Took me two times to pick this one up and continue to read. Was good, predictable, and a few things had me questioning it. No spoilers though. Was just an ok book for me. Hope others enjoy it.

Thanks to net galley and the publisher for an early release of this book.

Ava and Lena have been best friends and roommates since they were teenagers. Now they've grown up, and Ava has made the decision to move to New York with her fiance, Ben. Lena throws Ava a surprise party to celebrate, but when a black rose arrives on their doorstep, Ava is shaken. She has received one rose each year since she was involved in a terrible accident. She lives with guilt and fear from it everyday, so when a cake arrives commemorating 13 years since the accident as well, Ava is shaken. She tries to enjoy her party, but when her fiance does not show up, her phone and passport go missing, and her estranged sister attends, things are all but pleasant.

There's something suspenseful about a story that takes place in just one evening. You know something is coming, and you can't stop reading until you know. That's how this book was to me. I needed to finish it. The plot was fresh and exciting, and the twists were pretty unexpected. I do think the main twist was a little predictable, but did not tarnish the story for me.

A woman with a big secret gets a black rose every year on the same day. It’s a reminder of what she’s done and the fact that someone else will never let her forget it. On the cusp of a new life with a new love, her passport disappears and her past comes knocking on her front door. So, who’s the “bad guy” in this book? Sanderson will keep you guessing in this intelligent thriller

The Leaving Party by Lesley Sanderson proves once again why this author has very quickly established herself as a favourite of mine. I devoured this book in a single afternoon, and was virtually propelled from one page to the next in breathless anticipation. Ms Sanderson's writing is deliciously compulsive, and I cannot get enough of it.

Told from the alternating perspectives of Ava and Lena, and shifting between the timelines of 2005 and 2018, the story of two friends unfolds as Ava, in the present, prepares to leave for a new life in New York with her partner, Ben. Left behind is Lena, who will do anything for her adored best friend, and is desperate to keep her close. A shared secret from the past binds the two women, and it is one that continues to haunt Ava, and one from which she is anxious to escape. But someone is not willing to let Ava go quite so easily, and will go to great lengths to ensure that her leaving party is one she will not soon forget.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC.