The Party is a novel focused on a family that host a party for their daughter Hannah, a 'sweet 16' you might say. Except it turns out to be anything but sweet, with something happening at the event that brings huge ramifications for the family, Hannah and her friends.

The novel is a bit of a lighter mystery and discusses the different family dynamics and broken relationships that form after a horrendous event. Obviously I can't go into what happens without spoiling the whole thing, but if you are after a domestic mystery, something light, not a thriller as such, this is for you.

WOW! This book touched a nerve. I have a daughter who also plays basketball, piano and is an A-Grade Student and I would consider myself a strict parent so the characters were similar in many ways. Thank heavens my daughter's 16th went by with no incident and that she does not vie to be in the popular group. The challenges that teenagers have today is addressed in this novel; peer pressures, social media, and cyber bullying. The feelings and personalities of the parents of all the teens was believable and some I would say I could say I knew! This was a novel that once picked up I found it hard to put down. Thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend it. I would say it would appeal to readers that enjoyed We need to talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver.

Kim’s daughter, Hannah, is having a sleepover for her 16th birthday party. Before leaving them to it, Kim lays down her rules – no drugs, no alcohol, no boys. But the girls end up breaking every rule and in the middle of the night, Hannah comes to her parents with blood on her hands. There has been an accident and one of the girls, Ronni, has been badly injured. The repercussions from that night affect all concerned, with Ronni’s mother blaming Kim and her husband, Jeff.
Starting with a great inciting incident and unreliable characters, this suburban drama delves into many issues from parental responsibility to popularity and bullying at a private school. I was easily hooked into the story, wanting to know how it would resolve, but was not a fan of the ending. Well worth a read.

Hannah Sanders is turning sweet 16, and is celebrating her milestone with a party with a few girlfriends in the basement of her family home.
Her parents, Kim and Jeff, know that their daughter is a good kid who is doing well at school, and see no harm in having four of Hannah's friends over for a slumber party.
The guests include Ronni Monroe, who was once Hannah's best friend when they were younger; Lauren Ross, the popular, mean girl; and two of Hannah's oldest friends, Marta and Caitlin.
Hannah wants to impress her friends, particularly Lauren, as she desperately wants to fit in with the popular kids just like Lauren does.
So when the girls decide to break Kim's rules of no drinks, no drugs, and no boys, things turn disastrous.
Ronni is left seriously injured and disfigured when a horrible accident takes place.
When Ronni's mum Lisa finds out, she is understandably distraught. But her pain quickly leads to anger, and she decides to sue Hannah's parents for negligence for the sum of $3,000,000.
The law suit brings out the worst in everyone.
Those who were friends now become enemies, and as the families continue to battle it out, many secrets and lies are exposed.
Meanwhile, Ronni struggles to cope with the bullying taunts she is faced with upon her return to school.
Kim and Jeff have their own personal battles to face, and it is quite clear that the repercussions of the incident will change all of their lives forever.

Many of the characters have secrets and are untruthful, at times not only to others, but to themselves.
It was interesting to see how the effects of the lawsuit took its toll on the characters; the book is told from different points of view, so the reader gains a good understanding of how each of the characters deal with it. I think that Hannah and Ronni were definitely the more mature characters, even more so than the adults at times. I wasn't sure how the book would end, but the outcome seemed fairly realistic.

This was a really compelling book that highlighted the damaging effects that peer pressure, drugs, and drinking can cause, particularly when they are combined together.