Emily C Whitson

"I knew too much. On that island, on that godforsaken singles' retreat. I knew too much."
When her friend, Reese, goes missing after attending Last Chance, an exclusive singles' retreat on a remote island off the coast of Hawaii, no nonsense lawyer Ann infiltrates the retreat. Ann quickly realizes there's more to Last Chance than meets the eye. The extravagant clothes, never-ending interviews, and bizarre dates hint that the retreat is a front for a reality dating show. Could Reese be safe, keeping a low profile somewhere until the premiere, or did something sinister occur after all?
So this book started off with a bang and really kept going. We get an ominous, somewhat ambiguous, but definitely not good beginning that leaves us concerned for the character. The book really just kept going with the same momentum throughout. It had a couple of moments that I would equate to the jump scare in a horror movie, which added to the tone of the book. The author provides a dual POV with the story told from Reese and Ann's perspective, but most of the story is from Ann's POV. It worked well because we were always given just enough information from each.
The author adopts an interesting technique of showing the visit to the island and the events from each woman's POV and then of course with Ann we get more of an investigation aspect, as she uncovers more and more about the island and Last Chance. Last Chance becomes more and more suspect when a man shows up who could pass for Ann's ex-boyfriend, they aren't allowed to eat on dates, and they must interview with Christine (the one in charge of the island) in specified rooms and she always tries to lead them to say certain things.
The book does a good job of not giving much away at a time, unless you are really good at figuring out these types of things. I called things with the island and those involved pretty early on, but even still there were some parts that I did not call or even see coming. I loved this book because it was one of those that was hard to put down and left you wanting more. The whole concept was incredibly different from things I have read before and it was for sure a psychological thriller.… (más)

My first thought as I was reading this book was that I was getting 9 Perfect Strangers vibes. It sure felt like the "resort" that Ann went to in search of her friend Reese was giving me cult vibes. There was sure something not right about this place. the mystery surrounding Reese's disappearance was intriguing. Although, I found most of the characters not that very interesting. Well, I know I struggled to form emotional connections with them. So, at times it felt like I was just going through the motions of reading and not digesting what I was reading. Overall, though, I did like this book even though it moved at a slow pace.

There were several questions at the end of the book for discussion. I thought this one was an interesting question:

Why do you think the author chose to open the book with Magda putting makeup on Reese? What does makeup represent in this novel, and how does it parallel with reality television and constructed societal roles?

I think the author chose to open with book with Reese getting makeup to present the image that was not a "puppet" and not in control. Which brings me to the second question. I think makeup represented "armor" or "mask" of sorts. The makeup was to hide the real person and mold them into who they "should" represent. Just like reality television. We all know that reality television is not real but still a scripted show. That does not mean that we as viewers are not still intrigued by the personas of the contestants or people on the shows.… (más)

In her debut novel, Beneath The Marigolds, author Emily C. Whitson transports the reader to Phaux Island, a remote island off the coast of Hawaii, for an intriguing thriller that will keep the reader guessing and turning the pages.

The story centers around Reese Marigold, who disappeared after spending a month at Last Chance Retreat, an exclusive singles retreat on Phaux Island, off the coast of Hawaii. When Reese had been missing for thirty-one days, her friend Ann Stone, a corporate attorney, knows something terrible has happened to her friend, and she is determined to go to the island and find out what happened to Reese. After checking into Last Chance, Ann soon discovers that the resort is more than what it claims to be, it has the feel of a reality dating show like the Bachelor / Bachelorette. Can Ann keep a low profile and go along with the retreat's program while searching for the truth of what happened to Reese, or is there something more sinister happening on the island that could put her in danger as well?

In her debut novel, author Emily C. Whitson weaves a slow-building and suspenseful tale written in alternating first person narratives that follows both Reese's and Ann's stay at the retreat. Reese's storyline follows her stay on the island leading up to her disappearance. Ann's storyline follows her investigation into Reese's disappearance, as well as discovering that the strange retreat program has taken on an appearance of a reality dating show. As the reader follows both Reese and Ann's time on the remote island, incidents at the retreat and the flashbacks to Ann's past reveals an interconnection that has a lot of drama, tension, and a threat of danger around every corner, and where everyone is considered a suspect.

The reader is easily drawn into this well written story with its richly descriptive plot and setting. It is filled with enough family drama and secrets, motives, possible suspects, action, a touch of unexpected romance ala reality dating show style, and intriguing twists and turns that definitely keeps the reader guessing until the surprising conclusion.

This was a really interesting story to read! The author does a wonderful job of providing enough clues to engage the reader, and I found myself so caught up on trying to figure out who is behind Reese's disappearance, and why there was so much drama and intrigue surrounding the retreat's program. I loved how Ann used her expertise as an attorney to put all the pieces of the puzzle together. I was absolutely stunned by the conclusion, I never saw it coming! I would be remiss if I didn't mention that I also loved reading about Reese and Ann's backstories, both are broken people who had to overcome their traumatic pasts in order to move forward with their lives.

Beneath The Marigolds will definitely take the readers on one heck of a thrilling roller coaster ride.

https://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2021/10/beneath-marigolds-by-emily-c-...… (más)