Description
Book Summary
The bride – The plus one – The best man – The wedding planner – The bridesmaid – The body
On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.
But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.
And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?
Condition: New
Hardcover, Published June 2, 2020 by William Morrow
ISBN: 9780062868930
Gillian (@Beachbubblesbooks) –
Jules and Will are the golden couple. Beautiful and handsome and both successful in their own rights, their nuptials are tipped to be the wedding of the year. With Cormorant island off the windswept Irish coast as a backdrop, exclusivity is guaranteed, though a storm is brewing in more senses than one. As wind and rain lashes the island and the lights go out, someone will find their past creeping up on them and not everybody will make it out alive.
The Guest List started as a very slow burn for me – over 100 pages in, nothing had actually appeared to have happened, though my interest was piqued enough to want to read more, convinced that the next few chapters would gather in pace. Told from the perspective of multiple wedding attendees, we gradually find out more about each guest, their past interactions with each other and secrets that shape their current lives. Most of the characters are unlikeable and intentionally so to build the whodunnit vibe. I gravitated most towards Hannah, the plus-one and the protectiveness she shows towards bridesmaid Olivia, though both these characters too have secrets buried deep.
The storytelling sped up a lot as the book progressed and I raced through the last hundred pages. Whilst I would love to say I guessed the victim and perpetrator before the reveal, I was only partially correct in my theory.
I could have easily put this down given the very slow pace at the start but I am glad to have persevered and was well rewarded with a classic game of cluedo as I advanced through the pages. Four stars from me!
As a Thriller Book Lover Reviewer, I receive a small compensation for the time it takes me to provide my honest reviews on the Thriller Book Lover website. Although I receive compensation for this role, my reviews are my 100% honest opinion. My ratings have not been influenced in any way by the compensation that I receive. The book review I have provided here is the same rating I would provide if I were to rate it on other book reviewing sites.
Kaylie –
Lucy Foley’s latest novel The Guest List brings together a group of guests to an island off the coast of Ireland to celebrate the wedding of Will and Jules. This who-done-it mystery takes the reader on a wild ride as they try to figure out who among the guests is a killer. The Guest List feels like a version of the game Clue being played out right in front of the reader and as the story progresses and more clues are given to the reader, they will have a better idea as to who killed the unlucky person on the night of Will and Jules’ wedding and why.
The Guest List is told from five different perspectives: Jules, the bride; Aoife, the wedding planner; Hannah, the plus one; Olivia, the bridesmaid; and Johnno, the best man. Each of Foley’s characters are unique and have distinct voices which makes for an interesting story as these characters interact with one. The characters each shine when they are narrating their parts of the story while weaving seamlessly from person to person.
Foley is incredibly descriptive in her writing which makes The Guest List such a fun and easy book to read. This is a book that can easily be read in one sitting because the reader will want to know what is going to unfold next and will want to try and piece the mystery together themselves. There was something missing from The Guest List that I cannot quite place, but it wasn’t overly memorable for me even though it was a well written book and because of that I can only give it a four star rating. This is the first book that I’ve read by Foley but it certainly won’t be the last!
As a Thriller Book Lover Reviewer, I receive a small compensation for the time it takes me to provide my honest reviews on the Thriller Book Lover website. Although I receive compensation for this role, my reviews are my 100% honest opinion. My ratings have not been influenced in any way by the compensation that I receive. The book review I have provided here is the same rating I would provide if I were to rate it on other book reviewing sites.
Janel –
It was all fun and games at first- everyone getting together for a big beautiful wedding. But things quickly changed. I enjoyed this book. You are able to understand all the characters since we are able to read all their perspectives. I wasn’t expecting the ending and read it quickly to try to find out exactly who did what! Definitely a great read.
Jess @thegrowinglibrary –
An exclusive wedding on a private island, what could go wrong? This story is told from multiple perspectives, The bride, a sister, a best man, the wedding planner and the plus one.
Guys I absolutely loved this book! I am talking mind completely blown! The characters are written flawlessly and I was truly on the edge of my seat wanting more! The setting of this one is truly the perfect place for a perfect thriller! All the stars from me!
Jess @thegrowinglibrary –
An exclusive wedding on a private island, what could go wrong? This story is told from multiple perspectives, The bride, a sister, a best man, the wedding planner and the plus one.
I absolutely loved this book! I am talking mind completely blown! The characters are written flawlessly and I was truly on the edge of my seat wanting more! The setting of this one is truly the perfect place for a perfect thriller! All the stars from me!