The Long Weekend follows a group of friends as they head out on a weekend trip to a remote Northumbrian barn. When their husbands are delayed, the ladies set off for a night on their own; however, on arrival they are shocked to receive a note from a former member of the group (recently widowed Edie) claiming to have killed one of their husbands. Now trapped at the barn due to bad weather with no mobile signal, fear sets in and the women begin to unravel.

The setting of the first half of this novel is so atmospheric – the Scottish/English borders, the moorland, stormy weather and the sense of isolation make a perfect combination to build tension and a sense of paranoia among the group, as well as for the reader.

There are quite a few twists and reveals as the story progresses (some surprising and others less so) with each of the characters bringing their own complex mixture of jealousy, resentment, secrets and troubled life experiences into play.

The six main characters are not a great group and I didn’t find any of them to be particularly likeable, but the story elements told from the perspective of the barn owners was touching and John in particular was heartbreaking.

A really great mystery/thriller to keep you hooked; however, one negative I found was that there are no chapter breaks and the perspective switches from the third person (most of the characters) to the first person (the culprit), which makes it hard to follow at times.

It's been a while since I picked up a book by Gilly Macmillan but The Long Weekend was a good place to start again. Rich in tension, atmosphere and mystery, this book will have you thinking twice before accepting that weekend away with friends, no matter how close you are. Except … someone is missing from this planned weekend, someone who it appears is plotting a little fun of their own.

I'm not going to lie, the three central characters in this book, at least those we spend time with, Jayne, Ruth and Emily, aren't the easiest of people to like. Jayne is very direct, forthright, and has her own agenda for the weekend, one she hasn't shared with any of the others. New mum, Ruth, is struggling with the weight of her job, her family and a clear case of depression that is driving her to drink. As for Emily, the youngest and newest member of this select group of friends, her timidity and inability to manage without the safety net of husband, Paul, could get a little grating. Even thought Ruth and Jayne had a stronger bond, forged over a longer time of knowing each other and being part of a wider group of friends, there was a sense of conflict there, of them not being entirely compatible. Certainly none of the women were honest with each other, about their feelings or their circumstances. And yet all three women were authentic, believable, and I found myself invested in their stories and their fates, compelled to read on, even if only to find our which one of their lives was going to be torn apart.

This story is told across two intersecting timelines. One focuses on the remote holiday cottage in which the three women find themselves stranded as a vicious storm closes in around them. The setting itself, deep in the. Northumberland countryside, would be atmospheric enough without the inclement weather, the isolation adding to the tension and amplifying the sense of helplessness of the women, especially Emily. Add in some very strange happenings, and history of the story, a kind of local lore attached to the land, and the scene is set for an unsettling time. The speculation over who is in danger just adds to the growing conflict between the women, and circumstance conspire to make their night on the moors truly unforgettable.

The second element to this book, the one in which the plot against these friends becomes clear, is in its own way unsettling. A tale of obsession that proves to be deadly. Because these scenes, this slow and creepy reveal, are interspersed with the scene at the farmhouse, we are able to build a much clearer picture of what is happening, even if the person responsible remains just out of sight until nearly the end of the novel. The pool of suspects is finite, but there is still a level of uncertainty over it all. There are also scenes which are skin crawlingly creepy, ones that set the nerves on edge, but not for the reasons you may be thinking.

Did I have a suspicion as to who was behind it all? Maybe. Was I expecting the full extent of the revelations? Definitely not - the author keeps the twists and turns coming just enough to keep the full picture from forming until the perfect moment. Told through multiple points of view, you can really feel the intensity build and the slow descent into a kind of madness consume them all in turn. A perfect read for fans of the psychological thriller.

An intriguing and interesting read - the lack of chapters initially perturbed me as I couldn’t figure out when to stop reading! When three couples agree to meet in a remote farmhouse barn to get away for a weekend catch up, the wives arrive alone to be greeted by the news that one of their husbands has been murdered… A great premise, an isolated setting, and full of suspicious characters (I couldn’t figure out who I suspected more!) meant I struggled to put it down. Have to admit that the characters were, on the whole, unlikeable , but in a way this added to my enjoyment. Different POV’s kept me on my toes and I changed my mind about them all many times! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review

Gripping from the first page to the last, with completely unexpected twists and turns.
Six friends are due a weekend in the countryside and to stay in a remote converted barn on edge of a farm in the North of England. The first night turns into a nightmare, with the history of their relationships catching up with them. Family dysfunction and people trying desperately to come to terms with changes in their loved ones. Throw in a murder and the questions start racking up from every angle!
Really enjoyed this thriller. Great characters, great background to the players. Brilliant twists, had me gripped completly!
Thank you NetGalley for the early read.

Wow, this had me gripped from the start. The writing style had me confused at the beginning but I soon got into it (it flits between the characters stories even from on e sentence to the next at times). I bet many will read this in one sitting as the story has you wanting to know what has and what will happen from the off. I can really see this being made into a TV drama, I think it'd be great. Thanks to #netgalley , the author and publisher for my arc.

First book of this author's I have read and once I got used to the writing style (no chapters and switching frequently between characters) it was a good read. The setting for a good part of the story added to the intrigue and atmosphere and provided a fitting background for a good thriller. There were a few twists and turns in the story which took me by surprise. And I liked how these were seamlessly dropped into the narrative along the way, carefully revealing little nuggets of insight. Only downside for me was it seemed quite a long read and because of the writing style I often found myself having to go back a few paragraphs after a break in reading to remind myself which perspective the story was currently focused on. But otherwise a good read which I enjoyed.

Absolutely adored this book. I didn’t see the twists and turns coming. Gillian MacMillan is always a sure fire author for thought provoking fiction with a twist.
As always I cannot wait for more

A book of two chapters and 3 couples, all supposed to be going away for their annual long weekend, but the balance changes when none of the men can make it on the Friday and a parcel and letter meet the ladies upon their arrival.
This is a tense book, which had me guessing throughout. I frequently started a section, thinking it was about one character and suddenly realised it was another, because so much was interconnected, especially due to the close bond all of the men had at school.
A tense psychological thriller which I would highly recommend.

Three couples decide to go away for the weekend to Northumbria to a holiday let owned by the Elliott family. It does not go according to plan as the women go up alone on the Friday and their men have something urgent that must be done, or does it. Jayne is ex army in the intelligence branch. Ruth is a doctor in a gp practice who has a young son who is staying with her mother, Flora, so that she and her husband Toby can have a break. Then there is Emily. The men were altogether at boarding school and have stuck together over the years. Emily is new to the group having married Paul who is a good bit older than she is and she feels she does not fit into the group and that niggles at her most of the time but she is besotted with her husband so accepts the situation. They arrive at the farm and they are driven up to Dark Fell Barn by the owners as it is a winding road with pot holes and mud. The women are not as relaxed as they should be and then the drama starts. Edie who was also at boarding school is very close to the men due to history. When the women go into the cottage Emily finds a note and a gift which had been delivered that morning and the Elliotts were told exactly where to place this. Emily opens the note and is shocked with the contents. It states that Edie is going to murder one of the men. Edie is widowed, her husband Rob having died in a freak accident and Emily and Ruth believe this is capable of this but Jayne is adamant that it is a hoax as Edie has always been a prankster. However, Emily and Ruth are determined to get to the farm and telephone their spouses as there is no mobile signal at the Barn.
The story continues in a fab way. One minute you are worried about Emily, then the story diverts to Ruth and you are panicking for her. Then in the next breath you are thinking of the men who should have been with them. The twists and turns of the story have you hooked and the way the author captures the storm in words you feel as f you can hear and see the thunder and lightening. You can also feel what Emily and Ruth feel being out in the storm trying to get to the farm but not together. It does not help Jayne’s worry as Ruth has been drinking in excess and she feels she could be passed out somewhere in the storm. The story culminates in such a way that I did not expect or see coming and was shocked who the culprit was – fab story

Thank you #NetGalley for my e-arc copy of #TheLongWeekend in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately, where this book sounded great and was within the genre of my go to reads I struggled and ended up not finishing. Which is very rare for me.

The premise of this storyline sounded promising: Three couples, the men all cancelling last minute and a letter upon arrival stating that once they’d finished reading the letter, one of their husbands would be dead. I couldn’t wait to continue…

However as I continued I was not impressed.

Finding it very difficult to keep up with what was going. Not helped by the copious amount of characters.

I also struggled with the lack of chapters in this novel. Especially as the author has decided to write it from each of these characters points of view. And without breaking it down into chapters I often found myself having to reread what I had read previously..

I understand the author may have been wanting to challenge the reader and giving them something different to the usual.

But, this didn’t work for me I just didn’t feel that I was able to engage in the story, ending in me not actually finishing the book.

I’m not saying that this was a bad novel, it was published after all. It just wasn’t for me. And because of this I don’t feel it fair to give it a star rating 🤷‍♀️

Thank you to #NetGalley for the advance copy of #TheLongWeekend by #GillyMacmillan
WOW JUST WOW.!!!!!!!
Do not start reading this if you have to go to work or sleep. I could not put it down.
Covering one weekend the story is narrated by all the characters, and the tension keeps rising.
Someone will die but who.
Don’t miss this.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Suspenseful, compelling book. I was on the edge of my seat, and couldn’t stop reading. The author did a great job of seamlessly changing between the characters as narrators. It was very difficult to guess the ‘baddie’, and I thought the characters were believable and well thought out. My only criticism was the ending. I thought it petered out a little. All in all a good read.

I love an unreliable narrator, and I double love a narrator who is unreliable not only because their view is skewed, but because the writer has played a little trick on me. The who in the whodunnit of The Long Weekend is just such a narrator, and I have to applaud Macmillan for keeping a reader so on their toes toes they're virtually en pointe for the whole book.

Three women, friends mostly through virtue of being married to three old school friends rather than actually liking each other, arrive at a remote converted barn to start what is supposed to be a weekend getaway for the couples. There are a couple of catches. The first is that none of their husbands have been able to go with them, and will notionally be joining later. The second is that they're left a threatening note from the fourth woman who's supposed to be there, saying she's going to kill one of the aforementioned husbands. From there the weekend unravels somewhat, as you can image.

Macmillian flits deftly between different POVs, not only of the three women in the barn, but also the farming couple whose land the barn is on, as well as the culprit who has, by the start of the weekend, already committed two murders. these changes come fast enough that you're constantly spun a little off balance, but not so often that you lose the plot, or lose track of where each person is. The gentle tragedy of each particular woman's loneliness, her sense of isolation, is gradually laid bare with a kind of relentless tenderness, so even though the events are a bit unreal = this would have to be the most unlucky friendship group and collection of marriages one has ever seen - it remains relatable. The ending and reveal is surprising, sinister and satisfying, though it feels a little rushed in comparison to the dreadful claustrophobia of the bar in the first couple of thirds. But even so, The Long Weekend is an original and creepy thriller that'll have you reading 'just one more chapter' until you realise it's 2am.

The book sounded promising but sadly for me did not live up to its expectations. Three women are in an isolated cottage and the fourth friend sends a letter claiming that one of the husbands will be murdered.
The writing chopped around from one character to another making it confusing. Added to that I missed the fact that there were no formal chapters.
Sadly this was not a book for me.

I found this book a slow read at the start and it was confusing to have no chapters, the lack of which stopped some of the natural flow as it took a short while to realise that the character had changed. However I did find it a compelling read and loved reading it. trying to guess what was going to happen next kept me on my toes.

The blurb of this book grabbed my attention straight away. As soon as I started reading in knew I wasn’t going to be disappointed. After only 30 pages and me raving about the plot to my husband he had also declared it would make a great film. (High praise from someone who isn’t really interested in anything I read) - I have since found out it is indeed inspired by a film.

The book moves at a fast pace. There isn’t a moment that drags and with each page you are pulled further in to the secrets of each of the characters.

The story is told through the eyes of each of the characters. There are no clunky subtitles to separate the sections and this helps the flow. It is obvious when the point of view changes but it flows seamlessly.

We start by meeting the Elliotts who own the farm land. John battling dementia is not happy about them letting out the converted barn. Maggie however, knows it’s their only lifeline if they are to stay on their land as John’s condition worsens. Told with heart and compassion it is an honest look at life for those dealing with such a cruel demon. Could the visions of shapeshifters and John’s mysterious outings have anything to do with what is happening to the visitors at the barn?

The main story centres around a group of friends (wives and husbands) who are staying in the middle of nowhere for a long weekend.
Ruth (married to Toby) has her own secrets and is battling demons that the others don’t know about.
Emily (married to Paul) is younger than the others and very much seems to be an outsider.
Jayne (married to Mark) seems to be in control of everything, however there is something she is hiding from the start.

All three wives start the weekend annoyed that their husbands have coincidentally been unable to join the trip for the first night away. Can that really be a coincidence or is something else going on?

The final character from the group is Edie(along with her daughter Imogen). Edie’s husband has recently died and she is not joining the group on the trip. Her presence is however very much felt when a very suspicious and cruel note threatening the lives of the husbands who are not there is left at the barn. Simply signed with an E - the ladies are sure it’s a horrible hoax but they can’t be sure and inch by inch they begin to unravel.

Secrets are revealed dripping through the text with each new paragraph. Twists in the plot keep you guessing and desperately clawing on to find the answers - even when you know you should have put it down and gone to sleep long ago.

Suspense is high and tension grows quickly throughout the story. I won’t give any spoilers but this really is a must read book.

From a slow start, this built into a twisting turning narrative that kept you guessing. Even when you knew what was happening there were further surprises to keep you engaged.

The 3000 acre isolated Northumbrian farm belonging to the Eliott family is the location for the long weekend. The Elliotts own Dark Fell Barn, a holiday rental, to which Jayne (ex army intelligence), Ruth (a doctor and struggling new mum) and Emily (a much younger new bride) arrive a day in advance of their husbands. The husbands are the glue of the group as their friendship goes way back to school days and this soon becomes very apparent. The fuel added to the fire is a note and gift delivered earlier in the day by a courier from Edie, newly widowed and not part of the weekend fun. The note shockingly claims that one of their husbands will have been murdered by the time they read it. Sit back and let the games begin.

First of all, what is so effective, especially at the start of the book, is the author lulls you into a false sense of security then socks you between the eyes with something! These little bombs (or a big ones at times!) are interspersed with things that seem so normal. It therefore has a much greater shock value as it’s so unexpected. It leads you to make false assumptions several times over and speculations abound! It becomes apparent that secrets and lies lurk close to the surface, there is betrayal and malevolent delusion which beggars belief.

The characterisation is very good though it has to be said that few are likeable. Jayne is very interesting with her traumatic army background, Emily is tougher than she seems and Ruth is a mess. They turn on each other as their suspicions mount, the complex old and new brittle dynamics that fracture with remarkable ease are done very well in a multi layered plot. The pace cleverly rises to a crescendo and then falls as switches point of you leaving you in a state of suspense and desperate to know the outcomes. It definitely makes you eagerly read on. The ending is twisty, exciting and certainly dramatic.

The fantastic, wild, awe inspiring Northumbrian landscape that seems to dwarf you with its vast expanse, with its vagaries of weather, the foliage and animal life are used incredibly effectively to enhance tension, suspense fear and menace. At times it becomes very scary and so hair raising you can scarcely breathe.

My only negative is the initial jumping from character to character takes some getting used to and so it doesn’t flow well at the start. Then it seems to ‘bed in’ and it’s a cracking read from then on.

Overall, this is another winner from the talented Gilly MacMillan

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Random House U.K. Cornerstone, Century for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Three couples plan a weekend retreat, the women travel up to an isolated barn a night early to begin the getaway. Only to discover a note informing them that one of their husbands has been murdered. Deserted in a storm the women are unable to make contact to check on their loved ones and as a whole host of secrets start to spill, who’s husband is the mystery note referring to and what will happen next?
I was absolutely gripped from the moment I started reading. The atmosphere, the setting and the characters are foreboding, tense and hide a whole lot of secrets.
The changing perspectives really makes this, swapping and changing, throwing you this way and that as a reader. So many times, I changed my mind about where this was going, and the different threads of stories all lead off in different directions to only come together and highlight the cause of all the conflict and horror right at the end.
The pace of this and the constant high energy action, make it impossible to put down. Just when you find an answer you’re presented with a list of new questions and NEED to find the answers.
A fantastic read, I absolutely devoured it, the only issue being that I had to find a book equally impressive to follow this up as I was defiantly left with a book hangover! I look forward to reading more by this author. Outstanding!

This is a dark, twisted read that is somewhat of a slow burner, but stick with it! It gradually pulls you in and then twists the knife! It's taut and unpredictable and I loved it!