Book Review: The Guest List by Lucy Foley (Halloween Week of Horrors: Day 2)

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

Halloween Week of Horrors: Day Two

I bought this book with my own money. There was no obligation to post/give this book a certain rating. This gifting in no way alters my review and I remain impartial.

Published: June 2nd 2020 by William Morrow
Rating: ★★★★★ (5)
Genre: Adult // Mystery, Thriller, Horror
Quick Thoughts: Cult-classic vibe, striking POVs and a twisty mystery to keep you entertained.

About The Author: The bride ‧ The plus one ‧ The best man ‧ The wedding planner ‧ The bridesmaid ‧ The body

On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.

But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.

And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?

First Thoughts

The Guest List has been on my radar for the longest time. I kept putting off buying it to read YA books, and then when I did get it, I got swept into reading other books first and it kept getting lower in my TBR. That’s until I saw the perfect opportunity: read this highly anticipated book during my Halloween Week of Horrors! So, kicking off day two is this stunningly wicked read.

My Review

Set on an island just off the coast of Ireland, a wedding takes place, bringing together a set of people that the novel revolves around, each in turn getting their POV. There’s the bride, the plus one, the best man, the wedding planner, the bridesmaid, and as in most thrillers, the body. Only, we don’t know who the body is yet. All we know is that this wedding isn’t going to be the perfect image of romance after all. Not when the cracks begin to show right from the start. The bride is a highly ambitious as the publisher of a magazine, and because of her newfound lifestyle she’s accustomed to, the wedding is as decadent as they come. After all, her husband is a television star with his own growing following, so it’s only fitting that this be the brightest event.

But as the guests begin to appear on the island, the wedding planner telling of the island’s history as new characters with their own perplexing stories crop up, it’s clear that with their troubling talks of secrets, of questionable motives and held-in thoughts, the trickier it does become to distinguish which one could crack and become the killer, and which unfortunate guest will succumb to being the victim.

Overall, I did not expect to love The Guest List as much as I did. It did take me a quick second to warm up to the characters and “get in” to the novel, but once I did (very quickly, I might add) I fell straight into the palm of its hands not long after. I kept reading all throughout the day and night, hours passing, pages turning, desperate to trace the mystery and solve the intricate weave of thrills and cleverly-written, brilliant characters. It had that cult-classic vibe, with striking POVs and a twisty mystery that kept me entertained for hours. I did kind of guess the “killer” just before it was announced, but it was still SO, SO GOOD because that unpredictability-meets-thrill factor was so sky-high all throughout, betrayal and unsuspecting actions from all the characters keeping the guessing game wide open. I cannot recommend this enough for mystery/thriller lovers! I’m firmly a new fan of Lucy Foley. 5 stars!