An art auction in Dubai that ends with the dealer arrested for murder in 2023; a Surrealist artist who pulled her only exhibited painting from the gallery twenty-four hours after the show opened, then died in a fire that swept through a Paris apartment in 1938; and a pair of university students at Cambridge trying to finish their dissertations while juggling their romantic feelings for each other in 1991—these are the threads that intertwine in the latest compelling novel from Ellery Lloyd.

It’s hard to say much more about this book without giving away spoilers. The various threads are too entangled with one another and the compelling portrait at the center of the story. Even the title has a double meaning. There were elements I figured out quickly and others I didn’t get until the full explanation at the end, but either way I was pulled along from the opening chapter. If you like twisty, suspenseful narratives with driven, not always likable but complex characters, this novel is for you.

I will be interviewing Ellery Lloyd on my blog (link below) around the time of the book’s release in June 2024.

First of all, I absolutely loved The Club by Ellery Lloyd. And it definitely left me wanting more of the story. Lloyd delivers an amazing 5-star follow up with The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby. I can not say enough about this book. It’s stunning and addictive and just so amazingly good. Historical fiction, suspense, mystery, dual POVs all combine for one unparalleled piece of perfection!!

Thank you NetGalley & Harper for an ARC copy of this book.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Mystery Thriller + Historical Fiction

I’m not going to say much about the book’s synopsis because it consists of three stories in three timelines that eventually intertwine. This book revolves heavily around the mystery of the Willoughby family, so it is better that you explore the whole thing yourself.

I was interested in reading it because the premise seemed like it would be about something that would be really interesting. It is possible that I am one of the few people who did not believe that the execution did justice to the intriguing case that was presented. Having to deal with three timelines was simply too much for me. Add to it multiple points of view narrated in first person style. Furthermore, even the present time period is constantly shifting between "before Harry's death" and "certain hours after Harry's death" and so on in a manner that is completely non-linear in terms of time. All these back-and-forth shifts didn’t work for me.

From my point of view, this had the potential to be a five-star book, and I sincerely believe that it would have been a very beautiful historical fiction story. The authors, unfortunately, made the decision to stick more with the mystery thriller genre side, giving it the cliche structure of today's mystery thrillers by alternating between different timeframes unnecessarily because they wanted to build a mystery. I wouldn’t go on to say this was a bad book because it isn't, but it was the wrong book for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

Part British dark academia / family generational secrets / art world mystery—so much going on but all seamlessly came together with unexpected twists.

With great thanks to NetGalley & Harper/HarperCollins for this e-ARC!

I really enjoyed this! I’m finding Ellery Lloyd books to be hit or miss for me but this was outstanding! Dual POVs and a mystery beautifully interwoven, bravo

I thought this was really well written and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I think it will find readers at our library, so we will definitely be purchasing for the collection.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time in exchange for a review. It didn't disappoint! Must read!!

A book based around art, with dual timelines, mysteries (some easy to solve, some unexpected), you will want to pick this up and not put it down!!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I love a revenge plot, and period pieces and luckily for me this was both! I had just finished reading The Club when I received my ARC, and dove right in! It is so easy to lose yourself in Lloyd's style it feels like a warm hug.

This book is very intricate and complex. I figured out some of the mysteries before they were revealed, but there were others that came as a complete surprise. I am impressed by the various subplots and the ways that seemingly minor characters or events are actually of great importance.

Upon looking at the cover for the first time I had to know who Juliette Willoughby was and what was her legacy.
I devoured this book and one twist and mystery after another made it difficult to put down.

I enjoyed the multiple timelines and point of views between all the main characters.
There were multiple audible gasps unraveling the mystery that is Juliette Willoughby.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper for allowing me to read this book and give my honest review!

Having absolutely loved Ellery Lloyd's two other books, I have been excitedly waiting for this book to come out.

The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby is a well paced and intriguing read. I was pulled in from the first chapter and had a hard time putting it down as the story unfolded. I loved the way that the three different perspectives were balanced and having the mystery revealed across the book gave space for the reader to both discover and be surprised at different times.

That being said, at times, I felt that the twists were easier to guess than it seemed the authors wanted. I also would have liked more time spent on the events in the last ~25% of the book. It felt like the pace was significantly quickened and the ending was somewhat rushed. There was quite a bit of story that was given as confession/villain monologues in this portion that could have been better explained and/or explored, as well.

Overall, this was a fun and interesting story that I would definitely recommend.

I learned about this title in a Reader’s Advisory webinar and was interested in the book from the summary of the plot.
A very engaging read from the first page. The flashbacks to the different time periods also really served the story well. I enjoyed the mystery of Juliette Willougby and finding out more about the elusive artist and her backstory as it wove into Caroline and Patrick’s plot as well. I did not see the ending coming at all.

This was brilliant! I loved this complex story alternating between two timelines/characters. I enjoyed reading about Caroline and Peter's journey to look for the missing painting. I loved Juliette's chapters/diary and learning about surrealism art in the 1930s. Juliette's family's obsession with Egyptology was a fascinating addition to the book. I recommend this book if you enjoy historical fiction with some mystery/suspense.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Publishing for the digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve been on a kick recently with books set in the art world. This novel has a duel timeline with present day art history students revealing new information about the death of an artist. The mystery was not terribly mysterious and I found myself liking the more modern story better (the historical plot line was a bit tedious to me).

An intriguing read about the art history world and two students who get swept up in an old mystery. A good read with art, murder and love!

Loved, loved, loved The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby!! The alternating POV and dual timeline serve up the mysteries in a compelling way. The various plot lines are well developed and the main characters are too. Several dramas build in the book as the worlds of art discovery, auction and authentication are explored. Ellery Lloyd’s book is not to be missed!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This is a fresh take at historical fiction, and a follow up to The Club by author Ellery Lloyd.

At first I was a bit bewildered by the multiple POV periods (1938, 1991 and current). But I was drawn in very quickly to Caroline Cooper's story as an Art History Ph.D student and her colleague the interesting and rich Patrick Lambert. There are sparks between the two but at first they must focus on their work. The two are tasked with focusing on the Surrealist period of Art and their dissertations, while different, guides them to uncovering more information about the infamous Juliette Willoughby. When they find potential proof that Juliette's death was not an accident the story really takes off!

This tale is more than historical fiction and comes complete with thrills and the excitement of overlapping storylines. Dive in and help find out what happened to Juliette Willoughby! #thefinalactofjuliettewilloughby #ellerylloyd #harper

My mom was an artist so paintings and art have always fascinated me.

A tragic love affair that does not start out on the right foot, as one is married and the other one leaves her family for this love.

You can tell this one is well researched with the art world, auctions and value of ancient art.

This is perfect for the art lover. Part mystery and thriller.

Let this novel take you away to Paris, Dubai and Cambridge. I love travel so this was a plus for me.

This book really exceeded my expectations! The story and timeline are well organized and laid out perfectly. It was a perfect mesh between past and present which kept the story moving forward with revealing more details in spurts. This kept my interest peaked the entire time, but also was easy to follow the storyline. Just when I thought I knew what was happening, the story would take a turn. There's also a really good finale of a twist. I enjoyed the setting of Dubai and it played on one of my worst nightmares, being convicted of a crime in another country.

This one is definitely going on my favorite books of the year list. I cannot recommend this one enough!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.