This was so. Freaking. Slow. It felt like trudging through molasses. Neither of the friends were particularly memorable or interesting (was there an actual difference between Alex and Hugh except for the fact that Hugh had red hair? Also, congrats to those who could tell the two females apart -- even with one of them oh so pregnant I couldn't. How do we know she's pregnant? She keeps rubbing her "swollen belly" like she's some sensory deprived animal in a zoo, it's a wonder her dress isn't see-through by the middle of the novel), nor were their respective problems/backstories.

I felt the whole premise was pretty dumb... I mean, who does something like that? Your friend died under weird circumstances during a group hike, so his mom invites all of you to her godforsaken ramshackle mansion in the middle of Nowhere, Australia, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of his death... and you actually go? FFS, WHY?!? Add to this the fact that these guys aren't even friends anymore, they don't even seem to like each other (well, can't blame them, they're BORING), and you basically have a first-rate prescription for Idiot Plot.
You should also, if you haven't spent formative years under a popcultural rock and never encountered a horror movie, have a pretty good grasp on what's going to happen next. Think Grieving Mom will be happy to have this lot in her house? Think she'll just serve them some muffins and chat and then see them off from her dilapidated porch while these snoozedogs sail off into the sunset?

Then again, all the stupidity would be excused, welcomed even, if this novel were ENTERTAINING, like, if these were characters we could actually care about (or at least curse at) instead of what are supposed to be 20-somethings behaving like they're in their fifties, moping around café parking lots and staring gloomily into some beautiful vista or other while thinking deep dreary thoughts when not giving each other side-eye.

Also, the pacing is totally off. Especially for a thriller. The first chapters could be used in a fiction writing workshop as an example of how not to do it. There's so much detail (superfluous), so much inner turmoil (who cares), so much hand-wringing (grow up already), but no action whatsoever. It's like the author has invited you on a road trip but she's so busy stuffing her car with crap, she forgets to start the engine. I don't care about Jack's thoughts or Charlotte's stupid belly or how bloody depressed everybody is (dude, JUST STAY HOME IF YOU'RE NOT FEELING IT, OKAY?!), I want to friggin' GET GOING.
Instead, we get to see them meet up at some café, and sit down, and talk, and everybody falls silent, and then somebody talks some more, and looks are exchanged, and people have some maudlin thoughts, and then they get up and walk around a bit because the fucking view is so beautiful, cue lots of landscape description while this bunch of whiney douches stand around gawping at trees and stuff, NOPE. Just NOPE, life's too short for this, especially when there are so many books out there that don't waste my time with pointless emoting by characters so bland they give unseasoned rice a run for its money.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher. I was really looking forward to this, but oof, what a disappointment.

Ten years ago, 6 teenagers went hiking & camping in the Australian bush - but only 5 returned alive. Now Hugh, Charlotte, Alex, Laura, & Jack return to the farm of Ed's parents, the starting point of that fateful trip a decade ago, to attend a memorial for Ed. When they get there, Ed's mother Mary, is obviously still struggling with his death & the more recent death of her husband. None of them want to be there & just want to get through the weekend.

When Mary disappears the friends realise that they are short of water & food, they can't leave due to their cars being sabotaged, & they can't call for help as the farm is isolated & their phones don't work there. Someone wants to know the truth of what happened that day 10 years ago & they might just kill to get it.

I thought this was a gripping read. I love the 'isolated location' trope & this is a good one as not only is the land inhospitable but also the weather. The friend group is made up of characters all with something to hide about that day but did one of them commit murder? The reader slowly learns what happened through flashback chapters. It's a medium-paced entertaining read & I flew through it.

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Little Brown Book Group UK/Constable, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

A brilliant debut book I couldn’t put down
What a wild ride I went on
This was packed full of secrets lies and friendship
It keep me completely invested and I just couldn’t put it down

A great read. Atmospheric and suspenseful. The action moves between a fateful hiking trip ten years go from which one of the group didn't return, to the present day when the remaining members reluctantly meet the mother of their deceased friend. Tensions run high and situations get out of hand in this edge of your seat thriller and oh what an ending. I wasn't expecting that!

This is a gripping thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish - I really enjoyed this book
I enjoyed the writing which i found both engaging and suspenseful, with well-developed characters that add depth to the narrative.
The pacing of the novel is perfect, with just the right amount of tension to keep readers hooked without feeling overwhelmed.
The setting is vividly described, creating an immersive atmosphere that enhances the overall reading experience.
Highly recommended!

Ten years after the death of their friend Ed, Hugh, Charlotte, Alex, Laura and Jack have been invited by his mother, Martha, to her remote home to mark the anniversary together.,
When they get there they find a neglected house and a highly strung woman. Not the polished hostess she was when they stayed during their school days.
After a fraught first evening, they wake the next morning to find that Martha has disappeared. They also find that the water has been turned off and their cars emptied of petrol. There is also a big sign scrawled on the wall telling them to confess.
Over the next 24 hours they have to try and work out what she wants and also face some truths about themselves.
A dual timeline story which depicts what happens 10 years before and the events leading up to it.
A nice pacey read which held my interest.

This was a great book, the characters were well developed and the secrets of their friendship creating a suspensful and tense reunion, great twists too,

The Reunion is a gripping mystery set in the Australian bush. Ten years after a tragic hiking accident, five friends come together for a memorial, but what was meant to be a peaceful reunion turns into a dangerous game as old secrets resurface.

The pacing was spot on—kept me hooked without any slow moments. The story flowed seamlessly, which is a huge win for me. It never felt repetitive, just fresh and engaging.

The characters had solid development, and you could feel the tension between them. However, I couldn’t fully connect with them on an emotional level, which didn’t take away from the plot.

The themes of guilt, trauma, and unresolved pasts are explored in a way that feels authentic. It really makes you think about how the past shapes us and how hard it is to escape it.

If you love tightly-knit mysteries with an atmospheric setting and well-developed characters, The Reunion is definitely worth picking up. It’s perfect for fans of suspense and psychological thrillers.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was very intriguing from the get go & throughout. Fantastic. Id definitely read more books by Bronwyn Rivers!

I'm always left questioning these characters who ever think it's ok to 1. Reunite. 2. Reunite after a tragedy 3. Do it at a remote location. Haha, what is wrong with these fictional characters!
This was a really.good guessing game of a read.
A group of young people all gather before life.gets in the way and decide to go for a hike. But tragedy occurs and one doesn't come home.
Then 10 years later they all agree for a reunion. In the same place! With the mother of the missing person involved. Ei ei ei and here we go....
I really like this one. I was trying to guess what happened all the way. Then I would be directed off course as secrets were revealed from each character

Six teenagers went hiking over a decade ago but only five came back. So, what actually happened to the sixth? His traumatised parents never got the answers they needed, and his father died a broken man.

Someone on the trek - possibly more than one person - must know what really happened. And the only one of the gang who remained in touch with their friend's mother is now urging them to tell her what they do know, even if it is not the whole story. But no one else is willing.

When they gather for a reunion at, of all places, their friend's parents' farmhouse from which they undertook the original height, tensions are seething under the surface of their interactions. But that is just the start of their problems...

Apart from one element in the premise which is somewhat of a reach, this is a well put together story with plenty of twists. An entertaining thriller, it gets 3.5 stars.

Very slow start with too many characters that didn’t stand out made it difficult for me to engage with the book and to settle in to it so was a DNF for me at 10% as sadly by then I wasn’t interested enough to find out more about them or the reunion

It was a bit of a slow start and it did take a wee but to figure it all the characters but once everyone became familiar I did start tk enjoy it. I do love a reunion thriller and I especially love thrillers set in isolated locations so figured I'd be onto a winner here and it did end up being a really enjoyable read. There were some good twists and turns, it was well plotted out and it didn't feel too samey with all the other reunion thrillers out there. I do wish it had been a but more impactful at the start but at least it got there I the end I guess

A group of six teenagers go for a camping trip and hike into the Australian bush to mark the end of their boarding school days, before they all split up and head into university and working life. One of the group is a local and thought to be experienced enough to lead the walk. However during the first couple of days things go catastrophically wrong, and one of the group fails to return.

Ten years later the five friends agree with varying degrees of enthusiasm to a reunion with each other and the missing youth’s mother, staying in a farmhouse in the same remote area. I found myself an immediately wondering about the wisdom of this decision!

What unfolds is gripping; there are confessions, truths revealed and dramatic events…

I enjoyed this thriller, I found the writing easy to slip into from the beginning, characterisation was good and the story sustained my interest. A solid debut from a new author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read in advance copy.

*Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in return for my honest review*

Honestly? This book took a while to get into and there were a lot of characters to figure out but when I did, and the start of the drama happened I was hooked!
I binged it in a couple of days. I kept having my own ideas of what would happen and what the big reveal would be but didn't see any of it coming!
Great twists and turns and all in all a really enjoyable book!

Ten years earlier a group of six friends went hiking in the lost valley. Ed Fletcher took the lead because Ed always took the lead, it also made sense because living on a remote homestead he knew the land. The friends were in high spirits when then set off but the trek got tougher, tempers became frayed and slowly but surely things went downhill fast.

Only five of them came back and Eds body was later found after extensive searches. Eds mother knows that there was more to it than the tired and terrified teenagers let on and shes been waiting ten years to find out. The invites have been sent out and how could they possibly turn down the anniversary reunion of their best friend.

This is an engaging read by a debut novelist, set in the Blue Mountains it was easy to visualise the location, the Fletcher homestead and the remoteness. A quick easy read with interesting characters that moving between past and present slowly revealed secrets, resentments and lies.

Five friends are reunited at the memorial for their friend who died whilst they were all on a trip.

None are looking forward to it. Ed's mother is convinced something more happened to her son than the others have spoken about. So she is determined to discover the truth.

This is a clever and brilliant story. I thought I knew what would happen next but OH NO! The author did a good job at keeping the suspense and waiting for the big shock.

I loved it..

An engaging psychological thriller, a classic tale of fractured friendship and secrets kept hidden.

Really liked the setting for this one I'm a sucker for an Aussie environment and the author brings this to life really well.

Twisty mystery and intriguing characters, well written and very entertaining.