Cover Image: The Long Weekend

The Long Weekend

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Member Reviews

This is not as good as her other books and very hard to follow couldn’t understand where I was so definitely not for me I couldn’t finish it.

Hope her future books are better thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy.

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Bit of a slow burner for me, and never quite got me hooked. Readable. I think some will love it. Just expected a little bit more.

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I thought this was a good, gripping novel filled with unexpected twists and turns and for a long time I had no idea who was the perpetrator my guesses always seemed to come back wrong… which is a massive plus in my opinion I do love a crime novel where you have no idea who it could be. Though I really didn’t like any of the characters, I found the whole mystery intriguing and compelling.

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A chilling book with an astounding outcome! A couple weekend in the middle of nowhere turns into an unexpected game of cat and mouse, but which is which? A really clever and brilliantly written thriller which is really different and original. I gasped often and read it in a couple of nights, I cannot recommend it enough!

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A fab story with some great twists but yet so much emotion and heartbreak packed in. Characters are fab and you question everyone...

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Three women arrive at an isolated retreat in the Northumbria moors, for a weekend getaway. Their husbands are due to join them, but then they find a note saying that one of their husbands has been murdered. Their phones won't work, there is no internet, and they are stranded. They try to find out what has happened and who is responsible, fracturing their friendships along the way. What will happen? A thrilling tale with twists and turns. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest feedback.

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The threat of one friend to a group of three women sharing a long weekend looms. Are there husband's safe? A thrilling read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

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A slow burner of a story. Three women plan a weekend away with their husbands on a remote farm. For various reasons the husbands were not due to arrive until the following day. A stormy night and chaos ensures. A twisty story that was not difficult to unravel. The story was told from multiple points of view which I enjoyed, however, I didn't feel that any of the husbands really came alive, and at times the narrative dragged a little. The husbands seemed almost interchangeable and I had problems remembering who belonged to who.

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I think this is the first book I've read by Gilly Macmillan but it won't be the last.
The story is based on a group of friends from school & their families. The Long Weekend is an annual weekend away for the group but unfortunately this one doesn't quite turn out as planned.
The writing touches on a number of different subjects including addiction and mental health.
It took a bit of time for me to get into, however midway through the pace picked up and there's quite a few twists along the way.

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From a slow-burning start this ramps up the tension to a fast-paced, edge of your seat page turner. The twists come thick and fast - some are more credible than others, and the big twist underpinning the whole plot is a little too easy to figure out. But that said this is a great thriller, with characters who aren't necessarily likeable but great plotting and the build up of intrigue still leaves you feeling invested in what happens to them.

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Omg omg omg!!! I just loved this! It might actually be one of my top 10 I've read this year. It is so creepy and you just spend the whole book trying to figure out what's happened but if you're anything like me, you'll still be shocked at that final twist. Everything from the plot the premis, the characters, the pace, the overall sinister vibe....... its all just so so perfectly done. If only there could be more books that lived up to thses high standards then id be a very happy bookwork. This one definitely stands head a shoulder above the average mystery thriller.

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Thanks to Gilly and NetGalley for allowing me to read The Long Weekend before the publication date.

Since her teenage years as the only girl at boarding school, Edie has always been a siren, able to attract every boy to her. Known to be mischievious, some of her tricks were nasty with serious consequences for those on the receiving end.
Now widowed with a teenage daughter, she still has that ability to draw in the male population, pulling their strings like a puppeteer.

Three couples are booked to attend a long weekend at the remote Dark Fell Barn, which is owned by John and Maggie Elliot.

Jayne and Mark are former army intelligence officers.
Ruth is a doctor, married to Toby, an art history professor.
Emily is the newcomer, 10 years younger than the other wives and married to Paul, a wealthy business man.

All 3 men have known Edie since their boarding school days.
Within the days before the gathering, each has declared a commitment on the Friday and will not join the wives until Saturday.

Arriving at the barn, there is a gift and a letter from Edie waiting for the wives. In it, she says that one of the husbands will die.
Is it one of Edie’s bad taste jokes or is it serious?
With no phone connection and no method of transport, the women are stranded.

This is a well written book which had me guessing to the end. Gilly has created a creepy atmosphere throughout as the story unfolds and exposes the secrets which each of the couples has.

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This was a very clever thriller with some interesting twists at various points in the story, Emily, Ruth and Jayne are supposed to be having a weekend break along with their husbands who are longtime friends however each of the men have an issue that prevents them leaving on the first day so the women go ahead with the plan that the men will catch them up the next day. Their destination is a remote barn conversion some distance from the farmhouse where they had to park, upon arrival they are horrified by a note claiming one of their husbands will be dead before tomorrow however a big storm and lack of phone signal leave them unable to contact anyone and problems between the women slowly escalate. I loved the multiple points of view on this as the various characters fell apart as the story developed and the setting was authentic although hard to mentally picture at times. There’s plenty of flaws among the characters and the story weaves together well leading to a very satisfying conclusion. 9/10

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The combination of secrets held, isolated and wild-weathered locations and the chance that at least one of the men has been murdered all add up to a great read. The descriptions of the countryside, the horrendous weather and subsequent flooding and the isolation of the barn from other people, from phone signals and from each other are chilling to the bone and the mystery of who, if anyone, has actually died keeps the suspense running to the last few chapters. My only criticism would be that the middle sections slowed the pace considerably and it too a while for the story to pick up again.

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ayne, Ruth and Emily are heading to a remote barn in Northumberland for a weekend away. They should have their husbands with them but at the last moment each of them was called away and promised to make the trip to the barn the following day. Once the women arrive at the farm responsible for running the barn they realise how isolated the place is. There's no direct road to the barn, the farmer has to drive them there in a four wheel drive. Phone reception is non-existent and there's no landline. Combined with this a storm is on the horizon.

When the women arrive at the barn they find a letter and gift addressed to them all.

The content of the letter causes a host of reactions from the women in their need to find out if it's content is real or a hoax and if their husbands are safe.

This is an extremely well written thriller which has you jumping to conclusions which then come crashing down as the story progresses. None of the three women are particularly likeable and as the story develops we discover that they all have secrets. Initially we are lead to believe that the women are friends, slowly we come to understand that they are friends simply because of their husbands life-long friendship.

The bleakness of the landscape, the remoteness of the barn and the encroaching storm, combined with some local folklore really add to the sense of menace. You can really feel the terror the women must feel, along with a complete sense of hopelessness.

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I loved the sound of this book. However I really struggled to get into it. The characters did not stand out for me, and what is with the lack of chapters ? Call me old fashioned, but I think there is a reason we have chapters in books. If they are managed correctly they can add excitement to a book, I know I often think I'll just read another chapter, even though it's really late, but I am so into the book I am reading I want to just read another one, with the format with this book, I didn't know when to stop reading, so I stopped when I wasn't grabbed, and found it hard to restart again. Sorry this was not the book for me, hope others enjoy it more.

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Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book. This book I though was a bit confusing at times, it seemed to jump from one person to the other. Everyone has their own pov which was great but with no chapters I found this a bit odd. It dosnt take it away from the book as it was absolutely brilliant. Great storyline and the characters where brilliant. I look forward to reading more from this author. Definitely a 5 star read.

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I really enjoyed this, and read it quite quickly because I couldn't put it down. The author had me fooled for quite a while, and the story is absolutely packed full of twists and turns that I didn't expect at all.

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This was a really good dark and atmospheric novel. It is a bit of a slow starter but keep going. Loved it. Highly recommended xx

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This book has so many twists! It is a real page-turner, with so much going on with all the characters. The suspense is kept up all the way through the book. The ending was quite melodramatic, and all the questions were answered.

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