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3.08 AVERAGE
3.08 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Aline invites several old friends to join her husband, Brandon, and their family to a weekend retreat at their newly renovated home on the Jurassic Coast. The group knew each other from college, and had a very odd neighbor, Darryl, that had an obseesion with his "friends" and his advisor. When the group didn't include him, Darryl follows them. The group is hiding a tragedy that has affected their lives. Now, they are getting threatening postcards about the secret and they aren't sure who is sending them.
I easily figured out who it was. The story wasn't as suspenseful as I would have liked, but it was OK.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
it’s a bit… meandering…. the premise of the book hinges on these post cards, but the first time you hear about them is 36% of the way through the novel. the second time it comes up is somewhere close to the halfway mark. since it takes so long for the “mystery” to be revealed, there’s no tension and seemingly no stakes. it’s not exactly bad, but it definitely could’ve been better.
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Solid start with a lackluster finish.
I felt like this story droned on just for the finish to leave me incredibly confused. Darryl’s chapters where a much needed break from the hum drum of these unlikely friends and everything fell apart the second he exited the story. I feel like his character could have been much more interesting and complex, as well.
Overall, if you like a thriller set in Scotland, give it a shot. Just know you may not find it to be all that thrilling.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!
I felt like this story droned on just for the finish to leave me incredibly confused. Darryl’s chapters where a much needed break from the hum drum of these unlikely friends and everything fell apart the second he exited the story. I feel like his character could have been much more interesting and complex, as well.
Overall, if you like a thriller set in Scotland, give it a shot. Just know you may not find it to be all that thrilling.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!
I wasn't invested in the story and didn't care about any of the characters when I was 20% in, so I gave up
Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
This book was anxiety inducing to the upmost degree. I had no idea what was going to happen next and the author really captured the fear of being around individuals who are so unhinged from reality that you can't anticipate what they'll do because they are operating on a completely different wavelength than you. The only thing I didn't like about this book was that it was hard to follow, lots of POVs and hopping around. A LOT of generic names that I kept getting confused on who was who.
If you like thrillers, I highly recommend checking this book out!
This book was anxiety inducing to the upmost degree. I had no idea what was going to happen next and the author really captured the fear of being around individuals who are so unhinged from reality that you can't anticipate what they'll do because they are operating on a completely different wavelength than you. The only thing I didn't like about this book was that it was hard to follow, lots of POVs and hopping around. A LOT of generic names that I kept getting confused on who was who.
If you like thrillers, I highly recommend checking this book out!
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I can't remember why I decided to pick up The Weekend Guests by Liza North but I am willing to bet it was based on the gorgeous cover. I am a sucker for a solitary building on the water, and the tagline “Five old friends. A reunion to die for” sounded incredibly ominous and intriguing. I thought it started out strong, but as the book went on, I just found myself not caring at all about the characters or what was going to happen to them. I mostly just finished this one to finish it, and it probably should have been a DNF for me.
The most likely reason I finished was down to listening to the audiobook, and I did enjoy Elliot Chapman & Catrin Walker-Booth’s narration. They narrate for multiple different viewpoints, and I found myself wishing there was one narrator for each character. The Weekend Guests has some very nice atmospheric qualities and I enjoyed the Dorset setting and dual timelines. Maybe I just wasn’t in the mood for this character-driven story, but it also felt like something I had read before. This is the author’s sophomore novel, and I would be open to checking out whatever she writes next.
Audiobook Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5
Read this if you enjoy books that revisit old sins, focus on past trauma, and slow burn explorations of shared guilt.
The most likely reason I finished was down to listening to the audiobook, and I did enjoy Elliot Chapman & Catrin Walker-Booth’s narration. They narrate for multiple different viewpoints, and I found myself wishing there was one narrator for each character. The Weekend Guests has some very nice atmospheric qualities and I enjoyed the Dorset setting and dual timelines. Maybe I just wasn’t in the mood for this character-driven story, but it also felt like something I had read before. This is the author’s sophomore novel, and I would be open to checking out whatever she writes next.
Audiobook Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5
Read this if you enjoy books that revisit old sins, focus on past trauma, and slow burn explorations of shared guilt.