
Member Reviews

This is a terrific and well-written suspenseful thriller. A wedding is held on an isolated island off the coast of Ireland, providing a suitable atmosphere. Select people at the wedding are the narrators of the story. The bride, the groom, the bridesmaid, the best man, the wedding planner, and the wife of a guest rotate chapters. As the story unfolds over a single weekend, we learn that each narrator has an issue with the groom. The story is fast-moving, gripping, and excellent, with a mystery that I did not solve. Highly recommend!
Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC.

I kept returning to read The Guest List by Lucy Foley, so I think it’s fair to say that I found it to be a fun thriller. I thought the characters were well developed-I really didn’t like very many of them, but the author did a great job of hooking me into the story and what was happening to each person. The shorter chapters switching between characters really keeps the pace up and she created such a wonderful sense of menace throughout the whole book that just builds intensely as the night goes on. There are many predictable ways that the author could have proceeded with this story, but I think she keeps the reader guessing. There are a few small quibbles I have with some of the connections that emerge, but I don’t want to spoil things by getting into it and it didn’t interfere with my enjoyment of the story. I’ll recommend it to my library patrons!

I love a good wedding mystery. The characters were wonderfully drawn. The island was spooky and a great characters itself. A page turner if ever there was one!

Lucy Foley does not disappoint with her new novel The Guest List - what a suspenseful mystery!
Friends and family of the bride and groom attend a weekend of wedding festivities on a remote island off the coast of Ireland. What should be a fun and joyous celebration quickly turns deadly! However, the reader only learns early on in the novel that a body has been found but must piece together clues intricately woven together through Foley’s use of multiple narrators and a shifting timeline.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the free egalley in exchange for my honest review.

I'm not generally a fan of thriller-type mysteries. And then I read "The Guest List." Early in the book, we know that someone died. We don't know who, how, or why. Keep reading!
One by one, the characters stories unfold, connections are exposed, and hidden histories are revealed. Everyone has something on just about everyone else; there is more than enough motive and opportunity to go around! The web of lies and truths is intricate. It's not until the very end that all the connections gel and the victim, the murderer, and the motive are clear.
This is an exceptionally well-written book. The narrative keeps a good level of tension throughout., with twists,
turns, and some surprising revelations thrown in for good measure.

A quick whodunit with some majorly unlikeable protagonists.
The Guest List feels like a modern Agatha Christie---a group of people with loose connections gathered onto an island plus murder. There is no true detective. The story is told through multiple POVs, not my favorite gimmick, but it works here. Usually, I am skipping ahead to read the POV I like best, but the short, enticing chapters pulled me through. I could have used a bit more wrap up at the end, and yet, what feels more Christie than an abrupt ending?
For Fans of Agatha Christie & Ruth Ware.

Jules has her dream wedding on an isolated island off of Ireland. But everyone on The Guest List has a secret. Including the groom. Little by little the secrets start to unfold and everything starts to unravel. The Guest List is a page turner. And like The Hunting Party I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I love mystery books. This one was a slow build for me, but once I got further into it, I was thoroughly invested. I now plan to read "The Hunting Party".

Generally, I'm annoyed when 70% of the plot either happens or is revealed in the last 10% of the book. This time, however, it was so damn tidy I just can't help admiring the particular curve and bend of that nice little bow the author put on top.

Book Title: Guest List
Author: Lucy Foley
Genre: Thriller
My Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ /5 ⭐
Wow!what a great read! I like this mystery thriller where the plot is super engaging and hooked us up from the very start. The story was narrated by a bunch of character’s points of view. It reminds me of the book ” Big Little Lies ” and one of the “Agatha Christie ” novels (which I forgot the name). As they narrated the events from their perspective we couldn’t stop imagining the other character’s take on it .which speaks about the author’s brilliance way of capturing the reader. All the knots are slowly untied and we could kind of guessed one or two things but otherwise nearly up to the end, we couldn’t predict anything solid to spoil the thrill. I like it though it’s a thriller it doesn’t have any disgusting scenes. But it doesn’t fail to make us feel something bad going to happen. For Mystery lovers I highly recommend it. You can’t put it down without finish it.
Thoughts while reading
If you hate to read any disgusting psychotic scenes but love thrillers otherwise this is the book for you. I appreciate the way it didn’t include anything we regret to read about.
Though the heroine is portrayed as kind of bitchy, bossy control freak the background of her made me admire her. And so I feel pity about her at the end.
The superstitions like the sight of the unlucky bird, the way the rose petals were blown away by the wind were creepy.
Nearly at the end of the story, I could guess the connection between the wedding planner and the hero, though not before that, for the author’s credit.
And I wish by the end they could give some conclusion to Hannah, Charlie’s relationship status. I feel disappointed that they didn’t have any closure ( either good or bad ).
Somehow all the people affected by the villain gathered at one place are believable and couldn’t get away with the feeling of its nature’s way of getting revenge for all his sins.
Disclaimer: Though I receive this book from #NetGalley for an honest review, everything I said here is straight from my heart and not biased in any way.

A high-profile wedding. A creepy remote island. Tensions raised. Secrets held. Revenge planned. All a perfect set-up for a whodunnit book.
Jules and Will are about to be married. They have all of their best family and friends surrounding them for this time of celebration until things all go horribly wrong.
The Guest List is told from the perspectives of a few people, giving you insight into quite a few hidden secrets. Most of these characters I couldn’t really get a good connection with. I’d have to say my best connection was with Hannah, the wife of the bride’s best friend, Charlie. Other than her I felt quite a disconnect with the others. Nothing drew me toward them. Nothing made me empathize with them.
That being said, I must say the setting was eerie and I loved this story’s premise. I love a good whodunnit and this book gave plenty of motives for murder as well as plenty of suspects. Definitely keeps you guessing with some great twists and turns thrown in.
I recommend this one if you’re a fan of Clue. This book was the game played out in real life.

I loved the setup of this novel, seeing the point of view of several characters, most of them wedding party/guests. I loved how both the identity of the murdered and the murderer were kept shrouded until close to the end. A quick read, but a clever one. Thank you, Netgalley, for this arc!

Totally blew me away. A thriller where tension just won't stop building up as long buried dark secrets come to light? Yes please.
On a remote and allegedly haunted island off the coast of Ireland, we are attending a picture perfect wedding of a celebrity couple, Will and Jules. The opening scene reveals that amidst a wild storm and a power cut, a body is found - but we don't know whose or who did it. The story is told from multiple points of view of selected guests, each of whom ends up revealing shocking events from the past that connect our characters in an intricate (and very unexpected) web of relationships. But which of them could become murderous?
The impeccable writing style made me get attached to the characters while the story kept me on the edge of my seat. I was reminded of many of the old-school murder mysteries such as Agatha Christie's, which was amplified by the lack of the constant use of phones and technology by the characters. 5 stars.
*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED this book. I really enjoyed the style it was written in where it flashes back and forth in time. It kept me guessing because there are hints about what has happened but you never really know who the victim is until the end. The pacing was perfect to me. I guess the biggest indicator of how I felt about this book is the fact that just a few minutes after finishing I got online and bought another one of her books- The Hunting Party. I would recommend that anyone who likes this book go get that one too (and vice versa) because they are similar in a lot of ways and I truly enjoyed them both.
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Would you go to a wedding on a remote island off the coast of Ireland? There’s spotty cell service, you’re miles away from civilization, and it may or may not be haunted. But should you be more afraid of the island itself or the guests with you?
I loved the setting of this book. It is so spooky, so ominous, and you can feel it’s heavy hand resting on every moment. It’s like another character. It set the tone for everything that happened in this 48 hour span and I couldn’t imagine this taking place anywhere else.
The story felt a little slow at times but mostly I enjoyed inching towards the climax. We know someone is someone is killed and we know someone is to blame but I have to say, I had no idea who it would be. Everyone has secrets and everyone has motives.
Although I enjoyed the twists and didn’t spot them until they were just about to pounce, a lot of it felt unrealistic. A little too good to be true. But I still enjoyed the way it all came together.

Overall, I thought this was a pretty good thriller. I was a bit let down by the ending as it was a bit too pat, but it was a nice diversionary read. Remote Irish island, fancy hotel wedding and a cast of suspicious characters!

Is there a buzzier book floating around on Instagram right now? I think not. This one absolutely earns its place on the "MUST READ IN 2020" lists because it is chalk full of all the right elements - moody and connected characters, creepy setting, a classic who-dunit plot and ruthless bingeability!
I read In The Dark by Loreth Anne White earlier this year (which by the way is FANTASTIC and a book you should read while waiting for this to come out) that has a very similar premise to The Guest List. I was originally hesitant that this book would feel too similiar, but boy, WAS I WRONG. I loved that this book had characters who were all connected to SOMEONE (or everyone ... which honestly was my favorite part of the book) vs. complete strangers being thrown together and forced to defend themselves and survive. I also loved the character development and "popcorn" read aspect where each chapter was narrated by someone else.
Full disclosure - this book wasn't "scary" per say ... but it did keep me up at night wondering who the HELL was murdered ... by whom ... and why. Did anyone else like Clue as a kid? If so, I think this may be the perfect read for you. I felt that I couldn't consume chapters quickly enough and spent many hours absorbed by the characters and storyline. Sometimes, a perfect book doesn't need to scare me to death, but it does need to keep me guessing which this ABSOLUTELY did.
I was lucky enough to get the ARC from my local bookstore and would love to gift it someone in hopes that the book will travel to many other readers and provide joy like it did for me. Thank you, Lucy, for this incredible book. I loved every aspect of your writing style!

I flew through this book!
The twists, the turns, the writing! All of it was incredible.
I was in a huge thriller slump and this broke me out of it! Highly recommend.

An exclusive wedding on an island off the coast of Ireland. A reality tv star groom. A magazine publisher bride. Dysfunctional families and rowdy friends. Dream wedding or nightmare?
The Guest List was reminiscent of 2009 tv show Harper’s Island with nods to Jawbreaker (mainly the flashbacks).
I really enjoyed that the book started out on The Wedding Night and went back from there. It added to the suspense. Though, there were a bit too many characters. All of the POV chapters made the story feel a little all over the place.
I will say, I was pretty bored for most of the story but kept reading because I really needed to know what happened on The Wedding Night. I wasn’t expecting the twists towards the end, so that was a pleasant surprise. Despite this being a work of fiction, I still felt like everything tying back to the groom was too unbelievable for my taste.
I gave this 3 stars because the end somewhat brought everything together despite a slow storyline.

The Guest List is the definition of a page turner that I will be recommending to EVERYONE who is looking for a creepy thriller that kept me guessing until bitter end. The novel, reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s And Then There were None, takes. place over the course of one stormy weekend as a posh wedding takes place on a remote Irish isle. The characters are all well-developed and each guest, including the bride and groom, have wicked secrets that keep you on your toes. Who is the murder victim? Who is the killer? Readers will be reading this long into the night to find out! Highly recommended.