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I Read Reese Witherspoon's June Book Club Pick—Is It Worth It?
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At this point, I (like many people) would trust Reese Witherspoon to run my life. I've made her watermelon margarita recipe, I've taken her friendship advice and I've swooned over her brand Draper James's recent collaboration with Jack Rogers. I've also, I can now say, read her most recent Reese's Book Club pick: The Unwedding by Ally Condie (Summerlost, Atlantia).
Billed as The White Lotus meets Agatha Christie, Witherspoon announced the pick by saying, "Our June Reese’s Book Club pick is the perfect summer read!!! The Unwedding by Ally Condie opens with a wedding at a gorgeous resort in Big Sur…but everything begins to fall apart when the main character Ellery discovers a dead body the morning of the ceremony.”
Sounds pretty promising, but does it live up to the hype? Read on for my honest review.
As Witherspoon notes in her intro to the book, The Unwedding opens with a woman, Ellery, heading to a luxurious resort in Big Sur, California, to celebrate her 20th wedding anniversary. The first hitch? She's there alone, following a recent divorce. And not only is her singleness at the front of her mind, there's also a wedding slated to happen at the resort during her trip.
I say slated to happen because it never actually does; Ellery finds the groom's body floating in a pool. Alongside two new friends, fellow guests Nina and Ravi, Ellery attempts to figure out what happened. Then, another mysterious death occurs, and to add insult to injury, the investigation is thwarted by a violent storm that leaves the guests trapped at the resort. Like any good thriller, there are twists and turns, seemingly promising leads that go nowhere and a lot of secrets threatening to be uncovered.
While the middle of the book does occasionally drag a bit, Condie's first novel for adults is a juicy read that kept me guessing until the very last page. Ellery is a protagonist you'll feel deeply for, and the supporting characters are impressively and successively fleshed out. You'll also, if you're anything like me, appreciate the vivid descriptions of the beauty of Big Sur (which, coupled with the suspenseful plot, will call to mind another Witherspoon project, Big Little Lies).
All in all? Great choice, Reese.
