Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I enjoyed this thriller type book. I will say the big twist is fairly obvious early on, but the author gives you enough other secrets that you want to keep reading to see how every puzzle piece fits together. Overall, really quick and it kept pulling me back.
I'll start by saying this is the 2nd book in the Stephanie King books, but I wouldn't say you had to have read the first (& so It Begins) to read this one unless you want too, as their is enough information within the story to help.
I really enjoyed the story; the setting was brilliant & for me played a huge role in the book, it kept me guessing and intrigued all the way through. I wouldn't say I like many of the characters, but for me that isn't a necessity, as long as they have a purpose.
I really enjoyed the story; the setting was brilliant & for me played a huge role in the book, it kept me guessing and intrigued all the way through. I wouldn't say I like many of the characters, but for me that isn't a necessity, as long as they have a purpose.
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I thought this sounded like a mash up of two Lucy Foley books I've enjoyed: [b:The Hunting Party|37642030|The Hunting Party|Lucy Foley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1569862373l/37642030._SY75_.jpg|59229722] and [b:The Guest List|51933429|The Guest List|Lucy Foley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1580194251l/51933429._SY75_.jpg|73094861]. And in many ways it IS, and if you liked those books you may well enjoy this one. But I thought it was too improbable, too drawn out and it was easy to guess the major twist in advance.
The story is about a four men who have been friends since school. When Lucas is getting married, he invites them and their partners to his remote country mansion for the wedding party. On the morning of the wedding, tragedy strikes: one of the party is found dead. An inquest rules suicide.
Exactly one year later Lucas invites everyone back to his house and then announces that he is convinced that the death one year ago was actually a murder and that no one can leave until they have all worked out who did it. There are so many implausibilities here that it's hard to suspend disbelief and go with the story. Of course everyone has a secret that needs to come out, although in most cases you wonder why that would need to be kept secret. And the big twist at the core of the story is pretty obvious from about the halfway point although there are some elements that I didn't work out.
I liked the first half of the book but as it went on I just got annoyed by how long it was taking for things to happen and how ridiculous the characters' behaviour was.
The story is about a four men who have been friends since school. When Lucas is getting married, he invites them and their partners to his remote country mansion for the wedding party. On the morning of the wedding, tragedy strikes: one of the party is found dead. An inquest rules suicide.
Exactly one year later Lucas invites everyone back to his house and then announces that he is convinced that the death one year ago was actually a murder and that no one can leave until they have all worked out who did it. There are so many implausibilities here that it's hard to suspend disbelief and go with the story. Of course everyone has a secret that needs to come out, although in most cases you wonder why that would need to be kept secret. And the big twist at the core of the story is pretty obvious from about the halfway point although there are some elements that I didn't work out.
I liked the first half of the book but as it went on I just got annoyed by how long it was taking for things to happen and how ridiculous the characters' behaviour was.
3.5 ⭐️ - I had a really good time reading the majority of this book but the ending felt like it was thrown together and didn’t tie out every loose end. Overall though I loved the premise and pace of the book
Amazing! Couldn’t stop reading!
So many twists and turns with zero plot holes. Character development is thorough and well thought out. Definitely a must read!
So many twists and turns with zero plot holes. Character development is thorough and well thought out. Definitely a must read!
An average run of the mill thriller, enjoyable but average.
I'd pretty much guessed the main plot reveal but I still enjoyed the ride to the end. The actual game portion of the plot felt a little lacking, I'd hoped for it to be more dramatic and filled with suspense and unexpected shocks, it wasn't but the idea behind the game was intriguing, I just felt it wasn't fully explored to its max capacity.
3 stars.
I'd pretty much guessed the main plot reveal but I still enjoyed the ride to the end. The actual game portion of the plot felt a little lacking, I'd hoped for it to be more dramatic and filled with suspense and unexpected shocks, it wasn't but the idea behind the game was intriguing, I just felt it wasn't fully explored to its max capacity.
3 stars.
4.5 STARS
"That’s the thing about old friends… they never let you forget. "
The first time Jemma and Matt were invited to Polskirrin – the imposing ocean-view home belonging to Matt’s childhood friend Lucas Jarrett – it was for an intimate wedding that ended in tragedy. Now, exactly one year later, Jemma and her husband have reluctantly returned at Lucas’s request to honor the anniversary of an event they would do anything to forget.
But what Lucas has in store for his guests is nothing like a candlelight vigil. Someone who was there that night remembers more than they’ll admit to, and Lucas has devised a little game to make them tell the truth....
.
.
.
THE INVITATION gave me total Agatha Christie vibes! It was a total "locked door" mystery and I literally had NO idea who the culprit was until everything was revealed in the final few chapters. I loved how atmospheric this book was and I enjoyed having a thriller that was also jam packed with mystery and suspense. My only issue with THE INVITATION was that Part One of the story (roughly 20%) was much less interesting than Part 2 (one year later.) I had trouble tracking all the new characters in the first part - hence the not quite 5 star rating. However, I had to stay up late to finish Part 2 because I NEEDED to know what was going on! And that ending? Jaw dropping. Amazing. Highly recommended.
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for my ARC! Grab this one 04/16/2020
"That’s the thing about old friends… they never let you forget. "
The first time Jemma and Matt were invited to Polskirrin – the imposing ocean-view home belonging to Matt’s childhood friend Lucas Jarrett – it was for an intimate wedding that ended in tragedy. Now, exactly one year later, Jemma and her husband have reluctantly returned at Lucas’s request to honor the anniversary of an event they would do anything to forget.
But what Lucas has in store for his guests is nothing like a candlelight vigil. Someone who was there that night remembers more than they’ll admit to, and Lucas has devised a little game to make them tell the truth....
.
.
.
THE INVITATION gave me total Agatha Christie vibes! It was a total "locked door" mystery and I literally had NO idea who the culprit was until everything was revealed in the final few chapters. I loved how atmospheric this book was and I enjoyed having a thriller that was also jam packed with mystery and suspense. My only issue with THE INVITATION was that Part One of the story (roughly 20%) was much less interesting than Part 2 (one year later.) I had trouble tracking all the new characters in the first part - hence the not quite 5 star rating. However, I had to stay up late to finish Part 2 because I NEEDED to know what was going on! And that ending? Jaw dropping. Amazing. Highly recommended.
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for my ARC! Grab this one 04/16/2020
The only good part about this book is that it's perfectly fine as a standalone, even though it's the second book in the series. The character of Stephanie King is entirely irrelevant, so you don't need to know really anything she got up to in her first book. This is my first, and likely my last, Rachel Abbott book. I found it predictable. A lot of the information is really spoon fed to you. You are told how things are rather then given information to help piece things together. I think the only good twist was Alex still being alive, which was actually set up well with small details and hints. I wish Jemma would have felt more real rather then a blank space to project onto. She seems to have no issue with her husband being a pedophile and gets over getting held against her will, tied to a bed, gagged and bound very quickly. This book is so excessive long for how little actually happens in it. In a 10 hour listen, this book does almost nothing for the first 8 hours. Might be worth it if you feel like binging something but there are better binges out there.
I really enjoyed this book! I love guessing who did what and some things were actually unexpected for once. It was a nice plot twist and had characters you want to know more about