2.5 stars but rounded up to three

For a thriller it was abit of a slow burner, and took me a while to get into it. The characters weren’t likeable but I’m assuming that was the point. Lots of characters don’t make it to the end but there is very little in the way of tension or mystery.

Would pick up another book by this author but sadly this one wasn’t for me

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC

A tragedy befalls a group of friends in their early 20's. It appears to be an accident, but is it?

Years later, they are all called back to the scene of the incident, for a supposed Memorial. Or are they? Was it an accident or was it Murder? Have they all been called back by the mother of the deceased for a Memorial or is this a plot to find out who killed her son?

The plot has dual timelines and goes back and forth quit a bit. A lot of "whodunit" energy in this book, but with overly detailed descriptions that sometimes don't further the plot. I found myself skipping through certain paragraphs to get to the point. Overall, good book but not my favourite pace wise.

This book starts off slow. I didnt connect with the characters and I felt at the time the writing style was a bit over the top.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Weekend by L. H. Stacey is a thrilling mystery about a young woman who returns to Kirkwood manor after ten years for a memorial weekend for her deceased lover...

The story takes place over the course of one weekend and centers around the protagonist’s attempt to find out what really happened to Thomas on the night he died. Invited back by Thomas’ grieving mother Ada for a reunion that turns out to be more sinister than she could have imagined. As the events unfold, it becomes clear that Ada is on a mission to catch the killer of her son.

This book has a brilliant cover and an extremely readable writing style. Although some parts of the plot were far-fetched and eye-roll inducing, it was still highly entertaining and kept me engaged from start to finish. The pacing was well-done, with enough twists and turns in the story to keep me guessing until the very end.

Overall, if you are looking for an enjoyable mystery with an intriguing cast of characters, then I would definitely recommend The Weekend by L. H. Stacey.

**ARC Via NetGalley**

I liked this but sadly I didn't love this and found myself a bit bored in some sections. Having said this, I can totally understand the sort of customer/reader this would be perfect for.

This was an okay story for me, it was quite as exciting as I was expecting though. I'm not sure what it was but something was just missing and it felt a kittle flat.

I think this is a book that will have mixed reviews, however, I enjoyed it. I liked the writing syle and the storyline engaged me all the way through. There was a good amount of twists, some of which were predictab;e but I still enjoyed it.

I'm mixed on this one. Overall the plot was good and I immediately wanted to know "who did it" but some sections just seemed to be too long particularly some of the flashbacks. The random amount of sex also was a draw back for me as I just wanted to get into the mystery portion of the book. That being said I still recommend this one as the mystery is intriguing and I thought it was well written.

Cover: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Plot: ⭐⭐⭐
Setting: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Characters: ⭐⭐
Suspense: ⭐
Whodunit: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Multi third person POV // Dual timeline

I really wanted to love this. The cover got me, so that's definitely a winner. And the opening scene was great. But the story and characters unfortunately just didn't grab me like I'd been hoping.

The story is kind of a slow burn all the way through. I didn't really feel any suspense or excitement. I tried, but I also didn't bond with any of the characters, which is a must for me. I need at least one person to root for.

I did think the final reveal was pretty good though. The opening and closing scenes were the best.

3.5 out of 5

Elizabeth (Lizzie) has returned to Kirkwood Manor for the first time in ten years to attend a memorial for her deceased boyfriend, Thomas. An unlikely couple, Lizzie and Thomas met and became involved during their time at University. Well-to-do Thomas brought Lizzie into his friend circle and despite feeling like an outsider, Lizzie managed to acclimate and found that she was becoming comfortable with this new found lifestyle.

Thomas isn't the ideal boyfriend, yet Lizzie remains with him. He is unfaithful, unfathomably cruel to his younger sibling, William (with whom Lizzie has developed a close friendship) and is under the thumb of his mother, Ada.

So it is no surprise when Thomas ends up dead. But who killed him?

This book was well written, I liked the flashbacks, however I felt some of the details were repetitive. I did figure out who the killer was fairly quick however there was a twist at the end that I did not see coming. My only criticism would be the ending felt rushed, and there was one person who, unless I totally missed it, was glossed over as to what happened to them and how.

Overall, a solid read if you are looking for a quick thriller fix.

Many thanks to Boldwood Books, the author, and Net Galley for the ARC.

The old saying is it's never a good idea to come between a mother and her children, especially when the 10th anniversary to find the son's unknown murderer is a high priority for revenge.
A fast read with a writing style that took a little while to appreciate the concept that was broken up between ten years prior and ten years present time
Overall the original plot was clever, with solid characters, and enough red herrings to keep you guessing to the end.
An independent review of NetGalley / Boldwood Books

Overall the book was ok hence the 3 star rating. It was well-written and a good story. It was slow and not as exciting as I expected it to be. It does have an air of suspense and may be well- suited for someone else.

The Weekend is about a group of friends returning to the country house of their old friend, Thomas, who died there ten years ago. His mother Ada has invited his friends back for a memorial, and she wants her son's former girlfriend, Lizzie who now goes by Elizabeth, to find the guilty party.

The story had some positives for me. The secluded country house gave off almost a gothic vibe and there were aspects of a locked room mystery. I had high hopes as the story began.

The timeline went between Lizzie the almost high school graduate, and Elizabeth today. Sadly, as many have pointed out in reviews, there seems to be very little growth in Lizzie's character, and watching this young girl be so obsessed with being part of this wealthy family, and willing to take any abuse to stay in their good graces, quickly became annoying for me. Maybe I am just the wrong audience for this novel (too old?), but I had a hard time finishing it. It was not my cup of tea,, but I can see how others tastes might differ from mine, and would enjoy this who dun it.

When Elizabeth, formerly known as Lizzie, receives an invitation to a memorial to mark the 10-year anniversary of the death of her boyfriend, Thomas, she’s reluctant to go back to where it happened and relive the memories. But she decides to go, only to find out that the weekend has been set up to not only remember Thomas - but to catch his killer, once and for all. Shocked and realizing she is stuck at the family’s manor with a killer, Lizzie is ready to abandon the whole thing. But something keeps pulling her back in, and she thinks maybe it is time to figure out what happened all those years ago, once and for all.

I think this book is a little mislabeled. It’s less mystery/thriller and more domestic suspense/romance. There’s not a ton of thrills or chills in this one, which is fine if that’s what you’re looking for, but is a bit of a let down if you go into it looking for more of a thriller with a bit of a chilling edge.

What this book has is plenty of secrets and things left unsaid between different characters, including Lizzie and the main brothers, one now living and one dead. As the story progresses, we find out more about each’s intentions and motivations and get a better sense of what was going on on the night in question, but it’s not necessarily very suspenseful, it’s more emotional or dramatic, so to speak. There’s also a romance there.

None of this is to say the book is bad, it’s just so that you know what you’re getting when you read the book, which seems to be marketed more as a straight chilling mystery.

The ending was very good, I have to say. It had a good twist that I didn’t see coming. That was really worth reading the whole book four, I have to say.

Overall, it was a good book, a bit slow, just different than what I was expecting.

I really enjoyed this book, I read it in a day! Thank you to Netgalley & L.H. Stacey for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review!

I really wanted to like this one but it just didn’t do it for me. I struggled to keep track of characters and the book was slow, and a little hard to follow. I feel like this book had real potential to be a great thriller, but there were too many plot holes and misses and it just unfortunately fell slat for me.

A weekend to remember…

Ten years ago, deeply in love, I would have done anything for Thomas Kirkwood.

But on the night of our graduation, fuelled by drink and drugs, Thomas’s lifeless body was found floating in the Kirkwood family lake. That weekend changed everything, and I swore I would never return to Kirkwood manor.

A weekend to forget…

Now, ten years later, I have been invited back to the place that holds such terrible memories for me, to a memorial weekend for Thomas, organised by his still-grieving mother Ada.

But this is no ordinary weekend. This is a reunion to catch a killer…and I fear that I could be top of Ada’s list….

My Thoughts: this book is a hard one for me to review, everyone who knows me, knows I love a good psychological thriller & this one definitely kept my attention.. it just fell a little flat for me at times..

Now that is definitely just due to personal preference within the genre.

We’re following Elizabeth, who is returning to Kirkwood Manor for the first time in 10 years, she’s not been back since her boyfriend was killed there, but now his mum Ada has decided it’s time for a memorial.. but is there an ulterior motive?

The story is told from multiple perspectives through 2 different timelines & weirdly I found myself enjoying the present day chapters more than the “Ten Years Ago” chapters

I found a lot of the characters to be unlikeable, but in a way that you could tell that that was the authors intention.. I think Elizabeth and William were the only ones that I was actually rooting for 🤣

There were twists and turns galore and even a couple of red herrings to throw you off the scent.

Please don’t read this review and think “oh well Patrice didn’t enjoy this” – I absolutely did, it just wasn’t the fast paced read I was expecting & sometimes that’s ok 🙂

The storyline was brilliant, it shocked me more than once and I didn’t work out the twist at the end!

Thank you NetGalley, Boldwood Books, and L.H. Stacey for a copy of this ARC. I enjoyed reading this book. It took a little while to get used to the writing style, but I liked how it flipped from the past to the present.

10 years ago, Thomas was killed during a party. Now they’ve all been invited back by to where he was killed for a memorial. But it’s not just a memorial. Thomas’s Mom, Ada, wants to find her son’s killer:

It’s slow paced, but kept my attention. There are some good twists as well.

I’d give it 4 out of 5 stars.

DNF at 16%

Sadly had to dnf this book as it just wasn’t for me. The story and the characters didn’t do anything for me.