I enjoyed The Unwedding. Ellery, newly divorced and grieving, travels solo to a remote Big Sur luxury resort - a trip she'd originally booked as an anniversary getaway with her husband. Of course the resort is hosting a wedding! And then the dead bodies start to pile up. Pitched as Agatha Christie meets White Lotus - and I found that to be spot-on!

This started out SO. GOOD. But it just went downhill from there. The literal only times I tuned back in were when someone was shot, dying, or missing. I didn’t actually care about any of this. And it’s so strange, because I usually love locked room mysteries.

Sad to say it, but I liked the inserts and the little asides more than the actual story. It was the only time when we got information on the actual case. I just did not care about literally anything else to do with this story. And it’s strange, because I usually like amateaur style detectives. But this one was a bit too much of an amateaur. She wasn’t really looking into anything, she just turned out to be in the right spot at the right time and she overheard a lot. (Basically a glorified nosey woman lol) The whole thing was very cringe and I was very disappointed.

The characters were the main focus in this mystery when it should have been the plot if that makes sense. The “friends” she met were so snobbish and ridiculous and I rolled my eyes every time they came back to talk. And then for everyone else it was like the author decided to do everyone’s back story instead of actually making it interesting or thriller-y if that makes sense lol I was so bored.

For this to be sold to me as a “thriller,” it was not………… for lack of a better word, thrilling. It was definitely a mystery, but this didn’t have my heart racing or even my interest very much at all. In fact l found myself falling asleep listening and I was listening while I had a migraine to ensure I finished it faster. It really was a little like work to finish this off.

The only reason I still finished it was because I wanted to know whodunit and if I had guessed right. Andddddd I actually didn’t. But Idk if that was because I wasn’t paying great attention because I was bored, or if she actually got me. I think it was the later because I had forgotten all about that character. And I know she probably did that on purpose too. It was weird and I just didn’t care for it at all.

This was a train wreck. And it was weird because I usually like Ally Condie’s work. Maybe I’m still too attached to her YA work, but this just didn’t hit the same for me. I gave it a shot but I don’t feel I was right for this one.

3.5

This one caught me a little off guard as I went into it blind. There are a lot of things happening all at once plus flashbacks to previous incidents.

The story centers around Ellery. She’s a teacher who just got divorced and has a royal cockwad of an ex who I wish she had kicked in the nards. But nevertheless - she is our MC and is taking what should have been her anniversary trip to a beautiful resort near Big Sur.

Most of the resort is taken over by a wedding that is occurring in a few days and being alone doesn’t last long for Ellery as she is adopted by a pair of friends who are also vacationing but aren’t part of the wedding.

All is going well, new friends made and then Ellery stumbles upon a body in the pool on the wedding night. And a raging storm comes in and knocks out communication and the bridge allowing them to leave.

In a truly locked resort whodunnit, Ellery is scrambling to figure out who killed who and who might be next.

As a Monterey native who regularly goes to Big Sur, I was super excited to read a book set in Big Sur! Overall, I was a little disappointed because I was hoping for a richer feel for the Big Sur setting - but to be fair I had high expectations because I do think Big Sur is such a great setting for a book and a thriller mystery in particular. The actual story and mystery was good and kept my attention, but wasn't amazing. The characters felt a little one dimensional, but I was still invested in the murders and was surprised by the reveals..

What a fun vacation read! This book is set in the Pacific Northwest around Big Sur. Oddly enough, I happen to be in that area vacationing so this book was even more fun! This is the first book I've read by Ally Condie who has transitioned from YA to adult thrillers.

Ellery is newly divorced and decides to take the dream vacation she had planned with her ex for their anniversary. Instead of relaxing she finds a body floating in the pool. The body happens to be the groom in the wedding taking place at the resort. Thanks to a huge landslide there's no easy out of the resort. Phone lines are down and help cant get through. From then on, the bodies start piling up and it's a race to find out who is responsible before someone else turns up dead.

Fast paced with a lot of characters! The characters were absolutely love able and it's hard not to care about what happens to them. The level of suspense is high and the flow of the story keeps the reader invested and having fun.

This locked room story is unique and worth a read!

A whodunit mystery in modern times.

Ellery is newly divorced and goes to a luxury resort meant to be her 20th wedding anniversary trip. She goes alone and soon is swept away in a murder mystery happening at the resort. Storms end up closing access to the resort and that means everyone is stuck trying to figure out who did it and why.

This book includes lots of characters and different storylines. I liked the backstory on Ellery and how the author ties that into the main story.

This was an easy read and I enjoyed how it played out.

Thank you to #Netgalley for the ARC.

Publishers of “The Unwedding” by Ally Condie, author of the bestselling young adult “Matched” trilogy, describe the book as a fusion of “The White Lotus” and Agatha Christie.

“The Unwedding” follows Ellery Wainwright, a recent divorcee who finds herself spending what would have been her 20th-anniversary trip at a lavish Big Sur resort, alone. Her solitude is amplified when she finds out a wedding is taking place while she’s there too.

But soon, what should be paradise quickly turns into a nightmare when the groom’s lifeless body is discovered in the pool, and a mudslide leaves everyone at the resort trapped. Prepare for a deluge of secrets — as is typical in isolated setting thrillers, darkness lurks beneath the surface, and nothing is as it appears.

Ally Condie's The Unwedding is a mix of Agatha Christie and The White Lotus. It is also the authors adult debut. 42-year-old Ellery Wainwright is a recently divorced teacher who is taking a planned vacation to celebrate 20 years of marriage without her bastard of a husband who left her to reinvent himself with someone not her. After arriving at Broken Point, Ellery finds the one thing she really wouldn’t have wanted at all, a wedding taking place while she mourns her own marriage.

Trying to make the best of it all though Ellery continues her solo trip doing her best to avoid the wedding until the night Ellery discovers the body of the groom floating in the pool and finds a mudslide has cut off any chance of help arriving to find the murderer. Determined to discover the truth behind the groom's death, she and some new acquaintances (Ravi and Nina) begin an unsanctioned investigation. Before the police can reach Broken Point, a mudslide takes out the road to the resort, leaving the guests trapped.

When another guest attached the the wedding dies, it’s clear something horrible is brewing. Everyone at Broken Point has a secret. And everyone has a shadow. Including Ellery. Ellery soon teams up with Ravi and Nina, wedding party crashers, to find out who might be up to no good. Her anxiety is made even worse by the fact that this isn't her first dealing with someone dying. As she tries to make everything right by helping calm down the bride and do some sleuthing she could find herself even closer to danger.

As the mystery grows more layered and the situation, more dire, Ellery wonders if she will make it back home to her children. To make things more interesting, there is a collection of priceless works at the resort. Priceless works that someone seems to want as their own. Could the theft of the priceless works and the death of two members of the wedding party be connected? And, what happened several years ago that has Ellery's anxiety ratcheting up past ten? So, along with the constant rain, the flood roads, a bridge that is no longer accessible, Ellery finds herself wondering when the next shoe is going to drop.

*Condie is apparently pivoting from YA dystopian romance to mystery/thriller, a la Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley. She is moving in a new direction for her brand, one that taps into a commercial sweet spot that will resonate with and diversify her readership. My only negative was that I had wished that the author had spent just a few pages more with Ellery's backstory which is a bit on the heartbreaking side. I can't imagine anyone going through what she did and surviving.

Young adult and middle grade fiction author Ally Condie has turned the pain of an unwanted divorce into her first venture into writing for adults in the novel The Unwedding that was released June 4.

Ellery Wainwright decides to take her now defunct second honeymoon celebrating 20 years of marriage even though her husband is off with another woman after seeking a divorce from Ellery. Her friend Abby has suggested Ellery take the trip to a luxurious resort in Big Sur, California, since the reservation is not refundable.

Unfortunately for Ellery, the resort is the destination of a high-profile wedding on the same weekend as her visit. Worse, she discovers a body floating in the pool when she goes out for an early morning swim. Even worse, everyone is trapped at the resort and the police cannot reach them thanks to a mudslide that takes out the road to the resort.

While neither guests nor staff are pleased to be stranded, they are not terribly alarmed about their safety until a second body is discovered. Suddenly, everyone becomes a suspect, workers and visitors alike.

Ellery, a high school history teacher, decides to do some investigating to see what clues she can uncover and preserve for the police when they can finally reach the resort. In the middle of her amateur sleuthing, another guest has disappeared.

Ally Condie, a former high school English teacher, lives outside of Salt Lake City with her second husband and four children.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting June 30, 2024.

I would like to thank Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

When a 20th anniversary getaway turns into a trip for one to a beautiful resort, the story begins. To compound the misery, the "one" discovers a dead body on the premises and that plot thickens.
The writing was beautifully constructed. The author's thoughts on grief and healing are so deeply felt.
The tension was so palpable initially but lost some of its steam towards the end. I was disappointed in the finish and felt it was a bit too contrived overall.

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley- thank you!

This book hooked me in at the beginning but lost me in the middle. It became pretty tedious to get through for a while. The ending was ok (didn't love the reveal), but I felt like that got dragged out too.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing this book, with my honest review below.

The Unwedding was an interesting thriller, bringing some psychological elements in that keep the plot moving outside of the main mystery.

Ellery was settling comfortably into her family when she experiences trauma and, two years after, her husband leaves her. When taking their anniversary trip in an exclusive resort in Big Sur she’s wrenched out of her plans of a somewhat awkward stay for one when a wedding party at the resort experiences a murder. There were a lot of great turns with the mystery of the murder, though all the characters did make things a bit confusing at times. What I thought really resonated in the plot was Ellery’s struggle to process the accident two years ago that caused the trauma in her life, seeming to lead to the events that have her at the resort alone.

I enjoyed the intrigue in this story and the way the vivid writing had me feeling like I was at Big Sur as well, trying to solve the increasingly complex locked room mystery. Though we had many characters quite a few were great to get to know as well, and this kept me following every turn trying to figure out everything out.

The Unwedding by Ally Condie is about recently divorced Ellery, who is staying at a fabulous hotel in Big Sur. On what was supposed to have been her anniversary trip, everything turns sideways when two people turn up dead.

This book had so much potential. I was hooked as soon as I started the book. But with the addition of so many characters, I started to forget who was who and began to lose interest in the mystery.

I most enjoyed Ellery’s back story and was hoping it would play a bigger part in the ending. In general, it was all kind of messy for my taste.

Rated 3 stars for me. It was good, but I would definitely recommend other books before suggesting this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the eARC.

Two years ago, Ellery was in a tragic accident; a few months ago, the love of her life left her. Now, Ellery is celebrating what would have been her twentieth wedding anniversary alone at Broken Point in Big Sur. After breaking down in the bathroom at dinner on her first night, Ellery meets Ravi and Nina, friends traveling together who welcome her with open arms. Soon, they are crashing a pre-wedding cocktail hour in the gallery, and Ellery is befriending the bride. But, the happy weekend takes a turn when the groom does not show up to the ceremony, and Ellery finds him dead in the pool the next morning. Things only get worse when the best man is found dead and a rain storm washes out access to Broken Point, stranding all of the guests with a murderer. Now, Ellery, Nina, and Ravi are determined to figure out who killed Ben and Matt, while also keeping themselves and the other guests safe.

I enjoyed the premise of The Unwedding, but Condie tried to connect too many individual stories into one novel leaving lots of plot and character holes. The end of the novel tries to introduce backstory for several characters that comes out of nowhere leaving more questions than answers. She brushes over major character connections (Jason and Nina) as though it's been introduced and explored throughout the novel (but it isn't). As with her earlier work, Condie has an excellent idea and storyline, but does not flesh it out enough to fulfill the reader. She leaves more questions than answers and too many plot holes. This novel would have been much better if she focused on Ellery's story and did not intertwine the other guests stories throughout. The mystery would have been fully formed and focused without all of the "players". I do recommend The Unwedding for those who want a character driven mystery.

The Unwedding begins with Ellery, a divorced mother and survivor of a horrible auto accident, taking time away to heal. This getaway to a beautiful isolated resort was initially booked to celebrate her anniversary with her husband, but unfortunately Ellery and Luke have parted ways. Ellery’s first night begins crashing a rehearsal dinner for a young couple, Olivia & Ben, with a new found friend. However, Ellery will be the one to find Ben deceased . Here is where the mystery begins followed by severe weather that keeps all the guest and the killer isolated from the outside world. This book was an excellent read up until around 60 percent and then my interest just fell short.Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me read this advanced copy. #NetGalley#The Unwedding

The Unwedding by Ally Condie was a pleasant surprise. I am not sure how many closed-room vacation-murder books I’ve read, but this was one of the better ones that kept me reading until the final page.

It was entertaining and there are some twists and turns to keep you guessing.

Ellery Wainwright is alone at the edge of the world.

She and her husband, Luke, were supposed to spend their twentieth wedding anniversary together at the luxurious Resort at Broken Point in Big Sur, California. Where better to celebrate a marriage, a family, and a life together than at one of the most stunning places on earth?

But now she’s traveling solo.

To add insult to injury, there’s a wedding at Broken Point scheduled during her stay. Ellery remembers how it felt to be on the cusp of everything new and wonderful, with a loved and certain future glimmering just ahead. Now, she isn’t certain of anything except for her love for her kids and her growing realization that this place, though beautiful, is unsettling.

When Ellery discovers the body of the groom floating in the pool in the rain, she realizes that she is not the only one whose future is no longer guaranteed. Before the police can reach Broken Point, a mudslide takes out the road to the resort, leaving the guests trapped. When another guest dies, it’s clear something horrible is brewing.

Everyone at Broken Point has a secret. And everyone has a shadow. Including Ellery.

Thank you to the Publisher for my arc!

Hi Hello Um why did i just now pick this up?!
This was everything that I could've ever wanted from a thriller! likeable MC, as well as side characters. The Plot kept me guessing and i was actually super surprised at who the killer was!

Highly reccomend

Good summer read! This book is a fun who-dun-it with an interesting cast of characters. You never truly know what comes next or who to believe- until it all comes together at the end. Definitely recommend to anyone looking for a quick, fun, summer thriller! 3.5/5 stars for me.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The i wedding was a suspense filled story.Ellery takes a post divorced trip that’ was supposed to be ab anniversary trip only to find herself trapped in a resort where two murders take place. A dream wedding, dead groom and every guest has a secret . I’m hoping for more stories of the guests.

Thank you to net galley for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review. This is Ally Conde’s first adult fiction thriller mystery and it does not disappoint. Excellent plot that evolves into a layered murder mystery!
Ellery travels alone to a cliffside resort in Big Sur on what should have been her 20th anniversary celebration and soon finds herself entangled in a murder investigation. The resort is about to host a wedding when a body is discovered by Ellery. What follows is a search for the murderer and motive. As a side story Ellery is coming to terms with a tragic accident and aftermath from 2 years ago.
Condie does an excellent job of handling the details of the murder as well as helping Ellery come to terms with her past. Great character development, story and very satisfying ending. A must read for fans of locked room murder mysteries!