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.

This is a great example of not always going by the Goodreads rating on a book. I saw that it had under 3.5 stars, and that usually will make me think twice about reading something. But with #TheUnwedding, the premise sounded good and I wanted to give it a shot.
I'm glad I did because I thoroughly enjoyed it and found it to be a page turner. It seems like there have been a lot of books whose plot centers around weddings as of late (the theme of 2024 perhaps?)
This particular story centers on Ellery Wainwright who was supposed to travel to the Resort at Broken Point in Big Sur with her husband for their 20th anniversary.
Instead, she travels alone after her marriage ending in divorce. While there, a wedding is taking place and Ellery discovers a dead body floating in the pool the day of wedding.
I thought the plot was good, although a little predictable at times, but it was very atmospheric and the pacing was strong. I would definitely recommend this one.

This book was just “meh” for me. I felt like I was reading it because I had to finish it instead of reading it because I wanted to finish it. I can’t quite put my finger on what it was.

As a big fan of Agatha Christie, I can't agree with the book's description. The narration felt flat, I think I would've preferred for Ellery to have narrated this from a first person perspective. I did appreciate the setting and Ellery's development after her divorce. The character interactions left something to be desired.
The mystery aspect wasn't gripping or compelling, I found myself just wanting to know how the story ended but I didn't enjoy the journey getting to the conclusion.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for providing a Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Excellent read! Thoroughly enjoyed. The mystery kept me reading and the character development was strong.

A quick, fun read set on a the beautiful coastline of California. Characters were somewhat unremarkable, but overall a great beach read.

This book was poorly written and trope-heavy. Confusing and overwrought. Do not recommend and frankly surprised at the degree of praise awarded to this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy of this book. Book was fine, really good if you like the genre! I would read more from this author.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The backstories on the characters were compelling and interesting. The plot was twisted in all the right ways.

Amazing intense read. So many feelings. Weddings,grief, loss hope and love

Brilliantly written novel. Reese knows her books!

The Unwedding wasn't bad, but it wasn't really good either. As the story of a woman making new friends and gaining a sense of perspective after divorce, it's successful, but as a murder mystery, it's unsatisfying. The main character, after her divorce, stays at an expensive resort by herself for what was supposed to be her anniversary. She becomes fast friends with an interesting pair her age who are vacationing together. They entertain themselves by crashing a wedding party and trying to figure out who among the guests might be secretly famous. After the weather turns bad, they end up being stuck at the resort longer than planned in increasingly harsh conditions.
Two of the guests are found dead under suspicious circumstances, and the main character and friends, plus people who knew the victims, start trying to figure out how they died. Their theorizing and investigation doesn't turn up much that's useful, but at the end of the book, the mc realizes that she knows who the killer is. She doesn't piece clues together or make logical deductions, rather she makes assumptions and jumps to conclusions, and turns out to be right. It's not a book that you can read and figure out on your own what happened. You don't know anything for much of the book, then you're told what happened at the end. If you like murder mysteries, it may not be what you're looking for. If you're more drawn to the story of a middle aged woman coping with the end of her marriage with the help of new and old friends, you're more likely to enjoy this.

This book has been on my TBR for a little while and I’m so glad I finally picked it up. An exclusive resort where Ellery is staying after a divorce is the setting of a wedding. Unfortunately the wedding never happens and the groom is found dead. Terrible rains cause a landslide that prevent the only way in and out of the resort. Ellery becomes a detective and tries to find out what happened to the groom. What I liked about this story was how the author used the characters and the setting in the mystery.

"The Unwedding" by Ally Condie is a mystery that blends elements of suspense with a captivating and enjoyable setting. The vivid descriptions transport readers to a world that feels immersive and intriguing. However, the novel falls short in its character development and overall storytelling. With a large cast of characters, I found myself wanting deeper exploration of their backgrounds, motivations, and relationships. The suspense, while present, could have been more engaging to truly elevate the mystery. Despite its shortcomings, the book offers a pleasant escape, but it leaves readers yearning for more complexity and depth in both its characters and plot.

Ellery books a magical trip at a resort for her 20th wedding anniversary. Her husband suddenly says he wants a divorce. Not wanting to waste the non-refundable deposit she decides to go alone. There is a big wedding happening and she meets some interesting characters. Ellery goes for an early morning swim and finds the groom floating in the pool dead. Ellery is a very likeable character with great sleuthing skills. She is dealing with her own pain of her marriage ending, but still becomes the strongest character trying to get to the bottom of what happened. This as a quick read that keeps you guessing.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Unwedding by Ally Condie

I DNF’d at 45%. I never DNF books but I could not summon up the motivation to finish this audiobook. To put it plainly - it was boring. I had no reason to care about any of the characters and even the components of the mystery couldn’t inspire enough motivation to keep reading.

Loved this perfect mystery/thriller book! Was a quick intriguing read with twists and turns! Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC opportunity.

What a beautiful setting for a getaway - Big Sur, California! Unfortunately, Ellery finds herself at the exotic resort alone rather than with her husband of 20 years. He's asked her for a divorce, and she'd rather go alone then allow him to travel there with his new girlfriend. However, she gets involved in a mystery surrounding a wedding that is occurring at the resort. And even worse, bad weather has trapped all the resort guests

This was a propulsive "locked door" mystery that I really enjoyed reading. We get to meet the other wedding and resort guests and employees together with Ellery. I also joined in with the amateur sleuthing, but didn't figure it out. I thought that the vast cast of characters were well written.

I really enjoyed this book and will be recommending it to others. Many thanks to #GrandCentralPublishing for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.