I LOVED they layout of this book with the jumping about of POV and timelines. It worked so well and left you wanting more. We were given little puzzle pieces in each chapter and they all came together to create the whole picture and it was flawless! The intricacies of the plot and character connections were all so good and so clever.
Overall, an amazing book! I highly recommend.

When History of Art students Caroline and Patrick embark on their final year dissertations at Cambridge, little do they know that their relationship with a particular painting will unite them for decades, bring fame if not fortune, lead them across the globe, and even into prison. What is this painting and who is the artist?
Ellery Lloyd invents the intriguing Juliette Willoughby, painter of ‘Self-Portrait as a Sphinx’, and immerses her in the Surrealism art world of the 1930s. Absconding to Paris with her lover, she dies in a fire and that appears to be that. However, Caroline and Patrick come across artefacts during their research which suggest that not all has been destroyed.
‘The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby’ is going to please plenty of readers. However, whilst it may have been fun to plot such a complex tale with its skilfully interwoven timelines, my overall impression is that the reader is asked to suspend their disbelief just once too often. And call me pedantic, but the use of ‘gotten’ spoken by particular English characters is incredibly jarring. For example, ‘‘There might be, but I haven’t gotten to it yet,’ Caroline said.’ Really? In 1991? That voice just didn’t sound authentic – and it happens over and over.
My thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

Three novels in and husband and wife writing partnership Ellery Lloyd are carving out a clever niche for themselves - ingenious, well-written plots with thought-provoking, zeitgeisty themes ('lost' women in art history serving as a key one here) that never come at the expense of pacing or plot. This one - an art/murder mystery set over three timelines - is another winner from the pair. Loved it.

Another throroughly enjoyable read by the writing duo who make up Ellery Lloyd. I love the male and female perspectives in their book, which always adds a deeper dimension and perspective.
This book plunges us into the world of Cambridge university and Surrealist Art, which i found absolutely fascinating. There were some twists and turn in the book which I did see coming but I felt that this was intentional and that the trail of crumbs had led me to them.
There are three timelines and three different voices - firstly Juilette Willoughby a lesser known surrealist artist ( fictional) in 1938 Paris. Then the story and both perspectives of 2 Cambridge art students in 1991 and then their current situation in Dubai. Just to add to the mystery there are supiscious deaths involved in the scenarios.
The authors deftly weave us through the different time periods and kept me turning the pages. In fact I pretty much read this in one sitting and it did give me food for thought.

This is the third Ellery Lloyd book I've read and found them all enjoyable.

Like the others, this is a slow burn the first two thirds of the book telling the story and laying the crumbs for the ending. Set over 3 timelines, Paris 1938, Cambridge 1991 and Dubai present day with the painting  ‘Self Portrait as a Sphinx’ by Juliette Willoughby at the heart of the story.

Caroline and Patrick, Cambridge art students doing their dissertations on surrealism stumble upon clues that the painting might still exist and in their search they find family secrets, subterfuge and murder.

 A quick, entertaining read.

It’s 1991 and Caroline Cooper and Patrick Lambert are studying the History of Art at Cambridge University. More than a little attracted to each other, they have several attempts at being together, but due to an unfortunate past that she can’t dismiss, Caroline always pulls out of any commitment. However, unbeknownst to each other they are both assigned Alice Long as their supervisor to advise them on their dissertations. From the first meeting they are encouraged to look further into the life of Juliette Willoughby, a Surrealist artist from the 1930s who died in a fire with her lover, the artist Oskar Erlich, in their apartment in Paris. Their works were also destroyed during the fire.

As the young couple delve into the records, discoveries are made.

This is my first book by this dual enterprise and I enjoyed it very much. Although a bit of a slow start, it is well written, with definite shades of The Goldfinch.

A good multi layered read, set over three timelines and told from various POV. Neatly tied up ending.

I would definitely recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and Pan Macmillan

I loved this book so much - the glamorous locations, the Saltburnesque characters, the fascinating history of art detail. This book races along - and takes the reader with it. I learned a lot and so enjoyed it.

I'll just say it: I did not like this (duo) author's previous books. Yet, by reading the synopsis of this new one I felt like I needed to give them another chance. I'm all up for giving authors a second or even a third chance.
I enjoy mystery novels with multiple timelines as well as POVs, so this book started out strong for me.
And then it wasn't anymore.
I realised I wasn't invested in any of the characters, from any of the timelines. So, I decided to DNF this book.
Maybe, just maybe one day, after the book is officially released, I try to get another go by listening to the audiobook (audiobooks always help me push books that I'm not enjoying that much).
But, for now, it's a no from me. I'm sure this book will please other readers.
Thank you, anyway, to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with a free arc of this book.

The death of artist Juliet Willoughby, who scandalously eloped with her married lover in the 1930s, reverberates through the decades in this gripping tale.

The official account of Juliet's death in a studio fire comes under question as, over half a century later, two art students in Cambridge discover that there may be more to the story. But what Caroline and Patrick discover may bring them into conflict with the secrets that the Willoughby family has carefully hidden over the years...

In the third timeline that appears in this story, set in contemporary Dubai, the last member of the Willoughby family dies under suspicious circumstances. It is Juliet's masterwork that may provide the clues to solving these multiple mysterious death cases. But will the true story ever come to light?

This is an interesting novel, set over three timelines and featuring multiple protagonists. The author does a good job of balancing the stories she is telling whilst maintaining an engaging storytelling process throughout.

I have read both of Ellery Lloyd's previous released books The Club and People Like Me and absolutely loved it, putting them as one of my favourite author's and this book was no different as it had me gripped like the two previous novels.

‘The Final Act Of Juliette Willoughby’ by Ellery Lloyd is an exhilarating, mysterious and layered tale about a lost painting, long buried secrets and obsession. Set across three distinct time periods and locations, we are whisked between Paris 1938, Cambridge 1991 and Dubai in the present day and visit glamorous locations including artists’ lodgings, surrealist exhibitions, academic libraries, country houses, sophisticated galleries and renowned auction halls.

In 1991, students Caroline and Patrick meet with their dissertation supervisor and their interest in surrealism leads to a discussion of the mythic ‘Self Portrait as a Sphinx’ by Juliet Willoughby, which was exhibited for one night only in 1938 and presumed to have perished in a tragic fire along with its painter and her famous artist beau. In the present, Caroline and Patrick are brokering a multi-million pound art deal until a suspicious death and a murder arrest. However, it’s in Juliette’s journal entries from 1938 that the real seeds of mystery are planted… While the world may have viewed her as an English MP’s mad daughter who absconded to Paris and fell in love, she was actually an artist with a terrible secret whose star shone brightly before blazing out and who refused to be erased from history.

This book has so many mysteries to unravel, multiple deaths to explain and an abundance of connections woven throughout. It was supremely satisfying and empowering when everything came together. The final discovery was gruesome and sad, but believable in its simplicity.

I adored Ellery Lloyd’s ‘People Like Her’ but didn’t really connect to the characters in ‘The Club’… I am thrilled to say that the stars of this novel are smart, interesting and motivated, with captivating pasts and hidden depths. I cared about Juliette’s truth and Patrick’s ordeal. I enjoyed the feminist message also.

Five stars and highly recommended!

I received an advance Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher Pan MacMillan via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.