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The Reunion
Ten years ago, six teenagers hiked into the Blue Mountains wilderness - and only five came out alive.
The survivors have barely seen each other since the tragic bushwalk. Yet when an invitation arrives to attend a 10-year memorial of their friend's death, Hugh, Charlotte, Alex, Laura and Jack find themselves travelling back into the rugged landscape where it all began.
The weekend at an isolated homestead in the bush - no phone signal, no distractions - should be a chance to reflect and reconnect.
But each of the friends has been carrying secrets from the fateful hike. And someone will stop at nothing to get the truth.
The survivors have barely seen each other since the tragic bushwalk. Yet when an invitation arrives to attend a 10-year memorial of their friend's death, Hugh, Charlotte, Alex, Laura and Jack find themselves travelling back into the rugged landscape where it all began.
The weekend at an isolated homestead in the bush - no phone signal, no distractions - should be a chance to reflect and reconnect.
But each of the friends has been carrying secrets from the fateful hike. And someone will stop at nothing to get the truth.
360 pages, Paperback
Published February 11, 2025
57 people are currently reading
459 people want to read
About the author
Bronwyn Rivers
1 book15 followersBronwyn Rivers grew up in Newcastle, Australia with the mystery-novel gateway drugs of The Famous Five and Trixie Belden, before developing a solid addiction to Agatha Christie, Dorothy L Sayers and PD James. She moved to the UK to take a doctorate at the University of Oxford on nineteenth-century women’s novels, and was an academic researcher and book reviewer in England and Australia.
Bronwyn now lives in Sydney with her husband and two children.
Bronwyn now lives in Sydney with her husband and two children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
February 20, 2025
I do love a good debut, especially when it is by an Aussie author. A new voice in crime fiction to have on the radar is always a good thing. I thoroughly enjoyed The Reunion and devoured it over 2 days.
10 years ago, 6 high school friends went on a camping trip to celebrate the end of school. Only 5 came home. Now, they have returned to where it happened for a reunion with their lost friend’s mother. She knows that they are keeping information about what really happened and wants to know the truth.
This was so wild! A story of friendship, grief, secrets, and lies. That day changed them all forever, and we see how each of them have been affected. Told in chapters of the past and present, we learn what happened to get to that fateful day.
Thanks so much to Hachette Australia and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. Look out for it on February 13th, 2025.
10 years ago, 6 high school friends went on a camping trip to celebrate the end of school. Only 5 came home. Now, they have returned to where it happened for a reunion with their lost friend’s mother. She knows that they are keeping information about what really happened and wants to know the truth.
This was so wild! A story of friendship, grief, secrets, and lies. That day changed them all forever, and we see how each of them have been affected. Told in chapters of the past and present, we learn what happened to get to that fateful day.
Thanks so much to Hachette Australia and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. Look out for it on February 13th, 2025.
March 10, 2025
This is a fabulous debut by new author Bronwyn Rivers set in the rugged Blue Mountains it tells the story of six school friends who venture on a three day hike in the national park to celebrate the end of their school days, Ed, Jack, Hugh, Alex Laura and Charlotte, on this weekend six start out only five return, Ed does not return alive, now ten years on they are invited back to Ed’s home the place the hike started by his mother Mary for a memorial weekend but there is a reason Mary has invited them, she wants answers to what really happened that day all those years ago when she lost her only son and she will stop at nothing till she gets them.
When the friends arrive they notice the disrepair that the old homestead is in and how much Mary has changed she has now lost her husband as well and lives on this huge isolated property alone, at dinner that night Mary asks the question that they had not expected, her anger is strong and she wants the truth about that weekend when they tell her nothing things turn for the worst, the next morning they realise they have no means of communication the phone lines cut, the modem gone, their petrol tanks drained and no water, will they survive?
This weekend sees these five friends open up about their past lives and what really happened that dreadful weekend the fear is growing about what Mary will do with them the suspense is growing and the danger is growing is there any way they will get out of here?
This is a very well written story, atmospheric, suspenseful, the setting is just perfect for this story and the characters were easy to get to know and the ending was so very good I did not see that twist happening, this is one that I would highly recommend and look forward to more books from MS. Rivers.
My thanks to Hachette AU & NZ and Netgalley for my digital copy to read and review.
When the friends arrive they notice the disrepair that the old homestead is in and how much Mary has changed she has now lost her husband as well and lives on this huge isolated property alone, at dinner that night Mary asks the question that they had not expected, her anger is strong and she wants the truth about that weekend when they tell her nothing things turn for the worst, the next morning they realise they have no means of communication the phone lines cut, the modem gone, their petrol tanks drained and no water, will they survive?
This weekend sees these five friends open up about their past lives and what really happened that dreadful weekend the fear is growing about what Mary will do with them the suspense is growing and the danger is growing is there any way they will get out of here?
This is a very well written story, atmospheric, suspenseful, the setting is just perfect for this story and the characters were easy to get to know and the ending was so very good I did not see that twist happening, this is one that I would highly recommend and look forward to more books from MS. Rivers.
My thanks to Hachette AU & NZ and Netgalley for my digital copy to read and review.
May 15, 2025
What a cleverly crafted Aussie debut this was. I’ve seen other reviewers say this was a slow read but I loved the sinister pacing increase until my head was spinning with the rapid plot twists and developments. If you love Aussie thrillers, I highly recommend this book.
March 12, 2025
This was so. Freaking. Slow. It felt like trudging through molasses. Neither of the friends were particularly memorable or interesting (was there an actual difference between Alex and Hugh except for the fact that Hugh had red hair? Also, congrats to those who could tell the two females apart -- even with one of them oh so pregnant I couldn't. How do we know she's pregnant? She keeps rubbing her "swollen belly" like she's some sensory deprived animal in a zoo, it's a wonder her dress isn't see-through by the middle of the novel), nor were their respective problems/backstories.
I felt the whole premise was pretty dumb... I mean, who does something like that? Your friend died under weird circumstances during a group hike, so his mom invites all of you to her godforsaken ramshackle mansion in the middle of Nowhere, Australia, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of his death... and you actually go? FFS, why?!? Add to this the fact that these guys aren't even friends anymore, they don't even seem to like each other (well, can't blame them, they're boring), and you basically have a first-rate prescription for Idiot Plot.
You should also, if you haven't spent formative years under a popcultural rock and never encountered a horror movie, have a pretty good grasp on what's going to happen next. Think Grieving Mom will be happy to have this lot in her house? Think she'll just serve them some muffins and chat and then see them off from her dilapidated porch while these snoozedogs sail off into the sunset?
Then again, all the stupidity would be excused, welcomed even, if this novel were entertaining, like, if these were characters we could actually care about (or at least curse at) instead of what are supposed to be 20-somethings behaving like they're in their fifties, moping around café parking lots and staring gloomily into some beautiful vista or other while thinking deep dreary thoughts when not giving each other side-eye.
Also, the pacing is totally off. Especially for a thriller. The first chapters could be used in a fiction writing workshop as an example of how not to do it. There's so much detail (superfluous), so much inner turmoil (who cares), so much hand-wringing (grow up already), but no action whatsoever. It's like the author has invited you on a road trip but she's so busy stuffing her car with crap, she forgets to start the engine. I don't care about Jack's thoughts or Charlotte's stupid belly or how bloody depressed everybody is (dude, JUST STAY HOME IF YOU'RE NOT FEELING IT, OKAY?!), I want to friggin' get going.
Instead, we get to see them meet up at some café, and sit down, and talk, and everybody falls silent, and then somebody talks some more, and looks are exchanged, and people have somemaudlin totally deep thoughts, and then they get up and walk around a bit because the fucking view is so beautiful, cue lots of landscape description while this bunch of whiney douches stand around gawping at trees and stuff, NOPE. Just NOPE, life's too short for this, especially when there are so many books out there that don't waste my time with pointless emoting by characters so bland they give unseasoned rice a run for its money.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. I was really looking forward to this, but oof, what a disappointment.
I felt the whole premise was pretty dumb... I mean, who does something like that? Your friend died under weird circumstances during a group hike, so his mom invites all of you to her godforsaken ramshackle mansion in the middle of Nowhere, Australia, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of his death... and you actually go? FFS, why?!? Add to this the fact that these guys aren't even friends anymore, they don't even seem to like each other (well, can't blame them, they're boring), and you basically have a first-rate prescription for Idiot Plot.
You should also, if you haven't spent formative years under a popcultural rock and never encountered a horror movie, have a pretty good grasp on what's going to happen next. Think Grieving Mom will be happy to have this lot in her house? Think she'll just serve them some muffins and chat and then see them off from her dilapidated porch while these snoozedogs sail off into the sunset?
Then again, all the stupidity would be excused, welcomed even, if this novel were entertaining, like, if these were characters we could actually care about (or at least curse at) instead of what are supposed to be 20-somethings behaving like they're in their fifties, moping around café parking lots and staring gloomily into some beautiful vista or other while thinking deep dreary thoughts when not giving each other side-eye.
Also, the pacing is totally off. Especially for a thriller. The first chapters could be used in a fiction writing workshop as an example of how not to do it. There's so much detail (superfluous), so much inner turmoil (who cares), so much hand-wringing (grow up already), but no action whatsoever. It's like the author has invited you on a road trip but she's so busy stuffing her car with crap, she forgets to start the engine. I don't care about Jack's thoughts or Charlotte's stupid belly or how bloody depressed everybody is (dude, JUST STAY HOME IF YOU'RE NOT FEELING IT, OKAY?!), I want to friggin' get going.
Instead, we get to see them meet up at some café, and sit down, and talk, and everybody falls silent, and then somebody talks some more, and looks are exchanged, and people have some
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. I was really looking forward to this, but oof, what a disappointment.
January 20, 2025
Thank you Hachette for a copy on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
A destination thriller whipped up with a locked room mystery.
Six school friends do a hike through the mountain ranges but only five return.
Ten years later a reunion is planned where it all began.
A weekend in an isolated cabin cut off from the world.
The friends all have secrets.
And nothing will stop someone seeking the truth….
A very impressive debut that gives the reader all the fillings for a compelling thriller.
Bronwyn’s plot flair has you wanting to read way into the night.
There’s many disillusioned protagonists, an eerie plot, a complex conundrum, a deserted backdrop all with many moments to unravel.
For a first time writer this is an electrifying read.
What can go wrong in the creepy, secluded bush…… mmmm pick up this book on February 13th and find out.
A destination thriller whipped up with a locked room mystery.
Six school friends do a hike through the mountain ranges but only five return.
Ten years later a reunion is planned where it all began.
A weekend in an isolated cabin cut off from the world.
The friends all have secrets.
And nothing will stop someone seeking the truth….
A very impressive debut that gives the reader all the fillings for a compelling thriller.
Bronwyn’s plot flair has you wanting to read way into the night.
There’s many disillusioned protagonists, an eerie plot, a complex conundrum, a deserted backdrop all with many moments to unravel.
For a first time writer this is an electrifying read.
What can go wrong in the creepy, secluded bush…… mmmm pick up this book on February 13th and find out.
August 21, 2025
Review to follow.
January 18, 2025
The Reunion - Bronwyn Rivers
Another great debut by an Aussie author!
I ploughed through this in 2 days, finishing today after a sweltering bush walk on a hot Melbourne day, so I could really empathise with the 6 teenagers!
A dual timeline, twisty thriller that questions the lasting effects of secrets and poor decisions, both on the holder of these and those involved.
The suspense is well built, and just when I thought I had it all sussed out, another secret would come to light to throw me off again.
The 6 teenagers, all with different personalities and relationships with each other, also made it an interesting read.
Thanks to Netgalley for my copy to review.
4.2 ⭐️'s
Another great debut by an Aussie author!
I ploughed through this in 2 days, finishing today after a sweltering bush walk on a hot Melbourne day, so I could really empathise with the 6 teenagers!
A dual timeline, twisty thriller that questions the lasting effects of secrets and poor decisions, both on the holder of these and those involved.
The suspense is well built, and just when I thought I had it all sussed out, another secret would come to light to throw me off again.
The 6 teenagers, all with different personalities and relationships with each other, also made it an interesting read.
Thanks to Netgalley for my copy to review.
4.2 ⭐️'s
January 26, 2025
This was a fun take on a dual timeline Aussie whodunit, with a well-drawn cast of old boarding school friends who lost one of their crew, Ed, on a hiking trip 10 years previously. It’s clear from the outset that the gang are keeping a tight lid on what actually happened to Ed many years ago, and it’s taken a toll on them all – but was Ed just a blameless passive participant?
The oppressive and vast expanse of bushland and the remoteness of the farm where the action’s set, helps to create an ominous and page-turning reading experience. Unlike a lot of character driven small-town dramas, this story has the added element of the seemingly unhinged mother cutting off communication and supplies to the homestead to help pull the truth from our secretive schoolies. I’d read more from Rivers, and recommend this book to readers looking for a remote & atmospheric Aussie mystery that’s not centred around a detective.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Australia & New Zealand for the advance reader copy in return for an honest review. Review to be posted to FishbirdCentral.com closer to publication date.
The oppressive and vast expanse of bushland and the remoteness of the farm where the action’s set, helps to create an ominous and page-turning reading experience. Unlike a lot of character driven small-town dramas, this story has the added element of the seemingly unhinged mother cutting off communication and supplies to the homestead to help pull the truth from our secretive schoolies. I’d read more from Rivers, and recommend this book to readers looking for a remote & atmospheric Aussie mystery that’s not centred around a detective.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Australia & New Zealand for the advance reader copy in return for an honest review. Review to be posted to FishbirdCentral.com closer to publication date.
January 29, 2025
I'm a sucker for a WhoDunIt and Reunions of old friends who are all hiding Secrets! :D
The first half had me so Drawn in and Creeped out i stayed up late reading, not able to put it down!
Great mix of characters and atmospheric descriptions. From there it began to get a bit repetitive and the pace slowed down drastically but then picked back up later on.
I kept thinking i knew what was going on but then more information would be revealed. That's all i can say without giving spoilers... 4 Stars!
Thank you to Hatchette Australia & New Zealand through NetGalley for this ARC! xox
The first half had me so Drawn in and Creeped out i stayed up late reading, not able to put it down!
Great mix of characters and atmospheric descriptions. From there it began to get a bit repetitive and the pace slowed down drastically but then picked back up later on.
I kept thinking i knew what was going on but then more information would be revealed. That's all i can say without giving spoilers... 4 Stars!
Thank you to Hatchette Australia & New Zealand through NetGalley for this ARC! xox
January 9, 2025
A group of six teenagers go for a camping trip and hike into the Australian bush to mark the end of their boarding school days, before they all split up and head into university and working life. One of the group is a local and thought to be experienced enough to lead the walk. However during the first couple of days things go catastrophically wrong, and one of the group fails to return.
Ten years later the five friends agree with varying degrees of enthusiasm to a reunion with each other and the missing youth’s mother, staying in a farmhouse in the same remote area. I found myself an immediately wondering about the wisdom of this decision!
What unfolds is gripping; there are confessions, truths revealed and dramatic events…
I enjoyed this thriller, I found the writing easy to slip into from the beginning, characterisation was good and the story sustained my interest. A solid debut from a new author.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read in advance copy.
Ten years later the five friends agree with varying degrees of enthusiasm to a reunion with each other and the missing youth’s mother, staying in a farmhouse in the same remote area. I found myself an immediately wondering about the wisdom of this decision!
What unfolds is gripping; there are confessions, truths revealed and dramatic events…
I enjoyed this thriller, I found the writing easy to slip into from the beginning, characterisation was good and the story sustained my interest. A solid debut from a new author.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read in advance copy.
February 15, 2025
⭐ 5 Stars ⭐
Bush Noir at its finest! Bronwyn Rivers’ debut is an exceptional psychological thriller that had me hooked from start to finish. The story revolves around five old friends – Hugh, Charlotte, Alex, Laura, and Jack – who reluctantly reunite at an isolated bushland homestead for a 10-year memorial of their friend Ed, who died under mysterious circumstances on a group hike.
The characterisation is brilliant; each character is flawed and complex, carrying the weight of the past and secrets they’ve hidden for years. The Australian bushland setting is hauntingly vivid, adding layers of tension and unease as the story unfolds.
Rivers expertly weaves a narrative filled with twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. Just when I thought I had the story figured out, she threw in another surprise that left me reeling.
If you love psychological thrillers with flawed characters, dark secrets, and a uniquely Australian edge, The Reunion is a must-read. Bronwyn Rivers has firmly established herself as a talented voice in the genre.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Australia & New Zealand for providing an eARC of The Reunion by Bronwyn Rivers in exchange for my honest review.
📖 Publication Date: 13 February 2025
📚 For more reviews, visit instagram.com/liisalovesreading
#TheReunion #BronwynRivers #Netgalley
Bush Noir at its finest! Bronwyn Rivers’ debut is an exceptional psychological thriller that had me hooked from start to finish. The story revolves around five old friends – Hugh, Charlotte, Alex, Laura, and Jack – who reluctantly reunite at an isolated bushland homestead for a 10-year memorial of their friend Ed, who died under mysterious circumstances on a group hike.
The characterisation is brilliant; each character is flawed and complex, carrying the weight of the past and secrets they’ve hidden for years. The Australian bushland setting is hauntingly vivid, adding layers of tension and unease as the story unfolds.
Rivers expertly weaves a narrative filled with twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. Just when I thought I had the story figured out, she threw in another surprise that left me reeling.
If you love psychological thrillers with flawed characters, dark secrets, and a uniquely Australian edge, The Reunion is a must-read. Bronwyn Rivers has firmly established herself as a talented voice in the genre.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Australia & New Zealand for providing an eARC of The Reunion by Bronwyn Rivers in exchange for my honest review.
📖 Publication Date: 13 February 2025
📚 For more reviews, visit instagram.com/liisalovesreading
#TheReunion #BronwynRivers #Netgalley
February 16, 2025
Ten years ago, 6 teenagers went hiking & camping in the Australian bush - but only 5 returned alive. Now Hugh, Charlotte, Alex, Laura, & Jack return to the farm of Ed's parents, the starting point of that fateful trip a decade ago, to attend a memorial for Ed. When they get there, Ed's mother Mary, is obviously still struggling with his death & the more recent death of her husband. None of them want to be there & just want to get through the weekend.
When Mary disappears the friends realise that they are short of water & food, they can't leave due to their cars being sabotaged, & they can't call for help as the farm is isolated & their phones don't work there. Someone wants to know the truth of what happened that day 10 years ago & they might just kill to get it.
I thought this was a gripping read. I love the 'isolated location' trope & this is a good one as not only is the land inhospitable but also the weather. The friend group is made up of characters all with something to hide about that day but did one of them commit murder? The reader slowly learns what happened through flashback chapters. It's a medium-paced entertaining read & I flew through it.
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Little Brown Book Group UK/Constable, for the opportunity to read an ARC.
When Mary disappears the friends realise that they are short of water & food, they can't leave due to their cars being sabotaged, & they can't call for help as the farm is isolated & their phones don't work there. Someone wants to know the truth of what happened that day 10 years ago & they might just kill to get it.
I thought this was a gripping read. I love the 'isolated location' trope & this is a good one as not only is the land inhospitable but also the weather. The friend group is made up of characters all with something to hide about that day but did one of them commit murder? The reader slowly learns what happened through flashback chapters. It's a medium-paced entertaining read & I flew through it.
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Little Brown Book Group UK/Constable, for the opportunity to read an ARC.
May 15, 2025
I love an Aussie crime thriller especially set in the bush. The twist and turns are well written and the ending was unexpected.
January 3, 2025
Ten years ago, six teenagers hiked into the Blue Mountains wilderness - and only five came out alive. 10-years later the five survivors attend a memorial of their friend's death back where it all began.
This upcoming release by Bronwyn Rivers was a great way to kick off my 2025 reads. Once I started this book I devoured it in 2 sittings - which is fast for me!
Full of secrets, lies and cover ups this thriller is set on a remote property in the Australian bush and let me tell you - I will never go anywhere without water again. I was stressed for these characters just reading it.
Written with dual timelines with multiple POV’s we get to jump between past and present to watch this story unravel and see the secrets behind revealed all the way to the very end.
After taking a handful of chapters to get my head around who was who - I really enjoyed being able to peek into each characters backstory to see why everyone did what they did (or didn’t) do - it was interesting to have this perspective to then decide if I would have done the same in their situation.
It was one of those books that had me sitting there after it going down rabbit holes thinking about the pressure that might come with being an only child, or attending an expensive private school when you don’t come from wealth. Something I didn’t expect from a thriller.
A great debut and something you’ll enjoy if you’re a fan of The Dry.
This upcoming release by Bronwyn Rivers was a great way to kick off my 2025 reads. Once I started this book I devoured it in 2 sittings - which is fast for me!
Full of secrets, lies and cover ups this thriller is set on a remote property in the Australian bush and let me tell you - I will never go anywhere without water again. I was stressed for these characters just reading it.
Written with dual timelines with multiple POV’s we get to jump between past and present to watch this story unravel and see the secrets behind revealed all the way to the very end.
After taking a handful of chapters to get my head around who was who - I really enjoyed being able to peek into each characters backstory to see why everyone did what they did (or didn’t) do - it was interesting to have this perspective to then decide if I would have done the same in their situation.
It was one of those books that had me sitting there after it going down rabbit holes thinking about the pressure that might come with being an only child, or attending an expensive private school when you don’t come from wealth. Something I didn’t expect from a thriller.
A great debut and something you’ll enjoy if you’re a fan of The Dry.
May 26, 2025
A talented 10th grader might write something of this quality. There are some good story ideas but the character development and dialogue is clumsy and repetitive. The whole story reads very amateurishly.
March 24, 2025
Gripped throughout this evocative story. What a wild ride!
February 17, 2025
The Reunion is an atmospheric, tense debut thriller from Australian author Bronwyn Rivers.
To celebrate their high school graduation, six friends organised a hike through the bush bordering The Lost Valley. But only five returned.
It’s been ten years since that fateful trip and at the invitation of their late friend’s mother, the survivors have gathered for a memorial weekend getaway at her isolated farm. Their reunion is awkward, made more so when Mary asks the group to tell her the real truth of what really happened the day her only son, Ed, died. Hugh, Charlotte, Alex, Jack, and Laura insist that there is nothing more to tell, but Mary doesn’t believe them, and she’s not letting them leave until they confess.
Shifting smoothly between the past and present, and unfolding from multiple points of view, I enjoyed this cleverly crafted story of suspense. Trapped by some very cunning and disturbing machinations, the former school friends are forced to reckon with each of their roles in the tragedy, and how it has shaped their lives. Emotions run high as secrets are revealed, and the danger escalates.
I thought the characters were well drawn. Mary is both sympathetic and frightening. The personalities of the group members are distinct and their complicated dynamics, both as teenagers and adults, are portrayed authentically.
Tension is present in both timelines as truths unravel. The pace is a little uneven but there are a few compelling twists and turns.
Offering an absorbing mystery with a touch of Australian gothic about it, The Reunion is an engaging read.
To celebrate their high school graduation, six friends organised a hike through the bush bordering The Lost Valley. But only five returned.
It’s been ten years since that fateful trip and at the invitation of their late friend’s mother, the survivors have gathered for a memorial weekend getaway at her isolated farm. Their reunion is awkward, made more so when Mary asks the group to tell her the real truth of what really happened the day her only son, Ed, died. Hugh, Charlotte, Alex, Jack, and Laura insist that there is nothing more to tell, but Mary doesn’t believe them, and she’s not letting them leave until they confess.
Shifting smoothly between the past and present, and unfolding from multiple points of view, I enjoyed this cleverly crafted story of suspense. Trapped by some very cunning and disturbing machinations, the former school friends are forced to reckon with each of their roles in the tragedy, and how it has shaped their lives. Emotions run high as secrets are revealed, and the danger escalates.
I thought the characters were well drawn. Mary is both sympathetic and frightening. The personalities of the group members are distinct and their complicated dynamics, both as teenagers and adults, are portrayed authentically.
Tension is present in both timelines as truths unravel. The pace is a little uneven but there are a few compelling twists and turns.
Offering an absorbing mystery with a touch of Australian gothic about it, The Reunion is an engaging read.
March 15, 2025
Six teens head out on a 3 day hike in the Australian bush to celebrate finishing high school but only five make it back alive. 10 years on the deceased boy's mother; Mary invites the friends back to her homestead where it all started for a special memorial weekend for her son.
As the weekend commences the group soon realise that Mary has an ulterior motive for inviting them. She's always believed the friends lied about what really happened to her son on that fateful trip and she'll stop at nothing to get to the truth. The group must face their past secrets as they fight for their lives.
I think this story had a lot of potential. The storyline of putting people in a pressure-cooker situation to force the truth to come out was really interesting. However I found the language, flow and descriptions failed to evoke those feelings of suspense and shock that the story really needed to make it great. Instead unfortunately it felt a bit bland.
I'd definitely still read a future book by the author to see how her writing develops, as I said earlier I think there's a lot of potential there.
As the weekend commences the group soon realise that Mary has an ulterior motive for inviting them. She's always believed the friends lied about what really happened to her son on that fateful trip and she'll stop at nothing to get to the truth. The group must face their past secrets as they fight for their lives.
I think this story had a lot of potential. The storyline of putting people in a pressure-cooker situation to force the truth to come out was really interesting. However I found the language, flow and descriptions failed to evoke those feelings of suspense and shock that the story really needed to make it great. Instead unfortunately it felt a bit bland.
I'd definitely still read a future book by the author to see how her writing develops, as I said earlier I think there's a lot of potential there.
October 20, 2025
First time reading this author. This was a definite page turner. Absolutely loved it. It had a fabulous story line and great characters and an ending I would never have guessed.
December 23, 2025
A good yarn but slow to get going
September 12, 2025
l loved the ending. Good twist. But I feel the actual story dragged on a bit too much.
April 27, 2025
A fabulous debut novel from Australian author
Bronwyn Rivers. Ten years after the tragic death of their friend Ed on a hike, five friends head back to his mother's house for a memorial weekend. But Ed's mother has other things in mind, and the truth of that tragic weekend slowly emerges, along with other secrets they have all kept hidden. Told from multiple POVs and multiple timelines, this was a story I couldn't put down.
Bronwyn Rivers. Ten years after the tragic death of their friend Ed on a hike, five friends head back to his mother's house for a memorial weekend. But Ed's mother has other things in mind, and the truth of that tragic weekend slowly emerges, along with other secrets they have all kept hidden. Told from multiple POVs and multiple timelines, this was a story I couldn't put down.
April 15, 2025
I received a copy of The Reunion from Hachette Australia to review.
Rating of 4.5.
New author Bronwyn Rivers bursts onto the Australian crime fiction scene in a big way with her impressive debut, The Reunion, a compelling and highly addictive read set in Australia’s iconic Blue Mountains that brings up dark secrets from the past.
Plot Synopsis:
Ten years ago, six teenagers hiked into the Blue Mountains wilderness - and only five came out alive.
The survivors have barely seen each other since the tragic bushwalk. Yet when an invitation arrives to attend a 10-year memorial of their friend's death, Hugh, Charlotte, Alex, Laura and Jack find themselves travelling back into the rugged landscape where it all began.
The weekend at an isolated homestead in the bush - no phone signal, no distractions - should be a chance to reflect and reconnect.
But each of the friends has been carrying secrets from the fateful hike. And someone will stop at nothing to get the truth.
The Reunion was an impressive first novel from Rivers, who brings together a powerful, character-focused mystery that drags her protagonists through trying times in both the present and the past. Intense, captivating and filled with great twists, The Reunion was an excellent Australian debut that I had an amazing time reading.
To see the full review, click on the link below:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2025/04/15/...
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Rating of 4.5.
New author Bronwyn Rivers bursts onto the Australian crime fiction scene in a big way with her impressive debut, The Reunion, a compelling and highly addictive read set in Australia’s iconic Blue Mountains that brings up dark secrets from the past.
Plot Synopsis:
Ten years ago, six teenagers hiked into the Blue Mountains wilderness - and only five came out alive.
The survivors have barely seen each other since the tragic bushwalk. Yet when an invitation arrives to attend a 10-year memorial of their friend's death, Hugh, Charlotte, Alex, Laura and Jack find themselves travelling back into the rugged landscape where it all began.
The weekend at an isolated homestead in the bush - no phone signal, no distractions - should be a chance to reflect and reconnect.
But each of the friends has been carrying secrets from the fateful hike. And someone will stop at nothing to get the truth.
The Reunion was an impressive first novel from Rivers, who brings together a powerful, character-focused mystery that drags her protagonists through trying times in both the present and the past. Intense, captivating and filled with great twists, The Reunion was an excellent Australian debut that I had an amazing time reading.
To see the full review, click on the link below:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2025/04/15/...
For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/
April 6, 2025
So I removed the thriller tag from this book, as it was anything but thrilling.
The writing was poor/juvenile, the pacing was very slow, and literally nothing exciting happens.
Five friends (Hugh, Charlotte, Alex, Laura and Jack) stupidly agree to visit their friend Ed's mother on the 10-year anniversary of his death. WHY? Besides Hugh and Charlotte who were together, they literally had no contact/connection with each other in the years since, so it seemed extremely random they would agree to do this.
I will hide the rest under spoilers...
So yeah... disappointed I didn't like this much, unfortunately I won't be picking up any more of this author's books! I'm clearly in the minority though!
The writing was poor/juvenile, the pacing was very slow, and literally nothing exciting happens.
Five friends (Hugh, Charlotte, Alex, Laura and Jack) stupidly agree to visit their friend Ed's mother on the 10-year anniversary of his death. WHY? Besides Hugh and Charlotte who were together, they literally had no contact/connection with each other in the years since, so it seemed extremely random they would agree to do this.
I will hide the rest under spoilers...
So yeah... disappointed I didn't like this much, unfortunately I won't be picking up any more of this author's books! I'm clearly in the minority though!
March 9, 2025
A slow build quickly turned into a gripping read that I couldn’t put down. I feel like I know all seven characters from whose perspective this book is written and now that I’ve got to the end I want to go back and read it all again.
July 21, 2025
this was a solid read but not really a thriller. a bit more of a slow burn
March 1, 2025
EXCERPT: Martha picked up her napkin and twisted it, as though wringing out water. She put it in her napkin ring, then began to twist the ring.
'I know you were young. You were all affected.'
Hugh felt the room go still.
'But now. The years have passed. You're older. You've had all this time to think.' Her eyes darted this way and that.
All eyes in the room were glued on hers.
The room was absolutely silent. Hugh took a breath. The air seemed thicker, harder to breathe.
'Perhaps you've remembered something. You know, you can just tell me, if you have.'
For a moment, Hugh felt himself back in a clearing in the bush, with Alex, Jack, Charlotte and Laura. Standing in a ring, near a giant turpentine tree.
The same kind of silence, back then, had slowly reached into their throats and stopped up their voices. The same creeping horror as now, curling at their skin.
Now, in the dining room, Martha's words were slow, emphatic. 'On the walk with Ed. What really happened?'
ABOUT 'THE REUNION': When old friends Hugh, Charlotte, Alex, Laura and Jack reunite to attend their friend Ed's 10-year memorial, they are less than enthused. Not least because it will be hosted by Ed's mother, Mary, at her isolated farm in the bush. They've barely seen each other since they were teenagers, but perhaps reconnecting is what they all need - an opportunity to move on from Ed's death.
But Mary has other plans for them. Convinced that something sinister happened on that fateful hike ten years ago, she is looking to dredge up the past and get some answers.
It soon becomes clear to the five friends that Mary will do almost anything to uncover the truth . . . and as temperatures and tensions rise, they realise the danger they're in. With their survival at stake, the group must decide whether they're willing to confront the past and the secrets they swore to keep.
MY THOUGHTS: Told over two timelines, now ten years after then, The Reunion is a story of friendship, secrets, grief and guilt.
The setting is remote and atmospheric - only one way in and out and cell phones rely on the internet. There is a rambling old home falling into disrepair in which lives the grief-stricken mother of the deceased lad, an only child, determined to know the truth about how he died. She knows they have lied, but does she know who told the biggest lie of all?
Martha is quite inventive in her manipulation of her son's friends. She is very resourceful. She may also be a tad mad - as in both meanings of the word.
Bronwyn Rivers has done an excellent job of demonstrating the changes in the friends over the years, showing how the stress of keeping secrets and the guilt of hiding the true circumstances surrounding Ed's death has eaten away at them, fracturing relationships. She has also believably depicted the unravelling of Martha's life, her anger, her determination, her plotting to find the truth. She puts her characters in some very tight spots, both emotionally and physically.
This is an outstanding debut novel in the Australian Rural Noir genre, and I cannot wait to read whatever Ms Rivers has in store for us next.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
#TheReunion #NetGalley
MEET THE AUTHOR: Bronwyn Rivers grew up in Newcastle, Australia with the mystery-novel gateway drugs of The Famous Five and Trixie Belden, before developing a solid addiction to Agatha Christie, Dorothy L Sayers and PD James. She moved to the UK to take a doctorate at the University of Oxford on nineteenth-century women’s novels, and was an academic researcher and book reviewer in England and Australia.
Bronwyn now lives in Sydney with her husband and two children.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Hachette, Australia & New Zealand for providing an e-ARC of The Reunion by Bronwyn Rivers for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
'I know you were young. You were all affected.'
Hugh felt the room go still.
'But now. The years have passed. You're older. You've had all this time to think.' Her eyes darted this way and that.
All eyes in the room were glued on hers.
The room was absolutely silent. Hugh took a breath. The air seemed thicker, harder to breathe.
'Perhaps you've remembered something. You know, you can just tell me, if you have.'
For a moment, Hugh felt himself back in a clearing in the bush, with Alex, Jack, Charlotte and Laura. Standing in a ring, near a giant turpentine tree.
The same kind of silence, back then, had slowly reached into their throats and stopped up their voices. The same creeping horror as now, curling at their skin.
Now, in the dining room, Martha's words were slow, emphatic. 'On the walk with Ed. What really happened?'
ABOUT 'THE REUNION': When old friends Hugh, Charlotte, Alex, Laura and Jack reunite to attend their friend Ed's 10-year memorial, they are less than enthused. Not least because it will be hosted by Ed's mother, Mary, at her isolated farm in the bush. They've barely seen each other since they were teenagers, but perhaps reconnecting is what they all need - an opportunity to move on from Ed's death.
But Mary has other plans for them. Convinced that something sinister happened on that fateful hike ten years ago, she is looking to dredge up the past and get some answers.
It soon becomes clear to the five friends that Mary will do almost anything to uncover the truth . . . and as temperatures and tensions rise, they realise the danger they're in. With their survival at stake, the group must decide whether they're willing to confront the past and the secrets they swore to keep.
MY THOUGHTS: Told over two timelines, now ten years after then, The Reunion is a story of friendship, secrets, grief and guilt.
The setting is remote and atmospheric - only one way in and out and cell phones rely on the internet. There is a rambling old home falling into disrepair in which lives the grief-stricken mother of the deceased lad, an only child, determined to know the truth about how he died. She knows they have lied, but does she know who told the biggest lie of all?
Martha is quite inventive in her manipulation of her son's friends. She is very resourceful. She may also be a tad mad - as in both meanings of the word.
Bronwyn Rivers has done an excellent job of demonstrating the changes in the friends over the years, showing how the stress of keeping secrets and the guilt of hiding the true circumstances surrounding Ed's death has eaten away at them, fracturing relationships. She has also believably depicted the unravelling of Martha's life, her anger, her determination, her plotting to find the truth. She puts her characters in some very tight spots, both emotionally and physically.
This is an outstanding debut novel in the Australian Rural Noir genre, and I cannot wait to read whatever Ms Rivers has in store for us next.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
#TheReunion #NetGalley
MEET THE AUTHOR: Bronwyn Rivers grew up in Newcastle, Australia with the mystery-novel gateway drugs of The Famous Five and Trixie Belden, before developing a solid addiction to Agatha Christie, Dorothy L Sayers and PD James. She moved to the UK to take a doctorate at the University of Oxford on nineteenth-century women’s novels, and was an academic researcher and book reviewer in England and Australia.
Bronwyn now lives in Sydney with her husband and two children.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Hachette, Australia & New Zealand for providing an e-ARC of The Reunion by Bronwyn Rivers for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
January 27, 2025
Bronwyn Rivers’ debut crime novel The Reunion draws heavily on the traditions of Australian gothic to great effect. Set in a remote Australian valley it would be tempting to label this as ‘rural crime’ but while the setting is definitely rural, this is more of a twisted revenge thriller with almost a horror-inspired edge to it rather than the exploration of a rural community or rural issues.
When the book opens, five old school friends are driving along a lonely road to the property of their old friend Ed Fletcher who died ten years before while the six were on a hiking trip. Ed went missing on the walk while looking for water and died while the other five managed to find their way back to safety. Now, ten years later the five have been invited back to the property by Ed’s mother Martha to mark the anniversary of his death. But it quickly becomes clear that Martha believes that they are in some way to blame and the five find themselves trapped on the property far from civilisation with no water, having to relive that time and forced to confront their darkest secrets.
Rivers establishes a creepy vibe early on with the old woman living in a once-grand crumbling homestead and a group of reluctant guests. She very quickly turns up the pressure and does not let up. And as the plot progresses The Reunion also has elements of survival horror. And in flashing back to the events of the bushwalk and of a party a few weeks before that, drip feeds reveals that deepen the present day story. The revelations when they come do much to contextualise the situation but do not make it any easier.
Australian gothic is a literary tradition that treats the Australian bush as dark, unknowable and dangerous. It is epitomised by themes of isolation, entrapment and fear. While early examples of this genre were focussed on the colonial experience, contemporary Australian gothic has tapped into more general fears. The Reunion draws on this tradition as it plays itself out across two main time lines. Ten years before the six friends embark on a bushwalk but quickly find themselves out of their depth and as a result turning on each other. And in the present day, the five survivors are hemmed in by the same bushland, and forced by their circumstances to re-evaluate that time and their relationships.
The Reunion is an assured debut. The five main characters start as “types” but are quickly given depth and agency. Once they are introduced, Rivers quickly establishes the gothic tone that both drives the tension but also heightens the mystery. And she effectively deploys her cliffhangers and reveals, to keep readers on edge and unbalanced right up to the last pages.
When the book opens, five old school friends are driving along a lonely road to the property of their old friend Ed Fletcher who died ten years before while the six were on a hiking trip. Ed went missing on the walk while looking for water and died while the other five managed to find their way back to safety. Now, ten years later the five have been invited back to the property by Ed’s mother Martha to mark the anniversary of his death. But it quickly becomes clear that Martha believes that they are in some way to blame and the five find themselves trapped on the property far from civilisation with no water, having to relive that time and forced to confront their darkest secrets.
Rivers establishes a creepy vibe early on with the old woman living in a once-grand crumbling homestead and a group of reluctant guests. She very quickly turns up the pressure and does not let up. And as the plot progresses The Reunion also has elements of survival horror. And in flashing back to the events of the bushwalk and of a party a few weeks before that, drip feeds reveals that deepen the present day story. The revelations when they come do much to contextualise the situation but do not make it any easier.
Australian gothic is a literary tradition that treats the Australian bush as dark, unknowable and dangerous. It is epitomised by themes of isolation, entrapment and fear. While early examples of this genre were focussed on the colonial experience, contemporary Australian gothic has tapped into more general fears. The Reunion draws on this tradition as it plays itself out across two main time lines. Ten years before the six friends embark on a bushwalk but quickly find themselves out of their depth and as a result turning on each other. And in the present day, the five survivors are hemmed in by the same bushland, and forced by their circumstances to re-evaluate that time and their relationships.
The Reunion is an assured debut. The five main characters start as “types” but are quickly given depth and agency. Once they are introduced, Rivers quickly establishes the gothic tone that both drives the tension but also heightens the mystery. And she effectively deploys her cliffhangers and reveals, to keep readers on edge and unbalanced right up to the last pages.
April 21, 2025
(2.5 stars)
The Reunion bored me. The pacing is too slow, the writing is pedestrian, the premise is too moralising (and lacks nuance): lies ruin your life, the truth will set you free. It's set in a valley near Nanganook, in New South Wales. Having just been to the Capertee area, it's a beautiful place, with high cliffs that glint red in the afternoon light. The Gardens of Stone National Park, which sounds like where it is based, does contain huge boulders. So I liked the setting. The six annoying adults it centres upon, not so much.
The premise is a ten year reunion at the parent's place of a peer who died on a hike they all undertook as teenagers. The group decided to lie about what happened on the hike, including at the inquest: "This dull recitation of the facts could bear no relationship to their experience." And all have paid the price of carrying that dishonesty into their adult lives: "there was an opacity in him that she recognised from herself." None of them are very nice. Hugh for instance is a cowardly jerk, particularly to his partner Charlotte, who is so annoying and makes so much of being pregnant, you will kind of wish she dies: "she thought of Hugh as a real man; she wasn’t interested in all that feminism stuff. She liked the idea of a powerful protector, and he certainly had never directed any of his aggression at her."
I found it hard to remember the different between Alex and Jack (character development is thin and rudimentary). I found it even harder to care. I also don't believe that after you've curated a personality for a decade, if you confess your sins, magically you'll become brave and rush a gun-toting woman, so it also failed on the believe-ability stakes. I wish I'd saved my $15.99 to buy a different book.
The Reunion bored me. The pacing is too slow, the writing is pedestrian, the premise is too moralising (and lacks nuance): lies ruin your life, the truth will set you free. It's set in a valley near Nanganook, in New South Wales. Having just been to the Capertee area, it's a beautiful place, with high cliffs that glint red in the afternoon light. The Gardens of Stone National Park, which sounds like where it is based, does contain huge boulders. So I liked the setting. The six annoying adults it centres upon, not so much.
The premise is a ten year reunion at the parent's place of a peer who died on a hike they all undertook as teenagers. The group decided to lie about what happened on the hike, including at the inquest: "This dull recitation of the facts could bear no relationship to their experience." And all have paid the price of carrying that dishonesty into their adult lives: "there was an opacity in him that she recognised from herself." None of them are very nice. Hugh for instance is a cowardly jerk, particularly to his partner Charlotte, who is so annoying and makes so much of being pregnant, you will kind of wish she dies: "she thought of Hugh as a real man; she wasn’t interested in all that feminism stuff. She liked the idea of a powerful protector, and he certainly had never directed any of his aggression at her."
I found it hard to remember the different between Alex and Jack (character development is thin and rudimentary). I found it even harder to care. I also don't believe that after you've curated a personality for a decade, if you confess your sins, magically you'll become brave and rush a gun-toting woman, so it also failed on the believe-ability stakes. I wish I'd saved my $15.99 to buy a different book.
February 22, 2025
This is an excellent debut for Australian writer Bronwyn Rivers. Set in the beautiful but rugged Blue Mountains of New South Wales, it is both atmospheric and suspenseful.
Ten years before six school friends, Ed, Hugh, Alex, Jack, Laura and Charlotte planned to celebrate the end of high school by spending time together at the rural property belonging to Ed’s parents. Ed had planned an overnight hike out into the rugged national park where he knew the countryside well and where they could refill their water bottles. However, although six of them set out only five returned.
Now, the five remaining friends have been invited by back to the property by Ed’s mother Mary for Ed’s ten year memorial. However, Mary has an ulterior motive in bringing them all back together and they are about to find themselves in a desperate situation.
Told over two time-lines, the story of what actually happened that fateful day on the hike is slowly revealed. All five friend are forced to reveal long held secrets as the situation they find themselves in deteriorates. The pace of the writing is a little uneven, but the suspense is well done, building inexorably, as themes of friendship, trust and guilt are played out and twists are revealed. The characters are all well drawn, as are the effects of Ed’s death on them all, including Mary who has become quite unhinged by his death. An impressive addition to the burgeoning genre of Aussie Noir.
With thanks to Machete Au & NZ via Netgalley for a copy to read
Ten years before six school friends, Ed, Hugh, Alex, Jack, Laura and Charlotte planned to celebrate the end of high school by spending time together at the rural property belonging to Ed’s parents. Ed had planned an overnight hike out into the rugged national park where he knew the countryside well and where they could refill their water bottles. However, although six of them set out only five returned.
Now, the five remaining friends have been invited by back to the property by Ed’s mother Mary for Ed’s ten year memorial. However, Mary has an ulterior motive in bringing them all back together and they are about to find themselves in a desperate situation.
Told over two time-lines, the story of what actually happened that fateful day on the hike is slowly revealed. All five friend are forced to reveal long held secrets as the situation they find themselves in deteriorates. The pace of the writing is a little uneven, but the suspense is well done, building inexorably, as themes of friendship, trust and guilt are played out and twists are revealed. The characters are all well drawn, as are the effects of Ed’s death on them all, including Mary who has become quite unhinged by his death. An impressive addition to the burgeoning genre of Aussie Noir.
With thanks to Machete Au & NZ via Netgalley for a copy to read
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