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Hello, fellow readers! May 1 rolled around, and it was time to start my tic-tac-toe reading challenge for my book club. Suddenly it was 4:00 and I still had not picked up a book. Typical. So I decided to start the month off with my most anticipated book on my TBR, The Guest List by Lucy Foley.
The Plot
A high profile wedding between a reality TV star and online magazine editor is happening on an old island with a chilling history. The guest list is exclusive, and everyone has something to hide-and a reason to commit murder.
The Review
Holy WOW. So I know some of the reviews out there say The Guest List is slow, and it is, but Foley does the slow-burn mystery the right way. I could not put this book down.
The story unfolds from five different POVs-the wedding planner, the plus one, the bride, the bridesmaid, and the best man. The timeline also jumps from the moment a body is discovered on the island the night of the wedding to the day before and day of the wedding. I thought that would be confusing, but the chapter headings make it very easy to follow, as you are reminded each time who is who each time the POV changes.
I loved the setting of this story, which is not surprising because I love the “trapped on an island” trope in mystery/thrillers books and movies. There’s something so chilling about being taken to an island and being unable to leave or hide when something goes wrong. The characters in this book are all twisted and 100% messed up, and I was here for every delicious second of the drama as their secrets began to surface. And once the secrets start flowing, it’s like you are hit in the face with a new twist every single chapter.
My favorite character was Hannah, the plus one. Her husband, Charlie, is the bride’s best friend. I related to Hannah the most because she was the outsider looking in during the whole weekend. Charlie was the only person she knew on the island, so Hannah starts to get close to the bridesmaid, Olivia, who is also the bride’s sister.
The Rating
I gave The Guest List five stars on Goodreads. I loved the pacing and the characters, and I thought everything wrapped up nicely at the end. Don’t let the reviews about the book being slow keep you from reading this book. I have been in a slump for two months now and I flew through this one in 24 hours!
What has been your favorite book recently? Let me know in the comments!
I got this one on my tbr, The Guest List and The Hunting Party – both sound fantastic.
Yes! I moved The Hunting Party up on my TBR after reading The Guest List.