In true Agatha Christie form, this "who done it" mystery which keeps you guessing until the end. The backstories on the characters helps you believe that any one of these characters could be the murderer. Enjoyed this book very much and recommended it to my book club for reading. The club had a very lively discussion of this book.

I liked the book I thought it was a good read for our first book of our book club

Great imagery and well written. This book had slow build to a very unexpected ending. Left us wanting more relationship/character development after the murder.

Lots of twists

The Guest List, Lucy Foley, author; Jot Davies, Chloe Massey, Olivia Dowd, Aoife McMahon, Sarah Ovens, Rich Keeble, narrators
When Will and Jules, two successful and “beautiful people”, fall in love, it feels like kismet to both of them. They have no idea that their marriage will dredge up painful memories that will have a profound influence on many lives, including their own. Jules is the creator of a successful technology magazine called The Download, and Will is on his way to becoming a reality television superstar.
Jules has lots of hidden baggage to carry. Her mother was too young when she became a first time parent and often revealed that her life was unfulfilled because of it. Jules lived with that condemnation. When her mother and father divorced, she felt abandoned. After her mom remarried, her half sister was born. Olivia was very needy and emotional. She became her mom’s favorite. It was a perfect set up for sibling rivalry.
Will’s father was the headmaster of a private school for boys. He was very difficult to please. The school seemed to cater to “boys who will be boys” in the extreme. They were spoiled and willful. Will was personable and good looking. He attracted many followers. He enjoyed conquering his prey, both male and female. At school, pranks were often played on the weaker more fragile students, and the apparent glee these boys seemed to gain from hurting others, did not make them very likable to me. As they grew up, most became successful, but not necessarily more likeable.
The book begins at the end of the story and events are revealed through the memories of the characters who appear in alternating chapters moving from the past to the wedding in the present. It is filled with drama and holds the attention of the reader as the story unfolds. The wedding was held on a barren, remote island in an old castle which made the venue rather unique. The characters that are “witnesses” are Jules, who is the bride and Will who is the groom. Olivia is the bridesmaid. Hannah is the wife of Charlie who is best friends with the bride. Johnno is the best man and “best mate” of the groom. Aoife has been hired as the wedding planner. She lives on the island with her husband Freddie. Each of these characters had a past that had been touched in some way by Will. Will was the man with the magical personality that seemed to draw people to him for good or evil. Will felt justified in all that he did and believed in himself and in his own right to success. Acting suited his personality as he and the truth were not bound together too tightly.
At the wedding, when these old friends and disparate family members came together, they became the catalyst for catastrophe. The pot simmered and began to bubble over with the history and the revelations that came with it. Often the information was devastating for some of the guests. Many questions that had bothered them for years, about tragedies they had witnessed or suffered, were suddenly explained. Mysteries were resolved as the situation turned into a perfect storm.

Our Book Club really enjoyed this book - thought it was a great mystery, fast to read and couldn't put it down. We enjoyed figuring out the mystery, even though a few of us found some holes in the details. Still very fun and engaging.

I really enjoyed the many points of view and how nothing came undone til the end!

Liked it

This book reminded me of an Agatha Christie type of who done it. It was a fast read and hard to put down once I started it.

Pretty good! You knew someone was going to get murdered...just had to figure out who was going to do it. Slightly rushed at the end with the reveal but breadcrumbs along the way help it to its end.

I loved how this story unfolded!

This is classic "beach reading." Fun and a quick read, but not very satisfying and not a very interesting writing style. Pretty basic.

The book was slow in the beginning, picked up in the middle and then just ended so abruptly. I figured someone would die but there was so much detail on everyone’s history, yet ends with nothing more then someone dead and everyone wishing they were the one who killed. I didn’t like it.

A good mystery that kept you guessing. It was a fast read that kept you engaged. A good summer read.

An enjoyable and quick read, flawed characters that make for an interesting story.

cw: suicide, physical abuse, self-harm

Fast summer read

Good end of summer mystery

This was a fun,quick read reminiscent of the Agatha Christie novel, Murder on the Orient Express.

A determined social climber has met the man of her dreams, who is the star of very popular TV show. They make a beautiful couple. She is beautiful beyond compare and he is so handsome women swoon over him.

When they become engaged and the wedding is being planned, the bride decides to make their wedding into the social event of the season. One that will be talked about and envied for years to come.

She selects a very remote, windswept, abandoned island off the coast of Ireland with its own castle and a staff that includes the wedding planner and a remarkable chef who makes delicacies to die for.

And someone will, die that is, before the weekend is over. The author clues the readers in that a murder has probably taken place during the wedding, no less, but she doesn’t reveal who the victim is or who the committed the deed.

She does a great job building the suspense as we learn a bit more of the wedding party’s background. It seems everyone there has a deep, dark secret that could either get them killed or turn them into a killer, if the secret they keep is threatened to be divulged.

Of course each person’s secret is threatened to be revealed in one way or another.

The author denotes the different chapters by the role the people and even the location play in the wedding. Is it the Maid of honor, also sister of the bride, who is fragile and not at all happy about being in the wedding at all? Or could it be the alcoholic best man, who isn’t really considered the best friend a best man should be by the groom? Could it even be the plus one guest who is the wife of the bride’s best friend? Did her husband and the bride actually have sex during their long and complicated friendship in years past?

So many suspects and so much intrigue keeps the reader turning those pages long after the light should have been turned out for the night.

You never know when your past will catch up to you. The guest list is a well written, creepy story of that perfect couple and their wedding. A real page turner since you don't know who was killed until the near end. So as the plot thickens, the hints of the killer's identity take you to the edge and back.

I just finished reading our book!

I really enjoyed it & I’m looking forward to Book Club!

See y’all Monday!

Christine

I loved the mystery of this book. Some elements were predictable, some catch you off guard.

Easy read. A lot of hot topics crammed into one story, but it worked. A murder mystery, yes. Scary, no.