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The Stranger at the Wedding
Author: A.E. Gauntlett
Source: Publisher & NetGalley
Pub Date: August 13, 2024

The Stranger at the Wedding is a good thriller that is an easy, breezy read about a terrible person(s). Our lead protagonist is Annie, who has a very dysfunctional childhood and did not think she would ever find love until she saw Mark on her morning work commute. It is love at first sight. Mark also had a tough childhood, and Annie offers stability and hope. But these two crazy kids don’t settle down until they meet again a year later, and by that time, his wife has left him, he’s having mental issues, yet they are preparing for their wedding. On the happiest day of Annie’s life, things start to take a turn, and her world unwinds slowly to a shocking conclusion. It seems death or heartbreak has followed both of our lovers their whole lives. There are no spoilers here, and you will want to read this when it is published in August. I’ll be sure to remind you. #love #future #family #mentalillness #psychopath #killer #life #fate #envy #TheStrangerAtTheWedding @netgalley #aegauntlett @henryholtbooks
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I received a complimentary copy of this ARC. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for the opportunity to read this novel. Pub. Date: Aug. 13, 2024.
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I liked the idea of the story, and it was set up pretty well, but I was scratching my head at the way the author switched time frames and narrators. I found it really hard to follow, and pretty frustrating, and that frustration clearly affected how I felt about the story. There really wasn't a character who was sympathetic (with the slight exception of Cameron), so I found it hard to root for someone.

All in all, this was mildly entertaining but just didn't connect with me.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being given freely.

Tense is an understatement! Best domestic mystery since "The Last Mrs Parrish". Secrets and lies, and a woven tapestry of hidden truths and obsessions. Not everyone will survive, not everyone will learn the truth, not everyone will be happy. You won't get the answers until the end, and you won't guess what's coming ...

I was hooked from the first page and thought the story had a great overall feel to it. I was hooked from the cover and thought the mystery element had everything that I was looking for. The concept was great and thought the characters had a great overall feel to them. It uses the wedding element perfectly and had a great overall with the mystery elements. A. E. Gauntlett has a great writing style and I wanted to read more.

Amazing book!!! You can not stop reading . The plot is unique . You will never guess until the end. The characters are well developed . I just loved it . I recommend this book !

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Stranger at the Wedding.

I've never read anything by this author before so I was excited my request was approved.

First, the writing style is formal, more like a summary of events as they happen or how the characters are feeling.

I'm not a fan of this kind of writing but I understand authors each have their unique styles.

Second, the flashbacks and present timelines were not woven properly into the narrative, lacking headers denoting this chapter was in the past so I was often confused as to what was happening.

Third, like most readers mentioned, this is a slow burn as nothing really happens until more than midway through the book.

There's exposition about the wedding and Annie and her husband, too much exposition that read as filler.

I still don't get the point of the filler; that Annie had a wonderful childhood until her daddy died and perhaps she's the way she is because of Daddy issues? Tell me something new.

Not surprisingly, the most interesting character is Cameron, since Annie and her husband are barely fleshed out.

That's why the ending feels so far out of left field.

I guessed most of the twists (not that abrupt ending which I'm still not sold on) because I read SOO many of these books, but it also made no sense.

There's no hint or foreshadowing that Annie is a sociopath or someone we should be aware of so it was difficult to believe she would do something terrible like this.

It just made me dislike Annie more.

I don't mind unlikable characters, especially devious, sly, manipulative characters a la Tom Ripley.

But Annie is no Ripley. She did all this just because she wanted to get married?

Lame.

Loved this book. I definitely didn’t except the ending and it was a great read. The characters were well thought out and didn’t let on their true self until the end.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time in exchange for a review. You should read it!

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!
I had high hopes for this book after reading the description, it fell short for me though. I didn’t dislike it, but wasn’t wowed by it either. I found it hard to follow quite often, it was very slow and had me confused. I also didn’t understand the ending so was left feeling confused about the book. I feel like it had potential, but unfortunately missed. Overall, not a bad book, but not one I’d care to read again.

This was a decent thriller that I finished pretty quickly. It centers on Annie, who meets Mark on a train and is immediately drawn to him. Less than a year later, they are getting married but they both have secrets to hide which threaten to come to light when a stranger named Cameron shows up at their wedding. The story is told primarily from Annie’s POV, though it does jump between timelines.

Neither character was super compelling and I actually found Cameron to be my favorite character in the book. I felt like the relationship between Annie and Mark just didn’t make much sense- not sure if it was the writing style or if it was supposed to come off that way but it just felt weird to me. The unclear transitions between timelines and the reference to various stories involving Greek gods took me out of the narrative at times. I actually didn’t find the ending super predictable, as I had thought there was going to be a different (even more predictable) ending, so I really liked the way it ended and I liked the book better because of it.

Overall, the story was pretty good but there is a little bit of “noise” that I could’ve done without. I’d give it 3.5 stars, rounded up. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Henry Holt & Company via NetGalley.

Annie, a skeptic when it comes to matters of the heart, finds herself swept off her feet by Mark, igniting a romance that feels like fate. Their connection, forged through shared experiences and mutual understanding, leads them to the altar, where Annie believes she's finally found her happily ever after.

However, as Annie stands on the threshold of her new life, a stranger's presence casts a shadow over her joyous occasion, unraveling the facade of her perfect future. Questions arise: Who is this mysterious figure? What secrets lie buried beneath the surface of Mark's past? And is Annie's newfound happiness built on a foundation of lies?

While I appreciated the twists and turns that kept me guessing, I found despite its brevity, the story felt drawn out. The primary issue I had was the disjointed timeline, making it difficult to discern the sequence of events. Annie's perspective serves as the primary lens through which we view the story, interspersed with occasional glimpses into other characters' viewpoints. Yet, the transitions between these perspectives and timelines lacked cohesion, further complicating an already convoluted narrative.

Neither Annie nor Mark emerged as particularly compelling characters, failing to elicit empathy or investment from the reader. In contrast, Cameron, a peripheral character introduced at the wedding, exuded a warmth and charm that eclipsed the protagonists' lackluster personas.

Ultimately, while the story held promise, its execution faltered due to the muddled narrative structure and underdeveloped characters, leaving much to be desired in terms of engagement.

So Annie and Mark chance meet on a commuter train and romance follows.
Or was it really chance?
Mark is recovering from the disappearance of his first wife and Annie helps him along as their love grows and soon leads to marriage.
And then the story takes root.
The stranger at the wedding sends Annie into a mild tailspin of foreboding and the chills and questions take off as she struggles with who he is and what he wants.
Lots of tense and very anxious moments but a lot is overshadowed by the continual back and forth between now and then with no smooth transitions. They became very confusing at times and interrupted the flow of the read.
Neither character was particularly likeable to me with Cameron, from the wedding, actually coming across as more personable than either of them.

A few chapters in I was completely involved hated to put it down.So well written so many twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat till the last page.#netgalley #henryholt

I think the biggest issue I had with this book is how hard it was to follow. I never really have an issue with bouncing between the past and present, but I had a really hard time following it in this book. I could never quite figure out what the timeline actually was; I would have to re-read paragraphs sometimes to figure out if we were before or after the wedding, or even in Annie's childhood.

I found the twist to be a bit obvious and the ending too abrupt. I found myself really wanting the book to be over, but then when it actually was it was like ...... that's it?

Thank you #netgalley for the ARC! I enjoyed The Stranger at the Wedding. The plot was interesting and story easy to follow.

When Annie see Mark on the train she is immediately smitten. She’s willing to go very far to make sure he becomes hers and hers only.

On their wedding day, she meets a man who will make Mark question who his new wife really is.

The Stranger at the Wedding
Written by A. E. Gauntlet
Published by Henry Holt and Company
Release Date August 13, 2024


Like most reviewers stated, this took a few chapters to get going but once it did it took off. I truly enjoyed this mystery and all it had to offer the reader. The characters were so well developed and they meshed well together. I was fully engaged from the first page until the last.
Annie had her share of bad luck in relationships and did not believe that love was possible for her. That is until she met Mark. They saw each other on their daily commute but their relationship really took off when they ran into each other at. Support group for trauma survivors. Mark had lost his first wife but he never really talks about that with Angie nor does she divulge her troubled past to him. They fall in love and the wedding is on. Preparations are under way and the day finally arrives. However when Annie looks out into the crowd of well wishers she notices someone that she does not know. As the day goes on, more and more things start happening that give her reasons to wonder who she is marrying. Then as she thinks back on their whirlwind relationship, she realizes there were too many coincidences that she should have noticed. Could Mark have intentionally been in the same place as her? What really happened to his first wife? Should she run as far away from him as possible?
This is not a predictable book at all and the ending is one that you will not expect. The author does an amazing job of ensuring the reader is enthralled and entertained the whole way.

5 +++ stars

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for giving me a copy to read in exchange for my unbiased and honest review.

The beginning of The Stranger at the Wedding was a bit slow, but once the storyline picked up some speed it was hard to put down.

Mark and Annie weren’t the most lovable of characters, and sometimes they were a bit hard to follow. The twist was a little obvious, but not in a hit you in the head sort of way.

The mild theme of child loss is probably why I had a hard time finishing the book.

This was a quick read and a decent thriller. The story started off pretty slow and I had a hard time getting interested in this. After a bit though it did start to pick up. I found the story ultimately predictable but it was still enjoyable.

I had to be patient in the beginning, it started off a little on the slow side. There is a lot of details in the plot and character development, and come mythology references. It takes some time to get into and understand the story line. But once it starts to pick up on the thriller action it becomes a quick page turner.
I never got attached to any of the characters besides the missing wife. I was really intrigued by her story and what happened to her. There is duel POV as well as flash backs to the past. It would take a second to recognize we jumped back but wasn't too hard to follow along.
Overall a good mystery/thriller/who done it story.
3.5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley, Henry Holt & Company and the author for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It definitely started out a little slow and then the twists eventually started to get intertwined throughout the book.


Thank you to the author and NetGallery for the arc