The Reunion brings together a group of friends that could have been great, but were instead pulled apart by the disappearance of the one friend that held them together. The concept behind this book was riveting and it was a huge draw to find out what the mystery itself was going to be. Selling a book as a disappearance leads to so many questions and it can be thrilling to find out those answers. The book definitely started off with an interesting premise and it was easy to fly through the pages searching for answers.
As the book progressed, the thrilling nature of the book started to take a turn as the truly unlikable nature of each of the characters was given more attention. The book dragged on the mystery and focused on each of the characters and their motivations. This would have been a wonderful addition to the book if the scenes chosen to give this information would have seemed more connected to the plot. Each time there was a shift in Point of View, it was jarring to be away from the main plot. There were also several side plots that took up too much time and ended up being completely unconnected in any way.
The main character, Jennie, is an actual detective. It was nice to see a thriller detective that actually knows what she is doing. I had high hopes for the way the investigation would progress. However, her intense desire to make sure she was a part of the investigation led to too many secrets that led to obstruction of justice. It was really unfortunate to have a character that should have been the smartest person in the room turn out to be another try-hard, “pick me” type character.
While this book had a strong promise of an engaging mystery, it fell flat in the end with motivations that lacked luster, a meandering plot and unlikable characters.
2/5 stars
Thank you to Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review.
The Novel Llama 