Name: The Guest List
Author: Lucy Foley
Genre: Mystery/thriller
Publication date: June 2nd, 2020
Length: 330 pages
POV: multiple pov’s, time jumps
Final rating: ★★★★☆
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Note: this review is spoiler free!
I somehow never read this book back when it was all the hype and everyone on booktube was reading it. For a while I thought of deleting it from my TBR altogether, but then I saw that the book was recommended for fans of the movie Knives Out – which happens to be one of my favorite movies of 2019. And I understand why.
This is a classic who-dunnit story set on a secluded island during a wedding, where a murder is committed. We follow multiple POV’s: the wedding planner, the best man, the bride, a plus one and a bridesmaid, without knowing if any of them have committed the murder. A nice touch was that we as the reader don’t immediately find out who was murdered either, which just means you keep guessing and changing your thoughts on who did what almost the entire book!
I loved the setting of the book. as I already mentioned, it takes place on a secluded island in Ireland and there is a storm going on during part of the wedding, the power goes in and out and a blood curdling scream is heard.. I love this sinister and spooky vibe! The fact that the characters were on an island without anyone else and without any way to get off really added to the atmosphere as well.
I found that Lucy Foley did a wonderful job unraveling the mystery bit by bit. She never gave too much information all at once, nor did she give too little. Clues given at the beginning of the book always fit into the story later, which makes for a satisfying ending without any loose ends. I could really tell that this story was well thought-out and well plotted way before the first word was even written.
Something I want to note about this story is that it has a lot of unlikeable characters. There isn’t really anyone to root for. Almost every character we meet does something or has done something iffy in one way or another. In a sense I also like that, everyone is so messy and it’s super fun to read about. This also means pretty much everyone has a motive to commit the murder. Te fact that the story mostly has unlikable characters didn’t bother me in the slightest, but if you are a reader that likes to have your person to root for, this might not be the novel for you.
If you like who-dunnits, multiple POV’s, short chapters, dual timelines or just a good old murder mystery, pick this one up!
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