Reviews

Beneath the Marigolds by Emily C. Whitson

mnedmonds's review

5.0

Wow. I really liked this book! I was captivated and finished this in 2 days! I never saw the ending coming and every twist and turn left me on the edge of my seat! I will say I listened to this on audio, which I don’t recommend. The audio sounded robotic in my opinion.

marcy_mccreary_author's review

5.0

What a fun, propulsive read! This book cleverly combines the archetypes of "reality TV" and the "trapped-on-a-remote-island" mystery that will perpetually keep you guessing what happened to some of the participants of an exclusive singles weekend. And like any good mystery, the final reveal was quite surprising, and ultimately satisfying.

I'm a big fan of alternating POVs, especially when done well, where each main character has a distinct voice and those two personalities play off each other. Emily Whitson has mastered this technique, giving the story wonderful depth and tension. The two main characters, Ann and Reese, are both recovering alcoholics, and their backstory of how they each dealt with their demons offers another layer to this well-paced novel.

natalier3's review

5.0

This was a fantastic audiobook.
I listened to it in a couple of days. It was thrilling, with so much intrigue and drama as you read.
It follows the story of Ann, whose friend Reese Marigold has gone missing after attending a retreat for single people. Ann decides to also go to the retreat and gain information as to what happened to Reese.
The dual timelines is used perfectly, as we hear chapters from Reese in the leadup to her disappearance, and Ann weeks later. I love reading books with dual timelines, as long as they are clear and not confusing, like this one.
The narrators were excellent, although have similar voices to each other, so if I missed the start of the chapter, it would be a little jarring to work out which character was speaking.
The ending was a real surprise, but very well thought out.
I really enjoyed it, and it is a remarkable debut.

taylorhathcock's review

5.0

"I knew too much. On that island, on that godforsaken singles' retreat. I knew too much." 

When her friend, Reese, goes missing after attending Last Chance, an exclusive singles' retreat on a remote island off the coast of Hawaii, no nonsense lawyer Ann infiltrates the retreat. Ann quickly realizes there's more to Last Chance than meets the eye. The extravagant clothes, never-ending interviews, and bizarre dates hint that the retreat is a front for  a reality dating show. Could Reese be safe, keeping a low profile somewhere until the premiere, or did something sinister occur after all? 

So this book started off with a bang and really kept going. We get an ominous, somewhat ambiguous, but definitely not good beginning that leaves us concerned for the character. The book really just kept going with the same momentum throughout. It had a couple of moments that I would equate to the jump scare in a horror movie, which added to the tone of the book. The author provides a dual POV with the story told from Reese and Ann's perspective, but most of the story is from Ann's POV. It worked well because we were always given just enough information from each. 

The author adopts an interesting technique of showing the visit to the island and the events from each woman's POV and then of course with Ann we get more of an investigation aspect, as she uncovers more and more about the island and Last Chance. Last Chance becomes more and more suspect when a man shows up who could pass for Ann's ex-boyfriend, they aren't allowed to eat on dates, and they must interview with Christine (the one in charge of the island) in specified rooms and she always tries to lead them to say certain things. 

The book does a good job of not giving much away at a time, unless you are really good at figuring out these types of things. I called things with the island and those involved pretty early on, but even still there were some parts that I did not call or even see coming. I loved this book because it was one of those that was hard to put down and left you wanting more. The whole concept was incredibly different from things I have read before and it was for sure a psychological thriller. 

marlampt's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.25

Beneath the Marigolds is a fast paced psychological thriller with depth. At the heart of the story is a strong female protagonist, Ann, searching for her friend and also her AA sponsor, Reece, who has gone missing after attending a dating retreat on a private island in Hawaii. Emily C Whitson uses her own voice perspective to highlight women in recovery from addiction without shame and guilt. I enjoyed the emotional depth that she brought into Ann and Reece’s narratives and the insight to the desires, sorrows, and difficulties of recovery for an addict.  I look forward to reading more from Whitson and recommend for fans of both mysteries, thrillers, and The Bachelor(ette), and similar reality Tv dating shows.

chelz286's review

adventurous challenging mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

This was an interesting thriller of a storyline. Reese attended a singles love retreat on an exclusive island and her friend Ann was supposed to go as well but she turned it down. But when Reese does not return and no one has heard from her even though there is shady video footage of her getting back off a plane stateside, Ann knows something is wrong. Determined to find out what this retreat really was, Ann decides to become part of Last Chance after all to get to the truth of where Reese is and what this place really is about. Was it really a last chance at love or a front for a reality dating show? As Ann does her sleuthing on the island, she has a co-worker who is also looking into things from his end  and finds out Reese is not the only one who has gone missing and that this is not the first time that some of these singles have been to this retreat. This was a good mystery and I did enjoy the storyline of this retreat as there are tons of theses reality shows on TV now. Thank you to Let's Talk Books Promo for the invite and to the publisher and author for the free novel. 

powerlibrarian's review

5.0

Beneath the Marigolds is a fast-paced psychological thriller that mashes up the reality series The Bachelor with Gone Girl.

Told in three parts, the story alternates between the points of view of Ann and Reese. Ann is heading to Phaux Island under the guise of finding love, but she’s really searching for Reese, her close friend who went missing a month earlier. Reese’s point of view scenes begin when she first came to the island, eager to find her soulmate.

There’s a distinct writing style change between the two heroines’ points of view, which made it incredibly easy to recognize whose chapter I was reading.  Reese is a flighty, immature-for-her-age, hopeless romantic, and her chapters read as such. Ann, on the other hand, is far more reserved. She’s a realist. She’s a lawyer, who, like her best friend, is unlucky in love. Her chapters have a far more analytical style, and even the way she views what’s happening at the retreat is coloured by her experiences and her profession. 

Both Reese and Ann are recovering alcoholics, and this is a theme throughout the novel. Because they’re at a romantic retreat, of course they’re constantly being tempted with alcohol, almost to the point where it seems like the people running the resort want them off the wagon. There’s something sinister going on, and Ann is determined to get to the bottom of it, not just so she can find her friend, but so she can get out of there unscathed. 

There are many exhilarating twists and turns in the plot. There were a few developments that sent me reeling, and then I was back to hungrily devouring the book. The final reveal was quite shocking, and it nicely wrapped up a cohesive and entertaining story.

*Thank you to CamCat Books, Edelweiss, and the author for the ebook to review*
This review appeared first on https://powerlibrarian.wordpress.com/
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crolovr's review

4.0

Reese Marigold goes missing after attending the singles retreat Last Chance. Last chance is on a secluded island off of Hawaii. Reese's friend Ann Stone is a lawyer and is determined to find out what happened to Reese. Ann goes to Last Chance and finds it more than a singles retreat. She feels like she is part of a reality show. Can she find out what happened to Reese?

This book grabbed me at the prologue and didn't let go until the end. The story is told in the POV of Reese and Ann. Secrets and twists are revealed in the short chapters. Think a mystery on Bachelors in Paradise. It is hard for me to believe this is a debut book and I am looking forward to Emily's next book!

erinreadswhat's review

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

2.0

macis_adventures_in_bookland's review

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

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

4.5

This books was AWESOME! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 I hate that I waited as long as I did to pick it up, but finished one book and was having a hard time picking my next book, and I read the first chapter and was hooked. 

This has a Bachlor[ette] vibe to it with a physiological-thriller twist. 

Reese has been in and out of relationships looking for ‘the one’ and when the opportunity to attend the Last Chance resort to find her match. But things take a turn and she uncovers there are some things just not right here. 

This is told from two different POV’s - Reese and Ann, both great friends that met at AA. I enjoyed hearing from both sides and how supportive they are of each other throughout their past journey’s. 

Pick this one up! She is a fellow Nashvillian with a fantastic debut coming out of the gates. I’m looking forward to her future titles!