The Guest List: A Novel

Secrets Secrets Secrets!!! This book will have you thinking back to the last large wedding you attended and wondering just how many mini dramas were taking place all around you, while you remained completely oblivious. If the people attending your event anything in common with the wedding party and their guests, in the aptly title THE GUEST LIST, probably more people than you think are holding secrets and harboring resentments. THE GUEST LIST is a fast read that unfolds with alternating chapters, told by various members of the wedding party and their 150 guests. The book, from start to finish is an excellent testimony to the skill of the writer. It is interesting from the start, with well written characters that come alive on the page. There is a lot going on here, but it unfolds smoothly, as we learn about the backgrounds of the various players, their secrets and their innermost thoughts. It never feels disjointed or like the characters are unconnected, because each of them, despite their differences, have some connection to the bride and groom. The wedding itself connects people in unexpected ways and leads to several characters gaining new information about things that had happened in the past. The newly acquired information solves old mysteries and stirs up powerful emotions that change the course of the wedding and the future of many people there. A less skilled writer would never have been able to make this clever complicated story such an enjoyable read

I read this for the 52 Week Book Challenge, which challenges you to read a book a week. Week One was on the theme of the "locked room" mystery. This novel is a variation of the "locked room mystery": that is, the main characters are in a literal or figurative locked room, with no one able to enter or exit, when a crime, usually a murder, occurs. A well-known version of the the "locked room mystery" is Agatha Christie's "Murder on the Orient Express." The victim is murdered aboard the famous luxury train while it is moving: hence, the murderer had to be one of the passengers. A key element of the locked-room mystery is the mutual fear and suspicion the characters, who are usually strangers from different walks of life, have for each other. Another element is the claustrophobia as there is no way out of the locked room. In this particular telling of the locked room story, the locked room is an island, the fictional island of Inis, specifically, in a remote area off the Atlantic coast of Connemara, a region in western Ireland. The main characters--the bride, groom, bride's sister, the groomsmen, and so forth--have all gathered there for the destination wedding of Jules, a famous blogger and influencer, and her TV star fiance, Will. The wedding is orchestrated by Aoife, the wedding planner, local, and owner of the inn where the wedding takes place. One of the wedding party will wind up murdered, and the rest of the guests as well as Aoife will fall under suspicion. As is also traditional in this kind of story, most characters have a motive for killing the victim. The story was a little slow at first but picks up in the middle. It is artfully told through multiple points of view of the guests and the wedding planner with their individual perspectives on the other characters and the story events. The narrative also moves back and forth in time, until focusing on that one fateful moment: the murder. This is a worthwhile read for lovers of the mystery genre.

Majority of the book was great - but the ending.... ugghh.... too many plot holes and wrapped up way too quickly.

It was very enjoyable! Narration was great, the story was interesting. Not too shocking or surprising, but a great journey. Made for a pleasent Sunday afternoon experience. Can recommend.

The atmosphere of this novel is one of its most notable strengths. The weather and setting add to the sense of impending doom that permeates the entire story, and as the storm outside builds up, and the many secrets each character holds slowly surface, the tension mounts and you want to keep reading after each chapter seems to end in a mini cliffhanger. If life didn't get in the way and I could live my dream of having several days (who am I kidding, I'd want more than that, but we'll be slightly realistic and stick with days) with nothing to do but read all the books I've had piling up, I would have read this one in one sitting. Each chapter is its own separate thread, at least at first, so it can also be a good book to read one little bit at a time, but I suspect other readers, like myself, will eventually want to just blast through the rest of it at some point. The point of view of the novel switches between several characters throughout, but they're all distinct enough that it doesn't get confusing. I would also encourage readers to pay attention to the seemingly throw away details, because quite a few of them pop up later, and end up being pretty important. There are definitely some twists and turns towards the end, some of which I saw coming, but several of which I definitely didn't, and it winds up to a satisfying conclusion, even though there are a few plot holes left along the way. Sure, you might have to suspend your disbelief a bit for a few of them, but in the end I think it's more than worth it. Normally I wouldn't care about a bunch of rich people going to a wedding, and I'm honestly not much of one for murder mysteries, but I like how you don't even know who the victim is for most of the novel, so you can't get a bead on who the killer might be. The mounting tension sometimes feels akin to watching the moments before a train wreck. You're uncomfortable because you know what's about to happen will be ugly, but you can't quite turn away. Sure, some of the characters deserve their fates, and that's part of the satisfying conclusion, but the sense of impending doom you'll feel while reading the novel will probably keep you up at night like it did for me.

This was a fantastic book. Love the setting of a remote island and twists at the end.

The Guest List is an intriguing mystery until the end as there are little moments of lucidity sprinkled in as the night of the murder plays out that lead you to crave more. And you don’t even know who was murdered until the end as secrets go behind closed doors initially and are sparingly revealed. The story will flash back between past and present and give you just enough that you’re left wanting more. Your desire never fully satiated in all the right ways until the big reveal at the end. I loved all the twists and turns to get there. As this is very much a character driven, atmospherically thrilling story where we get to know people while feeling like we still don’t know what they’re capable of. Jules, a magazine founder and publisher, and Will, a smarmy survival show TV celebrity, who are also the bride and groom, look beautifully radiant and accomplished on the outside, but are they who they seem? Everyone has skeletons in their closets especially the most seemingly well-polished and pristine. Nonetheless, even if ugly secrets threaten to rear their cataclysmic heads and rain on the much anticipated brightness of the big wedding day, guests are invited to congregate for the wedding of Jules and Will amidst the haunting backdrop of the island the event is taking place on with precipitous cliffs that become a character of their own with all the forbidden wildness, reckless incivility, and rule-breaking treachery comparable to that of the Yorkshire Moors in Wuthering Heights. Even though there were more perspectives than I would’ve normally liked, it actually worked for me here. My favorite characters being Olivia, the bridesmaid, and Hannah, the wife of one of the groom’s friends who has to confront her husband’s submission into the herd-like mentality that exists among members of the wedding who went to the same school in the groom’s past and like to chant almost ritualistically that if they "can’t move heaven they will raise hell." Olivia has troubles and secrets of her own, though, that she’s just biting back. And shares intimate moments in a hidden away cave where they become more openly clear on the island with the flame of a flickering candle the only source of light in Hannah’s company where she feels most free to talk and let her guard down. I thought those characters were some of the most well-drawn and developed. Their backstories being crucial to the scintillating climax. One thing I didn’t like was some of the writing itself, specifically the overuse of the expression “boys will be boys” because I think that’s a terrible excuse to let terrible behavior get a pass although I suppose that’s kind of the point in this context (even if it still quietly irked me). Because boys won’t be boys they will be held accountable for their actions. However, this story was still enjoyable and popcorn-worthily entertaining with also important statements on how the past and our actions will come back to haunt us much like how this isolated island forebodingly looms and inches closer and closer.

I absolutely loved The Guest List! It kept me completely hooked from start to finish. The character development was so well done—my feelings about who I liked, disliked, suspected, or rooted for kept shifting, which made it even more fun to read. Lucy Foley’s writing is incredibly vivid. The details painted a perfect picture of the eerie, isolated setting without ever feeling slow or overwhelming. I couldn’t put it down. The twist and the way all the storylines and connections came together was brilliant—so well woven. Foley always picks the most atmospheric locations, and this one was no exception. My only small critique is that, like in another of her books I’ve read, some of the backstory connections felt a little far-fetched. But that didn’t take away from how much I enjoyed the ride. Highly recommend for anyone who loves a good, twisty whodunit with rich atmosphere and layered characters!