I loved this book! What a fun read. I was on the edge of my seat throughout. I really wasn’t expecting anything this good. When I first opened it I was actually just starting a bestseller I bought from my local bookstore but this way way better than that! It hooked me from the first page. Loved the character of Nadine and her relationship with her mother; my only criticism is that I wish the book kept going!

This didn't really work for me. I expected this to be a tense and suspenseful mystery but I instead got more of a domestic drama/fiction. The writing and the characters just seemed to fall a bit flat for me sadly and I wasn't wowed by the mystery either.

A bit like the old Columbo television programmes the murder is committed right at the beginning and we know who by. Sadly, for me, it all went downhill from then on in for me.
I found that not one of the characters were relateable and I didn't even like any of them, least of all the main character Nadine.
I found it a little slow going to begin with and then it became a little more interesting but Nadine's continuous introspection meant I my interest was not really held.
My thanks to Netgalley for my copy of A Death At The Party which I believed would be a gripping thriller but for me it did not work. I know though, that for many others it really hit the spot thus again proving the old adage that you can't please all of the people all of the time.

A Death at the Party begins with a murder, then it reels back to the start of that day and the slow build-up to that event.

Nadine is throwing a huge party for her famous mother's 60th birthday, The day is the anniversary of another death, thirty years earlier, that still haunts her.

All through that long, hot day the reader follows Nadine as her day twists and turns in a confusion of memories, guilt, betrayal and the unravelling of past secrets.

I read it in two sittings, utterly gripped.

I have not read anything quite like this before. It's quite a sad, harrowing novel, but nevertheless is gripping and compelling. For me it reads like a thriller written in a novel setting.
We have a narrator, Nadine Walsh and it all centers around the party for her mother. I liked how family secrets are slowly revealed. One not to be missed.

Not exactly a thriller as we know what happened but we don’t know why. The action takes place over the course of the day of the party and refers back to another party exactly 30 years ago.

Snippets of earlier events and secrets are slowly revealed but unfortunately for me once the “reveal” is made at the party, I was rather underwhelmed and unsurprised. Similarly by the time the “baddie” was unmasked I had begun to lose interest in and sympathy for the protagonist.

All in all I enjoyed the read but was happy when it drew to a conclusion.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

A Death at the Party by Amy Stuart is a gripping and suspenseful thriller that delves into the dark secrets lurking beneath the surface of a seemingly perfect garden party. Nadine Walsh, determined to host the event of the year, is plagued by her own personal demons as she navigates the complexities of her fractured family.

Stuart skilfully builds tension from the very beginning, leaving readers on edge as they anticipate the fateful moment when Nadine discovers a dead body in her own home. The author expertly weaves a web of intrigue and mystery, unravelling Nadine's secrets layer by layer.

The character development in the novel is exceptional. Nadine is a complex and flawed protagonist, and the struggles she faces add depth and authenticity to her character. The supporting characters, including her husband and children, are equally well-drawn and contribute to the overall sense of unease and suspicion.

Stuart's writing style is immersive and evocative, creating a palpable atmosphere of suspense and apprehension. The pacing is well-balanced, gradually building towards the shocking climax. The author's ability to keep readers guessing until the final pages is commendable.

A Death at the Party is a gripping and satisfying thriller that will keep readers hooked from start to finish. Amy Stuart's storytelling prowess shines through as she masterfully constructs a tale of deception, secrets, and the lengths one woman will go to protect her own interests. Fans of psychological suspense will find themselves engrossed in this dark and twisted tale of a party gone horribly wrong.

This was an excellent read during a rainy day. A Death at the Party is an engrossing domestic neighbourhood suspense set over a single day And reveals so many secrets lying beneath the surface of everyone involved.

Death at the party

It took a long while for me to get into this book and the central character irritated me no end. The story begins to come together towards the end of the book….. I won’t give any spoilers but karma is wonderful!

‘Oh what a night
Late [July] back in [23]
What a very special time for me
As I remember, what a night’.

It sure is an unforgettable one as Nadine hosts, a 60th birthday party for her famous writer mother, Marilyn Millay. The main focus of the is on the day of the party and the principal narrator is Nadine.

This entertaining, slow burner pulls me in from the dramatic start as the past and the present collide. The spotlight is on Nadine and her family but the neighbourhood and its occupants are captured vividly, especially the somewhat creepy men, one or two are real flesh crawlers. Nadine is a complex character and she is most certainly haunted and definitely fixated on issues from the past. There are secrets galore here and some heavy burdens being carried by more than one character.

From the beginning there’s a real sense of something weighing heavily over the party and a building sense of dread with tension between many of the partygoers. I love the way it’s written as it feels like Nadine is talking to us, with the tone like that of a confessional. Some of the heavy load is lightened with really good dialogue some of which is funny, especially between Nadine and her daughter Isobel.

It becomes very obvious that Nadine is only just holding things together and doing her best to keep control not only of her own deep feelings but also to try to control some of the events around her. As the evening progresses there some good plot twists and I like the enigmatic ending which perfectly fits.

This is a good neighbourhood/domestic suspense novel which is hard to put down. I look forward to reading more books by Amy Stuart.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Penguin Michael Joseph for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

This was a really gripping tense thriller - the type that you just HAVE to finish to see what happens and how things wind up. However, I found all of the characters really unlikeable, the protagonist especially. So that meant in a way, I really didn't care about what happened to her! The set-up of a major party is a classic trope and for good reason: we can't wait to see everyone get together in this enclosed space with heightened emotions to see what happens. But to be honest, when it came I found the denouement a bit of a damp squib. And another issue for me was how type one diabetes was depicted - I found it bizarre that she used a tourniquet on her son's arm before injecting him! That's not how it works!? Insulin does not go straight into the veins. I wondered if this was a set-up and we'd find out she was administering drugs to her son but nope. I really hope this can be changed before the book is published as it's so misleading.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. This book was amazing. Very well written. Full of suspense right to the end. A great storyline and characters.

I really enjoyed this book and got more engrossed the further into it I got. Initially I found it hard to follow the disjointed narrative and to get used to the many characters but I'm so glad I stuck with it. The story and all its threads that come together is riveting. Told over the course of just one day, there's a lot happening, with the bit of information about the past increasingly intriguing. The characters are excellent, all of them really recognisable and believable. This will be a great book for the sun lounger this summer.

This book had me hooked early on so it was a one day read. It feels intense which is heightened by the fact that, whilst we get insight into the past, the events all happen on one day, building to a party where we already know something - just enough -about how it ends. The stress consuming Nadine and escalating throughout the day was so palpable that I had to consciously relax my shoulders - this book had me - much like our central character - like a coiled spring!
I didn't always like the characters but they certainly captivated me and as we get to know a bit about how each character relates to another the tension continues to rise...
I will definitely be reading more by this author.

This was super and I'll definitely be exploring more of Amy Stuart's work! A real page turner where really, no-one can be trusted. Secrets seem rife and I needed to know what the climax of this story was going to be...and I was not expecting...that.

⭐ REVIEW ⭐
A Death at the Party by Amy Stuart
My review is also on Goodreads

I devoured this book in just a few days!

Nadine Walsh is feverishly carrying out the last minute preparations for her mother's sixtieth birthday party due to take place that evening, but long buried secrets and past resentments are creeping to the surface.

This book gave me Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf vibes as it takes place over the course of a single day leading up to a party. I like that you get a glimpse of the ending at the very beginning of the book, and this keeps you on tenterhooks the whole way through as you try to piece everything together.

On the surface things seem to be going smoothly, but on the inside, Nadine is in turmoil. Still not over the sudden death of her Aunt Colleen thirty years ago, a recent accident has thrown everything into sharp relief, causing Nadine to question what really happened that night at her Grandparents' farm, and who she can really trust.

Percect for thriller fans, this is a really brilliant take on keeping up appearances, how the face we present to the world is often masking a much more complex and dark story underneath, and how people are not always as they seem.

Thank you to @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse for inviting me to read this book!

I read this gripping book in one day. Nadine is hosting a party for her mother’s birthday but is troubled by events of another party 30 years ago on the same date. The mysteries of the past are gradually revealed. The characters are realistic, complex and flawed. I will definitely recommend this book to my friends. It provides many angles for book club discussions.

What a party to be at! I think the author has written this well! Enjoyed all the twist and turns and especially at the end.

Brilliant story keeping you in suspense from start to finish about what is happening and who it is happening to!! Must read!!

An enjoyable, easy read set over one day. It contains the usual ingredients rich entitled Americans, obliging, suave husband, flashbacks. However there is something compelling about this story – I think it’s the narrative which is easy to follow, amusing and entertaining.