Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

275 reviews

musicgirl_gwyn's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I was on the edge of my seat the entire book, very well written. Antagonist worth absolutely hating. The ending felt abrupt and cut off; I don’t feel a lot of closure. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Abortion, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

I liked this a lot, and I felt like I could really get into the characters that were involved here. I will also always remember that I was reading this one when I finally got my POTS diagnosis <3. Also I love a wedding as the setting because weddings always manage to make everyone the most animalistic and unhinged versions of themselves.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Murder, Abandonment, and Classism

Minor: Drug use, Infidelity, and Grief

mirandalikesbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.25

I liked this! A straightforward who done it. It was fun. I guessed some of the twist, but this book had twists to spare. 

The private-school friends were unbearable. Their bro behavior was appropriate for the characters, but I still didn't like them. There was a lot of casual sexual harassment and misogyny which isn't my favorite theme for a book. 

All together, this book kept me coming. I flew through the last 100 pages. 

to me, it seems unlikely that Will could be the cause of all the problems for all the main characters. but the mutual hatred for Will made for a fun killing scene.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Murder, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Abortion

Minor: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Sexual content, Gaslighting, and Classism

rowiash's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Expertly interwoven POV chapters and time jumps. It keeps giving you crumb after crumb of tantalizing new info without giving too much away, and by the end you get a good righteous rage worked up. It’s also a good long while before you even find out who the victim is, which was an interesting choice I really enjoyed. Keeps you guessing at both sides of the murder mystery.

My enjoyment of this book was brought down by how hateable some of the characters were, those awful prep school ”good old boys” behaving like coked up howler monkeys. So I guess you can call me a Hannah. I also felt the book ended very abruptly, I wanted more time to bask in the payoff and tie up loose ends.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Self harm, and Murder

Minor: Drug use, Infidelity, Sexual content, Suicide, Abortion, and Classism

kelly_e's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Title: The Guest List
Author: Lucy Foley
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 3.25
Pub Date: February 20, 2020

T H R E E • W O R D S

Atmospheric • Twisty • Clever

📖 S Y N O P S I S

The bride - The plus one - The best man - The wedding planner - The bridesmaid - 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. It's 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 bride's oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.

And then someone turns up dead. Who didn't wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?

💭 T H O U G H T S

I chose Lucy Foley as one of twelve authors for my '2024 Author Taste Test' project. She's a hugely popular author among the mystery/thriller genre and it surprised me I hadn't yet read anything she'd written. I decided to start with The Guest List simply because I had it on my shelves and I didn't know much beyond that fact it was set on a secluded island.

Told through alternating points of view, giving the story an added layer of depth and intrigue and continually adding layer upon layer to the mystery until the big reveal. There were certainly some holes in the mystery, yet it is the setting and unlikeable cast of characters that kept me turning the pages. What starts out as a series of different stories, eventually Foley is able to seamlessly draw them together in a satisfying manner.

The Guest List was a fast=paced whodunit perfect for relaxing lakeside during my recent summer vacation at the cottage. It certainly has a number of popcorn thriller elements making it hard to put down, yet the writing itself felt juvenile. I could easily see this one being adapted to the big screen down the road.

📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• dark secrets
• island settings
• Agatha Christie

⚠️ CW: death, child death, grief, murder, toxic relationship, toxic friendship, emotional abuse, gaslighting, bullying, child abuse, emotional abuse, self-harm, cutting, classism, sexual harassment, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempt, suicide, pregnancy, abortion, alcohol, drug use, blood, vomit, sexual content, cursing, mental illness, PTSD, depression, infidelity

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"In my experience, those who have the greatest respect for the rules also take the most enjoyment in breaking them."

"But no matter what happens, life is only a series of days. You can’t control more than a single day." 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Murder, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Minor: Cursing and Sexual content

cutting, PTSD, depression

the_vegan_bookworm's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Murder

Moderate: Sexism and Classism

Minor: Racism

lilacvictim's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Murder, and Alcohol

Moderate: Bullying, Infidelity, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Mental illness and Abortion

suzelarson's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.5

Keeps you guessing, on the edge of your seat and surprisingly satisfying ending

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Self harm, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Body shaming, Child death, Drug use, Infidelity, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Toxic friendship

katiewilkerson's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Eating disorder, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Abortion, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Infidelity and Vomit

judeeton's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I really enjoyed this book. It’s an easy read. So many twists and turns at the end, it definitely kept me guessing and I didn’t want to put it down. I want to go back and pick out all the clues that finally came together at the end! Impressive but somewhat hard to believe connections. I felt the strong emotions of the characters (rage, betrayal, etc). I plan to read more Lucy Foley! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Minor: Drug use, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Abortion, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment