The Long Weekend by Gilly Macmillan is the first book that I have read by Gilly, but oh my goodness, what a ride this twisty thriller took me on!

This story follows three couples who planned a long weekend in a remote barn in Northumbria. At the last minute the men are all delayed, so the three women head there alone. The men are due to join them the next day.

When the women arrive they find a gift with a note that tells them that one of their husbands will be murdered.

All of the characters are flawed and you will find yourself questioning whether anyone is quite what they seem. The narrators within the story are primarily the women

In addition to the women, the voice of the farmer is an unreliable narrator within the story, suffering from a form of dementia, he is at times very confused, but in between are moments of clarity for him when he is completely lucid.

One unnamed narrator will keep you guessing about who they are, and clever misdirections add so much burgeoning tension to this clever storyline.

The clever way in which the women were unable to contact their partners really added to the intrigue and the noir-like atmosphere, and it very quickly pushed all three women into a deep paranoia because they were stranded due to the weather and without a phone signal. They all ended up fragmenting friendships that were tenuous at best because their connection to one another had always previously been their husbands, and without them, each woman ended up alone, which allowed their thoughts and fears to overwhelm them.

Given that all of the couples are overburdened with secrets that they are hiding from one another and from the group, it is inevitable that the secrets will be revealed as the story develops. I loved the way this story was written, and the way in which there were no chapters, making the tension feel relentless, which is perfect for a thriller.

The Long Weekend is a relentlessly dark, tense and exciting thriller that will keep you turning the pages while your heart races.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. A story about four couples, each with their problems which lead to outcomes that nobody expected. It was unputdownable and I look forward to reading more books by this author

This unfortunately is yet another example of "great premise, terrible execution".
I' a huge fat of "girls weekend away gone bad" subgenre, but this book is just not worth your time.

There are no chapters in this book. Idk if that the e-arc fault, but I have to rate what I've been given. The lack of chapters and chapter breaks made it extremely difficult to read and follow. The POV is switching from one to another and it's not clearly marked, so sometimes only after reading few paragraphs it was clear that it's a different pov that it was just a minute ago. It was confusing and frustrating.
There are passages of rambling about nothing which should have been cut or shortened.

Atmospheric read that was hard to put down. Friendships are tested in this twisty thriller and characters end up questioning each other and themselves. Really enjoyed this one and it kept me up reading late into the night. 5 stars

3 couples, 2 bodies, 1 secret

Jayne books a reservation for her friends at Dark Fell Barn, a quiet place far removed from the rest of the world. It’s exactly what her, her friends and their husbands need

Jayne, Ruth and Emily arrive ahead of their husbands, who will be joining them later. Missing their other friend Edie, who’s husband died suddenly. They’re all looking forward to some time away. That is until they realise they’re stuck in the middle of nowhere, with no connection to the outside world and a note saying one of their husbands will die!
Friendship quickly fractures as the situation spins out of their control

A good atmospheric read with twists and turns that make it difficult to predict. I was occasionally confused as to which view point I was reading from as characters were sometimes undefined and I needed to reread parts to get back to where I was, but I didn’t let this put me off

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read

I absolutely loved this gripping novel. It is brilliantly written.

The story flows with lots of emotions and confusion throughout. Who is honest? Who is lying? Who can be trusted? Who should be fearful? These questions and more will keep you turning page after page right to the final page!

This is definitely a book I would recommend for those who enjoy a fast paced thriller with plenty suspense guaranteed to keep you guessing.

The book is about three friends that go off to a house n the countryside for the weekend. When they get there, there is a letter that the received. The friends have a very different outlook at the letter and the story starts.

It’s a slow start, but one I was about 30% in, I didn’t want to stop as I wanted to know what happened next. The style of writing is not for me though and the story jumps about a lot. It’s an enjoyable read though. 3.5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

Loved this book, and was maybe surprised as how much so...some reviews paint it as overly confusing, but I found it straightforward to keep up with the various storylines which are twisted inexorably together. Without giving away, my favourite pet hate of some books...the ending...was masterfully done, with twists and turns aplenty...great read! Many thanks to Netgalley.co.uk, the Publisher and the author for the chance to review this fantastic ARC.

It was supposed to be a relaxing weekend away from it all. Dark Fell Barn seemed ideal- really isolated, a way to stop constantly looking at your phone. Jayne booked the place & she arrives along with Ruth; new mother & a doctor & Emily; recently married & not really part of 'the gang. Their husbands are close friends & due to circumstances can't arrive until the next day. There are two others missing- Edie & her recently deceased husband. They are dropped off by the owners- the road up being only suitable for off road vehicles. On arrival at the barn they are greeted with a card & gift. The card states that by the time they read this their husbands will be dead- signed with an 'E'. The women are left in the barn, unable to get in touch with their husbands. The story also switches to the murderer & we see their point of view.

This was a gripping read. None of the characters were particularly likeable- Ruth was definitely a case of "Physician- heal thyself" I found it difficult to believe she had managed to hold together to get to the weekend! Even so the author kept the attention right to the end, leaving me wondering how they managed to get on with their lives! Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

“I am who I am and, unlike my wife, I’ve accepted that. I know that I’m capable of taking a human life, of murder, because I’ve done it and that is my story.
It is me.
It is I.
I have no shame.”

✮✮✮✮✮

Three women arrive for a weekend getaway, where their husbands are supposed to be joining them tomorrow morning. Except when they arrive there is a note, claiming that by the time they read it, one of their husbands will have been murdered. With no signal, in the middle of nowhere, and a storm coming in fast, each woman tries to find out if her husband is still alive, putting lives in danger and fracturing friendships in the process.

Wow. This was such a page turner. The first quarter of the book was a little slow, but once it got going, it was incredible. The characters were incredibly portrayed. Each woman had their own issues, which added depth to the story, and had you second guessing which husband would be worth murdering. Which of the husbands had secrets? I mean the answer is ALL of them, but on hugely differing levels. The book kept my interest the whole way through and I loved the guessing game.

Highly recommend if you’re looking for an amazing psychological thriller!

I really hate books with no chapters. I'm hoping this is just because it's not a final copy. If not that decision was wrong in my opinion.
I found this jumped around too much. Mainly because there were too many stories trying to get time. There were one side plot that I felt wasn't needed at all. More focus could have been on the main story if it wasn't included.
When it comes to POVs there were too many but also because of format it always took me a second to figure out which POV it was now.
All of this took me too out of the story and I kept getting lost trying to keep up with everything and everyone.
This just didn't work for me.

I enjoyed this book - it was very twisty and I enjoyed the conclusion. I do agree with other reviewers that it was a bit confusing at times as to who was narrating and I never really got my head around which husband belonged to which wife so that was a bit difficult at times and I had to keep referring back. I also thought that it was a bit stretched out. That said, it was interesting enough to keep me reading and I didn't guess who the baddy was at all. I would recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC.
I have not read any of Gilly Macmillan's books before. I requested this book because of the gripping title: 'by the time you read this, one of your husbands will be dead.'
The concept is great, I am just not convinced that the execution was effective. This is going to be a mixed review because whilst I enjoyed it, I struggled with a few of the aspects.

It was a gripping story, as there are three women who go away for the weekend, expecting their husbands to join them the next day but they receive the death threat the minute that they arrive. There is no signal, so they cannot check on their husbands. Plus none of them really know each other very well, so they all turn on each other at different points.

The weekend is spent trying to find signal in a wilderness whilst trying to work out if the other is lying to them.
There was a brilliant twist set up but it was revealed 30% of the way through the book, which I've never understood, as this could have easily been revealed towards the ending of the novel.

There are no chapters but the story is told from multiple locations and viewpoints. Therefore, you spend the first part of any paragraph trying to work out who is talking and where you are in the storyline. However, the descriptions of the locations and the characters are clear and detailed. Some of the details included in the story are really strange choices. There were three scenes of peeing characters, for example.

If you can keep up with the multiple points of view then this is a good thriller, just one that feels unfinished in places.

‘The Long Weekend’ has the perfect premise for a claustrophobic thriller where an imminent and unseen threat lurks just around the corner.
The plotline kicks off right away, which I love for this genre, as three women are away for a weekend on the moors but once at their retreat they find a note which threatens the life of one of their husbands. The realisation that a potential murderer may lie within their close social circle quickly dawns upon them and of course fractures relationships quickly.
I really enjoyed the originality and intensity that Macmillan creates within this novel and the twists were brilliantly crafted; so in that sense it was a very successful and thrilling read. However for me the lack of chapter breaks did throw me off when I tried to follow the rapid narrative changes. I usually enjoy stories told through different perspectives and alternative writing styles but I did struggle to follow this one and unfortunately that did take away from enjoying the story as a whole for me.
Despite my personal opinion on the flow of the book I cannot deny that it is a well paced mystery whose conclusion I really didn’t see coming.

This was an okay book but I found the lack of chapters annoying and had very little sympathy for any of the characters

The premise of this book was intriguing. I really looked forward to starting it. Although the start was great it very quickly descending into a chaotic jumble of characters and different people’s stories. It became extremely confusing and not a little irritating. My old plea for some straight narrative still holds here and a clean directive of who is “ speaking”
The implausibility of the plot really irritated and I could not wait to finish it.

This review will be posted with Waterstones

For me this was the longest most amped up book I’ve read with a really disappointing ending.
It took me a while to read as I couldn’t get into it.

I don’t know if it’s just how it was formatted on the kindle, but the storyline kept switching from one character to another, but it wasn’t clear who it was referring to at certain points which was confusing and frustrating.

The ending was poor, do we know who Imogen’s real father is? To go through all that and for it not to be confirmed was just annoying. What was the point of them all going to the farm? It seems irrelevant.
What did John and his family bring to the story? Nothing really.

Sadly, this was a no from me.

WOW this was insanely amazing and soo crazy in the best way!!!! The twists and turns this book and it's characters take will blow your mind. You have to read this book even if you're new to this author. Trust me it is worth it.

On my goodness this book was so exciting right from the start I was hooked. I read this one in a day as I found I couldn’t put it down. It’s was twisty and creepy and very atmospheric. Set mainly in Scotland with lashing rain and high winds and, of course, no mobile signal. This book kept up a fast pace all the way through. I loved it. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily.
The sense of menace and dread are conveyed well throughout this novel, and this makes it likely to appeal to many readers so I have given it 3 stars. However, I disliked the narrative style which consisted of pages and pages without a chapter break, and movement between each character's viewpoint without any indication the change was coming; I thought this made it slow and disjointed. Each character has flashbacks and thoughts of worries around past events then the story swaps to the present time making the group of women seem to have nothing in common but their husbands, rather than being the 'tight knit' group described in the blurb. Everyone, including John and Maggie have their secrets and lies, but the tale seemed so slow in the telling that I didn't find it suspenseful or thrilling and stopped reading at 52% when the story had only reached 18 hours through the weekend.