The Unwedding by Ally Condie
on June 4, 2024
Genres: Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Amateur Sleuth, Fiction / Thrillers / Suspense, Fiction / Women
Pages: 320
Format: Hardcover
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The setup for The Unwedding is irresistible: a high-end resort perched on the cliffs of Big Sur, a woman grieving the collapse of her marriage, a glamorous wedding gone suddenly and tragically wrong, and a storm that traps everyone on the grounds with no communication to the outside world. Ally Condie delivers a moody, atmospheric thriller that starts strong, with all the ingredients of an Agatha Christie-style locked-room mystery crossed with the glossy tension of The White Lotus.
Ellery Wainwright is the emotional core of the novel—a woman navigating the pain of a crumbling marriage while surrounded by reminders of what she’s lost. Her introspection, grief, and resilience are beautifully rendered, and her perspective gives the story a steady emotional weight amid the chaos. I found her character compelling and well-written, especially in the quieter moments that explored her love for her children and her personal reckoning with identity and change.
But while the premise hooked me right away, the story began to lose its footing as it went on. After the shocking discovery of the groom’s body in the pool, I was prepared for a tightly plotted mystery to unfold—but what followed felt unfocused. The “armchair detective” direction taken by Ellery and other guests stretched believability, and many of the threads—missing guests, tangled personal histories, and oddly detailed stories about artwork—added more confusion than intrigue. What could have been a suspenseful and elegant thriller started to feel muddled with too many characters and tangents that didn’t pay off.
Despite being just over 300 pages, the book felt much longer. The pacing dragged in places, and I often found myself wishing for a sharper edit to trim the excess and heighten the tension. That said, the setting is richly described, and the initial tone is spot-on for fans of slow-burn, character-driven suspense.
Overall, I’d rate The Unwedding 3.5 stars. It’s an interesting, emotionally grounded mystery that just didn’t quite deliver on its full potential—but still offered enough intrigue and atmosphere to keep me reading. If you’re drawn to atmospheric reads with a strong female lead and don’t mind a slower pace, this one might be worth checking out.
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