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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
A Death at the Party is told through Nadine’s POV over the course of a day as she gets ready and hosts a birthday celebration for her famous mother. As the day progresses, we learn through flashbacks and new information, that the people currently in her life are connected to her past.
This is a fast read, but for about 30%, I felt like Nadine just kept thinking the same things over and over, so you knew a bit of the mystery but I didn’t feel any tension.
The following kind of has spoilers -
The buildup was slow, and at first it felt like everyone’s a bit suspicious but then once the party was actually happening, no one was a really suspect anymore. All of these cringey characters were all of a sudden redeemable? All of their storylines were tied up so easily.
I enjoyed the twist revealed by the mother, and didn’t suspect that at all. Based on that, and the little crumbs revealed throughout the story, I thought there would be more of a twist at the end. Instead I felt left with a lot of questions and suspicions. Maybe that’s the point?
I wish we explored more of the dynamic between the past and present, like there was a bit more confrontation at the end. I didn’t find it believable that Nadine’s husband was so close with his friends and now neighbours, but he wasn’t involved? Maybe we could have benefited from other POVs.
Overall, this felt like a slow burn domestic thriller, but I was left wanting more tension and drama.
Thank you Simon & Schuster Canada for the digital copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is a fast read, but for about 30%, I felt like Nadine just kept thinking the same things over and over, so you knew a bit of the mystery but I didn’t feel any tension.
The following kind of has spoilers -
The buildup was slow, and at first it felt like everyone’s a bit suspicious but then once the party was actually happening, no one was a really suspect anymore. All of these cringey characters were all of a sudden redeemable? All of their storylines were tied up so easily.
I enjoyed the twist revealed by the mother, and didn’t suspect that at all. Based on that, and the little crumbs revealed throughout the story, I thought there would be more of a twist at the end. Instead I felt left with a lot of questions and suspicions. Maybe that’s the point?
I wish we explored more of the dynamic between the past and present, like there was a bit more confrontation at the end. I didn’t find it believable that Nadine’s husband was so close with his friends and now neighbours, but he wasn’t involved? Maybe we could have benefited from other POVs.
Overall, this felt like a slow burn domestic thriller, but I was left wanting more tension and drama.
Thank you Simon & Schuster Canada for the digital copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Wow what an interesting read. The book opens up with Nadine in the basement bathroom with some man that it appears she is responsible for him dying. Then the book starts at the beginning of the day and takes the reader through Nadine’s morning, afternoon, and then evening. I liked that the book all took place during the one day of the incident. I also enjoyed trying to figure out who the man she killed was because it felt like there were many possibilities until the end. I enjoyed the pacing of the book but the ending felt abrupt to me. We don’t get to see the aftermath of the death being discovered or if Nadine was suspected of doing the killing. Additionally Nadine had an affair with Lionel prior to the timeline of the book but it makes it hard to root for the main character when she cheated on her husband, Paul, for months. Especially because throughout the book she keeps thinking or and then talking to Lionel.
* re-read the book and changed/revamped my Feb 2023 review! Some things deserve a second chance.
a very fun read. page-turner, but quite well constructed, with a number of overlapping, intertwining plot threads that knotted and unravelled quite well. going to give it to my grandma to read too!
mysterious
tense
medium-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:
Complicated
tense
medium-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:
No
This was pretty good! I liked the one person POV, but they interacted with so many characters. I also appreciated how I couldn’t pin down who died at the beginning of the book until just moments before it happened. I kept going back and forth between a few. Great who’s dead?? book!
A Death at the Party is a gripping thriller that is told over the course of a single day. The first chapter makes it clear that there is a murder at a party, but of who? We follow Nadine as she goes about her day, preparing for a special 60th birthday party for her Mum - the famous author, Marilyn Millay. Her day is interspersed with memories from 30 years previous, where her sister tragically died during her Mum's 30th party. We meet her family throughout the book as well as various other acquaintances and gradually start to piece things together.
This was a fast paced thrilled that reeled me in straightaway and kept me hooked. It was a nice, quick read and I can honestly say that I enjoyed every minute.
The characters were well written and I felt that I really empathised with Nadine with her sadness, frustration and friendships.
My thanks to NetGalley and the Publishers for sending me this ARC in return for an honest review.
This was a fast paced thrilled that reeled me in straightaway and kept me hooked. It was a nice, quick read and I can honestly say that I enjoyed every minute.
The characters were well written and I felt that I really empathised with Nadine with her sadness, frustration and friendships.
My thanks to NetGalley and the Publishers for sending me this ARC in return for an honest review.
I mean teddy got what he deserved.. other than that nothing else to note.
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Great build-up
A Death at the Party by Amy Stuart has been on my TBR for a while, and I’m happy I picked this one up to read this year.
The book starts off with us finding out that a dead body is in the basement of a home, while a party is happening upstairs.
The person who finds that body is Nadine Walsh, our protagonist. And chapter 1 starts us back to the beginning of the day as she prepares to host a party with hundreds of guests, to celebrate her mother’s birthday. Her mother happens to be a famous author and Nadine really needs everything to be perfect.
Her husband and two children don’t seem to be much help, and seem to forget that the day also marks another somber anniversary that keeps consuming Nadine’s mind.
With lists in hand, Nadine keeps to the task at hand but keeps getting sidetracked by memories, secrets and which guests will show up.
This book had a great build-up and the author did a great job of going back to the past to understand what memories plagued Nadine, but also followed her through her hectic planning.
Since we already knows that somebody ends up dead at the end of the party, the whole book happens over the course of one day, and somehow introduces us to more than a handful of people who could be that person.
The book had me hooked immediately and also clearly drew the story of the history of all the characters in question. It was gripping and engaging and kept me on my toes until the very end to learn everyone’s secrets. And while I think I figured out the ending before the author meant me too, I still very much enjoyed this book.
4 stars
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