Enjoyed the narration. The storyline wasn’t as I expected - less thriller and more drama. Found the scandal less scandalous than was originally expected but a good solid story

I have tried so hard to finish this one, but I just cannot do it. Usually I love this genre I think it may be the narrator but something about this book grates on me. DNF if I could give it 0 stars I would

Firstly, this is not a mystery/thriller as promoted - it is a domestic drama, and not very good at that. It is more like the authoress checking in into every hot topic of nowadays (racism, sexual attack, domestic violence, slavery, mean girls...) instead of concentrating on the real logic of the plot (which is weak) and its pace (which is very slow). The first half of the novel is all about building some tension, which then quickly dissipates as THE SCANDAL is in reality quite trite at best. Then, in the last chapters, some another secrets are quickly mentioned...
I'd say that the authoress can write, and her writing might be interesting, but she needs to concentrate to the story as is, not to all the in-fashion issues.

As for the narrators - they are solid. They can deliver the story and nothing in their narration has disturbed me.

I quite enjoyed The Street Party - there are a lot of characters with very different backgrounds and it is enjoyable getting to know them and finding out what lies beneath the facade they show outwardly to others. The story is centred around the planning of a street party but goes more in depth to different issues that each main character is struggling with. There is an interesting interplay between storylines at different parts. Unfortunately I could not gel with the narrator, the accents sounded almost mocking and steroetyped in places so I think I would have enjoyed the book more if it was read rather than audio.

The Street Party is a good domestic drama. It us based around a group of neighbours living in West London in very different circumstances. A single mum, A headteachers wife and a trophy wife of a politician. A party is planned and the conclusion of the evening changes the families forever. Some hard hitting subjects and teens involved. I had the audio book version and it was a good listen while walking my dogs who got some extra walking in! A slow start leads to a gripping end.

The street party by Claire Seeber is a domestic drama. Told from three perspectives the planning of a street party introduces all of the characters, Ruby, the single mum of mixed race children, Nella, the rich woman with a troubled daughter and Melisa an abused wife, trying to do her best for her step daughter. Although the women tell the story the children are center stage for the drama.
The party planning sets the scene for a big secret reveal at the party, things happened and the fallout causes strains in relationships and further secrets to be released.
Unfortunately, this wasn't as thrilling as I'd hoped, the characters were a little one dimensional, there was little back story or motive for their actions, I did like Ruby though perhaps as her background was discussed. I thought the plot was aimed more at young adult as the teenage children seemed to be the focus of the issues. For me there was an important topic that wasn't really given the gravitas it disserved. Why did willow do what she was did? What actually happens when you do this? A lot of poignant topics were brought up but I felt left unsatisfied by their conclusion and a particularly rushed ending which lead to an extended epilogue explaining what actually happened, odd.
Overall, I didn't like most of the characters, there were interesting plot themes which could have have been delved into deeper. Perhaps more for the YA audience. 2*
Thanks to NetGalley and W F Howes LTD.

An ok book was quite slow starting
The party wasn’t till later in the story
I kept going with this book the second half will have you gripped.
It is definitely worth a read
Narration is very good
Thanks NetGalley

Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy this at all. I tried listening more than once and it just wasn’t for me.

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.

I received a complimentary audio book of this novel at my request from W.F. Howes Ltd and NetGalley.
This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Claire Seeber for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook of The Street Party. I enjoyed listening to this one and was intrigued to find out what would happen next.

This book focuses on three families living on the same street but who in reality may be absolute worlds apart. I liked how this book jumped between the perspectives of characters giving us a varying insight to their very different lives and situations.

There were definitely some dislikable characters in this one but I was rooting for Ruby throughout!

I wasn’t 100% sold on the narration at points but overall enjoyed it.

I read this book very quickly thanks to such an engaging talented author! Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review. Great characters, setting and storyline. Would highly recommend.

A cautionary tale about never taking things at face value. An ordinary community event and insight into oddities that are “normal people”
How we perceive people is not always accurate and the lengths people go to , trying to hide their less than perfect persona.

The Street Party by Claire Seeber is a character-driven novel with a dark heart that will keep you gripped into the night.

** ARC provided by Netgalley via the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ***

This domestic drama was pleasant enough and enjoyable to listen to but it felt a little bit slow in building up to the main event. One we got to the main event, the suspense was high but actually very little actually happened.

The description of the book seems a little strange as, to me, there is clearly a main character but this description doesn't come from them. The book does have a large cast of characters, however, the mother and son duo are focused upon which I'd not expected reading the blurb.

The narrator, as mentioned in some previous reviews, is a little off putting with certain voices such as, the Australian character and the young male character. Overall, worth a summer listen.

This was my first adventure into audiobooks and I don’t think I could have asked for a better one to start with. The story is about a place in London with different levels of wealth mixing together to organise a street party. Ruby gets pulled in by her friend Melissa. From there it follows intricate details into the lives of all the characters. I found parts of the start were a bit too detailed but at the end I realised it was quite necessary to get certain parts of the story in this way. It is told from different points of view which adds a bit of insight into different parts of the story at different times. There were some characters who I really didn’t like (I think this may have been intentional!) and some who shocked me. Overall I felt the characters were very believable and the main part of the plot drew on something which I do believe is an issue in many schools and for many teens. The story was a good one and drew a lot on what I imagine really life in those areas would be like. Finished off with a fantastic ending where an epilogue wrapped it up nicely! No spoilers here... I cannot wait to read (or listen) to another book by Claire Seeber!

This book starts quite slowly, and to be honest I very nearly gave up on it. I'm so glad I didn't because after the quiet start the book took off with a bang and the second part of the book was superb!

The story is told by three different women, from different social classes, who live in an area of London where the wealthy live shoulder to shoulder with those not so fortunate, and revolves around events at a street party and the repurcussions afterwards. The story feels quite tense at time with some real heart-in-the- mouth moments

Clare Seeber does a fantastic job tackling social issues such as sexual assault, toxic friendships and racism, weaving them expertly into the story which is chock full of secrets and liesAnna Cordell, Laura Brydon, Nano Nagle.

The three narrators, Anna Cordell, Laura Brydon, and Nano Nagle did a great job and made each of the women seem real.

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

The Street Party is advertised as a thriller, but I think it fits more into a domestic drama, or women's fiction with suspense. It focuses on the group of neighbours living in Northgate Square in Wes London. The story revolves around three women and their families. Ruby a recently widowed, working mother with two children, Melissa, Ruby's best friend who is married to Rex, the headmaster of St Bede's and is stepmother to his daughter Cecelia, and Nella Jackson who is married to local politician Marcus. She is obsessed with money, beauty and putting on airs of having a perfect life. She has a daughter, Willow, and a young son, Beau. Nella decides to organize a street party and fundraiser to raise cash for charity and give her husband an opportunity to shake some hands and raise support for his newest political endeavour. Fireworks, alcohol, drugs and fun sounds like a wonderful time, but something happens at the party that'll change the lives of these three women and their families forever.

The women are the main focus of the story, but it is the actions of their children that drive a lot of it. There is an allegation by one of the young women that puts things in motion that will change lives. Some of these kids are spoiled rotten, but giving gifts, money and protecting them from failing is not what kids need and trying to get attention often has problems. This story is a slow burn, with the first half of the story, setting the stage and introducing the families. These families are all very different and dealing with different issues, but they all have problems. The story is told from the POV of the three women. They alternate between chapters and I was often left wondering who was telling the truth. All three women pretend everything is great on the outside but behind closed doors it tells a different story. The story sped up for the last third and it kept me riveted. This story reminded a bit of Big, Little Lies with characters that didn't always present themselves honestly. This story was full of secrets, lies, deception, betrayal, addiction, scandals and domestic violence. There were some twists and turns throughout the story and some things that took me by surprise. This is a neighbourhood that I definitely don't want to move into, but I did care about several of the characters and was cheering for a certain outcome. The audiobook is narrated by three performers, Anna Cordell, Laura Brydon, and Nano Nagle. This gave each of the women their own voice which was wonderful as you could always tell which woman was sharing her story. This added to the enjoyment of the story, as I always prefer books with a cast of narrator. If you enjoy a good community story, with some well-written characters, toxicity, lies and suspense, then pick up The Street Party.

The idea of a street party was rather appealing, and I’m a great lover of psychological thrillers, however, I’m not entirely sure that either of those things provide the best guide to this book.
This is the story of a group of residents living in a residential neighbourhood in London - the area is home to a diverse community including aspiring MPs, struggling single parents, disaffected teenagers, abused wives .. A street party is arranged to raise funds, with the hope of increasing social cohesion and building community spirit, but the events of the night have far reaching effects...
I listened to this on audiobook, narrated by several narrators. Unfortunately I really struggled with the voices and in particular when they voiced other characters and used various accents. The accents made me feel rather uncomfortable. Unfortunately the narration detracted from my experience of listening and enjoying the book.
However, I did feel that Melissa and Ruby’s storylines were very interesting, particularly in the aftermath of the party. Zack’s story was very sensitivity written and I really enjoyed this section of the book.
The story has a very long build up and a very long epilogue which I felt were really too long and swamped the central story which was really very good.
Thank you to Netgalley and W.F. Howes Ltd for a digital copy of this audiobook.

A layer cake of secrets, lies and divisive characters, addictive to the last bite.

Loved:

• Ruby is pure BFF goals, especially as performed by Laura Brydon who balances warmth and cheekiness with strength and intelligence. Rooting for Team Ruby made me truly invested in this story.

• Class divides, entitlement, privilege and prejudice, Claire Seeber humanises some seriously heavyweight subjects through her characters.

• There’s nothing I love to hate more than awesomely despicable characters, which this book has in spades.

Could Have Loved More:

Nella was a brilliant character and Nano Nagle delivers haughty arrogance with enviable aplomb, but I felt her voice was too mature.

Shall I compare thee to…

The writing reminded me of one of my favourite authors, Lisa Jewell.

Other Thoughts:

I want to see Nella’s Pinterest board.

Big thanks to NetGalley and W.F. Howes Ltd for providing me with an audio ARC in return for an honest review.