This feels like an airport novel to me — I was sufficiently entertained in the couple of hours that it took me to read it, but ultimately it’s not gonna stick with me. This isn’t really a murder mystery; more of a whydunnit than a whodunnit, and unfortunately the “whys” were just not that compelling. It’s certainly a dark book but in a pretty expected way — not many surprising twists here. This is all sounding like I hated the book but I didn’t! I appreciate some good mindless entertainment.

This was just a mess. I felt like it was dark just for the sake of being "dark" and not because it added anything to the book. It felt manufactured to be shocking and the writing was not good enough to pull it off.

Gossip, secrets, scandal and revenge! My favourite things in a book. I loved this. I was completely invested and sucked into the garden party. It wasnt so much suspenseful but more just my sheer nosiness made me want to find out who had done what to whom! The characters are all pretty vile humans and they're written perfectly! I had so much rage for more than one of them and I always think its a good sign when made up people in made up situations actually create an emotional response and boy, did they create some emotions lol. Really enjoyable escape from the rain!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
How can one family have so many secrets??? Well this family takes the cake on secrets. Secrets that Harris is going to share with everyone.
This was an interesting book. When I started it I wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy it or not but I got hooked. I had some ideas of what was going to happen at the end but I certainly didn’t expect the very end at all.
This one keeps you reading because you can’t wait to see what is revealed next with this family. So complex.
I do have to say I disliked every character in the book but I think the author intended it to be that way. We aren’t meant to like any of them.
I like this author and this book was a good on!

I have to say I really loved the book; it is up there with this author’s best, and I read it in one sitting as it moved along at a very quick pace.
Told from many POV’s the Garden Party focuses mainly on Harris, a young teenager whose life is turned upside down when his parents are killed in a car accident. He is taken in by the Montcrieff family, parents Patrick and Isabelle and their son Rafaele. On his arrival at their home, it is only Patrick that seems to care anything at all for him, welcoming him into their home, his wife Isabelle and son Rafaele do not seem at all happy that this situation has come to be.

The book centers around a garden party being held for Rafaelle Montcrieff and his fiancée Lucy (who would have to be the most irritating character), she has fallen pregnant and instead of a prominent wedding they are having this party before the pregnancy is evident as they do not want people to know anything about this. This alone should tell you something about this family.

Be warned you will not like any of these characters but in their defense, this is what carries story. Their outright disregard for other people’s feelings and cold lack of compassion is immense. But maybe that is because they are all carrying secrets, and big ones. The plot is strong, and you will be taken in by the occurring events. They say that revenge is a dish served cold, but things will definitely heat up as the story progresses and Harris continues through with his own plan to make others suffer for the way he feels he has been wronged.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy, all opinions expressed are my own.

A good read with interesting characters although I didn't enjoy it as much as The Dinner Party

It was well written from the beginning until the end, for me personally it didn't keep me on the edge of my seat but I thoroughly enjoyed it

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins OMC for this ARC.

I was so excited to get an advanced reader’s copy from one of my favorite authors! If you haven’t already sampled his work, I’d recommend starting with the dinner guest or the locked attic, whilst you wait for this one to come out on the 4th July.

Have you ever been to a party where there’s that one friend who just has to gossip but somehow has the juiciest stories? And even though you feel like you should tell them to stop gossiping, you find yourself instead saying “and then what happened”?

That is what it felt like reading this book!

Even though Harris was a flawed dark character in his own right, I was on tenterhooks, waiting to find out just what the three Moncrieff family members had done to make him so set on revenge. In Harris’ words; “One man’s cruel is another man’s justice”.

Does he take his revenge too far? Does the end justify the means? Do two wrongs make a right? This is one of those books that would be great for a book club, because it raises so many questions once you’ve finished it!

I normally put my 4/5 star psychological thrillers into two groups – those with twisty ends that I didn’t see coming and leaves me mouth hanging open, and those that are quick fast paced comfort reads that you devour (but it actually devours you because you lose so much sleep staying up reading it!).

Both types I absolutely adore! This one did have a little twist at the end, but I’d put it firmly in the second category – I’ve always enjoyed taking BP Walter’s books on holidays – they’re great to read after a long day, when you need to wind down, and don’t want to read anything too heavy. It’s like being wrapped in your favorite blanket; the endings are satisfying, the characters are complex but not confusing, and when you finally close the book, you have that wholesome feeling of being able to say simply “I really enjoyed that.”.

4.5 rounded up


“You don’t choose your family. They are Gods gift to you, as you are to them”.

Raphael Moncrieff’s family host a celebratory garden party for his engagement to Lauren. It’s a garden party like no other. Harris accepts the invitation and attends with Rhys but he has plans, definite plans. Have you got your invitation? Accept with alacrity as trust me, you won’t want to miss this.

BP Walter has done it again! Reeled me in, hook, line and sinker to this party fest. This is a terrific domestic drama/psychological thriller that keeps you guessing until the very last words. It feels doom laden from the start of the party where conflicted Raphael seems like a man condemned. Maybe he is but entitled much? The Montcrieff family are something else. Patrick, Raphael’s father, seems pleasant, emphasis on the seems. I’m sure you’ve heard of the Iron Lady? Meet steely Isabelle, Patrick’s wife and as hard as, the original Despicable Me, mixing my metaphors, I know but what a household.

What of the complex Harris? The whys of Harris and his actions emerges from the back-and-forth in time manner in which the story is told so that emerges organically and it’s very intriguing. My feelings about Harris vary from feeling sorry for him as an outsider, to admiring his obvious intelligence, to understanding his anger but he has a cruel streak. It’s in the genes you know.

The novel has multiple clever layers to it and parts are delicious in their dark awfulness. There’s everything in the vibes between characters from awkwardness to tension you could cut with a knife. Cliffhanger Chapter endings heighten this as we learn all the poisonous family secrets and trust me, their biggies. The novel builds and escalates to the garden party where initially feathers are ruffled, the readers anticipation is keen as revenge is enacted. How the mighty are fallen. The ending is a doozy and one I so don’t see you coming. Kudos.

Overall, a powerfully understated and terrific read. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Harper Collins, One More Chapter for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

TBH I auto-request and inhale any new B.P. Walter book, so, I’m not unbiased- but this one was juicy….and DARK. Definitely request an invitation to this party!

Another gripping read from this author. Love all the books they have written and this one doesn't disappoint! Would highly recommend.

This is another fantastic read from BP Walter. I was slightly disappointed with Notes on A Murder but Walter is back in form with this one. I couldn’t put it down. It was dark and twisty and once again I was left speechless! Just as you think you know where the book is headed there’s another turn and you are back to square one.

This is book is in 3 parts as more and more secrets emerge to explain the why the engagement party of Raphael Moncrieff ends in disaster.

The story centres around Harris who is taken in by the Moncrieff family after his parents are tragically killed in a car accident. The book is in 3 parts where more and more secrets emerge to explain the why the engagement party of Raphael Moncrieff ends in disaster.

As with all BP Walter books the themes are quite dark and centre around the ridiculously rich. I love an insight into the lives of the wealthy and how dark their lies are and to what extent they will go to, to keep secrets buried.

I did feel that this book ended rather abruptly and I would have liked a longer more detailed epilogue, but I think that’s a sign of a great book and no doubt these characters (as with previous characters) will crop up again in future books!

Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter for this digital ARC.

An enjoyable easy to read thriller centred around Harris and the Moncrieffs, his adoptive family. The family members all have secrets regarding Harris which are revealed throughout the book. Some of these reveals are pretty obvious but work well none the less.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

I just couldn't put this one down, read it in a matter of a few evenings!
Good twists, great writing style, compelling upper class setting. Every character despicable in their own way. Very very entertaining.

The Garden Party centres around a party held to celebrate the engagement of the splendidly-named Raphael Moncrieff and his pregnant girlfriend Lauren. We know from the outset that something terrible happens at this party, and most of the story shows what has led up to that.

Harris, a young man who was taken in by the Moncrieff family - father Patrick, mother Isabelle, and son Raphael - after the death of his parents, is the main protagonist here, and we see the story unfolding from his perspective. It's a pretty dark one - nearly every character is a terrible person. Everyone is either bad from the outset or becomes corrupted over the course of the story. Everyone acts in weird and unpleasant ways. Women don't fare too well - two are basically monsters, including one sexual predator. Raphael's fiancee Lauren is sweet but dopey (although she's meant to be an academic). Harris admits at one point that he doesn't really see her as a person, which is understandable since she's basically a caricature rather than a character. Nevertheless, she's probably the most innocent person here (unlikely ending notwithstanding) and what's done to her as collateral damage is horrible.

It was an engaging enough read (the advance copy is in need of some editing, as there are some errors), but ultimately left me with a bit of a sour taste thanks to the all-round unpleasantness. I don't mind darkness, but a little light somewhere would be nice. And what on earth was that utter hellscape of Rhys's original flat all about? This was so over the top. The ending did not feel believable.

The blurb describes this as Saltburn meets Agatha Christie - I can more or less see the Saltburn comparison, but there is no way Agatha Christie would have written anything remotely like this - that comparison doesn't work at all.

All that said, it did keep my interest throughout. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy!

I've read most of these authors' previous books and loved them all. I had high hopes for this book, but it just didn't hit the mark for me.

I didn't like any of the characters. I normally love getting to know the characters' backgrounds, but I just couldn't connect with them.

It won't put me off reading more from this author.

I've never read anything from B P Walter before, but I definitely will be reading more, from now on.
I smashed through this book, really enjoyed the dark, fast paced story. The characters were fantastically flawed and the plot twists were superb,
Themes of greed, resentment, jealousy and negligence were weaved through so well.
A brilliant, brilliant read.

A garden party bringing together the families to celebrate an engagement between two of their own opens Pandora's box, as the story unfolds from three main points of view.

This is a very dark story but it is also gripping. It starts a little slow, but is soon tearing ahead at full speed.

Childhood trauma, psycho personalities, lies, secrets and revenge - this one has it all. It gets 3.5 stars, and misses 4 only because it was a bit too dark for me!

Truly Tremendous..
Edgy, menacing and tense - a truly tremendous one sit read and, in this readers opinion, the very best yet from this accomplished author. The characters jump from the page, writing style is attractive, the dual timeline seamlessly done and the propulsive plot runs with an undercurrent of almost unbearable tension throughout with a genius separation of the alleged crimes of each familial character. Just fantastic.


(NOT to be included in review - appreciate that this is an ARC but text requires a further close reading. There are several very jarring, to this reader, errors - eg. ‘Ringing her hands’ should be ‘Wringing’ and ‘Gleam’ should be ‘Glean’ - such errors take the reader aback, particularly in such an accomplished piece of work)

4.5🌟

This was simply fabulous, I was still reading at one a.m when I really should have been asleep but I could....not....put....it....down!! 💚

All of the characters are rich, well rounded and well written and boy do they all have their issues!!

So many secrets and lies, spanning over many years, that all come home to roost at a garden party never to be forgotten!!

The story is told from different PoV's at different points in time although Harris is our main protagonist. Harris has experienced tragedy at a young age which leads him into what should be a dream life but that's not how things turn out....at all!

Over the years the things he experiences and discovers leads him to the very damaged man he becomes. Did I love his master plan? Yes I absolutely did, well most of it! Did I love who he had become? No, not at all. Was he an amazing character nonetheless? Yes absolutely!!

The writing of this is excellent, keeps you completely engrossed and engaged throughout 💚

The ONLY reason this is 4.5🌟 for me is that I really wanted just a bit more. I can't say why without being a spoiler queen but at the end I just wanted some extra things to happen and read the outcome of those. That doesn't mean the ending is in any way bad, it isn't at all, it's a great ending as it is! This is just a personal (and slightly greedy!) opinion 💚

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter for providing this book, with my honest review below.

I’ve read a few books with Party in the title but The Garden Party was by far the most disturbing. Following a husband with a habit of keeping a women on the side, a disturbing mother, and a son - just not theirs - with quite a few issues, we get a look into Patrick, the husband’s- affair and the reckoning it leads to. Raphael, the son of Isabelle and Patrick is the perfectly despicable spawn showing that two wrongs rarely make a right. I enjoyed the occasional views into other character’s perspectives and the jumping around timelines that occurred leading up to the main party. I also liked the parts and how the they were structured.

Again, while a great book, this one is definitely disturbing and may push the thriller category too far for some readers but I enjoyed it for its unique structure and take on an often overused plot line.