This is the first book I have read from Author Melissa de la Cruz, and while this one was marketed as a Thriller I found it be more family drama with a little suspense.
I feel this book fell a little flat and the main character was unrelatable.
Not sure if I'd try this author again.

A Big Fat No-No for me.

When I was younger, I read her Blue Blood series and at that time, I love that series.So I am not going to needy the fact that I wanted to read this book only because of that reason... but also the synopsis of the book promised a book with a thrilling storyline.
Sadly, the book was just a trial of patience for me:I didn't like the protagonist or the secondary characters. Just Book was a big fat NO.

This book fell for for me,and I did not finish. I did not like the characters, and I really don't care what happened to them.

I really liked the premise of this book, but it fell flat for me. There was no substance or suspense and Ellie was a very unlikable character. I actually liked the "teen" chapters better than the present chapters. I must say, though, that I was not expecting the twist at the end, but even that couldn't make up for the rest of the novel.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up The Birthday Girl by Melissa de la Cruz. For the past year or so I’ve really been leaning more towards mysteries and thrillers. This one definitely fit the bill!

The Birthday Girl was told in a past versus present format which I am a sucker for! 24 years prior is the story of Leo and Mish and the present is told by Ellie. Both timelines revolve around important birthdays.

The timelines also differ in that the storyline featuring Leo shows us a girl who loves her people deeply and wants the best for them. The timeline with Ellie shows us a woman who is just plain mean. Maybe that isn’t fair but it’s my review and therefore my perspective. Ellie is a strong woman but she has a ton of demands and the way she demands is what makes her mean.

The two timelines tell us about two different birthdays and their outcomes. As the story progresses the intensity of the unknown end really starts to ramp up. I am genuinely trying to find a way to explain myself here but it was just an increasing sense of dread.

I won’t give the ending away here but suffice it to say that things got very interesting towards the end of the book and I couldn’t put it down! I’ll definitely be picking up any mystery/thriller/suspense novels Melissa de la Cruz chooses to write!

Blonde, sun-kissed, leggy and rich, Ellie de Florent-Stinson has it all --- and she doesn’t look a day over 39. Or at least that’s what everyone traipsing out to celebrate her big 40th birthday in Palm Springs tells her. In Ellie’s crew, your 40th is not just another milestone, but a grand event --- something one celebrates with a safari in Africa or a Versailles-inspired ball. So naturally, Ellie has gone above and beyond, not just by renting a house in Palm Springs, but by buying one. The only problem is that she and the company she owns are in massive debt, her (steadily growing overweight) husband, Todd, is unemployed (and possibly cheating), and to add insult to injury, the flowers she had shipped in for her big party are wilting.

In Melissa de la Cruz’s THE BIRTHDAY GIRL, readers get a firsthand look at the world of millionaires and billionaires, their glittering social lives, and what one woman will do to make sure she never loses her access to the world of the rich and famous.

As Ellie dashes around her luxurious Palm Springs home making last-minute preparations for her party, de la Cruz alternates chapters between present day and Ellie’s past, back when she was a wide-eyed 15-year-old preparing to celebrate her 16th birthday. Back then, Ellie was what you might endearingly call “trailer trash, but with a lot of gumption,” and she and her best friend had a different kind of power. Young, willowy, beautiful and oh-so-tempting, Leo and Mish were bad girls, and their small, sleepy town was at their mercy as they ran around shoplifting, drinking, doing drugs and meeting boys.

Seeing both sides of Ellie, one thing is immediately clear: she is wildly insecure, desperately envious and cuttingly ambitious. In other words, a “Real Housewife” with a Lifetime-worthy backstory. In present day, Ellie worries that her husband is unfaithful, that her wealthy friends (including three billionaires!) don’t like her, that her stepdaughter is failing out of college, and that the Vanity Fair photographer will not show up before she and her guests head to the afterparty. At 16, Ellie is just as jealous of her peers, but she has some real depth, too. She is tired of playing second string to her prettier, skinnier best friend, and is ready to take matters into her own hands to make her 16th birthday memorable.

De la Cruz puts her young adult writing skills to terrific use with 16-year-olds Leo and Mish. All of the nuances of their friendship are laid out carefully and compassionately, from the comfortable silences to the backhanded compliments. As they try to find boys to celebrate with, cross paths with the local drug dealer and head to an uncomfortable high school party, they sound and behave like real teens, and de la Cruz writes them with admirable respect. These were, admittedly, my favorite chapters to read, not only because they were well written but because they made me wonder, What happened in 24 years to turn this sweet, if reckless, girl into the vapid Ellie of 40? De la Cruz spins an intriguing but cozy mystery to fill in the blanks and throws in the menacing air of murder for good measure.

I don’t think I'm alone when I say that Ellie is categorically unlikable. She whines over her finances, yet has bought an entire house just for a party, and criticizes her husband’s weight but is terrified at the thought of his possible infidelity. Perhaps her one redeeming quality is her love for her children, of which she has four, including Todd’s daughter from a previous marriage, whom she clearly adores. She also has at least one true friend, who provides a sort of unwritten testimonial for readers --- if he likes her, she must have good qualities. But even at her worst, there is something deliciously voyeuristic about watching her panic over the party. You will root for her as much as you will want her to fail.

Jumping back and forth between two milestone birthdays, de la Cruz shows readers what happens when a hardscrabble young teen does the impossible and becomes richer than even the richest boy in her high school --- and what it then means when she is threatened with losing it all. When a mysterious guest shows up at her party, tying the two birthdays together in a way that terrifies Ellie to her core, she is forced to confront some painful truths about her youth and how she really got to where she is now.

THE BIRTHDAY GIRL is pure fun: birthday parties, teenage ennui and a hearty dose of suspense make this an easy but unputdownable read. Although the main character is 40 for half of the story, I easily could see mature teens enjoying this book, and the appeal for adults is obvious. With her return to adult fiction, de la Cruz demonstrates a keen knowledge of pop culture, a nod to timely issues like the #MeToo movement, and, most of all, an understanding of what makes good fiction great.

Ellie is a wealthy woman and is having the birthday party to end all birthday parties for her 40th. She wants to showcase her wealth and have amenities that everyone else will envy. During the party, she receives a phone call that makes her remember her humble roots. The book goes back and forth from the present to the past showing her relationship with her best friend and critical moments in her past. She is worried now that the past might just come back to haunt her after all. Ellie was a pretty unlikable, manipulative character, but I found uniqueness in her story and the characters were well written. Thanks for the ARC, Net Galley

I was super excited when I was sent this book, (thanks Netgalley!), but I definitely thought it would be more of a thriller. While I did enjoy it, I didn't feel like the book read very smoothly. I was a little shocked at the end, I don't want to give it away, but I wasn't expecting the twist. Overall, a decent read and would read more from the author.

This was a little slow and hard to get into. I expected a different type of story line based off of the synopsis. I also expected more suspense for a thriller

Not at all what I was expecting. This isn't so much a thriller as it is a teen soap (in the past) and a social satire with almost no plot (in the present). Some nice writing but some lazy writing as well with a "twist" that was as unnecessary as it was silly.

This was a great read. The author did not disappoint and delivered a story that kept me at the edge of my seat!

I recieved an ARC of this book from the publisher through Netgalley. All opinions my own.

Ellie is turning forty and she is throwing a big extravagant party in her Palm Springs home to celebrate.

Ellie is the one with it all. She's a fashion designer. She has the handsome husband, beautiful accomplished kids, and an amazing group of friends.

From everyone's point of view she seems so perfect on the outside but everything is not so perfect on the inside. She has a ton of secrets and her birthdays have always been terrible like her sixteenth birthday. Which she wants to forget. At the night of the party all her secrets start to come out. Everyone shes ever known starts showing up invited or not. So she started to fall apart.

The story overall doesnt have much mystery. It's more drama than anything. The book is told in alternating time lines, the present and her sixteenth birthday. I kept waiting for something to happen all through the book but it didnt. So it's slow building. The big reveal was okay. It's not the best one I've ever read before. The book is a fast read. You could have it done it a couple of hours. You do wonder who she is as soon as you start reading but as you start reading it all starts to come to light.

Sometimes I choose to read a book just by the cover alone. This book was one of those times. I was a little nervous after reading the first chapter, I thought i wasn't going to get into the story. But I really liked this book.It turned out to be very intriguing I like how the book went from present day to 24 years ago almost every other chapter. What a fantastic way to keep the story interesting. The story about a women who turned 40 and threw herself a birthday party. And then she would remember her past, that's when the book would go back 24 years.. Chapter by chapter you learned more about her and how she grew up and how she got to where she was. I don't want to write any spoilers so I'm keeping it vague. There is so much more to this story. I didn't want this book to end. I wished it would have been longer. There are some stories and characters that I think about long after I finish a book and this is one of those stories.

I love this author! I was so excited to receive this book from netgalley. She is mysterious and keeps me on the edge of my seat! Thank you for the ARC !

This book was good and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Ellie plans her 40th birthday party and boy is it a party to be remembered. So many people and so much happens.
So much drama and it kept me wondering what we might find out next. It was definitely entertaining.

This wasn't really one of my favorite thrillers even though it had a good premise. I think ellie and her husband's relationship is what bothered me because that seemed to be a major roll in the story. It honestly got to the point where I was tired of reading about it. Otherwise the book was really good!

From Rags to Riches and not just on birthday wishes!! What a birthday this turns out to be!! Exceptional read! So many twists and turns that you don’t realize it’s the end of the novel until that last page is turned. Such a good read!!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House LLC for this edition and hearing my honest review. Looking forward to reading more with you
#partner

The Birthday Girl was a DNF for me. It wouldn't hold my attention, I just felt like it was lacking. I love this author but this book just wasn't gor me.

⭐️Book Review ⭐️
The Birthday Girl by Melissa de la Cruz
3/5 Stars


This story alternates perspectives between present for a mysterious, hyped 40th birthday and past (24 years ago) when two girls celebrate one of their 16th birthday.


Ellie is now celebrating her 40th birthday and sparing no detail. Her newly purchased Palm Springs home welcomes billionaires, famous friends, past husbands along with Ellie’s current family. She has everything she’s ever wanted with her career and family- or does she?


Leo and Mish are determined to spend Leo’s 16th birthday in style and get out of their trailer lifestyle neighborhood. They recruit Mish’s rich boyfriend, a local drug dealer and find a sweet party to crash along the way. Does the wealthy have it just as good? Or can life fall apart in one quick moment?


This was a good story, but it lacked the WOW factor. I kept waiting for something to happen and it just fell flat. It was very predictable- wanted to love it more...


**Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book. I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review. **

This was a great book! The Birthday Girl is about Ellie de Florent-Stinson and centers around the lavish 40th birthday party she is throwing herself at her newly purchased Palm Springs house. The book also flashes back to Ellie as a younger girl. One chapter is present, the next chapter is 24 years prior when Ellie was 16. The chapters begin to mesh more when characters from the past show up in the present at the birthday party, thus connecting the two time periods. There are several plot twists, the biggest of them all happening in the past chapters. You learn that Ellie grew up in a trailer with little money, which is the reason for her outrageous spending and lifestyle as an adult. She wants to prove that she is so far removed from her childhood. While reading, I would fluctuate between not liking Ellie to then liking her when she finally revealed a softer side of herself. The one part of the book that bothered me a little, without revealing spoilers, was from the past. Almost half the book was about Ellie's past, yet how the past chapters ended so abruptly, leaving me unsatisfied. It's hard to really get too deep into that, without giving away the plot and one of the big twists. Also, it was a little strange that for Ellie's colorful life leading up to her 40th birthday, and all of the innuendos of past events that she had been through, this book focused on one event, one day really, from when she was 16-years-old. Yes, this past day indeed shaped Ellie and the person she was in the present, but I'm not sure the book did justice on HOW that day affected Ellie. It's almost like two different stories, connected by a fine thread. But this book absolutely held my attention and was a page-turner!

*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.