I'm not sure quite how I feel about this book. I didn't particularly like the subject matter and didn't really feel it was a mystery thriller. It was clear who was lying. However, it was well written and once I got into it, I did want to keep reading to see what was going to happen at The Street Party.

The'Street' in question covers a range of 'classes'. The book revolves round three women who are all involved in the party & the events that follow. Nella is the prime mover for the party, rich, rather vain & obsessed with her status. Her husband is entering politics & this party is to be a good publicity event for him. Melissa is a yoga coach, stepmother of Cici who she loves desperately & wife to a rather unpleasant character. Ruby is her best friend. She is a widow, bringing up her mixed race son & trying make ends meet.

The story is told from these perspectives. It is a slow burn but it drew me in till I really wanted to know how it turned out. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me me read & review this book.

“There was something wrong with the whole picture: as if I was looking at it from upside down. And I felt a jab of fear as I wondered, what really lies beneath the surface here?”

An effective hook. I was at the point of gathering dishes from around the house to wash when I opened the book. But that chore ended up on sister's lap when I decided to go forget the task. Proceed to my room. Lie down. And read.

The characters all exude so much pain, emotion, hurt that made me reflect on so many things. Their road to healing is a huge (and beautiful) part of the story. Seeber is SUPERB at concocting characters. Only a few writers have the ability to create rightly lovable characters --- even less are those who can develop personas worthy of despise. She had me boiling with rage, indignance and swearing at a lot of the people in the novel. Really brought out the emotions...

This novel is a real puzzle. I did NOT have a single clue what would happen next in the story. I was not able to guess a huge a portion of the plot! And when Claire Seeber finally put all her cards on the table to say I was astounded is a huge understatement.

Seeber gave us some heavy things to ponder. Ruby's sentiments are so real, structured in a manner we can all relate to and very raw. The Street Party is one of the few books that really made me feel. And think. And ache.

The author kept me at the edge of my seat with all the suspense she infused into the book! She dragged the revelations out so wisely it rendered me unmoving until the moment secrets came tumbling out.

The weight and depth of a mother's love was also reflected in this book. It made me actually think of my own mother, and all the sappy stuff --- which I try to avoid at all times...Seeber served it in a too compelling way though, I had no choice!

The ending is so beautiful. This novel so rich, wholesome, all-encompassing and real --- I loved every moment of it. A thousand kudos to Claire Seeber!

Wow I could not put this book down! I can't wait to read more from Claire Seeber. I raced through The Street Party in 24 hours and loved the fast-pace of events.

What I enjoyed most about The Street Party are the key characters Ruby and Melissa and the themes of raising children in the modern, post #metoo world, grief and domestic violence. It didn't quite hit the mark for me as it is a very slow burner and didn't really take off until the 54% mark, and while I liked how it finished, the wrap-up could've been snappier. The author's style is enjoyable and I would definitely try her further titles. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an advance review copy.

Initially, I was drawn in by the cover and the description was even better. However, this book was very slow and it was hard for me to get into. There were a lot of characters and not enough excitement to keep me reading to the wee hours of the morning.
Thank you to Claire Seeber, NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was a very rare DNF for me. I attempted to read the book several times, and eventually I got about halfway through but I just felt there was no hook to keep me reading. It was overly long, uninteresting and with stilted dialogue. I wish the author all the best but this one just wasn’t for me.

Honestly, this is a real slow-starter; I was halfway through the book before the street party events kicked in … and even further on before the real drama began. That said, there are a number of characters at play here, all wildly different and with their own baggage to bring to the party. Could those early chapters have been condensed? Probably. But having reached the end, I can say it was worth the wait.

The story focuses on a group of neighbours who live in the richest part of London – though not all can truly afford to be there. There are three women at the centre of the story

Nella (future politician’s wife with lofty aspirations and more money than sense, and a desire to be seen to be doing good)
Melissa (yoga queen and a very lovely stepmother but with an abusive husband)
Ruby (florist, widowed, lives with her son and is very much on the edge of Nella’s group of helpers)
Nella plans on holding a fundraiser – not only will it make her look benevolent, but it won’t harm her husband’s political campaign either. So, she rallies her “friends” around. Melissa is Nella’s yoga teacher, and also best friend to Ruby who for the life of her cannot she why she has been invited to the inner sanctum.

Nella’s rather handsome husband – Marcus – is keen to get Ruby involved too, and offers to help out with getting her son an internship. Why he would do that is a mystery to Ruby (Could it be because her son is mixed race? Would a politician really be that shallow? ) However, Ruby is quite taken with Marcus’s attention … only to find out she is not the only woman he’s playing.

So, when the party finally begins, it looks like a great success. Until the police call around at Ruby’s house the next morning to speak to her son. Allegations have been made that will rock their world, its implications extending into the wider community too. No one is safe from the after effects of what is purported to have happened that night.

The story is told from the three women’s alternating viewpoints as they come to terms with the aftermath. It calls upon them to reflect upon their own situation, their behaviour, and the kind of world they want their kids to inherit. But, of course, neither woman will air their dirty laundry in public, and so the conundrum continues as to what really happened that night. Who is telling the truth? Who is covering for whom?

The final third of the book lived up to its “unputdownable” billing, though I still wouldn’t class it as a psychological thriller, more along the lines of women’s fiction with a suspense vibe.

What I didn’t like – apart from the slow start – was the constant dribble of “something’s going to happen soon” references, but I loved how the author grounded the characters (Ruby, in particular) in modern British cultural references. Of the three women, Ruby certainly came across as the most relateable.

Who I didn’t like – Melissa’s husband and Nella’s daughter top the list for me, but I loved Fin, Melissa’s stepdaughter, and Ruby and her son. The “good” characters were far from perfect, but the “baddies” were awfully good at being bad.

If you can tolerate a slow start, then you’ll be rewarding with a speedy ending that will leave your head spinning.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced read copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Honestly this book wasn't for me. I don't want to spend too much time on a book that I wasn't the ideal audience for, but I will tell you things that contributed to me not really enjoying it.

Firstly? This book was pitched as a mystery and thriller, but to me (and other reviewers) it feels MUCH more like a domestic drama and maybe that is why I had a hard time. This book was extremely slow paced, to the point where it was a slug to get through. The party doesn't even take place until the last third of the book. None of the characters were particularly like-able and the plot had no payoff in the end for me. Also I would like to note the formatting of this book made it hard for me to read. The use of ' instead of " for dialogue and the spacing of paragraphs was less than ideal. I won't be recommending this book to anyone, but I'm sure that there are others who will enjoy it much more than I did.

I was drawn to this book initially by the cover. I found it to be a well written character driven thriller, The setting was great, I loved the party ambiance that the book started with. The different characters were easy to tell apart and well developed. That said, some of them were really unlikeable, and I was dying to see them get their comeuppance! I’ll look forward to reading another book by Claire Seeber.

ve been a HUGE Claire Seeber fan since her brilliant debut novel and she is on my “auto buy” list! So I was desperate to read The Street Party! But OMG I did NOT expect the jaw dropping, brilliant storyline that exploded off the pages with an acutely accurate portrayal of women’s friendships and the lies they tell themselves and others…

To begin with I did find the lead up to The Street Party a bit confusing-why were these women friends? Three very different outlooks on life and parenting came together due to the sheer chance of living near each other. As they planned a local street party to raise funds, I gradually started to get to know them all but it really isn’t until the night of the party itself that this book becomes completely unputdownable. The party itself throws up lots of drama and the aftermath is both shocking and unexpected. It was this part of the storyline that grabbed me the most as it covered some very disturbing and topical issues that felt authentically portrayed and perfectly believable.

The Street Party is a compelling read that reminded me of Big Little Lies with its themes of domestic violence, addiction, sexual violence and betrayal. The difficulties that women face nowadays are often caused by other women-those we are in contact with due to being in the same place at the same time in our lives. The secrets and lies that are gradually uncovered in this domestic drama are convincing in their exposure and issues that come to a head felt organically crafted by Claire Seeber so as to deliver the maximum impact on the readers nerves! I raced through the last few pages so I could see if the characters got the fate that they deserved-and thankfully they did…well most of them anyway!

A gripping and unsettling read!

The Street Party by Claire Seeber is a domestic drama that focuses on the lives of neighbours living on the same street, Northgate Square in West London. The story revolves around three women and their families, Ruby, Melissa, and Nella. It is Nella Jackson who decides to have a street party. She, along with her husband, politician Marcus, has recently moved to the area. She's obsessed with money, beauty and depicting her life as perfect. The Jacksons have a daughter, Willow, and a son, Beau. She works in media and the party is meant to be a fundraiser for charity but it isn't long before a serious allegation is made that'll change the lives of these three women forever.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this absorbing drama full of secrets, lies, deception, betrayal, and scandals. It's a slow-burning tale, to begin with as the cast of characters is introduced. The differing perspectives of the three women and the alternating chapters add to the suspense, though the plot is also heavily driven by the actions of the children in the story, too. The story really speeds ahead in the last third for a riveting, thought-provoking ending. A very worthwhile toxic tale.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Bookouture via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Narrated by Ruby single mum to Zach, Melissa yoga teacher, married and Ruby’s best friend and Nella ex television presenter with the picture perfect life and an unhealthy obsession with being rich.

Set in the Notting Hill area of London where the haves live beside the have nots this has very much a keeping up with the Jones’s attitude. Where the perfect facades hides a mountain of dirt behind the closed doors.

Now I abhor snobbery and judgement of any kind based on money. The nicest and most generous people are often the ones with little money and the wealthiest are often the meanest (probably why they have so much in the first place).

So a street party for charity bringing them all together seems like a fabulous idea (if you’re two sandwiches short of a picnic that is). The rest of us know this is a ticking time bomb and boy does it go off with a bang. Accusations are made, the police are called and this street becomes more divided than before.

This is a character driven slow burning book that I would put more in the family drama than thriller category. There are characters you will loathe with a passion (most of them) and topics that will stir your emotions. You will ache for sisterhood rather than women judging other women through jealousy and turning against each other.

I would thoroughly recommend this to people who enjoyed Desperate Housewives and Big Little Lies.

The story is set in London - a square which is home to affluent and less affluent people. From the less affluent side, Ruby and her friend/neighbour Melissa join ranks with Nella and her rich friends to bring the community together and raise money having a ‘street party’/Fayre. Ruby feels out of her depth by these people but her attraction to Marcus, Nella’s husband, means she just can’t seem to say no. This leads her agreeing that her son (Zach) will take Nella’s daughter (Willow) under his wing when she starts at his school.

The story begins with the morning after the street party and then goes back to the events leading up to this and then the fall-out from it. It is told from varying characters points of view (generally Ruby, Melissa and Nella).

Reading the synopsis I had high hopes for this book but unfortunately it fell short of my expectations and I think it seemed a bit like a soap opera. It’s a tale of families, keeping up appearances and how you never really know what is going on behind closed doors.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced read copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

A great domestic style suspense with some brilliant characters.

What could be better than a ‘street party’ !! Three women come together to plan and execute a street party but these three women couldn’t be more different and they are all dealing with their own problems and secrets.

Ruby is a widow struggling to make money to support her and her son, Zach. She is good friends with Melissa, who is married and busy looking out for her step-daughter, but she is hiding a big secret. Lastly we have Nella, who is married to a prospective MP and has two children, who seem to be struggling in their own way.

The street party appears to go well but the next day stories are circulating about something that happened and soon the police are involved. What really happened that night ?

This is a great domestic style suspense book that, if I’m completely honest, I did struggle with at the start. I think it’s just the number of characters that are all introduced at the very start. BUT I soon got invested in the characters and I absolutely loved the book, so if at first you struggle please stick with it as you won’t be disappointed !!

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

Thrilling. Tense. Packed with twists. I loved this wonderful book. Addictive and absorbing, this is one I'd highly recommend. Easily one of my best thrillers of 2021!

Really great book. Took me a while to get into it, but some very strong characters. I loved Ruby and felt sorry for Melissa. Didn’t like Nella. It would be great to see it on the screen. Good twist at the end.

I was attracted by its cover and the description. This is definitely a slow burn. Its so slow that nothing happen still around 50% of the book. Theres too many characters, i find myself not able to connect with all the characters and i had trouble getting into the story. Alot of parts are so confusing, back and forth that i ended up not finishing it as i struggled to pick it up everyday. I dont see wheres the thriller here. Totally not what i expected. i thought i will enjoy this very much as it sounds like the kind of book i would love.

All neighbors gathered and plan for a street party. But it doesnt happen even after 50% of the book. They plan for a camp before the street party just among themselves, i thought this is it, excited to see whats coming, but still.. nothing happen. As much as i really want to like this book and kept telling myself that i should give it another go, lets see after another chapter, but still i find it hard to connect.

Thanks to netgalley and bookouture for this digital copy.

It took a long time to get to the night of the street party and all of the leading ladies were unlikeable - I hope they will never all be in the same room together again. 😂
There are some trigger warnings in this book that I will list at the bottom. I feel like most of those triggers were handled reasonably.
Taken from the 3 different ladies' points of view, Street Party is a slow burn mystery that is entirely predictable.

The front page is misleading. It makes out like the whole book is set in one night. It's not. The night of the Street Party is actually a very small part of the book even though the events from it take up the last half. And all of them are lying, you know that from basically the first page. And you know what their lies are within the first 3 chapters.
It wasn't as gripping as I'd hoped and all the secrets and lies were so predictable there were no "*gasp* OH MY GOSH" moments I had expected. I'd almost call this a cozy mystery.

⚠️ Domestic abuse, emotional abuse, accusations of sexual assault, drug use

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'The Street Party' by Claire Seeber.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Claire Seeber, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 8th June 2021.

This is the first book I have read by this author.

I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching beaitiful cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that this book is 'Perfect for fans of Gone Girl, Big Little Lies and The Girl on the Train'. I am a huge fan of 'Gone Girl' so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of a prologue, 79 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

The storyline is set in London, UK 🇬🇧. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture. I have actually visited London on several occasions so am looking forward to seeing if I recognise anywhere mentioned in the book.

This book is written in first person perspective and the main protagonists are Ruby, Melissa, Nella and Jan. The benefits of first person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.

This book is well written with several perspectives which ensures you get to see the full picture. The cover, title and synopsis all worked well with the storyline.

This book is quite a slow burner but has got alot going on to keep the readers interest going. It is filled with friendships, lies, secrets, love and deceit. The storyline highlights the strength, morals, values and weaknesses of families and friendships. It shows the jarring damage that jealousy can do if not kept under wraps. There were moments of suspense and tension and the storyline was quite intriguing. I think the way it ended was perfect.

The characters were definitely an eclectic mix and all were well defined, realistic and strong. My heart really went out to Ruby and Zach who went through utter hell. I wasn't a fan of Nella and Marcus from the first page until the end. I had mixed feelings when it came to Melissa but I definitely think she would make a great mum as she always had Cecilia's best interests at heart. Rex was absolute scum and I quite liked the mysterious Fin.

Overall an intriguing storyline filled with a wide range of characters and emotions


Genres covered in this book include Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Fiction and Domestic Fiction amongst others.


I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of "Big Little Lies".


402 pages.

This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 4/5 (I enjoyed it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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