I feel very mean only giving 2 stars, but this book just didn’t do it for me at all.
The story took an age to get going, but never quite got there and the majority of the characters were an unlikeable bunch. I persevered with the book hoping that something would grab my attention in this mystery novel, as it really did have potential, but it just felt really long and arduous to read.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher to allow me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Even though it’s stated as a thriller it really doesn’t live up to that. It’s a slow burn and seemed like a very long book that didn’t have enough going on to keep my attention. I did find Ruby and her family really likeable characters but the rest of the characters I really couldn’t take to. It was hard to see how this group of people gelled together outside of organising the street party. There was underlying storylines that I felt got lost. The narration consisted of different narrators for each character which I do like as it really helps to identify the different characters and form a connection but in this case it worked for some but not for others. It was just ok unfortunately.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review this ARC that was published on the 8th of June.

3 Good Reasons for Fences Stars
* * * Spoiler Free-A Quick Review
This is a tale that highlights how a group of people experiencing the same street party/house party can perceive it totally differently due to where they are, how they feel about who they are observing, and how they see the reactions of others.

When all of the above is questioned by authorities and all the secrets, lies, and actions are added, you have an intriguing idea. A bit slow, yet had its moments.

The Street Party is a difficult book for me to review as I feel like the marketing was a little off for this one. My issue with it is that it wasn’t what I thought it was going to be. And that’s difficult to put into words as I don’t want to criticise when the author has written a good book. It just wasn’t the book that was sold to me.

So if you’re after a gripping psychological thriller, that isn’t what you’re going to get. Instead, The Street Party is much more of a domestic drama, centred around the conflicts of a group of adults from different classes, who deal very differently with an issue they are faced with regarding their children.

And if that was what I was prepared for, I would have been able to enjoy this a lot more. But I was expecting a more intense thriller that begins with this big event. The actual party, however, doesn’t happy until the 70% mark, so this part of the story only takes up about 20% of the book.

This 20% of the book did really stand out, though. Seeber has some interesting things to say through her characters and this is where the intrigue really comes into play. I eventually began to connect to the characters more and even looked forward to how the story would come to an end.

But because the synopsis is quite deceiving, it feels like there’s an awful lot of set-up that focuses on the adults beforehand. While this allows you to get to know each family individually and the various conflicts weaving between them, you spend a lot of time waiting for the synopsis to kick off and it, therefore, feels like a real slow burn.

If the synopsis had been broader, I wouldn’t have been waiting for something more. Instead, I’m left a little disappointed by the focus elsewhere that didn’t quite come together for me.

I would most definitely recommend this book, but I would warn you to expect a drama rather than a thriller, and then I’m sure you’ll appreciate Seeber’s story a lot more.

Ruby’s a widow struggling to make ends meet while raising her teenage son Zach. Melissa is Ruby’s best friend. Married and raising a step-daughter whom she loves, her life appears to be going well, but she’s hiding a horrible secret. Nella is obsessed with wealth, beauty, and flaunting her picture perfect life with her husband, teenage daughter, and young son. She’ll do anything to maintain her better-than-you status in the community, including turning a blind eye to the trouble festering within her own family. A street party to raise money for charity will bring these women together. The events that happen after the party will pull secrets out of the dark and shatter their realities.

Riveting, deceptive, and extremely provocative, “The Street Party” outdoes itself as a psychological thriller. Packed with plenty of heart-in-your-throat moments, the book remains taut with suspense from beginning to end while also tackling important social issues that are at the forefront in today’s world. Author Claire Seeber weaves racism and aspects of the #metoo movement into the story authentically, including sexual assault, tokenism, and stereotyping.

It’s hard to believe this is a book I started out not liking. The first few chapters had me lost. Since the story is told from the first person point of view of the three main characters, it took me a while to get my footing and figure out who’s who. But when I did? Holy smokes! There’s ultra-rich character development in “The Street Party”. Along with vivid descriptions and tension-filled scenes, you also get to experience the thought processes of the characters. Because of this, nothing is revealed quickly. Their thoughts come out as vague and fragmented as your own would seem to someone else. Seeber lets her characters tell the story. She doesn’t try to describe or explain it for them. Not only is it brilliant writing, it also creates another layer of suspense in the book.

Addictive and complex, “The Street Party” had me wide eyed and slack jawed — and unable to put my Kindle down. Quite simply, it’s now one of my favorite psychological thrillers. Normally, with this genre, I’d take time to talk about the twists since the shock factor is a cherished part of the reading experience. But not this time. Even though the twists are unforeseen and startling, every single chapter of “The Street Party” is omggood! Someone come find me… this book blew me away.

I found this book a bit disjointed - I never actually knew what was going on all of the time as there were so many storylines of each woman dealing with her problems. At the end, they all do sort of come together and get resolved in a matter of speaking.
It wasn't a bad read but took a bit of concentrating to keep each storyline separate in one's head.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me the chance to read this book.

I was drawn to this book by the beautiful cover and the interesting blurb.
It's the story of 3 very different women that happen to live in the same square, it's about their lives and how they cope with stressful and tragic events.
It is a very slow burn: for the first half we are introduced to a lot of characters and it's a bit confusing. The second half, though, picks up the pace again and the storyline develops quickly and it's very engaging.
I wouldn't call it a psychological thriller, but it's a good read overall and thought provoking.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I liked The Street Party but didn’t love it. It just didn’t grip me as much as I expected and I wouldn’t have labelled it as a thriller. I also felt there were far too many characters so sadly this book wasn’t for me. Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

This book has great blurb and premise, I love any book that features neighbours and streets and how people interact where they live
It is a good story about 3 different women and their lives and how they react to a terrible event
The beginning was slow and there are lots of characters to meet and get to know but it does turn into an exciting story that enjoyed ,captivated me enough to need to see how it ended

I felt this book had so much potential but sadly i was underwhelmed. I finished it but i didnt get into it at all

Northgate Square, London is a place of the haves and the have nots. The story begins as the residents gather to discuss raising money after a devastating fire claimed the lives of several people in the poorer part of the area.
The story is narrated by three women who live in the square.
There is Ruby, still mourning the loss of her husband, killed in a hit and run accident. Now a single mother with her daughter currently in Berlin, she runs a florist and lives with her fifteen-year-old son Zach.
Melissa, Ruby’s best friend and personal trainer. Married to Max, headmaster of the local comprehensive and stepmother to Cecelia, she longs for a baby of her own, aware her biological clock is ticking away. But does she really want to be a mother bearing in mind the secret she is keeping?
And Nella. Mastermind of this street party, she works in the media. Mother to Willow and Beau. With charismatic husband Marcus about to launch his political career she seems to have it all. But does she?

Having come to a decision to hold a street party and allocating tasks, on the day of the actual event, a terrible incident occurs. It’s only then that the façades drop and the true colours of some of the residents emerge. I found it difficult to like most of these people. In fact, many of them are quite awful and display some of the the worse aspects of human nature. How quick people are to judge and point the finger of blame. It leaves Ruby, who finds herself in the middle of this maelstrom, horribly alone and aware of who her friends really are.
A thought provoking read and one I would recommend.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an ARC of The Street Party in exchange for an honest review.

The Street Party was definitely a book of two halves.
This book was overall a really good read, the first half was slow and I got confused by the amount of characters I was introduced to but I can see now why it was like that as you needed to get to know these characters well. The second couldn’t fault, it raced along with a really good storyline and dealt with some sensitive issues very well.
The book is based around three women, all very different and from different backgrounds all living in a well to do area. All women pretend everything is great on the outside but behind closed doors it tells a different story. I liked how diverse they all were and that when something happened how differently the different characters reported it happening. This was a hard book to put in a genre as it covered so many key points. I liked how the ending wrapped things up but also left you to wonder where they would be in a few years.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

So much drama on one little street!

These middle-aged mothers and their scandalous affairs and secret drug habits hiding behind the “perfect” family photos.

These husbands with their hidden agendas, affairs and tempers.

Their children. The wealthy popular teenage girl that leaves her private school abruptly for mysterious reasons. The awkward teenage girl trying to find her place. The mix-raced teenage boy who is asked to befriend the new girl (whose father is a politician and looking for photo oops).

One accusation after one street party turns this community upside down.

This book may have started slow, but it definitely moved faster, the chapters grew shorter, and I enjoyed the switch in character perspectives among three of the women.

If you liked Big Little Lies, you will enjoy this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this digital ARC in return for an honest review.

Unfortunately I had a number of problems reading this one. The dialogue seemed "off" and disjointed. The story did not flow but was rather choppy. I'm not sure what the point of the book was as issues regarding sexism, racism and the haves vs. the have nots - none of which are deemed central to the story. Great idea and the blurb drew me in but sadly I did not enjoy it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Seeber wrote about 3 very different women with very different lives and morals all living on the same street. I liked reading the story from the 3 different perspectives, but they really would have nothing to do with one another if it wasn't for this street party they were all planning. This book was a bit of a slow burn read for me. The first half was events leading up to the party, and to me it droned on. I was hooked because I did want to know who was lying and why, and see how all the dirty laundry and secrets would unfold. The writing kept me entertained in the book, but all the sub plots and side characters made it a little much to really enjoy.

The fundraiser party was supposed to be a highlight of this summer, but then bad things happened that went out of control. Now there are police and accusations, and no one knows who to trust.

This was a slow burn, took its time to take off, but there was a sense of unease right from the start, and the last part of the book was brilliant. Told through multiple POVs, it was interesting to see how one incident told through the perspective of different characters, reminded me so much of the movie “The vantage point”. This is a story of secrets, lies, and betrayals, and every chapter ends with more questions than answers. There are so many layers of this story with loads to unfold, some sensitive topics are discussed in this one too, but nothing too descriptive or graphic. I think this was more of a women’s fiction than a thriller, you’d love it if you like those.

The residents are a mixed bunch from different backgrounds and who have very different ideals. The one thing they have in common is organising the street party which should have brought them together and given them a sense of community spirit.

The story is told from the perspective of some of the female residents and follows their life and events leading up to the party. Although it is supposed to be a fun event there is a lot of tension between the families involved and this culminates in a lot of tension between them and there are a few twists along the way.
I feel as though this book had an underlying theme, but I just couldn’t get to the bottom. There are lots of different characters, which made the plot messy and hard to follow in places. I didn’t feel it was correctly classed as a psychological thriller, for me it lacked depth and was such a slow burner.

I have loved all of Claire Seeber’s other books but this one just didn’t cut it for me.

The Street Party.... a time for all the neighbours to mix and have fun however it is also time for many hidden secrets to come to the surface. How well do these families know their teenagers and which one is telling the truth?

I did enjoy this book and found the dynamic between the characters and their family's interesting. Although it was quite a slow burn, the storyline only really gathered pace at around 80% through the book, it did keep me curious wondering what would happen next. However, personally, I would say this book is more a thriller than a psychological thriller. I also did find the number of characters a little confusing and I would have liked something similar to a who's who (maybe framed as a "meet the invitees") at the start so I could keep track of who was who, even by the end I wasn't sure who Bill was.

Overall I did enjoy this book and I was intrigued to keep reading to see what happened and who was telling the truth. I would recommend it and I would read another book by Claire Seeber.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Claire Seeber for my advanced reading copy. Due out 8th June 2021.

Excellent book with lots of twists and turns. First I’ve read by Claire Seeber but will not be my last. Thankyou NetGalley for my Arc in exchange for an honest review.

It took me a long time to get into this book, and I almost gave up reading it several times. I couldn't connect with any of the characters in the beginning and felt lukewarm about the storyline. However, I stuck with it, despite it feeling really long and started to enjoy the middle part of the book. I was left underwhelmed with the ending and definitely would not classify it as a thriller.