Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

I don't know why so many thrillers I read deal with the missing child trope, but here I go, talking about another one. 😂

It all began when Natalie and her husband, Theo, decided to host their daughter's birthday at the local skating rink. But things go awry when her six-year-old niece goes missing. The search that follows results in very few clues, and soon the police tell the family they have no leads to work with. Over the next decade, Natalie's guilt leads to her tending to her sister, Jo and keeping her family in a state of anxiety. When strange things begin to occur, it ignites the family's desperation to solve the mystery of what happened to six-year-old Elle.


Don't get me wrong, this book had a heart-stopping beginning, and I was desperate to see what would be revealed. I felt that when we jumped to ten years later, it took a lot of time for Shalini Boland to unravel the mystery. That led to me feeling a bit impatient. There were some twists, but I wish there had been a few subtle clues here and there to keep me invested.

Overall, I do like this author and will be on the lookout for more of her titles.




#TheBirthdayParty #NetGalley
Expected Publication Date 15/05/25
Goodreads Review Date 21/04/25

The Birthday Party is a parents worst nightmare. A child disappears on what is supposed to be a happy and fun day. The plot had me guessing and engaged. The characters all felt guilty. I enjoyed every minute of the mystery.

I struggled with this book as I found the story too incredulous and a little tedious. The first 20% was really well written and the panic of losing a child totally came through. However I was expecting the story to be a procedural journey in resolving the crime, not a ten year gap exploring the emotional impact of the abduction as told through the child’s aunt.
I don’t think the then and now format worked very well, as it jumped from the point of abduction by ten years, with no real narrative in the intervening years. Also how they found the abductee was too much of a stretch for my imagination and had the sense of a magic wand being waved.

The Birthday Party by Shalini Boland is another gripping read from an author who, to my mind, never fails to deliver. I drop everything to read Ms Boland's latest, and this one, as always, had me glued to the pages.

Natalie is hosting a birthday party for her daughter at a local skating rink when her niece Elle, the youngest of the group, goes missing. As a frantic search yields no results, the days turn to years, and Natalie must support her sister Jo through her grief. After all, little Elle disappeared on her watch, so she must bear responsibility.

This story is expertly crafted, and the characters are drawn with such empathy and relatability. There are few authors who can virtually guarantee you a five star read, and Ms Boland is one of them. If you have not yet discovered this wonderful author, do yourself a favour and add all of her titles to your TBR immediately.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an ARC.

You can count on Shalini Boland to take an ordinary fear and turn it into something extraordinary. She’s constructed a fantastic story that plays on our everyday lives and shows us that normalcy can escalate into disaster in the blink of an eye.

Boland had my pulse racing and my mind sorting every character into either the ‘good’ or ‘possible evil’ list. I didn’t rest until it was finally resolved.

The story opens with a birthday skating party for a 9-year-old girl and morphs into a twisty tale.

This is stuff that stokes parental nightmares! I felt Natalie Edwards' desperation and burden of guilt/blame and then as time progressed, I started to question what really happened that day on the ice. Clearly, something sinister was going on and I picked up the pace in order to find out. The added weight of ‘no safe place’ within the family circle, added to the emotional pull of this psychological thriller. It’s easy to unburden ourselves in a safe place where we can be reassured by loved ones that we aren’t to blame; most of us would do this with family. However, with a family member missing on Natalie’s watch, she’s caught between a rock and a hard place. Right? Read on!

Another winner for this author!

I was gifted this copy by Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

This author is quickly becoming my favourite, I just love her writing style , the way the book is composed and the fascinating characters . This book is another brilliant one with just the right amount of tension and the brilliant twists at the end . Definitely 100% recommend this book . Five stars from me , can’t wait for the next

I am a huge fan of Shalini Boland - I credit her with getting me into this genre - and have read every single book by her. I was up to date a good few years ago , so I am always excitedly waiting for the next.
This book did not disappoint , I could not put it down and I devoured it within a day ( into the early hours of the next day anyway !! )
The book begins on Natalie’s daughter’s birthday party , but things take a tragic turn when Natalie’s Niece , Elle, goes missing.
Throughout the book , you are taken through quite a ride.
The book flits between the past and the present , but it’s not confusing.
The difference I found in this book , compared to others with similar storylines , is that the main character is not the parent of the missing child , but instead her aunt.
I found all the characters easy to like , I genuinely cared for all of them and found myself really hoping that certain characters were not “ the bad person “ .
I read a lot of books in this genre and I like to think I can see a twist a mile off - but I did not see this . It came together nicely , when you thought you had it it then shook you up a little bit more !
I read this in a day , and it was a satisfying ending - I didn’t feel there were unanswered questions .
I easily lost myself in this for a day. I couldn’t put it down and I wanted to know what had happened . Yet another great read from one of my favourite authors ! Hopefully not long until the next one !!

Suspenseful and intense with a bit of predictability. I love that I can always count on Shalini Boland for a "read in a day, single sitting" thriller!

The book starts with a birthday outing for the daughter of Natalie and Theo, who with friends and her younger cousin are ice skating for her 8th birthday. Suddenly the adults realise that the younger cousin has disappeared. From here we are in a dual timeline. The aftermath of the party and the search for Ella and the current day, with the family living with the news that 10 years later she has not been found.

The story is very well written and has several plot twist right up to the epilogue, all of which I really had no idea were coming. The plot is well told and woven back and forth in time with the characters being believable and the effects on those left behind to deal with the trauma becoming more evident as time goes on.

Highly recommend this for anyone who enjoys a family thriller and a story with lots of unexpected outcomes.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was super fast paced right out of the gate and it stayed that way to the very end. It was so good I read it in one sitting. There were a few twists at the end too, I definitely didn’t guess what actually happened. Very good read.

When your own child disappears while your attention was briefly elsewhere, it’s a horror scenario—but I think it’s even worse when it’s someone else’s child you were responsible for at that moment, who suddenly goes missing…

This is what happens to Nathalie when her niece suddenly vanishes during her own daughter’s birthday party…

The search begins while Nathalie’s feelings of guilt toward her sister Jo keep growing, and with every day that passes without a trace, the sadness and despair intensify.

You also feel the pressure building up on the family members, and there seems to be no happy ending in sight…

Sometimes people think and hope they can reach their goal by twisting the truth, but often they end up doing more harm than good.

I thought this story was brilliantly written—but then again, I’m a fan of this author. Time and time again, she manages to charm and intrigue me with her talented writing. From the very first page, you feel something is about to happen, and all your senses go into “danger” mode. Throughout the entire book, you keep wondering who, where, and why—until you reach the sublime reveal…

I can and want to give nothing less than 5 stars.

Thank you.

Jo Warren's daughter goes missing at a birthday party hosted by her sister.
Ten years later the family is still broken by Elle's disappearance

An absolutely engrossing novel by Shalini Boland.
Perfectly paced, with well developed characters.
Sad, suspenseful and emotional.
The reveal is very unexpected - talk about a massive twist!

5/5 stars from me. I recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc.

I really enjoyed this one! I couldn’t put it down and was torn between wanting to race through it to know the ending and to take my time as I didn’t want it to end. I was hooked from the first page!

I am a big Shalini Boland fan and was so excited to get this ARC to read. However, this one didn't hit the mark as much as I expected it to. Although I liked the twist at the end, the story itself felt bland, the pace was not fast enough and I found myself picking up other books whilst reading this one as I didn't want to go into a reading slump.
A little disappointed but still looking forward to reading her next book!

This has had me staying up late and page turning at record speed as I had to know what happened. It is every mother’s nightmare, a child taken from a birthday party- your niece too. It was thrilling, suspenseful, had a dual time line and some chapters include the voice of the kidnapper (I think this often works well). A definite recommendation! Additionally , I am a massive fan of this author! All 3 books I’ve read so far by this author I’ve really enjoyed and I do plan on reading the others. This was so reminiscent of a book by Jennifer Hillier called ‘Little Secrets’ (another great read).

Omg.. seriously a freaking amazing twist to this book. No way I saw that coming!!!! The pain, the heartache all real and truly felt. Shalini Boland is a superstar writer it's always a pleasure to get an early release of her books.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an early release of this book.

I really enjoyed this, particularly as it was set where I lived. I loved recognising the various locations.
The characters are all fully rounded and believable. I think Jo was particularly well written as there's a tendency to portray the mother of a missing child as a fragile saint. Jo is complex and understandable.
I liked the now and then timelines. They kept well to the unfolding of the revelations. Good twisty ending too!

The Birthday Party" was a fast-paced, twist-filled read that I absolutely flew through in a single day.

The writing was gripping from the start, pulling me into the mystery and keeping me hooked with each chapter. I especially loved the use of dual timelines - it added so much depth to the story and slowly revealed pieces of the puzzle in a really clever way. Just when I thought I had things figured out, a new twist would throw me off course.

The characters were well-drawn, and I found myself questioning everyone's motives right up until the end. It had that perfect balance of suspense and intrigue that makes for a truly binge-worthy read. If you're into psychological thrillers that keep you guessing, this one is definitely worth picking up.

I loved this book! I threw all my adult responsibilities to finish it in one day! This is definitely five-star book! This was an absolute fun, fast paced and of course twisty read! I love all of Shalini Boland’s books and this one was her best yet!

Everything about this book pulled me in. I was completely engrossed it was thrilling and twisted. The twists and turns were epic and left me gobsmacked!

This is definitely must read! A massive ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars!

A narrativa começa com a celebração do oitavo aniversário da filha de Natalie em uma pista de patinação, onde sua sobrinha Elle desaparece misteriosamente após ser atraída por alguém vestido com uma fantasia de desenho animado. O desaparecimento ocorre sem que ninguém perceba, transformando a festa em um cenário de pesadelo.
A história avança dez anos, mostrando Natalie apoiando sua irmã Jo, a mãe de Elle, enquanto elas lidam com a dor da perda. À medida que o décimo aniversário do desaparecimento se aproxima, Jo começa a sentir que está sendo observada por alguém que conhece a verdade sobre o que aconteceu naquele dia. Segredos há muito enterrados começam a emergir, forçando as irmãs a confrontar o passado e enfrentar novas ameaças que podem abalar ainda mais suas vidas.​
Shalini Boland é conhecida por seus thrillers psicológicos que mantêm os leitores em suspense até a última página. Com mais de 2,5 milhões de cópias vendidas, seus livros são publicados por editoras renomadas como Amazon Publishing e Bookouture. "A Festa de Aniversário" promete seguir essa tradição, oferecendo uma trama cheia de reviravoltas e tensão emocional.