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A review by pagesplotsandpints
The Unwedding by Ally Condie
2.5
<b>Read Completed 5/25/24 |</b> 2.5 stars
<b><I>Thank you to the Hachette Audio / Grand Central Publishing & Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this advanced audiobook review copy! This did not affect my review in any way.</b></I>
I haven't read Ally Condie since her Matched trilogy in 2013 and I was really interested in her adult debut, especially something in mystery/thriller category. It seems to be the case for a lot of former YA authors and I am here for it! THE UNWEDDING is definitely more mystery than it is thriller, being described as having an Agatha Christie feel. I prefer thrillers more than mysteries nowadays, but if a book is well-written, that doesn't matter and I can enjoy just about anything, but this one didn't do it for me.
THE UNWEDDING is a locked-room concept, which I usually enjoy! The main character, Ellery, is the narrator here (a nod to Ellery Queen?) and she ends up in this mix after a unexpected separation and divorce from her husband, leading her to take this non-refundable trip to Big Sur alone. When she finds the groom who turns up dead, more mystery ensues and inclement weather traps everyone together with a murder in the mix.
I think I prefer thrillers more often than mysteries because the main character is wrapped up in the mix. Ellery's character was too far removed from the action for me and didn't have any connections to any of the other characters. She had a backstory that was heavily hinted at and slowly revealed as the book went along, but it really wasn't shocking, didn't have a big reveal, and still didn't really have anything to do with anything else. It was actually more of a let down because I was hoping it would tie in somehow, but it barely made a difference and I would have rather it wasn't even included.
This was a large cast of characters from a wedding party to an influencer couple to a pair of quirky friends that immediately take Ellery in. It wasn't hard to keep track of everyone, but it also didn't really give the reader time enough to connect with any of them. Naturally, I liked Nina and Ravi the most with their outgoing personalities and having spent the most time with them as Ellery's immediate friends at the resort.
Mostly, the plot just didn't engage me enough. I was interested enough to keep reading and see what happened, but half of the reason I was sticking around was because I had already DNFed a few other books and didn't want to drop this one too. I did find myself being interested enough to keep reading, though. The reveals were lackluster and a bit anticlimactic. I really didn't like how the crew explained how they figured everything out in the end. I feel like the book should be doing that job, not the characters explaining things like we're in an old detective show.
This was a little blah and forgettable for me, but I'm glad I read it. I would have been curious about it if I didn't. I'd probably try another mystery/thriller from Ally Condie in the future, but if that didn't work for me too, I likely wouldn't pick up another.
AUDIOBOOK THOUGHTS: Christine Lakin was the narrator for this audiobook and I really love her narration. I like her voice and I think she always does a great job of bringing the characters to life. There's nothing off-putting about her narration for me and I enjoy everything that she's done, even if I don't love the books.
<b><I>Thank you to the Hachette Audio / Grand Central Publishing & Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this advanced audiobook review copy! This did not affect my review in any way.</b></I>
I haven't read Ally Condie since her Matched trilogy in 2013 and I was really interested in her adult debut, especially something in mystery/thriller category. It seems to be the case for a lot of former YA authors and I am here for it! THE UNWEDDING is definitely more mystery than it is thriller, being described as having an Agatha Christie feel. I prefer thrillers more than mysteries nowadays, but if a book is well-written, that doesn't matter and I can enjoy just about anything, but this one didn't do it for me.
THE UNWEDDING is a locked-room concept, which I usually enjoy! The main character, Ellery, is the narrator here (a nod to Ellery Queen?) and she ends up in this mix after a unexpected separation and divorce from her husband, leading her to take this non-refundable trip to Big Sur alone. When she finds the groom who turns up dead, more mystery ensues and inclement weather traps everyone together with a murder in the mix.
I think I prefer thrillers more often than mysteries because the main character is wrapped up in the mix. Ellery's character was too far removed from the action for me and didn't have any connections to any of the other characters. She had a backstory that was heavily hinted at and slowly revealed as the book went along, but it really wasn't shocking, didn't have a big reveal, and still didn't really have anything to do with anything else. It was actually more of a let down because I was hoping it would tie in somehow, but it barely made a difference and I would have rather it wasn't even included.
This was a large cast of characters from a wedding party to an influencer couple to a pair of quirky friends that immediately take Ellery in. It wasn't hard to keep track of everyone, but it also didn't really give the reader time enough to connect with any of them. Naturally, I liked Nina and Ravi the most with their outgoing personalities and having spent the most time with them as Ellery's immediate friends at the resort.
Mostly, the plot just didn't engage me enough. I was interested enough to keep reading and see what happened, but half of the reason I was sticking around was because I had already DNFed a few other books and didn't want to drop this one too. I did find myself being interested enough to keep reading, though. The reveals were lackluster and a bit anticlimactic. I really didn't like how the crew explained how they figured everything out in the end. I feel like the book should be doing that job, not the characters explaining things like we're in an old detective show.
This was a little blah and forgettable for me, but I'm glad I read it. I would have been curious about it if I didn't. I'd probably try another mystery/thriller from Ally Condie in the future, but if that didn't work for me too, I likely wouldn't pick up another.
AUDIOBOOK THOUGHTS: Christine Lakin was the narrator for this audiobook and I really love her narration. I like her voice and I think she always does a great job of bringing the characters to life. There's nothing off-putting about her narration for me and I enjoy everything that she's done, even if I don't love the books.