Friends reuniting more than 20 years after an accident in which none of them were supposedly involved but all were affected. A promising reunion to celebrate Rod's wedding, since it had been a long time since he had seen all his friends together. A reunion full of secrets, memories and surprises arising from the discovery that no matter how many years you have lived with someone, people are always subject to change and not always in a way that will please you.

I have conflicting feelings about this beloved book. The beginning is engaging enough that I didn't even try to guess anything. I was there for the entertainment of getting to know the characters, their stories and the supposed most evident changes that are presented to us from the characters' own point of view. As is typical of all thrillers, at a certain point I started to create theories, but I was rarely satisfied with following the unfolding of things. The narrative becomes increasingly interesting, building to a promising climax, and perhaps that was the construction of the precipice from which I fell.

Although the story keeps the reader interested until the big plot twist, I felt that the resolution was too calm, considering the tension that existed between them and how they fired off nervous accusations at each other so easily. The whole story made me feel like we were going to have a big climax with outbursts of anger and bigger conflicts.

The shocking event of the first part remains alive only during that moment and is only mentioned again at the end as if it were an almost forgotten reminder in a footnote "oh by the way that's what happened, nothing major", which only corroborated the lukewarm atmosphere. Although the revelation surprised me, the narrative leads you not to think too much about what happened, even though it had previously implied that it would have been one of the main events there.

An interesting thriller that kept me guessing.

A group of childhood friends travel together for a wedding. Old grievances and larger issues come to light after a tragedy that nobody remembers after a night of partying. Nobody trusts anyone else and it culminates in an ending I did not expect.
The biggest issue I had with the book was just how neatly everything was tied up in the end. Some forgave each other a little more quickly than I would have expected. Had a bit of a telenovela vibe, a lot of drama. But I read on and didn't regret it. 3/5 stars.

Locked room thrillers are always on the must-read list for me! Four friends travel to Scotland for a friend's destination wedding. Everyone is assuming this will be a wonderful getaway with nothing that could possibly go wrong, right? Wrong. This book was more of a slow burn for me, didn't move quite as fast as I typically prefer. Overall a solid thriller.

I love a good psychological thriller! This was a new to me author and seeing it took place in Scotland was what got me to request this one. I loved all the twists and turns in this one--it kekpt me guessing and i oculdnt put it down!

Thanks for the early copy!

The Reunion by M.A. Hunter
⭐️⭐️½

The premise of The Reunion immediately hooked me: a group of estranged friends reuniting for a wedding on a remote Scottish island, with a shared dark secret looming over them. Unfortunately, while the setup promised an edge-of-your-seat thriller, the execution fell flat.

The story follows Zoe as she reconnects with her former friends, Dan, Lily, and Rod, after years of estrangement following a traumatic incident. A long drive to the wedding sets the stage for tense interactions, unresolved past conflicts, and a series of unsettling events. As secrets unravel and relationships strain, the plot twists toward a final reveal. However, the payoff doesn’t match the buildup, leaving me disappointed.

The first-person narrative style didn’t work for me, often feeling more intrusive than engaging. The tone was uneven, with dialogue and internal monologues relying heavily on clichés. The characters made a series of poor decisions, yet they rarely faced meaningful consequences for their actions.

The blackmail-for-sex subplot, in particular, felt implausible. The situation seemed like it should have been mutually assured destruction, with both parties having evidence against one another. This undermined the tension and credibility of the plot. Similarly, the secrets the characters were keeping felt more like shock factors than believable motivations, detracting from the story’s realism.

Despite its twists, the pacing dragged, with much of the book feeling like filler. Scenes were repetitive, and internal dialogues often felt unnecessary, stretching out the story without adding relevance. The last ten percent of the book attempted to deliver an "epic reveal," but it ultimately fell short, leaving the ending underwhelming.

While I can appreciate unlikable characters when they serve the narrative, this group left me indifferent. The lack of engaging action or compelling stakes meant I didn’t care what happened to them. As a thriller, The Reunion lacked the suspense and urgency I was hoping for.

Thank you to M.A. Hunter, Boldwood Books, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

The Reunion

Zoe, Dan, Lily, and Rod were once inseparable friends in school. After graduation, they drifted apart, but now Rod is getting married on a remote island, and they’re all attending. Each of them has their own secrets, and a shared secret from the past. While there’s definitely some tension among the group, they decide to make the most of it. However, after a night of partying, things take an unexpected turn, dredging up dark memories they’d rather leave behind.

A remote island, a wedding, old friends, and hidden secrets—what more could you ask for?

The story is told from the perspectives of Zoe and Dan, with a setting similar to The Guest List by Lucy Foley. However, the book could have benefitted from less focus on the characters' inner thoughts and suspicions of one another, as these felt repetitive and drawn out. None of the characters were particularly likeable or intriguing, and the plot twists were fairly predictable. That said, I did enjoy the final 20% of the book more than the earlier portions.

Overall rating: 3 ⭐

Thanks to @netgalley for providing the advance reader's copy.

When a group of friends reunite after a long time to celebrate the wedding of one of their number, the last thing they expect is to wake up and find themselves on a road in rural Scotland facing a dead body.

While none of them can remember what has actually happened here, they become increasingly suspicious of each other. Not least because there are shared shameful secrets from the past that involve memories that are now being triggered by these events.

I found the premise intriguing but the story was a little far-fetched, even by thriller standards. It will certainly appeal to many readers though, so it's worth checking out if you like the sound of it, and the body in the road angle was well done.

One of my most favourite tropes of thrillers, the entire book was so captivating that it sucked me in and made me go through it all in one night. I loved the dynamics between the characters, and it was interesting to see how each character worked under pressure. The whole arc was amazing, and I loved seeing it all come together.

Really liked the story and the ideas. Atmosphere was really good and the many twists and turns were sometimes foreseeable and sometimes not.
Unfortunately Zoe annoyed me to bits at times with all her theorizing and sleuthing. A bit far fetched at times.
The reveal by the end was putting all the puzzle pieces together and the story had a satisfying ending for me.

Sadly, this was not my cup of tea. I found it disjointed and chaotic, and in desperate need of some good editing. I didn't like any of the characters and couldn't relate to them, and it was rather far-fetched.

I couldn't put this book down, devouring it in less than 24 hours. The story follows a group of friends reunited for a wedding, a seemingly ordinary event that quickly takes a sinister turn. Haunted by a secret buried deep in their past, they find themselves entangled in a dangerous situation with suspicious coincidences.
The author masterfully weaves a suspenseful narrative, filled with intriguing characters and unexpected twists. While I didn't form deep emotional connections with the characters, I was thoroughly invested in the unfolding mystery. The writing is smooth and engaging, keeping the pages turning.
The major plot twists were shocking and I wasnt able to guess them. However, I felt that the final twist could have been drawn out a bit more, as it felt like the curtain fell too soon. Additionally, the final chapter, while providing some closure, felt a bit flat after the big revelations of the previous chapters. A more significant twist or unanswered questions in the final chapter could have elevated the ending.
Despite these minor issues, this was a good thriller that kept me guessing till the end

At school Lily, Zoe & Dan were best friends but the years have gone by & they have mostly lost touch. When Rod, another member of their class invites them to his wedding in a Scottish castle, they agree. Lily askes Zoe if she wants to drive up with her in her Dad's old Land Rover they used to rush around in. When they pick up Dan (Zoe's ex) as well as Rod & Bella, his fiancée it is pretty crowded & also doesn't allow Zoe the catch up she's been hoping for. Over them all hangs the death of another friend in their school days, the truth about it has never been explained. The trip is long & Rod has planned a nights stay in an Airbnb & then things get weird!

I wanted to read this book because I'm a sucker for books set in Scotland & the premise sounded interesting. It was a good story, there were lots of surprises & lots unexpected revelations. However it did seem to drag on & I was surprised that it didn't have more pages! Overall it was a worthwhile read. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

I was going to go with 3 *, but my reason for that was so many characters, and each of there rambling off all over the place. It took a bit longer to read this for me, just because of that. I had to go back a few times, being confused on which name was on the chapter I was reading. But, in the end I totally figured out the authors writing style. It turned out to be excellent!
The story was going back and forth from past to present...and honestly, I could have never guessed the ending. I suspected everyone by that time. It all wrapped up very nicely.
Thanks to netgalley, the publisher and mostly the author for the chance to read this ARC.

Old friends, secrets, a Scottish island and a wedding. What could go wrong?

Nice enjoyable read, a bit slow at times, but kept me interested

Needs a little more details and maybe umph to give it more depth. Was a little lacking with the characters.

Thank you NetGalley for the copy

I went into this book blind. I received a copy of The Reunion from NetGalley. I wasn’t familiar with this author but I love a good psychological thriller! I wasn’t disappointed! Friends, secrets, murder… how could it be bad? Kept me engaged from the start and I loved the suspense!

3.5, really.

When 4 old friends (and one of those friend’s fiancée) get together for a road trip, things are going fine, if a bit awkward, until they stop for the night. Then things take a serious turn for the worse, and the friends are forced to make some tough decisions. And they eerily echo a situation from the group’s past that they’ve kept hidden.

The book is told from multiple POVs: the friends Dan, Zoe, Lilly, and excerpts from an old diary.

This was a hard book to rate, because it did keep me engaged and reading, but there were times I was super frustrated with the characters. It was definitely the kind of book where some open communication and conversations could have cleared up a lot of confusion. Instead, everyone was off having side conversations and walking in on each other, making assumptions about what the other people were talking about. It was kind of a mess.

But there were some really great twists in there. Once things get going and new elements are revealed, there were things even I didn’t see coming. It was actually a pretty suspenseful plot line, and you really didn’t know what was going to happen next.

I just didn’t really connect too much with any of the characters, who weren’t really that interesting, if that makes sense. I guess it was the constant miscommunication and some of their actions that just made me roll my eyes at points. I just didn’t love any of them. But it could’ve just been me. Maybe someone else will like them better.

So, I didn’t hate this book, but it wasn’t my favorite book. Perhaps you’ll have more luck if you like suspenseful friends-getting-into-trouble stories.

A very twisty book which had me interested right from the start. Full of twists and red herrings I enjoyed this one very much. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

This story reminds me why I don't go to reunions. These are people who haven't seen each other for years and who really don't like each other so why they decide to travel to a remote Scottish island together escapes me. It makes for a reasonably good story all the same. A bit far-fetched but enjoyable enough. Not a really good example of this author's work.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book

A great dark thriller about why sometimes you should not reunite with friends you no longer see. There is usually a reason you have all grown apart and in this case they have all moved apart to try and forget a traumatic event they were all involved in and none of them told the truth about. As they head off to a wedding it seems someone may well have decided now is the time to tell the truth and confess their sins but who can anyone trust as they don’t really know each other any more. This is a great read.

The book is written from the dual perspectives of Zoe and Dan, with occasional diary entries from the past. We know from the start that there's an event from the past that haunts the protagonists, and we gradually glean more of the story. There's lots to hook in the reader and make you think about what might have happened, and then there's a whole new situation thrown into the mix that sets everything on edge and really ramps up the tension. There are several layers to the story, and it's a real page turner. Plenty of tension and lots to keep you guessing