Imagine if AS Byatt’s Possession was a contemporary thriller set in the world of art history. Ellery Lloyd’s new novel is a smart take on the multi-narrator historical novel in telling the tale of the fictional “lost” Surrealist painter Juliette Willoughby and the two scholars in the 1990s who attempt to find her missing masterpiece. Lloyd blends historical fiction, dark academia, and art history deftly in this engaging, compelling read. 4.5

Name of Book: The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby
Author: Ellery Lloyd
Genre: Women’s Fiction, Mystery/Thriller, Historical Fiction
Publisher: Harper
Pub Date: June 11. 2024
My Rating: 3.4 Stars
Pages 336

The book’s promo ~
Some women can’t be painted out of history…
This is a story of love and madness, of obsession and revenge.

This story develops as we travel with Juliette through three timelines as well as several locations- Paris, Cambridge and Dubai and we are sure they will intertwine.

Prologue - Dubai Present day - Patrick Lambert the owner of an art gallery introduces Dr. Caroline Cooper a Fellow at Pembroke College and a professor of modern art at the University of Cambridge.
(This is precursor that we will be following Caroline and Patrick throughout this story. They are the main narrators.

Story starts in Paris in the later 1930s with two surrealist artists, Juliette Willoughby an heiress and her married lover, Oskar Erlich. Both perish in a studio fire along with their work, including Juliette’s “Self Portrait as a Sphinx”.

1991 Caroline Cooper and Patrick Lambert were History of Art students at the university and in the final year of their dissertation. They are focus on Surrealism especially Juliette’s story via her family’s ancient Egyptian collection known as The Willoughby Bequest.
As we follow Caroline and Patrick we see them fall in and out of love and perhaps in love again. But they are always on the quest of finding what really happened.

Don’t want to give too much away; however just have to say there is a big hint about Juliette given rather early on.

The ‘Author’s Note was at the beginning of this story – States that Juliette Willoughby, Oskar Erlich as well as Austen Willoughby are fictional. The other artists are genuine historical figures.

Although I read this before starting the story-for some reason I remembered it the ‘opposite’ thinking Juliette’s was an historical artist.
(Surely you are judging me as a dummy.)

BTW: Ellery Lloyd is the pseudonym for a married writing couple ~ Collette Lyons and Paul Vitas.
I'd like to thank NetGalley and Harper this early eGalley of “The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby” Publishing release date Scheduled for June 11. 2024.

There was a lot going on, but I really enjoyed this book. The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby felt like a very original mystery story.
In this novel, Juliette Willoughby is an artist who has run away from her life as an heiress to live with her famous artist boyfriend, Oskar. But one night a fire claims both of their lives and all of her artwork. Years later art students Caroline and Patrick stumble upon some of Juliette’s belongings which send their lives on a whole other course.
I felt like this story was really unique. We get a glimpse at the art world, college life, time in Dubai, and some Egyptian mythology - nothing I really spend time in in other mystery novels. I also like how this book takes place in a few different timelines with a few different points of view.
My only real criticism is that I felt what was supposed to be a twist at the end was pretty obvious all along. There were still some surprises I found enjoyable.
This book felt like it had a few stories, so to speak, going on but the author did well in tying everything together.

This is a very well done, complicated but easy to read book. It seemed almost like a true story but in fact is fiction, told in three time periods by three narrators. Art historians, trying to find a missing painting but even more to understand the story of the artist who painted it. One of them, Caroline has more in common than she knows with the artist Juliette. Well researched and well thought out with lots of loose ends tied up in a satisfying well. Impressive and enjoyable.

An art auction in Dubai that ends with the dealer arrested for murder in 2023; a Surrealist artist who pulled her only exhibited painting from the gallery twenty-four hours after the show opened, then died in a fire that swept through a Paris apartment in 1938; and a pair of university students at Cambridge trying to finish their dissertations while juggling their romantic feelings for each other in 1991—these are the threads that intertwine in the latest compelling novel from Ellery Lloyd.

It’s hard to say much more about this book without giving away spoilers. The various threads are too entangled with one another and the compelling portrait at the center of the story. Even the title has a double meaning. There were elements I figured out quickly and others I didn’t get until the full explanation at the end, but either way I was pulled along from the opening chapter. If you like twisty, suspenseful narratives with driven, not always likable but complex characters, this novel is for you.

I will be interviewing Ellery Lloyd on my blog (link below) around the time of the book’s release in June 2024.

First of all, I absolutely loved The Club by Ellery Lloyd. And it definitely left me wanting more of the story. Lloyd delivers an amazing 5-star follow up with The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby. I can not say enough about this book. It’s stunning and addictive and just so amazingly good. Historical fiction, suspense, mystery, dual POVs all combine for one unparalleled piece of perfection!!

Thank you NetGalley & Harper for an ARC copy of this book.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Mystery Thriller + Historical Fiction

I’m not going to say much about the book’s synopsis because it consists of three stories in three timelines that eventually intertwine. This book revolves heavily around the mystery of the Willoughby family, so it is better that you explore the whole thing yourself.

I was interested in reading it because the premise seemed like it would be about something that would be really interesting. It is possible that I am one of the few people who did not believe that the execution did justice to the intriguing case that was presented. Having to deal with three timelines was simply too much for me. Add to it multiple points of view narrated in first person style. Furthermore, even the present time period is constantly shifting between "before Harry's death" and "certain hours after Harry's death" and so on in a manner that is completely non-linear in terms of time. All these back-and-forth shifts didn’t work for me.

From my point of view, this had the potential to be a five-star book, and I sincerely believe that it would have been a very beautiful historical fiction story. The authors, unfortunately, made the decision to stick more with the mystery thriller genre side, giving it the cliche structure of today's mystery thrillers by alternating between different timeframes unnecessarily because they wanted to build a mystery. I wouldn’t go on to say this was a bad book because it isn't, but it was the wrong book for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

Part British dark academia / family generational secrets / art world mystery—so much going on but all seamlessly came together with unexpected twists.

With great thanks to NetGalley & Harper/HarperCollins for this e-ARC!

I really enjoyed this! I’m finding Ellery Lloyd books to be hit or miss for me but this was outstanding! Dual POVs and a mystery beautifully interwoven, bravo

I thought this was really well written and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I think it will find readers at our library, so we will definitely be purchasing for the collection.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time in exchange for a review. It didn't disappoint! Must read!!

A book based around art, with dual timelines, mysteries (some easy to solve, some unexpected), you will want to pick this up and not put it down!!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I love a revenge plot, and period pieces and luckily for me this was both! I had just finished reading The Club when I received my ARC, and dove right in! It is so easy to lose yourself in Lloyd's style it feels like a warm hug.

This book is very intricate and complex. I figured out some of the mysteries before they were revealed, but there were others that came as a complete surprise. I am impressed by the various subplots and the ways that seemingly minor characters or events are actually of great importance.

Upon looking at the cover for the first time I had to know who Juliette Willoughby was and what was her legacy.
I devoured this book and one twist and mystery after another made it difficult to put down.

I enjoyed the multiple timelines and point of views between all the main characters.
There were multiple audible gasps unraveling the mystery that is Juliette Willoughby.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper for allowing me to read this book and give my honest review!

Having absolutely loved Ellery Lloyd's two other books, I have been excitedly waiting for this book to come out.

The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby is a well paced and intriguing read. I was pulled in from the first chapter and had a hard time putting it down as the story unfolded. I loved the way that the three different perspectives were balanced and having the mystery revealed across the book gave space for the reader to both discover and be surprised at different times.

That being said, at times, I felt that the twists were easier to guess than it seemed the authors wanted. I also would have liked more time spent on the events in the last ~25% of the book. It felt like the pace was significantly quickened and the ending was somewhat rushed. There was quite a bit of story that was given as confession/villain monologues in this portion that could have been better explained and/or explored, as well.

Overall, this was a fun and interesting story that I would definitely recommend.

I learned about this title in a Reader’s Advisory webinar and was interested in the book from the summary of the plot.
A very engaging read from the first page. The flashbacks to the different time periods also really served the story well. I enjoyed the mystery of Juliette Willougby and finding out more about the elusive artist and her backstory as it wove into Caroline and Patrick’s plot as well. I did not see the ending coming at all.

This was brilliant! I loved this complex story alternating between two timelines/characters. I enjoyed reading about Caroline and Peter's journey to look for the missing painting. I loved Juliette's chapters/diary and learning about surrealism art in the 1930s. Juliette's family's obsession with Egyptology was a fascinating addition to the book. I recommend this book if you enjoy historical fiction with some mystery/suspense.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Publishing for the digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve been on a kick recently with books set in the art world. This novel has a duel timeline with present day art history students revealing new information about the death of an artist. The mystery was not terribly mysterious and I found myself liking the more modern story better (the historical plot line was a bit tedious to me).

An intriguing read about the art history world and two students who get swept up in an old mystery. A good read with art, murder and love!