The Stats
š BOOK REVIEWā š
BOOK: The Guest List
AUTHOR: Lucy Foley
@lucyfoleyauthor
Publisher: William Morrow Books @WilliamMorrowBooks
Stars: āāāāā. Can I give it more?
Published: June 2nd 2020
āIn my experience, those who have the greatest respect for the rules also take the most enjoyment in breaking them.ā
āĀ Lucy Foley,Ā The Guest List
The Review:
Okay, Wedding. Murder Mystery. Hotel on a forsaken island. Multiple points of view. Holy crap, this book was gone in sixty seconds. And not because it was short. No, I just devoured this sucker.
Lucy Foley did an exquisite job of lacing the different viewpoints of the past with the narration of the present. Sure, we donāt know who the murderer is until the end, thatās pretty common with mysteries. So how many have you guessing as to who the victim is? Yeah, you wonāt even know that until a couple chapters from the end either. You know the murder weapon before you know the victim!
The chapters are pretty short, but thatās made up for with the sheer number of them, and how each one is important. This is like the original Legend of Zelda: thereās a secret on every screen. I end up feeling for all the viewpoint characters, and genuinely happy that the victim is pushing up daisies. Excellent character work, beautifully written. Kept me glued the whole time, looking for clues. Read. Read it now.
I canāt tell you any more than that. It would totally ruin it.
You can see more in my video review:
*****
The Summary
The bride ā§ The plus one ā§ The best man ā§ The wedding planner ā§ The bridesmaid ā§ The body
On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. Itās a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.
But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The brideās oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.
And then someone turns up dead. Who didnāt wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?
I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.