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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
You know when you have a bad feeling about someone? I did not trust any of the mal characters throughout the book. After almost half, I couldn't shake the uneasiness it brought me. They did something bad or they are involved in something.
A mind affected by trauma is often forgetful. The memories are unreliable. You know Nadine suppressed what happened to Colleen and it's all gonna come out during that evening, 30 years later.
This novel starts like a old whodunit. You know what happens, it starts with the crime. But what lead to it? What caused it? Is it an accident? Who died from the hands of Nadine, how and why? Was she responsible or is it just circumstancial?
This novel was so fast paced that I could catch a breath. I had to keep turning the pages to know what happened. My heart kept fluttering with anticipation in my chest. I loved every pages of it!
If you're looking for an interesting take on a murder mystery with many side stories, this is it!
I would like to thank NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for a copy of this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A mind affected by trauma is often forgetful. The memories are unreliable. You know Nadine suppressed what happened to Colleen and it's all gonna come out during that evening, 30 years later.
This novel starts like a old whodunit. You know what happens, it starts with the crime. But what lead to it? What caused it? Is it an accident? Who died from the hands of Nadine, how and why? Was she responsible or is it just circumstancial?
This novel was so fast paced that I could catch a breath. I had to keep turning the pages to know what happened. My heart kept fluttering with anticipation in my chest. I loved every pages of it!
If you're looking for an interesting take on a murder mystery with many side stories, this is it!
I would like to thank NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for a copy of this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you @netgalley and @simonandschuster for this ARC!
A haunting secret has been buried for 30 years. All it takes is a meddling journalist, a sixtieth birthday party and lots of alcohol for the truth to unravel.
Nadine the daughter of acclaimed author Marilyn Millay was the one to find her Aunt Colleen dead in her grandparents barn after the last birthday party held for Marilyn…At only 10 years old she never understood the implications of withholding the truth about what she saw that night… it’s something that’s haunted her for most of her life. It’s something she’s never been able to talk to her mother about because once Colleen died that part of Marilyn’s life was closed.
Marilyn’s sixtieth birthday party has been scheduled and of course it brings up a lot of emotions for Nadine, and it’s a fitting time for an anonymous source to come forward with information about what may have happened to Colleen. Will the party go on, or will Nadine’s need to know overpower everything her mother’s tried to keep behind a closed door?
A Death At A Party is a full circle style of thriller, where what goes around comes around, or if you believe in Karma.. look out. It’s a little slower paced but does not disappoint. With questionable characters and a decades long connection the truth is revealed in an unforgettable way.
A Death At A Party is set to be published March 7/2023!
A haunting secret has been buried for 30 years. All it takes is a meddling journalist, a sixtieth birthday party and lots of alcohol for the truth to unravel.
Nadine the daughter of acclaimed author Marilyn Millay was the one to find her Aunt Colleen dead in her grandparents barn after the last birthday party held for Marilyn…At only 10 years old she never understood the implications of withholding the truth about what she saw that night… it’s something that’s haunted her for most of her life. It’s something she’s never been able to talk to her mother about because once Colleen died that part of Marilyn’s life was closed.
Marilyn’s sixtieth birthday party has been scheduled and of course it brings up a lot of emotions for Nadine, and it’s a fitting time for an anonymous source to come forward with information about what may have happened to Colleen. Will the party go on, or will Nadine’s need to know overpower everything her mother’s tried to keep behind a closed door?
A Death At A Party is a full circle style of thriller, where what goes around comes around, or if you believe in Karma.. look out. It’s a little slower paced but does not disappoint. With questionable characters and a decades long connection the truth is revealed in an unforgettable way.
A Death At A Party is set to be published March 7/2023!
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was pleasantly surprised by this one!
It takes place over the course of a day, which did come off as a bit mundane and ordinary (which I happen to really enjoy - give me more to-do lists!) and the past and all of everyone's secrets slowly unravel as the day goes on.
This one is definitely more of a domestic suspense - so more rich people drama than your average thriller tropes - and a much slower pace filled with uncomfortable interactions.
Def recommend if you love a good domestic suspense!
It takes place over the course of a day, which did come off as a bit mundane and ordinary (which I happen to really enjoy - give me more to-do lists!) and the past and all of everyone's secrets slowly unravel as the day goes on.
This one is definitely more of a domestic suspense - so more rich people drama than your average thriller tropes - and a much slower pace filled with uncomfortable interactions.
Def recommend if you love a good domestic suspense!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Murder
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The book opens with the titular death. We don't know who the victim is or the motive, that all unfolds in the day leading up to party. Nadine is throwing a 60th birthday party for her famous author mother. The birthday is also the anniversary of the death of her aunt 30 years prior. We follow Nadine on the day of the party as she uncovers secrets and tries to keep some of her own undergrads.
I started this one expecting it to be a typical thriller with predictable twists. I was pleasantly surprised and was kept guessing on who the victim would be until the end. This was a pretty quick thriller to read, and that meant there wasn't a lot of time for things to drag on. This was truly and enjoyable read.
I started this one expecting it to be a typical thriller with predictable twists. I was pleasantly surprised and was kept guessing on who the victim would be until the end. This was a pretty quick thriller to read, and that meant there wasn't a lot of time for things to drag on. This was truly and enjoyable read.
This was a very enjoyable thriller! It felt like an easy read more than a dark and twisty thriller and I didn’t mind that.
I read it pretty quickly and was drawn to pick it up once I got going. The characters and backstory kept me interested and I wasn’t quite sure where it was going until close to the end. The main story takes place over only one day with flashbacks throughout, both starting and ending with the death.
I would classify it as a lite thriller. Great for a quick, bingeable read.
Thank you for the eARC netgalley!
I read it pretty quickly and was drawn to pick it up once I got going. The characters and backstory kept me interested and I wasn’t quite sure where it was going until close to the end. The main story takes place over only one day with flashbacks throughout, both starting and ending with the death.
I would classify it as a lite thriller. Great for a quick, bingeable read.
Thank you for the eARC netgalley!
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This books started at a frenetic pace! The story unraveled in waves of high tension and moments of easygoing calm. By the end, I was holding my breath.
I love a good thriller, and Amy Stuart did not disappoint. Nadine, mostly stay at home suburban mom, seems to have it all: a famous mom, a loving husband, great kids, and work when she wants. Throughout the book, her secrets and events from her past reveal that her life is not and has not been so idyllic.
I’d recommend this if you like fast-paced, character-driven thrillers
What I didn’t like:
The main character! Not that she wasn’t well developed, I just didn’t like her.
Thanks to Simon and Schuster Canada and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this ARC.
Pub date: March 6, 2023
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Thank you for the advanced readers copy for an honest review
Is the story about a woman named Nadine who has anxiety and writes lists for everything but more so since her accident. She is throwing her mother who is a famous author a birthday party which is also the day her aunt died 30 years earlier
This was actually quite a good read and there’s a twist near the end that was a bit of a mind blown
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Amy Stuart is back with thisfast-paced Mystery.
While Nadine goes about her day preparing for her mothers big birthday celebration, almost every man she runs into gives her a reason to want him dead. Ok, maybe “to want him dead” is a little severe … you’ll have to read the book to see what I mean!
The story is full of old friendships that Stuart included backstories and mini plots for that helped the book seem very real. She provided just enough info on each character that I didn’t know who to trust or whose actions would lead to their own demise.
I thought this was a fun/enjoyable new take on the standard “hidden secrets” plot and I was left guessing until the big reveal!
So, If you want to know who the body in Nadine’s basement belongs to or better yet, why they are dead… you’ll have to pick up this fantastic quick read!
Thank you to Net Galley, Simon & Schuster and Amy Stuart for the free review copy of A Death at the Party!
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Thank you @netgalley and @simonschusterca for sending me this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
First of all, I just want to start by saying that Amy Stuart lives in Toronto! I was happy to read a novel by a local author.
I really enjoyed this book. It takes place all in one day as Nadine and her family prepare for a party, but at the same time, she is recalling the past and a tragedy that took place exactly 30 years ago.
The book starts with a death (not a spoiler as it’s literally in the title!) and from there you begin to find out that Nadine is a woman with a lot of secrets. The author drops little pieces and clues that made me want to keep reading to find out more. I even forgot at one point that I was supposed to be trying to figure out who died at the party, because I was trying to figure out so many other secrets – this book has a lot of layers.
I will say that I wish we got a bit more at the end. Without spoiling, it felt like it wrapped up just a little bit too quickly and I wanted more explanation for certain actions.
Would recommend to anyone that wants a pretty quick, easy thriller type book that keeps them guessing.
Description: “In this tense, spellbinding thriller set over the course of a single day, a woman prepares for a party that goes dreadfully wrong.”
Publication Date: March 7, 2023
First of all, I just want to start by saying that Amy Stuart lives in Toronto! I was happy to read a novel by a local author.
I really enjoyed this book. It takes place all in one day as Nadine and her family prepare for a party, but at the same time, she is recalling the past and a tragedy that took place exactly 30 years ago.
The book starts with a death (not a spoiler as it’s literally in the title!) and from there you begin to find out that Nadine is a woman with a lot of secrets. The author drops little pieces and clues that made me want to keep reading to find out more. I even forgot at one point that I was supposed to be trying to figure out who died at the party, because I was trying to figure out so many other secrets – this book has a lot of layers.
I will say that I wish we got a bit more at the end. Without spoiling, it felt like it wrapped up just a little bit too quickly and I wanted more explanation for certain actions.
Would recommend to anyone that wants a pretty quick, easy thriller type book that keeps them guessing.
Description: “In this tense, spellbinding thriller set over the course of a single day, a woman prepares for a party that goes dreadfully wrong.”
Publication Date: March 7, 2023