The Guest List by Lucy Foley | Book Review + Questions
Updated: Feb 28
Hey, you! 🍀
On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. This is a wedding of dreams. She's successful and glamorous. He's charming and a rising tv star. They are the couple we love to hate.
Having read the book in 2 days, this was a definite page-turner for me. I couldn't wait to get down to the bottom of it because unlike classic whodunnits, we actually don't know who died until well into the book. So not only was I in quest of the killer, but the victim as well! We know that someone dies early in the book, but we only find out who it is late in the book. Is that good? Is that bad? I'm not too sure. Someone in the book club group mentioned that now that she knows who the victim is, she is probably going to read the story again to find clues she might have missed. This is what I was actually thinking of doing as well because I do feel like I might have missed some things because I was just so focused on knowing who died. I feel like this is also one of the reasons why I never truly got attached to any character because I didn't want them dead.
The story is told from the perspective of five characters and alternates between present and past in ultimately unveiling the killer and the victim!
Jules - the bride
Olivia - the bridesmaid and half-sister of the bride
Hannah- the bride's best friend's wife
Johnno - the best man and one of the groom's oldest friend
Eofie - the wedding planner and owner of the island the wedding is taking place at
There are also other characters that are interesting to read about, just not from their own points of view i.e. Will the groom and Charlie the best friend.
We had a lot of talk about the characters during our book club discussion - analysing each action and thoughts. Someone even pointed out that the author is pretty good - getting us all riled up about the characters. I couldn't agree more!
The author takes her time to lay the story's foundation to a point where I was completely absorbed in it. I loved the dark and creepy description of the island and the insecurity felt in it. And then the lies, secrets, deception and big revelations start to explode like bombs over and over again.
It was highly enjoyable! 👌
Lucy Foley's The Parisian Apartment has been on my TBR for quite some time now. I've been putting it off for a while, but it definitely has been bumped up the list now.
Book Club Questions:
Why do you think the author named this book The Guest List?
When you read a murder mystery, do you try to solve the mystery as you read the story?
Did you correctly guess the victim and the killer before the end of the book?
Did the book feel more like a page-turner or a slow burn for you?
Did you think there were too many POV's?
Did you change your mind about any character throughout the story?
Which character were you most engaged with? The least?
For you, was Will a jerk or a real sociopath?
Why do you think Jules was in a hurry to marry Will despite not knowing him for very long?
If you had a received a note like the one Jules did, would you have gone ahead with the wedding?
Why do you think Jules kept that note?
What do you think of the relationship between Jules and Olivia?
What do you think about Hannah's storyline?
Do you think Hannah will forgive Charlie or will she leave him?
How did you feel about Will being so involved with all those horrible actions that impacted so many of the characters? Did you think it was a little much and convenient?
What did you think about Johnno taking the blame for Will's murder despite being innocent?
Did the author do a good job of organizing the plot and moving it along?
Were you satisfied by the end?
Would you want to read another book by this author?
If you could talk to the author, what burning question would you want to ask?
Do you like reading murder mysteries?