This is a dark, fast paced and atmospheric thriller that will raise your heart rate and keep you guessing because there is so much going on.

There are several unreliable narrators, who chop and change so regularly without a new chapter or line break you have to really concentrate on who they are. Include an isolated barn, no phone signal, a terrible storm and a threatening letter and you have the makings of an intriguing read.

If you are looking for a gripping psychological read then look no further.

4 star rating

I won’t précis this book as it has been done by better writers than me! Suffice to say it’s a psychological whodunnit!

The initial storyline sounded so promising, a weekend away for three couples, a last minute cancellation by the guys and a letter for the girls on arrival saying that by the time they read it one of their husbands would be dead!

To say it’s cliched is an understatement! They are in a remote location, they have no phone signal, there’s a terrible storm…… and so it went on. It was just too unbelievable for me.

I also found the fact that there were no chapter headings, it just jumped from narrator to narrator and I had to try and work out who was doing the talking each time - and it jumped from person to person frequently.

It didn’t hold my attention at all and I only finished it because I felt obliged to.

Sorry, just not for me.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publishers for an advanced reader copy.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone, Century for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

I have not previously read anything by this author before and I have to say I am very pleased I have now. The beginning was a bit slow and I did wonder if I would stick with it, but then it picked up and then was completely riveting . The female characters were well drawn and I found myself identifying especially to Ruth. Full of twists and turn, it was atmospheric and thrilling. I loved the ending too - fitting and complete. I shall definitely look out for Gilly Macmillan’s other books.

When three couples set off for a weekend away in a remote barn each of the husbands drops out, leaving their wives to fend for themselves when a snowstorm hits and they have no phone connection. Upon arrival at their destination a letter awaits, informing them that one of their husbands is about to die. So far so dramatic but from then on the story just didn't hold my interest partly because I found it rather far-fetched. In addition it wasn't an easy read as it jumped about so much with no chapter separations. It was also irritating trying to keep up with the different points of view. Nevertheless I did read to the end. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read and review The Long Weekend.

Bit of a slow burner for me, and never quite got me hooked. Too confusing with no chapters and jumping from one character to another. I usually love her books but this one was just not for me at all. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

Three couples were heading off for a long weekend in a converted barn. However, one by one the husbands drop out, and message their wives that they would follow them to the barn to next morning.
On arrival at the barn, the 3 wives discover a note left for them by another friend of theirs who was not joining them on the weekend getaway. The note informs them that one of their husbands is now dead at the hands of the letter writer. Is this for real? Is it a sick joke? The 3 women don't know what to think.
We follow the 3 women in both their thoughts and actions, as paranoia & panic takes hold during the evening & into the night.
I enjoyed this book, but did find it a little confusing at times. I kept getting the characters mixed up for some reason, and forgot who was married to whom. Despite this, I would recomend it to anyone who loves a bit of suspense & mystery.

I really wanted to love The Long Weekend but it was far too much of a slow burner for me. The book jumps all over between characters and sometimes it’s hard to work out who’s point of view you are currently reading, especially as there are no chapter separations. I found this strange and slightly hampered the reading experience for me. Too slow going without any real action only happening in the last 10% of the book so it’s only 2 stars from me. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House and the author for the chance to review.

This was a very twisty, somewhat dark and unsettling read.

When I read the premise of this book, I was excited. Three women plan to spend time away with their husbands at a retreat however their husbands are not able to come until the second night. When they arrive they are greeted by a bottle of champagne and a note saying "By the time you read this, one of your husbands will be dead".

What's not to love?

My only concern with novels such as these is that the characters either make or break the book. When there are so few characters like there are here, they really need to stand out and they definitely do here.

I didn't find any of them particularly likeable but that somehow added to the story!

It was a really enjoyable read and thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone, Century for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

I've really enjoyed a lot of Gilly Macmillan's previous books, but unfortunately this one didn't quite hit the spot for me.

Three women - ex-army Jayne, Ruth, a doctor, and Emily, the youngest and newest to the group - are connected via their husbands, old friends since childhood. There was a fourth couple, Rob and Edie, but Rob recently died in tragic circumstances. A planned long weekend in a remote country location goes a little awry when all the men are held up for one reason or another, and when the women arrive at the converted barn they have booked, they're in for an unwelcome surprise... and panic swiftly ensues.

The setting - the isolated, ominously named Dark Fell Barn - was very atmospheric, particularly the "lost in the storm" parts, and I enjoyed the sections concerning the owners of the barn, farmers John - slipping inexorably into dementia - and Maggie.

The "husbands" have very generic one-syllable names - Mark, Paul, Rob (honourable exception: Toby) - which for me made it initially hard to remember which was which, especially as we don't really meet them for quite a while but only hear about them. The women did have distinct personalities and issues (though I couldn't help but see the missing Edie - who all the men are or were at one point in love with - as looking like anything other than the Desperate Housewives character of the same name).

I'm not sure why the plot never really grabbed hold of me - plenty happens in it, and I had no idea how it would turn out - but somehow it just didn't and I found it dragged a bit. However, I'll certainly read another book by Gilly Macmillan in the future as I've loved her previous work.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

The Long Weekend follows the story of three couples and the traumatic events they endure whilst isolated at a holiday barn on desolate Northumbria. When the wives of the couples arrive, they receive a letter – its intentions sinister. Instead of the idyllic country escape, they’re imagining, they’re faced with uncertainty and a rising sense of panic.

The Long Weekend took a good while to get going and I admit, I struggled with it initially. In the early pages of the novel it felt like the three female characters, Jayne, Emily and Ruth blurred together. I figured out partway through this was intentional as a means to keep the reader guessing who was responsible for setting the letter, but I found it rather off-putting and it came at the detriment to the rest of the first half of the novel. However, when the characters were more established, their individual quirks and motivations revealed, the story and characters, became much easier to read and understand.

There is something addictively captivating about the female lead characters; their individual personalities and motivations do set them apart from one another; once over the hurdle of initial confusion. Emily is the youngest and newest member of the group and has a troubled past; but tries her best to fit in despite her immaturity. Ruth is a new mother and struggling to juggle parenthood and her full-time career. Jayne is ex-military with her own personal traumas. Each of these characters, and their partners, are interesting in many ways, but I don’t feel like I connected with any of them; I felt that there was something lacking in the way they were written. Something that didn’t make me care too deeply about their current or past traumas – possibly it was in their strangely unrealistic reactions to what was going on around them. They tended to run around helplessly while events were unfolding around them and relied too much on being rescued by their missing husbands.

There is another character, Edie, that is missing from the holiday. The author of the letter. When thinking about this character and the lack of realism attributed to them, she is the one I struggled with the most. She is praised as being highly attractive, physically and charismatically, a practical joker and the glue that holds the group of friends (The wives husbands) together, and yet, it feels like the fighting to gain her favour would be something that would drive people apart with jealousy or frustration. I failed to see the appeal in her and as such the rest of the novel crumbled without the solid foundations. Obsessed with Edie are the husbands of the women who have arrived a day early at their holiday retreat. One of them – a character barely present in the novel – won her over, leaving the rest of the men to ‘look after’ Edie and her daughter Imogen, despite all being married to other women; these women have their individual thoughts on this, but most just accept it because their husbands and Edie have been friends a long time – it struck me as a bit contrite and an odd arrangement.

I enjoyed the narrative of The Long Weekend and found the various twists and turns in the plot thrilling – and there is enough to keep the reader guessing for the vast majority of the story. I found myself trying to figure out who was orchestrating the events and found my thoughts scuppered more than once; it has all the wonderful elements that make up a good thriller.

The Long Weekend is one of those ‘middle of the road’ sort of books that wasn’t bad but wasn’t anything overly groundbreaking either. It starts off slowly and takes a long time for any true comprehension of the plot and characters to embed. The book picks up in pace once the ‘frantic panic’ of the holiday retreat is over and the wives have returned home, but I can see many-a-reader giving up before this section is reached. Overall, I found there was something lacking in the first section of the book. It felt more like a teen-style horror movie, where the characters don’t make rational choices and all end up doing equally stupid things; it made me lose any measure of respect for the characters, which made for difficult engagement as the story progressed.

I received a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review thanks to NetGalley and Cornerstone Publishing.

This was a rollercoaster of a thriller! So much happened in such a short space of time.

I liked the book as a whole though I did feel like it was too long- could definitely have been shortened!

I didn’t guess what was going to happen - I thought I knew but when other details were revealed, I realised I wasn’t quite on the right track.

I really liked the ending though - I was satisfied that all the characters got a suitable ending to their story.

The major thing that I hated about this book (so much so that I nearly DNF quite early on) is the way it was set out. It didn’t have chapters, just sections for each day. So it’s just big blocks of texts which made it hard to figure out when I could pause for a break. It also flicked between characters pov quite a lot, and the only indication of when that happened was a blank line.

A mystery told through multiple characters POV’s, full of twists and turns and once you get into the characters is a good read.

Three couples decide to go on an isolated retreat, deep in the Northumbria moors, the three women arrive early for a weekend getaway with their husbands due to join them the following morning. Well that was the plan, because when they get to Dark Fell Barn the women find a note claiming that one of their husbands has been murdered. With no phone or internet coverage in the moors they are stranded and unable to confirm or refute the claim.

The uncertainty of the claim leaves the friends feeling out of control and tempers fragile. Each wife is desperate to know that their husband is safe and an explanation to what is going on. Which husband is in danger and who is responsible.

A good read can get a little confusing with the multiple narrators.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Random House UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I feel I should have. It’s well written and pacy and the author definitely knows how to write a book with lots of twists and turns. For me though, there were just too many twists and too many sub plots and red herrings without much plausible character development so by the end I was dizzy with detail but didn’t much care for anyone in the book.

This is a hard review to write as I’m still not sure about how I feel about the book there were aspects of it I really enjoyed but also there were times when I was confused and just wished the story would get a move on. The characters were well written and to be honest it was hard to find any of them I liked but I’m sure this was how it was meant to be because the book was written in such a way that it was never clear who the extremely unreliable narrator at that particular time was, while that made for a great mystery I have to confess I found it very confusing.
The story was clever it had plenty of twists which you would expect from this author and it was never predictable I didn’t see the ending coming which is always a bonus for anyone who reads a lot of thrillers like me. So overall I would rate this as a 3 star read not my favourite by Gilly Macmillan but still a book that was different that certainly kept me guessing.
My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone, Century for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Three couples have planned their annual weekend away. This year it is an isolated barn in Northumbria. They all plan to travel together, but due to other unexpected commitments, the wives travel to the barn first, with the husbands expected to arrive the next day. Meanwhile a courier arrives at the farm the barn belongs to and delivers a letter and a gift, with strict instructions on how they must be displayed in the barn. The farmer and his wife who own the property think the request strange but do as asked. At this point I will say that I suppose the addition of these two characters are necessary to do the deed, but can’t see the point of their continuation in the story.
The three woman, all very unlikeable, arrive, open the letter, and events escalate. The true personalities, secrets, lies and mental issues of all the couples is revealed over the next few hours.
This book had great promise and made a good start. However, the flitting about between the characters was hard to keep track of, and they were all pretty awful.
There were a few nice twists and turns, and on the whole the book was good but not exceptional. The ending became a little frantic in comparison with the rest of the story. Think the title was a bit of a misnomer, it only lasted one night and day?
Thank you NetGalley.

I live a good thriller & this was certainly a good one. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is the second book that I have read this month called The Long Weekend, but this one was so very different to the first! This Long Weekend is absolutely one that I am glad I wasn't part of. I don't think that there was one character in this book that I liked or cared about. But in this case I feel that it didn't matter, It was a dark and pretty intense read that kept me guessing until the end.

This book does jump around a lot., between time periods and characters. Once I got used to that it was such a great read. A weekend away for a group friends turns deadly. The women arrive the night before their partners and are greeted by a letter saying that one of their husbands has been murdered. There is no mobile service and tensions run high. Desperate to contact their husbands, drastic measures need to be taken.

All of these women and their partners are hiding something and have their problems. None of them are people that I would want to be friends with.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for my advanced copy of this book to read. Released February 3rd, 2022

Gilly Macmillan is quickly becoming my go-to author for a 'Thriller with a Twist'. This book was captivating in its twist, turns and intensity!

Jayne, Ruth and Emily set off for a long weekend in a remote countryside barn conversion, to be joined by their husband's the next day. Their connections were forged through their husbands' friendships since childhood and immediately the reader is aware of tension that hangs around the trio. The weekend has been long planned but there is one missing occupant: Edie, a female friend of the husband's, who has kept their attention and hearts since school. Upon arriving at the cottage, they are greeted by a package and note from Edie, suggesting one of their husband's has met his demise. But why would Edie want to hurt one of her lifelong friends? What has caused this violent threat? How can they save their husband before it's too late? In the remote and isolated cottage with no means of communication, a storm brewing and an uncomfortable atmosphere, it's going to be a long weekend...

I really enjoyed this book, especially the weaving narratives and backstories that are always an intrinsic part of lifelong friendships - you get the sense that the wives are in the edge of these relationships and as such, their discomfort and worries are magnified. The book focuses on the human ability to survive and this is shown in a myriad of different ways by the characters in one way or another.

The characters are beautifully and convincingly developed, each with a backstory of their own, which impacts their decisions and reactions. Jayne is a resourceful and measured military veteran - until circumstances create a disassociation from herself. What is she capable of during her blackouts? Ruth, a young mum, is a struggling alcoholic who seeks peace in the bottom of a bottle. The events of the weekend only serve to make her thirst for oblivion even stronger. Emily is a young wife with a difficult history and an awareness of the perspective that she is seen as a gold digger, but her grit and determination is her wealth in this book.

Something I loved about this book is the use of multiple characters viewpoints which gives the reader an interesting, contrasting view of the narratives. It means at times we are ahead of the characters in terms of knowledge and this is an interesting perspective to have as a reader. As the wives try to work out the real reason for the letter, the reader is privvy to an astonishing backstory that has led to these extraordinary events.

A whole-hearted five stars for this book. Highly recommend!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58466761-the-long-weekend

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Three women set off for a weekend in Northumbria. Their husbands should be there but one by one they've inexplicably called off and are arriving the next day. When the women arrive at the barn there is a shocking message for them: Edie, an erstwhile member of the group who has been recently widowed, has sent a note saying that she will kill one of their husbands. Two of the women dismiss this as a joke, Edie is known for her cruel pranks but the other is convinced it's true. A night of terror ensues with no means of communicating with the outside world and a violent storm raging.

What I liked about this book. The setting is great and very atmospheric and the tension builds throughout.
What I didn't like about this book. The characters are not sympathetic. I couldn't have cared less about who gets killed and why (except maybe for one character who is a bit subsidiary to the main plot). Too much happens. Every character it seems has a deep dark secret which has to be revealed at a crucial point. It all got a bit much and I felt like shouting 'less is more, less is more'. Why no chapters? This made it a more confusing read than it needed to be.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Take three women, an isolated cottage in the windswept, rain-lashed-middle-of- nowhere, and – horror of horrors – no mobile phone connection. Add a letter from a fourth friend, the beautiful, elegant widow Edie, who claims to have murdered one of their husbands, and you have the makings of a good mystery. Except....

Coincidentally, or not, all three husbands in this tale have given reasons for not being able to travel with their respective wives, but will join them the next day. The fact that they've all known Edie since forever, and feel protective (and possibly more) towards her, is probably relevant. I'll never know because I can't read any more of this. Why?

The construction is odd. The narrative hops about with no warning. From a long, somewhat boring and unnecessarily detailed passage concerning those isolated windswept hills, which, by the way are not only windswept but “proud underneath the rain”, you're suddenly thrust into Edie's car listening to her ramblings. After this you're down in the farmhouse with Maggie, the owner of the holiday cottage, making bread whilst fretting about her husband's dementia.

Odd details such as Emily musing about her hair...

“......Her hair looks shit from every angle. She'll have to tie it up and if Paul tries to take it down tomorrow, the way he sometimes does, tugging at her hair clip and saying that he prefers her to wear it loose – if he tries that, there'll be hell to pay, and it'll serve him right”

Just what is the relevance of this? In case you need to know Ruth's hairdryer – which Emily has borrowed – “....is primitive and blows too hot....” which is, apparently, why Ruth always looks dishevelled. Yes, really. Or maybe it's because Ruth has just had a baby and has become overly fond of a wee drink or three. So far Ive learned nothing about Jayne except a strange obsession with a nearby burial ground, or barrow.

I'm almost one third of the way in and cannot continue with it. It's a shame because the premise of the story is intriguing, but there's nothing else to keep my interest.