This started off really strong and unfortunately fizzled toward the end. At times it was just non eventful and almost boring. The ending was underwhelming. Like I said, it started off strong with what could have been a very intriguing plot. Thank you Net Galley and Grand Central Publishing for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Three Stars.

While a good story and it kept me entertained; it was a slow read. Everything was solved at the end but it was just kind of meh.

A resort in Big Sur. Ellery has to vacation alone on what would have been her 20th anniversary. I enjoyed reading and recommend it highly. Enjoyable characters A great who done it that I attempted guesses at who had done the dirty deed.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. When newly-divorced Ellery decides to go on her anniversary trip anyway, she didn’t expect to solve crime instead of relaxing in Big Sur. The novel, Ally Condie’s first for adults, offers a twist on the classical locked door mystery as Ellery negotiates being stranded after a natural disaster at the resort with forging new friendships and a growing dead body count! This is a thriller with heart, and is a good choice for a jaded suspense reader or someone who enjoys domestic fiction and needs a little shake-up.

“Something old, something new.
Something borrowed, something blue.
Someone lost, someone wed.
Someone broken, someone dead.”

THE UNWEDDING is a mix of White Lotus and Only Murder in the Building vibes and it’s the perfect whodunit to have in your beach bag this summer!

The story takes place at an extravagant resort in Big Sur, a beautiful yet deceptive setting of jutting cliffs, crashing waves and natural disasters literally setting the tone for danger at every turn. While it’s certainly a whodunit mystery (trust NO ONE), this is also a story about a woman who finds herself after her marriage abruptly ends. Ellery comes to the resort seeking peace and healing, and she gets both, just unexpectedly through solving a murder instead. There’s a wedding that spirals out of control, an art thief situation and murder. When a storm cuts off the resort from the rest of the world, everyone becomes an amateur detective and everyone is a suspect…

I loved this book so much! In true whodunit fashion, each character has a shadow and could be a suspect. I enjoyed the sense of comradery that forms among resort guests when they’re cut off from the rest of the world. Ellery gets anything but a relaxing getaway but it was honestly the perfect way to forget about your scumbug ex-husband when your phone is cut off and you’re solving a murder with your newfound friends. You’ll definitely lose sleep over the twists and cliffhanger-ending chapters, where you’ll be dying to find out what happens next.

Thanks to @grandcentralpub for the advanced digital copy and shoutout to @novelsuspects for an epic book pick for their readalong last week. It was my first readalong and I loved every second of it and can’t wait for the next one.

#unweddingreadalong #readwithreese

****3.5 ROUNDED to 4****
I absolutely loved Ally Condie's Matched series and have also read a few of her other books (Atlantia and The Only Girl in Town) which I thought were good, so I was looking forward to this read. I appreciated that this book was based on a life experience the author had with her marriage (no murders though!). I loved reading descriptions of the beautiful resort Broken Point, the gorgeous coastline at Big Sur, and getting to know the characters who would become suspects as Ellery took the vacation that had meant to be her 20th wedding anniversary. Nina and Ravi were entertaining and great partners with Ellery as they tried to work together to figure out what was happening at the resort after the storm and then atmosphere took a spooky turn. I would have loved for there to be more character reveals though, as much is hinted about everyone having "shadows" they don't reveal about themselves and we never really get to know what those are for these characters and exactly who they are. Much detail is laid out about trauma in Ellery's past, but it really doesn't connect in any way, like I anticipated it might, at the resort. Also her divorce and ex-husband take up a large portion of her internal dialogue, but they don't have a part in the plot. I really thought this book was on track for being a solid 5 star book for me, but unfortunately at the end, when all was revealed, it mostly was just Ellery talking about what she guessed/figured out, without much hinted at throughout the book or much opportunity for the reader to play along. It got very convoluted and twisty, but not in an appealing manner. Some of the characters were also confusing to me and things were brought up that seemed important, but also went nowhere. . Her son was in high school but her memories she replayed portrayed him as much more immature than that, so it wasn't clear if he had special needs that made her worry for him more. Also, unclear who Andy was actually interested in? Why was Grace always so concerned about her father when he seemed perfectly competent ? I think the book started brilliantly, so looking forward to this author's next book to see where it goes.

The Unwedding by Ally Condie has a cool premise, a recent divorcee goes to a luxurious resort on a trip meant for her 20th wedding anniversary, but when she arrives she finds a wedding is taking place. Ellery is ready to leave as this seems like salt in her wounds. Then she finds the groom floating lifelessly in the pool.

This story had many positives for me. The setting was atmospheric. I liked Ellery, the main character, and the author did a good job of fleshing out her character. There were quite a few other characters, but with the exception of the groomsmen, I found them easy to differentiate between. The story had many twists and turns, and the ending was a surprise to me.

What kept me from loving the book was that I found conflicting story ideas being expressed. On the one hand, there was a mystery, but the tone was not too serious or menacing, more a bit of a modernized, glamourized cozy. But the author also delved into some deeper parts of Ellery's life, and although I enjoyed both the writing and the added information, it seemed like it belonged in a different book. I thought the author was at her best when she was describing Ellery's marriage and its demise, her relationship with her children, and a tragic event from the past that impacted her life and that she experiences in flashback sequences. I know these scenes were used to flesh out the character of Ellery, but they didn't quite jive with the mood of the mystery portion of the book for me. However, the writing was good, and the story was interesting, so this is perhaps just a personal preference.

I enjoyed The Unwedding and found it a solid read. I look forward to seeing what the writer's next book is like.j

This was a 3.75 star read for me, and close to a 4 so I'm rounding up!

Thank you to NetGalley, Ally Condie, and Grand Central Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ellery is supposed to be going to the Broken Point Resort with her husband to celebrate 20 years, but after he announces his desire to get divorced, she goes a lone. She connects with Nina and Ravi, creating a quick friendship to help pass the time. When she finds the body of expected groom Ben on the day of his wedding, she is thrust into a murder mystery. Add to that a storm that renders the resort unreachable and without outside contact, and Ellery really needs to find the murderer before she herself ends up in danger.

The best thing about this book was the setting. I loved the overpriced resort and the storm that left it unreachable. I never get tired of this setting, and this book had the added feature of areas for hiking and climbing. I also enjoyed the plot, following along with Ellery as she collected clues and tried to figure it out.

I wasn’t completely sold on the ending, and I didn’t feel like the reader had enough information to buy into it. I also got a little tired of the amateur detective trope that you get with Ellery, Ravi, and Nina. It felt a little too forced.

Overall, I still enjoyed this book. The cover and setting really sold it for me, and I’d be interested in reading more by this author.

I'm sure that many people will like this book, but I am sorry to say that I lost interest as the book went on. It was boring to me. Didn't care much for the characters. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

Ellery was supposed to be celebrating her 20th wedding anniversary at a fancy Big Sur resort with her husband - instead she’s traveling solo, unwilling to take the hit on a nonrefundable package. And of course, the weekend she’s nursing her broken heart, a wedding is taking place. But then, suddenly, news comes that the wedding has been called off. And then Ellery makes a discovery that turns her relaxing getaway into a nightmare. Not to mention, the weather takes a turn, leaving the guests stranded at the remote resort with dwindling supplies and power, and growing problems….

This book was a great adventure into the mountains of California. The story was well written, with little clues scattered throughout, but enough surprises hidden throughout to keep you guessing that it kept things exciting. And the characters were so well written. I really felt like I was there with the guests as they worked their way through the mystery.

Ellery was the main character here, but the supporting cast really shown bright in this book: Ravi, Nina, Olivia, and Rachel were all great characters that I enjoyed getting to know and really wanted to see more and more of. Even minor characters like Grace and Gary, Morg and Madd, etc. were well done and really made this a great read.

The ending was also very good, very satisfying. I enjoyed the story’s conclusion, though I wish we got some clarity on some aspects.

But overall, this was a spectacular book. Definitely a great summer read!

The Unwedding is a book that definitely captures your attention from the very beginning by examining the exploration of modern relationships and personal growth with mystery thrown in twists and turns. With its engaging storyline and diverse group of characters, the novel captivates readers from the start. While navigating through themes of love, self-discovery, and societal expectations, Ellery, the main character felt somewhat relatable, especially as a divorce and her journey of acceptance. While I admit there were times during the storyline I felt bored, the ending made up for the time. Overall, the book was enjoyable and I would still recommend it if you enjoy mystery mixed with self discovery.

ChatGPT
"The Unwedding" by Ally Condie takes readers on a thrilling ride at a wedding resort in Big Sur, where a mudslide traps guests and leads to a series of mysterious deaths. Ellery, reeling from her recent divorce, finds herself entangled in the chaos when she stumbles upon the body of the groom, turning her solo retreat into a suspenseful nightmare. The novel starts strong with gripping chapters that promise a compelling thriller experience, setting up a suspenseful atmosphere amidst a backdrop of luxurious settings and intriguing characters.

However, as the story progresses, some readers, including myself, found the plot twists and turns to be a bit contrived. What begins as a promising murder mystery loses steam in the middle, where the pacing slows and the narrative complexities fail to deliver the anticipated thrills. The ending, meant to tie everything together, felt underwhelming and left me wanting more resolution and satisfaction from the storyline.

Despite these drawbacks, there are bright spots in Condie's writing, especially in her ability to weave personal themes of loss, family dynamics, and healing into the murder mystery. The novel's structure, with daily cards featuring quotes and weather forecasts, adds a unique touch that enhances the setting's atmosphere. Characters like Ellery and her newfound friends Nina and Ravi bring depth to the story, although some supporting characters outshine the main cast with their intriguing personalities.

In conclusion, while "The Unwedding" offers a promising premise and atmospheric setting reminiscent of Agatha Christie mysteries, it may not fully satisfy readers looking for a tightly woven, suspenseful narrative throughout. Despite its flaws, it's worth considering for its initial intrigue and thematic exploration, though opinions vary widely among readers.

Ally Condie knocked her debut adult thriller out of the park. This would 100% be the perfect book club read.. This book had the perfect blend of healing, love, pain, mystery and thriller all wrapped up into one. Ellery is going through a tough divorce and takes a vacation on her own where she meets Nina and Ravi. (Side note I freaking loved these two). When she gets to the resort there is a wedding happening, The day of the wedding the groom cancels and that evening is found dead in the pool.

Picture Agatha Christie having a real life game of clue in a fancy resort with 3 amateur sleuths, a hot guy, a gun and some dead people - oh and a lot of money.

All of the characters will having you scratching your head wondering what is really going on.

A divorcee goes on a solo trip to the California coast to recover from the end of her marriage. The remote hotel that she's chosen is hosting a wedding the same weekend. When someone turns up dead and a storm isolates all of the guests, everyone becomes a suspect

I LOVE a wedding thriller, so I dropped everything to listen to this book when Hachette Audio gave me the ALC. When you look at Goodreads, THE UNWEDDING is listed first as a mystery and then as a thriller--it's solidly more mystery than thriller, but I still enjoyed it. The "trapped at an isolated resort after a big storm" setting is one of my favorites! I enjoyed following these amateur detectives as they worked to unravel the mystery before the police could get there. I can't say the reveal blew me away, but it was still a fun mystery with a great setting.

The narrator Christine Lakin really made this one for me! Her performance gave this read an air of suspense that I think would have been missing in the physical read.

As Condie's first adult book it did feel a bit YA, but I suppose that's to be expected as she shifts audiences in her writing. The mystery, the plot and the story was fun and entertaining but I did feel like it has been written before. I also don't love the end and the reveal on what happened, I needed more bread crumbs to be involved as a reader. I'll definitely read her next adult book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the gifted e-copy of this book.

Huge thank you to Grand Central Publishing for the free book!

3.5 stars

The beginning of this book really started out with a bang and caught my attention!

The main character, Ellery, is on her way to a fancy pants resort all alone. She should have been going with her husband to celebrate their 20th anniversary, but let's just say, things don't always go as planned. When she arrives and realizes there is a wedding happening on the resort, she still sets out to make the most of it, that is until she finds the groom dead!

Overall, I thought this was a pretty entertaining read but it did slow down for me quite a bit in the middle, especially after such a promising start. While I did like how there were some flashbacks interspersed throughout the story to add an extra layer of dimension, that storyline didn't always quite make sense to me and I felt a little lost at the ending.

I think this will be a big hit this summer especially considering it's a Reese Bookclub Pick!

Ellery goes to an exclusive resort on what would have been her 20th anniversary, but she is now divorced. There is a wedding taking place at the resort which adds to Ellery's dismay. Also there's a dead body and missing guests.

This one was a little lackluster to me. I had a hard time getting past Ellery's constant whining about her divorce and what should have been. The mystery aspect was good and I was interested in what would happen as the story went on. I liked the setting. It was beautifully described.

Thanks to netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for the arc.

Great setup but kind of fizzled at the end.

From the beginning, I was all in. Remote resort setting, cut off from the world, unexplained deaths, mysterious happenings--how intriguing! And yet, it was just so convoluted and slow for all of those great elements!

Ellery is going through a very painful divorce, and rather than lose her money, she decides to go alone to the amazing resort in Big Sur, California, that she and her husband had booked for their 20th anniversary. The resort is high end and glamorous, the site for a wedding to occur that weekend as well. However, a giant storm arrives, and Ellery finds the groom's dead body in the swimming pool, still dressed in his wedding clothes. Then a landslide cuts off access to the outside world and they lose all phone communication as well. Ellery and some of the other guests take it upon themselves to investigate the death to discover who might have wanted the groom dead and why.

I was really interested in this book because the tag line says it is Agatha Christie meets White Lotus--basically this book was a "locked room" mystery a la And Then There Were None, set at a White Lotus style resort with correspondingly rich characters. Yet, it didn't really deliver in the end. I found the entire armchair detecting storyline to just be really silly, and the reasons for all of the mysterious goings-on were kind of eye rolling to me.

After the exciting setup, it was like the author couldn't figure out where to go from there, and there were people who went missing, bizarrely convoluted side stories like missing pieces of art--in fact, there was SO much emphasis on the individual pieces of art and who created them and the stories behind them that I just glazed over, because it was so irrelevant. In the end the tale had too many characters and side storylines and it just fizzled. It could have been tighter with more editing and more focus.

I did like Ellery and the information about her life and her struggles was well written. But the rest was just too much and too many extraneous tangents to keep my interest. For a book that was only 320 pages it felt so very much longer than that. I had to force myself to go back to it.

I received a free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The blurb describes this as White Lotus meets Agatha Christie, and for once it’s pretty spot on. You’ve got a beautiful, exclusive, remote location, lots of rich people, and (eventually) a dead body. It’s also White Lotus-ish in that the characters are interesting, but the mystery itself is kind of meh (and it all plays out at the end in that annoying way where the character who figured everything out just…monologues for a few pages to explain what happened. I hate that!).

Our main character is Ellery, a high school teacher who is going through a tough divorce. She and her husband had already paid for this fancy trip to Big Sur, and since she couldn’t get a refund, she decided to go alone. But of course there’s a big fancy wedding happening at the resort the same weekend, which is exactly what Ellery wants to see and hear about. I can relate - doing things by yourself that you’d planned to do with your (now) ex is TOUGH. I probably would have spent the entire weekend in the room, but to her credit Ellery does try to enjoy herself. She ends up befriending Ravi and Nina, a pair of friends who vacation together a lot (sidebar: these people all read as MUCH younger than I think they are meant to be. Maybe that’s because I know Condie as a YA writer, so it’s personal bias? But every character read like a 20-something, and they’re not all in that age bracket!). They all basically become instant BFFs, and it’s sort of like a summer camp friendship (which may also be why I felt like they read as younger than the 40s-50s I think they actually were!). Ravi and Ellery crash the wedding rehearsal cocktails, where Ellery spends 12 seconds talking to the bride, but the next evening, the bride’s mother comes into the dining room and announces that the wedding isn’t happening, so all of the regular guests can just go ahead and enjoy the catered dinner. Of course, Ravi and Nina are immediately intrigued by what went down at the ceremony (Ellery also makes friends with one of the groomsmen, Ben’s friend Andy, while on a hike earlier in the day on Saturday). But it isn’t until the next day when a body is discovered - Ben, the groom, floating in the pool, with a definite head injury. And if that’s not bad enough, there’s a terrible storm and a mudslide, which means everyone is trapped at the resort. I remember visiting this same area in 2018, and parts of that road were STILL closed after the 2017 storm, which they reference here (there were certain places that you could come at from the north but not the south, based on where the bridge was washed out).

Ellery is also hiding Deep Personal Trauma (in addition to divorce trauma). A few years earlier, she and her friend Abby and their track team were on the way home from a meet when they were in an awful bus crash. We hear about all of it in flashback, and while I completely get Ellery not wanting to dwell on it too much, it’s also all dealt with as though it’s much shadier than it actually is. I also thought it was going to have some bearing on the stuff that happens at the resort, but it doesn’t. Like, at all. She obviously feels some responsibility for what happened - she’s a teacher, she should have been able to keep her kids safe (even though that’s completely irrational, as a former teacher I totally get it). And it seems like it probably led to the dissolution of her marriage because her husband was a real dick about how long it took her to “get over” the experience. But like…the way it’s referenced and talked about makes it seem as though she and Abby *did* something to cause the accident, or that maybe the person who hit the bus was going to end up being somehow connected to Ben and Olivia and the wedding folk. It’s a personal backstory that definitely creates sympathy for Ellery, but ultimately it feels superfluous.

The mystery itself is, again, sort of meh. It might play out better on screen, where you could *see* some of this happen, rather than listening to Ellery monologue about it all at the end. I get that, as the only singleton in the group, she’s able to observe things in a way the rest of them can’t, but that still doesn’t make it interesting to just listen to someone explain it. Maybe if we’d had more of a rotating perspective? But then it wouldn’t have made as much sense for Ellery to have been the one to figure it all out.

This makes it seem like I didn’t enjoy the book, but I mostly did! It’s bonkers, but enjoyably so. I do wish the pacing had been a little different - all of these major reveals happen within the last 15 pages and it’s very jarring. Again, it’s one of those stories that would probably play out better on screen.