Right away this was a very gripping read and the twists and turns were so well done that it kept its pace throughout.

This grip-lit title starts shrouded in mystery. Zoe is a woman in her early 40s, embarking on a weekend away, where she hopes to get some respite from her problems - a failing marriage and an extra-marital lover turner stalker!

The weekend away is a school pal reunion of sorts, a remote Scottish getaway to attend the nuptials of one of the group. The friends travel together and we soon learn that the school friendship is somewhat fractured due to the death of one of the group prior to the end of school.

As the group travel together, initial awkwardness turns to something a whole lot more sinister as the the group awake to a very unexpected discovery!

This is a very decent read, that, although a little slow for me at the start, proved very much worth persevering with! A very interesting bunch of characters and ultimately the slow reveal of what is really going on really works in this book.

Overall, a decent read that would have me searching for this authors other works for sure!

My thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an advance copy.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reader copy of The Reunion.

First half of the book really kept my interest but then I figured it out and the ending was anticlimactic.
A solid 3 stars, good beach read.

3.5 stars rounded up

The Reunion is your classic mystery/thriller where friends who share a mutual secret meet back up after years apart, in this case for a wedding. It is told from three perspectives and jumps occasionally from past to present. And it takes place in Scotland—for part of it, specifically the Highlands—and that’s always a huge plus for me. 😍

I enjoyed this book overall. It had enough twists to keep me entertained, and while I guessed some, a few I did not see coming. It got a little repetitive at times (we’re reminded over and over again about the lack of cell service, as an example), but this did not deter me from liking the story and the writing.

I was a little disappointed by the big reveal at the end, and thought it lacked the shock factor and the amount of importance I was hoping for.

I enjoyed this book, but ultimately found it “meh”. However, I’m definitely interested in reading more from this author in the future because I can tell there’s a lot of talent there.

This will go down as the most boring book I have ever read, truly I am struggling to find anything I liked.

The Reunion by M.A Hunter follows a group of friends who are meeting up for a friends wedding. The last night they were all together at high school graduation, one of their close friends died. Clearly there's more to the story and someone knows something they haven’t shared.

This wedding / meet up is described in the premise as a grand affair at a manor house on a remote island in Scotland. Forgive me for thinking we may get to hear about any of that. This setting sounded like the perfect holiday read, but actually, the wedding, the manor, and Scotland are barely mentioned and don’t even occur until the end!
What then, filled the pages you ask? The question ‘Who was driving?’ - I swear this took up the majority of every page. It was so relentless that by the mid way point, I had no care for who was driving! It was asked in about 300 different ways. I felt like I was being water boarded with this question.

The diary of Saul was also completely unbelievable - who includes exact dialogue in their diary? Who? If the author wanted to include dialogue, they should’ve been flash back chapters, it would’ve worked much better.

Everyone felt one dimensional and the story didn’t feel like it was progressing, just seemed to go round in circles with everyone thinking perhaps so and so did so and so and perhaps this could be why and theorising inside their head.

Exciting premise, but this was unfortunately, just bad. This should’ve been one I didn’t finish.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood books for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately this one was a miss for me. I found the story to be drawn out and predictable. I also found a lot of the plot lines very unpredictable (going on this big roadtrip with friends you haven't seen in years? still crushing on someone from highschool... but your friend also hooked up with them secretly....?).

The Reunion tells the story of four friends (Zoe, Lily, Dan and Rod) who are reuniting when one of them is getting married, Rod. They decide to do a road trip all four plus Rod´s fiance, Bella, to the wedding destination, Rod´s manor house on a remote island, however when they stop for a night around Glasgow and go out to a party the next morning they realise their night took a turn for the worse. As there are parallels between the night before and a night they had in their high school years, the group cannot stop drawing comparisons between the two and wondering if one of them has broken the pact they made so many years before.

I love a dual POV book and this book is told from the POV of Zoe and Dan plus we get several chapters from Saul´s diary. This book has a great premise and I liked the whole who is to blame for the new accident and how there were parallels between present and past, and that we got two mysteries in one book.

However, towards the end of the book I started to feel like the story was dragging and the reveal was a bit far fetched for me. Also, I do not like miss communication tropes and the whole pointing fingers every other chapter felt very much like it would not drag as much if the characters had just talked to each other sooner.

Overall, this was a good read, I give this book 3.5 stars, as there are no half stars here I have rounded it to 3 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Friends, secrets, and a destination wedding set the stage for The Reunion. Four friends (Dan, Rod, Zoe, Lily) who drifted apart after their graduation come together to attend Rod's wedding to Bella in Scotland. They all cram themselves in a car to go to the Manor home that Rod has inherited. There is not much space in the car as it is full of tension, secrets, dread, and unease. I found this part to be nicely done; especially the awkwardness of being around friends who you used to be close with but have since lost touch.

Each of the characters has a secret that is weighing on them. There is also a shared secret from their past concerning their friend, Saul, which has been weighing down on them as well. But they are hoping to make the most of the weekend but after a night of partying, things take a dark turn. Dan, Lily, Zoe, and Rod will find themselves questioning themselves, others, and the past. I enjoyed how the author showed us what many of the characters were thinking and how each was affected by their actions in the past and in the current day.

This was a twist filled read which kept me on my toes and fully invested. This was a four-star read for me for most of the read, but when it came closer and it was time for the reveal, I began to feel let down. Even when I had a strong inkling about how things would end, it lost me a little. I felt the book was engaging and captivating but then it fizzled out a bit at the end. It is still a worthwhile read and I look forward to reading more of M.A. Hunter's books in the future.

3,5 ⭐️

Zoe is invited to a wedding in Scotland at a manor house on a remote island. She drives there with her friend Lily, ex from highschool Dan and Rod with his fiance, Bella.

The group of friends did not see each other in the last years. There is a secret they all share about something that happened after graduation.
The story is told from Zoe and Dan’s POVs, with flashbacks from the past through diary entries. Everyone has something to hide, they wake up the next day after they were drogged and find out there was an accident.

The pace is slow at first, but gets faster and we get some twists.
The ending was a bit underwhelming, but overall it was a good mystery thriller.

I received an advanced digital copy of the book from Netgalley and Boldwood Books. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I received an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

M.A. Hunter’s The Reunion delivers an intriguing blend of suspense and psychological tension, offering readers a mystery rooted in old friendships and long-buried secrets. The story follows Zoe, who begins receiving cryptic threats on her phone just as she reconnects with her former school friends. The group’s reluctance to involve the police as they proceed to Rod's estate for a wedding creates an atmosphere of mounting unease. With layers of secrecy surrounding both a possible hit-and-run and a disturbing incident from their school days, the narrative builds tension as each character's motives come under scrutiny.

While the novel might benefit from a quicker pace and fewer moments spent on characters' suspicions over minor gestures, The Reunion compensates with well-timed twists and a sense of anticipation that grows with each chapter. Although I didn’t find any of the characters particularly likable, Hunter’s portrayal of their relationships and distrust adds complexity to the plot, revealing the way past events shape present-day fears and doubts.

The prologue is particularly gripping, and while some of the story's secrets were predictable, the book’s tension and final twists are rewarding. A quick read, The Reunion will appeal to readers who enjoy psychological thrillers that focus on the messy entanglements of past friendships. Overall, this is a satisfying, suspenseful read with an ending that delivers.

Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books, and M A Hunter for the copy of The Reunion.

This story is about four friends coming back together and some secrets start to come to light. The writing was very good and kept me interested and wanting to find out more. Overall a good read.

Mystery novel about a group of friends who knew each other as teenagers and are now getting together in their 40's for a wedding. Friends with secrets is a common theme in thriller books and this one follows the same path as Lily, Zoe, Dan and Rod have a secret from their past; a secret involving another friend who died before the group went off the University. Rod is getting married and along with his fiancee Bella, they meet up with Zoe, Lily and Dan and plan to drive to Rod's family estate in Scotland. The group end up in Lily's Land Rover and decide to spend the night at a rented house and then have drinks at a nearby pub. Even though none of them are heavy drinkers, they all wake up in the car with headaches and no recollection as to how they got there-and a dead body in front of the car that they may have killed.

This book could have used more action and less inner thoughts of the different narrators as there is too much time with one of characters being suspicious of the others because they bowed their head, put their hands in their pockets or some other minor act. Zoe begins getting threats sent to her cell phone and she is also dealing with a situation regarding a young mans she works with and wonders if he is somehow involved. The group decide to not cal the police and proceed to Rod's estate for the wedding but someone knows about the possible hit and run as well as the secret from their school years. I didn't find any of the characters likable or all that interesting although I did appreciate the twists that came about towards the end. Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for a copy of this ARC in exchange for a review.

I enjoyed this story. I did think it was a bit weird that the old gang was getting together for a wedding when they hadn’t seen each other for so long. It was also weird that the bride and groom seemed very casual about the wedding, seeming not to be nervous, or worried about arriving late or other guests. Other than that though, the story was good. Something happened a long time ago when they were at school together which is having an impact on all of their lives now. When they run into issues on their way to the wedding their old feelings and guilt are brought up again. No one knows who to trust and what they should do. Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Rod is getting married and three of his school friends are reuniting to attend his wedding in Scotland.
Told from multiple points of view and delivering a claustrophobic locked in feel , this is a good entertaining read that kept me turning the pages.
Every one of the characters have their own secrets and issues, but together they all share one huge secret that has eaten away at them for years. With many surprises along the way their pasts and presents unravel with unexpected results. Another enjoyable read from this talented author

I loved the premise of this book, but the execution fell flat for me. I didn't find myself caring about the characters or finding them all that interesting. Overall, I just felt the story was lackluster and had so much more potential. The writing style wasn't my favorite, but it might be for some readers.

Such a compelling, gripping, nail biting read! I was hooked from the beginning and read this all in one day! The twist, the turns, the secrets....

3.5 stars on this one. This sounded fun, but really wish the ending wasn't so “underwhelming”. The plot is easy to follow, Four friends are about to have a little reunion, after not seeing each other in years. Rod is getting married and he invited his best friends from school to join him. There is a lot of backstory, secrets, relationships (that add to the tension of this reunion). They all share a HUGE secret, that they vowed not to tell anyone. The pace was a bit slow for me, I appreciated the short chapters & multiple POV. I but as the story progressed, it started to drag on with unnecessary explanations that left me feeling lost. All in all, it had an intriguing mix of humorous mystery and suspense, I found myself giggling several times.

I love a good read and this one certainly fits the bill. Gripped me in to the story straight away

Thanks for the opportunity to review

Thank you, NetGalley! Really enjoyed the premise and set up, the ending didn't quite pack the punch I was hoping for. Maybe I had too high expectations? Really loved the setting of Scotland, being invited to a party by a rando, and then waking up not remembering anything. This lead me to believe the ending was going to be jaw dropping, it was not. That all said, I would and intend to try Hunter's other books.

Not your typical trip, four friends from school are reunited for a wedding, they decide to travel together from Yorkshire to the Isle of Jura. Bella, the bride to be joins them, so five in the land rover.
Haunted by the death of their school friend over twenty years ago, the atmosphere is strained, with three of them hiding the secret they knew about the night he died.
The journey is broken halfway in an out of the way cottage that lead to a death. Who was driving and why can’t they remember what happened?
This book is so full of unexpected twists and turns that I was gripped from the start and couldn’t put it down.
Fantastic.