Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - The Guest List

Unlike anything I’ve ever read. Simply incredible. So many twists and turns and secrets and lies that it was just fascinating as it unfolded. It is rare that such good and vivid writing is paired with a plot that unwravels so flawlessly without being clunky. I love how little I knew even halfway through the book - the characters were set up sooo well that you felt lied to as the reader. Even side characters were given substance and depth so that every part felt relevant to the story. There were lots of false alarm moments of tension that ramped up and then diffused, which kept me on my toes. The stark contrast between foolish child-like men and the intricate murder mystery was unique and captivating and also contributed to lots of looks at how females are treated and schoolboy culture, which can be highly toxic. So many ideas and themes were covered but it never felt like too much and this has shot into one of my top 5 books of all time.

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lou_naema's review

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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swenso12's review

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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cepbreed's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

If there is one thing I’ve learned from reading mystery books it’s that rich people are always evil.

The start of The Guest List was very slow for my liking. I had no connection to the characters so I was only motivated by my need to complete every book I start. I'm very glad I powered through because the last quarter of the story was a reward in and of itself. I wouldn't say the ending was incredibly show-stopping, but the details given about the past leading up to the final scene had me taking breaks to process everything. It is rare that an author can write a story full of unlikeable characters and still keep their audience engaged but I think Lucy Foley did just that. There is not one character that I felt disproportionate sympathy for and still I was invested in every characters narrative. Humans are innately flawed and Foley brings this out incredibly well. The characters may not be admirable but they certainly are human.

Though I enjoyed this thoroughly I have to disagree with The New York Times book review that initially enticed me, this is not comparable to Agatha Christie.

Song:

Perfect Storm - Inhaler

(it's only fitting that I associate the book with an Irish band)

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ptitirodactyle's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

a lot of skinny valorization/fat shaming + a bit of a problematic depiction of self-harm imho

I also figured out pretty much all of the twists in advance, so the book didn’t have me gasping.

it’s not a bad novel per se, but there are much better thrillers out there. I very much preferred The Paris Apartment.

I’m guessing that I was supposed to be happy with the ending, but it left me bittersweet. There is no justice at all, all the women hurt by Will are gonna continue to suffer because of what he did to them.

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