This was a great listen! The story focuses on a famous author who returns to her hometown for her 10 year high school reunion. But, she's dreading it because of something awful that happened in that very hotel ten years ago. The chapters alternate between ten years ago and present day. There are several subtle themes, including teenage angst, bullying, stalking, and romance. The plot is one that keeps your attention and it has a rather surprising ending. A few little discrepancies are a bit puzzling, such as the implication that some of the teens grew up near the poverty level, yet all seemed (10 years ago) to have the latest phones with ability to text one another. I also found it rather improbable that the main character, at 28, could be a world-famous author with several books published. While the main events in the in-between decade become evident as the novel progresses, the progression of this woman's career seems to be ignored. It seems also as if the ending isn't really complete. Perhaps a sequel is planned, but I found it a bit of a letdown to not know how things progressed in the following years. So, while I mostly enjoyed the plot, I found these things to be a bit of a distraction.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Pretty good, knew who would likely be the uh bad guy from the minute they met them but not like you could know *who* they are, might reread

I have enjoyed all of Kiersten Modglin’s twisty thrillers I have read so far and this one was not an exception. I was especially excited and I really loved the dual timelines. I listened to the audiobook for this one and overall I felt the narration was good. Like an 80’s horror movie there were times I wanted to yell at Cait to leave the hotel or to run, but I feel like that is part of what makes this genre so fun. Cait is back in town for her high school reunion while her husband stays home with the kids. Cait has a lot of unresolved issues from the typical mean girl exclusion and drama to her best friend being murdered in the same hotel they are having the reunion. Someone is tired of all the secrets and begins to bring the things to light that Cait thought were dead and buried. I didn’t always love Cait’s character, but I could relate to her at times (and other times she baffled me) but I did find her well developed. The other characters weren’t quite as well developed as I would have liked.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an advance audio copy of The Reunion by Kiersten Modglin and narrated by Meg Price. My review consists of thoughts and opinions which are all my own.

I enjoyed this book very much. There were a few instances repeated, for instance, "looking up and down my body." which I thought the author could have substituted. Other than those, I thought this was a great and original story. Every time I thought I knew the culprit, some other evidence emerged steering me another direction

As a person who graduated high school in the 90's, I can completely relate to Ms. Modglin's timeline. The story line was so creepily accurate for today and makes me even more weary of social media.

We should all be on the lookout for those who think we "have it all."

A great dual timeline slow burn about friendship, cliques, & gossip. There are tons of twists and secrets and drama! The story is well constructed and this book is a bit of a page turned.

I loved the setup of this book! It jumped back and forth between the main character attending her high school reunion and when she was in high school and something tragic happened to her best friend. It was well written, clever, and suspenseful. I enjoyed the ending as I was not expecting it, and I would highly recommend this book to others who enjoy thrillers. I also enjoyed the narrator of the audiobook.

Have you ever contemplated going to your high school reunion? I can say that I do not plan on going 😅. And it seems like Cait could have benefitted from staying away from hers in The Reunion by Kiersten Modglin.

Cait has carried her high school baggage into her adult years and feels like this reunion is the perfect time to get past it all. What she gets is so much more than expected.

We jump back and forth between past and present. This jump really helped keep my attention as I was reading. Parts of this book were slow. Towards the end my heart was pounding as each new detail was pinpointed.

If you enjoy slow burn thrillers this would be a great one to read! The audio version of this was well done. I look forward to reading more from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audio ARC to listen and review!

3.5 Stars
This was my first book from the “queen of twists” and it was definitely interesting. Overall I really enjoyed the book and it was definitely fast paced and thrilling. My only issue with the book was the resolution as I got it but didn’t quite “get it” in terms of how likely it was.

Overall though the narrator was great and I enjoyed the flipping to present and past as part of the plot.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kiersten Modglin for the advanced listen of The Reunion in exchange for an honest review

The Reunion by Kiersten Modglin

Cait Du Bois vowed to NEVER return to Hotel Lilith. The horror she experienced there the night of her prom is something she has wanted to keep in the past.

But Hotel Lilith is chosen as the location for her high school reunion. She's determined to put the pas behind her and move, so she decides to attend. No one knows the truth about what happened back then. Or does someone?

Shortly after her arrival, strange things begin to occur. Mysterious package, calls, texts...

Someone is determined to bring the truth out.

This was a good listen! I couldn't stop listening to it as I wanted to know what was going to happen! I enjoyed the timeline switch between present and past. I didn't really have any clue what the outcome would be. Which makes it even more enjoyable.

Thank you Kiersten Modglin, Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the audio to listen to this book in return for my honest review!

🍷 The Reunion is a story told from both the past and the present. The main character is Cait Du Bois and she is married to her high school classmate Grant, although life was not always sunshine and roses with them.

🍷 The past timeline tells of Cait’s high school years. There is a great deal of bullying that occurs and Cait is one of the receivers of said bullying. Cait, Sam, and Jamie are the best of friends until one of them begins dating one of the popular boys. From there, everything changes and goes in so many directions that you don’t see coming! The end of the past timeline is their senior prom, which does prove to be a highlight of Cait’s life; however, it is probably better described as a lowlight.

🍷 The present timeline is their 10-year high school reunion. Cait is able to attend and goes for the entire week before, so she can get work done. Her husband graciously stays home with their young twins. Sam also shows up early, so he and Cait spend some time together, reminiscing. Things start getting mysterious when Cait meets one of her fans who becomes a bit crazy quite quickly. The twists and turns that Modglin has created are outstanding. There were some hidden hints here and there that I did pick up on, but I never would’ve guessed what was actually going on!

🍷 This is the second book of Modglin’s that I have read and I am absolutely going to dive into more! Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this gifted audiobook in exchange for my honest review. And kudos to Meg Price for her fantastic job narrating this book!

Author Cate Du Bois returns to the place where she experienced horrors as a teenager when the hotel is chosen as the location for her high school reunion. Not long after arriving, strange things begin to occur as it seems someone is hell-bent on bringing the truth of what happened all of those years ago to light. As Cait finds it increasingly difficult to return to her 18 year old self, someone from her past is determined to make Cait pay.

Y'all this is coming from someone who really loves timeline jumping throughout and i really tried, but i could NOT get myself to care as much about the timeline chapters when the main characters were 18. I'm not sure if it was the cringe-worthy teenager love of "i don't care if everyone else leaves me as long as i have you" or maybe because i'm not a romance reader but mmm nope, no thanks. This is also likely user error as i did not do enough research to see if these thrillers have romance elements to them, but i just could not get myself to care. The overly dramatic dialogue of the audiobook definitely did not help this and i found myself frequently skimming, so i recommend picking up the physical copy if you do give this one a try!

Overall, this was an enjoyable slow burn read but nothing that made me super excited to pick it back up for the first 3/4 of the book. My interest was especially peaked during the suspenseful current timeline chapters later into the book, i found myself attempting to guess what was happening only to be wrong in the end-so it definitely got bonus points from me for that as it had a 5-star ending. Will likely plan to give K-Mod another chance eventually with some of her more highly hyped books!

**Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the arc audiobook for review!**

Cait Du Bois swore she would never go back to Hotel Lilith after something terrible happened there on prom night. She left her hometown, started a family, and became a famously successful writer. Now, her high school reunion is being held in the one place she vowed to never return and she just can’t resist showing off her new life.

When she arrives at Hotel Lilith, things start to get strange. As Cait navigates awkward encounters, haunting phone calls, and strange packages, she is thrown into the past she has tried so hard to forget. While Cait harbors a secret of her own, she starts to wonder if she really knows what happened that fateful night.

This story is told from the perspective of Cait present day and Cait as a teenager. I loved this back and forth style while trying to figure out what happened in the past and how it has affected the present. It also showed amazing character development and was incredibly suspenseful. I listened to the audio version of this book and the narration was wonderful. I listened to it everywhere I went! I will definitely seek out this narrator, Meg Price, in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for offering me this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this audiobook, it’s one of my favorite by this author and the narrator is fantastic! @megpriceaudio
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Cait was not popular in High School, but now, she is a successful author. She has a handsome husband and two beautiful kids. No one can call her a loser now.

She can’t wait to show off her shiny new life to her former classmates at the class reunion.

But… once she arrives… strange things begin happening….

Cait realizes someone is watching her, planning to dig up the secrets from the past… 👀

3.5 stars rounded down.

Modglin's storylines typically wow me. This one not so much, however it was still a solidly engaging mystery.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.
Another exciting read from Kiersten Modglin! Told in dual timelines, this book covers high school years leading up to the death of a best friend and a high school reunion 10 years later where the main character, Cait, is attempting to move on but someone has other plans.
Pros: I always love Kiersten Modglin's writing style and can get pulled into her books immediately. Has an easy to read flow.
Con..?: if you're looking for a fast paced thriller, this may not be it. This is more of a mystery, a discovery of what happened, and a "is this real?, am I paranoid?" type of book. I loved it but it wasn't what I was expecting going into it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Kiersten Modglin is one of my favorite thriller authors with a large backlist and tons of books constantly coming out. Honestly, I think that this was just one of hers that is more for the slow burn lovers. I am not that, but there are things in the book that I did enjoy. High school reunion turned bad when a secret from 20 years ago gets out? Check. Lots of mystery, and thriller elements in the end? check! Everything else however felt very impersonal and overdone/cliche. It wasn't bad, just not for those who read a lot of thrillers.

✨Audiobook Review & Happy Pub Day✨

Thank you to @kierstenmodglinauthor and @netgalley and @dreamscape_media for the ALC for The Reunion. This audiobook releases today (print version released December 20, 2021).

You guys know I love a good audiobook 🎧 and this one fit the bill. I discovered Modglin last year via #bookstagram and she has not yet disappointed me!

Without going too in depth, let’s imagine a high school reunion in a small Tennessee town. Cait Du Bois was never popular, in fact she had only two real friends. One (whom she was then estranged from) died the night of their senior prom and the other was a boy who secretly was in love with her their entire childhood. #awkward She’s now a successful author and married to her deceased friend’s boyfriend. 🤔 Nothing weird to build on for creepy vibes, right? What could go wrong at this high school reunion?

I really enjoyed this one and I’ll even go out on a limb and say this was my favorite Kiersten Modglin yet! The narrator, Meg Price, does an excellent job…making you feel extra creeped out at the appropriate times. 😲😵😳😬

Pick this one up in print or on audio now! Personally, I’d choose audio because you know I’ve got laundry to fold and errands to run ad nauseam. 🧺🚗🎧

This is my first audiobook so this a two-fold review! Could not stop listening to the story! Kept switching between past and present through various teen ages and present day at age 27 where Cait Du Bois has returned to the location of her high school prom. Narrator was able to capture diff voices to distinguish between each character. Cait as a teen had few friends and little else. Cait as an adult is wife, mother, successful author. Loss has debilitated and haunted her for 10 years but she is going back to where it all began to face her demons.
Fraught with long lost love, betrayal, and murder along with teenage angst! This audiobook had it all and has started me on a new obsession of audiobooks!
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

I love my school setting reads so one about a reunion sounded right up my alley!

This was such a fun and entertaining read! It keep me continually guessing and I loved that I never really knew what was actually happening! Just when I thought I had things figured out, Modglin struck with her classic curveball and left me questioning everything!

I also really liked the use of dual timelines, swapping back and forth between the current day and Cait’s high school days!

This ones incredibly bingeworthy and I can’t wait to see what shocking twists she comes up with next!

🔊Song Pairing: Revenge is Sweeter (than you ever were) - The Veronicas

I think I really nailed this one. If you’ve read this you’ll know 💯

💭What I thought would happen:

I thought college reunion. Possibly hoping for a strong similarity to In My Dreams I Hold a Knife…not quite but kind of

📖What actually happens:

Cait pulls up to the hotel in her new Lexus, looking fabulous with the confidence that she’s a successful writer in a successful marriage with 2 beautiful babies…but aren’t high school reunions just a bitch to knock you down a peg or 10.

Being at a hotel with her past classmates aka bullies dredges up feelings of inadequacy but more importantly has Cait reflecting on the death of her high school best friend, Jamie. Cait finds herself in quite the calamity the longer she spends sifting through her past.

🗯Thoughts:

I wanted to know where this was heading. I honestly wondered if this was a thriller or just a dramatic flashback of why high school is a true and utter biatch.

The jumble of events from beginning to end still gave me with a wtf face…I don’t know if it will ever leave….I may look like this forever. Overall, a riveting rollercoaster that I would recommend. I listened and thought the narrator did a killer job

I shall have to pick up more books by this author! Colour me intrigued!