The Unwedding by Ally Condie

The Unwedding by Ally Condie

Was this a thriller? It didn’t play up the suspense, though the potential was there. Instead, it felt like I was ambling around the rainy resort with Ellery, and not in a good way, like we were solving the mystery together. Instead, it felt like I was stuck following her around even though I wanted to be doing anything else. That said, I did feel like I needed to finish this book once I started it, so I guess that’s on me.

These aren't all spoilers but just to play it safe...

There was so much going on in this book. TOO much. Wedding, failed anniversary trip, stolen art, storm cutting them off from civilization, all the characters had their job AND this secret passion/identity thrown in… I can’t even really untangle the mess of storylines to count them up, which means there are too many.

First, why did the narrator have three kids, one with a name really similar to a character at the resort, when the kids hardly played into it? Why not have one girl and the autistic boy and cut down on unnecessary characters? True, both daughters are mentioned, but neither are important enough to be their own characters - they could be consolidated into one to at least try and smooth out the storyline. Maybe the 3 children wouldn't have bothered me if there also weren't way too many random frat guys at the resort, some named, some not, some playing a role in the story, some not. Along with other guests that had nothing to do with the murders, there were just too many meaningless characters to keep up with.

The track team accident could have been interesting but it took too long to come out and the build up was so intense that, by the time I learned the truth, I was bored of it. It also seemed weird that Ellery shouldered so much blame and thought everyone immediately knew who she was based on that accident but never even read any press about it to see what they were saying about her. 

The “shadow celebrity” thing was so boring and pointless. It could have been used nicely for suspense but when it turned out that half the guests were “shadow celebrities” in their own way, it just seemed like overkill. Also, did we ever find out Ravi’s job? That was a big question brought up twice in the book and I never saw it resolved. The influencers also were being blackmailed but their "secret" didn't even seem that dangerous? Or that much of a secret? Wasted potential there. And the “secret” with Nina just… doesn’t make sense to me? How would that be motive or even something to feel guilty about?? Pointless.

Another somewhat unanswered question of mine was how Ellery figured it all out. She explained it, and the author kind of spelled it out, but honestly? I’m STILL confused at what the hell happened and how Ellery knew. From what I could understand, all the reasons for the murders seem really flimsy and didn’t feel satisfying once I reached the resolution. That’s why I desperately hope the ending was just over my head and made sense to everyone else.

Don’t even get me started on how hung up she was on her loser husband who was a jerk and already had a girlfriend. I’m sure it’s not easy getting over a 20 year marriage BUT this man has been telling you he’s unhappy for years and you still feel blindsided and act like a victim? I wanted to shake her. Her friend Abby was nicer to her than I would have been.

All that said… I started the Matched series when it first came out and read the first one, liked it enough to read the second, but didn’t like the second and never finished the series. I hoped her adult novels would be more compelling but at least I gave it a try.