I absolutely loved this book. I was reading and enjoying the Hunting Party when I spotted The Guest List on. Netgalley, so requested it straight away and thankfully was accepted and read it straight afterwards, so thank you publishers.

Another excellent Agatha Christie style whodunnit novel with great characters and some twists and turns along the way. I don’t want to give anything away, The scene is set brilliantly with a wedding on a slightly sinister and spooky island off the coast of Ireland of a well known Bear Grylls style survivalist and wife who runs “The Download”. The guests start to arrive for the wedding, the Best man, the ushers, the sister of the bride- the bridesmaid along with many others. It takes a while to find out who is going to die and how and who did it, but it’s worth the wait, with great introductions and gradual character build up along the way. Throughly recommended.

I look forward to reading more from the author and hope we don’t have to wait too long for the next book:

I love her first novel and equally enjoyed reading this one too! I like how the book has a few characters and you don’t know till the end whom it is! Loved every minute of it!

‘The Guest List’ is the second crime novel by Lucy Foley and I was delighted to receive an ARC from NetGalley to review after reading ‘The Hunting Party’. If possible, this is even better and I couldn’t put it down. My kindle pages were fizzing by.

Will, an actor from a star television series ‘Survival’ is marrying Julie, a high flyer with her own magazine. The beautiful couple choose a desolate island off the Irish coast for their wedding, which is has just been bought by Aoile and Freddie who are determined to make a success of their purchase despite the reputation of the island. This is their first wedding.

The story is told from different viewpoints and, as the story progresses, it soon becomes clear that all is not as it seems with Will and his past, although there are several not very likeable characters. A case in point are his ushers and best man who all went to school together at a ‘posh’ boarding school (the headmaster being Will’s father) which used to play a game called ‘survival’.

This is a true ‘whodunnit’ along the lines of Agatha Christie with many twists, turns, dark characters and deep hatred.

Many thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and Lucy Foley for my ARC in return for my honest review.

Superb read and highly recommended.

Slick plotting .. perhaps gimmicky ... but Foley got me all the same! Admittedly the switching among points of view was confusing, and, also, not sure I loved being tricked by the actual author of the book .. not to speak of several principal speakers (Hannah, Aiofe ...Will).. it's as if I'm party to the cruel game .. first played by will and johnno years ago as schoolboys .. lethally worked out NOW. but I won't say more to spoil it, but this is a professional piece of entertaining , if gruesome , writing .. enjoyable too watching how it clicks existing into place by the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read another great book by this author.
The writing was brilliantly descriptive, without becoming too long winded and the story kept me gripped right through to the end. The characters leapt from the page and I was sorry to finish this book, I can't wait for the next one.

I’m afraid I persevered with this book for as long as possible but I’m afraid I didn’t enjoy it as much as The Hunting Party. For me it just lacked pace. There was too much description and too much building up the tension but not enough suspense. There wasn’t enough to keep me reading.
The story focuses on a few of the key wedding guests, who all have a secret to hide. It switches point of view throughout and there is a lot of description about their backgrounds, eluding to their secrets, but it just took too long to get to the point.

The Guest List is a solid, atmospheric thriller that will keep readers guessing until the very end. Fans of Foley's first novel, The Hunting Party, will definitely want to check this one out. The plot is fast-paced and the character development is excellent. Highly recommended to readers looking for a strong thriller to check out.

I’d give this one a 3.5.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. I liked the characterisation and how each chapter related to a different character. I did loose interest half way through like I did with the hunting party but the twists towards the end won me over and regained my interest. Some parts were slightly exaggerated and the way the victim was connected to most of the people there was a little bit far fetched but all in all it was a gripping story, full of suspense and surprises and definitely one id recommend.

The story device of using a teaser opening scene of thrilling action from the end of the first act as a tool to hook the reader, does not work in this book - there are too many flashback chapters to process before the questions posed by the teaser are answered.
Flipping to the 'day before' snips the thin thread holding the reader to the words and we instantly start flicking/swiping past the endless set-up of the long character list before reconnecting with the crime story.
Scenes/chapters switch between the first person accounts of key characters taking us inside their heads but intriguingly act as false guides to motivation and the links to their shared past.
Aoife the wedding planner who lives on the island location for the celebrity wedding with her partner Freddie,
Jules the super-organised and exacting bride and her half-sister Olivia who is struggling with mental health after a broken relationship.
Jonno, the best man who is bound to the groom, Will and holds their secret past.
Hannah, the plus one.
Fans of Murder on the Orient Express will adore the closed location mystery and the connections between every member of the Guest List to this exclusive wedding.

I loved this! It's told from multiple viewpoints so you don't even know who the victim is/what they are a victim of until pretty much the end. It was cleverly done and each character had a strong voice of its own. I'll definitely read her other big book, The Hunting Party.

This book is like a jigsaw puzzle where finally all the pieces come together.

A celebrity wedding is taking place on a remote island. The story is told from the differing viewpoints of various participants and at different times both before the event and during the weekend. The setting is dark and sinister at times and a murder eventually takes place. I found the jigsaw style difficult to follow at first but then it became a page turner that I couldn't put it down.

Lucy Foley is one of those authors that has that suspense/domestic/psychological thriller needed elements and tone down to a science. I loved her first one THE HUNTING PARTY, but this one was even better! Grabbing me at the beginning and not letting go until I had finished. So many different people to wonder about and wonder what exactly happens and turning each page so Foley can Drive you to the point she wants you to arrive at, is what you can expect from THE GUEST LIST! Also expect to be chilled, thrilled, and of course shocked! Grab as soon as you can, you do not want to miss this one!
I will make sure I buzz it up!

Another great book by this author.
The writing was descriptive enough to transport me to the setting with ease, without becoming long winded. I could almost smell the sea.
The plot was intriguing and engaging, it drew me in from the start and held my attention throughout. A very up to date "whodunnit".
The characters were flawlessly drawn, realistic and very believable.
A cracking read, I couldn't put it down and I can't wait for the next one

Wow wow wow wow wow wow wow.
WOW.
This is a phenomenally good novel. The pacing is sublime. The plot is very clever and the whole novel is dripping with intrigue and tension with enough twists and turns to keep you glued to the pages. I devoured it in just a few evenings and was blown away by the whole concept.
An absolute thrilling read. Definitely cements Lucy Foley as a standout talent in this genre.

https://www.waterstones.com/reviews/the-guest-list/lucy-foley/2928377002237/133424#review-133424

Review on waterstones.com

Fab book, very enjoyable. I look forward to being able to sell it in the new year

Claire from Waterstones Leadenhall

Full in depth character profile, jumps from one person to another giving you a little bit of background on each one, each switch leaving you wanting more from that character.
The plot a murder is unclear until the end with many suspects for different reasons, The story is built around the characters and how they got where they are with their reason of why it could be them rather than the plot so the end for me felt like the story/plot had only just started.

Thanks to the publisher for an advanced reading of this book. A wedding is taking place on a remote island off Ireland, You start to think how romantic, but as the characters are introduced and their stories unravel the book takes on a different meaning. A brilliant read didn’t guess the ending. Would thoroughly recommend.

A lavish wedding is being held off the coast of Ireland. The happy couple are Julia and Will. They are joined by close school friends of Will’s, plus other friends and family

We know from the beginning that someone has been killed. But we don’t know who, why, or who did it

We learn from each of the characters the secrets they hold and motives for killing someone

When we finally learn who has been killed and who has killed them it is a satisfying moment.

Fast paced and well written. I loved this book. It is pretty similar to the author’s first book, “The Hunting Party” but I feel just as satisfying.

I loved it

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins*

Welcome to the lavish wedding of high-profile couple, Jules and Will. From satin gowns and vintage champagne to their successful businesses and dazzling good looks, this pair really do seem like they have it all. Or do they?

A murder mystery set off the coast of the Connemara coast, brings together a group of Jules and Wills closest friends and family, all with dark pasts they can’t forget. The book is spread over a 24 hour period flicking from The Wedding Night itself to earlier in the day and also the day before.

I personally didn’t love this book. I have to admit I hadn’t read The Hunting Party because I’d heard mixed reviews but decided to go for it with The Guest List. Every guest had such an obvious motive that has been cliched before from other whodunnits that I found myself saying ‘come on!’ In my head. I appreciate there were attempts at suspense but I almost had to laugh. For example when a person appeared at the window with a gargoyle mask only to find out it was one of the guests arriving and playing a trick on the others. I found the authors voice just lacked something for me.

Having said that it did engage me until the end and I actually didn’t know who was murdered or the murderer was right until it was revealed. For this reason I give the book 3 stars.

This is very similar to Lucy Foley's first book The Hunting Party. It is an atmospheric and interesting thriller, with several fantastic twists towards the end. Definitely worth reading if you're a thriller fan!