I really wanted to like this book . The main storyline was so great. The mysterious rich man and his group of friends welcoming newcomers into their club. The fancy dinners, questionable behavior between them and Stig. The first problem was I absolutely hated Lily. We’re suppose to like her. She works for a charity, turned down a higher paid job to work there. But she is selfish, sneaky, self absorbed and money hungry. It didn’t fit at all with her job that “meant so much” to her. I felt bad for her husband who seemed like a great guy even when things seem sketchy with him. The end was really building up to a dramatic scene and then it just, poof, ended. Hector’s character build up and the ending didn’t make any sense to me. The book overall was a let down.

Wow. This was a fast paced brilliant thriller.
Followed the couple stig and Lily. They are going through a rough patch and Lily has saved money to go an expensive restaurant. The chef invites them to have their meal in the kitchen (the poshest I would get is KFC
) And really shows why you
shouldn't keep secrets.
I was hooked from the start and couldn't put it down. The amount of twists was great. It kept me wanting more

A very addictive read- when I first started reading The Dinner Party by Nina Manning, I wasn’t sure how the storyline would go but I was intrigued nonetheless. The story went in a completely different route to what I was expecting and I’m so glad it did because I absolutely enjoyed this book. The twists and turns just made the book what it was. Five stars from me!

Giving gifts involves lots of thought and consideration for both giver and receiver. She has thought hard about how to make him happy. It seems he is not happy with his surprise. A special dinner, new friends, and a famous chef. What could go wrong?
The tension builds slowly in this story of food, drink, and celebration. Who is hiding something and why?
The pacing of the novel allows the suspense to grow. Money and sophistication add to the mood. Sometimes it is more than just an elegant dinner, that is a once in a lifetime event. it moves slowly in the beginning and builds steadily to a shocking climax. The atmosphere bears lots of weight and depth as we are pulled into this luxurious setting.
Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a copy of the ARC. All opinions are my own

This was a fun, quick, “popcorn” thriller! I was mislead so many times, thinking I knew what was going to happen, and I was wrong. I knocked this book out in one day because it was such an easy read! Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC! 3.5 ⭐️

People are comparing Nina Manning to Freida McFadden and I honestly didn't get that vibe. This book was just okay, nothing super special!

We follow Lily, after a surprise anniversary dinner for her husband at an exclusive restaurant and an unexpected invite to dine with the famous chef Hector, she becomes friendly with him and she and her husband are invited to more dinners with Hector where things aren't all as they seem.

I really didn't enjoy this book, I hated the characters especially Lily. Lily is so dumb, she believes Hector has a thing for her after he touched her arm during their first meeting.

Now Lily has been married to Stig ( yes Stig as in stig of the dump) for 5 years but she knows nothing about him as he refuses to talk about his past or his family.
Now that is a huge red flag right there but the incredibly dumb Lily has met a famous chef 3 times but 100 % trusts him even tho there are numerous red flags there too.

As well as really irritating characters the story was very dull, nothing happens, there was no big surprises, the whole story was just so slow.

Oh and did I mention Lily is dumb, don't be like Lily.

2.5 stars rounded up.

The premise of this story was immediately engaging. However, I did find this story difficult to get into at first.

I found the female main character to be awful I feel like this genre lately is relying on FMC who is not very bright and I find that annoying. Some of the decisions made by this character were just silly. The MMC was just lacking any spark or personality.

The tension between the 2 characters didn't make sense to me.

The story was not particularly twisty though there was at least one revelation that caught me off guard. The rest I think was predictable. The end moved way too fast and I didn't find it very satisfying and I also feel like it left lots of loose ends.

This wasn't what I was expecting at all. I had certain expectations from the cover design and the description of the book and they all fell flat.

The writing was good and I kept waiting for the big climax, but it didn't come.

I'm reviewing this via NetGalley, as part of a tour with Rachel's Random Resources.

This is a twisty psychological thriller. At the start of the book, Lily and her husband Stig are invited to have dinner with celebrity chef Hector Bolson-Woods. Afterwards, Lily notices some changes in Stig’s behaviour that make her feel uneasy.

I was intrigued by the scenario presented at the beginning, because it seemed like an ideal scenario for something unexpected to happen. I don't think that I identified with any of the characters in particular, but I still found that the characters felt real and relatable to me, and I was interested in the characters, and the way they interacted with each other.

I think the character who interested me the most was Stig, and as I carried on reading, I became more and more intrigued by him. The author had a clever way of building tension, which kept me turning the pages, and there were some twists and turns that I didn't see coming.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel's Random Resources, and to the author and publisher, for the opportunity to read and review this.

I was looking forward to reading this one but, I found it plodding and slow. The characters were simply awful and the plot could have been better. I nearly didn't finish but, I did manage to get through it in the end. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

A thriller that centers around the inner workings of a marriage is right up my alley.

Much like every plotline in the show Friends could have been solved with a cell phone, most of the mayhem in The Dinner Party could have been avoided if the couple had sat down over a bottle of wine and had an open and honest conversation. I'm thankful it didn't go that way though because when things picked up they really got going quickly. Author Nina Manning did a great job of building the suspense and intertwining the past and the present to bring the pieces together at the perfect moment.

This is the first book I've read from Manning, but it won't be the last.
I recommend all my thriller reading friends pick this one up!

Thank you NetGalley, Boldwood Books, and Nina Manning for the chance to read this ARC!

The Dinner Party starts as a story about a crumbling marriage but quickly turns into something much darker. What should have been a fancy anniversary dinner spirals into obsession, manipulation, and a very unsettling invitation that neither Lily nor Stig can escape. From the moment Hector Bolson-Woods steps into the picture, you know something isn’t right—but figuring out exactly what kept me turning the pages.

Lily is frustrating yet compelling—desperate for attention, drawn to the charming yet creepy chef, and completely unaware of the danger she’s walking into. Stig, on the other hand, is hiding something big, and while his behavior is cold and distant at first, you start to wonder why he’s so desperate to avoid Hector. The tension between the three of them builds so well, and the moment that second dinner invitation arrives? Yeah, that’s when things really start to unravel.

The pacing is mostly solid, though the middle section drags a bit with Lily second-guessing herself one too many times. And while the twists are good, I wish the final reveal had gone just a little harder—it felt like there was room for something even more shocking.

Overall, this is a twisty, unsettling thriller that plays with power dynamics, obsession, and secrets that refuse to stay buried. If you like psychological mind games with a touch of sinister fine dining, you’ll want to RSVP yes to this one. Just… maybe don’t accept any private dinner invitations. 🍷🔪😬

The Dinner Party by Nina Manning is an excellent psychological thriller. . . . WoW. this book was a brilliant roller coaster ride especially with all the twists and turns throughout it was so addictive I ended up glued to my kindle till the very end.

Lily Leonard books a table at the exclusive restaurant of Hector Bolson-Woods renowned celebrity chef to celebrate their wedding anniversary. This should be the perfect evening with her husband, Stig, but not even a perfect menu can heal the cracks in their marriage.

So, when Hector invites them to dine with him privately, Lily is over the moon thrilled. Surely this will please her husband Stig? Hector is so charming and attentive and everything Stig is not, , , , , ,
Now, she finds herself more and more drawn to the enigmatic Hector.

A perfect invitation that turns into a nightmare invitation...

After the dinner, Stig makes it clear the entire evening was a mistake, and this is something he never wants to repeat again. Now, hurt and confused, Lily’s certain Stig is hiding something from her. . . . . But What?
Is this something linked to Hector?. . . . . . she just doesn’t know what.

Then another dinner invitation from Hector arrives. But, this time with a proposal neither Lily or Stig can refuse. . .

I highly recommend The Dinner Party this book is a great holiday read, i loved it!

Big Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for my ARC.

Lily was just trying to do something nice for sting and her wedding anniversary – she booked a table at the restaurant her hubby was obsessing over. A restaurant with a top top chef in charge. Sounds rather romantic to me. But by asking one question at the restaurant starts a snowball. A snowball that sucks this couple in to a world Lily didn’t expect. A seductive one, an unknown one.

I really felt for Lily. She wanted to enjoy life, make the world a better place with her work but certain things in life weren’t quite right. But as things unfolded before her, my trust in everyone disintegrated, even Lily as she started to hide things.

I don’t want to reveal too much about what happens over the course of the book. So so much happens which as I jumped from past to present, I knew was the purpose of these time-thread jumps. I would get comfortable in the present and just as I thought I was getting somewhere, I was dragged to the past to distract me – a form of subterfuge from Manning which I’ve seen before in her thrillers.

This is one heart pumping read. Manning drew me in on a slow burn premise but then the story changed gear. I got Stig’s history, his secrets but in the present, the screws were turning on Lily. I felt tense reading as the book climaxed. I had to reread the last few chapters as they happened so quickly!

When a couple is given an ultimate ultimatum from a world renowned chef, a world of sups2nse, confusion, and thriller open up. Well written and fast paced. I enjoyed this one.

I have read a few books from this author. This book was not bad but it was also not my favorite. I thought it was very slow.

The Dinner Party by Nina Manning

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

To celebrate their wedding anniversary, Lily Leonard books a table at the exclusive restaurant of Hector Bolson-Woods renowned celebrity chef. It should be the perfect evening for Lily and husband, Stig, but not even a perfect menu can heal the cracks in their marriage.

So when Hector invites them to dine with him privately, Lily is thrilled. Surely this will please Stig? Hector is charming and attentive – everything Stig is not – and she finds herself more and more drawn to the enigmatic Hector.

A nightmare invitation...

After the dinner, Stig makes it clear the entire evening was a mistake, something he never wants to repeat again. Hurt and confused, Lily’s certain Stig is hiding something from her. Something linked to Hector…she just doesn’t know what.

And then another dinner invitation from Hector arrives. This time with a proposal neither Lily or Stig can refuse…

My Opinion

I haven’t read many books by Nina Manning but I really do need to read more. The Dinner Party was such a gripping read. Nina Manning has written a fast-paced novel that easily holds the attention of the reader. Whilst I found it difficult to like the characters, it did not spoil my enjoyment.

Rating 4/5

Thank you for allowing me to read this before release, good concept but not quite fast paced enough for me! I wasn’t a big fan of the husband or wife. It felt more of a family drama than a thriller. Kind of put me in a reading slump. As a Freida McFadden fan not as fast paced and addicting but not awful.

If you’re a Freida fan and you’re looking for another popcorn thriller to keep you going until the next release, this is for you!
The book follows Lily and her husband Stig. Lily books a reservation and an uber fancy restaurant, hoping it may help her and her husband get closer but finds herself captivated by the head chef Hector, and drawing further and further away from Stig. What could possibly be the cause of Stigs bizarre behaviour?
This is one of those books where none of the characters are likeable and you don’t know who to root for. I love a story with flawed characters!
Pacy and gripping, I found this palette cleansing in the best way.