I had never read any books by Ellen Meister before but as soon as I read the blurb and the murder mystery aspect of it - I was excited to get my hands on it. This was such a fun read and could easily be great for a summer beach read as it could be seen as both a mystery and rom-com in some ways. I felt that the interactions between Dana and Ari were handled really well and done in a very realistic manner, which made their relationship super easy to root for. I did realize part of the way in (and checked) that this is a sequel, but I don't think having not read that book impacted my reading or experience at all - and I'm not sure if I would go back to read the previous book as I really enjoyed this one on its own. The plot moved along really fast and I loved Meister's writing, it just made it one of those books that I had a hard time putting down since I was really enjoying it and wanted to know what was going to happen.

Readers first met Dana Barry in Ellen Meister’s 'Love Sold Separately' and she's back in this novel The Rooftop Party. Dana is the Shopping Channel’s most popular host but it's in financial difficulty though Dana has a few ideas to hopefully rectify this. At their corporate rooftop bash to celebrate twenty-five years on air, she heads over to the CEO, Ivan Dennison to talk about a potential new skincare line but he is more interested in her than her suggestions. The next Dana knows of the event is that she passed out, but later learns that Ivan's body was found on the pavement below.

The Rooftop Party is a delightfully blended rom-com with a mystery that results in a highly entertaining read. The characters are interesting and I found Dana fun and feisty as she strove to figure out what happened to Ivan with the help of her funny new assistant Ashlee St. Pierre, a former pageant girl from Tennesee. I also enjoyed the company of Dana's New York City homicide detective boyfriend, Ari Marks.

The plot moved along at a steady gallop, and I enjoyed the backstage glimpses at a tv shopping channel. I didn't read the first book in the series, but I intend to grab a copy though you will still enjoy The Rooftop Party and won't be lost if, like me, you have yet to read book #1. I really hope there is a third book in the offing!

A special thank you to MIRA Books and the author for a complimentary copy of this novel at my request received via NetGalley. This review is my unbiased opinion.

Okay, I'm just gonna say that I somehow missed that this was second in a series when I picked it up, and I didn't realize that I'd tried the first and it wasn't for me. Nevertheless, I already had this one, so I may as well give it a go, right? What I found is that I'm still not crazy about Dana, but I did find her more likable this time around, and for those who haven't read book one, the author does recap, so you won't be lost. I also liked the premise here, and I did find myself getting caught up in the whodunit. That's a bit of a slow burn, but I enjoyed trying to guess the killer's identity as clues trickled in. All in all, The Rooftop Party held my interest and I did not guess the killer til right before the reveal, and by then, we've pretty much got a whole picture of them, so the author did keep me guessing.

If you are someone who enjoys watching the home shopping networks, Ellen Meister's novel The Rooftop Party is a must-read for you. It's the second novel featuring Dana Barry, a successful host on the Shopping Channel, who once again finds herself in the midst of a death at the network.

At a party for the Shopping Network staff, Dana tries to convince Ivan, the new CEO, that her idea of selling a new skin care line is a great idea. Ivan wants to eliminate all the fashion product lines, the bread-and-butter of the Shopping Channel, and sell only electronics. This idea panics the staff as they assume most of their jobs will be eliminated.

As Ivan is hitting on Dana, and grabbing her, the lights suddenly go out and Ivan's body is found on the sidewalk below. Dana doesn't know what happened as someone put something in her drink, and all she remembers is someone pulling her away before she passes out.

Dana's boyfriend, police detective Ari, is called to the scene to investigate. Dana is desperate to find out what happened; what if she was the one who pushed Ivan over the edge? She must find out what Ari knows.

She turns to her assistant Ashlee, a former beauty contestant from Tennesee, to help her uncover what happened at the roof party. Ashlee is my favorite character in the book, she is such a hoot. She always has a hilarious way of saying things- such as "she squeezes a quarter so tight the eagle screams". Ashlee is one smart cookie, and always up for a scheme. She's Ethel to Dana's Lucy.

Another thing I enjoyed was Dana finding a great deal on an apartment on the West Side of Manhattan. When she saw how fabulous it was and what a steal it was, she snatched it up without consulting Ari, even though he would be moving in with her. That infuriated Ari, but as someone who lives in Manhattan, I know Dana made the right decision. You do not wait if you find a good apartment, that is rule number one.

The Rooftop Party is a rom-com mixed with a mystery that adds up to a highly entertaining read. I truly enjoyed the behind-the-scenes look at a shopping channel, even though I don't usually watch them on TV. The characters are interesting, the plot moved along, and even though I felt the ultimate reveal of the murderer was a bit of a letdown, it is still a terrific book. I didn't read the first book in the series, Love Sold Separately, but I am going to buy it because I like these characters so much. (You will not be lost if you didn't read the first one.) I hope there is a third book coming; who knew working at the Shopping Channel was so dangerous?

Thanks to Harlequin for putting me on their Summer 2021 Women's Fiction Tour.

I don't know why I struggled to like the main character so much. This book was cute, had all the right things in it. I am not sure if it was because I didn't read the first book so I lost some development? That being said, I would still give this 3.5 stars.

Dana is a star! A very flawed selfish star, but a star. Life is turning around for her. She has the role, she has the job, she has the guy. Yet she somehow manages to sabotage it all. She wants it all, she wants it all on her terms even if she isn't going about it the right way. She was definitely hard to like.

The mystery itself though was great! When we find out who, it all comes together. I am happy the author steered well away from the obvious choices!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC for review: all opinions are my own.

I really loved this book! I wasn't sure what to expect when I started it, but as soon as I finished the first page, I was hooked. I haven't read the first book, and im not sure if I will, but I don't feel like that impacted my reading experience at all.

I'm the first to admit I don't like murder mystery type books. I can't stand characters who make dumb decisions, and i was slightly worried Dana would become one of them. Thankfully she didn't, and the murder mystery ended up being a much smaller plot point than I was expecting. When it did come up though, I loved it!

I also really loved the relationship between Ari and Dana. Sure, it was a teeny part of the book, but I still loved it. It was so nice to see a pair of adults act like adults, and actually talk about their feelings and communicate. The entire time I was rooting for them to resolve their problems, so the ending made me ridiculously happy.

The only reason this is getting 4 stars instead of 5 is because it lacked the emotional connection. I enjoyed reading it, but its not something that made me feel anything. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for future books by this author though!

Thanks to Harlequin Publishing for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

A fun premise with a horrible main character.

Dana is the Number One host on the Shopping Chanel, a temporary situation until she can be a star! She channels all her acting talent into talking people into buying her wares. When a new owner takes over, there is a huge worry that the channel would end. During the company's rooftop party, Dana plans to pitch an idea that wild save the: skincare. But this boss doesn't care about ideas only unseeing if he can get lucky with her. She pushed off and make it clear she is not interested. Shortly after that she joins her friends and the lights go off and when they are raised, someone has pushed the new CEO off the roof. But Dana is unaware as she has blacked out. Now she needs the truth no matter where it leads.

I didn't like the main character. She made stupid decisions that just magically fixed themselves. Her boyfriend is a cop but every movement she laughs at his job by sneaking in places and breaking laws because she doesn't want to share the truth with him. I had no sympathy for her when she couldn't do a local play while doing her shopping channel job where she signed a contract stating she wouldn't.

I enjoyed the mystery though. Ellen Meister weaves us through a variety of scenarios of who might have killed her boss. I personally had a guess and was glad the author did 't go for such an obvious choice. This was something I like, but we weren't given enough clues until the very end to figure out the actual killer. Make of that what you will. (I'm one of those that likes following clues to figure out the killer.)

Overall, this book is vapid and full of tropes. Not something I will ever reread.

If I had to share one word that expresses how I personally felt about this novel: meh. It just wasn't a hit for me - perhaps it just wasn't the right book at the right time - I didn't hate it, but that doesn't seem to be fair praise either. I wanted to love it, and the big idea overall plot intrigued me, but I didn't like a single character. Not one. It was hard to connect with the book when I wanted to shake people in every chapter. I did read it through (and fairly quickly) because while some of the plot points and people annoyed me, I needed the closure of the who, what, why... I had some suspicions early on in the novel, but brushed them aside, so there is definitely some mystery crafted in. In a nutshell, it wasn't my favourite read - but someone else might totally like it. If I had purchased it, I wouldn't have felt like it was a waste of money, but most definitely would have passed it on to a fellow booklover when finished.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book, but what I got was a pleasant read with likable characters and a mystery that wove itself through the plot.
That makes it sound more serious than it was. This book was actually a lot of fun.
I expected to dislike Dana. She’s a New York City actress and she sells merchandise on a shopping channel, the first job she has apparently been able to hold down in quite a long time.
But instead of hating her, I found myself wanting to know her. I could see her being fun to be around. Could have had to do with her quips and reactions to what others said to her.
That reminded me of…well, me.
Frankly, she reminded me a lot of me. I moved to NYC, auditioned a couple of place, and ended up bartending (no home shopping channels for me). I even dated an NYC officer.
Spoiler: I married mine 😊
Anyway, back to Dana. While I thought her life was entertaining (and would have been a great story on its own), the mystery that popped up was woven seamlessly into the narrative.
Honestly, there’s not a lot to unpack here, because it was a light, fun story.
Anyone who has ever watched even five minutes of a home shopping channel will appreciate Dana’s talents onscreen. Even I was impressed with her capabilities. Those were very entertaining scenes.
I will say that there were more than a few times that I found “Friends” references. Not only were there over mentions (Ross and Rachel) but there were also some clever points that only a die-hard fan might recognize.
Dana’s play, her relationship with Ari, even a boot heel…I counted at least ten events/plot points where I could reference Friends.
Now, that might just be because Friends was that universal. Regardless, it provided additional enjoyment to me.
This is a perfect beach read and one of my favorites of the year.

A corporate rooftop party turns into Dana Barry’s biggest nightmare.

Dana is the Shopping Channel’s most popular host, but things are about to turn sour when the company suffers from possible financial ruin. Dana comes up with an idea to save the company, but not everyone sees it that way. At the party, Dana gets into an argument with the CEO who is more interested in Dana than her ideas for the company. During a disagreement, Dana suddenly passes out. When she wakes up, she learns the CEO is dead after falling from the roof.

Dana is scared of what might have happened during the time she blacked out. She wonders if she could have killed the man. She decides to look into things, but she can’t let her police detective boyfriend know or it could compromise his job as well as her innocence.

OMG what a fun ride! I didn’t realize this was a sequel until I started reading. As it turned out, it didn’t matter. I didn’t feel as if I missed anything. In fact, this quickly became my favorite read of 2021, so far. I’ll definitely be going back to read the first one, but I really loved this book.

It's women’s fiction mixed with a touch of Jessica Fletcher. The mystery takes second place to Dana’s story, but it works so well. Dana is a fiesty, wisecracking, weed smoker trying to make a better life for herself. Her journey is filled with laughter and a few tears along the way.

I devoured this book. It’s one of those books where I just wanted to read “one more” chapter, but just could not put it down. I can’t say enough how much I loved this one. It’s a perfect beach read or a fun book to read any time of the year. I now have a new “must read” author to add to my list.





FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is a crime thriller but a different kind of crime thriller. Dana is a hostess on a TV shopping network. Her boyfriend. Ari, is a police officer and is investigating the murder of Dana’s new boss. However Dana is not satisfied with letting the police solve the murder, partially because she wants to prove she is not the killer.

Dana’s life is not easy and the thought she killer her boss weighs heavily on her. I liked how this book was about solving the murder but so many other things going on in Dana’s life. If you are looking for a crime thriller/contemporary book, this is for you!

A Host of Trouble happens at THE ROOFTOP PARTY (Harlequin)

Dana Barry, the Shopping Channel’s star host, stops by the company’s rooftop party to pitch the new CEO her brilliant idea that just might save the flagging business, her job and possibly her love life.

As she chats with the smarmy executive, he backs her into a dark corner. For Dana, it’s a quid pro oh-hell-no. She escapes his lecherous grasp and grabs her drink on her way to the dance floor. Woozy, she blacks out.

When she comes to, the CEO is dead, fallen from the roof. Or was he pushed? And if so, by whom? It’s hard to know, but one thing is certain: Dana was close enough to be suspect.

Sure, she loathed how the creep moved in on her, but she’s no killer. Or is she? Truth is, Dana can’t remember much about those minutes. Now she has to use all her skills to prove her innocence to everyone, including her police detective boyfriend—and herself.

THE ROOFTOP PARTY is fun and breezy, a compelling, suspenseful read that entertains and keeps you guessing until the very end. ENJOY!

Did Dana push Ivan Dennison, the new CEO of the Shopping Channel, off the roof? She's pretty sure she didn't but he had roofied her so....She's the star of the Channel and she's got a great idea for a skin care line. He was loathsome. Now she's got to figure out what happened, with the help of Ashlee her assistant. AND, against the wishes of her boyfriend, Detective Ari Marks, who wishes she would let the professionals deal with this one. This is a light, funny read that I enjoyed for the characters and for the backstage look at a tv shopping channel. There aren't too many twists but there are some smiles, if not lol moments. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. This is the second in a series but Meister brings you up to speed right away (which was helpful as a reminder for me). A good cozy read.

This story had everything murder, drugs, family drama, relationship issues, and a boatload of other fun intrigues.

Dana Barry is a shopping channel star seller who dreams of being an actress one day. But an air-tight contract and the possibility she may have murder someone just may keep her from fulfilling those dreams.

This story had so much drama I thought it was a script from a soap opera. What I didn't know was this was a continuation of a previous book starring Dana Barry. Even so, that did not distract from this one. I read it as if it were a stand-alone story because in many ways it was.

I got so wrapped up in Dana's story though there were times I wanted to smack her and tell her to grow up. But overall this story was fun and lead me on a merry chase trying to discover who was the real murder.

Definitely a great read to even a lazy afternoon.

I read Ellen Meister’s novel, The Rooftop Party quickly- it was just so good. There are times when I want a book that’s light and fun but maintains an element of suspense and this book was perfect.

I haven’t read too many suspense novels where the main character is the host of a shopping channel so immediately I was drawn in. Unfortunately, Dana, our heroine, blacks out on the night of a rooftop party and she isn’t sure exactly what happened. All she knows is that her boss, a man she didn’t like, is dead. He fell from the rooftop but no one knows the details. Dana certainly had reasons to not want him around so she immediately worries that in a drugged, drunken stupor, she may have pushed him.

Here the official synopsis:

In this witty and engaging novel, Dana Barry, the Shopping Channel’s star host, stops by the company’s rooftop party to pitch the new CEO her brilliant idea that just might save the flagging business, her job and possibly her love life.

As she chats with the smarmy executive, he backs her into a dark corner. For Dana, it’s a quid pro oh-hell-no. She escapes his lecherous grasp and grabs her drink on her way to the dance floor. Woozy, she blacks out.

When she comes to, the CEO is dead, fallen from the roof. Or was he pushed? And if so, by whom? It’s hard to know, but one thing is certain: Dana was close enough to be suspect.

Sure, she loathed how the creep moved in on her, but she’s no killer. Or is she? Truth is, Dana can’t remember much about those minutes. Now she has to use all her skills to prove her innocence to everyone, including her police detective boyfriend—and herself.

I’ll be eagerly anticipating Ellen’s next book after reading this one!

Out on May 25.

An office Christmas celebration goes spectacularly wrong in The Rooftop Party, the sequel to the delightful Love Sold Separately, featuring Dana Barry, superstar of the Shopping Channel.

When Dana wakes up after the party, she realizes she was overserved and, as it turns out, Roofied, so she has only vague memories of the gathering. Unfortunately, Ivan Dennison, the new and unpopular CEO who hit on Dana earlier in the evening is dead. He was pushed off the roof while Dana was unconscious. Could she have been responsible? Of course, she can’t tell Ari Marks, her boyfriend and police detective, that he should consider her a suspect so she tries to find the killer by herself, aided by her new assistant Ashlee St. Pierre. Of course, this does not go well. There will be damage to several relationships, injuries, threats and lots of family drama before the satisfying conclusion.

I want more! I love pot smoking, wine drinking Dana. I wanted to buy the entire Reluven line after Dana’s sales pitch to the Board of Directors. I want Ashlee to have her own series. I want to know whether Dana chooses acting or selling. Ellen Meister, please write faster! And for anyone reading this review, run to the nearest library or bookstore and get The Rooftop Party. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin and Ellen Meister for this ARC.

GIMME MORE! GIMME MORE! I need more from Ellen Meister in this series about Dana, her hottie cop bf, and her friends. Edge of my seat, side splitting laughter, twists, turns, spins and yurns ... for more! I didn't want to putt down, so I didn't!

Dana Barry is back and is bringing all her issues! Murder, relationship and daddy issues, personal conflicts and some weed! I was super excited when I found out this was a continuation of Love Sold Separately!
A fun, pot smoking JB Fletcher in the 21s century.
Thank you Ellen for always giving us a good time! This story flows and I love the characters! Here’s hoping for more Dana in our future!

Not a bad story...lacking a little on the suspense elements. it seems like the secondary characters are more interesting than the main character. but overall a pleasant read