I received a copy of this from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this novel was really cool but the execution of it was way too drawn out.
In a nutshell, our main character has 8 days to solve the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle. But these aren’t your normal average days. Our main character also has 8 different hosts he occupies and relives each day through a different host; the outcome ultimately depends on how he sets up his hosts and their actions. If something goes wrong or if his hosts all end up dead, he’s thrown into the same time loop over and over again. I’m sure you could see how this could become a little tedious.
The good news is, I finished it and I was very surprised at the ending. I never in a million years, saw that coming. I like being surprised. But if you stick with it, it’s a very interesting book. I’d read more by this author.

Where do I start with this fiendishly clever book? It's quite possibly one of the most satisfying mysteries (that I nearly gave up on in the first chapter) that I have read in a good long while.

So I'll address that last bit - I nearly gave up on it because, quite frankly, I had not a clue what was going on or where the story was headed, as the main character, Aiden, seemed definitely unreliable. And there is a good reason for that. This is a book where all of the characters are questionable in their degree of trustworthiness. It's a tricky concept that will require you to stick with it - but oh PLEASE stick with it, because it is genius.

Quite often I feel that touted comparisons are overrated or off-the-mark, but the "Agatha Christie meets Groundhog Day" pretty much nails it. Aiden will repeat the day - and Evelyn Hardcastle's death - 8 times, through each of 8 different guests at the house. But oh - there is more to it than that, which is why it is so much fun and so completely maddening at the same time.

Give this one a chance. You won't regret it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a review copy.

At first I was confused by the two titles available, but then realized it must be the same book just in different markets. That said, this book kept me up, I had to read what came next. I liked that every time we learned a secret more lies were told the truth was so masked. Nothing could have warned me for the end. Nothing!

Since I’ve been gone, I’ve read A LOT of books & I have a lot of reviews I’m excited to write. First up is a Netgalley find that I’m behind on, but glad to finally get to review. The book is The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton.

No-spoiler Synopsis:
Evelyn Hardcastle has returned to the United States and her family has thrown her a big party at the ancestral family home, Blackheath. Unfortunately, by the end of the night, Evelyn is murdered. One of the guests at the party is tasked with solving her murder–and keeps reliving the day over and over in hopes of finding the evidence so he can escape Blackheath. Unfortunately, each day, he wakes up as a different guest–and he’s not the only one trying to escape.

Review:
I was attracted to this book by the concept of what I perceived as time travel in the synopsis. In reality, it reads more like a murder mystery in the vein of Groundhog Day. The humor of that movie isn’t there, but the concept is slightly similar, though the added twist of being a different person each day adds some flavor as well. In the beginning, though, it is very confusing. As the reader, you are thrown into the deep end and are just as disoriented and confused as the narrator. As the first day goes on, you get slightly acclimated, but this is one of those books where each new piece of information you learn opens up many other avenues of questions. As questions arise and some are semi-answered, you can start to put the dots together, but as you do, the stakes get higher and higher.

This book, in the end, was just a very involved puzzle. I was constantly guessing and second-guessing myself and the conclusions I came to. The narrator is fascinating, and not always altogether reliable. It felt very much like what I think a Rubik’s cube would be like as a book. All of the guessing and scheming and puzzling also leads to a conclusion that is very satisfying and not altogether expected.

If you enjoying mysteries with a flavor of The Great Gatsby, Groundhog Day, and some Memento vibes, I think you’ll really enjoy this one.

Very original and inventive plot. I'm usually quite adept at figuring out the endings of books, but this one had me stumped. The characters and story were very intriguing. My interest has been piqued as to the somewhat futuristic backstory.

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a stunning debut novel from Stuart Turton. Released 18th Sept 2018 by Sourcebooks Landmark, it's 448 pages and available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audio formats.

I read a -lot- (roughly 300-400 books per year). I read carefully, but very very rarely re-read modern popular literature. This book has taken me months to review because I have re-read it twice since my first reading. That is unique in my experience.

My two favorite genres are murder mysteries (especially golden age country house murder mysteries) and science fiction. This book got right under my skin and blew me away. On a first read, I was struck by the intricacy of the plotting and the deftness of the dialogue and writing. The tone of the dialogue is simply pitch perfect. It really feels as if it could've been written by Christie, Armstrong, Brand, et. al.

The rules of engagement aren't really spelled out for the reader. I was dropped headlong into the plot and it took a while to get my bearings. There is no hand-holding or spoon fed plot elements. During my first re-reading I figured out what had subconsciously appealed to me the first time around. In some ways, it reminded me of Quantum Leap, one of my favorite TV series. As other reviewers have remarked, there's also an element of Groundhog Day. This book is not derivative of either, but enhanced by some similarities to both.

During my rereads I've noticed subtleties which had escaped me on my first read. I really love the meticulous detail and I'm sure I would notice more things which slipped by me the first time around. The really stunning part of the book is the craftsmanship. This is a very well written book and definitely the best book I read in 2018. I wonder how well it might translate to film, and I hope it's being considered.

Five stars. Beautifully written. I eagerly await the author's future work.

I did not finish this one, I found it very boring and hard to keep track of the timeline. I am sure others might enjoy the elaborate descriptions and characters.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC of this book.
What a wonderfully ingenious twisty turny plot that could drive you nuts if you would let it.
Could not stop reading. It is marvelous.

My my what a tangled web we weave. Or Stuart Turton weaves! I started this with the e-book and really slogged through it until about halfway through I switched to audio and then went back and forth but mostly listened to it. I do think you lose a lot with the audio because it does get very convoluted but I paid more attention to the audio than when I was trying to read it myself and if I missed something or got confused, I went back to the e-book. So it depends on the type of reader you are but I would have both on hand! I definitely got confused. Especially where the butler came in.

This book was not my favorite. I appreciate the time and effort it took to tell such a story but it was too much for me. lol. I didn't care for the general plot and mechanics of the "twist." And the memory thing was a bit janky between Aiden and Anna.

I'm interested to see where Turton goes in his next book and if it will be as convoluted as this one. Because this one was all over the place!

This was one that I thought I would love but, unfortunately, it didn't work for me.

The plot device felt more gimmicky than interesting and I got annoyed with the reaper scenes that were there solely to provide exposition and not much else.

I received a copy of the e-arc from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very confusing story. I felt more overwhelmed than Aiden I think most of the time.
There are a lot of characters. They do return in other chapters in other roles and other meanings. I had a very difficult time keeping them straight which is really my problem.
This story is actually very inventive. It is like an advanced murder mystery novel. As reader you can puzzle along but keep a pen and paper on the side and make notes. Characters might give clues about their position that are important in chapters where they do not seem to be important. I did not manage to guess the outcome but when it was revealed I could actually point out a few of the hints given.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters, ambiance, and pacing were superb. There were only a couple of times I had to go back and re-read something as things weren't quite connecting as I thought they should, but overall this was a great book.

This was a well written debut with a vivid and dynamic setting and interesting characters. The amount of detail that went into the world-building and the creation of so many distinct characters was impressive. It created a story that was atmospheric and that felt isolated. It was original and clever, though I thought the plot was way too complicated. It went on for so long that it went from complex to convoluted and I found myself losing interest in who committed the murder.

I received this book via Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This is an excellent murder mystery, one which captivated me from the first page up until the very end. But it was also a bit confusing and almost so convoluted that I had trouble motivating myself to actually pick up the book after I'd set it down. The concept of having to solve this murder but switching bodies every time you fall asleep was so fascinating. But on the other hand, there were so many characters - not only including those that our main character embodied - that it was a struggle to keep up with the who's who as the mystery is coming unraveled.
Further going into that, I would have loved some more information on this world and why we're getting this weird almost magical place.

3.5 stars This is an intriguing and complex story that centers around the death(s) of Evelyn Hardcastle. A "who-dun-it" with a most unusual twist. Overall I enjoyed the story, but because of the concept, I did feel it was repetitive.

**Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley in exchange of an honest opinion.**

If the movies Clue and Groundhog Day had a literary baby, it would be this book. Its twists and turns kept me turning its pages until I had to pause to still my frantic heart. I picked it up again and was pleased by the ending, even if it wasn't completely satisfactory.

I recommended this book to my book club and they felt the same way I did about the book's ending.

I apologize but I was unable to finish this book so am not going to write a review. Although it seemed intriguing at first, as I went along I found it repetitive and boring and frustrating. Not every book will appeal to all people I suppose. Thank you.

What a unique style of mystery! Getting to unravel the events surrounding the death of Evelyn Hardcastle through the eyes of these different hosts was so interesting, each adding their own insight and unique personality. I enjoyed getting to know each one and having my favorites. I was dying to know the reasoning for this situation and why Aiden was there in the first place and without having spoilers I found the concept behind the story very unexpected. All in all a true page turner, I definitely read way past my bedtime to try and get to the end and discover the truth! Unique, unpredictable and very entertaining.

Thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in return for review based upon my honest opinion.

This book was like Groundhog Day and a bizarre game of clue mixed together. I was hooked, I had no clue what was happening, but I knew that I had to find out. Who did kill Evelyn Hardcastle; wasn’t that the question of the day. Blackheath was not your normal mansion, things that went on there, and that kept me entranced, our main character, Aiden has been given eight days to solve a crime; eight days, eight different witnesses to inhabit, can Aiden solve this crime and stop the cycle, who is Anna, who killed Evelyn Hardcastle, so many questions and the answers are all delivered by the end of the book, but they are not the answers I thought they were. Great debut book, an author to keep an eye on.

Wow, this was such an interesting read! Pretty much from the moment it started to the moment it ended, my head was reeling, trying to take in all the different events and characters and seeing how the storylines all intertwined, but in the best possible way.

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, centers on our narrator, Aiden Bishop, who is trying to solve the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle by reliving the same day 8 times, in 8 different hosts (he was inhabiting other characters who were present at the time of the murder). Due to the nature of the story, it was told non-linearly and Aiden had a different perspective (and therefore processed what he was seeing differently) from each host, which would hopefully all work in his favor to discover the murderer.

I really enjoyed this book and trying to solve the mystery. There were some things I guessed on, but a lot that I didn't, and there was a lot that I didn't see coming and I would actually gasp out loud. It was an intoxicating read as well, because I didn't want to stop reading it. Any time I had to put it down, I just was thinking about when I could pick it up again.

Each of the characters were very different and while I definitely hated some of them, it was really interesting to see the same day through multiple POVs (even though it was all Aiden, he also embodied the personality of his hosts) and to see it all come together.

The main reason that I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 is because there was a section of the book towards the beginning (maybe 30% in?) that just seemed to drag a little. The beginning was super intriguing (with Aiden waking up in his first host and knowing nothing about who or where he was), and then it slowed for a bit before getting really in to the action again, to the point where I had trouble stopping reading.