I was kept guessing during this book as to what was going to happen. Everything from the winning of the tickets felt suspicious, but everything that happened was only a lead up to a lot of action! Saying that, some parts were guessable, but don't believe everything you're told about the characters. Some were easy to like and to root for, while others seemed a bit suspicious, but I'm trying not to include spoilers here. I enjoyed the friendship between Libby and Dawn and the way they interacted. Altogether a great read in my opinion

Libby has won two tickets to the hottest festival around - Solstice - on the longest day of the year.
Libby and her friend Dawn head off to Wales for the weekend but soon Libby is living a nightmare.
Dawn has disappeared and the festival isn't what she was expecting and she is scared!

A book that mixes sadness and loss with the wild lights and noise of a summer solstice festival and fear. Libby is not sad that her mother has died, the woman made sure she knew she was a disappointment all her life. When she wins tickets to the biggest, most exciting festival of the summer, she and her childhood friend, her bff Dawn are over excited (Dawn) and anxious (Libby). It promises many memorable moments - but not all of them welcome - and Libby, who has always longed for the feeling of belonging in a family, is brought face to face with the old wisdom: be careful what you wish for.

Giiiiirrrrlllll thank you Netgalley for this book. I loved it. I expected one thing and got something better. 4 stars.

Goodness..that was a tense, visceral, dark and AMAZING novel. Mumford can WRITE!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Libby lives a quiet life. She works as a librarian, and has been a carer for several years for her mother who has just died. Libbys relationship with her mother had been a difficult one, and now Libby is alone, she is thinking about her life and wondering what to do next.
Dawn is Libbys best friend, more outgoing and willing to take risks in order to have a good time, she persuades Libby to go for a night out to let her hair down for once. Libby agrees, and while the girls are out, Libby wins two tickets to a much sought after event, Solstice, a Summer music festival to celebrate the longest day of the year. Libby isn't sure she wants a weekend in the country, but Dawn persuades her, telling Libby a weekend away will do her good. So, Libby and Dawn go camping.
Late at night, Dawn goes missing, Libby searches all round the huge campsite and the music stages, trying to find her. There are hundreds of people at the festival, and the people Libby meets, she is uncertain who she can trust. What Libby does find out however, is someone has gone missing from from a previous festival, and Libby begins to worry for Dawns safety, and hopes she can find her in time.
This was a 5 star read, a twisted plot with an unexpected ending. I was gripped all the way through.

The first few chapters held my attention and the storyline was good but once Libby and Dawn got to the festival, the plot began to unravel and got muddled and then the pace picked up in the last few chapters. I have read other books by the author and enjoyed them but this one wasn’t for me.

Wonderful. A really well constructed mystery, which successfully created all the excitement and atmosphere of an outdoor festival. Libby is still reeling from the death of her mother, whose cruel treatment of her, and her final words to the daughter who cared for her in her dying days, have left her with very low self esteem. A pop festival is the last place she wants to be, but when she wins much coveted entry tickets, she gives in to her best friend, Dawn’s pleas and makes the effort to participate. However, it seems as if someone is wanting her to leave, and the fortune teller hits the nail on the head when she tells her that she doesn’t fit in. Shocks and surprises are in store, the worst of which is losing track of Dawn. But more threats await her. A gripping page turner with plenty of drama, a fair dose of mysticism and superstition and lots of human interest. I read it from cover to cover and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Brilliant story about a very exclusive music festival that hides deep family secrets and druid magic.
When Libby wins tickets to the Solstice music festival she is determined to forget about it. Her friend Dawn, however, works to pull her out of her shy and defensive shell and drags her to the festival for a long weekend of camping and music. When Dawn is lost in the crowds, Libby will stop at nothing to find her friend, even when that means facing off with the festival organizers - an old family tied in to the magic of the festival.

Just loved this fun twist on summer excitement. Mumford always creates fascinating stories and believable characters. I couldn't stop turning the pages!
Grab a ticket to this Summer Festival right away!
#HQDigital #thefestival #louisemumford

I've read all of Louise Mumford's books and whilst it is still pretty good, "The Festival" isn't my favourite. However she is definitely an auto buy/read for me. Two friends go to a Glastonbury-type festival in Wales and get caught up with dark goings-on. Full of twists and turns. A good summer/festival read.

The Festival seemed like the perfect summer read, but the beginning felt like one of those books where there was so much going on, yet nothing really happened. I loved Louise Mumford's previous book, The Hotel, so I had high hopes for this one, but the narration was not a fit for me. Sadly, it went into my DNF pile, but I'll definitely try her next book.

Loved the premise and the start. Have always wanted to read a thriller set at a festival. However the excitement died off about halfway through, and I barely made it to the end.

With many thanks to HQ Stories for this free arc and I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily.
This was an intriguing book by Louise Mumford combining a festival with witchcraft and folklore. Wonderfully written as Louise’s descriptive narrative creates a very realistic atmosphere. I loved the witchcraft element to the story giving it a nice eerie feel. My only criticism of the story is the bombshell of Libby’s past was more of a damp squib than an explosion so it sort of lost its shock value. That aside this was a very addictive read and a book that you can get totally lost in. Loved it!

I received a copy of the book for a free and unbiased opinion.
This was a pleasant, easy and quick read, so perfect for the summer- I finished it one sitting.
The story is told from Libby’s point of view in the present and Ma Blake’s in the past and the two stories collide by the last part of the book.
When Libby wins tickets to the most popular festival, she heads of with her best friend Dawn to try and get away from her boring life. She is also reeling from the death of her mother who never cared for her. But then she dragged into a twenty-year-old mystery of a missing local girl when her best friend Dawn disappears.
The descriptions of the Solstice festival is atmospheric ( and reminders me of the reasons I don’t like them!) and the plot unfolds with an increasing feeling of menace and dread- I did figure out what Tess’s story was but I had to keep to find out what happened to Libby and Dawn!

A surprising story for me in the way it twisted and turned accompanying the madness within, a dark story encompassing the Solstice in a terrifying way, a little disjointed in parts but altogether a good read

I loved this book and raced through it as soon as it arrived. Have never been a lover of summer festivals but will definitely not go now and camping is most certainly off my radar. A real roller coaster of a book. If I had been on holiday, I would never have left the sun lounger.

The hottest event of the summer comes at a price…
Libby can’t believe her luck when she wins two tickets to the biggest event of the summer: Solstice, a music festival celebrating the longest day of the year. Wanting to escape her problems for a few days, Libby, along with her best friend Dawn head deep into the Welsh countryside for a weekend of sun, fun and festivities. But what promised to be an exciting trip quickly turns into Libby’s worst nightmare! Good book! This book was a bit out there, it kind of went in a different direction than I expected! But it’s worth reading! It had suspense, intriguing, murder, mystery, almost cult like, a sort of who done it and a few twists and turns! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Libby wins tickets to the yearly Solstice music festival in the Welsh countryside, to the excitement of her best friend Dawn. Libby is the more quiet and hesitant follower to Dawn’s big personality. A lot goes wrong quickly and Dawn disappears. The leader of the festival is a strange and mysterious character, as are his brother and mother. Libby is very much out of her comfort place as she attempts to navigate the next twenty four hours. The book has a surreal and dreamlike quality to it, with much focus on folklore, superstition and even magic. The first part works the best as so much happens so quickly as the story races to its conclusion. Still, the friendship between the two girls is extremely well developed and all the pieces do fit together by the end. Mumford is a wonderful writer and the atmosphere she has created is engaging and fast paced. I highly recommend The Festival. With thanks to Netgalley and HQ for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

This is such an excellent, high-speed story with little let-up in the narrative. The two mains characters, Libby and Dawn, are very likeable and you quickly get drawn into their lives. The music festival setting is vividly brought to life and it was interesting to read the book so soon after Glastonbury (I’m so glad I didn’t go!) . The story takes many unexpected turns and really keeps you interested; it’s definitely a page-turner. I really like Louise’s’ style of writing and am looking forward to reading more of her work.

I absolutely loved this one! Brilliant festival vibes with some dark twisty thrilling scenes. I loved the main character, I had no idea which direction this was going to take and with some added witchy scenes was right up my street. I recommend this one!