'The Guest List' by Lucy Foley is a suspenseful thriller set on a remote Irish island where a wedding turns deadly. The plot unfolds through multiple character perspectives, revealing secrets, lies, and motives for murder. The writing style is described as engaging, with a fluid timeline, clever plotting, and a gripping atmosphere reminiscent of Big Little Lies.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings for The Guest List include themes of self-harm, substance abuse, emotional abuse, and domestic tension.
From The Publisher:
A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BEST THRILLERS OF 2020
"I loved this book. It gave me the same waves of happiness I get from curling up with a classic Christie...The alternating points of view keep you guessing, and guessing wrong." - Alex Michaelides, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Patient
"Evok[es] the great Agatha Christie classics…Pay close attention to seemingly throwaway details about the characters' pasts. They are all clues." - New York Times Book Review
A wedding celebration turns dark and deadly in this deliciously wicked and atmospheric thriller reminiscent of Agatha Christie from the New York Times bestselling author of The Hunting Party.
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?
Ratings (402)
Incredible (26) | |
Loved It (108) | |
Liked It (160) | |
It Was OK (69) | |
Did Not Like (29) | |
Hated It (10) |
Reader Stats (751):
Read It (407) | |
Currently Reading (5) | |
Want To Read (253) | |
Did Not Finish (21) | |
Not Interested (65) |
14 comment(s)
When The guest list came out it was one of the most hyped thrillers but since then it had died down and when I finally got the chance to read this I wasn't expecting a lot. I'm very thankful for that. It was an okay mystery, nothing special but not terrible. Not a plot that had me on the edge of my seat but an decent mystery to read
When The guest list came out it was one of the most hyped thrillers but since then it had died down and when I finally got the chance to read this I wasn't expecting a lot. I'm very thankful for that. It was an okay mystery, nothing special but not terrible. Not a plot that had me on the edge of my seat but an decent mystery to read
This book was fine. I was glad that I checked it out from the library rather than bought it. I felt like a lot of the coincidences in the book became a little too much towards the end. The pacing was so, so, SO slow in the beginning and then the ending wound up really fast. The main male character felt really flat; I would have liked to actually hear more about what and he thought, what his motivations were, and a little bit more of his backstory. I felt no connection to him and felt like he was just a plot device rather than an important part of the story.
This book was fine. I was glad that I checked it out from the library rather than bought it. I felt like a lot of the coincidences in the book became a little too much towards the end. The pacing was so, so, SO slow in the beginning and then the ending wound up really fast. The main male character felt really flat; I would have liked to actually hear more about what and he thought, what his motivations were, and a little bit more of his backstory. I felt no connection to him and felt like he was just a plot device rather than an important part of the story.
It was okay. But the more I think about it, the worse I seem to think of it.
First off, I went into it expecting an Agatha Christie-like mystery. It was not. It wasn’t even much of a mystery for much of it. Soap opera, sure. Mystery, not so much. We don’t even get to know who the victim is until the final quarter of the book. And there were moments that just don’t make sense. Editorial errors. Like when a character leans down to look a blindfolded character in the eye. And when the wind and the storm suddenly die, (“the storm had blown itself out”) only for characters to not be able to hear each other over the wind again.
It was fun enough, I suppose. But most of the characters are absolutely unlikable and with all of the points of view and back-tracking, it takes so long to get the the actual situation at hand that by the time things finally reveal themselves, I didn’t find I cared all that much.
1 stars
DNF
Happy Reading!
Kept me guessing.
Gripping. Multiple narrators that never cause confusion. Suspenseful.
***3.5 stars***
Hmm, this was interesting. For a book that was so hyped, I expected a little more. The ending was great -- so many awesome twists & turns I didn't see coming. Love that! The majority of the book was a little tough to get into, though. I was consistently aware that I was reading instead of being immersed in the story. While The Hunting Party was much better through the middle and a little wonky in the end, this was the reverse.
A few thoughts I had while reading:
- No one should ever be this miserable at a wedding, especially if you're the bride
- Lucy Foley, are you okay?? You are EXCELLENT at writing hypercritical, judgy characters
- I really really really hope Hannah isn't the killer
I'd been meaning to read this one for a while, so I'm glad I got to it! I did really enjoy the spooky vibes for October :)
Predictable and cliched
What can you read after
The Guest List?
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