Book Review: The Unwedding | Ally Condie

This is a spoiler-free review of Reese Witherspoon’s June book club pick, The Unwedding. If you want to unpack the ending and my full thoughts, I’ve got those covered separate on my spoiler review.

Marketed as The White Lotus meets Agatha Christie, Ally Condie’s locked-room mystery, The Unwedding was the June pick for Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club. I have to admit that this is a rare miss for me from Reese’s Book Club, which I usually find to be some of my favorite books of the year. The Unwedding isn’t bad, but a strong first half frayed into too many side plots in the second half and made the conclusion pack less of a punch (more on that over on my spoiler review where I explain that wild ending and share thoughts on it).

What is The Unwedding about?

Ellery Wainwright is alone at the edge of the world.

She and her husband, Luke, were supposed to spend their twentieth wedding anniversary together at the luxurious Resort at Broken Point in Big Sur, California. Where better to celebrate a marriage, a family, and a life together than at one of the most stunning places on earth?

But now, she’s traveling solo.

To add insult to injury, there’s a wedding at Broken Point scheduled during her stay. Ellery remembers how it felt to be on the cusp of everything new and wonderful, with a loved and certain future glimmering just ahead. Now, she isn’t certain of anything except for her love for her kids and her growing realization that this place, though beautiful, is unsettling.

When Ellery discovers the body of the groom floating in the pool in the rain, she realizes that she is not the only one whose future is no longer guaranteed. Before the police can reach Broken Point, a mudslide takes out the road to the resort, leaving the guests trapped. When another guest dies, it’s clear something horrible is brewing.

Everyone at Broken Point has a secret. And everyone has a shadow. Including Ellery.

What did I think?

After reading this, I learned that this is Ally Condie’s first adult fiction novel. She is typically a YA girlie. This might explain the whole vibe of this book, in both positive and less-positive ways. For the positives, Ellery’s character and her backstory was raw, emotional, and pulled at my heart strings. This is something that YA books often do an amazing job with. On the other hand, the mystery felt shallow and the explanations behind some of the reveals were not fully matured into strong plot points. It’s a good mystery and fans of the wedding thriller genre will love this. In fact, now that I’m thinking of it, wasn’t The Guest List a Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club pick? Another locked-room wedding thriller (though I think Lucy Foley executed it better).

Following Ellery as she took the vacation that was intended to be a twentieth wedding anniversary as a solo, recent divorcee, was a great hook. Condie did a fantastic job exploring the end of Ellery’s marriage (from her perspective) and how she is trying to process such a rapid dissolution of her life. I felt the anxiety of it right in my gut! Flashbacks are woven through, and Ellery’s tie to her life kept my attention.

The mystery…did not. I explain more in my spoiler review about the specifics of why I think this missed the mark, but without spoiling it over here, I’ll say that there weren’t enough stakes to the mystery. Ellery stumbles across the wedding where the bride, Olivia, is left at the altar. She finds the groom dead in the pool later, and a mudslide causes everyone to get stuck in the resort. It was hard to understand why Ellery cared about Olivia–their connection was superficial. Ellery had to be involved because of the dead body, I suppose. But I would have just stayed in my room.

The mystery quickly shares the spotlight with a few other strange storylines. Rumors of an anonymous celebrity at the resort keep popping up. There’s also some art thefts going on and a lot of talk about the art. Ellery meets a strange duo on her first night–Ravi and Nina. I couldn’t really figure out what their role was going to be. Another murder happens and that did pull me back toward the main mystery, but the murders somehow felt like they were on the back burner through the whole second half of the book.

I would read another book by Ally Condie, and I think plenty of readers will enjoy The Unwedding. I liked it fine, but it fizzled out in the second half and never got back on track. The author did a good job tying off the many loose threads that were pulled out during the book, which I will always applaud (nothing worse than when several get no conclusion). I wanted Ellery’s divorce and feelings about her husband’s chang in character to have a more prominent role throughout the book. I was hoping it would tie in somehow to the mystery, but it doesn’t at all.

I’ve got a lot more about the book over on my spoiler review where I explain how The Unwedding ends!

If you liked The Unwedding, what should you read next?

About Ally Condie

Ally Braithwaite Condie is the author of the # 1 New York Times bestselling Matched series and the Edgar Award Finalist Summerlost, among other novels, and of several picture books, including Here. A former English teacher, Ally resides outside of Salt Lake City with her family, including her four children. She has an MFA from the Vermont College of Fine Arts and is the founder and director of the nonprofit WriteOut Foundation.