An enjoyable read though sometimes a little slow for me. Unfortunately I didn’t find any of the characters particularly likeable and got a little confused at times trying to keep track of the different narratives.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. I found this to be quite a slow book, I didn't particularly like any of the characters so that made it harder to read but I did finish the book and I am glad that I did.

My Rating:

4.5

Favorite Quotes:

‘Education is the key to all success, after all.’ ‘I thought that was inherited wealth and liposuction.’

I listened to a radio interview with the lead psychiatrist from Broadmoor Prison. ‘I’d rather work with a psychopathic murderer than counsel a couple in crisis,’ she joked. ‘It’s easier.’ But I found I wasn’t laughing. Laughing was getting harder these days for some reason.

The realisation hit me between my eyes, like a baton coming down. Like a fist. I had a picture in my mind, then, of all the women who ended up killing their husbands, who took a kitchen knife, who didn’t even know they had made that fatal thrust, who killed through hatred and sorrow, warped by a love laced with fear, a love that knew no other place to go – and then I knew. I knew I was capable of killing him too.

… word to the wise: if your small boy comes home boasting of learning about his Balzac, don’t be fooled into thinking he means the French writer, as I was, when in fact he means his own ball-sack. Pride so often comes before a fall.


My Review:


This is a unique hybrid of women’s fiction, suspense, and family drama. This was an oddly enticing book that kept my curiosity at the brain itching level with fret-inducing and tangled storylines while cast with obnoxious characters that continually annoyed and disappointed me, yet I had to know how their knotty issues would unravel. I was hopelessly hooked, ensnared, and unable to resist Ms. Seeber’s fiendishly clever plotting with strategic lashings of caustic wit and cunning insights. This was my first sojourn with Ms. Seeber and I plan to be a frequent flier from now on.

Three strong female characters. Two of them are best friends, the other approaches them to ask help. 1: To organise a sure-to-be-perfect street party to launch her husband's political campaign; 2: To ensure her daughter gets some peer help at her new (first ever public) school.
The camping trip both women are invited to along with their teenage children goes terribly wrong - and so does the street party, after all. But every one of those rich people, as well as their friends, seem to be hiding something.
The main problem that arises in the

3.5

Love. Money. Friendship. The Street Party. The highlight of the summer! But how quickly things can go so wrong.

I don’t know that I would really classify this as a thriller. It’s a slow burn leading up, and ultimately it takes too long to get to the action. Once the ‘incident’ happens, it’s quite an interesting ride unraveling the many secrets. But I wished it didn’t take as long to build. No doubt, Claire Seeber is a talented writer, and the three women narrators have very distinct voices. Much more a domestic drama though.

Thank you Netgalley & Bookouture for the ARC!

The Street Party is a slow burner and it definitely took me a long time to get into it. I did find all of the characters to be intriguing in their own way but I definitely didn’t like all of them. I kinda figured out what was going to happen and I would have liked there to be actual consequences for what was done because it was like meh whoopsie my bad then everyone moved on. There were a lot of secrets and twists that did keep it interesting.

I recieved an advanced copy for free, and this is my honest opinion.

Slow Burn Domestic Noir….
The highlight of the whole Summer - a street party, looked forward to by all concerned - but what secrets lie and what tensions simmer beneath the seemingly placid waters of this particular street? Slow burn domestic noir, character driven where complex relationships dominate the engaging plot and multiple narratives add tension in what is a compelling read.

“One night. Three Families. Who is lying?”

Oh Yes! This one definitely ticks all the right boxes for me, as an outstanding domestic psychological thriller. No pot-boiling suspense, but a definite slow-burning story about contemporary, no holds barred, family life, in an area of London where the “haves” and the “have nots” are forced to live cheek by jowl, but definitely not always harmoniously!

A story told in the first person by three individual voices, with a couple of rather noisome interjections by a ‘yummy mummy blogger/vlogger’, who has to be the most annoying character in the story. With the storyline being very much rooted in the here and now, there is no complicated timeline to follow and with some well signposted, seamless, short chapters, I always felt on top of the action, if not the individual events, and never having to play catch-up!

From the word ‘go’, I had plenty of bad vibes about where things were heading, however author Claire Seeber, clearly knew how she ultimately wanted to lead me on this journey and she did so with great confidence, skill and total authority, although offering me little comfort or ease along the way. This well structured, multi-layered story, was textured and desperately intense, with an almost palpable and claustrophobic tension which filled the air from the very first sentence, to the very last word. There were so many twists and turns along the way, just ready to trip up the unsuspecting bystander and take them in the wrong direction, although I found that it began to make very little difference to me, as everyone seemed to be guilty of something, leaving me with very little sympathy for just about any of the characters, with the exception of Ruby, Zach and maybe poor Cici. There were times when I just wanted to throw my hands in the air, close the book and walk away from the constant anxt and misery this small and insular group of people had created for themselves. However I really needed to know why this clique of nouveau riche had chosen to open their doors to their rather ‘inferior’ neighbours, as it most certainly wasn’t going to have been for any altruistic reasons, despite their false protestations to the contrary.

With some really well detailed and observationally nuanced narrative, alongside dialogue which was often brutally honest, insensitively harmful and sometimes downright dangerous, the trio of female narrators, Nella, Ruby and Melissa, were allowed their own voices in this unfolding lugubrious melodrama, although never quite in equal share, or with any real authority over the situation. One voice belonging to this class fuelled neighbourhood and who considers herself to be queen of all she surveys; one who is most definitely from the other side of the divide, unsure of why she has been invited into unknown territory and almost frightened that she isn’t going to show herself in a good light, or act in the right way; whilst the third voice is in neither one camp nor the other, aspiring to one, but unable to stop clinging on to the other as a ‘safe’ lifeline. I know which I would consider to be in the most precarious position!

This storyline highlights so clearly the fragility and strengths of family and friendships, morals and values, and the unforgiving nature of jealousy and judgement. In an emotionally draining and soul destroying community, where facade is everything, yet everyone has their dirty little secrets and something to hide, suspicion passes from one character to another as the plot unfolds and the veneer of respectability is peeled back, laying bare the inherent greed, perceived entitlement to wealth, and elitism, lurking just beneath the surface. The tenet that family takes a back seat to prestige and self-advancement, unless of course the former can help achieve the latter is so sad to see, as is the huge influence which is attached to brand names and the power of social media.

If anything, there might have been too many of the social scandals attached to a modern society crammed into such a short timeframe and such a small, insular group of people – drugs, self-harm, sexting, bullying, racism, childhood mental illness, domestic abuse – and that’s just the tip of this massive iceberg. So many lies and secrets, so much duplicitous, vengeful and deceitful behaviour, so much spite and anger. So much hate… And at the end of it all, that final revelation, from a person I already had high on my list, but by no means at the top, about the motive behind this entire debacle, which caused so much grief and heartache to the many broken people they left in their wake.

Our three narrators are female and whilst the story very much holds true to the tenet that “the female of the species is more deadly than the male”, there is also a sprawling cast of additional characters, both female and male, who give these ladies a run for their money. Whilst they are all well developed and defined, unwholesomely complex and emotionally lacking, never genuine or believable, and most certainly not easy to relate to – not that I would have wanted to connect with them anyway!

More succinctly perhaps, I might finally observe:
“never mistake supposed class for true character, or perceived wealth for genuine happiness”

📚 BOOK REVIEW 📚 The Street Party By Claire Seeber - publication date 8th June 2021.

This book revolves around a street party being organised to raise money for charity. All the characters that live local and we find out what goes on behind closed doors of their homes. How their lives become intertwined during this period of time and includes their extended families.

I had seen this book online a lot and it was I really wanted to read. I felt the book was a bit slower paced than I’m used to reading but that’s just me and I did enjoy it.
I did find myself getting confused with all the character and who was married to who etc. I did like a couple of the characters and enjoyed seeing their involvement progress.

#bookouture #claireseeber #thestreetparty #netgalley #bookstagramshaz

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The Street Party (Claire Seeber) took a little while to completely grab my interest. Ms Seeber (mostly) gives us the story from the three main characters (women who are neighbors) points of view. There are preparations for the party, the party itself, and the aftermath where we learn some of the motives of those involved. I want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for an early copy to review.

Twisting domestic drama in which the richest and poorest neighbourhoods in London organise a street party together. Trouble starts as the two sets of neighbours become friends and we try to unravel who is telling the truth as the story unfolds from three perspectives. Some difficult subjects are referenced including allegations of sexual assault, domestic violence, drug abuse and self-harm, but overall this is an uplifting story, albeit with a slightly sinister edge.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

The Street Party intrigued me by its cover and description. However, as I got into reading it, it just fell flat for me, and I really didn't want to finish it. I have read several books lately with a "neighborhood" theme. I enjoy all of the drama involved in that, but maybe I was just burnt out from that trope when I began this one. I also found that Marcus' role in the political world just turned me off as well. Nella just got on my nerves big time, and she had me wanting to throw the book across the room at times. I just also had some confusion figuring out who was who for the first part of the book. I just didn't enjoy this one.

I had a lot of trouble getting into The Street Party. A lot of the reviews that I read said it was a slow start but promised it was worth it, but unfortunately for me I never got to the "worth it" part and I actually wound up not finishing. There was something going on with Willow and her brother but it just took too long to have anything happen.

The characters were a bit confusing and the jumping back and forth between Ruby and Melissa made it hard for me to keep straight. Will I pick this up again one day and give it another try? There's a possibility, but for right now this book was not for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the advance copy in return for an honest review.

The Street Party is much more of a domestic drama focusing on the lives of neighbours living on the same street and the issues and rampant toxicity that come to a head during a street party rather than a psychological thriller per se, but it was still enjoyable. Northgate Square in the West London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea where double-gated Victorian mansions and sleek Georgian townhouses: brush up against the "ugly inconvenience of concrete tower blocks." Immigrants and council tenants living centimetres from countesses, celebrities and oligarchs. The story revolves around three women and their families in particular. Ruby was recently widowed after her husband, Jonny, was killed in a hit and run and is desperately trying to make ends meet as a florist with her own small business. She has a daughter, Ali, who is currently studying in Berlin and a 15-year-old son Zach who she must now parent alone. She suffers from social anxiety and has felt increasingly isolated since losing Jonny. Melissa is Ruby's best friend and a yoga teacher and personal trainer. She is married to Rex, the headmaster of St Bede's local comprehensive and is stepmother to his daughter Cecelia. She harbours a deep desire for a child of her own but the dark secret she is keeping doesn't exactly bode well in terms of motherhood.

Then there's Nella Jackson and her husband, politician Marcus, who have only recently moved to the area. She's obsessed with money, beauty and maintaining the facade depicting her life as picture-perfect. The Jacksons have a daughter, Willow, and a son, Beau. She works as a media personality on television and has rapidly become the Queen bee of her community. She decides to organise a street party and fundraiser to raise cash for charity but among the fireworks, alcohol and fun, toxicity rears its ugly head and it isn't long before a serious allegation is made; an allegation that'll change the lives of these three women forever. This is a compelling and absorbing drama full of secrets, lies, deception, betrayal, addiction, scandals and domestic violence and the twists and turns interspersed throughout will take you by surprise. It's a slow-burner to start with as the first half introduces the three women and their families: ruthless women and their equally ruthless husbands with kids who are spoiled rotten. There is enough toxicity, envy and bitchiness in this neighbourhood to seriously make you consider moving. Told from the perspective of the three women, the alternating chapters add to the suspense and the plot ultimately highlights how you never know what is going on behind closed doors and shows how multiple people viewing the same incident can perceive it differently.

Okay so this seemed to read more as a family drama than mystery/thriller so that's was disappointing since I wasn't expecting that so much. It was also and incredibly slow burn with very co fusing parts, mainly to start. And I have to be honest it was tough to push through to keep reading and figure out what was going and why. Cause I just didn't care. It took way too long to get anywhere and when it finally did "pick up" it was crappy and did nothing for me at all. The premise seemed to be good but very poor execution from start to finish. I hate to be so negative but I guess it is what it is. It seems most reviews aren't loving it either.

Perhaps if you adjust your expectations and want a slow slow burn family drama, it could work more for you. But I was disappointed and annoyed by where the focus went to.

I wanted to like this book, I really did, but I found it boring. Unfortunately it started out so slow and didn’t pick up by the time I stopped reading it at the 50% mark. I didn’t find any of the characters likable and just didn’t care enough about the storyline to finish it. I’m sure this will be a favorite for others but it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I have recently started getting more into mystery and thrillers and thought I was really going to enjoy this book based on the description. However, I'm not sure that this is best categorized as a mystery / thriller as it was more of a family drama and it really wasn't what I was looking to read. I don't want to discourage anyone from picking up this book because it had an interesting story line with lots of twists and might be right up your alley! I wasn't able to connect with most of the characters and there were so many of them that at times I found it extremely confusing. It almost felt as if the author was trying to tackle too many social issues that it came across a little forced. I would definitely look up some trigger warnings if you are planning to pick this one up!

This is a slow burner that didn’t really hit the mark for me.
The story is told from the perspectives of three women who are brought together by a street party and what happens there.
The beginning of the book is quite confusing trying to keep track of who is who, and the street party doesn’t take place until 3/4 the way through the book.
This isn’t really a thriller, but is quite a good read once it gets going.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

"The Street Party" - Claire Seeber

CW: death of spouse/parent, sexual assault accusations, racism, domestic violence

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The mix of characters who have volunteered to help with the street party are all dealing with their own things - being a newly single parent to a teenager, a struggling marriage, keeping up stepmother and trophy wife appearances.... little does everyone know that not all is as it seems, and this street party just might bring things to light.

This book took a while to pick up, and I wanted to abandon it, but knew I had to stick it through. It did get better around 30% into the story, but it didn't really get moving until 50%. With that being said, I'm not one for a slow burn, so this one wasn't for me. Also, this is more drama than thriller/mystery, though there is an aspect of "who is telling the truth?" Overall, an interesting concept, but not a book I'd recommend to others.

The story and the narrative gave me the feeling of a domestic drama rather than a thriller. The first half of the story is slow and the characters in the initial chapters are confusing. Only after 50% of the book there are some events to move the story. As this is my first book by this author I would give one more try.