How would I describe this book.

It's like an episode of Midsummer Murders that's been directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

I was figuratively peeping between my fingers when I read parts of it.

The story starts with a bunch of teenagers having a day on the beach. One of the girls, Claire, is looking after her younger sister Eleanor. When Eleanor goes for an ice cream she never comes back.

The main part of the book starts 21 years later. Claire is now married to Callum and has two children of her own. She still lives in the same seaside town where her sister went missing. Her Mom and Dad live in the same farm they have always lived in.

Claire's dad is suffering from dementia and she decides to get her childhood friends back together to spend a week helping her Dad reminisce on the happier days when they all used to hang out together.

They have all moved away but keep in touch. All of them have issues, but don't we all. There's Jason, Claire's brother a struggling actor who's wife is pregnant with twins.

Then there's Maggie, who is what can only be called a Nomadic Cougar, and her temptress 15 year old daughter Rane.

Claire's former love interest Nick. The restaurateur, who is newly single under tragic circumstances, and who still holds a flame for Claire.

Even before they arrive at the farm for the reunion strange things start to happen. Claire is beginning to get abusive phone calls. She's an estate agent and she starts to get false alarms to viewings.

The subject of Eleanor is never far below the surface. Everybody still remembers the day she went missing, but the only person bold enough to ask questions about it is Rane.

There are simmering undercurrents throughout this book. There is no blood and guts, but there is suspense in abundance.

As the story unfolds there are flash backs form a girl who is being held captive. Is it Eleanor or is it somebody else who has gone missing.

This story kept me turning the pages late into the night and early in the morning. It's been a long time since a book, which on the surface is quiet and genteel, has had the me feeling so much suspense.

Pages: 410
Publishers: Bookouture
Published on: 9th February 2018

What a brilliant book!! I read this in one sitting and could not put it down. A brilliant plot line and fantastic main characters. I would recommend this book to anyone as it is excellent.

Absolutely brilliant! From the first stunning page to the mind bending climax, this was an intense, breathtaking page turner of a read. This book had me in its thrall so I was thinking of it when I had no choice but to tear myself away from its pages. Stunning. One of the best thrillers out there!

I started The Reunion 24 hours ago and have been hooked on it ever since, reading it at every available opportunity (thank you Amazon for the Kindle for iPhone app as when I didn’t have my Kindle with me I just needed to keep read this book). The Reunion is one of those books that never leaves your mind. Even when I wasn’t reading it, the story was constantly in my thoughts as were the characters as so many different scenarios of what might have happened ran through my mind.

I am a huge fan of Samantha Hayes and I think The Reunion might be my favourite book of hers. She has written a story that is so real I became convinced I was reading about real characters. This book brought out genuine emotion in me as I read. I almost cried at one point because the emotion I felt was so strong. As the story neared its conclusion I couldn’t read quick enough nor take my eyes away from my Kindle. It’s a truly addictive story and I recommend reading it when you’ve got a day free because you won’t want to stop reading.

The basic premise for the story (missing child aside) could be taken from a Women’s Fiction novel. Claire’s father Patrick is deteriorating with his Alzheimer’s and in an effort to help him out with his memories she invites her old friends and some family back to Cornwall for a reunion. Where the thriller aspect comes into play is years ago Claire’s sister disappeared when Claire reluctantly agreed to let her go off and buy some ice cream by herself. Once the guests arrive for the reunion the many different twists and red herrings that Samantha has filled this story with come into play and God is it good. Probably one of my most favourite psychological thrillers because of the strong characterisation, the sense of place is just fantastic and the story itself is just so addictive.

We meet many different characters in this story and I wish that I could talk about them all. Samantha has written here a book that I think a book club would have no trouble discussing for hours on end. There’s so much that can be said. There’s characters you’ll love. Characters you’ll hate and characters you just won’t understand (such as why would Claire’s brother Jason keep quiet about a massive thing he discovers in her house? That just didn’t sit right with me at all and whilst it was probably for the purposes of the story it just annoyed me a little bit). The whole thing is so very believable in terms of the friendships. Meeting a friend you haven’t seen for many years can often bring out jealousy as you compare your lives with theirs but, if you are truly best friends, then all that can be overcome as you get to know one another again. There’s a lot of emotionally charged scenes contained within this book and whatever stage you are at in life, there will be somebody in this story that you can relate with. I felt that Samantha captured the teenagers especially well, the good and bad parts. In fact every single character was written well. I can’t find a major fault in this story that isn’t just a niggle that I had myself about a certain thing. But that’s why stories like this are so good, each reader will take something different from either the story or a certain character than I did personally.

The Reunion would work brilliantly as a gripping drama on the TV. The pacing of the plot is incredibly strong, nothing ever drags and whilst it’s not a short read, I became so invested in these characters and the story that the whole thing just flew by and I will be thinking about this story and these characters for a long while yet. And I’ll be recommending the book to anybody who will listen. The tension in the story is brilliant, the intrigue is too. I don’t want to spoilt it too much but we follow one character and I almost built some kind of connection with this character. The chapters featuring them filled me with dread but also some kind of hope. It was uncomfortable at times just because of how real it all felt. This is a thriller that we could wake up tomorrow and read about on the news.

If I had to say one thing it would be that a few things were left unanswered by the end of the story. For me this meant I found myself thinking about where I saw some of these characters ending up in the future. Some explanation is given towards certain things however I wanted more and I also wanted to see more justice for certain things. I had a few scenarios in my mind about what I thought happened to Eleanor and whilst what did happen was one of those thoughts, it still came as a big surprise to me, even more so when Samantha revealed more to us after that. Quite simply The Reunion is a gripping and believable story, one that I will not be forgetting in a hurry and if you only read one psychological thriller in 2018 then make sure it’s this one.

I did not see that coming... I really didn't! A story of friends and family, of lies and secrets.... and not small ones.. wow!

Claire arranges a reunion of her school friends and close family when he father is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Her mother is determined to sell the farm that Claire grew up on and where her 13 year old sister went missing last knew as home.

The reunion starts off happy and helpful for her father but then another girl goes missing.

This book is an emotional roller coaster for all the characters. It gets in your head and you just have to keep reading. Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for a copy of this book to read in exchange for my honest opinions

Engrossing thriller - I read it over two days. In 1996 thirteen-year-old Lenni disappears after going for ice cream. Her older sister Claire had allowed her to walk to the ice cream shop by herself while she stayed at the beach with her friends. In 2017 Claire has a reunion of her friends to help her Dad remember things (he has Alzheimer's). There are a lot of interesting subplots going on at this reunion, as well as some things that happen that are reminiscent of when Lenni disappeared. What happens at this reunion week is fast-paced and will keep you reading.

This is a well-written novel that will keep you reading to find out what's happening. Thanks to Samantha Hayes and Bookouture through Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely loved this one - a definite must read!

A well written, well plotted and extremely well told, The Reunion is an intense, suspenseful read with a subtly dark undercurrent. The characters and their responses and actions are believable and engaging, with the author engendering the right level of trust or loathing in each character as the story progresses. I truly didn't know how this was going to end up and was shocked and (being me) delighted at the unexpected ending.

I flew through this book and will be recommending it to anyone who will listen!

Huge thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC of this fabulous book

This is a book that I guarantee once you pick up you want want to put down until you’ve read the very last chapter . Oh wow it was absolutely brilliant . An absolutely gripping psychological thriller that will have you tearing through the pages wanting to find out what’s happening . Fantastic characters and a storyline you’ll be totally immersed in .

Eleanor disappeared whilst going off for an ice cream and her family have never got over it. Twenty years on, her sister, Claire, organises a reunion of close family and friends to help her father, who is struggling with Alzheimer’s, rebuild some memories.

This was a very quick read, purely because I was desperate to find out what was going on! The characters are believable, and the storyline progresses well. Unlike many of the recent books in this genre, I hadn’t managed to work out anything about the reveal at the end, which meant I finished the book quite shocked.

Recommended.

I loved this book. Having really enjoyed this authors previous books, I was very excited to read this latest book and it really lived up to my expectations.
The Reunion is a really gripping story, lots of twists and turns and a corker of an ending which I did not predict. Samantha Hayes certainly knows how to tell a tale. This is what I look for in a thriller where nothing is as it seems and the writer guides the reader up the garden path until she is ready to let you know everything.
An absolutely brilliant book and one I highly recommend.

Thank you!

Claire decides to bring her childhood friends together for a week, hoping that the reunion will help her Alzheimer-affected father remember the good days. But then, a young girl disappears and the similarities to the disappearance of Claire’s younger sister, Eleanor, nearly two decades ago, are too striking to ignore.

The Reunion started off with great promise, had a solid middle, and lost its way at the end. It was easy to figure out who was responsible, given that it had to be one of the main characters. But still, I hoped there was a good enough reason for his actions that would be revealed at the end. Try as I did, I could not wrap my mind around the reasoning for why a normal, sane person did what he did. The ending didn't work for me.

I really enjoyed this novel. I found the first bit to be a bit slow, nothing really happens but it does put all of the characters in place and sets up the rest of the story. Once the story got really moving, I had a hard time putting this book down.
There are a lot of characters and it takes a little time to get everyone straight but I didn't find it distracting. There are also a few big twists, some you see coming but others are a complete surprise. There were a few things that bothered me about the story but nothing that made me want to stop reading.
This book is classified as a mystery/thriller type of book but it's also a book about family and friendship. There is always the mystery of Lenni's disappearance but it's not the whole focus of the novel. I liked that this book had a little more depth than others in this genre and I definitely liked the family dynamics. I liked the friendships that had lasted many years and the bonds between the friends. All in all, a good read...

The Reunion is a realistic thriller that explores the devastating effects of secrets and lies while playing on a parent’s worst fears. Sometimes a little white lie isn’t so little, and sometimes people do the wrong things for the right reasons.

Summary:

In 1996, Eleanor, a.k.a. Lenni, is given some money for ice cream by her older sister, Claire, and told to hurry back. But Lenni’s not supposed to be going off on her own because she’s “different” than other kids. She’s a little slower. Lenni never returns, and all that’s found of her are a pair of shorts and an ice cream cone.

By 2017, Lenni’s disappearance has become a cold case, and life has moved on for the Lucas family, for the most part. Lenni’s room is still the same, and the family still lives on Trevellin Farm—for now. After all, they’d made a promise that someone would always be there, just in case Lenni found her way home, and even after so many years, not everyone’s ready to give up hope. But Patrick’s suffering from the early stages of dementia, and Shona is finding it hard to manage both her husband’s deteriorating health and the farm, despite Claire and her husband, Callum, living next door. So she’s determined to sell Trevellin Farm once and for all.

In a last ditch effort to improve her father’s memory and possibly convince her mother to change her mind, Claire organizes a reunion. She invites her brother, Jason; her childhood best friend, Maggie; and her former crush, Nick, all of whom regarded Patrick like a father. All of whom were also there the day Lenni went missing. What was meant to be a fun time quickly goes downhill as everything from the past is dredged up again and new secrets emerge.

Then, another girl goes missing, and the similarities are too obvious to deny. If they find her, they might just discover the truth behind Lenni’s disappearance all those years ago. But they have to hurry; time’s running out.

The Good:

- That cover, though. I know, I know, you’re not supposed to judge a book by it’s cover. Well, I happen to be a judgmental person (aren’t we all?). So sue me. I’ll be honest, though, the reason I looked at this book in the first place is because the cover caught my eye. The simplicity of it is interesting and further highlights the pop of the butterfly, which is a very bright red—danger, warning, death, blood? All of the above? Not only that, but the butterfly is disintegrating. One side is strong, healthy, and normal, while the other is falling apart, which is a visual that I love (and which, having read this, perfectly sums up the plot).

- Lenni’s alive! I can say this without it being a spoiler, because guess what? Surprise! She’s a point-of-view character. Actually, I thought this was quite masterfully done. Lenni’s point of view is woven between present-day chapters. There are glimpses of the life that she’s been living, the sort of place she’s in, and how she’s treated. It shows that she’s got a personality (a fantastic one, actually) and isn’t always complacent, but it does show what a toll it’s taken on her. I thought this was actually unique, and it definitely builds the suspense, as I was trying to piece together where she was and who her captor was.

- The secrets! Oh, the delicious secrets. I mean, everyone has to have at least one, right? But secrets have the ability to shatter lives, especially in this book. Some of them are quite upfront, like the fact that Rain’s father is a big-wig politician who cheated on his wife with Maggie and doesn’t want the world to know about his illegitimate daughter. Most are not, though, and while Hayes hints quite often that something’s there, it’s a slow build up, which I thought created a marvelous amount of suspense.

- THAT ENDING. Fdjiafjdla. Okay, so, it’s subtle. Which I love. Hayes doesn’t just come out and say who the “villain” is. In fact, there are a lot of villains to varying degrees and in a lot of different ways, and for the most part, the villains themselves had motives for their actions (whether they were good motives or not, I’ll leave you to decide). Instead of just blurting out what happens, Hayes makes you work for it. I know, work is hard, but it’s worth it. The subtlety was beautiful and made a lasting impression in my mind.

- I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING. Actually, I don’t know if this is a good or bad thing. As it made perfect sense and was a fantastic way to wrap up the book, I’m going to include it in the good. Some might say it’s bad because there weren’t more obvious signs, but like I already said, you gotta work for it, man! I pieced together who did it before it was revealed, but not far before, so the clues were there. It wasn’t like a velociraptor jumping out of an alleyway at night sort of surprise. But it was a surprise, nonetheless, one that pulled me in so many different ways emotionally, and I consider that pretty darn good storytelling.

The Bad:

- Some of the characters were unbearable. Well, namely, Callum and Rain. I hated them both from the start and just wanted to yell. Gah, they were so annoying. I understand what they were going for with Rain’s character. Broken family, troubled girl starving for attention, acting out, yadda yadda, but it went too far, to the point where I couldn’t sympathize with her. Yes, I understand that perspective, but you, ma’am, are just a jerkface. Also, I’m still not sure why anyone would put up with Callum, let alone marry him.

- It starts off really slowly. Well, if you discount the immediate kidnapping, of course. There’s a nice hook provided by that glimpse of the past, but other than that, it takes a while to build the mystery. It’s worth hanging in there, but there are some slow scenes to start off with.

- Jumping points of view. You know what? I’m seeing this a lot lately in books, but I’m going to count it as a negative here. Not all the jumps are bad. As I said before, I loved the chapters from Lenni’s point of view. Unfortunately, as I said before, there were characters I couldn’t stand, and it’s really hard to read anything from their point of view without feeling like I should throw the Kindle. But, you know, it was expensive. Actually, I almost feel that most of the non-Claire and Lenni point of views were unnecessary. I don’t think it would have lost anything if this had been just purely Claire and Lenni’s story, which is why this earned a spot in my negatives. I mean, there is one major red herring that would be lost, but you know what? It was too obvious for me to consider, even for a second, which means it’s really no loss at all.

- I didn’t understand the character’s motives. If this had happened once, I could have brushed it off, but it happened multiple times, where someone makes a big decision to lie. Not a little lie, but a massive one, for reasons that I don’t get. In really shady situations, for basically no reason, and even their thought process (because remember, everyone’s a point of view character) makes no sense at all. I mean, even if you’re my best friend, I’m not covering a felony for you. Especially an obvious felony that I have proof of. The book is a whole series of questionable character decisions that I just didn’t at all understand, which was frustrating at times.

- A couple of loose ends. I feel like I say this a lot. In fact, I probably do. If you’re writing a series, I expect loose ends, but in a standalone? Especially a mystery? Loose ends drive me a little wonky. As these constitute spoilers, I won’t elaborate. However, there’s a major “mystery” that’s alluded to in Nick’s character arc, and since there was such a big deal made about it, I expected there to be a conclusion at some point, but there wasn’t. Now I’m not really sure what to think. Was I right to be suspicious of this “accident,” or am I just reading too much into it? It’s driving me crazy! Also, there is no closure regarding one of the characters. He just poofs. Which is a fairly big deal because of his role in the novel, so I felt a bit cheated that there was no real resolution with that.

Overall:

I’m going to give it a solid three stars. While it starts off slow, once the mystery ramps up, it kept me turning pages eagerly. The mystery is wound nicely throughout the book—obvious enough where it makes sense by the end, but with enough twists to keep me guessing. Several scenes really tugged at my heartstrings, and I was so confused because I was also angry and sympathetic and OMG, WHY? In a good way, of course. It’s definitely a slow burn mystery/thriller, but worth the read. My biggest problem was with the characters. I found myself questioning their behavior far too often, which pulled me out of the actual story and annoyed me more than anything. A lot of it was also just me not liking or being able to connect with the characters, which is a pretty personal thing and one that not all readers will have a problem with.

Disclaimer: I received a free ARC copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Reunion by Samantha Hayes was a excellent thriller that I did not want to put down. I really enjoyed the interaction of the characters and the twist and turns in the story. Claire's thirteen year old sister Eleanor goes missing while she is looking after her at the beach. All the family are devastated when she can't be found. Almost twenty years later Claire has a reunion with her family and closest friends at her family home. The reunion has consequences that rock Claire to the core and will change all their lives forever. I would like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review

The Reunion was a fun, intense read. I could not put it down. It kept me guessing the whole time, and I was actually surprised by the ending, which is unusual. I cannot wait to read the next book by Samantha Hayes!

A book that has you questioning everything. Another hold-your-breath page turner. A great read!

This was a solidly OK read, I suppose. I skimmed quite a lot, after getting frustrated with the lag, the typos, and the millions of characters who never seemed to be fully fleshed out. The plot was decent, I suppose, but I guessed where it was going before I got there. I started this review with two stars and just knocked it down to one after realizing I didn't get much out of this at all. Disappointed. Received this as an ARC from Netgalley.

I liked this book a lot. I will say it was fairly predictable, but I don’t mean that as a bad thing. Actually, I liked that some of it was predictable so that the parts that weren’t we’re all the more shocking. I saw the initial twist coming from the beginning, but th others not so much. I also really appreciated that even though Claire and Nick clearly are going to end up together, nothing actually happened between the two. It was far too soon which made the whole thing more believable. Overall, it was written well. The only things that were a bit negetive were the fact that I think there were a few too many characters. Jase and Gretta specifically served no real purpose in my opinion. But I will definitely recommend that people read this.

With 11-and-a-half months to go in 2018 as I write my review, it's too early to say this - but say it I will: If you have but one book to read this year, make it this one.

Yep, it's that good. It grabbed my mind in the beginning and didn't let go till the end (and beyond - the next day as I finish my review I still feel like I've been run over with a Mack truck).

The story begins in 1996, when a teenage girl named Claire is playing with friends and her little sister Eleanor ("Lenni") on the beach near the family's Trevellin Farm on coastal England. Striving to be independent, as young children do, Lenni begs Claire to let her go off on her own to buy an ice cream cone. Caught up in the thrill of the waves, Claire reluctantly hands her some money and warns her to hurry.

But somewhere between there and back, Lenni disappears - and remains missing in 2017, when the here-and-now story kicks in. Claire still lives in a cottage on the farm near her parents, but now she's a successful realtor, married to a neurosurgeon and has two children. Her father, Patrick, has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and is declining rapidly, forcing her mother to seriously consider selling the property (to which Patrick is vehemently opposed). In an effort to help boost his failing memory, Claire decides to host a reunion of the old gang of kids who used to play together. The group includes Claire's best friend Maggie, would-be restaurateur Nick and her brother, Jason, who's married to a very pregnant-with-twins wife.

The idea is met with enthusiasm by all, except perhaps Claire's husband Callum, but take nothing at face value: All the guests are bringing baggage beyond the cases that carry their clothing. Maggie has made a career out of hopping from one boyfriend to another, turning her daughter, Rain, into the teenager from hell. Nick, who was Claire's first love, is struggling with serious family issues as well as his upcoming restaurant launch. Jason is looking forward to fatherhood, but not to seeing his own father - from whom he's been estranged for years. That issue, Claire hopes, will be resolved at the get-together.

Interspersed throughout the book are chapters that show flashes of the past, each adding clues as to what the future may hold. But then, the unthinkable happens: Another girl goes missing. From that point on, there's never a dull moment (although in all honesty, I didn't notice any dull moments before she disappeared, either). The tension - and surprises - just keep mounting all the way to the jaw-dropping end. Whew!

Now that I can breathe again, I guess all that's left is to highly recommend this book and thank the publisher for allowing me to read it in exchange for an honest review. Did I say whew?

Years after her younger sister was abducted on her way to get an ice cream at the local beach café, Claire arranges a reunion with her family and friends as a way of helping her father who is suffering from Alzheimer’s. She hopes the well known therapy of looking at old photographs and talking about the good times they had in the past will help her father’s memory and that the 7 day holiday for them all in familiar surroundings will enable fences crushed in the past to be mended.
From the start of the holiday everything begins to go wrong, despite the meticulous planning. When another young girl goes missing from Claire’s home, the daughter of her best friend, it is impossible to deny the startling similarities between the two cases. Memories flood back, emotions run high and soon secrets of the past are revealed. Claire’s sister had never been found and the thought of another teenager taken away from her family is all too horrible to even consider. Guilt resurfaces. Claire had been in charge the day her sister went missing and now Rain was missing from Claire’s house. Lightning couldn’t strike twice surely?
‘The Reunion’ is an absorbing, thrilling mystery story. The characters are subtly created, apparently with no clues at all as to who could be responsible for the crimes. They each have an intriguing back story that may or may not reveal a clue that will help solve either or both crimes. With the police investigation gathering pace and interviews well under way, modern technology soon provides new information. However, often things are not what they seem to be. It could be that the so-called clues are muddying the water. Lies are told by more than one character, and others are fighting hard to keep what they know secret. Is it to protect themselves or others? Nothing is clear and this adds to the tension and intrigue. The ending was a total jaw dropping shock to me, something I had not ever considered viable.
I really enjoyed this excellent novel and would like to thank NetGalley and publisher Bookouture for my copy, sent out to me in return for a fair and honest review. Lovers of this genre will love ‘The Reunion’ and fans of Samantha Hayes will relish the thought of another of her stunning novels. It’s well worth reading.