The Guest List by Lucy Foley

The bride. The plus one. The best man. The wedding planner. The bridesmaid. The body.

I will not spoil the book here. Who likes spoilers anyway? So, yeah, no spoilers ahead.

I am a huge thriller and crime genre fan. Movies and books. Just love them... the suspense, the games, the guessing, the unknown, the crime, the excitement, the surprise, the confusion, the plot twists, the mystery, the layers, the creepy atmosphere, the secrets, the thrill...

Lately I started listening to audiobooks even more, especially when it comes to Thrillers and Crime/Mystery novels. I enjoy listening to a good thriller while taking a long walk or just while let's say, preparing dinner. One of those thrillers I listened in an audiobook format is "The Guest List" by Lucy Foley.

I got my Audible credit on a rainy afternoon (one must love Ireland) and was scrolling through all the suggestions and new Thriller/Crime novels that recently came out. I stumbled upon "The Guest List", saw the cover, liked it, read the blurb and found out that it plays in Ireland and I was sold. I decided to give it a shot.

I love reading novels that are based in Ireland. I like to read about familiar places, some I even visited myself, which makes it even more realistic and alive. If you get what I mean.

I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook and a big shoutout to the voice actors - utterly amazing performance! If you decide to pick up the book, I recommend the audio version. This way you can enjoy the Irish and British accents. You are welcome.

First things first - there are six POVs in the book. Might sound a lot, but you get to know how to distinguish them well and very early on. Big plus.

*This is another reason why I like listening to an audiobook when there are multiple points of views in play, as I recognize the voice and immediately know whose side of the story I'm listening to. Anyone with me on this one?

Okay, we have six POVs:

Jules, the bride

Will, the groom

Olivia, the bridesmaid

Hannah, the plus one

Johnno, the best man

Aoife, the wedding planner

A posh and glamorous wedding on an isolated and tiny island of the coast of West Ireland is about to happen. Everything is ready for the big day and it seems as it will be a wedding to remember. Let’s just say, a day to remember it was, indeed.

In the focus of the story are Jules, the bride, who is this amazing and beautiful entrepreneur, and the groom Will, who is a handsome and oh so popular reality TV guy - the perfect couple who everyone loves to hate.

The closest friends and family are of course present. Who would miss this over-the-top wedding of two highly successful and beautiful people, who actually, hardly even know each other?! As the hours go by, we learn that the perfect couple might not be so perfect, that the wedding might not be as Jules planned, that the past does not always stay in the past, and that their families and friends have secrets and agendas of their own. Drama. Excitiiiing.

Throughout the whole book, there is an eerie and creepy atmosphere, which I really liked. Stormy days and nights, crashing waves, huge cliffs, strong winds, haunted places, and all of this on a remote island in Connemara, Ireland. Creepy stories told by the locals. Lots of alcohol. Uncomfortable and revealing situations and conversations. Layer by layer the story unfolds. You learn about some shared histories and get to know each character better with every chapter. You can feel the anger some of them are feeling. The dream wedding starts to look more and more like a nightmare. You start to think about possible theories... who, what, when ... and then the light goes out. A dead body. The perfect wedding is not so perfect anymore. But who is missing, what happened, do we have a killer on the island, and the even bigger question is - why?

I am giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. It is a very atmospheric, dark and eerie read with a bigger focus on the characters than the plot itself. The setting was maybe my favourite element in this novel - it is almost like a character on its own. It is a very clever, addictive and well written thriller. Many layers, great cliff hangers and smartly injected red herrings. Imagine a modern take on an Agatha Christie novel.

You think you figured everything out? Well, think again.

My only complaints are that it was at times a bit slow paced, although the time span is only two days in the novel. And, the ending... I wanted and needed more closure. But I see the point of guessing and not really knowing some things. Anyway...

The Guest List has everything what you expect and want from a "whodunnit". Definitely worth a read!

Let me know if you read "The Guest List" and how you liked it on my Instagram and/or Twitter.