A street party is a great way to put your fears behind you, its enough to make you forget the texts you were getting from an unknown number - but who are you letting into your street party? A gripping thriller which had me guessing throughout, I struggled to put this one down!

Who wouldn’t love gossip and a street party between women whose life stories had been set up in the initial few pages of the book?

My first book by author Claire Seeber, it embroiled a lot of read-between-the-lines politics. 3 women with 3 vastly different lives were the core of the story. And soon their children came into picture. And the lines joining them became more convoluted.

The suspense was seen when lies and facades and soon allegations came into the picture. With 3 POVs, it revealed their lives from all angles, and not all of them were beautiful.

The story became interesting from the last 40% and I could zip through the prose easily. The first half was difficult, but perserverence and DJ’s assurance helped.

On to my next…

P. S. The audiobook was a DNF for me as the narrator was pathetic with a weird accent. Never understood a word she spoke.

The Street Party By: Claire Seeber and Narrated by: Anna Cordell, Laura Brydon, Nano Nagle

I really struggled listening to The Street Party by Claire Seeber and Narrated by Laura Brydon, Anna Cordell, Nano Nagle. I felt this book was ruined by the narrator that put on a silly fake posh voice for all the male characters! I felt this was not needed and was so corny which ruined this audio book for me. Plus, I found the Aussie accent was very poor and made me lol and thie ruined the book for me as well.

I ended up aborting this audio book and ended up reading The street party which was so my better., however it os a very slow burner and took forever, to get where it needed to go!

Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

I really liked this author’s last book, The Stepmother, so was excited to start this one. This is a story about a group of families who are joining together to host a street party to raise money for a tragedy that befell the seedier part of the street. This area has very rich and very poor in the same area and the families that are putting on the party are of both areas. I found this book very slow going, and it felt at some point that there were too many characters, I could barely keep all the moms straight. I was disappointed as to the grand revelation in the story, and I trudged through the book to get to the end not really caring about more than half of the people.

This is classified as a thriller, it is not, it’s a family drama at best. I felt there was too much going on, but nothing going on at the same time and I had a hard time keeping all the storylines straight. Unfortunately this book is a no for me

Good effort. Not my favorite thriller I’ve read but not the worst. I always enjoy a well written multi POV book.

This book is a bit of a slow burn to start off with, but it will totally get into your head and not let go. Right from the beginning of the story there is a sense of things being a bit off-kilter, with a strong sense of foreboding. There are so many characters who seem to have something to hide, and everyone seems to have an agenda. There’s quite a contrast between the people in the square, where the very rich and the very ordinary live side by side.

Ruby is one of the latter, and I liked her, though I couldn’t understand how she had managed to be pulled into the organising of this street party. She’s such a busy person, and she has very little in common with some of the women on the committee.

There are some truly creepy and atmospheric moments in the build up to the street party, and the tension is palpable. You just know that something is going to go badly wrong.

The story is told from three perspectives, that of Ruby, her friend Melissa, and Nella, who is so different to the other two. It’s very interesting to get the different viewpoints of each of the three women, and to see the tangled web of secrets and lies that they get caught in.

The dialogue is very real and adds real depth to the characters. The pacing is so well done, building the tension all the time and adding to the drama.

Overall a gripping and at times shocking read, with just enough twists and turns to keep you riveted, but not to spoil the tightly stretched timeline of tension and trepidation.

This story is told from three different perspectives: Ruby March, a recently widowed mom who must raise her teenage son on her own while working at her struggling flower shop. Melissa, best friend of Ruby, married to Rex and stepmom to Cecilia. Last Nella Jackson, the well-off wife of a man running for Parliament who’s the mom to teenage Willow and younger brother Beau. After unfortunate events in the neighborhood bring these three women together it quickly becomes clear that all are keeping secrets. Some are worse than others and when the teens start to create trouble of their own no on seems to know the truth.
When I first started this book I wasn’t quite sure what I got myself into. I knew I was in for domestic suspense. But, as an American I had trouble understanding the British banter - and there’s a lot of it. The first half of the book was a lot of character building and who has a relationship to whom. We were forewarned that something bad was going to happen, but that didn’t come until about 60% through. From there it really picked up for me. I found the first half difficult and even a bit boring to get through.
While the neighborhood drama made for some okay suspense I found this to be more about who each of the characters were themselves and what their motives were for acting in the way they did. I found a good deal of the “why” to be fairly predictable, but was still entertained as it played out.
The story was extremely well-written. I have no doubt I would’ve enjoyed the dialogue and humor more if I were from the UK. I found most of the characters to be both likable and relatable and was rooting for them. I liked that not only was there some teenage drama, but also adult drama. This would be perfect for fans of “Someone We Know” by Shari Lapena who aren’t looking for a crime book but are still enthralled by secrets.

This is a psychological thriller that focuses on three families and a night which changes their lives forever. The story focuses on these three families living in the same street and their issues and a street party that affected their lives.

The story was a slow burn from the beginning and I felt losing interest after a few pages but it picked up its pace in the second half. The story is told in multiple POV's which did not affect the flow of the story.

This story has a lot of secrets, lies, betrayal and much more. Not the best thriller but it was a good effort by the author. The narration was good and the language was simple and lucid but it lacked a bit of thrill to it. Overall it was an ok read.

A neighborhood split apart by the "haves" and "have nots" decide to come together by having a street party. The head party planner is wealthy Nella, married to the rich and upcoming politician Marcus. Their children are the vibrant and beautiful Willow, who will be transferring to the public school, and Beau, a quiet little boy. Also on the committee are widower Ruby, mother to teenager Zach, and her best friend Melissa, married to Rex and step-mother to teenager Cecilia. Tensions build and the lives of these characters intertwine in complex ways, culminating in accusations of events the night of the party, and spiraling into changed lives for all involved.

The story premise was a good one and the author was able to connect the characters together well. The characters in this novel were complex however, and could be difficult to follow. At times the dialogue moved so quickly between characters that it made it unclear what the author was trying to portray. This novel was listed as a domestic thriller. While it fit that definition to a certain extent, I don't feel that it really followed through on delivery. There were too many things going on at one time and too many stories to wrap up. There were some things that could have been cut completely and some story lines that could have been better developed.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel, but I didn't love it. 3 stars

Thank you to #NetGalley and #bookouture for an ARC of #TheStreetParty by #ClaireSeeber in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun little thriller! I got major Sandie Jones and Lucy Foley vibes. The build up and suspense to figure out what happened were definitely there. I was not a fan of any of the characters to be honest, but I think that just added to all of the drama in this story!

Nella is hosting the street party to help raise more money for the community. Melissa and Ruby, among others, have been recruited to help with planning, set-up, and running activities. Unfortunately, the night doesn't go as planned. It's his word against hers. Who should everyone believe? What truly happened in the late hours of the night?
I was really looking forward to this read! It was interesting enough to keep my attention; I wanted to see where everyone ended up and how the story ended. It was advertised as a thriller, however, I would describe it as a general fiction. It felt as though the author intended to add mystery to the story, but at times it felt as though it was kind of distracting from the story. Overall, this was an interesting read.
I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the arc of The Street Party by Claire Seeber.

5 stars- This follows a party which was meant to be the best moment and highlight of the summer... 3 neighbours and their families.. who are drinking and having fun and laughing while drinking out of plastic glasses. The whole question is can she really trust whom she is letting into her home..

Told through multiple POV'S. Highly recommend and anticipate you to read, had me hooked and thrilled from the start to finish. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I'm a little bummed with the categorization of this book. I went into this book thinking it was going to be a thriller, but it was definitely not that at all. It was a political/cliche ridden family drama that was a very slow burn. If I would have known that, I would not have chosen this book since that is not my type of book to read. If you love this type of genre, this book is perfect for you.

This book hit all the major hot topics: domestic abuse, infidelity, racism, blackmail, #metoo, gun violence, drugs, slavery, LBGTQ, death of a spouse, infertility, and more. There were far too many side stories to make this book cohesive.

I was actually pretty annoyed with how book portrayed date rape and the #metoo movement. It made it out to be a joke which doesn't help victims going forward.

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

This felt overdone. The story plot has been done time & time again, there just wasn’t anything fresh about this one!

I read just over half of this book and just couldn’t finish it. I found myself reading it for the sake of reading but not really enjoying or feeling particularly thrilled.

Compared to the blurb on the back cover I found the plot to be extremely slow, there was far too many seemingly random storylines and most of what I’d read so far, whilst trying to be mysterious, was very predictable. This book was pitched as a mystery thriller but it is far much more a family drama.

The whole first half of the book leads up to the street party, but the party itself is over in a matter of pages. Added to that a combination of unlikeable characters and crazy dialogue - I quit the book knowing I wasn’t the target audience.

I’m sure lots of other people will feel differently and that’s totally great! But this book wasn’t for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Can you be friends with someone vastly different from you? Ruby, Melissa, Nella, and a whole lot of other parents are engaged in planning a street party to bring their community together, but it may just end up tearing them apart.

The Street Party is not your typical psychological thriller and may be better classified as a social drama. Overall, the book is very well written and impactful and makes you wonder what lies beneath all the glitz and glamor that we see so often in our society.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc.

I found this a little of a slow starter at first , but then when it for going it was a really good read ! I listened to the audiobook , the narrators were ok , though I did find the narrator that played ruby a little annoying at times

I found this book very hard to follow and I gave up around 44%.
I didn't 'gel' with any of the characters and felt that the story line was dragging.
It wasn't for me sadly.

An absolutely gripping story of the secrets you would do anything to keep hidden, with a twist you just won’t see coming. Perfect for fans of Gone Girl, Big Little Lies and The Girl on the Train.

This is a new Bookouture author for me, but one that I was instantly attracted to from the cover. I definitely haven’t been disappointed.

I have loved the author’s writing style, I have been instantly pulled into the pages of this one and unable to put this book down. This is a book I have devoured in just one sitting.

This is unpredictable and I have been kept guessing throughout. The tension is clear from very early on in the novel and I have been completely immersed in this one.

This is a unique and original plot. The characters are a good variety and easy to find believable.

A definite five star read. I’m looking forward to more from this author.

Claire Seeber's writing is captivating. This is a slow burn drama with well developed, believable characters and topics that stir your emotions. The plot had so many twists and turns that I couldn't put the book down. Can't wait to read more from this author.