Didn’t really have the depth to carry the story but was an okay thriller considering. I didn’t really engage with it and it wasn’t a stand out for me I’m afraid.

Auld Acquaintance by Sofia Slater. Millie gets invited to a mad Scottish island for New Years and obviously someone goes missing. This was fun, it didn’t take rocket science to work out what was going on but it’s quite light hearted which is a wild thing to say about a book sold to me as full of tension. Some of the dialogue is a bit stilted but it’s a short book and it will distract you on a flight. It’s just very middle of the road nice. My take away from this is stay at home because NYE is shit anyway.

My first book by Sofia and hopefully not my last. This is a brilliant debut novel

I found this book creepy and I was guessing until the end. Well written, great storyline and a diverse bunch of characters.
Definitely recommend

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
Other reviewers have compared this book to one by Agatha Christie but I haven't read that so cannot offer any opinion about those comments. This book seems to fit the Gothic genre but I didn't find it suspenseful or even interesting. The narration seemed disjointed, suggesting ghosts / spirits as well as a murderer in the group but I didn't think the threads were combined very well. By 50% through I couldn't maintain my interest about any of the murders or mysteries, and gave up reading at that point.

Millie is desperate to go to a party, so when she receives an invite from ex colleague Nick, to a New Year's Party on the Isle Of Osay in the outer Hebrides, she accepts.

Millie packs her best winter wardrobe and travels to the cold and harsh landscape of the Hebrides. But things go wrong the moment the ferry drops her off. It's a run down stately home and Nick is nowhere to be seen. But an old adversary of Millie's called Penny is there.

When Penny goes missing the next day, things take a sinister turn and that is only the beginning. One thing you can be sure of, this New Year will definitely be starting with a bang !!

A creepy and addictive read and I would definitely be looking out for this author's next book.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

When Mille Partridge received an invitation from an old work colleague, especially one she quite liked, she doesn’t think twice about travelling to a remote island as how better to spend New Years Eve than with the possibility of a bit of romance? When she arrives at her destination it doesn’t take her long to see that maybe the party is not going to be quite the celebration she had expected. The accommodation is a bit run down, some of the other guests are a little bit annoying to say the least and the work colleague she comes face to face with is not the one she expected.
This is definitely a party the guests will not forget in a hurry and not just because of the accommodation. They are a mix of people who seemingly have nothing in common on the face of it. The owner of the house is a strange character and seems very unprepared for both the guests and the party and that is just the start of it but with no way off the island for several days they all agree that they will just have to make the best of it.
This is a short book, but it packed quite a bit of action in it. I found that at times I agreed with Millie on her assessment of some of the guests however even with them being annoying and self-centred I am not sure even I would want them to meet the fates that they did. I quite easily understood the distrust they had of each other as little by little we got to learn more about their pasts and finally piece together the link between them all and what actually drove the killer to do what they did.
This is the first book by Sofia Slater, and she has written something that gives the reader plenty of misdirection so just when you think you know who is behind it all, something happens to prove you wrong, and you have to start all over again. The remote location with its stormy weather adds to the build-up of tension in the book and the pacing seems just about right making it an enjoyable read.

Our main character was invited to a New Year's party in the Outer Hebrides by an ex-colleague. Rather than spending New Year's Eve by herself, Millie decides to go to the remote party. But when she gets there, nothing goes to plan. Things are not as they seem. People are dying.

This was a brilliant debut novel by Sofia Slater, full of intrigue. It really reminds me of an Agatha Christie, Knives Out type of story, with a locked-in whodunnit. I wish the book had been longer, and I'm excited to see what else Slater publishes!

Dark and brooding. its kind of a puzzle as to why she went to the party in such a remote place but she needs to get away, it kind of makes sense but things start to go wrong pretty quickly and its all downhill from when she gets there. Millie is about to have the worst new year of her life. An interesting read, set in a brooding, harsh landscape. Enjoyable.

The description had me thinking I'd love this book but it was a real slow-burner and I just couldn't get into it. It's a shame because it could have been so much better.

Millie receives an invite from an ex-work colleague, Nick, whom she hasn’t seen for a while. In it, he invites her to a New Year’s Eve party in the Outer Hebrides in Scotland.

She accepts thinking it would be great to see Nick again; the alternative is to spend the New Years alone. On the way to the ferry on the 30th of December, Millie spots a single car that went off the road and that the local police were taking care of it.

Whilst on the ferry, Millie meets three people headed for the island: James, who works as a pharmacist, Bella B, a rising influencer, and Ravi, her boyfriend working in finance.

When they disembark the ferry, they are told that there will be no boats until the 2nd of January.

When Millie and the others reach the Fairweather House, she discovers no Nick in vicinity. However, they meet their alcoholic host, Mrs Flyte, lawyer Winston Harriot, and Penny Maybury, someone from Millie’s past. Someone who Millie tried very hard to forget.

Soon, strange things begin to happen… They discover that the couple in the car accident were headed for the island and that they both had died.

Then, the next day Penny disappears… What is going on?

Ooh I really enjoyed this locked-in mystery. The time and location was just perfect: set during a festive period in a secluded Scottish island with no Wi-Fi and poor mobile reception.

The book reminded me of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None especially when they all started dying one after another.

This is a stunning debut by Sofia Slater, I can’t wait to read her other books.

My goodness what can I say about this book it kept you guessing wondering who the killer was. I read it in a day as I was so gripped by it.

Millie is going to a party on a remote island she has been invited by an ex workmate who she really likes. All the people who are at this manor for the party. We now see all the guests one by one being killed who is the killer?

It certainly kept you guessing who the killer was and certainly had a twist to it at the end.

Well written book.

Would recommend this book.

An easy and engaging read that turns into a bit of a “who dunnit?”

Millie was invited to a NYE party on a remote Scottish island by a former colleague Nick. Or was she? Things take a dark turn and we’re left left trusting no one. My favourite part was the real mix of characters. I also really enjoyed the twist, I honestly didn’t see it coming. Not a totally original read but enjoyable and engaging.

Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Great thriller. I loved all the twists and turns of this murder mystery set on a remote Scottish island. It really is a cleverly written novel, a proper modern day Agatha Christie, that keeps you on the edge of your seat right to the end.

A murder mystery set on a remote Scottish Island in the Hebrides with plenty of weird and wonderful characters.

Millie Partridge is invited by an ex colleague Nick (who shes always had a small crush on) to a New Years Eve party as his plus one. Strange as they haven't had contact for a while!

On the ferry over Millie meets some other guests, a couple and a man travelling solo.. but no Nick. Arriving at the hotel she finds it in a run down state and only six other guests, the elderly owner stating more may arrive in the morning.

The morning comes and the weather is horrendous, no ferries will be able to cross until it's clear but that also means no one can leave either and Nick hasn't arrived.

Finally getting hold of Nick, Millie is shocked and confused to find Nick never sent her an invite and he's not or ever was coming, hes celebrating elsewhere with his girlfriend.

When one of the guests Penny is seen jumping from the cliffs and stuck in this crumbling house, Millie realises their is no escape. What happened to Penny, can any of the other guests be trusted as one by one they are picked off...

This was a really enjoyable book that felt like I was reading a game of Cluedo... Miss White in the Parlour with the candlestick!!!

Whilst I cant say it was a real stand out story for me it was an enjoyable, easy read that i happily whiled away an evening reading.

With thanks to netgalley and Swift Press for the ARC.

A quick and engaging thriller, set in an atmospheric creepy Scottish mansion on an abandoned island with no contact with the outside world.

Everyone in the book is a suspect and I really enjoyed the tense countdown towards the end of the book, as the start of a New Year is juxtaposed with the fast descent to the ending.

Easy to read - I finished it in a couple of hours - and fully kept my attention for the whole story.

I'd definitely read more by this author in future.

Rounded up to 3.5

A good debut book, I’m sure Sofia slater will only get better.
A great idea for a book. Was fast paced throughout and did keep you on the edge of your seat with the question ‘who did it?’
My only criticism was that I did find myself losing a little bit of interest in the middle. My interest did however pick back up with the ending that I wasn’t expecting. I’m usually good at guessing who it is but I didn’t with this one.
Thank you to netgalley for allowing me to read this book.

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Swift Press in exchange for an honest review.

Auld Acquaintance is the story of Millie, a woman who receives a mysterious New Year's Eve party invitation to a remote Scottish island. When she arrives however, the old friend who invited her is nowhere to be seen and instead she is surrounded by strangers, with one notable exception-someone from her past she really doesn't want to see. Things start to go wrong and before long, Millie is trapped on the island and in very real danger.

I must confess, it took me a while to get into this book. The first 20% is structured a little oddly, with one of the most interesting characters being killed off almost immediately, leading me to wonder why Millie was bothering to stay on the island (she was not yet stranded by the storm). Unclear motivations was an ongoing theme throughout the book, and while the plot was decent, the writing felt like it could use another draft. It quickly takes the structure of a typical 'murder island' mystery which are some of my favourites, but the characters aren't quite relatable enough to carry it properly. There are some good gruesome deaths and an interesting sense of foreboding, but not much else to keep you reading.

Having said that, once I got used to the writing style I did enjoy this book quite a lot. It works well as a themed seasonal read that you can enjoy full of turkey and Christmas pudding, without needing to focus too hard on it. I found the character of Winston really interesting, and I think if they'd all been as developed as him then this book would have been a lot stronger. Ultimately though, not being able to understand the motivations of the main character is quite a big problem. This book also borrows quite heavily from And Then There Were None, a recent trend which really bothers me because it is starting to feel more like ripping off than homages. I am a huge Agatha Christie fan but unless you have a really good spin on the formula, you will always just be stealing her plot in my eyes.

Overall, I still recommend picking up this book if you want a decent seasonal read with some genuinely cool deaths. Just set your expectations for fun rather than a genius mystery.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5 stars

This was a really quick read but due to that, I found it difficult to gel with the characters. It often felt rushed and there was no build up to the story. I also found it just too unrealistic. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't the best book I've read

This was a quick read which had a faster ending than I would have liked. It felt a little bit rushed and I would’ve liked more.

Millie has been invited to a remote Scottish island by an ex colleague - and one she had a thing for - for a New Year’s Eve party. With nothing to lose she agrees to go and it’s not quite what she bargained for.

A ‘closed room’ thriller where the characters get picked off one by one, this is a twist on a classic.

It was a good read but felt a bit rushed at the end. Twisty enough to keep me engaged, and enough gore to keep my interest! If you want a quick, thrilling read with lots of murder, this one’s for you.

Millie is invited to a party at a hidden island near Scotland. When she arrives there are few guests and something seems off. The next morning one of the guests throws themself off a cliff but that's only the start. What is going on, on this island and can Millie last until the Police arrive.

Well this was quite a ride. Its a fairly dark story for this time of year but I do love a mystery. I did have an idea I knew who was behind it all but I liked how all the stories came together and the motivations for it all. The plot is slow burning despite the drama but it adds to the feel of the story. The ending was good and it left me a little like wait is this really how it should end? It does fit well with the story and I liked it but someone got off rather lightly. No spoilers. The atmosphere of the desolate locationa and the stormy weather really works well. A new years mystery.