The Long Weekend by Gilly Macmillan

Wow ! An amazing read . Had to read it in two sessions as couldn't put it down.
Full of suspense and twists you don't see coming .

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book which I was intrigued to read
Overall I thought this was a good read, Certainly if I found it in a book case on holiday I would have been pleased.
The main characters are all loathsome which made it hard to gel with them, however they were well crafted and developed. The book has a great storyline which is well executed but it is quite a hard book to follow. There are no chapters which is not necessarily a problem if there is a definite demarcation between blocks of text. With this book I did have to double check that the POV had changed and I knew who was speaking. This made it a bit onerous and laborious to read. A lot of the time you had to guess who was speaking, which most of the time was easy enough but occasionally difficult. The ending was a bit chaotic.
I do understand that authors want to use different writing techniques that suit their plot but sometimes you really are better off with a tried and trusted formula. It wasn't quite stream of consciousness style but it was heading that way and I'm not sure really fits with the genre-too confusing.
Overall 3.5/5 stars

This was a very good story. I really liked the concept and I was genuinely surprised by a couple of the twists.

The characters were well described. Some were definitely more interesting than others (I especially liked John and Maggie's storyline) but they all at least felt like real people.

There were a lot of layers to the story and as the reveals started rolling in, I didn't want to put it down until I found out how it all ended.

My main negative is that I felt like the book was over-long. It takes a really long time to get going and there is way too much description near the beginning and not enough to propel the plot forward. From the mid-way point, this stops being an issue but I did find it very hard to get into the story. I don't know if the version I read will be the final one but chapter headings would have made this book much better.

Overall I would recommend the book as there is a really good story there, but I did have some problems with the execution. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

As many other people have said, the format made this really difficult to follow at times. There's a major twist that I didn't quite get the impact of because I couldn't tell whether I was following the right perspective. There were all a couple of choices that felt gratuitous and made me uncomfortable. Aside from that, once it got going I swallowed the rest of it up quickly and it was a decent amount of fun to read. Not a fave but a decent thriller.

Good premise but I found this a very tricky novel to read as it was quite confusing with no chapters or indications of who was talking I kept having to go back and forth to check and that's not something I enjoy when reading a book for pleasure. I didn't like any of the characters but to be fair they felt all similar to me and the ones I think I don't like are actually parts of the real one joined up in my confused mind.

So, cracking premise and a great sense of foreboding at that remote weekend lodge I just didn't get the rest of it,

I read this mostly over a super stormy winter weekend and the atmosphere worked so well with this novel. Winter storms are not required to enjoy this though!
At one point I had to write down the strands making up the story as there was so much going on that I needed to take note of. I read this novel in Digital, prepublication form thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author, but this does not influence my review.
I loved the very tense atmosphere created in the novel and really admired how this was kept at optimum pitch throughout.
Our characters are flawed, have secrets and are often not very likeable, but are very memorable all the same.

I struggled with this, although the idea is a good one... a group of friends go on holiday to a very remote barn house. Each of their husbands were called away for various reasons so won't be joining them till the next day. When the women arrive, a message has been left for them from 'E' which indicates one of their husbands is now dead. Its a long night for the women and problems soon start but things only get more complicated when contact with their partners is made.

Im sure its a deliberate feature of this book tharpt there are no chapters or no indication which character we are with at any given time - part of this is about disguising the identity of different characters at different times. It also adds to the sense of confusion the characters must be feeling... but it makes it REALLY hard to follow. I also really struggle when a group of intelligent professional women are put together, they get spooked and become hysterical and irrational. As the twists and turns unfold, it is really clever but its complicated and not helped by none if these characters being very likable. Its hard to tell who is good and bad as none of them are very nice. I think overall the style and the characters made this a difficult read for me and I struggled to finish. However, the story itself is very good.

#TheLongWeekend #NetGalley
Outstanding. Gilly's writing style is awesome.
Imagine you're going out to spend your weekend with your friends and then you receive a note that by the time you read this, I'll have killed one of your husbands. How would you feel? What would you do? And who is it wants to kill your husband? Same questions come in mind while reading this novel. I've to say that Gilly's writing style is awesome. I really was hooked. Here's a little about the story. Jayne, hardened and serious, but also damaged. Ruth, the driven doctor and new mother who is battling demons of her own. Young Emily, just wed and insecure, the newest addition of this tight-knit band. Missing this year is Edie, who was the glue holding them together, until her husband died suddenly. But what they hoped would be a relaxing break soon turns to horror. Upon arrival at Dark Fell Barn, the women find a devastating note claiming one of their husbands will be murdered. There are no phones, no cell service to check on their men. Friendships fracture as the situation spins wildly out of control. Betrayal can come in many forms. This group has kept each other’s secrets for far too long.
One of them is a killer? Or something else is going on between these people?
Find out yourself.
I really liked it and it's a novel which can't be missed.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK Cornerstone Century for giving me an advance copy.

WOW! Really enjoyed this novel. At first, I found it difficult as it switched from person to person with no break but as I got used to it I realised that it kept up the momentum. The characters were well defined and the descriptive passages were almost poetical in their beauty. The storyline was intricate and the rug was constantly being ripped from under your feet. Just when you thought you had a handle on what was happening you were proved wrong.

So, this was a good book but having read previous reviews I decided to make notes on the characters so that I didn’t get confused. I would highly recommend doing this as there are a lot of names to remember. I enjoyed it once I had got my head together. I particularly loved the killer twists!

The Long Weekend, Gilly Macmillan. 3/5

“By the time you read this, I’ll have killed one of your husbands”

Three women. An isolated retreat. An explosive note.

What a premise! Isolated setting, women on the edge, an outside cast of unhinged troubled characters. This one has it all.

How it stacks up though? That becomes quite complex. The narrative flickers between several people and is hard to distinguish at times and ominous feelings build throughout even as mysteries are revealed one by one.

There are are a fair few bomb drops in this one as well, moments that make you turn back the page and wonder whether you could have seen it coming.

An overall solid thrill.

The scene is set very quickly in this intense, twisty thriller involving multiple characters. Three women isolated in a weekend retreat without landline or mobile connection amidst a growing storm. A mysterious letter threatening to kill the (un-named) husband of one of them.
At times, things get confusing, because of multiple POV shifts without headings. However, the plot flies along at a good pace even though it stretches credulity in places. I found the characters to be largely unlikeable, all a little self-obsessed.
I finished it, but really wasn't enormously engaged with it and don't think I'd recommend it to a friend.
..

This is the second title that I have ready by Gilly Macmillan and it didn't disappoint.
The Long Weekend is about four men one of whom is recently deceased that had been friends from school. The three remaining male friends had planned a weekend away together with their wives when each of the husbands are unexpectedly get called away at the last minute but plan to join their wives the following day.. The three wives arrive that the converted barn on a remote farm that neither has a land line or mobile phone signal and are met by a present of champagne and a menacing note suggestive that one of the remaining wives was going to become a widow. Was the note real or a hoax and if it was real which husband would it be and why.
Meanwhile amid all the hysteria of the women, a storm is building up outside.
The narrative is multi character including that of the initial unknown murderer leading to the suspense of who and why.
It was a book that I found very difficult to put down and look forward to reading more Gilly Macmillan.
#TheLongWeekend #NetGalley

WOW! PHENOMENAL! GRIPPING! UNPUTDOWNABLE ROLLERCOASTER OF A RIDE!. Gilly Macmillan is the Queen of misdirection and this unforgettable read proves it. It grabs you from the beginning and when I was about twenty percent in I was asking myself "how much more can happen in this book" it's fast paced with brilliant characters who all have their own deep dark secrets. The plot is cleverly written and Gilly certainly knows how to lead her readers down the wrong path. The whole book is phenomenal and the ending is mind blowing with unexpected twists. I was holding my breath and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. It truly is a rollercoaster of a read and I would highly recommend everybody to read this book. LOVED IT, LOVED IT, LOVED IT!.

Reading this one, couldn’t put it down. Loved the actually story and the way all things come to an end to together! Look forward to more from the author.

Unfortunately this was not a book I.could get into.

I don’t think this author is for me.

I would still recommend but not a favourite

The Long Weekend had a really interesting plot and the tension and suspense created by the author, I quite enjoyed that. It was a very atmospheric read.

There was quite the twist about 100 pages in that I didn't see coming, something that I enjoyed.

On the critique side, I felt that the book was a bit drawn out for my liking. Also, the husbands were all quite interchangeable and I only later managed to start remembering who was who. I was really disconnected from the characters and that took away from the reading experience for me.

Overall it did keep you guessing though, as to what was going on and what the connection was between the killer and their intended victim/s. It provided plenty of twists, but just the characters were lacking a bit for me.

Before I review it needs to be said it was hard to read this book due to lack of formatting. There are many shifts in narration, plot, and narrators. Unfortunately there are no chapters or scene breaks to denote these, often making it tricky to figure out the changes.
That said, this is a well written novel, full of tension, and many complex, broken characters.
I found the lack of chapters made it feel rather long and drawn out in places. I think chapters would add more tension and give more weight to cliffhangers and twists.

A satisfyingly twisty story, which was difficult to predict. I enjoyed the multiple points of view. However, i didn't feel that any of the husbands really came alive, and at times the narrative dragged a little. There was too much detail about being out on a stormy night for example. A clever story though.

"Hi Ladies, Your weekend starts here! I hope you have a great time! I didn't come along because I know I'm not welcome. This is goodbye. I'm going away. But I wouldn't want you to forget me. By the time you read this, I'll have killed one of your husbands. E"

When a group of friends decide to go away on a long weekend, things don't start out as they planned. Firstly, the three women's husbands all said they'd come a day later, coming up with weak excuses (suspicious much?). One of their friends, a recent widow, didn't want to come. And then there is the letter that greets them when they arrive at a barn house with no phone reception on a remote farm.

The letter, purportedly written by their widowed friend, indicates she's murdered one of their husbands. But which one? Understandably, the women are freaked out. Of course, an epic storm means it's difficult for them to go anywhere with phone reception to check on their spouses, or to call for help. That doesn't mean some of them won't brave the weather, with disastrous consequences.

In the meantime, we're given the first-person perspective of a psychopath. I don't usually like this literary device in thrillers, but it worked brilliantly in this book. As the book progresses you can MAYBE try to narrow down the suspects but the intrigue and tension are well maintained. By the end, all I wanted to know was who the damn killer was and see if I was right (I wasn't).

This is a delicious suspense novel, in which almost every character has a secret to discover. I thoroughly enjoyed it and gobbled it up in less than 24 hours.