I really enjoyed this book. It was a great mystery that made you want to keep turning the pages. It was bit slow for me in the beginning and as things were happening it still didn't pick up quite how I wanted to. You had some lovable, likable and some that you despised. I would have loved a little more character development just so I could get more of a connection. Funny enough the place where all of this takes place sounds like a dream and I hope to see something like that one day. Great character resolution and the book left you feeling sad and happy and I liked that. I enjoyed Ally's incorporation of herself into the main character and throughout the book. I honestly went in not knowing what to expect, especially because this is my first book by this author but I will see she did not disappoint. I look forward to reading more from her
Thank you to Netgalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Ally Condie for this ARC

Ally Condie's first novel for adults! I had to grab this one off NetGalley as soon as I saw that tagline. This was a satisfying mystery, well-crafted and with interesting characters. Great fun!

This one is a bit of a slow burn. It definitely starts to pick up the later part of the book. The setting and locked room mystery were really enjoyable. I found it hard to connect with the main character and think I would have enjoyed the book more if I was more invested. Overall an enjoyable locked room slow burn thriller with a beautiful setting.

Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The setting of this story was amazing, and I was very enticed by it, including the cover! But this story fell flat for me. I felt myself uninterested in how the dust settled and unable to connect longterm with any of the characters.

That sound? That's the sound of me shrieking over one of my old favorite YA authors releasing her first adult mystery novel. I was ecstatic to get my hands on this book, and I was immediately grabbed by the premise. Ellery, a recently divorced, thoroughly traumatized high school teacher, is spending her first solo vacation at a beautiful resort. She tries to enjoy her time, and she even manages to make a few friends, but any attempts at relaxing during this vacation are destroyed when Ellery finds a dead body during an early morning swim. And, as if that wasn't enough drama, the resort has been shut off from the world due to an extremely bad storm. Again, SHRIEK. There is simply nothing better than a good locked-room mystery. Nothing.

Once Ellery and her new friends Ravi and Nina realize that the authorities aren't getting to the island, they, of course, take it upon themselves to investigate the mysterious death and the body in the pool. While I won't spoil any of their investigations, I will say I love how Condie handles it. Ellery, Ravi and Nina all do their best to get to know other resort guests and hunt down clues, but they are truly limited by the fact that 1) they don't actually know anyone else on the island and 2) they don't have some superhuman ability to elude resort staff to look for clues. There are no huge moments of shocking reveals from guests, and there are no massive developments due to some new clue. It's a lot of conversation, conjecture, and suspicion. The investigation is slow, but I think that adds to the realism of the story, and the slow trickle of new information adds to the suspense of the mystery.

While I loved the characters (especially Ravi!), the atmosphere, and the premise, I will admit I was a little let down by the actual conclusion of the mystery. I can't speak to it too much without spoiling, but I just felt like it was missing some element of oomph. I felt similarly about Ellery's past - it felt a little drawn out and the impact it had on the story felt negligible. Despite those two things, I really did love this mystery, and I only wish I'd saved it for a rainy day, because I can't imagine how much that could have added to the atmosphere.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Ally Condie, and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Ellery was just trying to make the best of a bad situation. The trip to Broken Pointe resort in Big Sur California was booked and the deposit was nonrefundable so she might as well go and try to have a good time. It was supposed to be their twentieth anniversary splurge but Luke insisted on a quick divorce so he could live his true self with the woman who had replaced her and their kids. The scenery was wild and absolutely beautiful, especially at the cliffs over the ocean. This was luxury at its best-she knew she was in for exclusive pampering but she hated to be so alone. That was why, when the couple at the next table offered to have her sit with them at dinner, she happily accepted. Nina and Ravi proved to be very good company, and while Nina called it an early night, Ravi decided to crash the rehearsal cocktail hour given for the wedding party at the resort's art gallery. Ellery went with him and actually met the bride and had a nice talk with her as Ravi "borrowed" some cocktails and desserts. Tomorrow was to be their outdoor wedding day.
However the wedding was called off after Ben, the groom, sent a text to the wedding party that he couldn't go through with it and locked himself in his hotel room. The next morning, when Ellery decided to have an early swim despite the rain, she found a man's body floating in the pool,. in full wedding gear, with a head wound. It turned out to be Ben. Who murdered him? Who murdered the best man the next night? What was the missing piece of art? And when is this infernal rain going to stop-it has already washed out the road to the highway-the only way anyone can leave the resort.
This is a good locked room mystery, even though the room is an extensive resort complex. As Ellery meets the other hotel guests, she tries to figure out who she can trust and who might be a murderer, while the resort deteriorates in the incessant rain and the suspects have to cope with loss of power, heat, and food. Ellery is also hiding a secret-this is not the first time that she has had to cope with a disastrous situation, and this has haunted her for years-will she have another opportunity to get it right this time?
The beauty of Big Sur, amazing works of art, and a desperate search for a killer all tie in to make this novel a stand-out thriller.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for allowing to read this book for free in exchange for a free review. As a bride myself, I cannot imagine this happening to me. I couldn’t put this book down and will tell all my friends to read it when it publishes! Amazing!

A story about love, change, and growth set in a quick-paced murder mystery that will keep you guessing.

2.5 stars

I loved Ally Condie’s YA dystopian series, Matched, and was excited to read her adult debut. The premise was exactly the type of story I love - a locked-room setting with strangers and an MC working through her own issues. Unfortunately, this thriller didn’t work for me. The whole story was completely unoriginal and lackluster. Not at all what I’d expect from this author.

First off, the plot was extremely slow-paced. I can’t think of one instance, even during the gruesome discoveries and the final showdown, where I felt the action picked up. The characters were extremely hard to relate to in most cases, and some were just downright unlikeable, with little to no character development. Ravi and Grace were easily my favorites.

The distinction between the wedding party and all the other guests at the resort was off putting, and Ellery’s backstory was completely unimportant to the actual plot. If this was intended to provide some sort of character development, it failed miserably. I have issues with who the main culprit turned out to be (can’t say more without spoiling), and I have huge problems with thrillers that need to take a whole chunk of the end to explain how the protagonist suddenly knew who the murderer was. If you’re doing your job as a writer, no explanation should be needed.

I could go on with all the things that bothered me, but would rather stick to the highlights. I’m rounding my review up to three stars because I was engaged enough to see the story through to its end.

Thank you to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book caught my eye because the cover is lovely but also the setting of Big Sur California one of my favorite places. I loved the writing of this book you get to know the characters and they become real to you. The resort that is described sounds wonderful and also somewhere you might like to visit. I love some of the little touches too. Each day a welcome card is left in each room and on it is a lovely quote, the weather for the day, and activities for that day. Ally Condie uses these at the beginning of her chapters and it is a lovely visual. Plus adding some little clues, For me I did find about 3/4 of the way through the book I was wondering if this was going to ever end. Would they get rescued? Would they find the killer? Well, I must say the end was not what I thought and I really enjoyed the last bit of the book and the finishing off of all the loose ends. A huge Thank you to Netgalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Ally Condie for this ARC. This review is my honest thoughts.

I love picking books without knowing anything about them and being surprised. This one was full of them, and well written too. I love how believable the characters were, especially Ellery.

This was a promising thriller that stopped working for me when twists and coincidences and connections started being revealed--there was a bit too much too late in terms of backstory and red herrings. It also felt like there were too many characters, although I will say that Condie managed to make the main side characters feel fleshed out and individualized in a very easy way. The main character felt flat in comparison and her backstory felt a bit distracting and not really well-tied in to seem relevant to the current plot. The setting was strong and felt unique. It will be a fun, light vacation read for people.

I'm going to be the odd one out here and say that I didn't love this. I couldn't connect with the characters, especially the protagonist. She seemed a little too desperate and needy to me. Overly involving herself in every situation and person while also attempting to be extremely demure. Each supporting character was a little too outrageous, and there was not enough character development or detail. The plot was okay but a little slow-paced. Overall, this was an okay read. It's just not my personal preference. Three stars.

Thank you, Netgalley, and Grand Central Publishing for this ARC.

Inhaled in a day. Sort of wish I could escape to Big Sur for a beat to recover from some big life shifts like Ellery, but alas, here I am in the Midwest.

Ellery goes on the anniversary trip she was going to take with her husband before he left her. While she's there, not just one person ends up dead, but two. Somehow Ellery is the only one who can't let stuff go about it.

I liked how it wasn't super full of hijinks with Ellery playing some sort of Miss Marple character (despite references to Agatha Christie made), and it was also surprisingly poignant. I know from following the author on Instagram she was going through some stuff, but I think it resonated well in the story without taking over.

This was a great twisty read! Loved the setting and the main character. This will be a hit with readers at my library.

I absolutely loved this book! She mentioned it at a book event for "The Only Girl in Town" months and months ago and I've been dying to read it ever since. Ally Condie does such a great job at creating characters who feel like real people you could meet. I loved being in Ellery's head and being able to see how, even though she feels vulnerable and weak from the circumstances and her grief, she is strong and an asset to the people at the resort. And of course, Ravi is a favorite of mine! He made the story so fun when it easily could've gotten overwhelmingly sad or scary. With the murder mystery element, I honestly had no idea where this was going, and it had me on the edge of my seat. I was a bit confused when they revealed things, and at the end they kind of skipped ahead to when everyone's safe to explain everything—but I was totally okay with that because I don't think I could've handled much more suspense haha. Things were very cleverly placed to make me suspect anyone and everyone, which made the stakes feel high and made me okay with how most things were revealed after the fact. Over all, I loved that it was both a fun whodunit and a book that made me feel deeply.

The Unwedding
by Ally Condie
Pub Date: June 4, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
The White Lotus meets Agatha Christie in The Unwedding, the adult fiction debut from #1 New York Times bestselling YA author Ally Condie, about a recent divorcee whose vacation at an exclusive Big Sur resort unravels when she discovers a dead body on the day a wedding was set to occur.
I highly recommend this mystery! It is well written and very enjoyable to read.
Smart and complex characters, interesting setting, a sense of foreboding, a new twist on an old story (wedding) with a thread of a second mystery woven throughout. I just enjoyed every page, every snappy conversation, thoughtful musing and active plot points.
5 stars

Ally Condie wrote the Matched series (IYKYK) but this is her first foray into adult fiction. I was a little skeptical going in because the premise just seemed like a retread of lots of other murder mysteries but by the end I was mostly bought in! I liked the characters a lot, the twists kept me interested, and it was a fairly satisfying ending. Also, I need to know what Ravi does for work! ;)

I enjoyed the concept of this book. Normally, I have some ideas of who the culprit might be, but The Unwedding kept me guessing all the way to the end.

The setting of the story was in a perfect location for a mystery, the characters were woven into the plot well, but the storyline seemed to drag on just a little too long for me.

Overall I would rate this book 3.75 ⭐️

Thank you, NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC.

A groom found dead in a pool, a groomsman found dead at the bottom of a cliff, a torrential rain storm and mudslide that totally closes off all access to the hotel. What else could go wrong and who can you trust? A perfect page- turner.