Review of The Reunion by Kit Frick

 

The Reunion by Kit Frick

To be published on August 29, 2023 by Simon & Schuster

Plot Summary for The Reunion

Eleven Mayweathers went on vacation. Ten came home.

It’s been years since the fragmented Mayweather clan was all in one place, but the engagement of Addison and Mason’s mom to the dad of their future stepbrother, Theo, brings the whole family to sunny Cancún, Mexico, for winter break. Add cousin Natalia to the mix, and it doesn’t take long for tempers to fray and tensions to rise. A week of forced family “fun” reveals that everyone has something to hide, and as secrets bubble to the surface, no one is safe from the fallout. By the end of the week, one member of the reunion party will be dead—and everyone’s a 

The Addison needs a better hiding place.

The Theo just wants to mend fences.

The Natalia doesn’t want to talk about the past.

The Mason needs to keep his temper under control.

It started as a week in paradise meant to bring them together. But the Mayweathers are about to learn the hard way that family bonding can be deadly.

Review of The Reunion by Kit Frick

I am a huge fan of Kit Frick's work. I loved I Killed Zoe Spanos, a book with podcast elements. 

I also loved Very Bad People, a Dark Academia YA.

 

This was not my absolute favorite by Kit Frick, but it might be perfect for you, so let's break the elements down!

The Reunion is a family-themed thriller

The Reunion did remind me a lot of the YA mystery The Cousins by Karen R. McManus. Possibly also for fans of The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.

The Reunion is also a travel thriller

The Reunion felt a bit like The Brady Bunch meets White Lotus. (Loved those Brady Bunch vacation episodes! Remember the cursed Tiki idol lolol...) Two families are being joined as a mom of twins marries the dad of a son.  These two about-to-be blended families are vacationing together in Mexico. But pretty soon, things are not going well....

There was quite a bit going on in The Reunion. 

Two families, six adults plus five cousins. Four of the cousins had a POV. Most of the characters had secrets, which they were keeping from each other. Their hotel was on the beach in in Mexico, where there was some strange cult kidnappers lurking around (that part was a bit weird tbh...)

Then, we learn that one family member ends up dead. But we don't know who or how until the end.

It was a lot of people and secrets to keep track of which, for me, works a little better on the screen than on the page.

I also wish that most of the reveals hadn't happened at the end. With multiple POVs, the characters could have revealed what they knew to the reader earlier, which (for me) would have upped the suspense. 

But if you love a good travel thriller, defintiely give this title a try!

If you are looking books with a White Lotus feel, be sure to check out this list! I'm adding The Reunion to the list!

You can also check out my list of Creepy YA Books Set on Islands, which features more YA travel thrillers.