The more I read books from Bookouture, the more I want to find a little lodge in the middle of nowhere and live as a recluse! Yes, The Reunion had this effect on me. How could it not? Now I’m even glad I don’t have a group of old friends to gather on special occasions…

Whether it be in the words themselves or simply the story, The Reunion is an escape game without the exit issue. Friends and family meeting again after many years and a tragedy, for the sake of an old man, for … some relief? Right from the start, the book hit me hard as it tackles a subject I am facing with a family member. I hesitated, one finger lingered on the close tab. But something held me back and I am glad it did.

I easily stepped into Claire’s shoes; a woman, daughter, wife, mother, friend. Faced with life’s hardships, riddled with a guilt that has not left her side for decades, she only wanted a respite from it all. What could possibly go wrong when you are surrounded by loved ones? From my experience? Everything! But the author takes the gathering to another level of hell!

We jump from one point of view to another, we witness things that don’t seem important, we get clues that will become essential later, but not in a big family crisis way. The Reunion is quiet. As quiet as so many people can be parked in one place! The shadow of past events leaves a coat of silence around, things happen in hushed tones, letting an unsettling feeling creep under your skin as the family saga unfolds and plays with your emotions.

There’s a character for everyone to appreciate, to suspect, to connect to, to feel sorry for. I disliked some, I did not care for others. But Samantha Hayes makes sure you always are on the edge of your seat. Yes, I ended up having strong suspicions about a certain character, and yes, I was right (I always feel so proud when it happens!) but it doesn’t matter. The astonishing narration and the blend of events and dates, days and nights, are enough to keep you going.

You get a mixed bowl of people who creates such intense drama you cannot stay out of it and it becomes your reunion, too. You are part of it. This is where the genius lies in The Reunion. It took me minutes to realize my jaw was almost touching the floor, this is HOW GOOD IT IS!! Don’t try and learn too much about the story before you grab it. Or before it grabs you. Open the book and enjoy watching the past and the present reunite.

Oohh what a tangled web Hayes weaves in The Reunion! This was one of those books full of simmering tension and you just know things will boil over at some point, but waiting for that to happen is part torture and part delicious anticipation and all around addictive.

There is quite a bit going on here, plenty of characters and all with some sort of mystery hanging in the shadows. It’s mainly focused on Claire, who’s sister Lenni vanished two decades ago while she was watching her. You also have friends and family who were connected in some way to Claire’s family back when Lenni went missing making it tricky to decide who to focus on. At various points I had my suspicions about every single character, I love that as it keeps me on my toes and the guessing and back and forth is always so fun.

When all is revealed I had one of those moments where I realized just how clever Hayes is and how beautifully she had laid things out. The breadcrumbs were all carefully left but I never fully followed them, it really was put together in such a sharp way. The jaw dropping twist mentioned on the cover? It’s true, I actually gasped. If you love psychological thrillers and haven’t read a Hayes book what are you waiting for?! Snap this one up ASAP!

The Reunion in three words: Intricate, Smart and Addictive.

Woah !! I did not see that coming !! I am sad, disappointed and pissed off at the end of this book.. (this is a compliment of course !) This one particular character was always annoying, and now I am just plain angry..

So, the book begins on a thrilling note. Claire’s younger sister is missing and it happened on her watch. The police are investigating but so far they have found no trace of Eleanor. Claire’s family is devastated and heartbroken, since Lennie is also a special needs child.The only thing that was found were her bloodied shorts.
Moving on to the current situation, things get a little slow now, introducing us to present-day Claire, her husband Callum, their children Marcus and Amy. Claire still lives close by to her parent’s house and often checks in on them. Her father has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and seems to be forgetting everything. All of Claire’s friends, who were present when her sister had disappeared have moved on in their lives. Claire plans a reunion party for the sake of her father hoping that having everyone back might trigger her father’s memories.

So we have Nick (Claire’s then crush, but it seems they still have unresolved feelings) who is divorced, Maggie who’s had an affair with a married politician and has a troubled teenage daughter and Jason, Claire’s enstranged brother who considers himself of no use and his pregnant wife Greta who earns the money for them. Add Claire’s complicated family to this complicated friendship, we have what is called a “mess”. Maggie’s teenage daughter Rain is annoying most times, thinking she can sway all the men and boys alike. But this girl has serious issues which her mother has absolutely no clue about !! Jason and his father also seem to have some underlying tension. Callum doesn’t like Nick and Claire’s growing closeness.. Claire is getting blank calls, strange and freaky things are happening to Claire.. and it all seems to be linked with her sister’s disappearance all those years ago..And if this is not enough, Maggie’s daughter Rain also disappears in an eerily same manner.. same clues.. same signs.. Is it history repeating itself ? Same perpetrator ?? Same MO ??

One particular character seems to be hidden in plain sight.. this character has secrets that can blow your mind ! I was shocked at the end and I didn’t know what to make of it. I am pissed.. It doesn’t feel fair or even just.. Will noone ever know what triggered the entire plot ?? And I am also feeling sad.. I mean, the person who thought that the only way to protect Eleanor from the outside world was to keep her locked.. was wrong.. maybe a little mentally unstable, but were the intentions good ?? I am not sure.. there is so much grey in this character.. will that person be always misjudged ??

Will no one ever know the truth ?? Will the truth lighten the betrayal ? This book left me unsettled !

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC !I definitely recommend this book !

Ohh emmm geee! Now this is a psychological thriller! So full of mystery and suspense! I would give it over 5 ⭐️’s if I could! I COULD NOT PUT THIS DOWN!
So many twists and turns!
I would absolutely hands down recommend this book!!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

I absolutely loved this book!!! It was the ultimate 'can't put it down' / 'just one more chapter' book. My interest was captivated from beginning to end!

I've read all Samantha Hayes books, and really enjoyed every single one, but this is definitely my favourite!

My best book so far of 2018! The bar has been set so high!

The Reunion is written by Samantha Hayes and was published by Bookouture on 9th February 2018.

Tragedy struck Claire and her family one sunny day at the beach when her thirteen-year-old sister, Lenni went missing.  The family has suffered on a daily basis since that traumatic day, always hoping Lenni will find her way home, but secretly knowing that it is more likely Lenni died all those years ago.  Despite the heartbreak of the past, Claire still remembers her childhood fondly.  She is particularly fond of recounting how involved in her childhood her father was, how he was almost a surrogate father to many of her friends.  But Patrick, her father, is ill.  Having being diagnosed with Alzheimer's all Claire and her family can do is watch their father fade away.  But Claire has an idea.  She plans to organise a reunion, an opportunity to talk, reminisce and remember the good times and hopefully help Patrick feel a little better, particularly as Patrick's wife plans to sell the farm as soon as possible.  So Claire contacts her group of friends; Maggie her best friend, Jason her younger brother who has been estranged from the family for a number of years and Nick, her first love and the one who got away.  With the best intentions, she hopes to have a fun-filled week at the family's idyllic Cornish farm remembering happy times.  But how long can the secrets remain hidden?  After all, the group of friends were all present that fateful day Lenni went missing.  And someone knows something...

I found The Reunion to be an interesting and enjoyable read.  It's a slow burn of a tale and I enjoyed meeting Hayes's strong cast of characters, soaking up the dramatic and dreamy setting and searching for the elusive clues as to what happened to Lenni on that heartbreaking day.  I must say, however, and I'm sure I will be in the minority on this one but Claire, our main protagonist, got on my nerves.  She came across to me as too eager, too darn subservient, and a little too naive for my tastes.  I also hated her husband, Callum, and was desperate for her to stand up to this misogynistic @rs3 of a man.  Grr.  But I always think that's the sign of a good writer, someone who can make you feel real emotion whether it be positive or negative for their characters.  Other characters I absolutely loved.

The tagline of this book is 'an utterly gripping thriller with a jaw-dropping twist'.  And oh my gosh, it is rather spectacular.  I didn't see that coming at all and despite finishing reading The Reunion last week I am still living that twist on a fairly regular basis.  It's the kind of shock to the system that I LOVE in my thrillers, plus it adds an extra dollop of darkness to the story.  Absolutely flipping brilliant!

Would I recommend this book?  I would.  It's a strong psychological thriller with a killer twist.  Great characters, a breathtaking setting and if you like a slow build to a staggering conclusion then you will absolutely love it.  I would happily pick up another book written by Samantha Hayes and get lost in her words.

Four out of five stars.

I chose to read and review an eARC of The Reunion.  The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

Wow!! This was the first book I have read by Samantha Hayes and I loved it!!!!! I couldn’t put this book down...... I love finding a new author!
I can’t wait to read her other books and look out for her next new book!

I am a HUGE, and embarrassingly loud, supporter of Samantha Hayes as it was this brilliant author who ignited my passion for psychological thrillers when I read her debut novel whilst on holiday a few years ago. So I was over the moon when she signed to Bookouture and as soon as The Reunion was up on Amazon I was pressing that pre-order button! And OMG I am so glad that I did! This is one of her best books so far, full of shocking twists with a plot full of red herrings and untrustworthy characters. I gasped out loud in horror at several points throughout the narrative as Samantha Hayes weaved her wicked web of deception and I bloody well loved every single minute of my time reading The Reunion.

I truly felt the emotions flow off the page as I delved deeper into this storyline about the people left behind to cope with the disappearance of Lenni. Her sister Claire has never forgiven herself for letting her sweet natured and “unprepared for the real world” sister out of her sight that day. Many years have now passed and she is happily married with children of her own but she is still shocked when her parents decide to sell the family home. With her father’s Alzheimer’s, it is just too much for her mother Shona to cope with. But before they sell, Claire decides to arrange a reunion of her friends and family to help Pat relive some wonderful old memories before it’s too late. All the guests were also there THAT day but does one of them know more about what happened to Lenni than they are letting on?

This book messed around with my emotions continually throughout, never quite going in the direction I was expecting, giving me a little hint but then snatching it away again till I was practically exploding with the need to know what had happened to Lenni and why. And when we eventually got to that final shocking denouement, I wanted to turn right round and read the whole book again from page one!! It was so perfectly set up to blow me away with its surprising revelations that I got goosebumps as I read the final few pages. And I’m getting them again now just thinking about it!

This is a gripping and involving book and I especially enjoyed how the split timelines worked together with one of them working backwards in the first person until the storylines entwined. If you want a well written, engrossing page turner that will keep you guessing till the very end then you need to read The Reunion!

Highly recommended by me!

Thank you to Bookouture for my copy of this book. I thought the premise was quite interesting and I really loved the cover. I've not read anything by this author before but my interest had definitely been peaked. 

This story follows Claire as she tries to organise a reunion of her closest friends. Her poor dad who was like a second father to her friends has Alzheimer's and she's hoping that this reunion will help him to remember. At first I wasn't sure about Claire but after a few chapters I came around to her. By the end I felt wretched for her and everything she goes through. 

I found the first 40% of this book quite slow.  It was story building and very necessary but after about 40% things really sped up.  There was a lot going on in the second half of the book and I struggled to put it down even to feed myself. 

Samantha did an excellent job at keeping the mystery alive throughout the book. My suspicious mind was kept very busy. Every time I thought I knew who took poor Eleanor there would be something that would cast a doubt and I would be back to guessing all over again. 

The story was an interesting one and different to what I expected. I really enjoyed the journey that Samantha took me on and I look forward to reading more of Samantha's books in the future.

A sister lost 20 years ago , now a child is lost ! A reunion held for keeping the memories is full of secrets and lies . Samantha Hayes is a remarkable storyteller! Sharp characters with a well defined plot !! Incredibly gripping page turner !! Loved this book ! Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the e-book in exchange for my honest review ! #Netgalley #Bookouture #TheReunion

What a goosebumpy roller coaster ride of a book! A sister lost 20 years ago + a child lost now = a deja vu story.

Samantha Hayes has done a fabulous job in writing a book which is gripping from the first page. Who is good? Who is bad? Who is lying? Who is telling the truth? What happened 20 years ago? What happened now? Why did the girls disappear?

The only factor that was common to the two girls disappearing were the characters. Mom Shona and dad Patrick, children Claire, Jason, Lenni, friends Maggie and Nick. And there are enough lies and secrets circulating amongst them all, including the spouses and children. The reunion which was organised to help their father Patrick's memories get a boost-up, as he was diagnosed with Alzheimers', but it turned out to be a re-hash of a missing girl.

Samantha has maintained the tension throughout the story, drawing the reader to keep guessing about the perpetrator. The story starts slightly slow, allowing the characters to develop, making the readers complaint, the adrenaline slowing dripping into their blood stream. And then it suddenly picks up pace for the grand finale, the answers rushing up to the reader faster and faster, making the atmosphere breathless, till it feels too rushed in time and space, and some parts were left unanswered, though they were not the most important bits.

A good mystery, entertaining in its unfolding, percolating in the middle, and dramatic in its ending.

A reunion held for keeping the memories afar turned out to be a reunion of skeletons jumping out from the closets.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and publisher Bookouture, and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

Samantha Hayes is a real master of this easy-read/thriller genre. She’s great at writing the type of book you can’t put down until it’s done, and this latest offering is no exception.

The Reunion is another sensational psychological thriller by Samantha Hayes, the cover chilled my very being. The sullied yet beautiful broken butterfly influenced my thoughts even before I turned the first page, floating my eyes and hands deftly through each chapter absorbing each memory of that fateful day that Eleanor didn’t come home.

How can a book cover produce such an emotionally all consuming need to devour a book in one sitting, I certainly can’t answer my own question, but I can say I pushed all the boundaries of time to pacify my desire for an unexpected conclusion and boy did I get it.

A reunion of friends, the secrets, the lies.

Eleanor, sister of Claire, goes missing in 1996, years later Claire organises a reunion of her close friends all who were there on that fateful day. As the days pass more secrets and lies unfold, devastating everyone the deceit touches. I can’t say too much about the premise of the plot, due to the scale of the deception of nearly every character involved, any way who would want too.

The Reunion is a slow burner but don’t let that put you off, as the secrets emerge you’ll find it difficult to lay it to rest, the characters are off the chart, I really don’t know how Samantha managed to knit it all together so deftly. The darkness of one certain character I didn’t see coming, I couldn’t believe what I read until a passage written about the past blew it out the water, once discovered the realisation of what damage a little white lie can cause sets in.

Be prepared to go with the flow of The Reunion, what better way to discover a truly twisted and secret soaked psychological thriller.

Thank you to Samantha Hayes, Bookouture and Kim Nash for the advanced readers copy of The Reunion to read in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Oh how I am glad that I didn't read the blurb of this book beforehand!! If I could get away with it, my review for this book would be:

'OH MY BLEEPING GOODNESS THIS BOOK IS BLEEPING GOOD. BLEEP ME I HAVE NEVER READ ANYTHING LIKE IT.'

But, whilst I think the above sentence is worthy of literary awards everywhere (cough), it does not do the book justice at all. 

Hand on heart, I absolutely fluffing loved this book!!! From the very beginning I was absolutely hooked, even though I had no idea what was going to come next. I had no inkling apart from what I was being told in black and white.

Where did Eleanor go? Why is her case now a cold case?

Believe me, there will be a lot more questions needing answered along the way! Claire's family have been through the ringer where Eleanor is concerned, and due to an idea set to help her dad with his health, the past is about to come back and haunt the family. Every time Claire looks at her brother, or one of her friends, her mind can't help wandering back to the day of Eleanor's (her sister) disappearance. Why didn't she go with her to get the ice-cream? What else could Claire have done differently to ensure Eleanor would still be with them today? So much guilt for one person to harbour, and even more questions remaining unanswered.

I really do wish that I could find the right words to do this book justice, but I just can't. I really have no read anything like this before - my legs turned to jelly! I was a quivering mess!! I formed opinions of the characters rather quickly (when do I not), with one coming under my radar (in a bad way) far too quickly. I won't say who that person was because it's connected to a major part of the book, but all I will say is that this person is an absolute fudgemuffin. At the time I couldn't work out what it was that I disliked about them. They hadn't done anything major, yet the vibe they gave off was enough to make my hackles rise. As far as I was concerned, this character's cards were marked.

Whilst reading 'The Reunion', there were many moments where I thought I knew what was going to happen and who I thought was guaranteed to be involved. I hold my hands up now - I was wrong on both accounts, so not only does the author pull you into the storyline with a minimal amount of effort; she also has the talent of drip feeding you clues about who could be involved, before taking the storyline in a completely different direction. Yes, it screwed with my head, but oh my goodness Samantha Hayes can screw with my head anytime because by golly can this woman write!!!

I cannot recommend this book enough! The pace was absolutely spot-on, the characters were extremely well developed and in tune with the storyline, the plot was very well crafted and thought out, and the entire storyline was phenomenally written. I mean, how could you NOT like this book? I loved how the entire story was laced with grit, intensity and extremely high levels of shock - Samantha Hayes really has done no wrong with 'The Reunion', that's for sure!

I struggle to choose what a want for breakfast most days, but I am certain about one thing - 'The Reunion' is a book which needs to be read pronto! The whole thing blew me away and left me wanting more, so much so, I actually want to read it again!

'The Reunion' is definitely one of my top reads of 2018 so far, thanks to its powerful and addictive storyline. Samantha Hayes is certainly an author to watch, and 'The Reunion' is certainly a book to be read - you will NOT be disappointed!!

A really great read, with twists and turns aplenty. Samantha Hayes introduces us to a host of believable (though not necessarily pleasant) characters who come together for a reunion. The reason? Claire is worried about her father, who has Alzheimer’s, and believes a gathering of old friends and family – most of whom adored him – would reawaken his memories. Instead, the reunion takes a dark turn as first Claire faces an unnerving work experience, and then a young teen goes missing – in a manner eerily similar to the disappearance of Claire’s own sister, Lenni, many years before. Her sister had never been found. Would Rain, the latest teenager to go missing, be found in time? The story is intriguing, compelling, surprising and full of secrets and lies. Samantha Hayes gives us little clues throughout, but not enough to make the outcome predictable. A solid 4-star read recommended for lovers of psychological thrillers.

I am a huge fan of Samantha Hayes so I was delighted to receive a copy of this book from Bookouture! I absolutely loved this book. Eleanor, who although she is 13, seems to have some unidentified special needs which make her vulnerable, with her family seeking to constantly protect her. One day at the beach, her 18 year old sister Claire lets Eleanor go to buy an ice cream, and Eleanor is never seen again.
Many years later, Claire's father is developing dementia and Claire thinks it is a good time to set up a reunion of friends and family to help her father remember 'the good old days'! Well, this isn't really Claires' brightest idea and when family and friends arrive, the tension mounts and another teenager goes missing. Full of decidedly dodgy characters, the reader is led down a few blind alleys when people's true characters begin to emerge. I love a good thriller and when the relationships between various friends and family members are so explosive, it adds up to such an amazing read! The story is told from a couple of different viewpoints and one viewpoint I would like to have heard is that of the perpetrator, maybe a wee chapter at the end, just to explain the logic behind their actions. But that is just me, I like to have things tied up to the nth degree!
Fantastic book, I would highly recommend, and if you haven't read any of this author's work, you must get a hold of her books!

4.5⭐️

The year is 1996 and after much begging, Claire, who was given the responsibility of looking after her younger sister, Lenni, allows her to go buy ice cream on her own. LENNI NEVER CAME BACK!

The story then takes us to present day, where Lenni is still missing and Claire's father, Patrick, is suffering with Altzheimers disease. She decides it would be helpful for her father to set up a reunion of her childhood friends, as Patrick was much like a second father to them. These were the same friends who were around during the time Lenni disappeared.

From here on out the reader is exposed to the POV of various characters.

The build up of this story started off slowly as we get introduced to the situation and the group of characters, some likeable, others...not so much! But trust me, you'll want to keep at it, as the reader will soon discover that another girl goes missing, strange things start happening to Claire and it becomes clear that secrets and lies are plentiful. With this, the pace and tension suddenly turns up several notches, morphing the story into a page turner you won't be able to put down with twist after twist, until the final jaw dropping one leaves the reader breathless, gobsmacked and well pleased with themselves that they picked up this fantastic read.

If you're into gripping psychological thrillers, filled with secrets, lies and betrayal, being entertained with twists, red herrings and an ending you won't see coming, I suggest you grab yourself a copy of this one ASAP.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture as well as the author for my copy of this great read in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

4.5 reunited doesm’t always feel so good stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟.5

WOW! Don’t you love it when a book is even better than you expected it to be? This is my first book by, Samantha Hayes.... and I can guarantee it will not be my last!

Claire’s father has Alzheimer’s..... So to help boost her fathers spirits while coping with this disease and needing to sell his property Claire decides to have a reunion of sorts.... The beginning of this book introduces us to all the characters who will be coming to the “reunion“.... these are also the same people that were around when Lenny.... Claire’s younger sister went missing 20 years ago....

The beginning of this book is a definite slow burn.... The story is told from multiple points of view, I think I counted at least six.... I love this format with the multiple points of view..... however the very small problem I had with this book was it was difficult to really connect with any of the characters, because the viewpoint switched rather quickly.... but inspite of this I enjoyed this book immensely, because it was so compelling.... absolutely a page turner!

After another girl goes missing during the reunion, it becomes clear that somebody has been hiding something..... the similarities are too overwhelmingn.... I must have changed my mind at least 10 times, as to who the culprit was.... as soon as I thought I had it figured out something would happen and I’d change my mind... or I’d think it was way too obvious that it was the person I thought it was.... twists and turns and false leads made this a wonderful psychological thriller....and that ending..... did not see that coming!

Absolutely recommend to all my psychological thriller loving friends!

*** thank you so much to the publisher and Net Galley for a copy of this book ***

I enjoyed this book but it was a bit of a slow burner for me.
Claire has never got over the disappearance of her sister during her childhood and when her Dad starts to suffer from Dementia she wants to get her old group of friends together again.
They have all moved on with their lives but the disappearance of Lenni hangs over them all when they meet back at the farm with Claire’s parents.
The story has flashbacks to their childhood and also other disturbing chapters which indicate all is not what it seems.
The last few chapters moved at a much faster pace and I really liked the ending.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for my copy.

Claire organizes a reunion of her old school friend to help her father who has been diagnosed with Alzheimers. Her parents are struggling to maintain their farm and her mother wants to sell it. Unfortunately this is the home that her 13 year old daughter lived when she disappeared 20 years ago.

There is a whole cast of characters here and several of them are unlikeable and downright horrible. Claire's husband Callum is a total jerk and thoroughly contemptible.

Maggie, Claire's best friend. Ugh this women just needed a good shaking. She is selfish and negligent as a mother. Her daughter Rain is a precocious entitled spoiled brat.

The author does a great job in balancing these characters though as I still cared about what happened especially to the two females. For me as a reader I want characters that I dislike but am still moved by them emotionally. Apart from Callum that is, I really didn't give a damn what happened to the entitled prig.

There is some red herrings along the way and the ending was good but I still felt there were questions unanswered. Overall though a very enjoyable and interesting read.