The Guest List is my favorite kind of mystery/thriller. I love an assorted cast of characters all “stuck” in one place together for one reason or another, and then suddenly…*gasp* a death! And this book took my favorite kind of plot and did it exceptionally well.

The cast of The Guest List is vast, which normally would make you worry that some of the POVs would be more dull than the others. I can happily say that this is not the case for this book. Each character, even the more grating ones, all have some aspect of their personality or a piece of their backstory that makes them compelling. My favorite to listen to was Johnno, the jovial but childish best man. At first introduction, he seems pretty one dimensional, but as the story progressed, you realized there was more to him than it seems. But of course, in a thriller novel, everyone has something to keep secret. It was a joy finding out everyone’s mysteries bit by bit.

I also loved Olivia, the bride’s little sister who is trying to navigate adulthood and come into her own when she is full of insecurity and anxiety. I think all of us have a little bit of Olivia inside of us. I wanted to give her a big hug and protect her.

I think the fact that I listened to this on audiobook only made my experience better. It features a full cast, and all of them had such pleasant voices and accents. The acting was also fantastic. If you have a choice of how you read this, I swear by the audiobook.

This book was not a perfect 5 out of 5 for me, just because I had to suspend my disbelief about some convenient plot points. That didn’t impact my enjoyment too heavily, however, and this is still a well crafted mystery overall.

I would recommend this book to fans of Ruth Ware, particularly One by One. Many things reminded me of it, but I do think The Guest List is better.