Literally Dead Book Club discussion
The Guest List DISCUSSION
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The Guest List | pages 1 -114
The chapters all start with a character name and no number, so it might be difficult to reference via audiobook, but if it helps Page 115 is titled "Jules The Bride," and Page 114 ends the chapter titled "Johnno The Best Man"
Alesha wrote: "The chapters all start with a character name and no number, so it might be difficult to reference via audiobook, but if it helps Page 115 is titled "Jules The Bride," and Page 114 ends the chapter ..."Thank you!! I plan on listening to the audiobook so this is super helpful! <3
Hello, is there any schedule or dates for the divided pages? I'm new here..
Lily wrote: "Hello, is there any schedule or dates for the divided pages? I'm new here.."No, there isn't a timeline for each section specifically, there is a liveshow hosted on Kayla's YouTube channel every month though, so if you want to participate in that just make sure to finish reading the book before then! 🙂 I don't think the date for this liveshow has been announced yet (sometime in July), so just keep an eye out for that in the announcements section of the group.
I don't know how to tag u in mobile app...bt thank you soo much @alesha
Slow start. Majorly slow start.
Latanya (Crafty Scribbles) wrote: "Slow start. Majorly slow start."I agree. It's a hard one to get into. I heard it gets better; I hope it does!
It’s kinda slow, but it’s gotten better, and I’m hoping we get some good action soon.
It’s a little slow but I’m intrigued
Haley wrote: "Latanya (Crafty Scribbles) wrote: "Slow start. Majorly slow start."I agree. It's a hard one to get into. I heard it gets better; I hope it does!"
I finished the book and yes, the pacing picks up in the middle. Stay with it. The payoff's worth it.
Yay! I've been waiting for this. For audiobook, I think page 114 is the ending of Chapter 19 ("Johno The Best Man" before "Jules The Bride").What are your thoughts on the first 114 pages?
My first impression was that character introductions were done in a good way, i.e. considering the number of characters in this book, it would've been really boring if each of them had to be described upfront. I remember having a similar feeling when reading the Author's other book, The Hunting Party.
There were some interesting character viewpoints, some more than others. A few conflicts started getting revealed quite early, with some semblance of linkage to the tragedy in the 'now', although I had a feeling the 'now' wouldn't be revealed for a while. This was a good way of keeping readers interested during the 'boring' bits when introductions were all done but the actual event wasn't revealed yet.
Surprisingly, out of all the characters, I found the most interesting story to be Olivia's, the 19 year old. I was really intrigued with her plot line.
The short chapters really helped me going through the book really fast.
What do you think is going to go down in the next section?
I think the next section will reveal more background story for each character. Although, given the writing style, I wouldn't be surprised if the 'now' is still not fully revealed.
Any theories to share?
I don't have too many wild theories yet at this point. It feels like anyone in the book can be a victim and/or perpetrator. I think something will happen to either the bride or groom, although it could be a red herring too. I think some of the seemingly unrelated guests might have a past that make them closer to the bride or group than what it seems.
I am loving this so far, I really like the writing style and character descriptions. At the minute I think Olivia’s plot seems very interesting but I feel like I am warming most to Hannah. Maybe because we share a name as well as where we are from but also because aside from Aoife and Freddy she seems to be the most ‘normal’. I’m really excited to see how the book unfolds and I hope that I will become as obsessed with it as Meg with Books is.
I really enjoyed the first 114 pages, the chapters were short and the characters were introduced in a good way. We got some interesting information and I was looking forward to reading new chapters of some characters (e.g. Olivia). I assume that we will get more background information on the characters and that we are going to see more of Jules' anger. The 'now' will probably not be revealed yet. My current theory is that Hannah is going to get killed because her personality offers her insight into everyone's life. She might discover too much. I assume that Jules is going to stay alive because they are focusing on this mysterious note.
I am really enjoying the book! I like how we have multiple perspectives throughout the novel so far. I think it gives us more of an insight into who these characters are. It's more in-depth and we get a more complete story! I do agree that it started off a little slow, but I can definitely see where it is picking up now that the introductions are out of the way. I'd also like to say that I like how we are getting bits and pieces of the "Now" plotline, but not too much of it. It is just enough to keep us guessing for who it could possibly be! I think it was a brilliant idea to write it this way, so by the time we merge the timelines from the "Day Before" and the "Now," we are all caught up and ready for a reveal! As for the next section, I do not entirely know what we will get into. I think we may have some more insight to what happens the rest of the night and definitely into the following morning (Wedding Day). I feel like we will also get more information about some of the characters' backstories and these 'secrets' they are keeping from one another! As for the "Now," I do not think we will find out who the body is just yet. I think we will embark on the search party for this body that the waitress found, but I do not think we will get an identity to reveal until the third section.
I do not really have any major theories at this point in the novel. I do believe that some of the 'special guests' have more intertwined pasts with either Jules or Will than they are letting on right now. There are definitely possible secrets being alluded to, but nothing concrete yet. But, my main point is that the killer and the victim will have a major event from their past that comes to a head towards the end of the novel.
I cannot wait to keep reading!!
I’m not blown away by the writing style. It is very simple, short sentences that explain everything in an accurate way that seem almost sterile. The setting is very atmospheric: a group of people coming together on a small island where storms - literary and emotional- are brewing. I would have preferred to have more elaborate sentences that I’ll have to read twice to make sure I didn’t miss anything; that would have added to the general atmosphere.Also in the depiction of the underlying emotions and history everything is spelled out, so there is almost no room for guessing what is playing beneath the surface. Or, I may be wrong and everything will be much more complicated than expected, let’s hope so!
As for the characters: not one of them is likeable, they all seem terribly regretful, ambitious, envious and angry. At this moment, the storm might very well blow away all of them, I wouldn’t feel sad in any way.
I sincerely hope it will get better as there is the seed of a good old fashioned story here.
i do like the book so far. I find the Multiple POV interesting. my biggest theory so far: i guess that hannah's sister alice killed herself or something happened to her in the past and we will learn that it has something to do with the men who went to this boarding school.
i think either the groom or the best man will be the victim.
I'm really liking it so far! It's very easy to read and get through, I don't mind the slow pacing. I really like how the end of one perspective bleeds into the next. It makes for a smoother story progression. I have a few theories. I think Olivia and Johnno have some sort of history, due to his similarities with Steven. Johnno might be the guest that goes missing. There's something definitely off about Will's friend group and I think their Survival game will come back into play later on.
I'm enjoying it so far, the chapters are so quick that I can read a lot quickly without noticing. I find it a bit weird that I'm this far in and don't know who's been killed, but I like how that adds to the sense of foreboding in the night before chapters.
I enjoyed the first 114 pages of the book. I like the different back stories everyone has. Olivias plot is pretty mysterious and there’s definitely something off with Will’s friend. I really like Hannah the most right now and I don’t appreciate Jules and Charlie being all cozy. I have no suspicions of who gets killed nor who the murderer is, I kinda hope it stays that way and the answer really surprised me.
I'm really intrigued so far! I don't have much to say so far plot wise, but so far Olivia is the most interesting character to me.
One other general comment is that every time Jules mentions "the note" all I can think of is the anthology series Fear Itself from back in 2008 (I think). Where a bride to be gets a note just before she marries her husband warning her against the marriage. idk if anyone else watched that show, and I'm sure it's not going to be like that but that was (in my opinion) the best episode so I'm excited to find out what the note's all about.
Im intrigued! I have no idea who the culprit may be or even whats going on. But the ATMOSPHERE is so good!
What are your thoughts on the first 114 pages?Kinda meh so far on this one. 3 star at the moment, not feeling one way or the other about it yet. I like the setup though, and can understand why Foley took her time introducing us to the entire wedding party, there are a bunch of guests! I do feel her setup time is warranted, also, because it helps the reader to connect with all of these people. Even the raucous ushers feel like distinct folks.
I’m not 100% sold on the use of *five* different first person narrators though. I’ve mixed them up more than once and had to move back a page or so and get my bearings. While I think this is a unique way to do it, and it provides something for this novel it would lack otherwise, it still can be jarring at times.
Also, are we supposed to dislike Jules? Because I really do, so far at least. Will is equally fake, I think. Olivia seems troubled but intriguing, as does Hannah. I feel just a little for Johnno, he’s got something going on. Aoife is probably one of my favs, she strikes me as an interesting person.
Foley also has a good ear for how dialogue works between men and women (and groups of them), and the little additions of subtle dialect differences have been fun! I learned a new word, mancunian, which I now know means someone speaking the dialect of Manchester. I even watched a video on YouTube that showed me how Hannah probably speaks. (For those curious: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6ffIOaj...)
What do you think is going to go down in the next section?
We’ll find out who died! Maybe more about that note Jules got? Hopefully more creepy atmosphere because I loved that!
Any theories to share?
I like mysteries, but I haven’t read a whole lot of them (I’ve watched more). Still, I get a feeling a lot of these “secrets” the characters claim to have are just red herrings set up to confuse us. I think whoever did kill someone is probably not going to be the most obvious...at least I hope not.
I'm very excited about this one! I was hooked from the beginning and I'm devouring it (on my best devouring rhythm these days lol) because I'm so curious about what will happen and what is Olivia's big secret. Don't have any theories yet, but I have a feeling that Olivia killed that guy she was seeing or something like that.
I’m finding this book interesting. I like the chapters and all the different mysteries. I’m thinking that something in the past happened with Hannah’s sister, Alice, and maybe Will and Johnno and the other guys?
It is much slower then I expected. I have put it down for almost a week now. I just wasn't very invested in the story. I plan to pick it back up within the next few days.
It is a slow start but it’s also exciting because of the buildup... going into the next part of the book there are so many questions and secrets .... from this point on I imagine it will be very exciting. Olivia and Hannah’s chapters are my favorite.I do have a theory but no one else has mentioned it and it seems so obvious to me ... so I don’t know if I should say. But I’m pretty certain I know who “Steven” is.
“Who wrote the note? YOU’S two!” ( lol I couldn’t resist)
Definitely think Olivia wrote the note. I think Johnno has some issues and has killed someone at some point in his life ... possibly with the help of his “friends” OR Will and the “friends” killed someone and Johnno was an accomplice/whiteness and that experience has messed him up mentally.
I’m not sure about the possibly dead person, I’m thinking either Will or Olivia probably Will & if Will isn’t dead then he’s definitely the killer.
I like the book so far ... here’s hoping like turns into love!
I'm really interested after reading the first 114 pages. I think it really started grabbing my attention as all the wedding guest come together in a setting. I think we are learning everyone on the island has a past and a secret they are trying to hide but somehow they will all tie in together. I don't honestly know. I'm just really enjoying what I've read so far.
Firstly, Aoife is pronounced (e-fa) I had to look this up before continuing to read lol. Definitely getting the spooky vibes as promised, very atmospheric. I don’t really have any guesses on who is the victim and who is the murderer. I think this would’ve bothered me but I friend had told me nothing is spelled out off the bat. I’m excited to start speculating the mystery. I really enjoy Hannah and olivias dynamic. I hope more characters become as interesting and they are.
-So far I am very intrigued. I love the fact that we are not only trying to guess who's the killer but also who the victim is going to be. I think it's pretty smart that we are getting to know all (if not most) characters before the "big event." This keeps me guessing what's going on. what's going to happen. -I think in the next section we are going to find out who died. I think we're are also going to learn more about the ushers' past.
- I think Jules and Charlie have some secret that ties them up somehow.
I think Will is not really in love with Jules, but he has to marry her for some reason.
Maybe Olivia is going to be the one that kills
I enjoyed the first part of the book and I'm very intrigued, mainly because not only we don't know the killer but also the victim. I don't have any theories yet but I don't trust Will and the ushers. As many people have already mentioned above, so far Olivia and Hannah are the most interesting characters. Also I like the mulpiple POVs, the short chapters and the atmospheric setting of the isolated island.
I think you are onto something. Defintely feels like there is some connection between what happened to Hannah's sister and the way the school boys are acting. Nadja wrote: "i do like the book so far. I find the Multiple POV interesting.
my biggest theory so far: i guess that hannah's sister alice killed herself or something happened to her in the past and we will lea..."
I'm enjoying the different perspectives. I'm feeling a bit sorry for Hannah. I think it would be hard if your husbands best friend was Jules. I like getting to know everyone, but so far it's a bit lacking in action for me. Most of the time a murder comes at the beginning of the book and you take the rest of the book to solve it.
Finally got my book and started reading it. So far I am liking it. Seems that everyone is hiding something. I’m only a few pages in so we will see how it goes.
ok so i’ll be honest: i haven’t particularly liked a single book that i’ve read for this group. not even a little bit. but THIS? i absolutely love the atmosphere & the characters! i found olivia’s first chapter to be upsetting so MAJOR TRIGGER WARNING for self harm, but other than that i’ve been engaged, excited, & enthralled. plus: i love that hannah is representing my name well... i haven’t read about too many hannah’s that weren’t annoying or downright terrible :)predictions: olivia wrote the note, she was (TW) sexually assaulted by one of will’s friends or will himself, OR will & his friends were involved in the death of a boy from school.... just some guesses!
Loving this book so far! I like the slow pace for now. I don't really have any predictions yet, but I think some people will have there stories of the past intertwined. Definitely want to keep reading!
What are your thoughts on the first 114 pages?I'm enjoying this so far! It's nice to read a mystery set in the UK as that's where i am from so i have a nice feel for how the characters accent's sound and where they are from.
The writing isn't great but not so bad that it's distracting, however the author is doing a good job of creating this ominous atmosphere, this island feels very creepy!
At first the flipping between present and past was taking me out of the story a bit but i understand why the author chose to do this as it can be effective in this type of genre and i do like that at this point we still don't know who is the victim or the murderer, only that there is a body. Now that we are all well acquainted with the guests it's enjoyable to try to figure out who it's going to be!
Hannah is my favourite character so far and i feel sorry for her having to witness the change in her husband when he's around Jules. i feel so angry for her haha.
What do you think is going to go down in the next section?
I think we will find out whose body has been found and start to see what people's actions were in the lead up to it. It seems like the ushers and Charlie are going to get wasted and maybe that will lead to something troubling happening.
Any theories to share?
I think that Hannah's sister Alice is dead and that Will and Alice knew each other from their time together at Edinburgh Uni.
Either Charlie or Olivia wrote the note to Jules, although i think if Charlie wanted to stop the wedding maybe he would have just told Jules seeing as they are so close.
Something definitely happened with Johnno and Will in their school days, maybe they participated in the hazing of another student and it went very wrong?
I think the weirdness around Aoife and Freddy is a red herring to make us think that they are up to something. Aoife seems a nice enough.
This feels very much like a modern version of Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None". If you like this island setting for a murder mystery then i would recommend that to anyone.
I'm finding this book has to much exposition and not enough plot. I also don't particularly like any of the characters, so it's hard to feel invested in this story...
I guess I'm not used to reading a story where we spend so much time in the characters' head. I don't know why first person narration is difficult for me to read.
If I had to justify my preference for third-person over first person, I'd say first person narration feels like a character is talking to the reader and overly explains their thoughts....
Hopefully once the characters are introduced and the plot starts moving I'll enjoy it more.
Nadja wrote: "i do like the book so far. I find the Multiple POV interesting. my biggest theory so far: i guess that hannah's sister alice killed herself or something happened to her in the past and we will lea..."
I'm thinking the same thing :)
I'm honestly not sure what's going to happen at this point. I can't really guess anything leading up the wedding night and what's happened then, but a few of the personal character stories are not all that surprising. This is an intriguing read, but I don't know if I'd say it's engaging yet...since the chapters are so short, it feels like it's taken me weeks to read this and I'm still only 60% of the way done. I'm hoping that some things start to tie together soon because right now I'm kind of just floating around, drinking in as much as I can!
So far I am hooked! I love reading books where you are trying to figure out what is happening. One thing I always have fun with both in books and movies/tv is trying to figure out both the killer and the victim. I like the short flash-forwards that are clearly building up to a big reveal while also giving hints to who isn't the victim. I think the next section is going to include some more insight to the character's backstories and connections. I hope that the rest of the story with Olivia and "Stephen" (I think its a fake name that either she made up to hide someone's identity or that he told her the wrong name) I hope we get some more wedding scenes as well.
I have a few theories. 1. I think the victim could be Julia's Step Mom, I only think this because otherwise, I feel as if she was such an irrelevant mention. Especially the details about her being bilingual and such. She could also be the killer as it is mentioned that she is the same age as a wedding party (apart from Olivia) so maybe she is a scorned lover of one of the wedding party/guests that is out for bloody revenge.
2. Another theory is that Olivia gets killed by this mysterious "Stephen" character (that is if he is still alive since there was references to blood). Like he might be a wedding guest that kills her to keep her quiet, and Hannah is the one who puts it all together after hearing the story from Olivia.
3. I think the either the bride or the groom could be the victim because that would be an interesting twist, again I'm really stuck on the scorned lover idea.
4. A little out there but maybe Julia kills her mother in a post-wedding fight that went wrong?
5. Another nonvictim theory is that "Stephen" Could be Will and that could be one of the reasons Olivia is really not having a good time at this wedding but doesn't want to tell anyone for some reason that hasn't been revealed yet.
Anyway lots of ideas, now off to read your theories as well as the rest of the book!!
I know it's been said before but there's a trigger for self-harm and eating disorders on 35-37.It's started off really slow but I have a feeling it's all going to come together at the end. I'm really hoping it speeds up. I actually am loving the Olivia and Hannah friendship.
I'm trying not to predict too much as I've realized I like thrillers more if I don't try to figure it out but I'm assuming Steven got Oliva pregnant and then she had a miscarriage.
I am really enjoying this book. I read The Hunting Party a few months ago and it is written in the same style; I really like it. I like to try to figure out the victim and the killer. I really like Hannah so i hope she isn’t the dead one. Olivia is a bit sad. And I kind of feel badly for Johno, though he can be a bit jerky as well. Duncan seems the worst of the lot, so I’m sure he won’t get killed. I will say in the next section I think we’ll find out who the victim is. Maybe we’ll find out what happened to Alice or Steven. I also had a thought that Olivia May have either had a miscarriage or possible an abortion that had some complications. I think it seems a little of a red herring (no pun intended) when she says “Red on white. All the blood.”
I don’t believe the victim is one of the ushers or the best man. When they are in the “Now,” there is a sentence that refers to the four ushers grabbing torches to look for the body, so they appear to be all accounted for.
It’s funny reading all the comments...a lot of us do the same thing! When i first read the name Aoife, I also googled it for the correct pronunciation. And what a find...thank you, Sea Bunny!...I had also looked up mancunian, but didn’t know what a Manchester accent sounded like. Didn’t realize there was a YouTube channel that has all different British accents. So listened to a bit of that as well, and bookmarked it as well for future use.
Have no idea who the victim is, other than there are a lot of unlikable characters to choose from. I’m hoping it’s one of them!
I think this type of thriller is definitely my thing. Changing perspectives, slow build, character centric. Perfect! I really like Hannah but I feel she may end up being the murderer. Otherwise I'm trying not to theorize too much as I enjoy thrillers more that way. Liking it a lot, and I can't wait to find out who died lol.
I’m absolutely loving this story so far!! My favourite beginning out of all the books we’ve read yet!
What are your thoughts on the first 114 pages?Intrigued enough to continue, but not sucked in yet. The mystery itself is fairly boring. The characters are all their own levels of fucked up, which is actually quite refreshing and is the only thing really keeping me going. I'm also enjoying the pack mentality of the guy group.
What do you think is going to go down in the next section?
I think the groups are going to divide more solidly (guys vs. girls) as suspicions arise.
Any theories to share?
Olivia and Johnno end up having a connection somehow. As for "whodunit," I'm not invested enough to have a theory yet.
Finally I get to read this book. So far I feel like I am reading Agatha Christie. I do love her but I feel like a copycat of a book. I hope it gets better.
So far I'm feeling fairly lukewarm on this oneIn the next section I'm thinking we'll get:
-Olivia's reveal
-Find out who the Victim is (I'm betting that it's Will)
-More info on possible motives for various people
Theories:
-I'm pretty sure that Will is the victim..just glancing at the chapter headings and noticing that we aren't really getting any chapters from his perspective until the end of the book so I'm guessing that his chapters later on will be all the big reveals (the events leading up to the murder? and the murder itself?)
-I think that Hannah is involved in his murder. Why? She's playing a fairly prominent role in the book compared to her husband and I think Will is somehow tied to what happened to her own sister or will remind her of whoever caused whatever happened to her sister. She's just emotionally removed and involved enough from everything to be able to perpetrate something more sinister without a ton of second guessing or guilt? Since she's a plus one and since her husband is more or less ignoring her most of the time she would be able to be fairly unnoticed. Also it seems like the first portion of the book is conditioning us to see her as kind/meek and put the circumstances of what's going on with Hannah on just about everyone/everything else instead of putting any responsibility on her so she would be the biggest twist/shock value. Plus, the story basically starts from her perspective so it would just seem full circle? Alternatively, she might be involved by somehow helping Olivia? They seem to be getting kind of tight.
Who's late to the party? I'm late to the party!Anyway - I really enjoyed this part, didn't find it slow at all. The only thing that bothered me were the snippets to the "Now" - I don't feel they added much to the story. More like the author was affraid that the readers will lose interest and so decided to constantly remind us that there's going to be a murder soon.
I wonder when will the two storylines sync up - probably near the end of the book or the end of the next section. That's is my guess.
My only theory so far is that Will is Steven. And that he also is the ex of the Hannah's sister or it could be Johnno and Will did something terible to her. Perhaps he/they forced her to do this "Survival" thing and she died during it.
Aoife also seem to be missing someone too - perhaps another girl involved with Will? It sounded like she really wanted to host this wedding for some reason. Also Freddy is English - did he also went to the same school?
The note that Jules got was most likely made by Olivia.
The victim? I would say Will, but I think the people would notice if the groom was missing. The murderer would then be Aoife, Hannah or Jules (least likely).
Christine wrote: "Finally I get to read this book. So far I feel like I am reading Agatha Christie. I do love her but I feel like a copycat of a book. I hope it gets better."The difference is, mon amie, that all pov's in this book are written in the first person perspective. Agatha Christie would write it in third.
But yeah - I agree that there is a similar focus on the relationships between all the characters and a slow buildup that can be seen in some of her books. I wouldn't call it a copycat though.
If anyone else wants to provide chapters or audiobook sections to reference, I'd be happy to add to this post so we're all on the same page (literally, haha).
What are your thoughts on the first 114 pages?
What do you think is going to go down in the next section?
Any theories to share?