Set in Sweden a New Year's Eve party between old high school friends and their families, turns into a nightmare when one of the teenage daughters doesn't come home from their teenage party. The two parties happening at the same time mean it's hard to think of all the possible events that lead to the death. There are a lot of simmering tensions between the adults and children, both historical and recent which could all play a factor. This thriller is a family/friends drama with horrible outcomes when people's secrets and lies lead to destruction. We are steered towards a few potential suspects, but the ending and twists will definitely leave you guessing!

This is a very twisty read. The pace is slow. The characters are good.
The mystery was good but not very engaging.

The tale revolves around two families who gather for New Year's, only to be confronted with an unexpected tragedy that forever transforms their existence. Due to the numerous hidden secrets in both families, the book was filled with intense drama. With a slow beginning, it took me some time to get into this book. Nevertheless, once the central tragedy occurred, the story shifted into a mystery, introducing a flurry of action and drama as the family members' secrets were unveiled. The characters lacked likability and relatability, but I sympathized with them as they were trapped in terrible situations. I desperately wanted those characters to face some kind of punishment for their irredeemable actions and narcissistic personalities.

I found the book enjoyable and I'm grateful for the chance to read it. The book's pages contain valuable lessons about toxic relationships and honesty, making it a worthwhile read. This book is perfect for those who like mysteries filled with suspense and domestic drama.

An absorbing read! This book has quite a slow start, done purposefully I think, so that you get to know the characters from the main two families really well. Also, as an interesting aside for me, a look at what life must be like in Sweden during the winter.

It’s difficult to talk about this book without giving any spoilers away, so just go with the flow, try to work out who you think has done what - guaranteed you won’t work it all out! It is a dark, multi-layered read but I felt the way it was plotted was really well done. It has great ‘normal’ family dynamics but how well do you really know your family members? I was intrigued and thinking about the plot, even when I wasn’t reading it - the sign of a great novel!

I enjoyed this thriller, a slow burn with a totally different perspective.

Brace yourself for a heart-pounding journey through this nail-biting thriller, where every page turn brought another shock and another reason to be scared.

An ok book
Not one of my favourites.
But wouldn’t put me off reading more by this author
Thanks NetGalley

Fabulous read, character-driven and detailed Happy New Year is a great demonstration of perception vs reality, showing that you never really know what life is like behind closed doors, where you can't see. These are families with secrets galore and what keeps you reading is the desire to know all about them.

I really enjoyed Happy New Year by Malin Stehn.

A bit of a slow burner that kept me intrigued and interested right to the very end.

4 stars.

Unfortunately Happy New Year didn't work for me at all, and I ended up DNF'ing it only 10% in. I didn't like any of the characters by that point, and there was so much switching around that I struggled to keep everyone straight. None of them had a distinct voice or anything going on, so I didn't connect with any of them and I couldn't tell them apart. I was really looking forward to uncovering the mystery in this one, and I like it when my thrillers are set outside the UK or USA, so I'm really sad that this one turned out not to be for me. At least I didn't read it to see in the new year!

I really enjoyed this thriller set in Malmo which begins on New Years Eve when friends since high school- Nina, Lollo and Malena- get together with their families. The teenage daughters of Lollo and Nina are having their own party after which Lollo's daughter Jennifer disappears.
This was a really compelling thriller, it's told in short chapters from the perspectives of Lollo, Nina and Nina's husband Fredrik. I found that the short chapters worked really well and kept me immersed in the story. The author portrayed the characters well, I became completely drawn into their lives and the Malmo winter.
A twisty thriller that I would recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

Well this is a rather unforgettable New Years. One that will haunt for a while. I was instantly excited about this book. I couldn’t wait to delve into the pages of this one and it hasn’t disappointed.

There are a mix of characters in this one. Initially I found myself looking back to remember each. However, once I’d figured it out I became hooked.

This is completely unpredictable and I’ve been really unable to work out where this was going to go. Some of the characters are completely untrustworthy from the very beginning.

I love that we get the perspective of all the adults in this one. The reader is really able to get to know them. Their vivid accounts enable us to feel as though we are with them as the events unfold.

Some actions, by certain characters have been quite puzzling. However, I have definitely been shocked at how this has panned out. It’s safe to say I didn’t see it coming .

Happy New Year is a book that has delivered and is one that I highly recommend to others who enjoy the genre. This is well written and highly enjoyable. I have devoured page after page in one sitting.

This book is quite a slow burner and as you get to the last quarter what you thought you knew gets blown apart and from there on out the twists and turns begin and the story starts getting exciting.

Set in Malmo, this Swedish psychological thriller focuses on a New Year’s Eve party and then the nightmare that ensues when everyone realises that teenager Jennifer Wiksell has gone missing.

On the surface, they are all good friends, but as the book progresses and the characters deepen, it is apparent that the individuals are quite unlikeable, almost hostile.

I could not put this book down, very well written and entirely believable.

5 stars.

An intriguing story to keep you guessing until the very end! Two New Year parties: one for adults and one for teenagers. Unfortunately, one of the parties didn't turn out as expected. Lots of twists and turns towards the end. Keep concentrating or you may forget who is who!

A littler slower than my normal books, but still enjoyable - I liked the characters but something felt lacking to me. Sorry! Still. solid 3 stars because it wasn't a DNF and I enjoyed it whilst in it.

I really enjoyed this book even though it had a slow start and took a while to get into the story. The story revolves around two families linked by their daughters. On New Year's Eve Jennifer, one of the daughters disappears after leaving a party. We know who she met and our suspicions are aroused and the wait is on to see what happens next. Is Jennifer still alive or dead? Eventually the truth comes out but I wasn't prepared for the last minute, breathtakingly final twist.

I struggled with this book, I’m not sure if something was lost in translation but it didn’t work for me. Horrible characters that I had no interest in. Sorry

This book started off slow, real slow. I was tempted to put it down and start something else, slow.
I felt we were given too much 'background' at the start - especially since we were given flashbacks throughout.

I found the style of splitting chapters between people a little confusing at times, but I got the hang of it.
I felt that this was more like the premise of a tv show rather than a book - I felt it had been set up in order to become a show, not a book. It may have been just me. The characters weren't very likeable, and we didn't learn much about them - they seemed very flat.

I enjoyed the story overall, and I like the twist, however, it all felt really rushed at the end. Tried to squeeze in too much in the final chapters.

Where is Jennifer? When Max and Lollo’s daughter disappears on New Year’s Eve, it starts an investigation which makes the characters feel exasperated…and guilty.
This book starts a little slowly, and it took me some time to get into it, but by the end I couldn’t put it down!
I was kept guessing, and the final outcome was surprising. With well written, and believable characters, I enjoyed it.

This is a translated character driven Swedish psychological thriller set in Malmo from Malin Stehn featuring the relationship dynamics of 2 families. It is New Year's Eve, the night for celebrations to usher in the coming year, old friends the Wiksells, Lola and Max, and the Anderssons, Fredrik and Nina are having their party, their 17 year old daughters, Jennifer and Smilla, are having their own separate celebrations across town. As the following morning comes, it soon transpires that Jennifer Wiksell has gone missing. This is not a police procedural, what we have is a narrative with multiple perspectives that goes back and forth in time.

As slowly becomes clear, little is as it appears, there are surprises and twists, secrets and deceptions, in a well plotted story with the intention of getting beneath the surface and exploring the main characters, all distinct with their own personalities, none of whom are likeable, and their interactions that seem to be initially idyllic, only for the darker elements to slowly emerge. This is an engaging crime novel, occasionally uneven when it comes to pacing and plotting, and perfectly timed reading for this time of the year. This will appeal to fans of Scandinavian crime and mystery. Many thanks to the publisher.