A roller coaster of a thriller- I loved the set up, though not so keen on the characters, but regardless found this novel so hard to put down.

It's told in an unusual way, moving from one character to another's point of view without a break, necessitating some rereading, when I didn't realise someone else was speaking- but that increases the tension and nicely misdirects who is doing what.

There are lots of secrets and motives- my main criticism is that I felt the final few pages were unnecessary and lacked the tension found earlier on in the novel.

Regardless, definitely a novel that kept me up beyond bedtime!

I wanted to love this one. It is super slow and the story is boring. I am a huge Gilly Macmillan fan but this one was not for me

Although the drama plays out over the course of a weekend, there are back stories, both recent and older that weave their way through the book giving depth to the characters. From the very first chapter you are hooked with the sense of impending sinister intent. A group of very old friends and their wives are due to have a long weekend away as they do every year, but this year one couple won’t be with them as the husband has recently died and the widow feels it’s too much for her to go alone. The remaining three wives set off together as for various reasons their husbands can’t join them until the next day.
The rented cottage is remote and they arrive to find a message from the widow that says she will kill one of their husbands. Is it a joke or something more serious? Meanwhile we are tempted with glimpses of life back in their home town …. who if any of the men will be the victim,? What is going on with the widow and her daughter?
The tension mounts and just as you think you know where this is going - it shifts. I really enjoyed this aspect and read the book rapidly as I needed to know what was going to happen.

A really good plot and kept me intrigued as to what was going to happen next. A few twists along the way and it didn’t turn out as I expected. A really good read full of suspense.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest, independent review.

Three women arrive at an isolated cottage for a weekend getaway and are greeted by a note: "By the time you read this, I'll have killed one of your husbands."

They're in the middle of nowhere, they have no internet, their phones are out of range, and a storm is brewing. Their husbands are due to join them in the morning, or so they think.

Dark and compelling, 'The Long Weekend' completely sucks the reader into a tense page-turner.

The plot is a puzzling, psychological thriller that leads you right up the wrong garden path and drops shocking bombshells. There were plenty of surprises and red herrings which kept me on my toes.

The characters were flawed and fractured, and not many were likeable. They each had their problems, which intensified as they were thrown together into drama.

The format was not my cup of tea; there are no chapters. As the story is told from multiple viewpoints, this led to some confusion at first as to who was talking. However, as the story went on, it became clearer who was talking. It also worked as a great way to add some mystery, especially as one of the viewpoints is from an unidentified character.

A roller-coaster of a ride!

From the first page the story drew me in, I wanted to know what was going to happen next! But sadly somewhere along the way it got a little bit unbelievable for me. I had to concentrate as the story changed from one person telling their story to another without any chapters which was a bit confusing but I have no doubt that was intentional. Overall I enjoyed the book but was disappointed that it lost reality and also there seemed to be so many storylines started that didn’t go anywhere or became irrelevant.

After having a look at the many raving reviews about this one it looks as though I am going to go against the grain when I say I didn't love it.

I liked the idea and the setting but the lack of chapters just too confusing to me, more so when the story is constantly changing from characters pov. Having said that I'm sure the book will do very well.

Thank you to #netgalley and the publishers for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

The Long Weekend by Gilly Macmillan is the first book that I have read by Gilly, but oh my goodness, what a ride this twisty thriller took me on!

This story follows three couples who planned a long weekend in a remote barn in Northumbria. At the last minute the men are all delayed, so the three women head there alone. The men are due to join them the next day.

When the women arrive they find a gift with a note that tells them that one of their husbands will be murdered.

All of the characters are flawed and you will find yourself questioning whether anyone is quite what they seem. The narrators within the story are primarily the women

In addition to the women, the voice of the farmer is an unreliable narrator within the story, suffering from a form of dementia, he is at times very confused, but in between are moments of clarity for him when he is completely lucid.

One unnamed narrator will keep you guessing about who they are, and clever misdirections add so much burgeoning tension to this clever storyline.

The clever way in which the women were unable to contact their partners really added to the intrigue and the noir-like atmosphere, and it very quickly pushed all three women into a deep paranoia because they were stranded due to the weather and without a phone signal. They all ended up fragmenting friendships that were tenuous at best because their connection to one another had always previously been their husbands, and without them, each woman ended up alone, which allowed their thoughts and fears to overwhelm them.

Given that all of the couples are overburdened with secrets that they are hiding from one another and from the group, it is inevitable that the secrets will be revealed as the story develops. I loved the way this story was written, and the way in which there were no chapters, making the tension feel relentless, which is perfect for a thriller.

The Long Weekend is a relentlessly dark, tense and exciting thriller that will keep you turning the pages while your heart races.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. A story about four couples, each with their problems which lead to outcomes that nobody expected. It was unputdownable and I look forward to reading more books by this author

This unfortunately is yet another example of "great premise, terrible execution".
I' a huge fat of "girls weekend away gone bad" subgenre, but this book is just not worth your time.

There are no chapters in this book. Idk if that the e-arc fault, but I have to rate what I've been given. The lack of chapters and chapter breaks made it extremely difficult to read and follow. The POV is switching from one to another and it's not clearly marked, so sometimes only after reading few paragraphs it was clear that it's a different pov that it was just a minute ago. It was confusing and frustrating.
There are passages of rambling about nothing which should have been cut or shortened.

Atmospheric read that was hard to put down. Friendships are tested in this twisty thriller and characters end up questioning each other and themselves. Really enjoyed this one and it kept me up reading late into the night. 5 stars

3 couples, 2 bodies, 1 secret

Jayne books a reservation for her friends at Dark Fell Barn, a quiet place far removed from the rest of the world. It’s exactly what her, her friends and their husbands need

Jayne, Ruth and Emily arrive ahead of their husbands, who will be joining them later. Missing their other friend Edie, who’s husband died suddenly. They’re all looking forward to some time away. That is until they realise they’re stuck in the middle of nowhere, with no connection to the outside world and a note saying one of their husbands will die!
Friendship quickly fractures as the situation spins out of their control

A good atmospheric read with twists and turns that make it difficult to predict. I was occasionally confused as to which view point I was reading from as characters were sometimes undefined and I needed to reread parts to get back to where I was, but I didn’t let this put me off

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read

I absolutely loved this gripping novel. It is brilliantly written.

The story flows with lots of emotions and confusion throughout. Who is honest? Who is lying? Who can be trusted? Who should be fearful? These questions and more will keep you turning page after page right to the final page!

This is definitely a book I would recommend for those who enjoy a fast paced thriller with plenty suspense guaranteed to keep you guessing.

The book is about three friends that go off to a house n the countryside for the weekend. When they get there, there is a letter that the received. The friends have a very different outlook at the letter and the story starts.

It’s a slow start, but one I was about 30% in, I didn’t want to stop as I wanted to know what happened next. The style of writing is not for me though and the story jumps about a lot. It’s an enjoyable read though. 3.5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

Loved this book, and was maybe surprised as how much so...some reviews paint it as overly confusing, but I found it straightforward to keep up with the various storylines which are twisted inexorably together. Without giving away, my favourite pet hate of some books...the ending...was masterfully done, with twists and turns aplenty...great read! Many thanks to Netgalley.co.uk, the Publisher and the author for the chance to review this fantastic ARC.

It was supposed to be a relaxing weekend away from it all. Dark Fell Barn seemed ideal- really isolated, a way to stop constantly looking at your phone. Jayne booked the place & she arrives along with Ruth; new mother & a doctor & Emily; recently married & not really part of 'the gang. Their husbands are close friends & due to circumstances can't arrive until the next day. There are two others missing- Edie & her recently deceased husband. They are dropped off by the owners- the road up being only suitable for off road vehicles. On arrival at the barn they are greeted with a card & gift. The card states that by the time they read this their husbands will be dead- signed with an 'E'. The women are left in the barn, unable to get in touch with their husbands. The story also switches to the murderer & we see their point of view.

This was a gripping read. None of the characters were particularly likeable- Ruth was definitely a case of "Physician- heal thyself" I found it difficult to believe she had managed to hold together to get to the weekend! Even so the author kept the attention right to the end, leaving me wondering how they managed to get on with their lives! Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

“I am who I am and, unlike my wife, I’ve accepted that. I know that I’m capable of taking a human life, of murder, because I’ve done it and that is my story.
It is me.
It is I.
I have no shame.”

✮✮✮✮✮

Three women arrive for a weekend getaway, where their husbands are supposed to be joining them tomorrow morning. Except when they arrive there is a note, claiming that by the time they read it, one of their husbands will have been murdered. With no signal, in the middle of nowhere, and a storm coming in fast, each woman tries to find out if her husband is still alive, putting lives in danger and fracturing friendships in the process.

Wow. This was such a page turner. The first quarter of the book was a little slow, but once it got going, it was incredible. The characters were incredibly portrayed. Each woman had their own issues, which added depth to the story, and had you second guessing which husband would be worth murdering. Which of the husbands had secrets? I mean the answer is ALL of them, but on hugely differing levels. The book kept my interest the whole way through and I loved the guessing game.

Highly recommend if you’re looking for an amazing psychological thriller!

I really hate books with no chapters. I'm hoping this is just because it's not a final copy. If not that decision was wrong in my opinion.
I found this jumped around too much. Mainly because there were too many stories trying to get time. There were one side plot that I felt wasn't needed at all. More focus could have been on the main story if it wasn't included.
When it comes to POVs there were too many but also because of format it always took me a second to figure out which POV it was now.
All of this took me too out of the story and I kept getting lost trying to keep up with everything and everyone.
This just didn't work for me.

I enjoyed this book - it was very twisty and I enjoyed the conclusion. I do agree with other reviewers that it was a bit confusing at times as to who was narrating and I never really got my head around which husband belonged to which wife so that was a bit difficult at times and I had to keep referring back. I also thought that it was a bit stretched out. That said, it was interesting enough to keep me reading and I didn't guess who the baddy was at all. I would recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC.
I have not read any of Gilly Macmillan's books before. I requested this book because of the gripping title: 'by the time you read this, one of your husbands will be dead.'
The concept is great, I am just not convinced that the execution was effective. This is going to be a mixed review because whilst I enjoyed it, I struggled with a few of the aspects.

It was a gripping story, as there are three women who go away for the weekend, expecting their husbands to join them the next day but they receive the death threat the minute that they arrive. There is no signal, so they cannot check on their husbands. Plus none of them really know each other very well, so they all turn on each other at different points.

The weekend is spent trying to find signal in a wilderness whilst trying to work out if the other is lying to them.
There was a brilliant twist set up but it was revealed 30% of the way through the book, which I've never understood, as this could have easily been revealed towards the ending of the novel.

There are no chapters but the story is told from multiple locations and viewpoints. Therefore, you spend the first part of any paragraph trying to work out who is talking and where you are in the storyline. However, the descriptions of the locations and the characters are clear and detailed. Some of the details included in the story are really strange choices. There were three scenes of peeing characters, for example.

If you can keep up with the multiple points of view then this is a good thriller, just one that feels unfinished in places.