This is a rather large cast with a ton of POVs. It is hard to manage until you get into it, but then you will have no problems keeping track because everyone has a very distinct personality. Foley lazily tells the story so you won’t get into the gritty things until later on in the book. But there is a lot of groundwork to lay, which helps build the tension for readers. But for me, a thriller implies that you will race through the book desperate to see some resolution, and that didn’t happen with this until the last quarter.
I found Hannah the most likable; she was the one who had the most redeeming qualities. It’s an entire cast of unlikable characters. I’m not normally one to compare books to other books, but I’ve recently read Good Neighbors, which also includes a cast of unlikeable characters, but it was well done. I just felt the writing wasn’t as compelling in The Guest List.
When I get past the unlikable characters, there is a fun storyline. The buildup makes the secrets that come to light worth the slow burn it takes to get there. And the secrets revealed really cement just how unlikable a lot of these people are. Overall, an enjoyable read.
The Guest List is available on Amazon for $14.99.
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Blurb:
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?
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