Loved the first half of this audio book but not the second half so much. Enjoyed the narration. The second half just let it down a bit for me

The Reunion Party by Penny bachelor, I listen to the audiobook but it doesn’t say who narrated it and I don’t know if it was mentioned in the audiobook but I listened a while back so forgive me. This book is about college friends coming together to honor a life that was lost a friend Tonya who meant different things to the five different people in the group and she died. They’ve all been invited to a hotel ran by one of them Genie, to honor Tonya but when one of them dies and they can’t call out or drive to the hospital the innocent people in the group know someone is stalking them but why? I really want to say I like this book and on paper I really should but found the reveal to be too much suspended belief and although I know the author has artistic license I think this was too much of a fantasy and it just didn’t make sense to me. They say there’s a reader for every book and I am definitely not the reader for this one. The beginning was really good but it totally went off the rails I really liked the married couple and at first I also liked the handicap friend whose name I forget. I thought it was setting out to be a good book but alas no. #NetGalley, #BonnierUK,#PennyBachelor, #TheReunionParty,

Although the characters we every one dimensional I did find the book intriguing and found myself reading on in order to discover the hidden secrets and what would happen next. I did find that the story was a little far-fetched and delving deeper into the characters background would lead to a more realistic and throwing book, but I still did enjoy it.

Thank you to Bonnier UK Audio and Netgalley for this free ALC in exchange for an honest review.

This title is reminiscent of Lucy Foley titles, only without the punch.

The premise was decent and the reveals were fun, but unfortunately this title is not very memorable.

The ending felt rushed and very 'and then we lived happily ever after' which didn't quite fit with the rest of the story, nor did it add any form of realism.

The story was a little too similar to a few too many titles that have come before it to really make a lasting impression.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to listen to this ARC.

Unfortunately not one I'd recommend. A very far fetched and unrealistic story that often didn't make much sense to me or left me with more questions than answers.

First time reading this author and it won't be the last.

A fantastic jam packed book full of twists and turns, with brilliant narration that really brought the characters to life.

i love books that have a medoly of main characters with different personalities.

When 5 friends with secrets come together for a 25th uni reunion, secrets & lies come flodding to the surface with dyer consequences.

Kept me gripped from start to finish and would highly recommend.

will look forward to reading more from this author

It is 25 years since Tania’s death and her uni friends come together for a vigil. Staying in a hotel Jeannie runs, things soon take a turn for the worst. Isolated, with no phone or internet signal, a member of the group falls ill, without signal to call for help, they decide to drive to the hospital, but all the tyres are slashed. There is someone in the hotel wanting vengeance, the group need to stay together before they are next.
I found this audiobook quite compelling, wanting to know what happens next. Plenty of twists and turns to keep you hooked. A little bit unbelievable in places, but what is fiction for!! A recommended read.

I found the first half of this book brilliant - the characters were individually interesting and well-developed, one of the protagonists was queer, and the various "incidents" that kept happening had me on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what would happen next. That's why I gave it two stars instead of one, given that I truly hated the rest of the story. I can't fully express why without revealing who the killer was, but I will say that I was expecting a plot twist or some grand reveal where someone would step up and explain why they did it - except that never happened. Instead, the identity of the killer disappointed me thoroughly. It felt like the author was taking the easy way out and it soured the entire novel for me, making me feel cheated. It was also incredibly unrealistic because who on earth would wait twenty-five years before doing the things that the killer did?! It makes no sense to me whatsoever and felt cheap, like the author worked really hard on the first half of the book and then just gave up caring. The so-called "twist" regarding the chef was also incredibly disappointing, totally unnecessary, and yet another easy way out. This story had such promise at the beginning and I was so excited to see where it went, but as soon as the killer was revealed, I wanted to stop reading.

This is a fast paced, easy listen that is engaging. Told from several perspectives which really helps to get to know the characters and bring them to life. The first half of the listen builds the suspense and the intrigue. The characters are both likeable and unlikable in their own ways. I did have it worked out and how it was going to come together but there was still some surprises along the way. The narration was spot on and keeps the listener engaged. It’s an enjoyable listen and would recommend…

3.5/5 🌟🌟🌟/🌟

Thank you Netgalley, Penny Batchelor and Bonnier UK Audio for the audio Arc of The Reunion Party
Narrated by: Charlotte Worthing, Tom Allenby

This was a great multi POV mystery thriller of a group of people who come together near the anniversary of a friends death, Tania Armstrong-Jones. A well loved girl who after solidifying their friendships, lost her life 20 yrs before. Now, they have been reunited in a hotel to remember Tania and as the drinks flow, tongues loosen and secrets start to be revealed. Just how well did they know Tania and each other?

This was a great medium paced thriller which reveals that sometimes secrets can be so all hidden, even after years and we don't really know the people we feel closest too. I loved the pacing of this audio, combined with the narrators, Charlotte Worthing, Tom Allenby. ,kept me both end on the edge of my seat. With some nice foreshadowing, you may figure out the big finale which doesn't take away from the psychological pay off of the plot line. This is my first book by Penny Batchelor and really enjoyed it.

4 stars

The Reunion Party by Penny Batchelor and narrated by: Charlotte Worthing, Tom Allenby was a fast-paced murder mystery audiobook with a with a brilliant twist at the end. I didn't see that coming! Excellent! It was full of brilliant twists and turns throughout and I loved it!

The Reunion focused on five University friends and Tania Armstrong Jones, popular It girl at St. Mark’s University. She draws together a motley group of five, Jeannie, Keren, Johnny, Saira and Adam. Then Tania dies suddenly. It is coming up to the twenty-fifth anniversary of their friend Tania's death. So, jeannie, Keren, Johnny, Saira and Adam all reunite at a luxurious country boutique Yorkshire hotel to commemorate the life of their dear friend.

But, Jeannie was always an outside and has thrown everything into making the weekend a success. Everything has to be perfect, especially as she is the manager of this country hotel.
This hotel is different to any other hotel - it is isolated and in the country. Plus, it is more isolated as No mobiles, Tablets, IPAD's etc are not allowed to be used and these are all locked away in Jeannie's office. No communication allowed to the outside world! A weekend break from the internet, social media and other people!

Bliss.....I hear you all say............But what happens if you need to contact someone in an emergency......You can't! There's no phones!!! WoW............

Excellent and a great holiday read/audiobook.

Big Thank you to NetGalley and Embla Books for this eARC

Ths book had me hooked from the beginning through to the end. A few twists nad turns but the narration was what sold the story for me. Audibook highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley aan the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Not a bad Audio listen it starts at a reunion to remember a lost friend and then the twists start happening

Well, where to start, I really enjoyed this book, especially the first half or so, until we got to part 3, which, for me personally, was still enjoyable. However, I had worked out the plot by this stage and felt this part was ever so slightly drawn out with overlaps, which is the only reason I didn't give this 5 🌟

So with a reunion arranged by Jeannie at the hotel she is now a manager in with no other guests invited it is a private event for the weekend for her and her old uni friends Johnny, Adam, Keren & Saria with her headchef Eerik also there to cater their needs for the weekend.

As the guests arrive, they soon discover this is a digital detox retreat, and Jeannie asks everyone to hand in their mobile phones with no access to the outside world located in the remote countryside. What could go wrong....?!?!

As they all have various feelings towards this event before attending their feelings and slight trepidation they agreed to attend after all it had been 25 years since they were all together and this is a way to have a memorial of sorts of their friend Tania who passed away during their time at uni.

During the first evening, all guests attend an evening meal with Jeannie, where she has a cardboard cut-out life size of Tania, which seems a little bizarre to the other guests. However, for her, Tania was her best friend, and she simply felt this is a way to include her and have them all back together again. Or is there some other sinister reason Jeannie has done this, as the night unfolds each person reveals something from the past another didn't know and things begin to take a turn when the lights go out and everyone gets a little spooked...

This is full of many many twists and turns of events that I wont reveal as it will take away the enjoyment of this read but i will say you don't necessarily anticipate much of what takes place and definately has you drawn in to hear more and learn what is really going on, what happened 25 years ago and how will it all end.. ?!?!

Each chapter is written by the pov of individual characters which makes for fantastic reading/listening the narration was done so well with all different vocals it truly brings each person to life in the imagination and allows the reader to view as if they are actually there. I can not express enough how well this worked and has you trying to piece together who was at what place at what time, etc. Absolutely magnificent work from the author Penny Batchelor.

With thanks to Netgalley, Bonnier UK Audio & Embla Books for the opportunity to listen to this ARC in return for an open honest review.

This starts out calm, with a reunion planned to celebrate the death of a university friend, the weekend in a beautiful country hotel is set up well. The calm is broken up with confessions, relatifs actions and a mystery that needs to be unpicked. The tension is well tightened, and each of the friends take their turn as narrator allowing the reader to find out a little more each time the point of view changed. The ending was mysterious and a shock whilst also being expected! Each corner turned and explained seemed to give an answer and another three questions.
The audio book was well narrated, with two narrators sharing the work. It was smooth and well told.

I downloaded this audiobook from NetGalley and listened to it while doing some admin at work.

3 stars from me means that I think it's a good book that does what the author sets out to do, and although I didn't *love* it, I did enjoy it and would recommend it to others.

To be honest, I'm the sort of person who never attends reunions - what's past is past - so I found it really interesting to hear the differing experiences of each of the narrators. There are some really insightful observations about how some people change to fit in with a group, and how those who seem to have the most potential when young don't always end up being the most successful in later life.

There's a point at which everything takes a very dramatic turn and I think if your favourite form of plot is one in which everything seems very quotidian and then - bang - something quite extraordinary happens to derail the main character's life, then this will definitely be a novel you love.

Three word review: terrible fatherly advice

This is a fast paced twisty thriller focusing on a University friends re-union to remember one of their peers who died 25 yrs ago.
Set in a remote hotel with no mobile signal or wi-fi access the re-union starts to take a sinister turn as the weekend progresses. Old secrets are revealed as the five 'friends' discover things weren't as they thought they were whilst they were at University together.
The story is narrated well across five different view points which maintains the reader's interest and adds to the intrigue.
I did guess the plot twist at the end but it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book.
A short, easy listen for fans of the locked in thriller!
I am grateful to the publishers and NetGalley for an advanced listener copy of this audio book and am leaving my review voluntarily.

A classic whodunit set in a sprawling country house. A few to many "if only the knew what I'd done!" but if you like a mystery with plenty of clues to help you guess what's going to happen then this is a fun quick read.

This was an entertaining story. It could have benefited from some editing to trim the unnecessary length, but the key characters were intriguing and rendered well.

A group of university friends with very little in common meet to commemorate the anniversary of the friend that they lost tragically 25 years ago. Tania was the glue that had help them together, and after her death they drifted apart very quickly.

Now Genie, who considers herself to have been Tania's best friend - having transformed from a mousy young girl to a competent hotel manager - has invited the remaining members of their friendship group for a memorial weekend.

Problem is, things don't turn out quite as planned - and when they go south, it's serious. From missing insulin to cryptic messages, the friends gradually begin to realise the danger posed by the isolated location for this digital detox hotel.

The story switches between two timelines and manages to do so quite effectively. The evocation of the characters' university days is well done and felt quite believable to me. As secret after secret emerges, so do the twists in the story telling. All in all, an enjoyable thriller which gets 3.5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

This was an enjoyable audiobook with some very good narrators. The plot was predictable in places and to be honest the last 1/3 of the book got a bit unbelievable.

I did think starting out on the book if you had not been active in your uni friends lives for literal decades why the hell would you want to spend a weekend with them where you have absolutely no tech?! Like I adore my wife but sometimes a wee 10 minutes of doomscrolling or a quick game of solitaire on my phone is a wonderful relief frame engaging in life.

If you are a big fan of the locked-in mystery then this is a book worth checking.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC audiobook to review.