This was a fun little book.

It’s not life changing, but it’s extremely entertaining.

I really wasn’t sure at first, but as soon as they played a little dinner party game (a game that no couple should ever, ever play!), I was in.

Some of the reasons behind everything were a touch unbelievable, but it’s a popcorn book and I kept munching that popcorn until the end.

I enjoyed this read and would happily try something else by our author!

*ARC Provided via Net Galley

The premise of this book is good. Couples at a dinner party where secrets come out? It's like that scene in Doctor Foster! There's lots to spill out and then there's even worse to come...

I didn't like anyone in the story and didn't even like the child who seemed well advanced beyond his years and very annoying with his whining. The other characters were all adults yet made some really odd decisions. The dinner party tension and aftermath was very good but the novel went places I didn't care for. This is purely my opinion though and others might disagree!

There was one thing which really jarred with me and that was the way the chapters were divided up into strange sections with no cliff hanger or ending. The next chapter was just the next sentence (at least this is how it seemed ) and this book could have really been good with cliff hanger endings.

Not for me but I will still read the other books of this author.

As mentioned by other reviewers, this book started out well, the description of the dinner party guests was good, I could imagine them easily, and the taut feelings caused by the party game introduced us to tensions within the marriages of the four couples. Once the two bodies were found it came to a bit of a stand still and I lost interest for a while. It really needed to keep the pace going at the same level as the beginning of the book.. Somehow Ted came across as a much older man in his general demeanor rather than someone in his mid thirties, I saw him as a sort of youngish Father Christmas character with a grey beard and glasses which I know would be completely wrong. I'm not sure a Norwegian man would let himself go to seed in the way it seemed Jakob had. I did worry that little Georgie would disappear in the park while playing football. He was portrayed as someone a lot older than six, a child of that age would not have such a grown up vocabulary, despite the mentions of him picking up adult phrases. His reasoning was more like a ten year old, so this was unfortunately way off.

I really enjoyed The Dinner Party, fast paced, twisty as you like, with some love to hate to love characters all up to various levels of nefarious activities.

It starts with a dinner party, a fairly innocuous event and ends with blood and horror- the story fairly rocks along as events unfold through the eyes of one of the friends. His slow burning realisation that he hardly knows anyone around him despite being so close to them for years is a perfect central anchor to the wider story

It is a bit mad but never strays into unbelievable and it is wildly entertaining with a great ending.

Overall a really good read. Recommended.

I enjoyed the suspense and intrigue created in this book, the characters kept you guessing and you never really knew where it was going. I didn’t feel like the ending quite tied in with the ending of the book, which let the story down a little bit for me. Still enjoyable but not as great as it could have been!

Intense book. I expected this entire book to take place at one dinner party, so was pleasantly surprised when it started there, but did not end there. This party started with a game. which then led to secrets, killings, and suspense. Some very enjoyable twists and "Plots" i did not see coming.

I found this book a bit slow to be honest, and not the thriller I’d hoped for. First time I’ve read anything by this author so would maybe try another of their books to get a better overall opinion.

This book sounded amazing in theory and the plot line is very clever, however, I did feel that it could have been much more fast paced. It kind of grumbles along and it could be a lot faster

The book was ok. it held my attention enough that I wanted to finished it but honestly I didn't care about any of the characters and the ending felt like it came out of left field. While I have no regrets about reading it, it isn't a book I would recommend.

So many twists and turns! What starts out as a dinner party with friends turns into a chaotic two day mess. Four couples attend the dinner party after a few months of not seeing each other. After an alcohol and trust game...tensions rose...resulting in death. This thriller has you guessing until the very last chapter.

#thedinnerparty #rjparker #netgalleyreview #arc #bookstagram #books📚 #bookreview this book 😱 it is filled with so many #twists&turns it's an odd one. One I didn't see coming. Imagine an evening with your friends. You play a game. And then .... Your friends end up dying. What is going on? Who did it? Who will die? You'll be riveted and gasping. Shaking your head at the characters all while trying to figure out #whodunnit and what is happening.

Short chapters keep the pages turning, but this thriller will likely be a secondary purchase for most collections unless the genre is particularly popular.

Eight friends. Eight secrets. One killer.

A group of friends gather for a peaceful dinner party but a game about trust and dark secrets results in two guests dead...

The premise sounded really good with an Agatha Christie-like whodunit scenario, but the execution of this novel left much desired. The first part was great- I was swept into the murder case but then as I neared the second part, that attention and intrigue quickly disappeared. The pacing was wicked slow and the characters (while quite developed) were not very likable or relatable. The chapters end at odd times and the writing style does very little to enhance the plot and add intrigue. The sheer amount of disbelief I have to suspend for the plot from the incompetent police procedural to the murder motives is incredibly high and I wasn't very satisfied by the end. This was a decent thriller but not as exciting or thrilling as I'd hoped.

*Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter publishers for providing a free ARC

What would happen if you were at a dinner party and you had to write your darkest secret on paper? In The Dinner Party by R.J. Parker the guests at Ted and Juliette’s dinner party play a game that changes each of their lives. Some of their lives end and the ones that live are forever changed.
This book was a page turner from the start. The way the characters relationships were interwoven with complexity kept me turning the pages to find out what happened to each of them. Thus making this book a quick read. I rate this 4/5 stars and was given this ARC courtesy of netgalley and the publisher in return for my honest feedback.

A decent thriller. Not up there with of the best ever but a nice and easy read all the same. A good writer x

Really great, intense, twisty, turny, can't-put-it-down book! Loved this! Reads really fast with short chapters (ala James Patterson). I will definitely be looking for more books by RJ Parker! Can't wait to introduce my book club to it, they will love it!

The Dinner Party is a classic domestic mystery novel. For readers expecting the psychological thriller that is advertised, you may be disappointed. While the premise of the plot is intriguing, the pace is a bit slow and foreshadows any trepidation set by the author. The characterization is well-developed for the main character who is also the narrator of the story but all other character development fails to reach any further than surface depth. All in all, a mediocre read. Recommended for those just getting started in this genre. 3 stars.

Thank you to #NetGalley for this ARC, which I read and reviewed voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I found this book a slow starter and it took me a while to get into it but I'm glad I kept going. It had some really good twists I didnt see coming which is always a brill thing to happen.
I will be looking out for more by this writer as once the book did pick ip I really enjoyed it

A compelling thriller, brilliant narration, had me doubting everyone and everything and kept me reading until the end. Thoroughly enjoyed this one although I felt I was missing something at the end.

Three couples play at a game at a dinner party. Each individual must place a secret in a sealed envelope. Their spouse, in an act of trust, must forgive them for whatever is in the envelope and then burn it without reading it. But when the guests have returned home, and one of them calls the host, panicked, saying that her husband has gone berserk, it seems the real game has only just begun. Someone is protecting a secret. And they’ll do anything to make sure it doesn’t see the light of day...

So while I loved the premise for this book, there were problems from the off. The characters are untrustworthy and unlikeable across the board (I didn’t even like the kid), and the chapters ended in really strange places - it felt like midway through a scene sometimes. And then the next chapter would just pick up where the last one left off, making the chapter break pointless - there was no question, no cliffhanger, just a sentence, then a new chapter...and another sentence that picked up from where the last one left off. Very jarring.

I found the plot very unbelievable too - the decisions the characters made were completely off the wall, the police were incompetent at best, and I found the whole thing both and messy and infuriating. It wasn’t well paced at all, the tension barely rose (except for the scene right at the end), and I just felt like it was a whole lot of wading through treacle. I was hoping the would be redeemed by a really tight ending, but...well, it wasn’t. It’s not often I feel wholly disappointed in a book, but I truly disliked this one.

Thank you to NetGalley who provided me with a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.