Thanks to Netgalley for giving me early access in exchange for a review. An author I’d never come across before, The Street Party by Claire Seeber was a fine read. I would say it was a bit of a slow starter, but once the event had happened I couldn’t put it down. The plot highlighted problems that are far too common in today’s society, yet managed to keep the reader hooked. I wouldn’t class this book as a ‘thriller’ but it will definitely keep you guessing. The only negative I would say would be the side characters, they were easy to get confused and weren’t really involved enough until quite near the end. Other than this I would definitely recommend this book, the story was very well written and I look forward to reading more from Claire Seeber.

What was meant to be a fun neighbourhood street party fund-raiser turns ugly when police are called and accusations and finger-pointing get out of control. Told in the first-person point of view from the three female party planners, readers soon realize that camaraderie and a sense of community are not within the grasp of those who live in Northgate Square. Ruby, Melissa and Nella are moms from very different backgrounds who struggle to keep the female bond intact while their children and husbands are actively applying pressure on it. Readers get to see the influence that 21st-century society has on these families. Things you read in supermarket magazines are played out in real-time at this party; harassment, sexting, alcohol abuse, drugs, and bullying. Readers also see anxious individuals who are willing to do whatever it takes to find their place and fit in. When we become aware that family takes a backseat to status and prestige, it becomes heartbreaking. The powerful influences of social media and brand name items mixed with secrets, lies, and scandal cause this already tension-filled event to explode.

I went into this read expecting a psychological thriller but got a character-driven, slow burn, women’s fiction read instead. It wasn’t a bad thing, just unexpected. Seeber explores the benefits of female friendship and the solidarity that many seek to achieve. On the flip side, she examines the characteristics of unforgiveness, jealousy and judgement that sometimes plague these friendships. We see how oftentimes women can be quick to judge one another and themselves and it’s to their detriment. I believe Seeber has put this neighbourhood under the spotlight to show (1) what we are capable of doing when we let our human nature go unchecked and (2) what is possible when we give each other opportunity for growth and redemption.

I was gifted this advance copy by Claire Seeber, Bookouture and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Publishes June 8, 2021.

What a wonderful book! Well developed rich, yet flawed characters drive a story of neighbors, friends, secrets and lies. Perfect for fans of Little Big Lies and Little Fires everywhere! A perfect beach or pool read!

I enjoyed this book overall. It was told from various POV and I would have enjoyed reading from the kids POC but we only got it from the adults.

This book had so many things that I love in a book: lies, betrayal, jealousy and so much more. This started a bit slow but quickly picked up pace till the very end. Highly recommend reading this!

This is not a thriller. This is a story about how friendships can turn ugly when jealousy comes into play. The Street Party is a huge fundraiser that a group of women wish to have. They pull together to make the night a success, but that’s when the story really begins. This was a little slow for me, but a good story, even though I didn’t understand many of the slang terms used.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC!

I was initially drawn to this story by the cover of the book, then I read the blurb which sounded delicious. The Street Party is told from the first person POVs of three different women—Ruby, Melissa, and Nella. Ruby and Melissa are good friends, while uber-rich Nella is a client of Melissa’s (who teaches yoga). When a street party is planned as a community fund-raiser, all three become involved, along with their teenage children.
The novel is written by a British author, so there was a slight adjustment for me with various references and slang. After a while I settled right in, especially as it became clear not everyone was as they appeared. There are enough crackling undercurrents and hidden motives to start a fire. As the lives of the three women and their families unfolded, I had specific opinions about each, but several of those changed over the course of the story.

The first half of the book is pre-party, with the last half post-party. There is plenty of set-up and several seemingly random events which later come into play. When Nella’s daughter accuses Ruby’s son of inappropriate behavior toward Melissa’s stepdaughter (got that?) it sets off a chain of events that will alter the lives of all three women. The book takes a while to get off the ground, but keeps you flipping pages to discover how it all plays out.

This is a story that looks at what some people are willing to do to fit in, the sacrifices others make without even realizing the hole they’ve fallen into, and the fragility—and strengths—of family and friendships. Several of the plot threads surprised me. There is a large cast of characters but they’re easy to keep track of. By the end of the novel the various threads (and there are many) have all been woven into a neat bow. I wouldn’t term this a thriller as much as slow-build suspense with layers of mystery. Ruby is a strong, likable character. I was really cheering for her and Melissa throughout, but even the less than savory characters are presented in a way to make you understand their actions. Some of the men (and women) are positively wretched but their story arcs are well done. The writing is casual, which makes it easy to say “just one more chapter” which I did on several nights. I would read this author again.

This felt more like an intriguing women’s fiction book than a twisty and gripping psychological thriller. I liked the way the story unfolded with multiple viewpoints, and I liked that there was a spotlight on friendships. There were also some important topics including domestic violence and social class divide. However, I would have preferred a more tightly structured and quicker moving plot line. This seemed to morph partway through into multiple storylines that never completely grabbed my interest or felt cohesive. There were also too many indistinguishable secondary characters. This one started out strong but fizzled for me partway through. I think that this book has an audience that will enjoy it but I would not go into it expecting a psychological thriller. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Ruby and Melissa are best friends. When Melissa introduces Ruby to Nella, their lives turn upside down. Nella asks Ruby for a favor that she doesn’t feel comfortable turning down. As their lives become more intertwined, the street party they are planning together doesn’t seem like such a good idea. All three women will walk into that party with secrets and they will all leave forever changed.
The Street Party by Claire Seeber was compulsively readable. Ruby was my favorite and although Melissa and Nella were harder to like, they were nuanced characters with flaws that were relatable. As I scrambled to figure out what had truly happened, I was impressed with the emotions Seeber portrayed. Claire Seeber has just made her way to my automatic buy list.

Secrets and lies abound in this tale about community, friends and neighbours – and the differences between the three. A party is hoped to bring everyone together, those living close to each other who maybe, for whatever reason (some of which are revealed), haven’t been able to make friends or find common ground. But when it’s a case of someone’s word against another, battle lines are drawn and everyone must make a choice as to which side they stand on.

A leafy, high end area of town with a plethora of rich families and a few not quite so rich ones really is another world. We are introduced to a large cast of characters and their darling offspring, none of them are 100% likeable or transparent and it’s definitely easy to dislike the majority of them for various reasons and character flaws. They are building up to a street party that they are joint organising and it becomes the focus of revelations and accusations. We have our suspicions of who to trust and who not to but are we correct?
The book has a lot of contemporary themes such as drugs, sexting, consent etc and some fantastic witty one liners as a commentary on modern lives, which I enjoyed. The overall theme was compelling and tense and seemed worryingly believable but I didn’t quite feel the other characters or warm to them enough to care what happened to them. Overall a good read though and definitely food for thought and relevant.

Was a slow starter for me. The second half of the book was better. It didn't draw me in as much as I thought it would after reading the synopsis. After all a good read.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

Thank you NetGally, Bookouture, and Claire Seeber for the eARC!

This emotional story about relationships, friendships, and family was great! It was an exciting glimpse into the lives of people who could very well be living right next door. The plot took a little while to progress in the first half of the book, but I felt that was because the character development was so detailed. Once the story really got going I did not want to put it down! I enjoyed this book and would absolutely recommend to people who like thrillers and drama.

I'm really not quite sure how to rate this book. The writing was really good and the main characters were very realistic, the character development fantastic. But.. there wasn't much in the way of plot. Nothing really happened, and the main event was a bit of a damp squib. I also felt there were too many side characters that had little to do with the story, and it was very easy to get them mixed up (Lena, Jan, Rebekah etc).

I would be interested in reading more by the author as the writing itself felt very accomplished, but I'm not sure I would recommend this particular book as it just didn't go anywhere.

Drew me right in kept me reading late into the night.Tense chilling so any twists and turns do not miss this thriller.#netgalley #bookouture

Thank you NetGalley Bookouture and Author for this erc. I was pretty pumped!

The party was supposed to be the highlight of the summer. If only I’d known that night would destroy our lives…
How far will you go to protect your children?
I would say this is a slow build story! I enjoyed the characters and told through multiple POVs.
Great story.... But I think it fell flat for me. Slow build, not enough action.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC!

An emotional story about friendships and how far you’ll go to protect your children. The story is told through three different point of views (Ruby, Melissa and Nella) of the same controversy along with the struggles they are facing and the secrets they are hiding.

Although I enjoyed the premise of the book, it took well into the second half to get to the meat of the story, which I found a bit boring. However once the story kicked off, I was captivated by the twists and turns and didn’t want to stop reading. I would have loved to have the 'Street Party' happen sooner in the book so that Melissa and Nella's story didn't feel as rushed.

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone that enjoys thrillers!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the eARC.
This was one of those books I couldn't put down because I wanted to see how it ended. I tried not to hurry because I really liked it and wanted to stay in that weird, claustrophobic and disturbing world.
It's a story told by different mothers, some really nasty, some just confused and anxious, all living in or near a highly rated area. The kids are confusing: should I feel sorry for them or dislike them?
Ruby and Melissa were my favorite women, best friends most of the time. Their two teens are also best friends ... until they aren't.
Everything comes to a head at the party and the aftereffects are dire; the police get involved and the mothers hang onto their sanity by a hair. The fathers are mostly despicable, driven by ambition and money, their status more important than the welfare of their families.
This all sounds very negative, but it's a terrific read that you won't be able to put down. It's a story very much of this age: social media, brand name clothing, bullying, misinformation, racial bias and unwanted sexual tension. And don't forget the booze and drugs! Female friendship will prevail in the end, though and I found this quite a delicious read, definitely recommended!

A decent story about upper and middle class neighbors attempting to bond over their shared living area by planning a large street party. There's the usual blend of the well-off picture perfect couples and the more down to earth not so perfect families. It actually takes about 50% of the story to get to the street party in question, which was a little too long for me. But you have a sense of who each of the neighbors are and the little dramas occurring in all of their lives. Some are a bit cliché, but that happens when trying to portray a range of personalities, especially where social status is concerned.

Once the party takes place and the revelations of what happened come out, it felt anticlimactic to me. Like, that's what all this build up has been for? Seemed strange and slightly disappointing after all the foreshadowing prior to the party. You know, lots of "if I had only known what was to come..." inner dialogue. After that, it's basically just everyone wondering who's telling the truth, but honestly, it's pretty obvious, and hard to believe that such a controversy was made about it. There's more conflict in the lies and drama of almost everyone else in the story than in this main event.

It's still a good read, just not as suspenseful as it's made out to be. More of an emotional story, about love, families, and marriages. I believe it would be more appropriately labeled as a general fiction book, as those of us who read tons of mysteries and thrillers are going to be left unsatisfied.

The first book I have read by this author. It won’t be the last.

The party is supposed to bring the community together but everyone has different motives for being involved, and what starts out as a supposedly happy occasion disintegrates into a fight for the truth when serious accusations are made.

Told from the point of view of Ruby, Melissa and Netta, the story takes you behind the scenes of three very different lives and the secrets they are hiding.

An excellent book. Keeps you interested from start to finish.