This was a great thriller with an obsession aspect to it. The story was fast-paced and kept my attention all the way to the end. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

Enjoyed this. I read well into the early hours to keep going as I couldn't figure out what was happening and it was really interesting to find out all the twists and turns as the book comes to the end. Really enjoyed it!

Wow! The entire time reading this book I kept thinking what the hell is wrong with this women! The lengths she goes to prove she didn’t cause this baby harm is a bit psychotic. When you think it can’t get any more absurd the author hits you with a twisty ending that just proves every one of the characters are off the deep end.

The Party by Nora Valters is a real page turner! What if you are accused of something that was not your fault? By everyone you know? And it involves a child? You will have to read this for yourself to find out!

From start to finish, I found this book impossible to put down. I really didn't guess the twist of 'the villain ' of this story. I did wonder why the main character didn't just contact social services.? So maybe not the most believable plot. The author definitely used a lot of poetic license with child protection law. A wife accuses her husband of attacking her and her baby. Causing the baby significant bruising and the police just believe the wife and no further investigation is taken into the child's safety and well.being. Thankfully in real life an infant's safety is taken a lot more seriously. But as a enjoyable work of fiction this story really works.. I recommend this book and I am just starting another book by the same author.

3.5 stars
THE PARTY by Nora Valters was a refreshing storyline. It had plenty of twists and turns and had me scratching my head every time my suspect was cleared.
Ruth returns to her hometown to introduce her fiancé to her friends and family. While at a party on Christmas Eve she unbelievably drops her friend Holly’s baby. The baby, Dylan, suffers bruising but Holly and her husband assure her that the baby is just fine and refuse to go to the hospital. But wait…those bruises look too old to have just happened? As Ruth begins to wonder, then investigate what’s really going on, her life begins to unravel.
I enjoyed this one. It had me turning the pages quickly as Ruth fell further and further down the rabbit hole. While most of her investigative skills were actually crimes themselves, I liked how Ms. Valters painted concise pictures of how and why Ruth was breaking the law. I was invested in Ruth as she tried to help baby Dylan. She began the story as a villain but I cheered with her as she figured it all out although I cringed every time she confronted her suspects. We were both wrong on a few.
Well done, Ms Valters!

here's something about the way the author writes that makes the words flow easily, and the pages turn themselves!
A pitch perfect thriller! . . . This author is an absolute master of psychological suspense!

A very interesting, nice story.
I didnot see it coming !
A good read, book !

A pleasant discovery, i didnot know this author. I will be happy to read one of her book.

This was a strange one!! I found parts of the storyline a bit unbelievable. That being said I did enjoy the book.

A party to remember...for all the wrong reasons...

All it takes is a split second. One minute Ruth has everything - friends, a loving fiance, a high-powered job she loves - to having nothing. And all it took was one moment in time when she was tipsy for her whole life, as she knew it, to change dramatically.

It's Christmas Eve and Ruth is up from London with her fiance Kofi to join her closest friends at their annual Christmas Eve party at friend Thandi's house. One of the group, Holly, has recently had a baby and is passing him around her friends. As the night draws further in and a few more drinks are consumed, Ruth finds herself with Holly, her once close friend whom she hasn't been close to since before her marriage to Shane. Ruth is the only one who hasn't had a hold of baby Dylan and so naturally she asks if she could. Holly hesitates before handing him over but Dylan goes easily and moulds himself in Ruth's arms.

But then in a split second when she reaches for her glass, baby Dylan slips from her lap and falls to the floor. You could cut the air with a knife through the silence as the group waits with baited breath for any sign of movement from the baby. Suddenly his eyes open followed by his mouth is an ear screeching howl. Ruth breathes a sigh of relief. He's okay; the baby is okay.

And then it is discovered his little body is covered in bruisesand suddenly all fingers point to Ruth.

But something doesn't add up. She's no expert but the marks on baby Dylan's body are not consistent with the fall...or at least they don't appear to be to Ruth. But who would believe her? No one, it appears. And very soon Ruth finds herself without friends, fiance, job or a place to stay...since London held nothing for her in her quest to find out what really happened. Ruth is adamant that she will prove that she did not cause those marks on baby Dylan's little body. However, her quest turns into an obsession in which she becomes almost manic and incoherent at times in her search for the truth. But something was going on in Shane and Holly's house and she was determined to find out exactly what...just to keep Dylan safe, if nothing else.

At the beginning of the book we are thrown headlong into the party and find ourselves amidst such a group of people it was difficult to get one's head around them all at once. But they soon made their own unique presence felt. Mihika was certainly a force to be reckoned with while Thandi and Briony were pretty much kept in the background. The main players from the party we came up against were Ruth, Kofi, Lewis, Holly and Shane. And of course baby Dylan.

THE PARTY is a unique tale that certainly kept me engaged and had me thinking about the book even when I wasn't reading it, and I couldn't wait to get back to it. But the thing I struggled with was that Ruth's entire network of friends she had grown up with from school to now thirty-somethings just turned on her. They were meant to be close friends for nigh on over twenty years! Why would such close friends do that at the mere drop of a hat? And be so quick to judge and point the finger at her as being responsible yet couldn't possibly entertain the fact that something else was going on. And then there was Kofi. My gosh, his reaction and subsequent behaviour was just cold. I found him to be selfish and controlling not to mention his sudden rage at the mere sniff of alcohol or even mention of it. Ruth would be well rid of him, in my opinion. I don't care what his excuses are, his treatment of someone he was meant to love and support was atrocious. And don't get me started on her father. It was like he wasn't even related to her. So quick to disown her and believe the worst in her...bullying both her and her mother with snide little comments and insults. The man never had a kind word to say in the entire book!

And then there were Ruth's actions. They were seriously questionable to say the least and while I understood her motives they weren't really believable. I mean, would you do half the things she did in her position? I don't think so. But still...while the story wasn't overly believable it was certainly entertaining and kept me turning the pages to find out what happened.

When the twist came, I wasn't surprised. I had my suspicions as there were a few pieces I had already put together. But I didn't know the whole story and I was itching to uncover them. There was one aspect of the ending I didn't like...and given my review, when you read it I'm sure you'll know exactly what part I am referring to. But overall, a relatively satisfying conclusion.

I've not read Nora Valters before but after delving into this madhouse of events, I'm keen to test out some of her others.

Overall, THE PARTY is a good solid thriller that was a bit of a train wreck while at the same time you are unable look away as you fly through the pages. An entertaining read.

I would like to thank #NoraValters, #Netgalley and #InkubatorBooks for an ARC of #TheParty in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

Many thanx to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read and review this book.

Maybe it's just me but I found this a little too unbelievable, even in a novel! Yes, the baby was dropped but why was everyone turning against her? Struggled to finish this but not my style of book, very strange how people react and cling together when 1 person has made a mistake.........human nature, I suppose.

This was a very enjoyable read with plenty of twists and turns throughout, everyone loves a good party but sadly this is one remembered for all the wrong reasons …

This wad a great book full of twists and turns I never expected. When everyone around makes you feel like you are losing your mind for you to only come out finding peoples deep secrets! Definitely recommend.

I enjoyed this book. The storyline was great, I really liked the characters. It was atmospheric, believable, and thrilling. Would definitely recommend.

This will be a party to remember. For all the wrong reasons!

Ruth is engaged to her successful and charming fiance, has a high power career, and is living in Londan and loving it. Ruth decides to come home for Christmas with her fiance so he can officially meet all her family and friends. But she really wants him to meet her closest friend, Holly Murphy, who also just had a new baby. They decide to attend the Christmas Eve party but little do they know what is about to happen. As Ruth is holding her friend Hollys little boy she accidently drops him and he is injured. But not everyone is sure that it was an accident. As they try to get the child help, Ruth decides she had nothing to do with the babys injuries. She starts to think that the childs injuries were already there and that Holly isnt as nice as she thinks. Ruth starts to dig for answers but starts to get shunned by family and friends. Through this obsessions' she loses her job and become alienated from her fiancé. What actually happened and is Ruth to blame?

I thought that was a really good book! It packed a huge punch on the lot and it was a crazy story line. It dealt with family issues, drama, friendships, and so much more. It was truly involved from start to finish and it kept me guessing. I wasnt sure about it in the beginning but I feel in love with it. The only complaint I have is that the ending was a little lack luster for me. But otherwise the box was a great book and I would recommend.

Overall I really liked this book and flew through it in on night. I just wasn’t the biggest fan of the child neglect and abuse part, and found some of the main characters actions to be disturbing

When Ruth accidentally drops her friend Holly's baby, little does she know that her life would start unraveling. The baby has some bruises that Ruth is sure were not caused by the fall, but Holly says otherwise. Her friends and boy friend all distance themselves from her.
The story started off well but somewhere it just didn't work so much for me. So many parts were unbelievable. Overall an okay read.

Thank you Netgalley and Inkubator books for the ARC

This was a great story of a woman obsesses with figuring out the truth about an abused child.. the twists were good, and her persistence was almost manic..

A good story even though there were some parts that I thought to be unbelievable. Still worth a read though

This plot had me feeling like I already read it but then I realized it was just something similar that I had read. With that in mind this book had a different ending than I was expecting and turned out to be a decent read.