I love a reunion thriller and locked room mystery, so this book was right up my alley. The two narrators, Leona and Desiree were very likable and I found myself really rooting for them and hoping they were ok. The two woman were part of an ROTC group of 8 at their High School that are all meeting for a 15 yer reunion. One of the 8 is presumed dead and two of them (Leona included) have not attended any of the previous reunions. The week starts of mysterious because the resort they are at has a new owner and they have not revealed themselves. Other people from their High School have also been invited to the resort as a free prize and no one knows why. The owner reveals themselves and the shock ensues. Then the killing starts. This is a really exciting read. You will find yourself not wanting to put the book down.

I devoured this book in one breathless sitting—because let me tell you, once you arrive at this reunion…you are not getting out until the last page.

Fifteen years after high school, eight classmates are invited to a swanky, snowed-in resort under the guise of glitz, glam, and a champagne-soaked walk down memory lane. But what starts as a glossy nostalgia trip spirals into a locked door nightmare faster than you can say “prom queen.” One of them is already dead. And the rest? They’re being hunted by the truth.

Everyone has secrets.
Everyone has regrets.
And someone came here for blood.

What I loved most was how Sonya Bateman turns a high school reunion—usually cheesy, awkward, and innocent—into a psychological pressure cooker. There’s a slow, delicious drip of paranoia on every page. The setting? Chef’s kiss. Claustrophobic, snowy, eerie as hell. The tension crackles like static between old friends who never truly left the past behind. And that ending? I’m still recovering.

The Reunion
This twisty thriller focuses on a 15 year high school reunion for a group of 8 at a fancy resort where they will stay for free.
Imagine being snowed in and people start dying!
There are lots of twists and so many secrets. A very captivating read! 5 star

I love a locked door mystery, so this book was perfect for me. I also really liked that the book takes place at a school reunion. I was able to get right into this book and really loved how fast paced it was. I also really liked that it had multiple POVs, multiple timelines and the short chapters.

I was super into this book, mostly because my high school reunion is coming up this summer! I imagined myself and past classmates being stranded in a snowy location with crazy things happening all around. I loved the suspense and fast pace of the story!

Sonya Bateman’s The Reunion is a fast-paced, twist-filled thriller that turns a simple gathering into a deadly unraveling of secrets. What begins as a long-awaited reunion quickly spirals into a tangled web of mystery and murder, with a wide cast of characters—each hiding something—thrust into the spotlight.

Bateman does an excellent job balancing multiple storylines, slowly revealing the complex relationships and hidden motives that drive the suspense. The descriptive writing brings each scene vividly to life, while the well-timed action keeps the momentum high and the tension sharp. Just when you think you know where things are headed, another secret surfaces, pulling you deeper into the chaos.

Packed with intrigue, atmosphere, and a strong sense of pacing, The Reunion is a gripping read that delivers both character depth and relentless suspense. A compelling addition to the murder mystery genre.

Fifteen years after high school, a group of eight classmates nicknamed "The Westgate Eight" have joined together for a reunion at a luxurious but isolated resort. What should have been a boozy walk down memory lane takes quite a dark turn when the group becomes snowed in. To make matters worse, a body turns up. Back in high school, one of the original people in the group disappeared after prom and now someone is forcing them all to dredge up all of the memories again that they all would rather forget.

This is the second book by Sonya Bateman that I have read and I just know that she is going to be an auto read author! I love the multiple POVs and multiple timelines. As more secrets are revealed, the past and the present blur together. I also really loved the snowed in atmospheric setting.. super creepy. I was getting I Know What You Did Last Summer meets The Hunting Party, and I am here for it. There was an initial slow pace in the beginning but once the story starts to progress things move along quite steadily. Overall, if you love a twisty locked room atmospheric thriller, give The Reunion a try!

Thank you to NetGalley, Sonya Bateman, and Joffe Books for this ARC! Publication date is July 17th 2025.

High school reunions can be the best or the worst. For this group of friends it’s not the best. Their senior year one in their class is dead and another goes missing and is still not found. It is told in multiple timeline and POV. I enjoyed the back and forth learning about the characters as seniors and what they grew up to be. The surprises keep coming until the very end.

This book was all sorts of twisty, with lots of differing characters and POVs from different timelines and different people. It took a little bit of getting used to, but when I got my head around what characters were what then it was easy to become immersed in the storyline. I had such a sneaky suspicion about someone, then I was wrong, then I changed my mind and was wrong again, I enjoy when a book does that, overall I will give this a 4 stars.

This book leans into paranoia and tangled memories, turning the five-star resort into a trap you can’t look away from. Twisty, unnerving, and steeped in guilt.

Thank you Net Gallery for the book. It was very enjoyable, very entertaining, lots of twists and turns. I loved the characters. The only bad thing I have to say about this book is that it kept me reading way past midnight, I couldn't put it down! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Rating 3.5

In the Reunion, Sonya Bateman brings us the story of a group of cool kids, known as the Westgate Eight, who have come together for their high school reunion. They meet up every year at an exclusive luxury resort. Their reunions revolve around the conspicuous absence of the leader of their clique, who went missing after their senior prom.
The story is told from the point of view of Desiree and Leona, partners on their high school’s ROTC drill team who grew apart when they were ready to graduate. But when a mystery unfolded at the gathering, they joined forces to expose a web of secrets and lies.
I enjoyed the dual POVs between Leona and Desiree, though their relationship felt rushed due to the sudden shift from estrangement to partnership. The characters, despite their flaws, were relatable in their struggles with high school. The other members of the Westgate Eight seemed like clichéd high school characters, and I didn’t care about them, like I did with Leona and Desiree.
Despite the slow start, the mystery and the then-and-now storytelling style from Leona and Desiree kept me engaged. Once I got past the initial slow pace, I found myself unable to put the book down! The author kept me guessing until the end.

can anyone at all give me a good example of a reunion please? ha, ive never seen it.and this book took that and ran with it with a brilliant and unsettling take on that.
is anyone ever happy in a group of cool kids? even when you are a cool kid? well, we've got one of them featuring in this book. but this groups world shattered on prom night when one of them turned up dead.
bu this is the 15 year reunion. so they all come together. but straight away things are off. why are others from that time seemingly popping up everywhere. and just what IS going on with some of the group?
Desi is our main voice. and we get to know more of her story now and what led up to her own prom experience. we also know shes been doing these reunions but is finally facing it.
but maybe Desi should have trust her previous instincts and stayed at home. because the reveals and twists keep coming. the shocks keep coming and not everyone's lives seem to be a long lasting given at this point.
there is tension. there is unease. there is no trust.
the red herrings had me giddy. the real reasons as they were explained were great. and i swept through this book so quick and it was easy and fun to do. a upgrade i know what you did last summer vibe to this one and i love it for that.

That was a wild read in the best way. I am usually not a huge fan of locked room style mysteries, but this one sucked me in and had me staying up way past when I said goodnight to my husband just to finish the book. I thought I knew what was going to happen, but I most definitely did not, the twists kept on coming right to the very end and and they did not disappoint.

I wanted to love this one but unfortunately it just didn't work for me. I was confused, it was hard to follow and many characters. I don't think I should be this confused. I had to DNF.

Really enjoyed this one—such a good read. The writing flowed so well and the characters totally drew me in. I didn’t want to put it down! One of those books that stays with you after you’ve finished. Highly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley! Wow! What a great read. It felt different from others revolving reunions between friends. The flashbacks helped establish issues between the characters. I didn’t know what was going to come next

Atmospheric, twisty and full of mystery and suspense. I was hooked and kept guessing the whole way through, I didn't know what to think or who to believe

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an ARC of The Reunion.

First of all, I love a locked room style mystery, therefore this was always going to be right up my street! And I wasn’t disappointed!

I did guess the original twist (that turned out not to be the twist!) about halfway through. From then on, nothing I believed about this story turned out to be true! Everything kept shifting with all the characters’ secrets slowly being revealed.

Occasionally I struggled to remember if I was reading Desi or Leona’s chapters, and who was matched with who back in the high school days.

Overall though, a great read that I enjoyed a lot.

Great book! I love a good "reunion" story and this one did not disappoint!! I loved all the mystery and suspense which really kept me guessing. Very well done!