A review by coffeekitaab
The Guest List by Lucy Foley

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • 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

Foley is second to none when it comes to stringing a twisted murder mystery filled with a multitude of suspicious characters who form the premise of her 'whodunit' narrative. The Guest List has been on my radar since I read my first of this author's books, The Hunting Party. I always find the books really easy to read; setting the tone with the bulstrous winds and oncoming storm,  a challenging ride for the guests over dark waters to the isolated castle/Folly which lies on this deserted island, where Jules and Will have arranged to have their destination wedding is the crème de la crème of a suspense thriller. Foley has you hooked from the first page! You almost feel like a guest at this wedding watching the drama unfold, the writing is strong and persuasive. I definitely had a gasp moment at the revealing of Olivia's plot twist. This would have been a 5 star for me but, for the same reason I didn't enjoy The Paris Apartment, I just don't think every character needs to be linked to the pivotal one, it feels like overkill and the story fell flat for me when Hannah's connection to Will came to the fore. Thankfully this only happened within the last 15 pages of the book and I was loving every detail until then so I'd still rate it highly and recommend it if you're a fan of thrillers! Content warnings should be checked. 
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