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3.3 AVERAGE
3.3 AVERAGE
The Christmas Party by Mikayla Davids was my book club's December "Christmas thriller" pick, and had no idea what I was walking into! From the very first page, this book grabbed my attention and didn't let go even stayed up late just to finish it. The pacing is sharp, and the suspense keeps you flipping pages. While there are quite a few characters to keep track of, once you settle into who's who, the whodunit mystery really kicks in and keeps you guessing until the end. was also thrilled to find out that this is the first book in the Bailey Sisters series but it also left me wondering... how could things possibly get any worse?
I really enjoyed this and can’t wait for the next one!
I just found it a bit predictable is all. But I read a lot of these so I can’t be surprised when I start getting better at figuring them out early on.
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Well what can I say…. With family like that who needs enemies!! In this we meet the Bailey family, we have mum Nadia and the three sisters Sasha, Erin and Leah. Erin has been estranged from the rest of the family for the last ten years and has decided to build bridges with her Christmas party invitation.
I love how the chapters are told from different characters points of view whilst moving the storyline forwards and it’s very easy to follow.
My opinions on the sisters;
Sasha: I like her however feel she’s a little oblivious at times yet also drops bombshells at the most inappropriate times!
Leah: Again I liked her but she too was hiding secrets and feel there’s more to her than we’ve read.
Erin: Wow, just Wow! Control freak and definitely holds grudges. Calculating and manipulative. Really didn’t like her character.
And Nadia the mum well she is the chief secret keeper, she is trying to do right by her girls but is it always for the best?
I loved the storyline, I loved the build up to the ‘main act’ and I was flabbergasted at what unfolded! I just had to keep reading to find out what had happened and who to!! And the ending!!!! I’m definitely grateful that I know there is another book in the series as talk about cliffhanger!!
I love the writing style, it was fast paced and it had me gripped!
I love how the chapters are told from different characters points of view whilst moving the storyline forwards and it’s very easy to follow.
My opinions on the sisters;
Sasha: I like her however feel she’s a little oblivious at times yet also drops bombshells at the most inappropriate times!
Leah: Again I liked her but she too was hiding secrets and feel there’s more to her than we’ve read.
Erin: Wow, just Wow! Control freak and definitely holds grudges. Calculating and manipulative. Really didn’t like her character.
And Nadia the mum well she is the chief secret keeper, she is trying to do right by her girls but is it always for the best?
I loved the storyline, I loved the build up to the ‘main act’ and I was flabbergasted at what unfolded! I just had to keep reading to find out what had happened and who to!! And the ending!!!! I’m definitely grateful that I know there is another book in the series as talk about cliffhanger!!
I love the writing style, it was fast paced and it had me gripped!
The writing is really great… and it was a bit boring at times for me.
mysterious
Loveable characters:
Yes
I enjoy books with twists. Uncovering the past throughout the book was interesting and each character's reaction to those situations were understandable. Some of the plot surprised me and some didn't. The characters all made complete sense even though they had different life paths. Probably wouldn't describe this as "gripping" but a fun read.
Nadia Bailey has three daughters Sasha, Erin and Leah.
10 years ago after a family dispute Erin leaves, no contact with her family at all.
The story is told in past and present time, POV change in each chapter giving an insight into the family dynamic.
After 10 years each sister has moved on with their lives, one day an invitation arrives from Erin inviting them to her Christmas Party.
Can the family be united and forget the past?
I loved how this book started slowly giving a chance to get to know the characters but my goodness did it twist and turn, loved it
10 years ago after a family dispute Erin leaves, no contact with her family at all.
The story is told in past and present time, POV change in each chapter giving an insight into the family dynamic.
After 10 years each sister has moved on with their lives, one day an invitation arrives from Erin inviting them to her Christmas Party.
Can the family be united and forget the past?
I loved how this book started slowly giving a chance to get to know the characters but my goodness did it twist and turn, loved it
A husband named Aaron and a wife named Erin is awful for an audiobook. I spent the first several chapters confused until I found some reviews that confirmed the two different people. I also don’t buy into the ideals that “family is everything”.
This book was painfully stupid. It's not a murder mystery, despite the dead body in the prologue. You cannot solve the whodunnit without the withheld backstory, the reveal of which the author will tease you with for 200 pages. There is too much telling instead of showing, too much redundancy, as you reread the same scene over and over from multiple PoV internal monologues. No dialogues, and no proper scenes where the reader has to sift through body language or scenery for clues. None of it, the author spoon feeds you ever bite, you get information when she gives it... And in the end, what you learn isn't an interesting tragedy or revenge plot, it's more of an episode of Jerry Springer. And EVERYONE has the same marital structure and stress, everyone is dealing with physical abuse and a cheating husband, it's bizarre how many times the archetypes repeat themselves. Every single woman in this book is unsympathetic, regardless of the cheating spouses, they are all vain and shallow. I don't care about the circuitous thoughts of self-serving people. No one in this book deserved to be read about. Don't bother.