.

To me, there was nothing original in this book. The story is a typical isolated- atmospheric- thriller story consisting of every cliché that this genre brings to mind.

The characters were all extra stereotypical and flat. Military PTSD, alcoholism, misogynist, gold digger, you name it and it’s in the book.

The plot was very similar to ‘The holiday’ if I’m honest but was lacking the suspense and it was so so predictable.

The thing that I really liked was the setting and it’s descriptions as it transferred me there.

It is still a good thriller story for someone that hasn’t read much of the genre. The fact that it’s easy to read makes it a good choice too. But personally I had a nice time reading it but it definitely didn’t wowed me. (Sorry :|)

When a group of friends arrange a weekend away no one can imagine how things will spiral out of control. A great thriller with lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing. Thoroughly enjoyed the mystery of it all. Thank you Netgalley and the publishers.

This book gripped me from the opening page. The wonderful description of the dark, atmospheric scenery and the impending storm just sets the mood for the nightmare you know is to come. It is the perfect setting for a horror story. An off the grid barn house cut off from the outside world. No proper road, no phone signal. Cue scary music.

The holiday starts off normally enough apart from the lack of husbands and the rather strained dynamic between the three women but they are determined to enjoy their break and have a girlie night in. Until they find out that one of their husbands has been murdered. It is a fascinating read to watch them fall apart as the tension builds, the story progresses and they each deal with the situation in their own way. The characters are complicated and not particularly likeable but that doesn’t matter.

The story is told between the three women and the murderer who professes to have killed one of their husbands. You can imagine the panic as they try to find a way to contact the outside world in the worst storm of the year and find out if this letter is a hoax or is one of their husbands really dead and if so whose. Who is the psychopath who claims to be a murderer. That is something that you are guessing until practically the last page along with how many, if any, of this group of “friends” will survive.

This fast oaced and gripping book was such a good read, I couldnt put it down, it was so unpredictable and I couldnt guess the twists at all. Well written with a good storyline and well developed characters. A really enjoyable read.

Wow, what a fantastic read!

This was my first Macmillan's book, but it definitely won't be my last. This book was a great suprise, I loved the blurb, but hadn't anticipated so much pathos. The story is fully packed with suspense and is very fast paced. It is narrated from different POV and not divided into chapters, which can be confusing at first, but actually adds uncertainty to the atmosphere and makes it really difficult to stop reading. The more I read the more I loved this writing style!

My first 5* of the year.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Gilly the superstar manages to do it again 😂 once again a massive rip roaring success of a story offered up! Loved it, loved the characters and story and everything about it (as per usual) I didn’t stop for breath and I certainly didn’t get much sleep 😂 fantastic once again Gilly thank you !!!!

By the time you read this, I will have killed one of your husbands...”

What a tag line!

The latest work by Gilly Macmillan is a thriller of the most exciting kind. Three women head into the isolated countryside for a long weekend, expecting their husbands to join them Saturday morning. However, on arrival to their barn location they find the ominous note above. They don’t have mobile phone reception. They don’t have any internet access. A storm is brewing…

Atmosphere and tension are built from the start in this novel, with the women having only loose friendships and best and lacking the trust which would help them through these anxious days out in the sticks.

To add to the unsettled atmosphere, one of the owners of the barn, John Elliot is suffering with dementia, causing him not only to forget but hallucinate. The only thing he can focus on is that he does not want any strangers in his barn…

The narrative switches between the various perspectives of women at the barn, the villainous writer of the note and Imogen, the daughter of their absent friend Edie, who chose not to attend this couples weekend away having recently lost her own husband Rob in a drowning accident.

Misdirection and our assumptions are used against us to create the most shocking of twists and turns. I was full absorbed in the story, trying to guess who the note-writer was and if they had hurt anyone…

My Netgalley proof had no obvious chapter breaks so I just kept reading! What I liked about this format is that often the biggest twists happened mid-narrative when I least expected them! I often had to re-read a line or two with my mouth literally hanging open. This was more exciting than having these heart-stopping moments revealed as a chapter ending cliff-hanger.

A fantastic read, my first Gilly Macmillan, but will not be the last!

Content warnings for self-harm, dementia, alcoholism.

A relaxing weekend away to an isolated holiday home at Dark Fell Barn should be just that. Instead Gilly Macmillan has given us a chilling and sometimes very dark thriller. The story is written from multiple points of view with no chapters which until you get used to it can (and did) lead to some confusion. Although I am not a lover of this style of writing I will admit it did add more of a sense of atmosphere and suspense to the story. I liked this book a lot and will be looking out for more from this author.
Many thanks to the publisher, the author and NetGalley for letting me read an advance copy of The Long Weekend.

Three couples arrange to go to a remote property for a weekend. The men have excuses and arrange to meet the women on the second day. A storm arrives and the story gets claustrophobic.
I enjoyed being on the edge of my seat through the suspicions of the women about each other's actions and motives and then when the story unfolds the next day with the storm. I enjoyed being drip-fed bits of information building up to who was behind everything.

Jayne, Ruth and Emily have gone away for a girly weekend. The guys were meant to be coming but they came up with some excuse last minute which meant it was just the ladies for at least the first night. When they get to their accommodation - in the middle of absolutely nowhere, just over the Scottish border - there's a package and note for them......

" By the time you read this, I'll have killed one of your husbands...."

Isn't that just the best line ever!!! I loved it. And from then on I was hooked in to this one and couldn't let go. A pacey read, filled with atmospheric descriptions of both the landscape and the characters. There are suitably creepy bits and some wonderfully mundane parts which have the effect of lulling you into a false sense of security then Wham! a twist or plot point just hits you and you're thrown into the deep end again.

I was confused to begin with as there are no chapters and the characters pov changes with each paragraph, making it hard to follow at the start. Once you get the hang of it it's absolutely fine and you don't notice it.

A fantastic book, from a very talented author.

Intricate multi layered tale. It kept switching from one strand to another with surprises/ shocks galore. A real page turner

The long weekend started of promising but soon I found myself skipping parts as I lost interest in the vacuous characters within. There was no one likeable with in and the way the story jumped between each of them without any headers or pause so it made it very confusing. Unfortunately this wasn't one of my favourites.

I found the beginning of this book a bit slow to start, but once the two stories of the wives and the husbands started to intertwine - it certainly had me captivated. All the twists and turns, hidden secrets being ousted, kept me on the edge of my seat.

Jayne, Ruth and Emily head to remote countryside for a couples weekend away. Their husbands can’t make the first night, so for tonight it’s a girls night in. When the arrive they find a note from Edie, a member of the friendship group who couldn’t make the weekend away. It tells them that she has already murdered one of their husbands….but which one, and why?

In terms of plot, this is a great book. It’s atmospheric and claustrophobic. It explores the politics and nuances of the friendship group in a really interesting way. There is a cunning and shocking revelations that comes quite early on in the book and makes you desperate to read on and find out what happened. It’s a tense and thrilling story.

BUT the formatting of the book makes it hard work to read and I was tempted to give up early on. There are no chapters . Just three sections, each covering a day of the weekend. The first section lasts for 50% of the book. There are multiple narratives in the book which I love as a reader but absolutely nothing to distinguish between changes of narrative. I found it really jarring as I would just get into the narrative of one character only for it to change to another, sometimes mid paragraph, which lead me to reread sections a few times. It was frustrating. I feel that if you aren’t going to have chapters, at least put a symbol each time there is a change of narrative and it will make for a much more enjoyable read.
Had it not been for that early plot twist and my thirst for answers I would have DNF the book.

I am not sure if the formatting of the book is due to me receiving an advanced copy, so to be fair, I will give my rating on the plot.

It’s a great addition to the thriller and whodunnit genres. It kept me guessing throughout. I am glad I read it.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an opportunity to review an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I always enjoy a novel that contains an unreliable narrator and twists. I can honestly say that this novel had plenty of twists and the majority of the characters, all who were narrators, could only be classed as unreliable. There were probably only three who I felt were balanced and they didn’t feature that heavily. They were also the only ones I had positive thoughts about.

There are two different sides to this novel. The events in the barn where the relationship between the three women rapidly disintegrated as their worries increased You got to see their true feelings towards each other, their jealousy, self doubt and their thoughts regarding their marriages.

The other part of the novel concerned Imogen, Edie’s daughter. It is difficult to say much about her but it is the part of the novel where I realised that this was an extremely clever storyline which wasn’t going the way I expected it to. I felt increasingly unsettled, not knowing what was going to happen next. It didn’t really matter who was involved, just reading what the characters concerned were thinking was enough to make it very difficult to put this book down.

Damaged characters, for various reasons. Deteriorating health, which added to the trauma in the barn as well as on the family concerned and appalling weather conditions which I hope never to experience all made a novel which I enjoyed a lot