So recently I’ve been reading so much more, as a way to avoid uni essays, avoid the news and bury my head in the sand or spend time doing something that i love? You tell me. Recently I saw a recommendation from one of my friends @esmeatgrlpwr on Instagram for a book called The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley, I read it and I absolutely loved it. I’ll leave you to go and check out her review for The Hunting Party because it really inspired me to read it (https://www.grl-pwr.co.uk/post/book-review-the-hunting-party-by-lucy-foley)! And then I realised that Lucy Foley had a new book out of a similar style and I was hooked, I had to get it!
A couple of days later and I had it, I’m not usually a fan of buying hardback books, trying to avoid it if I can, but for this I just couldn’t wait. The premise of The Guest List is similar to Foley’s previous The Hunting Party, there’s a murder and you don’t know who’s been murdered or who the murderer is until later on in the book, uncovering it as you go back and forward over the course of the event. This one is set at a wedding off the coast of Ireland, and like The Hunting Party not all of the characters are likeable. The characters consist of famous faces, rich boarding school friends, and then the outcasts who are not as rich or privileged as the others and it makes for a really interesting dynamic.
I find this format so interesting as you’re constantly second guessing yourself about both the killer and the killed. As the book goes on you realise that the characters all have motivation to kill one another for different reasons, and on the most part they’re all guilty of some past crime or grievance. As I said to another friend, you’re constantly rooting for them all to kill one another, then changing your mind as you learn something new, red herrings dotted throughout the book. I really like that because it makes me think and theorise and pay a lot more attention to anything that could be a clue. I love to guess it before, but I still love that Foley manages to surprise.
The plot twists (don’t worry no spoilers here!) because unlike in The Hunting Party there were a few big ones this time, I really enjoyed. I’d guessed at a couple of them and was satisfied that I was right, but they were still enjoyable and well written and developed. If you really pay attention when reading Foley’s works you’ll be able to see some of them, and after reading The Hunting Party I like to think I was prepared. If you like a book full of mystery and twists that really draws you in and captivates you, I would highly recommend this.
Out of all of the characters I think I liked Hannah the most. She was one of the most likeable characters and I think one of the most interesting, a mum with a wild past kind of dissatisfied with her current relationship and jealous of her husband’s potential feelings for his friend. I really enjoyed seeing the relationship between Hannah and Olivia develop as the novel progressed, in general I’d have to say that they were my two favourite characters. I think their friendship was really touching and sad and they both learnt a lot from each other in my mind. They were both complex and struggling in different ways.
As in The Hunting Party, Foley gives a perfect scenery. This time rich with more local knowledge, as you can tell from her personal connection to the setting. I really enjoy reading Foley’s descriptions because I’m not a massive fan of creepiness or horror, but I think that she writes it perfectly where it’s just creepy enough to spook and unsettle you but intriguing enough to keep you diving into the next page, I literally finished this within a day like I did with The Hunting Party because they’re genuinely so good!
If you’re looking for an intriguing and thrilling read, I would definitely recommend this book. In my opinion Foley has outdone herself when compared to The Hunting Party, I absolutely loved this book and if you want books that you literally can’t put down I’d definitely recommend starting here!
Let me know if you enjoy it!
Love,
Carey
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