The Guest List: A Novel
Written by Lucy Foley
Narrated by Jot Davies, Chloe Massey, Olivia Dowd and
4/5
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About this audiobook
A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK
“I loved this book. It gave me the same waves of happiness I get from curling up with a classic Christie...The alternating points of view keep you guessing, and guessing wrong.” — Alex Michaelides, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Patient
""Evok[es] the great Agatha Christie classics…Pay close attention to seemingly throwaway details about the characters’ pasts. They are all clues.” -- New York Times Book Review
A wedding celebration turns dark and deadly in this deliciously wicked and atmospheric thriller reminiscent of Agatha Christie from the New York Times bestselling author of The Hunting Party.
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?
Editor's Note
Reese’s book club…
Reese Witherspoon picked “The Guest List” as one of her June/July 2020 book club picks, along with “I’m Still Here” by Austin Channing Brown. “A very stormy seaside destination wedding is the back drop for this thrilling June book pick. … Get ready for so many twists and turns as you try to figure out the who, what and when of this mystery. It reminds me of some of my favorite mysteries from Agatha Christie,” Witherspoon wrote in her Instagram announcement post.
Lucy Foley
Lucy Foley studied English literature at Durham University and University College London and worked for several years as a fiction editor in the publishing industry. She is the author of five novels including The Paris Apartment and The Guest List. She lives in London.
More audiobooks from Lucy Foley
The Hunting Party: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Paris Apartment: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Marple: Twelve New Mysteries Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
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Reviews for The Guest List
5,445 ratings297 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This felt more like a contemporary read till the last 20 or so chapters. It was very slow pace, so slow I guessed all the twists. A who done-it but you don't even know who died till a couple chapters before you find out who killed that person so you sort of lose interest.
2 people found this helpful
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5No plot. If you make it to chapter 30 you learn 1 nugget. SO BORING!
2 people found this helpful
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The ending is abrupt and unsatisfactory. No resolution into the remaining characters. The book sucks you in and then spits you out. I gave it three stars because the writing is great, just ended a chapter too soon
2 people found this helpful
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Not like it much. Lots of un necessary details to increase the pages rather that real events in the story
2 people found this helpful
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/53.5 maybe. It was enjoyable enough but not genre defining or anything. Well written but I like my mysteries with a bit more shock.
2 people found this helpful
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The whole book felt like a wind up to a pretty disappointing ending. It didn't make sense and it wasn't satisfying.
2 people found this helpful
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5It is excruciatingly slow-paced and almost every little detail is a drag...
2 people found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I really enjoyed how the narrator swapped around between the characters
2 people found this helpful
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Actual rating: 3.5 stars
The Guest List ticked off a lot from the "whodunit thriller book" checklist:
☑️ a dead body
☑️ wide array of motivated and revenge-fueled murder suspects
☑️ multiple POVs
☑️ slow-burn story packed with plot twists
The Guest List is a truly enjoyable read, especially when read in audiobook format because of the amazing and convincing narrators. Although really amusing, I felt that the ending wasn't as satisfying and wrapped up more neatly as I wished it to be. The murdered character is such a horrible person that I felt that he needed to die more painfully.
Trigger Warnings: statutory rape, sexual predator, suicide, self-harm, bullying, murder, adultery2 people found this helpful
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5It is okay, maybe I expected someone more since this book is so popular.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5I would not call it a thriller more like drama between the characters/ soap opera. You have to go thru 90% of the book to get to the teased part, also there is no action when-the reveal happens it is pretty lackluster then you get two chapters and the book ends. For the most of the book you read about unimportant dialog that could be cuted out, some times the characters will say over and over the same thing in every new chapter.
If you have seen other books of this author, you can clearly predict the ending. Also what is it up with the author about sweaty guys, she mentions how a dude is smelling of a sweat in a good way, in every book for a few times.1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Good but too much unnecessary swearing
End was rather hurried1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5I didn’t like it. The story is full of plot holes.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good book but the ending was a bit disappointing. Too abrupt.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The writing sparkles. Characters are well drawn. Plot is weak.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Predictable. Horrible shiny people getting their comeuppance. Waste of time
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This book was kind of hard to stay paying attention to. I feel like the author gave us a lot of information that wasn’t necessary and not enough information on the things that mattered later on in the book. I feel like there was a lot of room for foreshadowing but they didn’t take the opportunity to do so. When things actually started to pick up I feel like it went by so fast and just breezed right past the good parts just to get it over with. Also the ending was very sped up and left a lot of plot holes
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I did not pass chapter 4. I do not like stories that are second hand, telling the story. I like it when you feel like you are there.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Meritless garbage, tediously drawn out. Waste of time.
Bet that wedding planner and her husband never had another customer EVER. LOL1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Great twists and turns. It was like listening to a puzzle falling into place all the pieces slowly being revealed into a very satisfying end. Great narration as well !
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5SUCKED. SUCH A WASTE OF TIME. SO MUCH NONSENSE FILLER.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Felt like I was part of the wedding. Well written and the narrators voices immerse you into the story. I felt a bit rushed at the end though.. was looking for more mystery.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Kalangi Fashion Customer Care Number 7859051048Kalangi Fashion Customer Care Number 7859051048
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fantastic page-turner! It stays with you, and makes you a little sorry to see it go.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It took a hot minute to get into, but im glad I kept going!
I am not a huge fan of the jumping back and forth between character perspectives and timing of events. That was difficult. Had she just picked one (either character perspective or timing of events) I think it would have been a bit easier to keep up with events and who did what when!
Overall, good book. I recommend!1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5It’s so very good! Highly recommend! A great whodunnit mystery.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Reads like if it was written by a teenager. Weak dialogs, convenient plot, the back and forth between past and present feels pointless as the present scenes are mostly just rambling to delay revealing which character died without any actual development or adding any real interest to the story, and then the actual ending and mystery reveal fell quite flat and felt rushed. It's not a bad book, but didn't quite feel like a good book either.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5It was okay. It kind of fell flat. I often wished for so much more from the characters.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I enjoyed the book. I correctly figured the relationships between and among the main characters about midway through, and I imagined an ending. The actual ending was a dissatisfying surprise, however, and not nearly as good as what I had imagined it would be.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The story was great! Really enjoyed it and had me gasping throughout. This is the first book I finish as an audiobook and I’m glad I did!
1 person found this helpful