Hard to pick what I like best about this book: the addictive web of secrets, the creative use of historical tidbits, or the DELICIOUS setting. I predict this book is going to blow up in 2023. Jaclyn Goldis is one to watch, people!!

My thanks to Atria books, Jaclyn Goldis and Netgalley.
I loved this dang story. I actually had a review, but it got lost. Maybe it will show up in the etherverse?
I had a hard time connecting with ALL of these characters. But, as sometimes happens, you eventually find a connection. As I did.
My favorite thing about this story? Yeah, that would be the fact that I couldn't figure it out! Sheesh! I do love it when that happens! But also, it's just a great location for a book. It sounds ridiculous, but I have a zone?.I guess? I'm no good with overpopulated areas. I've lived in cities and they can kiss my ass! Give me snow capped mountains, fresh creeks and streams and I am completely comfortable.
So, maybe I would love France. I bet the countryside is gorgeous!

What a fabulous read!!! This is my first read by Jaclyn Goldis and I’m an instant fan. The premise of this book sounded great and I can tell you, it absolutely surpassed my expectations. Jaclyn succeeded in building strong characters and laid a strong foundation quickly that completely sucked me into the story. On top of that, she brings extremely clever twist and turns to the pages and I promise you: you will not see then coming one bit! She left me wanting more immediately. What an ending!!

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC.

This one really hit the mark for me! I LOVE me an atmopsheric, mysterious chateau; complicated friendships and a crotchety billionaire. There are some complex and upsetting topics in here (a lot centres around the Holocaust) so this may trigger readers but it was a fantastic read with the perfect amount of twists.

You also get a load of unreliable narrators hearing from every main and secondary characte's POV's which made this even more interesting!

3.5 stars for The Chateau by Jaclyn Goldis.

Darcy and her friends are invited back to her grandmother's chateau in France for a week. When they get there, the 4 girls are told that the truth will come out, but that's not before Darcy's grandmother is found dead in her bedroom.

This is a typical, rich person, hijinks, inheritance, whodunnit, everyone in the house is a suspect and that's it book (you know the ones, right?!).

Different chapters are told from different points of view, which lends to the thriller part, but it doesn't do much in terms of character development. The unraveling of the mystery was fine, and there was some historical stuff that was much more interesting than any character. I thought the end fell flat, though. I don't need a wrap up from each character, and I don't need a supposed (but so obvious) twist at the end.

I really liked this book. There are a ton of books out there about friends taking a trip where secrets are revealed, so it’s not a new topic but the secrets that these girls were keeping were much deeper and somewhat darker than I have seen in the past. This is a “locked room” type mystery where the matriarch of the chateau is murdered and everyone is a suspect.

The story is told from varying POVs, mostly the 4 friends but you also get a couple chapters from other characters. I have seen other reviewers say that all the characters were unlikable and that it was hard to keep them all straight, but I actually didn’t feel that way in either case. Some characters were unlikable but I liked others, though I did feel that some of the friendships seemed inauthentic- I didn’t feel the intimacy of a decades long relationship in all cases.

I did figure out the culprit but the reasons were a little different than I had anticipated. Even though I was right, I wavered a couple times because the author threw in some surprise twists. I thought the description of the chateau and the surrounding areas were really well done and I felt transported there.

Overall, I thought this was a good book and was kind of surprised that many other reviewers felt differently. I’d recommend the book for sure. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Jaclyn Goldis, the publisher, and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my review.

I loved the premise of the book, and the multiple POVs in the story. The setting of the story was also great, I am a sucker for an isolated location type thriller. There were a good amount of twists and intrigue that makes you want to keep reading.
However I did not like a single character in this story. I also was not happy with the ending. I was able to predict the plot twist at the end which is always a disappointment. Also there were some aspects in the writing style that I did not enjoy. For example, I would rather be shown that a certain person is secretive, or is hiding something, not just blatantly told, which was done several times during the first few chapters when introducing those characters. It takes a bit of the suspense and mystery away.

Unfortunately I found the characters undeveloped and very shallow. I could not find interest or desire to follow their storyline despite my initial intrigue.

It’s like Sex and the City meets a Lucy Foley book. I loved the alternating POVs and all the little secrets that were revealed. I gave this book 4 stars. While I enjoyed the story and the whodunit mystery. I just found the ending dragged a little bit. Still a super fun read. Thank you Netgalley & Atria books.

I loved the concept of this book. The set up and the alternating chapters kept me reading quickly and wanting answers. However, the resolution was not satisfactory. The motivations of the murder were cliche and didn't match with previous character development. With all the secrets being revealed and how everything tied together and put it just beyond how much I would suspend disbelief for. I also didn't like how the ending chapter dropped new clues and started a new story. Most mysteries are expected to be solved/resolved and it just messed with my reactions as a reader.

What a fun, quirky popcorn read this was! Just loved how the author took you on a trip down memory lane uncovering one secret at a time until the killer is revealed.

Four friends go back to the Chateau that they use to hang out at twenty years ago. Now, Seraphina want to share the truth she has been hiding all these years. Yikes so many lies and secrets kept me so intrigued I couldn’t put this book down.

Summoned by her grandmother Séraphine, Darcy and her three best friends travel to France, where they all met twenty years ago. Séraphine knows this will be the last time they all come together, but she doesn’t predict the tragedy that will ensue. Add in tons of drama and secrets between friends and family, and this trip is definitely not the vacation of a lifetime.

It took me forever to keep track of the characters, which friend was which. I also didn’t immediately enjoy the writing, with overly drawn out descriptions and storylines. I found the characters to all be extremely unlikeable. The plot was interesting, with a murder and secret family histories that tie the characters together in unpredictable ways. Overall, I was thankful for the copy but this one fell a little short for me. Too much explanation and not enough actually happening. But I loved the setting and the Van Gogh references! 3 stars.

Book Title: The Chateau
Author: Jaclyn Goldis
Publisher: Atria Book/Emily Bestler Books
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Pub Date: May 23, 2023
My Rating: 3.4 rounded up!

This is my first author, Jaclyn Golds novel. I was drawn to the title. A vacation at an elegant French chateau in picturesque Provence ~ touring France, shopping, fabulous dinners, winery tours etc. all sounded like glamorous get-a-away (certainly something different for me!)

In her late nighties, Seraphine Demargelasse the lady of the chateau invites her granddaughter Darcy as well as her three long time college friends Jade, Arabelle, and Vix to celebrate a birthday. She also plans to make a big announcement that will change the course of their lives. After a wild evening of celebrating and without having a chance to make her big declaration, she’s found brutally murdered.
I am a big psychological thriller fan and know to suspect everyone.


Story is told from multiple POVs ~ mostly the four friends. I liked getting to know their back story.
In this case there is so much going on; I was grateful for Kindle’s highlight feature as it helped me with note taking.
Found the history of the chateau a total surprise and Seraphina’s letters certainly were a product of Ms. Goldis vivid imagination. In her ‘Acknowledgements’ she mentioned her grandparents Khana Vinarskaya and Simon Goldis whom she never met but were alive during WWII and the Holocaust so Ms. Goldis tried to have them live within the character her wrote about and also in her! .

I ended up liking this story far more than I thought I would.

I am an avid reader and seldom watch television but several years ago I became a fan of Downton Abbey so perhaps that is why I found the chateau so interesting. True Highclere Castle isn’t the creepy Chateau but both certainly have a lot of family drama!

Want to thank NetGalley and Atria Book/Emily Bestler Books for granted me this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for May 23, 2023

I really enjoyed this book and read it in one sitting. The French setting seemed authentic and characters were well developed. I did get a little tired of the cliff hangers at the end of every chapter and it drag a little bit in the middle. But enjoyed this one immensely. Perfect holiday mystery read - easy and with twists.

this may be set in France during the summer .. but it sure was a good read for a blizzard night in Ohio.

Cozy night are made for any kind of whodunit thriller. I think my favorite part of this one is all the intricate character details, they really painted a clear picture. I found I couldn’t stop until I figured out who the killer was - and it was a satisfying reveal at that. Highly recommend !

pub date - May 23, 2023

I really enjoyed reading this book! It started off just a little bit slow, but once it picked up I was hooked.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of “The Chateau” in exchange for an honest review. I am having a hard time deciding how I feel about this book because there were parts that I really enjoyed and other parts that, not so much. I liked the setting and atmosphere. I thought that the characters were interesting. The trope of 40-something women who talk about diet, body, and food, and think they’re overweight when they are not (according to how other characters describe them) feels a little cliche. Also the way that they use some gen z vernacular, but just at the beginning of the story, was distracting. The beginning, maybe 25-30% felt really, really slow. I thought the historical inclusions were interesting. I thought that the end felt rushed with the letters. The ending left me feeling a little unfulfilled. Ultimately, the plot was unique and it was worth the read.

Loved this book! Everything about it was perfect: the writing, the characters and the setting! Great mystery novel that hooked me quickly. Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

If you are a fan of shocking twists and unique thrillers with connections to the past, then you are going to love The Chateau! This book is well written and paced perfectly to keep you wanting more. I really enjoyed that it was written from multiple points of view. There are secrets everywhere in this one to uncover!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for access to this arc.

Four friends reunite at a French chateau where they all once studied abroad. Oh, man. This story was captivating, compelling. Full of twists, mystery, and suspense. A twisty thrill ride from start to finish. And the French setting mixed with art and history was unique and beautiful. A damn good read.