The Unwedding is like White Lotus with the volume up to ten.

Ellery goes on a vacation that was meant for her and her ex-husband to celebrate their twentieth anniversary. Within 24 hrs there's a body, a landslide, and a group of strangers trapped in a luxury hotel wondering who the killer could be.

This was a great locked room mystery/thriller with a great cast of characters. There were so many layers of story to peel back and following Ellery and her journey to figuring it all out was a fun ride. The twists and ending itself were both well wrapped up and I loved the last few surprises!

My first Ally Condie book and wow! What a suprise!

I've read a few of the Goodreads reviews stating that they did NOT like this book, and the premise has been used before. OK. So, yes, there are a few others with a similar plot...but NOTHING like this!

Ellery is the FMC. She has booked a phenomenal vacation for her 20 year anniversary. She's so looking forward to it. It's at a remote hotel in Big Sur California...
Only one problem.
Her husband hands her divorce papers before they actually make it to 20 years.

And, as she doesn't want him going there with some bimbo, she goes by herself...and is encouraged by her good friend Abby.

The place is beautiful. The setting, unbelievable. And...as she goes for a swim on DAY #1...she finds a DEAD BODY in the pool.

YES! That's how we open up!!

HOLY CRAP!!

We go on to meet everyone staying at the hotel. And of course, there's a wedding scheduled during her visit! Ellery hopes that they have better luck than she had.

I'm going to leave you here, as this is where all the fun starts.
I mean, WHAT ELSE could possibly go wrong, right???

Absolutely loved this! What a great idea. What terrific characters! And, let me know if you too were holding your breath all along the way...I sure was!

And, just when I thought I had it all figured out, I was wrong...again!!

4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 for me, rounded up to 5!

I will definitely be looking for more of her books!!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #HachetteAudio and #GrandCentralPublishing for an ARC of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review!
It is due out on shelves in a few days on JUNE 4, 2024!

#TheUnwedding by #AllyCondie and beautifully narrated by #ChristineLakin.

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Ellery and her husband were supposed to spend their 20th anniversary at a luxury resort in Big Sur, but plans have changed and now she has gone alone and he is spending the weekend with their kids and his new girlfriend. To add salt to the wound, many of the other guests are there to attend the wedding taking place on site. But then after the grooms texts that he cannot go through with the wedding (after the guests are already seated waiting for the wedding to begin) Ellery finds his body floating in the pool. Soon after the gruesome discovery, a massive storm and mudslide cuts off access to the resort and assures that no one (including the murderer) can leave the property. Now there is nothing to do but work with the other guests to solve the crime, however no one is who they seem and no one is to be trusted.

I only had the audio for this one but it engaged me immediately. The cast of characters all had interesting or mysterious backstories and the storyline kept me mostly entertained while trying to figure out the who, when and how. My two issues with this one was a slow part in the middle (which was pretty short) and I am not really sure how all of a sudden the answer came to Ellery and all was solved. However, that being said, I really did want to continue listening to this one until it was over because I enjoyed the different characters and their dynamics and I did want to know what happened; it was definitely a “keep folding laundry” sort of audiobook for me (but maybe not offer to do the dishes...). It's a fun quick one that is good on the beach or by the pool.

3.75

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ARC to review

I wanted to love this one, I reallllllly did. I read early Ally Condie ions ago, (Matched, Crosses, Reached anyone?) so when I saw her name on an adult thriller, I jumped!

This one has all the elements of a book I could love; the setting was chef's kiss, the characters are all dynamic and full of depth, the premise is on point… I think, to me, it just got a little repetitive in the middle.

Ellery's carefully planned life has shattered and she escapes to Big Sur on the trip she originally planned with her husband. I’m here for some alone time to reset, but shit gets weird when Ellery finds someone dead in the pool. It’s even weirder that he’s the groom from the wedding that was supposed to be happening there. As nature leaves all the guests at the hotel stranded there, more bodies turn up and everyone becomes a suspect.

I just got a little bored in the middle as Ellery and her new friends tried to Sherlock Holmes all the events and come up with answers. I mean, gotta give the girl credit, she did put all the pieces together before anyone else but it was a little monotonous in the middle for me.

DNF @50%.

Another popcorn thriller that follows the Agatha Christie locked room formula. None of the characters are particularly interesting, and I don't care enough to even find out who the killer is at this point.

I really enjoyed a lot of this book, but parts of it dragged terribly. Most of the explanations were flat at repetitive. I loved the setting, I even liked some of the characters and the premise, but ultimately it fell short.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

This is the type of story that’s catnip for mystery lovers: a murder on an isolated resort, during a storm that makes it impossible to leave. Even the name of the protagonist, Ellery, is a callback to one of the most well-known characters of the genre. The plot is entertaining enough, a recently divorced woman visiting a resort during a wedding finds the dead body of the groom. Ellery and her two new friends investigate and, as the storm progresses, their situation gets more precarious by the day. Christine Lakin gives a solid performance in the audiobook, even if some of the supporting characters sound alike and sometimes it was hard to understand who was talking. The resolution doesn’t feel earned, it’s like suddenly Ellery sees everything clearly, even if the clues weren’t completely explained. My main problem, however, is that the author doesn’t seem to know when to end the book. Once all is explained, there are more and more chapters covering what happened to all the characters. I’m glad to see that this book has gotten so many rave reviews, I have to give it 3 stars, but it’s just a personal preference.
I chose to listen to this audiobook and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Hachette Audio | Grand Central Publishing.

I am so excited to review this one. First off I loved every single line in this book. I just felt it all in my soul. I loved the protagonist and all the characters, good and bad. I loved her friendships and her perceptions. I felt for her.
I loved how everyone was complex, and not even in a murder mystery way. They were just fully fledged strangers. I mean the talent needed to pull this off!
The narration was amazing as well! I started this as an ebook and loved it but moving to the audiobook was an entire experience. I highly recommend this book!
And the ending cannot be topped!

This was such a fun locked room mystery! I am familiar with Ally Condie (as a middle school librarian) and was excited to read her adult debut. This murder mystery is set at a Big Sur resort during a massive storm and it's the perfect fast-paced read. Recommended for thriller readers -- this is a great summer read!

Hold onto your seat! The Unwedding, by Ally Condie had me gripping my tablet throughout the thrilling twisty turns. This story had me hooked from beginning to end!

This was a fast-paced, twisty locked room-esque thriller that sees a wedding resort in Big Sur cut off from the rest of the world due to a mud slide and when two of the wedding party turn up dead some of the guests scramble to solve the murder on their own. Suspensful, fresh and great on audio. I loved this one and look forward to reading more by Ally Condie. A perfect beach read for the summer!! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

There is something I really like about a mysterious or thrilling story set in a location that is supposed to be happy, relaxing and peaceful. So, this story, set on a resort and around a wedding that is supposed to occur there, really worked for me. I enjoyed learning all of the secrets.

Ellery is a likeable character and even though at first, I questioned how she managed to connect with every character and person involved in the incidents, it did make sense because she was alone and deeply hurt by the loss of her marriage and the fact that she should have been on this trip with her husband. So, it makes sense that she would engage with others and pay close attention to everything that was happening around her.

I listened to this audiobook in a day- definitely wanted to know what was happening once I started!

Quality of Writing 3/5
Pacing 4/5
Plot Development 4/5
Character Development 4/5
Narration 4/5
Overall Enjoyability 4/5

The story flowed well and the characters were well developed. I recommend this book and look forward to more from this author.


****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review****

<b>Read Completed 5/25/24 |</b> 2.5 stars
<b><I>Thank you to the Hachette Audio / Grand Central Publishing & Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this advanced audiobook review copy! This did not affect my review in any way.</b></I>

I haven't read Ally Condie since her Matched trilogy in 2013 and I was really interested in her adult debut, especially something in mystery/thriller category. It seems to be the case for a lot of former YA authors and I am here for it! THE UNWEDDING is definitely more mystery than it is thriller, being described as having an Agatha Christie feel. I prefer thrillers more than mysteries nowadays, but if a book is well-written, that doesn't matter and I can enjoy just about anything, but this one didn't do it for me.

THE UNWEDDING is a locked-room concept, which I usually enjoy! The main character, Ellery, is the narrator here (a nod to Ellery Queen?) and she ends up in this mix after a unexpected separation and divorce from her husband, leading her to take this non-refundable trip to Big Sur alone. When she finds the groom who turns up dead, more mystery ensues and inclement weather traps everyone together with a murder in the mix.

I think I prefer thrillers more often than mysteries because the main character is wrapped up in the mix. Ellery's character was too far removed from the action for me and didn't have any connections to any of the other characters. She had a backstory that was heavily hinted at and slowly revealed as the book went along, but it really wasn't shocking, didn't have a big reveal, and still didn't really have anything to do with anything else. It was actually more of a let down because I was hoping it would tie in somehow, but it barely made a difference and I would have rather it wasn't even included.

This was a large cast of characters from a wedding party to an influencer couple to a pair of quirky friends that immediately take Ellery in. It wasn't hard to keep track of everyone, but it also didn't really give the reader time enough to connect with any of them. Naturally, I liked Nina and Ravi the most with their outgoing personalities and having spent the most time with them as Ellery's immediate friends at the resort.

Mostly, the plot just didn't engage me enough. I was interested enough to keep reading and see what happened, but half of the reason I was sticking around was because I had already DNFed a few other books and didn't want to drop this one too. I did find myself being interested enough to keep reading, though. The reveals were lackluster and a bit anticlimactic. I really didn't like how the crew explained how they figured everything out in the end. I feel like the book should be doing that job, not the characters explaining things like we're in an old detective show.

This was a little blah and forgettable for me, but I'm glad I read it. I would have been curious about it if I didn't. I'd probably try another mystery/thriller from Ally Condie in the future, but if that didn't work for me too, I likely wouldn't pick up another.

AUDIOBOOK THOUGHTS: Christine Lakin was the narrator for this audiobook and I really love her narration. I like her voice and I think she always does a great job of bringing the characters to life. There's nothing off-putting about her narration for me and I enjoy everything that she's done, even if I don't love the books.

I have read Ally Condie's YA Matched trilogy and could not believe she wrote a thriller. I was so excited, and was definitely not disappointed! The main character, Ellery is a mom of two and a wife...or so she thought until her husband asked for a divorce and now has a girlfriend. Not wanting her ex-husband to take his new girlfriend on what was supposed to be their anniversary getaway, Ellery goes by herself. While on her vacation, there happens to be a wedding occurring, and Ellery meets all kinds of people, from the wedding and otherwise. I loved how all the different characters came into play. This thriller was the kind where all the guests are stranded in the hotel due to inclement weather and one of them is found murdered. Condie also pulls artwork into the murder mystery that has a part in what is happening. The main guests are very interesting, and it seems everyone has lies they are telling. I also loved the couple that takes Ellery under their wing, even though in this novel you have to suspect everyone. I definitely recommend!

Ellery is on her anniversary trip… alone. After the divorce, her exhusband insisted she go since the trip was already paid for. She’s at a luxury resort with art, hiking, and swimming, and there’s even a wedding scheduled for the weekend. Things take a turn when the groom leaves the bride at the altar, and Ellery finds him dead the next morning in the middle of a storm. Ellery finds herself immersed in a murder mystery, and she has to decide which of the other guests, who she’s begun to befriend, she can trust. Stacked with a captivating cast of characters and poetic writing, Ally Condie has crafted an intriguing mystery novel. The setting is described in detail, and readers will feel the confined, confused emotions as the characters are trapped at the resort with no cell service and no idea who the murderer is. The audiobook is also so well articulated that readers are truly transported into the scenes, and the characters are really brought to life. Christine Lakin’s accent choice for Ravi especially is worth the listen. Mystery readers will devour this novel.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced audiobook copy of this title from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ellery celebrating her (what would be) anniversary alone at the resort her and her husband had planned on visiting before the divorce. To keep her husband from bringing his new younger wife, Ellery decided to go on the trip alone. She could have never known the dark times that would happen that weekend. Drawing on memories that still haunts her as she drags a dead body from the pool.

I honestly chose this book because I read Ally Condie's Matched series years ago and really enjoyed it! I haven't read anything from her since, but her name caught my attention when this book came out on Netgalley. I will preface this with, I do not normally read mystery novels, in fact I have only read a handful of them and of those handful, most do not rank anywhere near my favorite novels. I thought I would still give it a try because I liked some of the authors pervious work, but it wasn't for me. Oh yeah... and it dragged on after the reveal... having to explain everything and tie every loose end and explain why everyone was important to the novel. I didn't care enough... the mystery was solved... book was done.

I am not sure the average reader could "solve" this mystery. There are not a lot of clues and even though I got it "right," it turned out not really being "right" because of this or that. Maybe I just missed almost all of the clues and made a lucky guess, but even I don't think I could have identified the twists after the reveal. Overall, the characters were okay, the story was flat, and I didn't really care enough because I didn't see anyones motive, except one person's, to kill. And I am don't like the whole

The narrator was okay but a couple times I feel like she got voices confused, especially with Ravi and Nina (at least I think those were their names, hard when you don't see it written out). I would listen to another book by her. I think sometimes it's hard to work with a story that has flaws. A lot of so and so said, then so and so said.

Overall, it wasn't for me. Thank Netgalley and Hachette Audio for this advance audio. I might not be suggesting it to my book club though.

I only knew Condie from YA, so this was a treat for me to listen to her debut for an adult audience. I enjoyed this locked-room murder mystery which takes place at a fancy resort in the midst of a mudslide that traps wedding guests with a murderer among them. This story kept me guessing, which I love, even when a couple reveals were a bit out there. The narrator was terrific! I look forward to recommending this title and to future Condie books. Thank you to Hachette Audio, Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley for the early listen in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Unwedding by Ally Condie follows Ellery Wainwright as she vacations at Broken Point Resort located in California. Ellery is spending what would have been her 20th wedding aniverary. Ellery is spending the vaction alone since it was paid for prior to her divorce from Like. To top everything off there is a wedding at the resort that same weekend. Ellery makes friends with Nina and Ravi both are guests staying at the resort and also meets the bride to be Olivia the night before the wedding. The next day Ellery 's life and the lives of the other guests changed forever when Ellery stumbles onto a dead body. They are now trapped in the resort since the storm from the following night has washed away the roads. They soon realize that they are trapped with a killer. I was hooked by the first few chapters in this book and couldn't put it down. If you like Megan Miranda, Alice Feeney, Lisa Jewell, Claire Douglas you will love this one also. Thank you to both NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for letting me listen to an advanced copy of this book.