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Whether watching a movie or TV show or reading a book, I’m all about a murder mystery. In the streaming world, it might be campy, like Devious Maids or Clue, or gritty like A Woman’s Game. But when it comes to my summer reading, I want a page-turner. I want a whodunnit with lots of suspects. I want Agatha Christie-level suspense. Enter: The Guest List by Lucy Foley (which just so happens to be a Reese’s Book Club pick).
When Reese Witherspoon herself selected the novel for her book club back in June 2020, she wrote, “This book is a true thriller…It has all kinds of twists and turns and it reminded me of some of my favorite stories from Agatha Christie.” Same, Reese, same.
I had a similar reaction while reading The Guest List. I flew through it at warp speed, totally enthralled by the fast-paced plot and the unfolding mystery. And while Reese and I are clearly fans, we’re not the only ones.
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Former PureWow editor Sarah Stiefvater wrote, “Suspense lovers will hang on every word of Lucy Foley’s (The Paris Apartment) atmospheric thriller about a wedding gone wrong. On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate the marriage of a handsome and charming television star and a smart and ambitious magazine publisher. Everything is lovely, until the Champagne is popped and resentments and jealousies bubble to the surface. Then, someone turns up dead, and perhaps unsurprisingly, everyone in attendance is hiding a secret.” I’m getting chills just thinking about it again.
Even PureWow’s Editor-in-Chief Jillian Quint counts herself a fan—and recommends The Guest List as a beach read. She said, “When a party guest turns up dead, everyone is a suspect. Come for the marriage-industrial-complex takedown. Stay for the Agatha Christie style who-dunnit that will keep you guessing until the end.”
Stiefvater even suggested that the novel should be made into a show or movie: “I think it would make the most perfect, twisty miniseries… Tell me you can’t imagine binge-watching it all play out on, say, Netflix.”
Clearly she was on to something as, according to reports, Hulu is developing a miniseries based on the book. And after the success of Little Fires Everywhere, this is not a bad idea (it’s sure to be a hit, IMHO).
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While I’ll be giving this murder mystery another read before summer’s end, not every one of Reese’s Book Club recommendations is a thriller. For example, Witherspoon’s June 2025 select is The Phoenix Pencil Company by debut author Allison King. This recent pick includes plenty of mystery—just not of the murder variety. (Hey, they aren’t all meant for me.)
Now if only Hulu would hurry up with that miniseries…