Full review will be on my blog on 1st September as part of the book tour.

The small seaside town reminded me of my home town. I could liken many of the characters there to people who I grew up with.
The constant drinking and thinking about sex did start to annoy me after a while, however, based on the ages of the characters and their attitudes I would class this as a New Adult book which isn't a genre I would generally go for (due to character traits such as excessive drinking and constant obsessing over sex/relationships), If I ignore these aspects then I did really enjoy the book.
I liked the idea of using a podcast as the basis for looking into the case again, however, I'm not sure this was used to it's fullest potential.
I loved the ending and I didn't see it coming at all, which is quite rare for me. I'm not sure I could have taken the same actions as Katie did at the end though

Narration of this book was so good, brought the book alive for me and I easily followed the storyline. Listening to spoken word is one way I get through mundane tasks and as such I am prepared at times, to put up with a poor storyline. However, in this case I thoroughly enjoyed the tale and found myself choosing to do some simple tasks so that I could justify listening to more! What a fantastic book!

A contaminated crime scene, multiple suspects and a small town - this audiobook was very gripping.
There's a lot of slow built mystery and every chapter left me asking for more.

Lacey was killed 5 yrs ago during a beach party and no one knows what exactly happened.
Now Katie and Sophie have taken up this murder mystery for their podcast of unsolved cases.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for this digital ARC - it's a good 3.5 star read for me. Some parts can be edited as it looks like filler, but otherwise this book was a good quick read/ listen

There is nothing I love more than a mystery that keeps me guessing. “The Beach Party” can feel like a slow climb at times, but I can honestly say that I didn’t see the ending coming!

Omg this was so good! Fast pace! Page turner! I couldn’t get enough. I was addicted reading this! Such a good book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a pretty average mystery and thriller. I love thrillers that keep me guessing until the end and then deliver that last punch that leaves me breathless, but unfortunately, this one was not one of them. I saw the twist coming, and it left me a bit disappointed.

I found every single character in the book extremely annoying. Katie was the worst, followed closely by her best friend and podcast mate. Although the blurb didn't say so, the book actually follows the two of them as they go back to Katie's hometown to investigate a murder that took place 5 years prior for their true crime podcast. I didn't hate the podcast angle, but I do think the blurb is quite misleading, as it makes readers believe that the beach party and murder happen in real time rather than a flashback.

What troubled me most about this book was the amount of useless information scattered throughout it. We are subjected to pages and pages of Katie's musings about her love life (and, dear God, how was she somehow involved with every guy in that friend group?), the downright weird love triangle with Sophie and Tom, and a bunch of other tidbits that seemed important but were never addressed again. Honestly, I think there could have been a much more sinister and satisfying way of ending this book. All the strings were there, but I think the author was too scared to pull them.

I'd also like to add that I had some trouble with the writing style. It was far too choppy at times, which made it difficult for me to follow and understand. I get the appeal and power of using short sentences and chapters in this particular genre, but I don't think it was executed that well here.

With that said, it was a quick and enjoyable read, and it kept me engaged until the end. That's why I think it deserves 3 stars. It is a solid — if predictable — debut.

Podcasters Sophie and Kate chasing and discussing the murder of Lacey that took place 5 years ago. The idea around this story was good, Podcasters trying to solve a crime. It seemed a bit rushed, one moment they were still figuring it out and the next moment it was solved. I personally think they needed to uncover a couple more big "clue's" to really get to the point of solving it. Overall I did like it and the ending was a bit of a twist, just not an ultimate favourite.


Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

5 years ago a girl was murdered at a party. No one was ever charged. Will they find out who did it?

I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook.
The storytelling aspect of this book was a little different, being delivered in the style of a podcast ‘Small Town’ that Katie and Sophie are presenting and this is how we find out events from the night of the murder.

I did think it was a little slow to start and had to persevere, but once it gets going it is definitely worth sticking with!
The narration wasn’t my favourite but again, once I was in to the story I got used to it.
I have rated this 3.5 stars - rounded up to 4!

A ‘fun’ summer thriller. I would definitely be interested in reading more from this author.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this audiobook. Thank you Amy Sheppard for a fab debut novel!

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

This was one where I definitely did not expect the ending! I didn't fully connect with the characters but still enjoyed it, and the narrator was really good.

I received an audio ARC of this novel.

Story: The story was very interesting, the plot twists were really unexpected! I did find the pacing to be a bit slow for my preference, but i loved that it had podcast elements and was re-exploring an event the podcast host had lived through.

Narration: I found that the narrator was great! She really aligned the proper emotions for what was happening.

The Beach Party is my first by Amy Sheppard and her thriller debut and I have to say for a first thriller, this was pretty well done! I started off this as an ebook and think I actually preferred that format as I switched to the audiobook about 20% of the way through. The narration was still good though. I was really taken by surprise by the ending and did not see it coming at all. I think this was a bit slow moving but did hold my interest throughout. Overall, this was a good thriller but I would have liked a bit more character development to make the ending a bit more dramatic. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Katie and Sophie meet in college. Eventually they start a true crime podcast that they call "Small Town".

An opportunity arises for them to go to Pengully, Katie's hometown, and do a podcast about a murder from five years ago involving Lacey Crew, who was nineteen at the time of her death.
Katie knew Lacey, they ran in the same circles. As the investigation goes on, Katie starts having memory flashbacks. And bits and pieces of the night Lacey died start revealing themself.

I really enjoyed the use of a true crime podcast in this book. The ending surprised me, which is always good. I enjoyed the book and would definitely read more by thsi author.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for my advance audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

A good book for me is comprised of 3 main things- it can have one or more of these things and still be a good book but lacking any of the 3 will cause it to be a low rated read or a book I don’t finish.

1. Unique or interesting premise/plot
2. Likable or relatable characters
3. Twist/twists the reader is unable to see coming while still being somewhat plausible.

This book hit all the marks for me. Although books about true crime podcasters isn’t unique nor are unsolved murders or cold cases, it isn’t an overused premise of a book and this one was interesting and well done.

The characters were relatable and interesting enough even if not all were entirely likable. I didn’t find myself rolling my eyes or groaning at any point so that is a plus.

It is extremely difficult to find a book for me that isn’t somewhat predictable while still being plausible because there are only so many ways for stories in this genre to wrap up but Amy Sheppard did a good job of having the ending be a total surprise, at least for me, and doing a good job of introducing red herrings throughout the book to lead you astray and thinking you knew who the killer was. I was pleasantly surprised at the reveal at the end.

I enjoyed the narrator, it was my first time listening to a book she narrated although there were a few times swallowing and clearing of the throat were audible and I wasn’t sure if they were intentional or not.

Overall, 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. I’m definitely interested in more from this author for a quick read.

Thank you to @netgalley, @bookouture and Amy Sheppard for this gifted audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars rounded to 4! I’d like to start by saying that overall I really enjoyed this book. I think I went into this with misaligned expectations (I thought it would be a fast paced suspense/thriller when it was more of a winding mystery) but the audio helped move things along. I loved the narrators voice and I felt like the character development was done really well. The mystery itself was a bit slow until near the end with a few shocking revelations I was not expecting, but that didn’t keep me from enjoying the story and interactions between the characters.

I’d highly recommend this book for fans of Lucy Foley, this book felt like it could be one of hers!

Content Rating: PG-13/R due to references to rape, affairs, and murder. Nothing graphic to note, but this book is definitely meant for adult readers.

Synopsis:
We were all at the party. Which of us wanted her dead?

As the smoke from the bonfire spirals into the night sky and the cool drinks slip down our throats, none of us can take our eyes off Lacey. She dances in the dunes, her long golden hair damp from her late-night swim, her smile dazzling, her blue eyes closed.

Everyone who is close to Lacey sits by the smoky fire. Her adoring boyfriend, who holds onto her, perhaps a little too tightly. Her little sister, always in Lacey’s shadow, sifting fine soft sand through her fingers, never taking her eyes off Lacey. And me. Sad and full of rage, after an argument forced the man I love to leave the party early.

When the fire burns out, we stumble away from the beach, along the cliff path – faces burned by the wind, hearts full of secrets. But Lacey never makes it home. The next morning, her body is found in the sand dunes, a heart-shaped locket missing from around her neck.

Who would have thought our beach party could end the way it did? Close friends gathered on the last night of a long hot summer – which one of us could have killed the girl everybody loved?

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Genre: Mystery
Key Details: Podcasters, Small Town, Murder Investigation, Who-Done-It

Triggers: Self Harm, Alcoholism

Short Summary: With the persistence of her co-host, podcasters Katie and Sophia head back to Katie’s hometown in the hopes of solving a murder that was committed 5 years ago. The murder took place during a beach Bonfire that Katie herself was attending. Memories from that drunken night keep coming back to Katie as they interview friends from the past. Was it who the town always assumed it was, or was the murderer someone completely unexpected?

I highly suggest giving this one a listen when it comes out — in just 2 days!!

*Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for my ALC in exchange for an honest review.*

The Beach House is an intense and page-turning read with an intriguing mystery at its center.

The premise is fantastic with an excellent setting in Cornwall which is used very effectively. I like the podcast element which is used well with an air of mystery maintained until the end.

For a debut novel, this was an absolute pleasure to read. Amy Sheppard combines all the ingredients of a good mystery, with an ending that packs a punch. Very atmospheric which is a massive plus for me.

One caveat, the narration fell a little flat for me. The narrator provided a good sense of isolation from the main character's POV but, lacked any personality. Also, there were some hesitant pauses that I didn't care for. However, this could just be me.

As the ‘classic’ white woman, I am heavily into the True Crime genre, so the fact that the main characters are podcasters made me laugh and piqued my interest (I also noticed some little nods to specific podcasts!). I found this quite interesting as it was almost like you were learning ‘the facts’ in the same way you would with a true crime podcast of that style; and you could extrapolate from the information to come up with your own theories.



From the beginning you can tell there is a history between the characters in this book, which leads to many questions - making you pay attention to see if you can extract any clues from the prose. The descriptions are rich and rounded making it easy to imagine the events that have taken place and the characters within.



This is a really well written example of a modern crime thriller, which all too often can be a bit cheesy and cliché. The story builds on itself really well with plenty of twists to keep you guessing and that ending! I loved it and would definitely read more from this author.



The narrator is great with excellent pronunciation and intensity of voice, they make it easy to differentiate between each character and definitely brings the book to life.

When their podcast, ‘Small Town’ takes best friends Katie & Sophie back to Katie’s home town to investigate the cold case murder of Lacey… Katie’s School bully, not even Katie herself could expect the series of events she was about to set in motion.

Firstly, the narrator of the audiobook was brilliant and definitely kept me hooked throughout!

Onto the book itself - I loved the premise of sitting behind a true crime podcast and investigation. Something made even more interesting by the fact that our MC was actually there the night of the murder, along with a great cast of other characters. Having this really allowed the author to dive into their backstories and help the reader really feel connected to the characters.

Although I didn’t see it coming I did find the reveal at the end a little lukewarm, which was a shame as the story was building quite well - but sadly I just didn’t quite get that ‘aha’ moment I love from thrillers.

A really solid 3star book for me - if you
Love true crime then this is a great fiction book for you!

A podcast for crime.. well crime podcast? Yes. Super exciting and claver. I have to thank Bookouture and Netgalley for this opportunity. It was somethibg different, refreshing for me. I felt to go to that small town and investigate the murders. And discovering all the peaces that leads to the conclusion was terrific. I was bot expecting. It was also a sad story but a page turning.

OMFG I did NOT see this ending coming! The Beach Party was my first book, well audiobook , written by Amy Sheppard and narrated by Amalia Vitale.
Sheppard did a fantastic job with character development which kind of created a slow burn feel for the first half of the book, but WOW once it picked up speed it was a wild ride of twists and turns!
Amalia Vitale did a fantastic job narrating and really pulled me into the story. I finished this in two sittings it was a definite could not put down!
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the ARC ! I HIGHLY recommend you RUN out to THE BEACH PARTY before summer ends , coming out August 30, 2022! You will NOT expect this ending and you will not want to put this one down!