The Unwedding

by Ally Condie

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 her love for her kids and a growing realization that this place, although beautiful, is unsettling.

Genres: Mystery, Audiobook, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Book Club, Suspense

352 pages, Paperback

First published June 4, 2024

About the author

Ally Condie is a former high school English teacher who lives with her husband, three sons and one daughter outside of Salt Lake City, Utah. She loves reading, running, eating, and listening to her husband play guitar.

Reviews

[Melissa (Semi Hiatus Until After the Holidays) · Rating 3 out of 5]

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. 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 voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

You know when a little kid tries to tell you a story and there’s really no beginning middle or end and they just ramble on and on and none of it makes any sense? That’s what this book was.

[chantalsbookstuff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picture this: Ellerly, freshly divorced, decides to turn her almost-20th-anniversary trip (originally meant for her and her ex-husband) into a solo adventure. But instead of a peaceful getaway, she finds herself in the middle of a chaotic murder mystery, trapped with no way out. Talk about a dramatic vacation!

This debut adult novel from Ally Condie had me hooked from the get-go. The opening chapters were gripping, and I thought I had found my next favorite thriller author. Ellerly’s fashionable escapade quickly spirals into a suspenseful nightmare, making the first half a real page-turner.

But, alas, the excitement didn’t last. As the plot thickened, the twists and turns started to feel a bit contrived. My mind wandered, and I found myself daydreaming more than I’d like to admit. The ending, which I hoped would redeem the slow middle, just didn’t deliver. Instead of a climactic finish, it left me underwhelmed and stuck with a 3-star rating.

Don’t get me wrong, the book isn’t all bad. There are moments of brilliance, and Ellerly’s journey is peppered with interesting characters and stylish settings. But for me, it didn’t fully hit the mark. That said, I’m not writing off Ally Condie just yet. I’m open to giving her next adult novel a shot.

So, if you’re curious about "The Unweding," give it a whirl. You might love it more than I did. It’s not a love-at-first-read for me, but it wasn’t a total miss either.

[Abbi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Trash ❤️

Reese, you’re crazy for this one!!!!

This isn’t so much a book as a series of cliches pretending to be a book. Not a single authentic human interaction in it—just lines like “And now they were all going to die. That’s what happened when someone had a gun and pointed at people.”

None of the twists made it worth reading, but if I can save even one person from reading it, then it was worth it!!!!

[Jake Taylor · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ellery (from here on will be called Celery) is a middle-aged divorcee who ends up going on the vacation to Big Sur she and her now-ex-husband planned to go on. An unexpected storm results in a mudslide that leaves the resort stranded. When a body is found, the patrons at the resort begin to realize there may be a murderer amongst them.

I read Ally Condie's YA dystopian trilogy a long time ago and enjoyed them. She is a talented writer; I will give her that. I just don't think thrillers are her jam. I was excited that she was venturing into thriller adult territory and that the book was a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick. Get it, girl.

That said...I hated it. I enjoyed it at first. The writing. The setting. The intrigue that there was drama at the wedding party at this resort. The brief glimpses of Celery's grief and depression mixed with how much she loved and missed her kids.

Can we talk about how Ellery is NOT the name for a middle-aged woman? What kind of name is Ellery?! It got so redundant especially because it is written in third person. I was so aggravated every time I read her name (which is a lot because she's the main character). Then she has the audacity to make fun of two other characters named Brook and Canyon?

Condie is Mormon (active? not sure but she's definitely associated with the church). As an exMormon, I have to admit I was curious how a Mormon would write a mainstream thriller. Celery doesn't drink. The minute she refused to drink I rolled my eyes. It's not that I want my main character to drink. I just don't know why it was even pointed out several times. I kept hoping it would come up and mean something to the plot, but no, it was probably just virtue signaling from the author that her protagonist doesn't need alcohol to solve crimes. Or that her brain is somehow better and she can be more observant because she isn't drinking alcohol. Give me a break. If you're not Mormon or have no relationship with them, they don't drink alcohol and it's seen as a virtuous thing. There was a condescending tone when Celery would talk about other characters drinking. It was painfully obvious that Condie has, yes, been around alcohol, but she herself does not drink. Again, nothing wrong with a sober protagonist as long as it plays into the plot.

That said. Two of the characters (Maddox and Morgan) escaped this unknown cult in southern Utah. Pretty obvious this was a weird dig at Fundamentalist LDS polygamist church. It had no bearing on why the characters acted the way they did. No bearing on the plot. Just a weird detail at the end.

Nina and Ravi were the saving grace of the book. I almost gave the book two stars simply because of them. They were fun. I loved their banter. You can tell, just like with alcohol, that Condie knows gay people (Ravi is a gay character) and I was pleasantly surprised that he wasn't a stereotype or a token gay. Nina was the cynical, beautiful best friend of the gay man. Condie would have done better to write it from their perspective and not from boring Celery's (third person yet reliant on her).

Celery, Nina and Ravi take it upon themselves to find out who killed Ben (the groom Celery found lying dead in the pool). There is also stolen art pieces and the staff is weirdly quiet about that. The entire time we're obsessing over the art and not really focusing on the killer on the loose. Turns out it was the fucking retired judge who was also an artist. He stole back one of his pieces because it was the only thing he had left of his dead wife. Absolute garbage.

Celery is such a weak, spineless character. She never finds her voice. She never stands up for anything. She just meddles and whines about how she's there alone. The big secret she's been hiding is that she, a teacher, was in a bus accident where students died and she was blamed for one particular death. This was supposed to be some big revelation at the end but I found I just didn't give a fuck by the time it was revealed. Why would anyone suspect her to be a murderer because a student died in an accident?

Celery is also underestimated which was kind of a cool superpower she had. She was a quiet, nice, teacher who was there alone. This could have been used to her advantage (which it was) and then she could have twisted it to become this baddie who takes charge but no. That never happens. She continues to whine and be the victim, letting things happen around her. One of the weakest protagonists I've read in a long time in a thriller.

There seemed to be nothing at stake for any of the characters. I never sensed danger for any of them. I was just told that there was danger. I was told that there was suspicious shit going on and never felt that heightened. The characters obsessed over stupid little details that probably could have amounted to something but, in the end, nothing came of them. It all amounted to the sloppiest ending.

Spoiler (this entire thing is a spoiler): the mother of the bride killed the groom because she thought he was leaving the daughter at the altar. Plot twist: they'd already gotten married at a courthouse or something and were just going through the big wedding to appease the mom. She had pushed him and he fell and died. Then the best man was killed because the groomsman who had moved the groom's body found out that he knew what happened. GARBAGE.

Some necessary context for this. Catherine is bride's mom who killed the groom. Jason is the groomsman who killed the best man. He is confronting Catherine because he thinks she killed Ben (groom). I just about threw the book at this quote (which is during the climax of the story):

...the thing that Jason was holding in his hand was a gun, and it had been pointing at Catherine, and now he had it pointed at her [Celery], and they were all going to die. That was what happened when someone had a gun and pointed it at people.

Are you fucking kidding me? No shit. He has a gun. He wants to kill someone. That is what guns do.

I am so furious that I wasted time on this book. This review is to hopefully spare you from the trouble and aggravation. I don't think I will ever try Condie again.

[Sujoya - theoverbookedbibliophile · Rating 3 out of 5]

After a painful divorce, Ellery Wainwright decides to vacation alone at the luxurious Resort at Broken Point in Big Sur, California, for what was supposed to be her twentieth-anniversary trip with her now ex-husband. Ellery is yet to come to terms with the end of her marriage and a wedding being held at the resort doesn’t make it any easier. In a shocking turn of events, Ellery discovers the body of the groom in the hotel pool after it was assumed that he had absconded leaving his fiancée at the altar. With inclement weather trapping them inside the resort, the wedding guests and other travelers are cut -off from any help from the outside and after another member of the wedding party is found dead under mysterious circumstances, Ellery and her new friends Nina and Ravi join the search for the killer - not an easy task with a hotel full of guests among whom are people with secrets they would kill to protect. Complicating matters further are rumors of missing items from the resort’s renowned art collection indicating the presence of a thief as well as a murderer. Ellery is desperate to get go home to her children, but with no way out of the resort and with a killer in their midst, she struggles to keep it together as she is drawn into a complex web of lies, secrets, murder and deception.

I’m a fan of Agatha Christie mysteries and I loved The White Lotus, so when a book is described as “The White Lotus meets Agatha Christie”, you can’t blame this reader for going in with high expectations.

Let me begin by saying that I loved the premise, the atmospheric setting and the suspenseful vibe and liked that the author wove Ellery’s personal journey into the murder mystery narrative. The novel is well-structured and I thought that beginning each chapter with a brief description of a card left for the guests daily featuring a quote, a brief weather forecast and details about one piece of artwork featured in the in-house collection was a nice touch. I could sympathize with Ellery and did like how the author addressed themes of loss, family, trust, grief and healing. I enjoyed the first half of the novel but was more than a tad disappointed as the narrative progressed. Firstly, I didn’t find any of the main characters particularly interesting (in fact I liked a few of the supporting characters more) and one particular detail (or omission, to be precise) annoyed me to no end. Moreover, plot development in the second half of the novel left a lot to be desired. As far as the “mystery” goes, the plot became convoluted and long drawn out, the twists felt contrived for the most part, and the ending was overall unsatisfying. I couldn’t wait for the book to end, eventually losing interest long before the final reveal.

Though there were aspects of the story I did like, I had hoped for a more engaging mystery and that’s where The Unwedding by Ally Condie fell short for me. However, many have enjoyed this novel more than I did and I would request you to read other reviews before making a decision about reading this one.

Many thanks to Grand Central Publishing for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published on June 4, 2024.

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[Panic!_at_the_Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Unwedding has multiple layers of mystery: from a non-wedding weekend gone awry to murders and stolen art.

As several other reviews have stated, the middle of this moves painfully slow at times. But 2/3 of the book is nicely paced, and the 1/3 of dragging text didn’t bother me too much in the end.

I really enjoyed Ellery’s character, although she does have a bit of “lightning strikes twice” luck with trauma and tragedy.

All the characters are interesting and hiding secrets.

The Unwedding is a very solid mystery, minus some pacing, and I’ll happily recommend it to fellow mystery and fiction readers.

[Cindy (leavemetomybooks) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reese…. Blink twice if you’re ok.

My review is going to be pretty spoilery bc this book sucked, and I would like to complain about it freely, but it was too dumb to waste time doing a recap, so this is going to be all over the place.

*****

Despite the potentially interesting setup — a recently divorced lady goes alone to a fancy resort in Big Sur on what was supposed to be her 20th anniversary trip, there’s a wedding at the resort, the groom turns up dead, there’s a storm and they are stranded at the resort, then there’s another death — I have read a zillion better versions of this story.

The MC (Ellery - though another reviewer called her “Celery” and it fits her perfectly, so I’m copying them) was a personality black hole. Celery is a high school teacher who doesn’t drink and survived a bus crash and was written up for it in People magazine even though she literally did nothing but not die? (spoiler: this crash has NOTHING — NOTH.ING— to do with ANYTHING else in the story other than providing some extremely tedious flashback scenes and I guess another thing for Celery to be sad about? She didn’t cause the bus crash, no one has targeted her for revenge, there’s no big secret to be revealed. I thought maybe her bff (Abby?) died in the crash and Celery was hallucinating that she was still around? Nope. She’s just a depressed, bland lady on a vacation where she meets all sorts of people: an influencer couple with an extremely boring and pointless secret from their pasts, two friends traveling together who inexplicably invite Celery to hang out with them and are maybe supposed to seem a little mysterious, but are decidedly NOT), a bunch of frat bros, and a lady and her retired judge dad (who also is a sculptor?). Then there’s some stolen art (maybe? that plot line felt very tacked on) and a LOT of unnecessary godparent talk (is that really such a major relationship? Like maybe just do some estate planning and set up a trust and guardianship for your kids instead of assuming a godparent will step in?), but despite being constantly with people, Sad Celery is so alone that she is the only one (The! Only! One!) who notices a bunch of dumb details that somehow solve the murders. I was listening on 2.5x speed for the last quarter of the book just to get it over with (only finished bc it was for book club otherwise this shit would have been ditched at like 10%), and it still went on FOR-FUCKING-EVER.

Jesus H. What a boring mess.

(Bookclub 2.0 November 2024)

[Kelly (and the Book Boar) · Rating 2 out of 5]

My reaction while reading about 90% of Reese’s Book Club selections . . .



For anyone out there thinking of jumping in and saying “well, why do you keep reading them then, KAREN????” My answer is because for all of the “Unweddings” there is a chance for a Yellowface or Paper Palace or Tom Lake or Romantic Comedy, etc. that I really love. Maybe one day I’ll figure out that the mystery/thrillers Reese chooses aren’t generally my idea of a great time, but she’s just got such a dang trustworthy face that I always believe I’m going to love what she picks.

The story here is about Ellery. Dumped by her husband right before their 20th wedding anniversary, Ellery decides to take their already bought and paid for anniversary trip mainly to make sure he can’t take it with his new girlfriend. Little does she know there will be a luxury wedding taking place at the high-end resort in Big Sur . . . or that she will discover a dead body.

It was 106 degrees outside on Sunday so I took this one to the local pool to get my sunburn on and at first things were going swimmingly (ba dum ching – I’ll be here all week, folks!). Then the wheels sort of fell off and it became an everything but the kitchen sink approach to storytelling with an additional body, a raging storm making emergency access a no-go, totally unnecessary subplot regarding stolen art, another COMPLETELY unnecessary sideplot of a trauma dump from the past and Ellery and a handful of total strangers (any of which could have been a murderer, DUH) becoming immediate besties and deciding to Scooby Doo the crap out of the case all on their own.

Thank you, next.

[Lisa Gardner · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first Ally Condie novel and wow! Not just a cleverly plotted “closed room” mystery set at a luxury resort at Big Sur now cut off from civilization by a raging storm, but a master class in character development and the raw, messy edges of grief. By the end of the first chapter, Ellery Wainwright is the kind of heroine you’d follow anywhere. And you do.

[Teres · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oy, 84 years later and authors are still trying (emphasis on trying) to emulate the world's best-selling mystery book of all time.

Sorry, Ally Condie, but you got nuthin' on her majesty Agatha Christie.

Really, only 320 pages long? Gosh, it felt so much looooooonger than that! 💤

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

“If you know wilderness in the way you know love, you would be unwilling to let it go.” – Terry Tempest Williams

Ellery is an emotional mess. She is supposed to be at this resort vacation as an anniversary celebration, not because her husband divorced her and she didn’t want to lose the deposit. How is she going to get through this self-imposed “vacation” without her kids? How is she supposed to get over her heartbreak and loss of her marriage to Luke?

How about finding a dead body in a pool, will that help?

And thus, the adventure begins for readers as they watch Ellery navigate her experience through wedding guests, making “friends,” and figuring out who and why this person was murdered. And, hoping no more bodies show up along the way.

“Don’t you read anything? Have you ever watched a murder mystery? There’s never one body.”

Okay, so there is more than one. Body. So, why? How will Ellery, the emotional mess be able to find her way through this? Especially when all the guests get stuck because of the insistent rain, and the washed-out roads leading to the resort? And, nobody else is able to get in! Including the police. (If anybody knows Big Sur, CA, this is not an uncommon occurrence. And, this is the setting for this mystery drama.)

Would Ellery make it home to her kids? And/or, maybe find some strength along the way? How will Ellery’s past trauma play into this story?

The plot moved slowly. Although the setting was beautiful and scenic, the story felt convoluted and the character development was lacking. It was hard to enjoy Ellery as the main protagonist. Her emotional grief, although it could feel real, seemed over-indulged by the author. And, the ending was not satisfying. It felt abrupt and under-whelming. I may be an outlier. Consider other reviews of this Reese’s Book Club pick.

3.5 stars rounded down.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Ally Condie is best known for her young adult novels but The Unwedding is now her first attempt at adult fiction. The Unwedding is a locked room mystery of sorts with it being set at a remote luxury resort at Broken Point in Big Sur, California with a contained cast of characters.

Ellery Wainwright was about to be celebrating her twentieth wedding anniversary with a trip planned to Big Sur when her husband, Luke, decided he’d rather get a divorce. It was Luke who then suggested that Ellery go ahead and take the time and the trip to herself to digest this huge bomb in her life.

After arriving at Broken Point though 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.

As much young adult I do read even now into my adult years Ally Condie’s popular Matched series is one that has continued to remain on my TBR so I had no experience with her work going into The Unwedding. The story did seem to be a solid effort at an adult novel with having an intriguing plot to follow. It did seem there were a lot of characters to follow along with which kind of made the pacing seem a little slow getting to know them all. When finished with this story I would rate this first adult effort at three and a half stars overall and definitely give this author another go into he future.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/

[Ode O. Siegers · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is a somewhat storyline, no character development whatsoever, extremely bad dialogs, no depth, really superficial characters like those in a school play, and what’s up with the endless self-questioning from the main character throughout the book: did he do that? Did she do that? How is that possible? Could it be? Would it be? Endlessly.

[Amina · Rating 2 out of 5]

✰ 2.25 stars ✰

“Everyone had a shadow. A secret. Something that they’d done, or could do, or that had happened to them that was so dark it followed them everywhere.”

I've noticed a recent trend lately, in which authors who usually only wrote for a specific target audience are venturing into other waters, by testing their writing with another audience in mind. Maybe it's something that's always been done, but I'm definitely seeing it a lot more - or maybe I'm just paying attention. And for me, some have succeeded in being met with positive feedback, some have been received with disappointing results. 💫

Unfortunately, Ally Condie's first foray into writing for an adult audience falls into the latter; which is a shame, because it was one I was interested in reading, considering how I did enjoy the one book I've read by her. 😞

“She was a heart longing for a family she no longer had and a brain thinking about things it shouldn’t and nerve endings reaching out in every direction.”

When her husband, Luke suddenly decides to walk away from their marriage of nearly twenty years, rather than let their deposit on their twentieth anniversary trip to the cliffside resort at Big Sur, California go to waste, high school teacher Ellery decides to head there on her own - giving her the much-needed chance to move on from him, despite how much she woefully regrets not being able to save a life that she wanted to have last forever. A life that consisted of a loving doting husband and three beautiful caring children - when for the most part, her happy presumption on her marriage had been nothing but a farce and a lie. 'Her beautiful little family, that she’d spent her entire adult life creating and working toward.' And it's not only the crushing weight of this realization that weighs heavily on her, but how she is still visibly shaken - still haunted by the aftermaths of a tragic accident - one that brought her painfully close to the cusp of life and death leaving with a rather strange fixation on mortality and the dynamic of youth and adulthood.

She wasn't quite expecting, though, a wedding to be taking place at the same time during her stay - a painful reminder of how her own life did not get the happily ever after as this joyous occasion promised. The momentous day quickly turns sour when the groom fails to show up - The Unwedding that never happened, resulting in everyone being on edge and blaming the other for his no-show. But, nothing could have quite prepared Ellery for being the unfortunate soul that stumbled upon a floating dead body in the early morning of a rainstorm - shocked to discover that it is the groom, himself. 😦 With a looming storm on the horizon and the evident threat of a murderer on the loose, intent on claiming his next victim at any given instant, it becomes a sharp course for survival as she has to steer clear not only of her own painful traumatic past and heartbreak that continues to eat away at her, but also to navigate the stormy weather of thorny guests and grieving relatives - with the knowledge that any one of them could be the murderer. 😥

I'll try to highlight as many positive aspects there were - as few as they sadly were.

“When you were not a person anymore. You were a nerve ending. You were loss. You had become nothing and yet you felt everything.”

Ellery's character growth is an admirable one, if you can look beyond certain quibbles that I still found bothersome, that is; she pushes herself to take chances that she would not have done so in the past, going out of her comfort zone to try new things and approach others. She was always an observant person - a silent shadow in her own right that made it easy for her to be so inconspicuous that one would not suspect her of anything. Merely an unwilling spectator in someone else's grief - one that she was firmly against and tried her very best to assist in whatever capacity she could. 'Otherwise the sadness monster could get you. It was always waiting for any sign of weakness.' 😟 Even without any standing connection to the wedding party, she was involved and willing to help out - resourceful in her own right. And by being otherwise occupied, it helped her slowly overcome her own shortcomings and misgivings - a welcome distraction, albeit a painful one that made her see how much of herself was still worth caring for - rather than letting herself go in despair and loneliness. How she eventually got her own personal closure of letting go of holding on so tightly to someone that she could no longer have. It hurts to accept and admit, but after her eventful stay - it definitely opened her eyes to how much she was missing out on, if she didn't learn to move on. ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹
​
The writing excelled in successfully capturing the claustrophobic feel that came with the resort being closed off from everyone. With an imminent storm warnings on the horizon, which then cut the resort and their guests off from the rest of the world, it created an unsettling claustrophobic feel to it that enriched the locked mystery sense even further of being even more isolated than ever. 👍🏻👍🏻 'The resort, the people, the things that felt out of place, she herself—the ocean and the trees were what she needed.' The atmospheric details of shadowy unease heightened the mood and made the fear and tension more prevalent as it inched closer to a more foreboding feeling. It was interesting to see how such an idyllic setting could be turned into a nightmare for those in attendance - one where they were desperate to get away from, but had no means of escape. 🚪🌊

And now, where it suffered.

“Stop trying. Stop crying. You can’t resurrect things. Everything does end.

Not us, she’d wanted to say, not this family, because even though she knew they were all mortal she hadn’t thought they’d end this way, this soon.”

Despite the message of being able to appreciate one's own self-worth and not to let misery completely consume oneself is an important one, which I do believe everyone should adhere to, it pains me to say how very tedious it was to get to that moment of epiphany for Ellery. ​That the path to learning that lesson was overwrought with writing that just made it so difficult to really sympathize with Ellery - a certain disconnect from me to her. Even that final moment of peace wasn't as gratifying as it should have been; one other reason was Ellery, ​herself​.​ 🙂‍↔️ I found myself rather at odds with her personality and behavior, at times. ​'Everyone had a person. Everyone else’s lives were going so well. It wasn’t that she wanted their lives. She wanted her own life back.' ​ She had this strange fixation on familiarity, being so dismissive of others' opinions, while still wanting to feel like she belonged - and feeling upset when she's called out on not really being a member of the wedding party. ​😕 And I ​know​ that I'm not a mother, so I don't ​can't speak about motherhood, but I couldn't understand why she was so desperate to get back to her children - this clinging feeling that they couldn't survive on their own or even vice versa - almost as if she was dependent upon them. Maybe it's not fair to be so judgmental of it, but it just felt odd to me.​ I know there was an explanation for it, but I just couldn't get behind it, sadly. 🙎🏻‍♀️

Numerous plot inconsistencies made it difficult for me to be totally on board with not only the mystery, but also connect to the characters. Like, literally - none of the characters stood out - in any way. I think it had to do with the fact that Ellery was in fact a gate-crasher of the un​-wedding - one who just happened to be at the most unfortunate moments and somehow got involved in their tragedy. It only worsens when the murders continue and makes it even more tantamount for the characters to unite. ​😥 'Where was nice in all of that mess and loss and complexity and humanness?'​ However, I just couldn't see any real trust developing amongst them - mainly, how Ellery, herself was not only keeping others at arm's length, but so very keen on reminding others and herself that she doesn't owe anything to anyone. And yet, she so very much wants to be a part of something - to make new friends, even if it is with those who are mere acquaintances at first.​ It just contradicted itself at each point that left me wondering is this trip really worth the effort? 😮‍💨

​​“She was alone, cut off physically as well as emotionally from the people she loved and the life she knew, and the uncertainty of when she’d get back to them in any way felt untenable.​​”

I also found it odd that it is hinted plenty of times that some characters have secrets or it is alluded to that they may have a deeper connection to certain plot theories, which then are never fully expanded on! Complete character traits that are never further developed, while certain reveals are suddenly thrown at you without any declaration or foresight!​ It became difficult even to distinguish each character from the other - and that rarely happens to me! I think, mainly lies in the fault of Ellery being the - well, in a way, a rather unreliable narrator. ​'You don’t even know me, she’d thought. I owe you nothing.​' 🙍🏻‍♀️ One that is still on unstable footing since her accident and her recent divorce that she seems to speculate more than she should about even the most normal of things. Primarily in regards to the ​school accident - it was strange to see that as much as it continued to be a source of discomfort for Ellery - certain aspects of it were touched upon that really had no effect in the grand scope of things. So it made me wonder why mention it, at all?​ 🤔

The formatting of the book also was very uneven. Interspersed at various points of the story, we get brief details in different pieces of artwork along with a meaningful quote that I guess is supposed to showcase whatever is going to happen next. It did not serve any purpose for me; I didn't find it helpful or impactful - rather, the fact that it didn't continue with all the intended pieces throughout - made for it being even more unnecessary to me than ever. 😒​ I'm also not a fan of endings where the reveal is literally spelled out for you - explaining literally how everything went down - without being geared up towards it - and this one had it in spades.​ Lots of context clues thrown at the readers and characters at the end that didn't add any real weigh to the final outcome. It's not that Ellery didn't spot a few noticeable tells that she picked up on as questionable, it was ​just the final confrontation, itself, that made the reveal so very dull and less impactful​ than it could have been.​ 😞
​
“Life and death are at the forefront of all we do, but I like—most of the time—giving life the center of the stage.”

I think ​i​t was attempting to cover too ​many themes - too broad a scope of trying to bring together other storylines to tie into a richer one​ that it lost focus of what it initially started off as; by doing so, it didn't allow enough closure or depth to be met to the main story, thus making it such a trial to get through.​ And it was! 😩 Not even finding out who killed the groom was a compelling enough reason for me to continue; I really pushed myself to get to the end - cautiously hopeful that the winds would turn and my efforts would be rewarded. Alas, such was not the case.​ 😔 Just really disappointed after completing it - one that was neither here nor there - a very unfulfilling result, too.​ Truthfully, it was tiresome to read - not at all what I want from a well done whodunit mystery - even if it is a cozy locked room mystery. I'm sure those who may find Ellery more relatable than I did and will empathize with her - and may actually be fond of such mysteries - will find it a much more rewarding read. But, while I do appreciate the effort, it just didn't translate well enough to strike a nerve with me.​ 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Deanna Schwarz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lol this was so bad. Literally none of the details your learned about any of the characters mattered

[Provin Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great poolside summer thriller! You’ve never had a vacation this bad! Ellery is at a beautiful resort to celebrate her 20 year wedding anniversary. The big problem- her marriage didn’t make it to 20 years. It ended in a ‘ surprise’ divorce and Ellery just couldn’t stand the thought of her Ex and his new lover going on the trip. So off she goes, single, on her anniversary trip. Once she arrives she can’t stop seeing couples everywhere. There’s even a big wedding planned at the resort durning her stay. Could this get any worse???? Yes. Yes it can because there’s a murderer staying at the resort too. And the bodies start adding up!

Thrill chills and excitement await you in this book! Happy reading ❤️📚❤️

[NILTON TEIXEIRA · Rating 2 out of 5]

“The Unwedding”, by Ally Condie

2.5 stars ⭐️⭐️✨

Goodness… why was this book picked by Resee’s Book Club?

Some authors are really lucky.

This book started well.
Good premises and good setting, but the dialogues are not good, never mind the development of the story.

Some phrases are silly (“…was holding in his hand was a gun, and it had been pointing at …, and now … it pointed at …, and they were all going to die. That’s what happened when someone had a gun pointed at people.”).

And the main character is extremely weak (as she’s been married for 20 years, I assumed she is about 39 years old, but sounded like someone younger than 22).

There isn’t much of characters’ development and they are all flat and uninteresting. There was absolutely nothing extraordinary (or even bold!) here.

The conclusion was underwhelming, if not silly.

And someone dared to compare it to Dame Christie? Sacrilege! As I’m a big fan of Agatha Chris, it only created a huge expectation for me.

They call it a perfect summer read.

Well, for sure this one was not for me.

You must be asking why I persisted, and the answer is that I was curious about the ending.

ebook (Kobo): 297 pages (default), 92k words, 61 chapters (too many for a short book, in my opinion).

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Reese’s Book Club June 2024 pick

3.5 stars. I enjoy locked room mystery’s and just had to add this to my summer list. THE UNWEDDING, Condie’s first adult novel debut, is set on a remote luxury island resort.. sounds perfect for a poolside read, right! That’s exactly what I did, reading it in one day :) It’s a short chaptered, slower moving whodunnit centering around a wedding, stolen artwork and murder. Although I did find the pacing a bit slower the first half with the set up, I found the next half with more action, the characters were well fleshed out by then with no trouble keeping them straight, and the motives did became clearer on who could of possibly done the dirty deeds once Ellery (of all people) figured it out. This had me stumped. Still (have mixed feeling on) this being a thriller, but a murder mystery with the main focus on the unspooling of Ellery’s life around it. Kudos to Condie for hitting the nail on the head with her portrayal of Ellery’s emotions following her unmerited divorce and from a trauma she witnessed while married.

This has quite the atmospheric setting; -Ellery traveling solo, there’s an epic storm raging outside, and Ellery finding the body of the groom floating in the pool.. all on her first day and a half there. You get this sense of foreboding. There’s a tense and unsettling, almost eerie vibe of knowing there’s a killer among them. THEN.. as if by this point Ellery hadn’t had enough.. a mudslide traps them in, then another guest dies and someone goes missing. Not sure where the story would end up, but rest assured the ending wrapped up with a satisfying conclusion. Interested if another adult novel will follow if so would definitely read it. — Pub. 6/4/24

[Valentina Castrillon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very flat. Something happened very early on but then got dragged out all throughout the middle and didn’t get exciting again until the last few chapters. I even considered not finishing it because it was not engaging at all.

[Nathan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just wish I could UN-read this book.

[Jinny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read for Reese's Book Club.

Lots of tags as mystery and thriller, but overall, kind of a dull affair. There weren't really any twists or turns to the story to keep me intrigued. The main character, Ellery, is stuck at a resort after a storm knocks down power and road access to it, and people from a wedding party start dying/disappearing.

For whatever reason, Ellery and her new friends that she met at the resort feel compelled to play detective and try to figure out who is the killer. They are pretty shitty detectives, and make no headway in discovering the killer or even getting close to it. Lots of interrogation style dialogue. Not sure why everyone was just offering up information to Ellery. They're like, "Oh I heard you are trying to figure out who the killer is, well ..." and then they'll tell her what they were doing during the time of the killing or something weird they noticed, etc. Why?! Ellery has no authority over any one, and there's a killer on the loose, what if Ellery was the killer?? (She isn't, duh). I don't know, it was just boring. And weird.

I also found their actions and behavior sometimes a bit strange. Like, y'all stranded at a resort with no power and one of the guests (not staff) is like, "I'm a masseuse, I'll give free massages to pass the time." What? I mean, I guess it's possible someone would do that, but I find it a bit ... silly? I just have a hard time imagining a guest paying tons of money to be at a bougie resort, then during a disaster, offers to massage people for fun. This isn't like something mentioned in passing either, it's a whole entire chapter. Maybe I'm being nit-picky, but scenes like that just stood out to me and struck me as strange, and that's just one example.

Ellery also has a whole back story with her divorce and a motor vehicle accident in her past that keeps popping up in the story, but sadly, is completely irrelevant to the mystery, so I was a little frustrated by that. Why keep bringing up flashbacks if it's not going to play a part in the story in any meaningful way?

Lastly I found the ending and the reveal of who the killer is kind of disappointing. Like I said, Ellery never seems to make any headway in discovering the killer, and just suddenly - bam! - killer reveals themselves.

Overall, I didn't find this book thrilling or memorable in any way. Story isn't particularly unique, characters have no personality, and I wasn't excited by this at all.

[Shereadbookblog · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ellery thought she would be spending her twentieth wedding anniversary at a lush resort in Big Sur with her husband until he told he he wanted a divorce. Since the trip was already paid for, he encouraged her to go by herself. At first reluctant to leave her three children, she finally agreed. To rub salt in her wounds, there is a wedding to take place at the resort. That is, until the groom calls it off and Ellery finds his dead body in the pool. As a storm rages, the resort is cut off from the rest of the world. There is no electricity, no cell service, and the road is blocked. Soon there is another death and it seems many of the guests, including Ellery, may be harboring secrets. She teams up with two other guests to try to solve the murders.

This book started out with a lot of possibilities, and the setting seemed perfect for a thriller, but the story seemed to get bogged down as went on. It just didn’t engage me and, to me, there seemed to be some disconnect in some of the plot lines. There are other readers who I’m sure will really like this story but it fell a bit flat for me. Kudos for the beautiful setting.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #grandcentralpublishing for the DRC.

[Jennifer *Nottoomanybooks* · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went into this thinking it was going to be a thriller. It started to take a turn about 13 chapters in when there was a body discovered in the resort pool. A storm had caused a landslide blocking off the only way into the hotel, so no one is able to leave. Ellory is there on what should have been her 20th wedding anniversary before she was asked for a divorce. She makes friends with Simon and Nina, friends who travel together. The three of them take it upon themselves to solve the murder (?) of the man in the pool. He was meant to be married the day he was found.

I wasn’t expecting a whodunnit/cozy mystery so it took me by surprise and may have lowered my rating a bit because I was in the mood for an action packed thriller. I found myself skimming the last 5 chapters or so to see how it ended.

This one won’t be memorable for me. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[Toya (thereadingchemist)]

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.

[hollyreadit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! It was very glass onion-y which, I’m here for! I loved the setting and the whole premise, the whodunnit was so well done! Once I started this book I could not put it down! The only thing that I didn’t like were the amount of characters, I did get confused at times trying to remember who was who - definitely could be just a me thing tho. All that to say, that @allycondiebooks adult debut did not disappoint!

[Jennifer Burch · Rating 1 out of 5]

With Bug Sur as the backdrop my expectations were high. Disappointed in this boring girl scout adventure. Not one character seemed upset with the murders around them and the author had to summarize the murder plot like a Scooby Doo cartoon. Skip this.

[JR · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ugh. This took me forever to finish. I gotta say this is the first Reece book I ever read that I really didn’t care for. I’m in the middle with this one.

Had a good usual thriller premise with a wedding party and others stuck on an island, with a killer and you’ll never believe it…a storm comes in and traps everyone (you’d think people would read a forecast by now before taking a vacation. lol)

Started off good and I felt like we were never properly introduced to some characters and had myself go back a few times and go “who was that again?” And between the wedding party, other guests, and staff there was not an abundance of characters.

I was pretty annoyed with the main character and how quick she joined forces with people she didn’t know to try and figure out the murder, just because she had dinner with them one evening. It was just not believable.

You know you have a complex plot when it takes 50 pages to explain what happened. I was pretty well over it by then.

On the fence with this. It was okay but nothing great by any means. 3 stars

[Mackenzie - PhDiva Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick that didn't work for me. I loved the cover and the premise. I thought the main character had this great backstory. But the rest of the book just fell flat to me. I didn't really care if I finished (I did finish because I thought there might be a good twist that tied to her backstory; there was not). I'm sure others out there like this so maybe check other reviews too! The mystery wasn't very good and the characters didn't have a lot of depth.

[Jaclyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Giving up on this one. Love the premise, but I just can't get past the idea that a group of guests just decide to solve a murder. It's a slow start and it's just not holding my interest.