As a book reviewer, I recently had the opportunity to delve into Liza North's "The Weekend Guests," courtesy of NetGalley, and I'm eager to share my impressions.

My initial apprehension stemmed from the book's use of multiple points of view and timelines. Typically, these narrative techniques can create a sense of disorientation, making it challenging to fully immerse oneself in the story. However, Liza North skillfully navigated these complexities, crafting a narrative that was remarkably easy to follow. I found the transitions between perspectives and time periods seamless, never feeling lost or confused. This is a testament to North's ability to structure a complex plot with clarity and precision.

While not every character was designed to be likable, each played a pivotal role in the unfolding drama. Their flaws and imperfections contributed to the authenticity of the story, making them feel like real people with real motivations. This approach, while potentially alienating some readers who prefer universally sympathetic characters, ultimately served to enhance the intrigue and suspense. It is important to note that unlikable characters can make for a very compelling read. As stated by many literary critics, "Flawed characters add depth and realism to a narrative."

The pacing was a significant strength. From the outset, the story moved swiftly, drawing me into its web of secrets and intrigue. The narrative unfolded with a sense of urgency, keeping me engaged and eager to discover what would happen next. This fast-paced approach, coupled with the intriguing plot, made for a compelling and enjoyable reading experience.

Liza North has crafted a thriller that deftly balances complex narrative structures with compelling character development and a gripping plot. "The Weekend Guests" is a testament to her skill as a storyteller, and I would recommend it to anyone seeking a fast-paced and intriguing read.

Liza North crafts a compelling thriller that kept me engaged. The dual timeline structure effectively builds suspense. While some plot twists may be anticipated, the overall execution was engaging. For readers who appreciate atmospheric settings and intricate character dynamics, this novel offers a gripping exploration of the shadows that linger from our pasts.

Five old friends... One reunion to die for…

I really liked the Dorset coast setting - no spoilers but it definitely adds depth to the story. We get this solid sense of tension while reading this book. While I did guess a few things right, I also was also surprised at a few twists. I really liked the use of dual timelines in this story - we go back to their University days and I also liked then use of the post cards and journal entries.

These characters are flawed and problematic…but can they redeem themselves? I liked the Multiple POV and how we get to know the characters. The one in particular really brings the creep factor.

You probably aren’t going to like them, but I still wanted to see what would happen and to understand what they did.

I personally liked the ending - was it a little far fetched? Eh, maybe - but I found it to be satisfying and hey, this is fiction - anything goes!

Five college friends reunite after time apart, seemingly to simply reconnect. But there is a darker undertone, a crime from the past that is threatening to resurface, punishment promised by mysterious postcards.

This was a very suspenseful book. I honestly never saw the ending coming. The characters are all highly unlikeable (except the children), but that seems to be the point. This is not a group to root for, even while you as a reader are so involved in their lives. I wouldn’t recommend the characters as friends, but I would recommend this book.

3.5 stars

Four college friends and their spouses and children are called together by the group leader, presumably for a posh weekend getaway in her glamorous cliffside retreat. In reality, each has received an ominous postcard referencing a secret from the past. As the weekend progresses, cracks in the ones inseparable group begin to show, and as the group spirals, the truth about what happened all those years ago threatens to finally come out.

The story is told from multiple points of view and over two timelines: in the past when the group was at university and the present, while they are together on this vacation. Both storylines were interesting, but I have to say the past storyline and the character who narrates it definitely held my attention much more.

As I said, this is a dual timeline story, and it is filled with suspense along both timelines as a creepy atmosphere hangs over both stories. However, the storyline that takes place in 2001 when they are students in Edinburgh, that is narrated by a person outside of their group really will stand out as a spectacular thriller as you read it. The present day storyline is a little more slow going and doesn’t quite have as much punch to it. It’s much more of a slow burn whereas the past timeline, you notice the alarming qualities right away.

But I still enjoyed both stories because they created a full picture of these troubled people’s lives and how they seem to create chaos and it definitely led to a tense and almost Gothic atmosphere.

I was definitely intrigued by what was going to happen, even if I was a bit annoyed by some of the characters, who didn’t seem to be able to stand up for themselves and weren’t terribly likable. But what kind of stands out in this book that confused me is the very last page and a half of this book which I did not understand at all. It felt like the book had an ending in that things had wrapped up, but then all of a sudden there was this “Afterward.” Was I the only one confused by that?

So I would say this is absolutely a book worth reading, but maybe once you do, you can explain the ending to me. Because while I enjoyed this book, I definitely did not “get it.” And that may have tinged my view of the book.

Not a bad book but the plot is so common and rather forgettable.

It took awhile to keep the characters straight because they blended into each other. Thanks for the advance review copy.

I really struggled with this book. Juggling multiple characters across two timelines made the story more confusing than it needed to be.

Unfortunately, it just didn’t work for me. The plot felt predictable, lacking the twists or fresh ideas I was hoping for.

It took me a bit to get into this one as it has a slow start and it was hard for me to keep track of all the characters. About halfway through I started getting the hang out who everyone was and started to enjoy it more. One of the POVs will definitely give you the heebie-jeebies and you just know he is up to no good. Overall, a solid premise with a good mystery at it’s center.

I initially found it a bit difficult to get engrossed in the book, the many POVs confused me a little at the start. After a few chapters, it became interesting. The book switches from 2019 to 2001 and we get to see the reunion of a group of college friends and their past. The characters were all different, yet I didn't feel any attachment to them. The ending does tend to surprise you. This is a good book which is probably a one-time read.

[arc review]
Thank you to Harper Perennial for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Weekend Guests releases January 28, 2025

3.75

In the present timeline, Brandon and Aline have just invited three of their close university friends and their spouses/kids to their secondary home in Dorset for a weekend reunion now that their renovations are complete.

As a way to build suspense leading up to the reveal of what really brought the group of undergrads together again, the reader is brought back eighteen years in time to 2001 when Aline, Michael, and Rob have just become neighbours with a PhD student named Darryl.

Darryl’s chapters were much more captivating and I could have spent the entirety of the story from his pov as an outcast and observer. His frequent mentions of Phyllis added intrigue early on, and was a puzzle piece I was eager to solve as it was clear that she was not someone who was alive, which made me quickly question the credibility of Darryl’s mental state.

Despite thinking that the character pov’s from the present timeline could’ve been stronger, I really liked how the story was structured and how the events unfolded.

Unsettling and disturbing, creepily atmospheric…everything I look for in a psychological thriller! The story unfolds in dual time lines and is told by alternating characters. Five old college friends reunite years later with partners and children in tow at the behest of Aline, still living a seemingly perfect life. Only they all share a secret that can bring everything crashing down, and some one else has made it clear they know it. The obvious suspect is their old neighbor, a disturbing post grad student living in the apartment next door who desperately wants to be their friend. As his version of reality becomes more and more off kilter the tension kept ramping up, twists in the story as secrets and grudges surface kept me reading late into the night.
The settings, both in Edinburgh and rural, coastal Dorset are written in such a vivid way they draw you in, adding welcoming detail and atmosphere.
Perfect for fans of Lucy Foley, academic mysteries, and well written, nail biting suspense, I highly recommend adding ‘The Weekend Guests’ to your reading list. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Paperbacks for providing me with an advance copy, I thoroughly enjoyed it and know others well too.

2.5 stars

The setup for this thriller sounds generic, but I'm such a sucker for an isolated location and long-ago secrets coming to light that I didn't care. "Five old friends. A reunion to die for" is the tagline. And yet the entire time I was reading I was waiting for people to die. There are so many POVs in this, and dual timelines, and there's not a lot differentiating the male characters specifically from one another, so it took me a while to be able to keep straight who was who. I was more interested in the past storyline than the present, but then the big reveal tying everything together was very "I Know What You Did Last Summer" but minus the man with the hook hand murking everyone, which honestly is the best part of that movie anyway. Not the worst book I've read, but definitely not the best. If you're easing your way into thrillers this may be more your speed, but if you also read a lot of them this will likely be a letdown. Thanks to Harper Perennial for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Weekend Guests is new from author Liza North.
The subtitle reads "Five old friends. A reunion to die for". The cover image also promises a dark read.

We meet the five friends in the past when they shared an apartment at university. Their relationships are explored. And a rather odd neighbor is also examined. North tells her tale in a now and then style. More than one character has a voice.

I appreciated the detail, but things started to drag for me after a while. The same character kept repeating her behavior over and over. She's definitely the one driving for the bus, both now and then. Sadly I didn't like any of the five. I did like the kids and one of the partners.

Things picked up in the last chapters. There was some action in the last few chapters that was good. A few plot devices didn't work for me. But, the creepy bit at the end was good.

The Weekend Guests was marketed as a thriller, but I don't think it quite met that description for me

Thanks to #NetGalley and #HarperPerennialAndPaperbacks for the book #TheWeekendGuests by #LizaNorth. This book has secrets and keeping the past covered up during this reunion of five college friends. After receiving little notes about what happened years ago, Aline has rallied up her friends, Michael, Brandon, Siena and Fob to find out who is behind this. Can they figure out the mystery and come out alive?

Thanks to NetGalley & Harper Paperbacks for the chance to read this book.

First off I'm giving this book 3.5 stars, For the sake of Goodreads rating it's just gonna be rounded up to 4 (Idk why I been on this site like 10 years and we can't half star yet !?)

Ok So this is tricky, I have yet to narrow down a rating style for books I don't hate but also don't quite love.. This book is pretty predictable right from the start, it's not hard to figure out Phyllis or Darryl, or what happens next.. With that said Honestly D is probably the most compelling character in this book, the others just fell to the background of "normal" drunk douchbags.. Aline is obviously the only only getting anywhere in life in this story and it's obviously at the stake of everyone else's lives..

I feel bad for Brandon to be honest, first real hang out with the girl and it all goes to crap then you're stuck with her for life, probably scared to death she'll literally rip his heart out of his chest if he ever tried to leave .. I was confused as to how Rob also fell at the end, maybe i skipped a portion or reading by then but it seemed to be happening to 2 people and then one was just added in as an afterthought!? But I guess it gave a quick end to Sienna's problems lol Good for her it was probably just gonna be a predictable loop of what he already did to her so..

I’m a sucker for a reclusive location where the cast of characters pasts are slowly revealed. So it was ideal to receive this book from the publisher. A group of college friends reunite at a gorgeous, expensive house. Old friendships & romances invade their thoughts.

The chapters go from present day back to 2001, when the secret they share occurred. It was interesting to see the characters young & middle aged, note their changes & how they haven’t changed at all. As with many mysteries, the middle gets a little slow, as you want to know what’s going on. Once the revelations occur it picks up. Overall this was a solid, domestic thriller. Enough intrigue to keep you turning the pages!

🌊

Read if you like:
* The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel
* One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day
* The Chateau by Jaclyn Goldis

Dual timelines and several perspectives made this a quick read perfect for a relaxing weekend. However, for me personally when there is going to be that many perspectives, there has to be that many more pages in order for the reader to be not only fully invested, but to differentiate between each one. That's not to say this was bad. The story was good, and the writing was clearly done by a talented hand. This was unpredictable, and the isolated setting was done well. Overall, I give this one three stars.

Thank you, Netgalley and Harper Perennial, and Paperbacks for this ARC.

I was excited to start The Weekend Guests by Liza North and y’all I was not disappointed!
This was a quick and fun read that I finished in a few hours.
A well written suspense filled with twists that kept me hooked from the very beginning.
An intriguing story with characters who draw you in and keeps you flipping the pages.
The characters were all realistic and very well developed.
I really enjoyed the writing style. I found myself gripped, turning the pages, not knowing what was to come next.
It was suspenseful, mysterious and unpredictable.

The Weekend Guests by Liza North is an atmospheric psychological thriller that has you guessing throughout. Five college friends Aline, Brandon, Sienna, Rob and Michael along with their partners and children all reunite at Aline and Brandon's cliff top house in Dorset. Over the years they have kept in touch but have slowly been drifting away from each other. But dark secrets of the past will always bind them together. When chilling postcards started to arrive, these friends must all come together to figure out who is blackmailing them. What happened in the past? Is one of the former friends the one blackmailing the others? Who can you really trust?
This novel was a bit tricky for me to get into. There are many different narrators and a timeline that jumps from 2001 to 2019 but the suspense and the secrets kept me invested. This is full of mystery, secrets, friendship and mental illness and I genuinely can say I was wrong about the ending!
Thank you to NetGalley, Liza North, and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for this ARC. Expected release date is January 28th 2025.

This is a story of five old friends who get together for a reunion at one of the friends’s house by the sea. However, this wasn’t setup for a fun relaxing weekend. Someone was threatening to expose a crime they committed at university. It is told in dual timelines. I enjoy this type of thriller. None of the characters are particularly likable but I loved the setting. This kept my interest and I read it in a few days. The ending wrapped up well. I will check out other works by this author.

Thank you to the author, Harper Paperbacks, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.