It was supposed to have been a night of celebration but it ended in tragedy instead with Thomas Kirkwood dead, his body body found floating in the lake. Why? How? Does anyone really know what happened that night? Elizabeth never thought she’d return, but now 10 years later a rather grim reunion of sorts is happening. Billed as a memorial, but really it’s an effort to uncover the truth.

I was drawn in right from the start as we witness that fateful night and the discovery of Thomas’s body. From there we jump back and forth in time, from present day where some of Thomas’s friends and family have come together again, his mother attempting to finally uncover the truth, and the past where we witness more events (pieces of the puzzle) leading up to Thomas’s death. I found The Weekend to be a thoroughly enjoyable thriller, with plenty of twists and misdirects. Thanks so much to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for allowing me access to an eARC.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-weekend-l-h-stacey/1142674798?ean=9781801625982&bvnotificationId=a334bb93-ac26-11ed-84a5-0e707dbd5359&bvmessageType=REVIEW_APPROVED&bvrecipientDomain=gmail.com#review/240881672

The twists and turns in this one! Kept me on turning the pages and on the edge of my seat. Highly recommend.

Ten years ago, Thomas Kirkwood was found dead after a hedonistic party at his family's home. A decade later, his girlfriend, Elizabeth (Lizzie as was), & other friends who were there that fateful weekend, are invited back to an anniversary memorial for Thomas. Elizabeth has spent the years trying to forget everything about that weekend by distancing herself from her former friends, & even from William, Thomas's younger brother. The Kirkwoods's mother, Ada, never seemed to like her, so Elizabeth is shocked that when she arrives, she is greeted by Ada who tells her that she wants her help in finding out which one of the friend group killed Thomas.

I really wanted to like this one. I was drawn to it initially by the moody cover, & it turned out to be the best part of the book. It has potential, but the characters are not really fleshed out past a quick sketch & they are all extremely unlikeable. It's also slow moving & it seemed to take forever for something to happen. The narrative was mainly from Elizabeth/Lizzie's point of view both in the present & ten years before, with the occasional chapter from others such as William. The bulk of the book seemed to be mainly Elizabeth's terminally boring internal monologue of missing Thomas & feeling guilty for her growing attraction to William, & I felt like I had whiplash from the rapidly changing emotions of characters in a scene - one minute reminiscing & even flirting, the next angry & rowing, with what seemed to me little to explain the change. Plotlines were introduced, built up, but never completed - what actually did happen with Tilly? The author finally commits the cardinal sin & doesn't include what happened to Alfie the dog in the epilogue. Was he ok as he seemed ill in the final chapter? Overall, it would have been a lot better if plot lines were completed & the characters developed more.

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Boldwood Books, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

I’ve read a couple of this authors books but I think this was my favourite. Written largely from the POV of the main character Elizabeth ‘Lizzie’ and told in the present and the past - 10 years ago.

Briefly, Elizabeth has been invited to a memorial celebration for her former partner Thomas Kirkwood who drowned 10 years ago. It was deemed to be an accident, but his mother, Ada, didn’t believe it. Ada never thought Lizzie was good enough for her eldest son and so Elizabeth was surprised to receive an invitation to a place, she had sworn never to go to again. Against her better judgement she decided to go. However, once she got there, she found out that Ada was expecting her to help find Thomas’s killer.

I was completely engrossed in the story line. A good locked house mystery with a number of potential suspects, and anyone of them could’ve done it. There were so many twists and turns I was constantly changing my mind about who I thought the killer was. This was a really good psychological thriller with some shocking reveals at the end of the book. A great read.

It took me a long time to become invested in the plot as I think it was repeating the same thing over and over again. I didn't feel like I connected with any of the characters but I did love the atmospheric thriller vibes and the mysterious plotted circumstances was what kept me reading. The few plot twists were also thrilling and I was blown away by the ending. A physcological thriller that I think has a lot of potential and I would definitely like to read more from this author.

This book just took a really long time for me to get into it. It is told in 2 different POV'S. This flips back and forth from the past and the present.
A weekend to remember definitely turns into a weekend The Kirkwood family can't forget. Now , 10 years later, Ada plans a memorial for her son inviting all the friends that were there that dreadful night. She just wants answers and will not stop until gets them.
The twist on this book did leave me shocked. I was definitely not expecting that ending. It was just a mediocre book for me. It took me too long to actuality get into it.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Weekend by L. H. Stacey is a slow-paced so-so thriller.

On the night of their graduation party at the Kirkwood estate amid an excess of alcohol and drugs, Lizzie's boyfriend Thomas Kirkwood is found murdered. Lizzie now goes by Elizabeth and she has sworn to never return to the manor. Ten years have passed and Elizabeth receives an invitation to return for a memorial weekend for Thomas organized by his mother, Ada. For some inexplicable reason she decides to attend to go. She knows almost immediately that it was a mistake.

The narrative alternates between the present day and ten years ago. In order for this alternating timeline to be successful, Elizabeth/Lizzie needs to be a character who is tenacious. self-aware, and compelling enough to carry the story and keep readers interested in what is happening in both timelines. I'm afraid that the character is unable to accomplish that task. Lizzie can be depicted as a young, gullible, inexperienced woman but after ten years one would think she would grow up and toughen up. If she's going to make the decision to attend this weekend after ten years of no contact, she needs to have the intestinal fortitude to deal with it.

Additionally, although I appreciate Stacey's author note that it was difficult to delve into a world surrounded by drugs and hedonism, I'd add that it was also very difficult to read about it and have any compassion for the numerous unlikable characters. I finished the novel but there were really no shocking surprises or twists.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Boldwood Books via NetGalley.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.

There is a hidden agenda when on the 10th anniversary of Thomas'untimely and tragic death his friends are invited to the scene of the disaster. His mother wants answers. A very twisty tale that will keep you guessing till the end. Suspense and intrigue all the way.

2.5 stars

The Weekend by L.H. Stacey is a psychological thriller..

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Boldwood Books and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Ten years ago, there was a graduation party held at the Kirkwood estate that got out of hand.  Too many drugs, too much booze, too much sex.  Thomas Kirkwood ended up dead.  

Now, Thomas's mother, Ada, is throwing a memorial party for her son.  She plans on finding out who killed him, and she wants Lizzie's help.  Who better than Thomas's old girlfriend?

Lizzie had sworn she would never return to that house.  She wanted to forget that whole period of her life.  But when she got the invitation, she decided to go.  Unexpectedly, all of Thomas's old friends and family are there.  Lizzie is uncomfortable from the start, and tension only worsens.  And then there is a death.  The Manor seems cursed.


My Opinions:
The story is told in two time-lines (10 years ago and current), as well as from a couple of perspectives, but mostly from Lizzie's.

There were a number of characters, very few of whom I liked.  I think Thomas (although dead), was probably my least favorite -- he was just a bully.  There were a number of runner-ups.  I think the only two I really liked were William and Cookie, oh and Alfie.  Lizzie's character of 10 years ago showed an immature, naive, and gullible young woman (still this way after graduating university?)  She still seemed rather naive 10 years later.   I don't think the other characters were very well-developed, but I guess other than the fact that we were supposed to know that they were all shallow, selfish individuals, it didn't matter.

The plot, while interesting, did drag a little, and I found myself skimming some of the rather lengthy descriptions of the forest, lake, etc.  The conclusion was somewhat predictable, and I think the whole thing lacked a little excitement.  I think the fact that I didn't really care for the characters contributed to my lack of involvement.

Anyway, I will continue to check out her next novel, and see what happens from there.

10 years after Thomas’s death a memorial is to be unveiled. All of the people present when Thomas died are invited to the house for the memorial weekend. However the real reason they are there is to uncover who killed Thomas.

The story is dual timeline with the present and 10 yeas ago. I enjoy dual timeline books because they give little sections of the past just when you need it to understand the present. Thomas was part of a powerful family who also had a lot of secrets. This book kept me guessing who the killer was.

I found The Weekend to be just an OK read. It is quite a slow burner with unlikeable characters which made me struggle to care about what was happening. Also it was a bit predictable in places.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for my ARC.

Ten years ago, Elizabeth discovered the body of her boyfriend Thomas Kirkwood in the lake on the Kirkwood Estate. Since then, she has never returned so, when she is invited to a ten year memorial along with the main suspects at the time, she goes very reluctantly. There she is reunited with Thomas' s younger brother and faces the malevolent attention of their mother who had always believed Lizzie was unsuitable a match for her elder son. When there is a death, Lizzie must work to find the killer before she becomes the next victim. I really liked the beginning which evoked the atmosphere of a drug-fuelled party and the confusion that ensues. I also enjoyed the suspense in this novel and the twist ending which took me completely by surprise. Thomas's' spoilt, privileged friends are well-described and the use of flashbacks and multiple points of view worked well and added to my enjoyment..

3/5
The story begins by flitting back and fore to ten years ago. It seemed a sluggish start and takes a while before we see a twist.

The mystery builds as we learn that Ada is hosting the memorial to find out who killed her son and she’s enlisted Lizzie to help.
I did find it a little difficult to follow at times as it jumped very often from present to past. I preferred reading the present day as it felt like a murder mystery night!

It was hard to warm to the majority of characters as there wasn’t much time to get to know them. Elizabeth and William were my favourites. I read the book quite quickly, eager to find out the ending, but I think more time should have been given to allow the reader to warm to the characters. I also found myself skim reading through some parts. I was pleased with the ending as my overall suspicions weren’t quite true. However, I felt the book was low

(This was an ARC, provided by Netgalley for an honest review)

The weekend to remember what happened that terrible night. When partying and drugs mixed with wealth and friends turns a fun night into one you want to forget. I read many thrillers/murder mysteries,and I have to say I did like this one. There were times when I felt it drug on too long, but overall, I liked the storyline and wanted to follow it until the end to see what actually happened. I liked very few of the characters, but I felt like that was the whole point in this novel. Lizzie was invited back, 10 years later, to the manor that haunted her dreams. Lizzie's boyfriend, Thomas Kirkwood, was murdered 10 years ago during his graduation party. Thomas' mother invited all his friends for one last weekend (memorial as she called it) at the manor in hopes of figuring out who killed her son. Almost all of the characters have secrets,and there are plenty of twists. There were some parts of the book that I felt were not finished, and I would have liked to know what happened to certain people. This novel has many points of view, so I did have to go back and reread some to really understand who's view it was,which I don't love. Also told in past and present which I always enjoy. This book also has a ton of characters and moving pieces so it can get hard to keep up with while reading. Overall, there is plenty to uncover of what really happened that weekend 10 years ago.

A tense chilling thriller a book I picked up and could not put down.Twists turns a boyfriends death ten years ago an invite to return to the scene of the death by his mother wold you go back.Twists turns till the final shock.A book and author I will be recommending.#netgalley g#boldwoodbooks

I was hooked on to the story and couldn't put it down until the end. This isn't a fast paced suspense novel but there's something unique about the way things unfold. First, we are given the events of that fateful graduation night. Then, fast forward to the present and an introduction of the characters - Lizzie and friends, William, and Anna.

The story alternates between past (ten years ago) and present. We also have multiple PoV characters - mostly Elizabeth (Lizzie) and William. I loved the flashbacks - the youngsters led a carefree life. Except for Lizzie, the rest from well-to-do families and Lizzie always felt left out. What's more hurtful is, Ada wanted her son Thomas to ditch Lizzie for a girl from a better family. He couldn't marry a girl who lives in the miner's colony, could he?

As the story proceeds, we see Lizzie learning the truth about Thomas - he's slept with all the girls in their friends circle and wouldn't think twice before cheating on Lizzie. She also overhears the conversation between Ada and Thomas - the one where Ada forces Thomas to leave Lizzie.

Then there is William, the younger sibling who's always sidelined - by his parents and brother. Only Lizzie supports him. After inheriting the manor, William decided to convert it into a hotel - Ada wasn't happy with this decision. Ada belittles William at every given chance.

Halfway through the story, there's a twist. The guests (friends of Lizzie and Thomas) wonder if someone's out there to get them. Maybe someone's trying to exact revenge for killing Thomas. Does this mean one of them killed Thomas ten years ago?

The mystery behind the murder kept me guessing till the end. There was something eerie about the whole atmosphere - the memorial, the guests, and everything else. Not in a creepy way, though. The final twist blew my mind. I never saw it coming. Absolutely jaw-dropping twist!

The ending did justice to all the suspense built throughout the story. Justice served on a silver platter.

Fantastic storytelling. Gripping mystery. Likeable characters. Excellent plot-to-story development. If you are looking for a slow-burn mystery with a shocking twist, I recommend you to give The Weekend by L.H. Stacey a try.

I just finished reading "The Weekend" by LH Stacey and here ae my thoughts. Thanks to Net Galley and Boldwood Books for a free copy of this bookin return for an honest review.
After ten years, Lizzie is invited to a special memorial for her long time boyfriend Thomas. Returning to the place of his death ( beautiful estate by a lake) she is reunited with Thomas mother Ada, a hateful woman who wants revenge on the persone who killed her some, his brother and all his and her friends from ten yearsn ago, The weekend at the manor takes a mysterious turn when two people die and Lizzie is thrown into a race to solve the mystery of who killed Thomas, before she herself gets killed. Sounds great doesn't it...well..not quite.
First of all, there are way too many characters in this story and I'm sorry, but one of the murders served no purpose. Was it to throw the reader off track? Second, all the characters were despicable. Even Lizzie...why on earth would an intelligent woman like her fall for such an awful human being like Thomas?...maybe was was looking for social status, but it sure didn't make sense. Third...it was way too long...way tooo tooo long. There was too much unecessary story telling which served little if any purpose. I kept waiting for something to make sense, through the long descriptions and explanations.
Thomas had no redeeming qualities and therefore Lizzie came across as pathetic. The supporting characters were terrible and selfish. And William, Thomas' brother never quite did it for me,
The story was resolved at the end in record time, but I feel like alot of questions were left unanswered, and I felt disatisfied at the end.
Definately not one of my favourites.

Elizabeth receives an invitation to a memorial of her deceased boyfriend Thomas who she found floating on the lake of his country house 10 years earlier. She decided to go along, but knew it was a bad idea.

William is Thomas’s little brother who now runs the house as a hotel, he doesn’t like the idea of a memorial, but his mother wanted it. She wanted to find out who had killed her son 10 years ago.

I really enjoyed this book. It was gripping and engaging. The chapters jump about from past to present which gives you a great timeline of events happening. It’s twisty with unexpected truths. I liked all the characters and enjoyed the surroundings. There is a lot of drug and alcohol use which some might not like, but it’s relevant with the story.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

When Liz was at University every weekend her and her boyfriend and all the friends from school would go to his family estate to party do drugs have sex and just hang out but when he is found dead the party ended. It’s 10 years later and Liz hasn’t spoke to or gone back to the estate but she received an invitation inviting her to the memorial for Thomas and against her better judgment she decides to go. She did have a few things she missed about being there one was the family pet Alfie and the other was Thomases younger brother William but when she arrives he acts cold to her and she realizes everyone else from that weekend was also invited. Being there is bringing up memories from the past and not all or good but when there is another mysterious death it will not only bring up bad memories but the murderers. This was such a good book and although I found it to be long I also found myself not wanting to put the book down. The story almost felt Victorian and it’s telling the next one I highly recommend. It is toll from the present in the past and bills to a crescendo of an ending. You will never guess who did it? I love this book and highly recommend it. I received it from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

"The Weekend", a new psychological thriller by author: L. H. Stacey to be published, 2/13/2023.

SYPNOSIS: 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.

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….

I had a hard time getting into this book at first. It was a slow read but the ending was worth it.

My thanks to Netgalley, the author and Boldwood Books for an E-ARC. This is solely my own opinion.