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3.08 AVERAGE
3.08 AVERAGE
The water crashed against the shoreline, covering her footprints… making it as if she were never here. A scream pierced the night, her heart rate increasing as she began to run. The past was catching up to her and she wasn’t sure if she’d escape its grasp.
The Weekend Guests is a dual timeline, multiple POV thriller following a group of friends who get together for a weekend to catch up on life. But something from their past is haunting them.
While this book was a quick, fast-paced read, I found it to be very predictable. The reader gets the POV of way too many characters, which keeps you from truly getting to know any of them or care about them. I guessed the twists… nothing really out of the normal from the “friends hiding a secret” trope.
If you like thrillers with a stalker theme and friends hiding a secret… you may like this one.
The Weekend Guests is a dual timeline, multiple POV thriller following a group of friends who get together for a weekend to catch up on life. But something from their past is haunting them.
While this book was a quick, fast-paced read, I found it to be very predictable. The reader gets the POV of way too many characters, which keeps you from truly getting to know any of them or care about them. I guessed the twists… nothing really out of the normal from the “friends hiding a secret” trope.
If you like thrillers with a stalker theme and friends hiding a secret… you may like this one.
The setup for this thriller sounds generic, but I'm such a sucker for an isolated location and long-ago secrets coming to light that I didn't care. "Five old friends. A reunion to die for" is the tagline. And yet the entire time I was reading I was waiting for people to die. There are so many POVs in this, and dual timelines, and there's not a lot differentiating the male characters specifically from one another, so it took me a while to be able to keep straight who was who. I was more interested in the past storyline than the present, but then the big reveal tying everything together was very "I Know What You Did Last Summer" but minus the man with the hook hand murking everyone, which honestly is the best part of that movie anyway. Not the worst book I've read, but definitely not the best. If you're easing your way into thrillers this may be more your speed, but if you also read a lot of them this will likely be a letdown. Thanks to Harper Perennial for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Five old college friends reunite at a seaside mansion in Dorset to reconnect with each other. There’s a beautiful view, gardens, a babysitter for the kids, and a gorgeous house that Aline has generously invited the friends to. But they all have secrets, powerful secrets. Meanwhile, there’s an alternate timeline plot from years ago when they were students together with a creepy neighbor, Darryl. Is the weekend going to be good times had by all or are these weekend guests going to wish that they never came?
I listened to the audiobook. There were two narrators who did a good job for the most part. I did not like Siennas “American” accent - she was supposed to be a California native and it just didn’t ring true. But other than that the narrators did a great job giving color to the story and keeping the tension high.
There were many twist and turns. Here’s the thing: I usually guess ahead what I think the twists will be, and sorry to say but for many books out there, the twists are somewhat predictable. But with The Weekend Guests just when I thought I figured it out, the twist was revealed and I was so far off base almost every time. The unpredictably of this novel is a definite plus.
There were lots of characters, making it too many to keep track of, especially at the beginning. I had to start this audiobook over probably 4-5 times because I was lost in a sea of different characters. Along the same vein, characters could have been more well developed with more backstory revealed if there were less of them. As it was, I didn’t feel like all of the characters were robustly drawn out. Overall this novel delivers on the promise of being a suspense thriller. Lots of action and lots of twists made for a good listen.
the synopsis of this sounded like it was made for me; dual timeline, weekend getaway with old friends, psychological thriller, part of it set at university, betrayal and murder. however, the writing felt a bit choppy to me and things that were meant to be big reveals weren’t shocking to me at all. none of the characters were particularly likeable either which didn’t help. overall, it was a bit of a miss for me which is disappointing.
thanks to netgalley and harper perennial for my advance copy of the weekend guests by liza north. all opinions are my own.
thanks to netgalley and harper perennial for my advance copy of the weekend guests by liza north. all opinions are my own.
dark
mysterious
medium-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
Dark academia. Friends with a secretive past gathered together again. An outcast with issues - how does he ultimately tie in. I liked the short chapters, now and then and multiple povs. My first by this author and I was surprised by how it all came together but not sure it was memorable.
Definitely more character driven than plot but I was intrigued by the past timeline and how Darryl would play a part. He was thoroughly creepy.
Definitely more character driven than plot but I was intrigued by the past timeline and how Darryl would play a part. He was thoroughly creepy.
dark
emotional
I loved the setting for this one. And while the story did hold my interest, there were so many characters I had a hard time keeping track of the relationships. I enjoyed the story even though I wasn't surprised at the twists, but it felt a bit flat overall.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Five university friends reunite at the luxurious second home of two of their group on the Dorset coast. They bring their children and partners to the reunion which promises to be a fun-filled weekend of champagne, wind-swept beaches, and reminiscing about the old days. But trouble is ahead because they have been keeping a dark secret. Old resentments resurface, tensions rise, and by the end of the weekend, at least one of them will be dead…
What a book! Dark, eerie, nail-biting and addictive, The Weekend Guests is a first-class thriller with a cinematic edge. Liza North has an instant fan in this blogger and I will be reading anything else she writes. Opening with a chilling prologue that sets the tone for what’s to come, the book oozes a sinister and foreboding tension from beginning to end. The dark secret we know the friends have hidden for years only adds to that, a constant, malevolent presence that lingers over every page just waiting to be exposed. And I was in Ms. North’s thrall as she twisted the beauty of the Dorset coast into a suitably terrifying backdrop for this propulsive claustrophobic thriller. Skillfully written, cleverly plotted and fast-paced, this was a sensational introduction to Liza North’s writing. I devoured it greedily, forcing myself to put it down in the early hours when what I really wanted to do was keep reading to the end.
The story is told in dual timelines by multiple narrators and moves seamlessly between them. Each of the characters are richly drawn, flawed and unlikeable. But there is one who stands out amongst them all: Darryl. Their neighbour and acquaintance from their time at university in Edinburgh. The flashbacks, which all take place during their time at university in 2001, are told through Darryl’s diary. And, boy, did this guy give me the creeps! Strange and unsettling, he made my flesh crawl and my unease turned to horror as the full truth about him was revealed. Darryl also added to the questions about the secret as now I not only wanted to know what the secret was, but how he was connected to it all.
So, if you’re looking for a thriller that will have your heart pounding and keep you glued to the pages, then this book is for you.
What a book! Dark, eerie, nail-biting and addictive, The Weekend Guests is a first-class thriller with a cinematic edge. Liza North has an instant fan in this blogger and I will be reading anything else she writes. Opening with a chilling prologue that sets the tone for what’s to come, the book oozes a sinister and foreboding tension from beginning to end. The dark secret we know the friends have hidden for years only adds to that, a constant, malevolent presence that lingers over every page just waiting to be exposed. And I was in Ms. North’s thrall as she twisted the beauty of the Dorset coast into a suitably terrifying backdrop for this propulsive claustrophobic thriller. Skillfully written, cleverly plotted and fast-paced, this was a sensational introduction to Liza North’s writing. I devoured it greedily, forcing myself to put it down in the early hours when what I really wanted to do was keep reading to the end.
The story is told in dual timelines by multiple narrators and moves seamlessly between them. Each of the characters are richly drawn, flawed and unlikeable. But there is one who stands out amongst them all: Darryl. Their neighbour and acquaintance from their time at university in Edinburgh. The flashbacks, which all take place during their time at university in 2001, are told through Darryl’s diary. And, boy, did this guy give me the creeps! Strange and unsettling, he made my flesh crawl and my unease turned to horror as the full truth about him was revealed. Darryl also added to the questions about the secret as now I not only wanted to know what the secret was, but how he was connected to it all.
So, if you’re looking for a thriller that will have your heart pounding and keep you glued to the pages, then this book is for you.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
A suspense novel about a group of friends whose past catches up to them. It is told in flashes between the past, as told by Daryl and the future told by the other characters. A deep dark twisty tale. It took me 1/3 of the book to get into it, and then I couldn't put it down. I had a guess as to who was who when I saw the chapter listings and saw which persons name was the last to speak. I also had a lot of issues the first 1/3 of the book remembering who was who between the 3 friends, their partners, children and more characters from the past. All and all a solid suspense. Thank you to HarperCollins and Netgalley for the advanced copy.
Thank you to NetGalley for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.
Content warnings: cheating, murder, manslaughter
Aline and her husband, Brandon, invite a few of their friends to their newly renovated home on a secluded estate with promises of surprises. Despite not having seen each other since university, they all agree to go to spend the weekend. Things take a turn as visitors begin thinking someone else might be at the estate with them. Who is it, and what do they want? Told in dual-timeline and multiple POVs, this book will keep you on your toes.
What can I say? I had so much fun with this. A creepy secluded estate in a thunderstorm is gonna do it for me every single time. Also, (and don’t crucify me for this, I know how y’all gatekeepers like to tussle), The Weekend Guests gave very strong dark academia vibes. The switching back and forth between the past and present as well as between POVs was so beneficial in keeping me entertained. Overall, I had a great time even if it was a little predictable.
4/5 stars