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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A Death at the Party by Amy Stuart opens with our party hostess, Nadine Walsh, walking away from a man close to death on her basement floor. Who is he? What happened? And why?
Well, strap in. Because from that banger of an opening, we travel back thirteen hours to the morning of the event. Nadine's throwing a party for her mother's sixtieth birthday. Her mother, Marilyn, is a beloved author, famed for her rags to riches success story. Marilyn no longer celebrates her birthday after a devastating family tragedy occurred at her thirtieth. But thirty years have now passed, and it's time everyone moved on... isn't it?
Nadine is an incredible main character. She manages to be likeable and unlikeable at the same time - she has done some morally questionable things, and yet I found myself rooting for her throughout. There are a couple of side plots running, with a couple of neighbours and a seedy journalist hanging round, but it's the relationship between Marilyn and Nadine, mother and daughter, that stole the show for me. I adored their banter, the way they bounced off each other, and the way they looked out for each other. Were some of the plot twists completely reliant on coincidence? Sure. Was it all believable? Nope. But was it highly entertaining? You betcha.
What could have been a very predictable domestic thriller ended up being a smart, twisted toppling of the old boys club. And don't you love to see it.
A very quick read, but one I'd happily recommend to anyone looking for a decent thriller. It would make an incredible mini-series too, it reminded me of some of the stuff Reese Witherspoon has been producing for TV. Loved it!
Thanks to @michaeljbooks for the ARC via Netgalley.
Well, strap in. Because from that banger of an opening, we travel back thirteen hours to the morning of the event. Nadine's throwing a party for her mother's sixtieth birthday. Her mother, Marilyn, is a beloved author, famed for her rags to riches success story. Marilyn no longer celebrates her birthday after a devastating family tragedy occurred at her thirtieth. But thirty years have now passed, and it's time everyone moved on... isn't it?
Nadine is an incredible main character. She manages to be likeable and unlikeable at the same time - she has done some morally questionable things, and yet I found myself rooting for her throughout. There are a couple of side plots running, with a couple of neighbours and a seedy journalist hanging round, but it's the relationship between Marilyn and Nadine, mother and daughter, that stole the show for me. I adored their banter, the way they bounced off each other, and the way they looked out for each other. Were some of the plot twists completely reliant on coincidence? Sure. Was it all believable? Nope. But was it highly entertaining? You betcha.
What could have been a very predictable domestic thriller ended up being a smart, twisted toppling of the old boys club. And don't you love to see it.
A very quick read, but one I'd happily recommend to anyone looking for a decent thriller. It would make an incredible mini-series too, it reminded me of some of the stuff Reese Witherspoon has been producing for TV. Loved it!
Thanks to @michaeljbooks for the ARC via Netgalley.
A 3.5 for me, rounded up. I enjoyed the read, it hooked me early on and made my through it quickly. Entertaining and suspenseful for sure, but would have liked a punchier ending.
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Read Completed 8/26/23 | 2.5 - 2.75 stars
This was another drama that thinks it's a thriller. Or else, it was marketed poorly as a thriller when it's mostly not.
This was a slow-moving domestic drama/thriller. It kicks off quickly, showing the main character watch a man die at her mother's birthday party. We don't know who the man is that is dying so that's the mystery of the book. We then rewind and experience the day of the party and everything the characters go through that day. It's really not exciting, though. There's drama about cheating, her mother keeping secrets, secret smoking (who cares), blah blah. Obviously there are secrets to uncover but it just wasn't interesting enough.
Once the secrets are revealed, it's very blunt and anticlimactic. The whole book builds up to it and then it's just given to the readers. There are some flashbacks to the past which give us clues but everything was a little clumsy. It just didn't flow well, didn't hold my attention, and wasn't really thrilling.
I ended up finishing the book because I had too many in a row that I've quit, but I probably wouldn't have finished this one if the situation were different. It wasn't bad but it just didn't stand out and could have been a lot better for me.
This was another drama that thinks it's a thriller. Or else, it was marketed poorly as a thriller when it's mostly not.
This was a slow-moving domestic drama/thriller. It kicks off quickly, showing the main character watch a man die at her mother's birthday party. We don't know who the man is that is dying so that's the mystery of the book. We then rewind and experience the day of the party and everything the characters go through that day. It's really not exciting, though. There's drama about cheating, her mother keeping secrets, secret smoking (who cares), blah blah. Obviously there are secrets to uncover but it just wasn't interesting enough.
Once the secrets are revealed, it's very blunt and anticlimactic. The whole book builds up to it and then it's just given to the readers. There are some flashbacks to the past which give us clues but everything was a little clumsy. It just didn't flow well, didn't hold my attention, and wasn't really thrilling.
I ended up finishing the book because I had too many in a row that I've quit, but I probably wouldn't have finished this one if the situation were different. It wasn't bad but it just didn't stand out and could have been a lot better for me.
A Death At The Party opens with the death, and then we follow Nadine’s journey, building up to the party and what pushes her to perform the act.
This story is full of mystery, with twists and turns, family secrets, revelations, history revealed and one woman’s journey to protect her family.
This really drew me in to Nadine’s recovery, and the physical impact her accident had on her, it also leads you to understand the lengths she will go to protect those that she loves, you really empathise with her story from the way it was written. You can see the struggles Nadine has had with trying to protect everyone and neglecting herself and the self destructive behaviours that can lead to.
I really enjoyed this rollercoaster of a story.
This story is full of mystery, with twists and turns, family secrets, revelations, history revealed and one woman’s journey to protect her family.
This really drew me in to Nadine’s recovery, and the physical impact her accident had on her, it also leads you to understand the lengths she will go to protect those that she loves, you really empathise with her story from the way it was written. You can see the struggles Nadine has had with trying to protect everyone and neglecting herself and the self destructive behaviours that can lead to.
I really enjoyed this rollercoaster of a story.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced