If you’ve read “and then there were none”, then you’ll enjoy this, as it works along the same premise.

For those who haven’t read the above, In short, a group of people are invited to a party on a remote island for a very specific reason……

I did enjoy this, and I have to say that I didn’t see it coming! It’s an easy read, and a good fun one too! It’s billed as being an excellent Christmas read and it really is.

My thanks to Netgalley and Swift Press. My review is based on an advance copy that I received from the publisher.

Reminiscent of Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" this seasonal murder mystery takes us to a remote Hebridean Island where Millie thinks she is going to be partying with old colleague Nick and a host of glamorous guests. But the Scottish manor is run down, and there are only five other guests - one of whom she recognises as another old colleague, Penny. She knows nothing of the others, but gradually it becomes clear that they are all in some way linked, and have been brought together for a reason. Then the murders begin .... will Millie survive?
With a thrilling and well-paced plot, the author also created a tense and creepy atmosphere, and the characters were all sufficiently fleshed out to make them all interesting if not wholly empathetic. There were enough clues to give the reader that satisfied "ah yes" moment at the ending.
It got a bit gruesome at times, but overall this was a really good read.

A remote Scottish island, an invite from an ex-colleague who you’d like to be a little more than colleague, a New Year’s Eve party to jump at surely. Yet from the moment Millie sets out on her journey the tension started to build. I was hooked and on the edge of my seat as the sense of mystery and foreboding built. Add to that the eclectic group of guests, one of whom Millie would rather not have bumped into, the crumbling house, and the creepy host Mrs Flyte, the apparent suicide of the one person Millie didn’t want to meet, and the stage is set. This book had me guessing throughout as the backstories of the guests were revealed and more murders took place, although I did work out whodunnit before the big reveal. I thought it had lots of twists and turns and certainly had me wanting to pick it up and read on. A quick and easy read for the festive season.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-arc in exchange for a review.

I was intrigued by the synopsis of Auld Acquaintance. Millie Partridge desperately needs a party. When her charming ex-colleague Nick invites her to a Hebridean Island for New Year’s Eve she books her ticket immediately. But as soon as she arrives on the island, things start to go wrong. The stately home has seen better days and Nick hasn’t arrived yet. Plus the other guests aren’t particularly to Millie’s taste, especially her formate colleague Penny. When Penny goes missing, things begin to take a sinister turn but with a storm Washington from the Atlantic, the guests are on their own.

I had high hopes for this book. The setting leant itself perfectly to creating a mean and moody atmosphere with the storm rolling in but that was barely mentioned. It the plot seemed to stall in places and it just didn’t grab me, draw me in or keep me entertained.

Thank you to NetGalley, Swift Press and the author for the chance to review.

An interesting take on a much used scenario. A group of people arrive independently on a remote Scottish island having been invited to a New Years Eve party. From the very beginning it is obvious that something is suspicious about the invitations. Slowly connections between the guests are revealed and then a body is found and things go from bad to worse.
Although this a well traveled path the author keeps the interest going and the reveal is unexpected although the the very end of the story appears rushed and is not completely satisfying.
That being said I found this to be an enjoyable read.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And the days of auld lang syne?
....


Although the concept is of course familiar - the story remains fantastic and I enjoyed reading this book immensely.

It was on one those cold nights last week, when the wind was howling and the rain was falling, and lightning startled the dark sky, when I felt the time was right to lose myself completely is this wonderful adaptation.
Setting is Scotland, - the Outer-Hebrides - , Hogmanay

I love how the author has used some of the key elements that one would find in a Gothic novel: ‘the gloomy, cobwebbed, dark mansion …’with unplaceable cracks, doors that drifted open, paintings that changed places and watches you from the wall, the withered flowers, and decay everywhere, … [ ]
Everything in the house was so quietly horrible - the sad decor, the food, the other people’ -; the destructive power of nature omnipresent, ‘with people shuffling through the scene as though they were shell-shocked.’ [red.]
It’s the the old housekeeper, ‘red in beak and claw’ that welcomes the party, and with keen bird-watcher Millie, and the ubiquitous screeching of birds, the bad weather, and the howling winds, the party seems to be complete.

The story is told and seen through the eyes of one of the invitees, Millie. She had been invited - she thinks - by friend Nick, to immerse herself in this high-end experience, along with a number of other guests to celebrate Hogmanay. Secrets run deep and dark among them, and with the phones dead, and people dropping dead like flies, the whole experience soon turns into a nightmare…

Gothic elements have been added to this classic story. And with all the misery in the world going on, this was the perfect escapism experience for me, and I loved seeing elements of two of my favourite authors merged together into this new Hitchcockian murder mystery.

Millie Partridge needs a party so when her handsome ex-colleague Nick invites her to a New Year’s Eve party on a remote island she readily agrees. But once she arrives things go wrong and the other revelers are not what she pictured. One thing is sure - they will see in the new year with a bang.

Several strangers are drawn to attend an NYE party. I immediately took a dislike to the characters who were gathered together. The story didn't really hold my attention as it's too much like other stories of similar ilk. A group of people thrown together in a crumbling old house. One by one they die. It's written well enough but it wasn't for me. Sorry.

Thanks to #NetGalley for this free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

7 friends celebrating Hogmanay..thinking they're in for an enjoyable time. One by one death befalls them. Very Agatha Christie like...Full of deceit and mistrust. An ok read....I've read similar recently though. Thank you Netgalley for the arc and opportunity to read it.

I wish I had liked the characters more, if I had it might have helped me to care what happened to them. As it was, I struggled to be interested. I feel this sort of story has been done to death, pun intended, and this didn't bring anything new to the table. Sorry but not a good read for me.

New years eve on a remote island, what could possibly go wrong? Well for Millie and fellow guests it seems like this is going to be the most eventful New Year ever.
Millie is excited to get the invite from a former colleague but upon arriving at the house is astonished he's not there to greet her. Neither is the house or setup what she expected. And the next few days turn into the worst she can imagine.
Each time I suspected a perpetrator I was taken on a different tangent, leading to a finale I hadn't suspected
3.5 rounded up
Thanks to Netgalley and Swift Press for chance to read this advanced copy, I'm under no obligation to leave my review

This pub date kept changing and since I like to read books closer to the pub day I waited. I continuously check the archive dates to make sure I can read it and all of a sudden the date was yesterday… no heads up whatsoever. So unable to read unfortunately.

I was given the opportunity to read this book for an honest review and I am sorry to say that this isn't one that I would be recommending. I adore Scotland and I love a crime mystery so I was excited to start this little number. Set in rural Scotland on an island, a New Years party but not one that you would want an invitation to. The story unfolds and leaves so much untold. It feels disjointed and really unfinished, the more people died, the more ridiculous it got. No one seemed remotely bothered by all of the deaths, just a shrug and 'oh well, move on' - this had the potential to be incredible but it was flat and lacked suspense. I am sorry that this one didn't do it for me at all. The only saving grace was that it didn't take that long to read.

This was an interesting murder mystery tale set on a remote Herbridean Island at Hogmanay. As the group begin to gather, it soon becomes apparent that they all have something to hide but the celebrations soon take a dramatic turn as one by one they are murdered. The storyline has a most definite similarity to other well known books but it was an enjoyable read and one that I will recommend.

Many thanks to Swift Press and NetGalley for the review copy.

This whodunnit was written in the vein of Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None". Set in a remote Scottish island for a New Year's Eve gettogether with some very interesting characters - practically all unlikeable. The book was well written and an enjoyable read but with a somewhat predictable ending. 2.5 stars, rounded up. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an early ARC to review.

A mystery set on a remote Scottish Island at New Year's - Yes Please!

The synopsis for this gives us very And Then There Was None vibes which I loved.

7 guests each brought to the island thinking they have been invited to a party.
What follows is a massive storm, an apparent suicide and murder. Every guest has a dark secret and someone is willing to kill them all.

If you enjoy an unreliable narrator this one is for you.
A book filled with fear and distrust with moments of humor thrown in.

Sofia Slater is definitely an author I will pick up again.

4 Stars.

A great story full of twists. I loved the main character Millie who gets invited to a NYE party on a Hebridean Island in a manor house with 6 other guests and strange things start to occur communication with the mainland is cut off and then 1 of the guests commits suicide which starts a series of people dying one after another and Millie is unsure who to trust,
A real page turner and gets your heart pumping trying to work out who is the killer which keeps you changing your mind the ending is a twist.
Highly recommend this book look forward to reading more Sofia Slater books.
Thanks to NetGalley & Swift Press for a advanced copy.

This book was unique but sometimes confusing. I enjoyed the writing style but found it difficult to stay focused on the plot

Thank you, NetGalley and Swift Press for the ARC of Auld Acquaintance by Sofia Slater in return for an honest review.
Set mostly on a remote Hebridean island in an old manor house run as a hotel, all the guests at a New Year’s Eve party have something to hide and a loose connection to one another. One by one, people die and, while there are some twists and turns to the story, it trundled on for me and failed to grip my attention.
I thought that more could have been made of the characters, the setting, and the dialogue, and I found it straightforward to spot who did it! I also found the over-reference to Millie’s fascination with birds an irritation, when much more could have been made of the story dynamics, such as the remoteness, the poor weather, the links between characters and raising the level of fear and distrust.
Unfortunately, the comparisons between this book and Agatha Christie’s, “And Then There None”, seem inevitable, given the writing, the plot, the characters, and the setting. However, Christie was a master storyteller and set the standard for this type of novel.
I am sorry to say that Sofia did not fulfil my expectations, especially given the book’s advanced marketing.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of Auld Acquaintance by Sofia Slater.
This is a well written murder mystery who done it story, with some very interesting characters and a few gory deaths, a really enjoyable read with a twisty ending i didn’t see coming. Would defiantly recommend reading, I will be looking out for more books by Sofia Slater.

An updated take on And Then There Were None with guests invited under false pretenses to a remote, isolated island with no way to leave and realizing a murderer is there with them. All of the guests, including the protagonist Millie, are hiding secrets. Not the most original premise but enjoyable and suspenseful nonetheless. There's a reason authors keep writing these isolated-vacation/party-gone-wrong stories, and a reason I keep reading them :)