Amazing intense read. So many feelings. Weddings,grief, loss hope and love

Brilliantly written novel. Reese knows her books!

The Unwedding wasn't bad, but it wasn't really good either. As the story of a woman making new friends and gaining a sense of perspective after divorce, it's successful, but as a murder mystery, it's unsatisfying. The main character, after her divorce, stays at an expensive resort by herself for what was supposed to be her anniversary. She becomes fast friends with an interesting pair her age who are vacationing together. They entertain themselves by crashing a wedding party and trying to figure out who among the guests might be secretly famous. After the weather turns bad, they end up being stuck at the resort longer than planned in increasingly harsh conditions.
Two of the guests are found dead under suspicious circumstances, and the main character and friends, plus people who knew the victims, start trying to figure out how they died. Their theorizing and investigation doesn't turn up much that's useful, but at the end of the book, the mc realizes that she knows who the killer is. She doesn't piece clues together or make logical deductions, rather she makes assumptions and jumps to conclusions, and turns out to be right. It's not a book that you can read and figure out on your own what happened. You don't know anything for much of the book, then you're told what happened at the end. If you like murder mysteries, it may not be what you're looking for. If you're more drawn to the story of a middle aged woman coping with the end of her marriage with the help of new and old friends, you're more likely to enjoy this.

This book has been on my TBR for a little while and I’m so glad I finally picked it up. An exclusive resort where Ellery is staying after a divorce is the setting of a wedding. Unfortunately the wedding never happens and the groom is found dead. Terrible rains cause a landslide that prevent the only way in and out of the resort. Ellery becomes a detective and tries to find out what happened to the groom. What I liked about this story was how the author used the characters and the setting in the mystery.

"The Unwedding" by Ally Condie is a mystery that blends elements of suspense with a captivating and enjoyable setting. The vivid descriptions transport readers to a world that feels immersive and intriguing. However, the novel falls short in its character development and overall storytelling. With a large cast of characters, I found myself wanting deeper exploration of their backgrounds, motivations, and relationships. The suspense, while present, could have been more engaging to truly elevate the mystery. Despite its shortcomings, the book offers a pleasant escape, but it leaves readers yearning for more complexity and depth in both its characters and plot.

Ellery books a magical trip at a resort for her 20th wedding anniversary. Her husband suddenly says he wants a divorce. Not wanting to waste the non-refundable deposit she decides to go alone. There is a big wedding happening and she meets some interesting characters. Ellery goes for an early morning swim and finds the groom floating in the pool dead. Ellery is a very likeable character with great sleuthing skills. She is dealing with her own pain of her marriage ending, but still becomes the strongest character trying to get to the bottom of what happened. This as a quick read that keeps you guessing.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Unwedding by Ally Condie

I DNF’d at 45%. I never DNF books but I could not summon up the motivation to finish this audiobook. To put it plainly - it was boring. I had no reason to care about any of the characters and even the components of the mystery couldn’t inspire enough motivation to keep reading.

Loved this perfect mystery/thriller book! Was a quick intriguing read with twists and turns! Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC opportunity.

What a beautiful setting for a getaway - Big Sur, California! Unfortunately, Ellery finds herself at the exotic resort alone rather than with her husband of 20 years. He's asked her for a divorce, and she'd rather go alone then allow him to travel there with his new girlfriend. However, she gets involved in a mystery surrounding a wedding that is occurring at the resort. And even worse, bad weather has trapped all the resort guests

This was a propulsive "locked door" mystery that I really enjoyed reading. We get to meet the other wedding and resort guests and employees together with Ellery. I also joined in with the amateur sleuthing, but didn't figure it out. I thought that the vast cast of characters were well written.

I really enjoyed this book and will be recommending it to others. Many thanks to #GrandCentralPublishing for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is my first read by Ally Condie. The beginning had me instantly hooked and excited to see what happened next. Sadly it began sizzling out and it then took me much longer than normal to finish a book. I hate to say it but I was expecting more from this book. It was so hyped up and I kept seeing it all over plus the description was exciting. It was a good book but the ending was just okay. I absolutely don’t regret reading it and I do recommend reading it for yourself as each person has their own preferences and I’m sure this is exactly what someone is looking for. Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this copy to read.

Ellery is in the middle of a divorce from her husband of 20 years. She decides to take a trip to a very high-end resort in Big Sur, California that was supposed to be an anniversary getaway (rather than let her soon-to-be-ex husband enjoy the trip with his new partner). When she arrives, she discovers that a wedding is taking place at the resort that weekend and there are lots of wedding festivities going on around the property. One morning a storm rolls in and Ellery decides to take a dip in the heated infinity pool, where she unexpectedly comes across a body - the grooms body, to be exact - still dressed in his wedding tux. Unfortunately, the groom is dead and the storm has caused a huge landslide that has cut the resort off from all outside help, power, internet, and phone communication. As the days go one, Ellery and a couple of the resort guests become detectives, trying to investige the death of the groom (and a few other unexplained deaths and mysterious happenings).

This set up really caught my interest and it started off really strong - rich people, secluded resort, trapped with no way in or out, bodies piling up. It all sounded so good. But after the initial set up, it became a little muddled with so much going on - too many characters (some with similar names), too many side stories that were irrelevant, too much going on that I found myself skimming to get on with the story.

I assumed from the blurb that this was a thriller, but it was more like a cozy mystery instead of an action packed thriller. Overall it was enjoyable and if you like Agatha Christie or locked room style mysteries then you will enjoy this one.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Fun and unique. With a unique premise centered around a world where weddings are banned, the story follows two protagonists as they navigate their paths in search of authenticity and personal choice.

Just finished reading this book. I enjoyed the premise of it. A woman, newly divorced, going by herself to a resort that had been booked for a wedding anniversary probably months in advance. Not because she wants to, but because she will be damned if her ex takes his new girlfriend there instead. She discovers that a wedding is being planned to take place while she is there. However, this all changes when she discovers the groom's body in the pool one morning. She and several new friends are stranded at the resort when an extreme storm causes landslides and they are stuck at the resort for several days. During this time there is another murder, and so they all investigate. During this time, Ellery learns a lot about her life and herself and her friends really have her back as she explores the possibilities of life without her husband.

As I said, I liked the story, but it just seemed to take forever to get through it. Thanks for the chance to read it.

This was such a delight to read! I love her writing, and I was excited to see what her adult debut would be like. I had such a great time with this mystery, of a new divorcée going on a trip that they both were supposed to take, on their wedding anniversary, when a wedding that was supposed to take place falls through, and finding the body of the groom the next morning? Yeah, that was such an interesting set up!

Ellery is mourning the death of the life she thought she was going to live, with the divorce her husband wanted, and now that the first wedding anniversary since the divorce is upon her, well, this vacation that they were supposed to go on seemed like a good idea. But that was before the deaths, and before the mudslide, trapping them at the resort.

For some reason, I kept thinking that Ellery's accident that she kept thinking about, was going to connect to the accident that killed Ben's parents. Not how it turned out, but that was just my thought of why it kept popping up, besides the trauma that it caused her.

This cast of characters was pretty fantastic, I really enjoyed Nina and Ravi, they had an interesting dynamic and were so much fun to read about, watching as the 3 of them investigated what was going on. That it's a version of a locked room mystery, and all these pieces of information, from who was at the resort to details about the art and which one was stolen, I loved it! And that ending with that lightbulb moment, was brilliant! It was a thrilling end to the story!

Loved reading this book, and I can't wait to read more by Allie Condie!

"A recent divorcee's exclusive Big Sur resort vacation unravels when she discovers a dead body on the day of a wedding." - from Goodreads.

I picked this one up because I was intrigued by the premise and am always excited about thrillers where there is an isolation element to them. I've said this before but give me all of the suspenseful reads with storms and isolated settings. It's my favorite! What made this book different from other similar reads is that Ellery is still dealing with her feelings on her recent divorce. She is struggling with it and trying to come to terms with the loss of the life that she had been living. This made her feel that much more real to me - I cared about her and everything that she had gone through. The mystery itself was solid and kept me guessing the entire time. I loved how because the mudslide had cut off the resort that added an extra layer of tension. And then there was this little bit of mystery about something that had happened in Ellery's past that was hinted at throughout the book that also added a bit more suspense. It all combined into one very soli read that I thoroughly enjoyed. Also, I legitimately teared up at one point during the end which I wasn't expecting at all.

Readers looking for a suspenseful mystery to get lost in should give this book a try. I'm really excited to see what this author comes up with next. 4.5 stars overall.

Ellery books a trip to a luxury resort for her and her husband's 20th anniversary but shortly after he asks for a divorce. She decides to stay at the resort by herself. She's having a hard time grieving her marriage and she misses her children, who are staying with their father. A wedding is taking place the same weekend as Ellery's stay. Just before the wedding, the groom calls off the wedding and the next morning Ellery finds him dead in the pool. Combined with a mudslide that leaves everyone trapped at the resort, the guests and staff are wondering if his death was accidental or if it was a murder. Not only was this a good mystery, I liked the friendships Ellery made during her stay.

I enjoyed this. The author didn't follow through with some of the threads, but it's a fun story with great atmosphere. We have our main character Ellery who's only at the resort in Big Sur because her husband breaks up with her right before their anniversary. There's a wedding on the island and Ellery is the one to find the groom.
A big storm wipes out the roads so everyone is stuck on the resort with a killer, which is one of my favorite kinds of setups. Who can you trust? Who's safe from the killer?
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

Unclear on why this was picked for Reese’s bookclub. Despite a promising setup, the story was boring and slow, the main character had zero personality, and I had to force myself to finish it - even listening to the audio on 2.5x speed it dragged. I generally like to give second chances, but I don’t know that I’d read another book by this author.

Ally Condie’s adult debut, The Unwedding, sets a classic locked-room mystery against the picturesque backdrop of Big Sur. Ellery Wainwright, recently divorced and alone, goes to the luxurious Resort at Broken Point for what would have been her 20th wedding anniversary. Instead of peace, she finds chaos: she finds the groom at a wedding held there dead in the pool, and a sudden storm traps the guests with no hope of rescue. As bodies pile up, Ellery and two other guests, Ravi and Nina, step into the unlikely roles of amateur detectives.

While the setup is promising, the execution falls flat. The characters, including Ellery, don’t leave a lasting impact, making it hard to care about their fates. The calm reactions to the murders stretch believability, and the idea of vacationers stepping into detective roles feels implausible. Despite moments of intrigue and the unique addition of art throughout the resort, the story struggles with uneven character development and a resolution that doesn’t satisfy.

Condie’s exploration of grief and resilience adds some depth, but it’s overshadowed by plot issues and shallow characterization. For readers craving a stormy escape with a touch of mystery, The Unwedding might suffice, but it’s not the standout it could have been. A generous 3 stars.

** Thanks to the publisher for a comp in exchange for an honest review. The opinions are my own.

This author has a great fan base for her young adult series, so I was excited to read this adult thriller. The premise of The Unwedding is exactly what I love in a thriller--locked room, remote setting, and a murder to be solved. There is a strong sense of setting, and good character development with Ellery. Unfortunately, there were a lot of sideline stories that pulled from the main plot, which ended up leaving me more confused than intrigued. I will definitely read her next adult novel, but this one did not live up to the hype.