The Reunion: An utterly gripping psychological thriller with a jaw-dropping twist Paperback – 6 Feb. 2018

I am a HUGE, and embarrassingly loud, supporter of Samantha Hayes as it was this brilliant author who ignited my passion for psychological thrillers when I read her debut novel whilst on holiday a few years ago. So I was over the moon when she signed to Bookouture and as soon as The Reunion was up on Amazon I was pressing that pre-order button! And OMG I am so glad that I did! This is one of her best books so far, full of shocking twists with a plot full of red herrings and untrustworthy characters. I gasped out loud in horror at several points throughout the narrative as Samantha Hayes weaved her wicked web of deception and I bloody well loved every single minute of my time reading The Reunion.I truly felt the emotions flow off the page as I delved deeper into this storyline about the people left behind to cope with the disappearance of Lenni. Her sister Claire has never forgiven herself for letting her sweet natured and “unprepared for the real world” sister out of her sight that day. Many years have now passed and she is happily married with children of her own but she is still shocked when her parents decide to sell the family home. With her father’s Alzheimer’s, it is just too much for her mother Shona to cope with. But before they sell, Claire decides to arrange a reunion of her friends and family to help Pat relive some wonderful old memories before it’s too late. All the guests were also there THAT day but does one of them know more about what happened to Lenni than they are letting on?This book messed around with my emotions continually throughout, never quite going in the direction I was expecting, giving me a little hint but then snatching it away again till I was practically exploding with the need to know what had happened to Lenni and why. And when we eventually got to that final shocking denouement, I wanted to turn right round and read the whole book again from page one!! It was so perfectly set up to blow me away with its surprising revelations that I got goosebumps as I read the final few pages. And I’m getting them again now just thinking about it!This is a gripping and involving book and I especially enjoyed how the split timelines worked together with one of them working backwards in the first person until the storylines entwined. If you want a well written, engrossing page turner that will keep you guessing till the very end then you need to read The Reunion!Highly recommended by me!

Samantha Hayes is a fantastic author and The Reunion is a compelling read.With the cast of characters being a mix of ages, genders, and some not having contact for many years with a past that connects them all. We know from the outset that Lenni went missing as a child and at a time when her sister was going to go to uni, so the friendships divided and splintered, as they so often do at that age.Claire’s dad’s health is deteriorating and she feels that a reunion will help him come to terms with his illness, reminding him of years gone by.Events take place that ensures this does not happen.The Reunion is a story that will get it’s hooks in to you, and you really get caught up with the characters, and although you may not like them all they are so realistically portrayed that you invest in wanting to know where the story is going to take you.This psychological thriller had me guessing all the way through and I had to know the answers, which makes this an extremely fascinating read.

Great plot. Excellent writing and language skills - never once did i think "this is a bit slow" or dull with "filler" writing. I could visualise the characters, buildings and locations so vividly! Story and plot is very well woven together and the characters very well done: grim but very not so fantastical that it didn't feel realistic. The author smashed it out of the park with this story !!!!

Utterly gripped by this one!!! There's an interesting cast of characters, a beautiful (if somewhat desolate and creepy) setting, and an enormous, heartbreaking mystery. Claire is organising a reunion to cheer up her father who is suffering from alzheimer's. She reunites old friends who all have secrets and who were all there twenty years earlier when Claire's sister Lenni went missing. I had no inkling of who was the perpertrator and who was the victim. I swear I suspected everyone at some point or another in the story. A fabulously twisty, addictive read with a truly shocking ending that unfolds in a series of jaw-dropping revelations. Five stars!

Well written, lots of suspense

“The Reunion” by Samantha Hayes was an enjoyable & memorable read. The characters were very real & most of them were remarkable people. The plot was fast-moving & suspensful with an incredible twist at the conclusion.Decades of time were skillfully grafted & woven into the threads of the story.I thought Claire’s husband Callim was a horrible person. He was an arrogant example of human garbage! He went around making sure everyone knew he was a neurosurgeon. He felt that he was a demi-god & worthy of great praise. Both Claire & Callum worked, Claire as a real estate agent. They had 2 children: Marcus was 18 & lived at home; Amy was 6 years old & a smart, delightful child. When Claire came home at the end of a work day, her work at home was just beginning. On the way home, she picked up Amy from daycare; she grocery shopped. When she finally got home, she prepared dinner & did the washing up. When needed, she did the laundry. Before Amy’s bedtime, Claire gave her a bath & dried her off. She helped Amy into her pajamas & read her a story. It was only after all these chores that Claire was ready to relax for the evening for a couple of hours. And what was Callum doing? After work he came home & sat on his backside, either watching TV or reading while Claire did all the household chores. If he had any sense of decency, he’d help his wife with the chores. But he didn’t have any decency, as the reader would eventually discover.Claire’s father Patrick was recently diagnosed with Alzheimers. Claire decides to host a reunion to help Patrick recall his & his family’s shared past. She invites her old childhood friends & their family members, & Claire’s family members she lost touch with. In the middle of all this, the reader learns of Claire’s missing sister Eleanor (called Lenni at the time) who disappeared when Eleanor was 13 years old & Claire was 18. She had been missing for 21 years when the novel opens.I recommend this novel highly for those readers who enjoy suspense, psychological & family dramas. Terrific novel!

This book was an easy read, I thought the author did a fabulous job building the cHaracters and keeping the reader turning the pages!! Brought this book camping and couldn't put it down, great read

Gripping, haunting story

2,5 StarsI’m a bit disappointed. I was almost immediately drawn into the story. But somehow it failed to deliver. This book is a slow burner. The suspense dried out while the story went on. It also turned out that the two people I mistrusted the most were the baddies. The book is told in alternating chapters from today and the remembering of someone who is held captive. I did not like these chapters. They don’t seem necessary.Although I found this story to be a little dragging I wanted to finish it to see if I was right to mistrust those particular characters. As I said, I was right. It is not a bad book but also not a very good one. I did not like the writing and for my taste it was too slow