Name: Lane Hokanson's review of The Long Weekend by Gilly Macmillan
Item: The Long Weekend
Rating: 2
Author: Lane Hokanson

Gilly Macmillan

Fast paced and incredibly compelling . . . this book will not let you put it down. -- SHARI LAPENA In this pulse-pounding thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of The Nanny, a group of women travel to the most remote place in England for a weekend escape, only to discover a startling note that one of their husbands will be killed before they return home--perfect for fans of Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley. Three couples Two bodies One secret Dark Fell Barn is a "perfectly isolated" retreat, or so says its website when Jayne books a reservation for her friends. A quiet place, far removed from the rest of the world, is exactly what they need. The women arrive for a girls' night ahead of their husbands. There's ex-Army Jayne, hardened and serious, but also damaged. Ruth, the driven doctor and new mother who is battling demons of her own. Young Emily, just wed and insecure, the newest addition of this tight-knit band. Missing this year is Edie, who was the glue holding them together, until her husband died suddenly. But what they hoped would be a relaxing break soon turns to horror. Upon arrival at Dark Fell Barn, the women find a devastating note claiming one of their husbands will be murdered. There are no phones, no cell service to check on their men. Friendships fracture as the situation spins wildly out of control. Betrayal can come in many forms. This group has kept each other's secrets for far too long.

The Long Weekend

Genesis (@whisperingchapters)

Lane Hokanson

I'd truly give this more of a 2.5/5. 
There was nothing bad about this book, but I didn't find it standout either.
I will say it wasn't helped by a narrator that switched between characters with 0 differentiation, which made it confusing, but it also felt like a book that threw in as many twists as possible, just for the sake of them.

"Fast paced and incredibly compelling . . . this book will not let you put it down." — SHARI LAPENA In this pulse-pounding thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of The Nanny, a group of women travel to the most remote place in England for a weekend escape, only to discover a startling note that one of their husbands will be killed before they return home—perfect for fans of Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley. Three couples Two bodies One secret Dark Fell Barn is a “perfectly isolated” retreat, or so says its website when Jayne books a reservation for her friends. A quiet place, far removed from the rest of the world, is exactly what they need. The women arrive for a girls’ night ahead of their husbands. There’s ex-Army Jayne, hardened and serious, but also damaged. Ruth, the driven doctor and new mother who is battling demons of her own. Young Emily, just wed and insecure, the newest addition of this tight-knit band. Missing this year is Edie, who was the glue holding them together, until her husband died suddenly. But what they hoped would be a relaxing break soon turns to horror. Upon arrival at Dark Fell Barn, the women find a devastating note claiming one of their husbands will be murdered. There are no phones, no cell service to check on their men. Friendships fracture as the situation spins wildly out of control. Betrayal can come in many forms. This group has kept each other’s secrets for far too long.

A Novel

Madhuri Sridhara

I was intrigued by the premise of "The Long Weekend" and was eager to find out how such a story of a "who's the victim" would play out.

But I'm sorry to say I was disappointed.

This book starts off slow and is hard to follow as it keeps switching narratives without context or clues. But once settled in, I was comfortable enough with the format. The author even manages to get some good twists in. 

But though the story has its heart-pounding moments, ultimately, it is a letdown because of the slow pace, unlikable characters and repetitive commentary.The plot also gets crazier and the reason I got through it was to just be done with it. 

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK for the e-arc.

Helen Borham

I have mixed feelings about this book. I found the beginning of it slow and really didn’t care about any of the characters. There were also a couple of sub-plots included which felt unnecessary and out of place. However the last third of the book was quite compelling and the author managed to build darkness and tension into the events. The ending was a mixed bag which simultaneously tied up the mystery and left some loose ends unresolved

One of my biggest issues I had with this book was the lack of chapters or chapter headings. The story is told from multiple POV’s and the absence of chapters made it tricky to identify when the narratives were changing. I am cognitive that I was reading an Arc therefore this may not be the case with the final book. I feel this impacted my engagement with the book and influenced my star rating

Genesis (@whisperingchapters) &
The Long Weekend by Gilly Macmillan

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Genesis (@whisperingchapters) &The Long Weekend by Gilly Macmillan

Reviews

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Genesis (@whisperingchapters) &
The Long Weekend by Gilly Macmillan