Robyn Harding's The Party is a gripping, suspense-driven, novel which had me torn between sympathizing with characters and being outraged by them. This novel calls into question the ethics of revenge and is a modern day exploration of vengeance and survival. What does "an eye for an eye" really mean in our contemporary lives? What are we capable of doing in order to preserve our lives as we know them and where do we draw the line in how we treat others?
This book is perfect for a book club that wants to discuss something important but likes a fast-paced and exciting read. Fans of The Dinner, The Slap and Truly, Madly Guilty will love this book. Five Stars.

To be honest, the plot of this story really pissed me off. It wasn’t because the story was bad or the characters were irritating, but because it is the perfect example of greedy. The characters in this book are so normal that this situation could happen to anyone. A fun, simple sweet sixteen party that goes wrong because the girls decide to drink and do some recreational drugs. Now, what goes down in the basement during the party, in my opinion, probably transpired pretty quickly. Should Kim or Jeff gone to check on the girls before heading to bed? Yes. Sure. But would that have stopped the girls from doing what they did? Absolutely not. For decades, teenagers have been sneaking alcohol and boys into their rooms. Does that make it right? No, of course not. But the reader in this case has to realize that the role of a parent in a teenagers life is a very complicated one. First, you want your kid to listen to you and respect you as their parent. And you only hope that you raised them right so they make good decisions. But two, isn’t there that part where you really just want your kid to like you and want to be free to open up to you without judgement? You want to be the cool parent. In this book, I felt there was a balance of both with Kim and Jeff.

Ok, so what made me mad about this book? The mother of the girl who lost her eye is suing Kim and Jeff for THREE MILLION DOLLARS??? Really? And they try to settle by agreeing to pay for all the medical bills and a bunch of future expenses and Lisa (the mother) still says no and wants to drag it out to court. This makes the relationships between all the kids awful and it really left me with a horrible taste in my mouth that this could really happen. What made it harder was the ending. Okay, well the ending before the ending. Without spoiling it, this book is absolutely worth reading. It was fast-paced and not just a bunch of words on a page like some other books I’ve read. Excellent character development, realistic plot, and a book that will really make you think.

Thank you to NetGalley, Robyn Harding, and Gallery/Scout Press for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A good read. Not my typical genre, but I liked it.

It's a sweet sixteen sleepover with the birthday girl and four friends. What could possibly go wrong? Well everything and not in a good way. Hannah's family lives in an upscale neighborhood in San Francisco where it isn't enough to keep up with the Joneses but to surpass them. Most of us have probably known people like this. These are the kind of people that you don't feel sorry for when their life comes crumbling down around them. There are some cringe worthy moments when you know they are going to say or do something they shouldn't. The ending was a little unexpected but it wasn't enough to push this story up another notch. Too many of the characters were not likable and there wasn't anyone worthy of rooting for, no heroes to come and save the day. All in all it was a fast read and enjoyable to a point. Too often the characters kept doing and saying the same things over and over which didn't really move the story along or create any suspense.

I absolutely loved this book! It is certainly not the "typical" high school setting with bullies and mean girls; but it will break your heart nonetheless. How can a Sweet Sixteen all-girl sleep-over go wrong when parents set clear boundaries? You can only imagine; but that's just the beginning of trouble as the girls, their parents, and everyone involved keeps secrets and revenge runs rampant. You will find yourself immersed not only in the storyline, but also in the characters who vacillate between ethical and unethical decisions. It may make you question your own parenting choices and certainly shows the dark side of social media and teenagers whose desire for popularity has disastrous repercussions. This is a must-read!

Not entirely sure what to think of this book. I disliked all the characters, none of them had any redeeming qualities. Even Aiden, the author was clear, was a non-bathing repugnant 13 year old. I couldn't relate to a single one of them and yet I was compelled to keep reading. And pretty much read it in one sitting. I'm still shaking my head over it. As much as I disliked most, if not all the elements of this story, I did like the writer's style and the fact that I totally got sucked into the story.

Thank you to Robyn Harding, the publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of The Party. What a fantastic roller coaster ride of a read!

A catastrophic event creates a seismic shift in the lives of a small prep school community in San Francisco, California. Hannah, the daughter of fairly well to do family, is turning 16. Like many teenagers her age, she struggles to fit in at school. She's smart, pretty, and a talented musician, but that doesn't get anyone very far in a private high school. The sweet 16 party, which is a small, intimate sleepover with a mix of old friends and a few new friends, is her chance to finally get an "in" with the "in" crowd and move up on the social ladder of her high school.

Hannah's mother, Kim, is strict and controlling. She lectures the girls about not drinking or using drugs in their house as soon as they step foot into the house for the party. Kim's dad, Jeff, is not the disciplinarian, and, in a moment of really poor parental judgement, sneaks a bottle of champagne to the girls who are partying in their fancy basement.

Hannah, who wants to impress the two popular girls at the party (Ronni and Lauren), not only happily takes the champagne but also has her boyfriend and his friend smuggle in additional alcohol. To top it off, the girls have also brought their own debaucherous stash of alcoholic drinks and drugs. What could go wrong?

Well, as you can probably imagine, a LOT can go wrong with a toxic mix of teenagers, alcohol, and drugs. Since Hannah has always been an upstanding student and well behaved daughter, Kim doesn't worry about the party downstairs. Kim takes a small dose of Ambien and drinks some wine to help her sleep the night away, not checking on the girls because Hannah has never given her a reason to worry.

Later that night, Hannah comes into Kim and Jeff's room sobbing, hands covered in wet, warm blood. One of the girls at the sleepover has been irreparably injured due to the drugs and alcohol at the party, leaving Kim, Hannah, and Jeff to grapple with what it means to moral, compassionate, and a family in a litigious, judgmental, and helicopter-parent dominated society.

In the wake of the accident, the characters deal with their own character flaws. A former bully is now bullied at school. A parent struggles with the consequences of years of permissive parenting that contributed to the accident. A father is blackmailed and forced to come to terms with his own moral failings. A daughter realizes what it means to be a good person and friend, even if it comes at the cost of her family's riches.

The author plunges deep into the lives of Hannah, Ronni, Lisa (Ronni's mom), Kim (Hannah's mom), and Jeff (Hannah's dad). You hear the story from their perspectives, and each story and person has different but completely valid feelings about the accident and what restitution should involve. I absolutely adore a book with well developed characters and plot that is paced like a firecracker, quick and explosive. If I didn't have to go to work, I would have read this book in one sitting. I finished it in two days during a busy work week because I could not put it down! Five stars for a fantastic read!

Thanks so much to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and review this book!

I really enjoyed this book - another example of we never know what goes on behind closed doors and behind what is perceived to be other people's perfect lives. This book is told from multiple character's viewpoints as well as timeframes from The Party.

Hannah is turning 16 years old. She is like every other teenage girl in that she wants to be popular and accepted. She's turning away from those she considered her friends to the popular group - namely Lauren and Ronni, and all the boys that follow that group. Hannah's mom, Kim, tries to be the perfect, involved, strict mom - meanwhile her relationship with her husband is deteriorating. Her husband, Jeff, has his own secrets.

For the sweet 16 party, Kim lays down the law - no drinking, no drugs, no boys. Well, you can imagine all that could go wrong. While the parents are oblivious upstairs, chaos rains in the basement and someone gets terribly hurt. Then all the wrappings are pulled back from everyone's lives.

This would be a great book club read because of so many relevant issues - bullying, mean girls, our strive for popularity no matter what age. I was a bit disappointed with the end, as true as it probably is - is a sequel in the works?

What a twisted story! Told in alternating viewpoints and different moments in time, Harding tells that tell of secrets within a family and how secrets can be destructive. Hannah turns 16 and is having a sleepover, unfortunately it ends in a tragic accident where one of the girls is seriously injured. The girls admit to drinking and taking drugs but there is much more going on than it first initially seems. The parents, Jeff and Kim are flawed and both struggling with their personal issues and relationship issues. Hannah is keeping secrets and trying to navigate the edge of popularity. There are bullying issues discussed by both teens and adults, as well as infidelity. I really liked this book because it grabbed me and sucked me right in to the action. I wanted to know what really went on and how things were going to unravel. Emotional and intense, there were some great moments in this story and definitely some realistic and flawed characters!

I'm torn on this one. While I hated all of the characters throughout the book, it was a quick read and I found myself wanting to see how it ended.

My biggest problem with it is that I felt like I was being told the whole story rather than experiencing it - like it was being narrated to me the entire time.

I don't know how realistic these teenagers are, but I really hope I never meet any like this (same goes for most of the adults too). What a bunch of entitled, self-important, spoiled brats.

I received an advanced copy through netgalley.

A life-altering accident at a sweet sixteen birthday party really brought out the worst in everyone. This thriller will keep you captivated until the end...and then you will still be wishing for more.

A good page turning read, but not a thriller. Lots of family drama.

I am baffled by the 'rave' reviews for this so-called thriller. Liane Moriarty, Paula Hawkins, Ruth Ware...these women can all write page-turning thrillers filled with complex characters; Robyn Harding, however, lost me on this one. The premise was promising: sweet sixteen slumber party, tragedy ensues as does a trial, school bullying, and marital issues. Unfortunately, the characters are all pretty two-dimensional, with very predictable behavior and not much growth shown by any of the teens or parents. Did I read it quickly? Yep. Would I like those four hours back? Absolutely. I appreciate beautiful writing, provocative themes, and well-developed characters; this book was just not for me. I suspect I am not the prime audience for this.

"The police looked into it and cleared us"

Jeff and Kim Sanders are a not so happily married couple. Kim is more concerned with putting on the appearance of being a happy family than with actually bothering to make it so. Jeff avoids her when he can, with long work hours and working out afterwards, and making a series of poor decisions.

The 13 year old son doesn't seem to have much to do with the story line other than bringing attention to Kim's lackadaisical parenting style when she can't be bothered to explain to him that it's time to start using deodorant because "That's a father's job" This is at odds with what seems to be her control freak style. Daughter Hannah is the good girl starting to go bad so she can be one of the popular kids.

As for the so called popular kids, they could have all used a swift kick in the behind.

This was a quick and compelling read, even though I could not really connect with any of the characters.

I guess this book is actually pretty accurate and could happen pretty easily in today's world. Sweet 16 party turns ugly fast with alcohol, drugs, guys etc. the story kept my interest and I enjoyed the writing but for some reason the ending left me unsettled. I was hoping that Ronni and Hannah would of reconciled and with the money Ronni would have had more plastic surgery to help her disfigured face.

Absolutely riveting novel, I couldn't put this book down. Quick paced, down-to-Earth writing style told from multiple viewpoints, 'The Party' reads like a true story. Completely plausible in this day and age. A modern-day and relevant portrayal of the term "an eye for an eye". The storyline was suspenseful and engrossing, had me on a roller coaster of emotions. Rooting for and empathizing with the characters one moment, only to have it all come crashing down shortly after. Will be highly recommending this book!

Could not put this book down! Had me hooked from the first page. Loved it!