I don’t think I read any books in 2018. I read one book in 2019 and no books in 2020. I read one book (A Wrinkle in Time lol) in December 2021 and that was because I bought it in Dec 2017, carried it around for 4 years, and couldn’t let yet another year go by without reading anything.
One of my resolutions for 2022 was to read at least 3 books. I feel like one book every 4 months is a reasonable goal. And so, a couple of weeks ago, I picked up a book I bought at Costco last fall and read it. That book was Lucy Foley’s, The Guest List. It looked like a beach-read version of an Agatha Christie novel, so I figured, “Why the hell not?”
The basic premise of The Guest List is a bunch of rich people, along with your token not-so-rich people, have gathered on a remote Irish island for a super fancy rich-people wedding between a megasuccessful lifestyle blogger and successful “reality” TV star (think MacGyver meets Steve Irwin). There’s a storm on the island and the electricity cuts out. Suddenly, *someone* is dead and there are a handful of people in attendance who could have done it.
But who is dead? And why were they killed? That, my friends, is the mystery.
The Guest List is told from several POVs, which rotates each chapter. We hear from the bride, the plus-one, the best man, the wedding planner, and the bridesmaid. The story jumps around a bit, which took me a second to adjust to in terms of laying the timeline out, but the plot unfolds nicely, albeit a bit predictably. Each character is a bit of a stereotype but I wasn’t looking for a deep-thinker, especially because I started it the day after I found out that I was losing my job. And, to be honest, piecing everything together did require a bit of brainpower when the pieces first started fitting together, and I appreciate that journey.
Overall, I really enjoyed The Guest List. I do love murder mysteries and mysteries in general as well as those YA sci-fi-y type books, lol. I’m honestly not sure what other types of books I like beyond that, haha. I don’t think I like psychological thrillers like Gone Girl. I’m pretty sure The Dollhouse Murders fucked me up on those types of books as a kid, though I should reread that book as an adult and see where my mind went wrong, haha. I think the murderer and the ending were both satisfying and I was kinda bummed we didn’t get an epilogue to find out the fates of five main characters. If you’re looking for an enjoyable, quick read, definitely check it out. I stand by my first impression that it’s a beach-read version of an Agatha Christie novel. I think I’ll put it into our little neighborhood library for others to enjoy.
Oh & speaking of Agatha Christie books, I read a bunch of them in high school but don’t remember much about them other than the famous ones like Murder on the Orient Express and And Then There Were None. I decided to read Death on the Nile before seeing the upcoming movie version. But that’s not next on the list. Next up is Stacey Abrams’ While Justice Sleeps. Has anyone read it?
Please let me know if you have any recommendations below!! I am trying to stay on my reading kick.
