This is a hard one to rate and talk about. I ended up liking it, but I didn't care about the characters or get invested in the story until about 3/4s of the way through it. And the very, very end. Yowza. Make sure you read until the last chapter.

I wish the underlying story of Auschwitz would have been a bigger part of the book and not just towards the end. The setting was atmospheric in the French countryside in an old chateau. I figured out a piece of this but not the ultimate piece.

You definitely need patience for this slow moving suspense story to set up, but the complexity and ending was worth it.

Four friends are called back to the chateau that they spent their time abroad in France. Darcy’s grandmother owns the chateau and hasn’t seen the girls in 20 years. When she invites them and tells them she has to come clean, they are nervous. Before she can tell them, she is found murdered in her room. As Darcy, Arabelle, Jade, and Vix try to put the clues together not only on who murdered Seraphine, but also why she called them there, dark secrets are revealed about each of them.
💭Thoughts💭
The twists in this book were fantastic! I could see a few of them coming, but a lot were a surprise. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the way the author wrote, but I was captivated the whole time. Overall a really good thriller.
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⌛️Favorite Moment⌛️
My favorite part was the way that they embedded the Jewish storyline into it. I thought it added a really interesting layer to the story and I was interested in hearing the backstory of Jade and her Jewish heritage.
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🎉 Theme Ideas 🎉
Arabelle was a chef, so enjoy a classic French cuisine like bouillabaisse. They also had lots of wine. Go to a museum or look up some Vincent Van Gogh paintings - I would love to see the Starry Night 2!

The Chateau by Jaclyn Goldis is a popcorn thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. This suspenseful novel is full of mystery, deceit, and unexpected twists until the very end.

After receiving an invitation from her grandmother Séraphine, Darcy and her three friends reunite in France at the chateau where they formed a bond 20 years ago while studying abroad. After a night of partying, Séraphine is found murdered and everyone is a suspect.

Each character had their own secrets, motivations, and flaws. The author also weaves in heavy topics including the holocaust, fertility, and cancer.

The setting was beautifully written and I enjoyed the art references as well. Overall, I really enjoyed this novel. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A well-written mystery. A fast paced read with interesting characters. Loved the setting and the bits of French language sprinkled in.

A girls trip for a "reunion" of sorts in France turns deadly when their host, beloved Grand-mere Seraphine, is murdered just a few short days into their say. The four friends involved - Darcy, Vix, Jade, and Arabelle - have been close since their study abroad days twenty years earlier. But are their friendships strong enough to survive murder, betrayal, adultery, and family baggage?

I enjoyed this one, though it did take a while to really take off and get started. I had a hard time switching POVs every chapter until the story really cemented itself and I figured out who each of the girls were. It would have been nice to stick with just one for a little while to really ground yourself in the story. Overall, though, it was a fun read. I did have a little beef with the ending, as it felt predictable and like it was a cliffhanger for a second novel, but it wasn't enough to take away from my overall enjoyment of the book.

This was a terrible book. Contrived, with dumb, unbelievable characters and plot. Don’t fall for the “murder in a French chateau” vibe -it very much misses the mark.

The Chateau is a phenomenal thriller from start to finish. Filled to the brim with twists and a captivating plot, this one is sure to keep readers hooked. The characters are well-developed. The story is incredibly fast-paced. This is one not to be missed! Highly recommended! Be sure to check out The Chateau asap.

Had potential, could have been a really cool story but took so long for the book to get started and I really couldn’t connect to the characters

A study abroad reunion turns deadly when their host is murdered a few days into their stay. The four friends have remained close since their study abroad days 20 years earlier, but every one of them is bringing some baggage and a lot of secrets to their reunion. To uncover the murdered, they must first uncover what the other women are hiding.

This is such a fun twisty thriller! I loved seeing the relationships between the women evolve as their secrets start to come out. I really enjoyed the writing style. It moved at a quick pace, but didn't leave out any important details. A great fun summer read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC of The Chateau.

This was a lot of fun. A modern take on the classic whodunit. There were a lot of fun twists here and it seems there will be a second book. Every character was unreliable so I was always second guessing everyone. Fresh and fun! Thank you for the ARC❤️

This book had all the trappings of a great mystery! A beautiful French setting, lifelong friendships, and secrets. I really enjoyed the first half of the book getting some back story of the friendships and setting the scene, but the back half of the book was less engaging. There are a few subplots/side stories that were not super interesting to me (the historical/art story lines) which caused me to disengage a little bit. I think this is more of my personal preferences, nothing against the author!

I would recommend this for fans of locked room mysteries! Especially those who like to read Ruth Ware.

Thank you Atria for the digital ARC!

4+ stars

I quite enjoyed this book. I liked the alternating narrative perspectives from different characters, the gothic French setting was fun, and the drama was pretty much exactly what I needed. This book was more along the lines of what I hoped The Paris Apartment would be; while that story was a bit of a disappointment, this one was a pleasant surprise.

**Please note - this book has content that may not be appropriate for teenagers and I would not put it in my classroom library. However, that will not stop me from recommending it to adults aged 18+!**

Darcy and her three best friends are invited to The Chateau by Darcy’s grandmother after 20 years, with no idea why. When Grand-Meré ends up dead, everyone’s a suspect…

This book was delicious. That’s honestly how I’d describe it. It was scandalous, dramatic, full of secrets and lies, and a perfect summer read. Set in Southern France (Nice I think?) in the summertime, in a large, looming Chateau, the setting was perfect.

This is not for the reader who wants a fast-paced, gripping thriller with a plot device on every page. This is for the reader who gets caught up in the lives (and secrets..and lies…and mistakes…) of five women and enjoys the drama as the mystery builds up. I didn’t think I was that kind of reader, but this book really took me by my shoulders and gripped me until the very end. The VERY end!!! 🫣🫣

I did take off a star because the beginning was VERY slow. But I still loved it and would highly recommend it!!!!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an eARC of The Chateau in exchange for my honest review!

I'm always a sucker for mansion-set murder mysteries, so The Chateau drew me in right away. However, it's important to note that the tone for this is more dramatic than it first appears; it's not a straight-up thriller. That being said, I did get enough enjoyment out of it, though its flaws prevent it from reaching its full potential. It was always engaging me with its twists and turns and its countryside gothic atmosphere. In addition, I appreciate the tactful dive it takes into antisemitism and the Holocaust, topics that are quite timely right now. But it's frustrating that the voices for these characters are written so similarly, often making it difficult for me to tell which first-person POV I'm reading from. And then there's one character in particular whose voice abruptly changes, at which point I'm able to clearly discern them from the rest of the ensemble, but it also doesn't make any sense as to why they're acting that way. If these two elements could have been revised, the book would have been significantly stronger.

Overall, I'm officially rating The Chateau 3.25 out of 5 stars. It may not be one of the best mystery novels I've ever read, but I had a good time with it, even with its downsides.

I wanted so badly to like this book! The setting of the French countryside is exactly what drew me in (as well as the front cover, hello one light in the window) but I think that is the only thing that I held onto while reading. With the multiple POV we really got a look into everyone's secrets and troubles and it almost felt like too much. It was a lot to keep up with while trying to solve a murder.

Ohhh how I love a good Locked Room mystery thriller and in a beautiful Chateau in the French countryside to boot. I couldn't put this one down. I'm a sucker for beautiful coverart with a creepy house/mansion predominantly displayed on the front. Gets me Every. Single. Time! This was a fast-paced smart mystery with depth and a great twist.

The Chateau centers around 4 bestfriends; Darcy, Jade, Arabelle & Vix who have been invited to stay at Darcy's grandmother Seraphine's Chateau in Provence, France. They are there to celebrate Jade's 40th birthday and Seraphine has something important she wants to discuss with them. The night before the discussion Seraphine is murdered and suddenly everyone is a suspect. The group soon learns the Chateau houses many secrets worth killing for.

5/5 stars. Thank you to Netgalleg for the Arc!

Fast paced thriller that you won’t want to put down. Right before her grandmother is going to make a big announcement , she is found murdered. Who did it? You will have to read to find out!

This book is definitely a slow burn through the first 2/3 but then it picks up the pace. I did like the twists throughout the story. I finished this book very quickly, I couldn't put it down.

I was so excited to receive an ARC of this book, as the description sounded great, and it did not disappoint! The Chateau was a twisty destination thriller, following four old friends with lots of secrets who meet up at a beautiful chateau in France to celebrate their 40th birthdays - what could go wrong?!

This book was a wild ride! Multiple POVs aren't usually my favorite, but I liked getting to know all the characters through their own voices. It did take me a while to get everyone straight! I didn't connect with a couple of them (one of them was deeeeply unlikeable!), but they were still integral to the story. Toss in a bunch of secrets, one murder, and a few red herrings, and I could not put this book down! The first ~60% was a bit of a slow burn to set everything up, but the second half flew by. I guessed a couple minor twists and I think there were some plot points that were unresolved, but this book was thoroughly enjoyable! I'd highly recommend it to any thriller lovers. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the early copy!

The Chateau tells the story of four friends, all turning 40, returning to the French town where they studied abroad 20 years earlier. Darcy's grandmother, Seraphine, has invited the four to spend a weekend to remember with her. But, on the third night the women are in the house, Seraphine is brutally murdered. The next morning, Seraphine had intended to share the reasons she brought the four back to the Chateau. What follows is a who-did-it type inquiry between the four friends, all of whom are keeping secrets from each other.

I really enjoyed how the story was told from the perspective of each character, but found that the characters lost their own voice. They all sounded like each other and each character was deeply flawed.

I liked how the overall mystery was crafted, and while some smaller twists and secrets were predictable and easy to figure out, the larger mystery of who committed the murder was surprising to me at the end. Overall, the pace was good, and I could not put it down.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria books for my free digital ARC!