Book Review #71: The Guest List by Lucy Foley

Hey Guys x

I was given this book, along with 'The Hunting Party' (by the same author) by a friend who works in publishing. Because I was given them at the same time, I didn't really think about the order that they were written in, and instead read 'The Guest List' first.

A wedding takes place on a remote Island. In a place so isolated, it takes a while for anyone to discover the body. But when histories are brought to the forefront, and relationships are tested in ways that no one could have ever expected, everybody is a suspect.

I loved this book.

I'm not a quick reader at all, and I read this book in about 5 days because I literally could not bear to put it down, I had to know what was going to happen.

To begin with, I loved the concept. I really like the whole Murder Mystery genre, so I knew that the book would be enjoyable before I even started to read it. But from the start it took me completely by surprise.

One thing that really surprised me about this was that, usually in a story like this, while the main plot is what carries the story, the characters are a big part of that. But for some reason while reading this, I felt really disconnected from all of the characters. And while this seems like a bad thing, I think it allowed me to get as into the story as I did.
Because I wasn't rooting for anyone, I could just passively watch the events play out, and I really liked that side of it.

What I also really enjoyed about the book was the way that it was written. You get the point of view of a variety of different characters with different stories and different lives, and their only connection is to the couple getting married. In some ways, it's like reading a variety of different stories at the same time, and I really enjoyed that aspect of it.

Then of course, there's the murder itself. Both the build-up to the body being found, and the reveal of who's dead and who killed them was so intriguing. The number one reason that I couldn't stop reading was because throughout the book, I had absolutely no idea how it would end. I think I accused every single character throughout reading and still was completely shocked and in the dark when everything finally came out.

It's the kind of book that, when you finish reading it, you have to tell people about it. I found that it left me with so much energy and adrenaline.

What was good?
I've found it really hard to put into words without just saying 'the plot' or 'the writing', but literally the best things about this book are the plots and writing.

What was bad?
As I mentioned, I found it hard to connect with the characters. And as much as this didn't bother me, maybe I would have felt even more connected to the story if I did.

Overall
This book came out in February - go buy it because it's amazing!

4.5/5 stars!

Lou