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Chosen by: Jessie
WHY:
I picked this book because I love glamor, weddings and mysteries. It didn’t hurt that it was on the Reese Witherspoon book list. I love Reese Witherspoon. 😉
Summary of the book:
A wedding set off the coast of Ireland takes a deadly turn in Lucy Foley’s “The Guest List”. Jules (the Bride) is the owner of a lifestyle magazine and Will (the Groom ) is the host of a television show. Their wedding will definitely be remembered by all involved. A remote location, stormy weather and a murder makes sure of that. The story takes place over three days from several different vantage points:the bride, the best man, the bridesmaid, the plus one and the body.
Jessie:
I enjoyed reading this one! It was an easy read, something you want to finish in one sitting! Each character brought their own drama and intrigue. Sadly, I agree with Kellie, I didn’t like most of the characters! They seemed selfish and self indulgent. I found myself not really caring who done it or who didn’t make it! Even so, it was fun to try and fit all the puzzle pieces together. I don’t want to give too much away. I suspected some parts of the mystery, but I did NOT put together the ending!
Duckie:
I enjoyed this book despite the overall tone, themes and lack of endearing characters. It’s about a murder but really it’s about the secrets we keep from each other, and from ourselves, and how that can psychologically, and physically, affect us for days and years to come. There are themes of abuse and trauma running through the book and most of the characters are incredibly selfish.
So why did I like it? It was fast-paced and easy to read, once you get used to the timeline jumps and narrator changes. I read it in less than 24 hours. And, ultimately, it was a who-done-it mystery to solve, which I love. I did not correctly guess the murderer, but I did know who was going to die (you know someone has died right away from the time jumps–and the synopsis–but you don’t find out who it is until the last third of the book). I liked the setting, both the island and the wedding. Despite being supposedly dreamy and fairytale like, each was overcast with gloom and a bit of misery–more fitting with the book’s themes. We all want a fairytale wedding, but this my friends, was not one. It was a good book, though.
Kellie:
There was a feeling of menace running through this whole book. Piece by piece you hear the story in different perspectives. You never get comfortable with a flow, because of the change of narrator and time. I also felt very uncomfortable with how much I hated so many of the characters. Hannah was my favorite, but Charlie, her husband, was a jerk masquerading as a “good guy” and I was not here for it.You can do better Hannah, you deserve better!
I wrote down several guesses about different plot lines throughout the book and I got most of them right! I am a very attentive reader so I have always loved this kind of book where you feel rewarded for paying really close attention.
Katie:
Trying to write about this book without giving away any spoilers is difficult! Most important to know is to make sure you read this book with a friend, because you will want to talk about it with someone. It is the perfect book club book, because it is an easy and entertaining read, but is also good for those readers that enjoy thought provoking books. I love mysteries and guessing whodunit, and this book has a lot of mysteries to unpack. So much so that I felt a little fatigued at the end, it might have gone too far. I guessed a lot of the secrets, but not the ending! I immediately wanted to pick up the phone and call my sisters to talk about it, which for me is a mark of a great book.
Kath:
I liked this book, but didn’t love it. I have such a hard time with a book where the characters have NO redeemable attributes!! Kellie had asked me to take notes while reading this book to see if I had guessed right about who did it, who died, etc. That was an interesting way to read a book and I found it very satisfying at the end, when I had mostly guessed correctly. I did have a few “whoppers” mixed in there about who might have done it, or who got killed! It was definitely a fun book to talk about with people who had also read it!!