Not a huge fan of this one. It starts off fairly strong and you have an immediate connection to the FMC. She's going through a transition in her life and it's very familiar to alot of women. The last 50-75 pages though lose me. The story is a little all over the place at that point. You have way too many characters involved. You sort of just get lost.

⭐️⭐️ Disappointing and Underwhelming

I had high hopes for this book — a moody, isolated resort, a mysterious death, and a setup that promised The White Lotus meets Agatha Christie. Unfortunately, it never delivered.

The premise was solid, and the opening chapters hinted at something atmospheric and suspenseful. But the pacing dragged, and just when it felt like things might finally ramp up… they didn’t. The story fizzled out before it even got good. The characters, while full of secrets, never truly came alive, and the twists lacked punch.

By the time the payoff came, I was more frustrated than intrigued. The ending didn’t feel earned, and the emotional core the book aimed for just didn’t land for me.

Could have been great — but in the end, it felt like a missed opportunity.

Oh I enjoyed this immensely. Ally Condie always keeps me on my toes and creates such interesting characters. I thought this one came together very well and had me guessing the majority of the book. Highly recommend.

Fans of psychological suspense and character-driven thrillers will find a lot to admire here. Though the pacing lags in a few spots, and not every twist lands with maximum impact, Condie’s elegant prose and emotional insight make this a worthwhile read. It’s Big Little Lies meets The Guest List—with a quieter, more introspective voice.

Final verdict: A moody, thought-provoking mystery with a powerful emotional core. Don’t expect nonstop action—but do expect to be drawn in, held tight, and left thinking.

This is another one that has been sitting on my Netgalley shelf for too long.

The Unwedding started strong for me. I liked the idea of a woman traveling alone and stumbling on a dead body. Then it took a turn for the worse. There were just too many characters to keep track of, and adding the art stuff on top of it just had me trying to play catch up. By the end I was thoroughly confused and found myself annoyed with all of the characters. Things were a little too convenient and wrapped up too neatly. Not my cup of tea

2.5 stars

This was a great, twisty mystery! I really liked the setting; it was very atmospheric. I will definitely be recommending this one to our mystery/ thriller readers!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

The Unwedding by Ally Condie completely captivated me from the very first page. I went into this expecting a twisty mystery—and while it absolutely delivered on the suspense—it was the emotional depth and quiet power of the story that truly stayed with me.

Eeekkkk. I thought this would be great since it was a Reese pick but nope. Didn’t enjoy it at all!! Thanks for Netgalley and publisher for letting me read it.

The Unwedding is a cross between a moderately cozy murder mystery and relationship fiction. Ellery is a high school teacher whose husband announced he wanted a divorce shortly before their twentieth wedding anniversary trip to a resort in Big Sur. Ellery was the one who found the resort, and has decided to take the trip solo. When she arrives, she discovers that a wedding is taking place at the resort that weekend, and she is the only person there alone. Dealing with her recent divorce, loneliness, and some undisclosed but significant traumatic event sounds like enough for one weekend, but then she finds the groom dead in the swimming pool, right as a catastrophic storm system moves through the area, stranding all the guests at the resort. Cue Ellery and her new acquaintances quickly becoming amateur sleuths while tension at the resort continues to climb.

I enjoyed this book enough to lose track of time, but it felt forced and overdone in some places. The mystery around the traumatic event Ellery was involved with was possibly one layer too many for me - I think that knowing what had happened would have actually made her reactions to the events at the resort seem more reasonable and made it easier to buy into some of her panic. The buildup of the event wasn’t matched by the reveal, and that took away from some of the more dynamic reveals in the main storyline.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review via Netgalley.

This was a fun thriller! I loved the resort setting and the intriguing premise. The plot was interesting and kept me hooked!

A murder mystery, a woman healing from divorce, and feelings of reconnection to one's own self make this the ideal book for a wide variety of readers.

The Unwedding: Reese's Book Club Pick by Condie was an incredibly fun read for this thriller reader. I was kept up too late and turning those pages - it was awesome.

Book Review: The Unwedding by Ally Connie
⭐️⭐️⭐️

What happens when the happiest day of your life turns into a nightmare? Ally Connie’s The Unwedding is a psychological thriller that grips you from the very first page. Set against the backdrop of what should have been a dream wedding, the story quickly spirals into a dark and twisty mystery that keeps readers on edge.

What I Loved:
✨ A Jaw-Dropping Premise – A bride left at the altar is shocking enough, but when Ellie starts digging into the truth, she realizes she’s been living a lie. The suspense builds beautifully as secrets begin to unravel.
✨ Unpredictable Twists – Just when you think you have it figured out, Connie throws in a reveal that completely changes the game. I gasped more than once!
✨ Emotional Depth – This isn’t just a thriller—it’s also an exploration of love, betrayal, and identity. Ellie’s journey is compelling, and I found myself rooting for her even when she made questionable choices.
✨ A Hauntingly Atmospheric Setting – From picturesque wedding venues to eerie, isolated locations, the book’s settings add to the tension, making everything feel even more unsettling.

What Could Have Been Stronger:
🔹 Pacing in the First Half – While the slow buildup helps develop suspense, it took a bit longer than I expected for things to really take off.
🔹 Some Underdeveloped Characters – A few side characters had intriguing backstories, but I wanted more depth and exploration into their roles in Ellie’s life.

Final Thoughts:
If you love thrillers with an unreliable narrator, deep emotional stakes, and shocking twists, The Unwedding should be on your TBR! It’s The Silent Patient meets The Last Mrs. Parrish, with a unique wedding-day-gone-wrong twist. I highly recommend it for fans of psychological suspense!

📖 Have you read The Unwedding? Let’s discuss!

I was not able to read this book before its publish date, however now that I have read it I gave it 3.5 stars.

I’ve enjoyed Condie’s YA books and was excited to read her adult debut. Unfortunately, this fell flat for me overall. At first I was really enjoying this: I really liked the premise and the atmospheric setting, and the beginning was quite compelling. But somewhere around the halfway mark it started dragging, and ultimately it fizzled out near the end. The reveals were underwhelming and I finished this book a bit disappointed, especially since it had started so strongly.

It’s not a bad book exactly, and the reviews seem pretty mixed so I think it’s worth giving a shot if you’re interested. I just didn’t like it as much as I hoped.

The Unwedding is that book where everything is going wrong and everyone has a secret. The reader knows that there are secrets--just not knowing what they are and is sitting on the edge of seat his/her about what will happen next--rain, mud, falling trees, bridges out, etc.-- turning pages (or swiping) as fast as he/she can to find out the secrets are and what happens to this isolated group of people. I liked the way Ms. Condie wove these characters around each other and how some of their stories intersected among themselves. In the end everything came out ok--except I still felt a sense of loss for the groom--no one had a bad thing to say about him and I felt so sorry for his bride (however, there is a surprise there). It was a good escape read--and sometimes that is exactly what me and others need.

Wow, this one was intriguing and a great read!!

Ellery is on vacation at a beautiful location, when she discovers a dead body on the property the day that a wedding is supposed to happen. So, who is the one who killed him?? Then the guests are trapped at the resort due to a mudslide from bad weather, and things start going insane!! Keeps you on your toes and guessing till the end.

I felt this book had great potential but then it just kind of flatlined for me in the middle, and fizzled out in the end

This book, seems to be polarizing and has a mix of different reviews. I found it to stressful and interesting, but nothing that will stick with me for a long time.

The Unwedding by Ally Condie is a gripping and atmospheric psychological thriller that explores themes of loss, secrets, and the unraveling of perfect facades. Ellery Wainwright is supposed to be celebrating her twentieth wedding anniversary at the luxurious Resort at Broken Point, but instead, she finds herself alone at the edge of the world after her marriage falls apart. As she settles into the stunning but eerie surroundings of Big Sur, her stay is marred by the unsettling presence of a wedding that forces her to confront the crumbling remnants of her own relationship.

Things take a dark turn when Ellery stumbles upon the body of the groom, dead in the resort’s pool. As a mudslide traps the guests at the resort and the police are unable to reach them, tension mounts. Another death soon follows, and it becomes clear that something sinister is afoot at Broken Point. With every guest hiding their own secrets, Ellery must confront the shadows of her past and the unsettling truth that no one at the resort is who they seem to be.

Condie masterfully builds suspense throughout the novel, blending emotional depth with mystery. The haunting atmosphere of the resort, combined with Ellery’s emotional journey of self-discovery and the growing sense of danger, keeps readers on the edge of their seats. The Unwedding is a thrilling, thought-provoking read that will appeal to fans of psychological suspense and those who enjoy stories where secrets are slowly uncovered, one twist at a time.