Literally Dead Book Club discussion

Shout out to Gabby for dividing the book up for me, as I don't have my copy yet!
Her BOTM edition has this chapter end at page 212.

If anyone else wants to provide chapters or audiobook sections to reference, I'd be happy to add to this post so we're all on the same page (literally, haha).

Anything shocking happen in this section for you?
Do you have any predictions moving forward?
If you had to rate this book right now, what would you give it?
& What would the book have to do from here to get a full 5 star?

Continuing my comment from the previous section, if it helps for audiobook, Page 213 is titled "Aoife The Wedding Planner," and Page 212 ends the chapter titled "Hannah The Plus-One"

I don’t like anybody but Hannah. It has a Lord of the Flies meets Mean Girls vibe

Sandy Lewis wrote: "I don’t like anybody but Hannah. It has a Lord of the Flies meets Mean Girls vibe"

Yep, Hannah's the only one worth of being liked, though Olivia's worthy of sympathy.

In my audiobook, page 212 is the ending of Chapter 37 ("Hannah: The Plus-One"), just before Chapter 38 - "Aoife: The Wedding Planner".

Anything shocking happen in this section for you?
Yes, it was shocking how the guys in the group could be so immature LOL - they were acting like jerks. Plot wise, not really. Scene wise, there were a few jumpy scare scenes in this part, and I really enjoyed them!

As expected, in this section, it was still not clear what happened after the wedding (the 'now'), but hopefully closer. I was a bit annoyed that Jules, the Bride, doubted her husband-to-be just because of one single random note from an anonymous sender - I understand this is a mystery book, so it's implied that there could be truth behind it, but in common situation, if you'd doubt your long-term life partner after one single hate note despite of not seeing anything that could potentially support it, maybe you shouldn't have agreed to marry them in the first place? I thought it was overly dramatised (regardless of whether it would prove true or not later in the book).

Do you have any predictions moving forward?
Yes, I think Hannah has a past connection to someone in the Groom's group (Will most likely), but it just hasn't been revealed.

I also have a tiny suspicion that Aoife and/or her husband might have something to do with the incident (the 'now'), but I'm not too sure.

If you had to rate this book right now, what would you give it?
3 stars. If the ending is horrible, it might go down to 2, but so far it's pretty enjoyable.

& What would the book have to do from here to get a full 5 star?
It would need to reveal a massive plot twist where something grand/epic beyond just romantic relationship issues (jealousy, secret affairs, etc) would happen. This also would have to reveal that bread crumbs had actually been given so far, without me realising it at all. It would need to incorporate some thrilling actions, memorable ending dialogues, made me think about a poignant/challenging point about life in general, and give me a book hangover.

Yeah, I don't think 5 stars would happen for me. But it's alright, I enjoy 'lighthearted' murder mysteries too.

Anything shocking happening?

No, not so far. Just a large bunch of people depicted as stereotypes where everyone seems to be living in the past.

What will happen next?

I hope there will be some major plot twist to shake up things a bit. Or maybe we will be kept in the dark and we will never really know what happened. Not at the boys’ school, not what Olivia has done (did she kill Steven?), what happened at the stag night (adultery, rape or murder?), with Aoifes’s family. What if the tension keeps building up without conclusion, like in ‘Picknick at Hanging rock’, now that would be interesting!

So far it’s 2,5 stars for me. I like it, but it needs more development, and not one of the characters is likeable which makes it difficult to care a bit.

Needed for a 5 star: a plottwist of dramatic proportion and all the little red herrings weaving into a perfect coherent ending.

I do not really believe that there has been anything truly shocking in this section for me. Some of the reveals that happened during this section, I sort of guessed before they happened. I am still enjoying it so far and I really hope it keeps getting better!

Moving forward, again, I do not really have any solid predictions. I still think that there are deeper connections between some of the wedding guests that we do not know about yet. Something that could possibly lead towards the events of the "Now," but I am not entirely sure.

If I had to rate this novel right now, I think I would give it 3 stars so far. It is a very enjoyable read! I feel myself not wanting to put it down and just continue to the end. However, some of the twists and reveals have been predictable or I guessed ahead of time. I really like to be surprised.

In order for this novel to get a full 5-star rating from me, something really shocking has to happen during the final section. I am piecing together all of the backstories and connections between the guests in my head while reading, and I would like to be completely shocked when the big event happens. I definitely feel that it can get more than my current 3-star rating if things keep picking up, but in order for it to be a total knockout, I need something big to happen in the last section.

I have a feeling the book is setting up Will as Alice's ex boyfriend. And Will's misdeeds (with Alice, Jules, Charlie, Johnno) will come out and be the catalyst for the murder.

This is a 4 for me so far. Its quick and has kept my interest. I've been enjoying the slight relationship and spooky atmosphere.

Amanda wrote: "I have a feeling the book is setting up Will as Alice's ex boyfriend. And Will's misdeeds (with Alice, Jules, Charlie, Johnno) will come out and be the catalyst for the murder.

This is a 4 for me ..."

Yes, I agree! I have the feeling that Will is connected to Alice or Olivia.

Nothing truly shocking happened in this section, but I am enjoying the storylines. It wasn't surprising that Olivia has had an abortion or that Johnny was double crossed by Will, but it fit their character. As mentioned above, I have the feeling that Will is connected to Alice or Olivia, especially since Jules' chapters focus on the sex with him. I would prefer it if he isn't the victim, because that would be a bit too predictable. I would give this book 4 stars right now: it is something new (for me), interesting people, quick read... It would need more than 1 good plot twist to get to 5 stars.

does anyone know what year this book takes place. cause Hannah says her sister died 17 years ago but the video of her was posted on Facebook?

I'm more and more intrigued, and like I said for the first section, this book makes me feel a building sense of dread really well. I like Hannah's character, and feel so much for Olivia and her struggles. I feel like have predicted since the beginning what happened with Aoife, and for some reason have a suspicion maybe Freddy could know the guys/be related somehow to the school because they're so dismissive of him and he's English (but Im probably way off!) I didn't think of Will being Alice's ex but now you guys have guessed that, I think that could be true!

it's a 4 Star read for me so far.

i honestly thought that Olivias backstory would be more related to an attack on Steve than an abortion, but this way it is much more believable.

I still think that Alice boyfriend in the past was Will. Especially because he did something similar in the past with those topless pictures.

I could become a 5 Star rating, if the twist in the end really blows me away. but i am enjoying the book so far.

Anything shocking happen in this section for you?
Olivia going into the water! I thought she might lose it but I wasn’t thinking she would go all ‘The Awakening’ on us!
And I suppose Johnno finding out he’s been wronged. I kinda guessed that, going in. The way Will was treating him from the beginning felt fake, Johnno all too sure in sincerity from his mate that I just didn’t see. But to have it actually confirmed, and to find out Will orchestrated it intentionally? Dang. I’d be pissed too.
Really, I’m most shocked we don’t yet know who is dead. I guess this is part of the mystery itself? I have my suspicions.

Do you have any predictions moving forward?
Something serious to do with Hannah is going to happen. Hannah is painted as the moral heart in this book, so anything happening to her would I think hit a lot closer for the reader. We’re feeling the most for her, because even her husband has deserted her on what was supposed to be a trip to help them rekindle their love, and all of this on the anniversary of her sister’s death. It all relates back to Hannah somehow, and something to do with Alice, I think. Maybe Will was the one to wrong Alice? Maybe Hannah secretly knows this? That would be interesting to watch play out!
It’s pretty obvious I think that the little boy at Trev’s actually died as a result of something Will orchestrated and Johnno followed through with, so knowing this I think it would be another misdirection to assume that either Johnno or Will are about to kill someone. Maybe Jules will? Probably not though.
I’m actually suspicious of Charlie or Hannah at this point. Charlie because of the stag (something went down), and Hannah because she’s the nice one. Gotta watch the nice ones.
Who can say? Guess I’m about to find out!

If you had to rate this book right now, what would you give it?
& What would the book have to do from here to get a full 5 star?

Still a 3 out of 5. I’m just not feeling it. I do want to know how this ends so I’ll go for it, but I don’t have an urgent need to know. So far I’ve loved the foreboding descriptions of the island, and the little creepy asides about location and the bog and the graves.
I’m hoping for a good twist to bump this up to at least a 4 star. I feel like Foley has it in her. For a 5? It would have to do something for me, make me feel completely different about the book in total, or make me see something about the characters completely differently. Not sure this will happen, but we’ll see.

As an aside, did anyone else catch that Hannah was saved from the bog by Pete and Duncan, but later Duncan says it was him and Femi that saved her? What gives with that?

Im enjoying this so much- i have no idea what is going to happen but im really enjoying it.

Nothing shocking happened this section. It was a bit of a let down that Olivia just had an abortion instead of killing Steven like I thought. The group of men that Will and Johnno went to school with are very immature and living in the past, they seem like they have no fear of consequences so they seem dangerous and I think something bad happened to Charlie at the stag.

Right now this book is a 3. It’s not bad and I’m enjoying reading it. It could definitely be better. I’m hoping for some good plot twist coming up but seeing as I was disappointed with Olivia’s plot line I don’t think they’ll be very shocking.

This book isn’t bad but there isn’t anything it can do to be a 5, it’s not very memorable.

I’m enjoying the book. There is nothing particularly thriller about it, but I can feel the build up! I was surprised by the Johnno storyline that Will totally cut him out. It seems like Wills has some skeletons in his closet and I’m wondering how much is related to other people on the island.

Anything shocking happens in this section for you?

Nothing really shocking… I didn't know Will basically ruined Johnno’s life by cutting him out of that deal but i'm not surprised because i could tell from the beginning that Will is not a good person.

Do you have any predictions moving forward?

Okay … it blows my mind that no one has confirmed my theory in the comments because it just feels so obvious to me! This is what i am like 85% certain is going down:

Will is Steve ( the only thing that contradicts this is that when he would have met olivia he probably would have already been on TV but i'm still sticking to Will being Steve… it's the only thing that makes sense.

Will met Jules at the party Olivia took him to … this prompted the ghosting! Olivia wrote the note to jules because she knows will is a dick but she doesn't want to hurt her sister … duh. That's why she was kicking and screaming and scratched him up as he pulled her out of the water.

Everyone is saying Will dated Alice but I'm thinking, no … that's way too much of a coincidence, i don't buy it. Alice’s story is just the catalyst for Olivia telling the truth.

At this point i know Will is either the one dead or he's the Killer … just saying, he's got too much to lose and Jules has a temper. Do with that what you will.

My theory about Freddy and AOIFE is shaky… I'm not sure about them but I'm thinking maybe they had some connection to the boy that Will and his friends killed when they were in school.

If you had to rate this book right now, what would you give it?

4 stars… while i've had the story pegged from the jump it is a good story and i can't wait for everyone to find out what Will did.

What would the book have to do from here to get a full 5 star?

Honestly, if i'm wrong this is a 5 star book because it will have officially shocked the hell out of me… that's how certain i am .

P.S Hannah needs to get a divorce because Charlie sucks...

I agree with all the speculation that Will is involved in some of these mysterious back stories! I’m fairly sure he is Alice’s ex-boyfriend, as they both went to Edinburgh Uni. Or if not, it’s one of the group of Trev friends who went to Edinburgh with him (although the other ushers aside from Johnno are all pretty indistinguishable, so for one of them to be THE guy would fall flat). What I don’t get is that if Alice adored him so much, Hannah must know what his name is, so why has she not connected it now?

Also think Will could be Steven, and he’s got power over Olivia which is why she can’t tell Jules the truth - apart from writing her a note - but the note says “he’s a cheat” which would be an odd thing for Olivia to say.

I didn’t connect Freddy to Trevs and the ushers, but I like that theory!

Overall this is easy to read, but nothing special. The writing is cheap/melodramatic in places and I’m finding the stretching out of plots (WHO is dead? WHAT happened at the stag doo? WHAT is Aoife’s tragic past?) a little grating this far in.

I already was not liking all the immature groomsmen and Johnno was the worst but now after finding out what his best mate Will did to him and also finding out how bad his childhood was I kinda feel sorry for him. Will is definitely not who he is portraying himself to be and I'm really not liking him about all. My heart goes out to Olivia and Hannah as they both been through some traumatic experiences in their lives. I think Will has done some really messed up, unforgivable things and we will find out soon enough. Also Charlie isn't such a good guy either, him and Jules got something going on or at least they did before. I rate this book a 4 right now, its keeping me involved and invested at this point. Definitely a page turner. The ending will have to be a jaw dropper for it to get that last star. But I'm really enjoying this book and it's my first Lucy Foley read but not my last.

I was shocked to learn what Will did to Johnno. At the very beginning I liked Will but now he just seems like a spoiled, self serving person.

Around 50% of the book, I started thinking maybe Aoife's husband was the older brother of the kid who died at school.

I'm still feeling the book is a little slow, though some things are at least happening in the present now. Right now I'd probably give it a 3.5 star. I'm not sure if this could be a 5 star for me now. I hope that I'll be surprised by who is getting killed and who the murderer is. Throw me some curve balls!

I am really really enjoying hybrid! The characters are so interesting, some of them are so incredibly dislikable but I feel like it’s perfect for the story. So intrigued as to what’s going to happen next!

- I don't know why but finding out that Will lied about Johnno not wanting the job really surprised me. I guess I should have seen that coming. Also Olivia having an abortion. Idk why I thought she killed Steave.
- I now think maybe Will killed someone. Also Charlie and Jules might kiss. The truth about their past will be revealed as well as Will's.
- I guess some mind-blowing twist

love, love, LOVE the spooky vibes!! 4.5 so far :) sidenote: does anyone else kind of hate olivia? i’m sure she has a really interesting backstory & im going to feel bad for thinking that but.... i find her to b a really annoying addition to the story. almost like she belongs in a YA novel (no offense YA fans, there’s just a time & place and it isn’t in adult novels). someone PLEASE back me up here

So far nothing shocking happened. Even though I didn't guess what Will did to Johnno, I'm not surprised because it's obvious that Will is a bad person/friend.

I believe Will was Alice's ex boyfriend and that he and Johnno did something that killed the boy from school. Also I hope that Will is the one who gets killed because I don't like him at all!😉

At this point I would give it 3 stars. I don't think I'll end up giving it 5 stars, but it might go up to 4 stars if a really shocking-mind blowing plot twist happens at the final part.

Still really enjoying this book! I also think Will has something to do with Olivia and Alice. I also feel like we see a different Johnno in his own pov than in everyone else's. I am curious to see how his storyline will play out. Hoping to see a big reveal/twist at the end for my rating to become a 5, right now it would be a 4.

Suzanzanzan wrote: "Still really enjoying this book! I also think Will has something to do with Olivia and Alice. I also feel like we see a different Johnno in his own pov than in everyone else's. I am curious to see ..."

I agree with you. I think Will is Olivia's Steven. And I have grown to like Johnno by this part in the book. I hope more comes of it, because if the only thing to happen next actually IS revealing that Will=Steven, I'll be a bit underwhelmed. The book so far has been pretty engaging though!

Stavroula wrote: "So far nothing shocking happened. Even though I didn't guess what Will did to Johnno, I'm not surprised because it's obvious that Will is a bad person/friend.

I believe Will was Alice's ex boyfri..."

I hadn't thought about Will being Alice's ex boyfriend! Nor had I considered him being the one who died! Now I must ignore my responsibilities and continue to read!

I found Will double crossing Johnno surprising and actually felt quite sorry for him for the first time in this book.

I definitely agree with Angel’s theory that Will is Olivia’s Steven. It just makes sense that he would have met Jules at that party so ghosted Olivia. So Olivia wrote the note to Jules telling her he isn’t who she thinks he is. And Olivias reaction to Will pulling her out of the water.

But I also do think that Will is Alice’s ex boyfriend. We already know from reading Jules’ POV that Will likes to film them in bed together. So it makes sense that he would have ask Alice to do the same. Although it would be weird that Alice never told Hannah the name of her boyfriend.

I’m really intrigued to find out what happened to Charlie on the stag do. It’s been made to sound really bad so I hope it meets my expectations when it is revealed.

So far I’d give this book a 3.5. If the reveals are shocking and the end satisfying I’d push it up to a 4.

So far the only thing that has shocked me is how immature the ushers and best man are.
I feel like so how they are connected to whatever happened at the school (uni) they attended. Might have to do with Olivia or Hannah’s sister Alice.
I’m really liking this book and find it hard to put down.
So far I give it a 4 as it’s got interesting twists, turns, spooky elements, and strong characters.

God, my least favourite expression in the world is "Boys will be boys."
Very well written book overall in my opinion. Cruising towards a 5 star for me :)

Anything shocking happen in this section for you?
That last part about Alice has me more curious now about Olivia, but I don't think anything has been shocking yet. The characters are really the only thing holding my attention in this book. The plot is doing nothing for me.

Do you have any predictions moving forward?
Will is going to get what's coming to him, and he isn't going to like it. Whether or not that means he's the one that ends up dead, I'm not sure. Honestly, the murder plot is so boring, I couldn't care less who is dead. I have a feeling Freddy and Aoife have major secondary motives, but I don't know how they'll play into the bigger picture yet.

If you had to rate this book right now, what would you give it?
& What would the book have to do from here to get a full 5 star?
3.5. The last section will really determine if this is a 3 or a 4 for me. I don't think it will make it to a 5 before the end. I've been surprised by endings before though, so we'll see...

I will just echo many other comments that Will is probably Steven AND Alice’s boyfriend. Even if Alice mentioned his name to her family, there are a lot of Wills, Williams, Bills out there. Why would Hannah be suspicious about that being Jules’ fiancé?
No big surprises, but I’m really enjoying this book, as much as I can’t stand the annoying ushers! No idea who the killer or killed is, just hoping it’s not Hannah. 3.5 for me so far

Noelle wrote: "does anyone know what year this book takes place. cause Hannah says her sister died 17 years ago but the video of her was posted on Facebook?"

If this book supposedly takes place in 2020/2021 then I think it makes sense. Facebook was around back in the early 2000s (can't remember exactly when) but was only a platform for college and university students back then and you needed something from your school to sign up. (Hannah does state that Emily was a student at the time). This also makes sense as to why nobody else in Emily's family would have known about the video beforehand even though it essentially went viral (at least on her campus) and why Emily might not have been cautious about letting her boyfriend film her (online safety wasn't the big thing that teens/ya's are educated on back then that it is now).

My sister had an account around then since she was in uni at the time. I remember making my own account years after her (and I was a high school student when I made mine back in 2006ish).

Anything shocking happen in this section for you?
-Honestly, I did not really find anything too shocking in this section, I felt like it was a section that was really building up to something big happening in the next section.

Do you have any predictions moving forward?
-I personally think this Stephen guy is probably Will, but with a fake name and that's why Olivia acted like she did when he pulled her out of the water. I think that the Hannah back story is really just to help us understand why she is so worried about Olivia. I predict that Will might get killed by Olivia, or Hannah might kill him for what he did to Olivia because it reminds her of what happened to her sister. I could also see Olivia being the one killed by will for the same reason, he doesn't want them to find out what he did to her.

If you had to rate this book right now, what would you give it?
& What would the book have to do from here to get a full 5 star?
-Right now I would rate this book a 3 star because I am not crazy invested in the characters or their stories, but I am super interested in finding out who dies, and then who killed them and why. I think the murder should happen soon so the story gets more exciting to get it to a five star for me.

I am still thoroughly enjoying this book. I'm loving all the perspectives. Right now, it would be a 4 star for me, it definitely has the potential to be a 5 star if it keeps on this track.

I've totally had my suspicions about Will this entire book, and the interaction with Johnno and the producer just confirmed this. He's definitely shady and I'm eager to hear the backstory as to why Will would do that.

Jules' anger intrigues me. How she gets SO angry, to the point of breaking and smashing things before she can calm herself down. This out-of-control nature in her makes me think she actually has something to do with the murder...

Shocks? None. The book only confirms my theories. I still think that it's Will who'll end up dead, that he's not only Steve, but also Alice's ex and he probably cause the death of that boy and Johnno help him to cover it up. That boy might be connected to Freddy. And the murderer is Hannah.
So far my rating is 4/5, but if the ending is as I suspect the murder itself and we won't get any hint of what'll happen after that then the rating might drop. For a 5 stars... a different ending then the one I'm predicting.

I just want to know who is murdered haha. I guess that's how this book is still keeping me sucked in. I'm starting to wonder if anybody actually does get killed at the wedding, though, or if the "only one of them is a murderer" thing is tied to someone's past. I didn't see Will backstabbing Johnno coming. Also, I feel like the person who wrote Jules the note was Olivia, and she has some secret history with Will. I first thought of that on page 122, so if I'm right, that'll be somewhat of a bummer, but I'm still overall enjoying this. Probably 4 stars at the moment.

I really enjoyed this one, I loved the setting first and foremost, a secluded island with an interesting history about it, closed-circle mystery, the characters had depth, and I loved how it centered around wedding festivities and how it was told with a slow reveal with multiple POVs:

My full review