A blended family nightmare holiday!!! Its hard to feel sympathy for some of the characters, they are not nice people at all. Interesting twists along the way.

Reading Between the Wines book review #21/115 for 2023:
Rating: 3🍷🍷🍷
Book 🎧: The Party Guest
Author: Amanda Robson
AVAILABLE NOW!!

Sipping thoughts: I was really into this book and the mystery. I loved the different chapter POVs. Unfortunately, the ending was a let down. I was expecting more. Overall, it was a decent read, starting strong but just an underwhelming ending.

Cheers and thank you to @AvonBooksUK and @NetGalley for an advanced copy of @ThePartyGuest.

#ThePartyGuest #AmandaRobson #AvonBooksUK #NetGalley #advancedcopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #NewAdult

This is an author that I've been reading faithfully ever since her debut and she's one of those who made me fall in love with domestic thrillers. I've had both hits and misses, with The Party Guest sitting somewhere in the middle.

I couldn't put down this riveting thriller and love how it has Amanda Robson's distinct style: Short chapters to fly through. Morally bankrupt characters that you just can't turn away from, no matter how reprehensible their misdeeds (I wish Gemma wasn't such a caricature though). Lots of drama and craziness going down. Secrets, affairs, lies and the whole shebang.

I also enjoyed the Italian setting. In fact, the plot flatlined after the characters returned to the UK. The whole police procedural was a bit of a joke, but that's no surprise if you are familiar with the author's work. Most disappointingly, I went from being kept guessing to waiting for some big twist that never came.

Overall, I had fun bingeing on this popcorn thriller. Totally my kind of comfort read! It's my 6th Amanda Robson novel and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

This book had very good potential to be a 5 star novel for me. Unfortunately, the flow of the story and the style of writing has impacted my review of this book. It wasn't really the writing style that I enjoy. It was a good read but it didn't have me gripped as much as I would have liked.
Thank you to Amanda Robson and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you for NetGalley for letting me read this novel early, prior to publication. Unfortunately the story didn’t flow very well so waited to purchase the audio book. The story has the potential to do well however I felt it was quite predictable and didn’t engage me as much as other stories have done. This being said of you want a easy summer read this would be good for you.

I had a real problem with the narration. Didn't work with me and it had an effect of my appreciation of the book.
I didn't really like the characters either.
But I still got to the end, so it's not that bad. I'll give it 2 stars

A very quick read with short snappy chapters
As Ralph gathers his family, daughter, son and girlfriend, trophy girlfriend, beloved ex wife and her soon to be new husband, to a luxury villa on the Amalfi coast to celebrate his 45th birthday, your first question is “who thought that was a good idea”.! Dysfunctional doesn’t come close to this motley crew.
Lots of what the? moments as you are led down many a false path.

The plot definately grabbed me at first, although I am finding I am reading alot of books that have this plot so this played a role in my rating. I didnt like any of the characters and at times the book was a bit unrealistic.

The Party Guest - Amanda Robson

I really enjoy Amanda’s books and her style of writing, so I knew this one wouldn’t disappoint.

Obviously I was hooked from the start and didn’t want to put it down until it was finished.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books UK

I was actually very intrigued throughout this book. It kept me entertained and I loved the alternating POV told from first and second person perspectives.

I absolutely love this author. I know that I am guaranteed to get a great read and this has been no different.
This is a book I have devoured in one sitting.

Unfortunately, I have been locked out of my netgalley account for a few months and was not able to see which books I had on my list or even know to check if they downloaded properly, in order to properly read and review. I do apologize and am doing a 3 for neutral. Will update once I’m able to obtain a copy and read!

Another good book by Amanda Robson! It was a bit of a slow burner for me though and I don't know if it was just me but I really struggled at times with the chopping and changing of perspectives with no clear signposting. There were a few times I had to flip back and forth to check who the narrative related to! However some interesting characters in the story made for an intriguing mystery set in Italy. Obsessed exes, toxic relationships and troubled minds combined with jealousy, rage and murder leave you wondering just who is to be trusted.

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon publishers for the opportunity to read and review this ARC

The Party Guest

Ralph plans a birthday trip with his family to try and win back his ex wife but all doesn't go smoothly and by the end two of the party are dead.

This was an interesting story that had me hooked to the end but I sometimes found it a bit unbelievable but it was a quick and enjoyable read.

Thank you to Netgalley, Avon Books UK and Amanda Robson for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest Review

My second book by Amanda Robson and I most certainly wasn’t disappointed!

It’s Ralph Kensington’s 45th birthday so he invites all his family to a villa on the Amalfi coast to celebrate, however, his family isn’t a typical family. He has invited his two adult children, Patrick, and his sister Janice but also his ex-wife (and the woman he is still desperately in love with), Sarah. Sarah crushes him two weeks before the holiday by saying she is bringing her new partner, Jack, so Ralph brings his younger on and off girlfriend Gemma to compete with Sarah and Jack. Tensions rise between everyone especially when Sarah reveals her and Jack are engaged, and then on the second day of the holiday Jack vanishes without a trace and the holiday becomes an unbearable repetition of police interview after police interview for everyone staying at the villa. Where has Jack gone and who in the villa can be really trusted?

Wow this was good, definitely a page turner and I struggled to put it down. I loved the descriptions of the Amalfi coast, and the details were so good I could almost smell the flowers that the author was talking about, it sounded idyllic! I really enjoyed hearing from each character involved in the story line, I didn’t like any of them at all but of course that was the idea as almost all of them had dark hidden depths and were not nice people, nicely done Amanda Robson! I found it very interesting near the end how the Italian justice system is so different to the UK one and I liked the detail. The end was just shocking and left my mouth gaping, clever how things were neatly tied up but shocking all the same. The only tiny issue I had was that at times it was confusing to know which characters point of view I was reading as there was the occasional problem with the heading on who I was reading about, but I soon figured it out and it didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the book at all. This could even have been something to do the fact that it was an ARC I was reading.

Overall, a gripping page turner of a psychological thriller and I definitely would recommend it. Thank you, Amanda Robson, it was a fun ride!

Thank you to NetGalley, Amanda Robson and Avon Publishing for my advanced reading copy. Out now.

It's Ralph's birthday and all he wants is a family holiday with everyone by his side, especially his ex wife with whom he still holds a torch despite them both being in new relationships. They are in a beautiful villa on the Amalfi coast but everyone seems to have their own agenda for the trip. When two people turn up dead, can they uncover the truth of what is going on and will Ralph be able to win back his ex wife? Every person seems to be hiding something..

I quite enjoyed this book, the story was interesting and held my attention enough for me to finish it. The characters came across well in the story as we learn more about each one.

Thank you for letting me read this book.

I've read everything by Amanda Robson to date, she's one of my favourite auto buy authors - but this book just didn't cut it for me. Hard to pinpoint exactly what it was but I just felt myself disappointed by the story, it seems rather dull and repetitive and unlike Amanda'previous books.

EXCERPT: A special holiday. After working ninety-hour weeks for so long, two weeks off should be a real treat. But I'm stuck in a taxi with my girlfriend, Gemma, my seventeen-year-old daughter, Janice, my twenty-year-old son, Patrick, and his girlfriend, Anna, while you, Sarah, the love of my life, are about to arrive at the villa that I've paid for, with your new lover. Whoop-de-dooh. (What a) fabulous forty-fifth birthday. Congratulations, Ralph Kensington. Let's crack open the Louis Roederer as soon as we arrive.

ABOUT 'THE PARTY GUEST': Ralph is turning 45, and the only gift he wants this year is his ex-wife.
Gemma, his trophy girlfriend, is trying to ignore this.
Sarah, the ex-wife, has agreed to attend Ralph’s birthday party, but with her new man in tow.
And Jack, Sarah’s partner, is keen to accompany Sarah to keep an eye on the proceedings.

It’s a birthday trip like no other. The whole extended family in a villa on the beautiful Amalfi coast. But under the politely strained surface, every party guest harbours their own agenda.

By the end of the trip, two people will be dead. But while Ralph unwraps his presents, will anybody be able to unwrap the truth…?

MY THOUGHTS: I have read two previous books by Robson: The Unwelcome Guest (⭐⭐⭐⭐); and My Darling (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐). Both were fresh, engaging, compelling and twisty.

Unfortunately The Party Guest just doesn't measure up. It doesn't flow. It's often repetitive. I lost count of the number of times we were told that Sarah wears Rive Gauche perfume. In fact, the author seems to have some sort of obsession (or promotional deal) for perfume. We know what every character - even the men - wear.

The chapters are brief and narrated by the seven main characters: Ralph, his girlfriend Gemma, his ex-wife Sarah, her fiance Jack, Ralph and Sarah's two children, Patrick and Janice, and Patrick's girlfriend Anna. This means much of the information is regurgitated with minor variations.

This is a quick read, but not a great one. There are a multiplicity of silly errors that quite spoil the reading experience. The most jarring one for me was Sarah talking about her seventeen-year-old daughter, Janice: 'My darling, brave girl. You never had children, did you? That must have been a great sadness for you.' WTF????

None of the characters are particularly likeable, nor realistic, except for Jack, who's an absolute sweetheart. I really disliked Ralph and found myself wanting to give him a good, swift kick you-know-where more than once. Additionally, he doesn't like books!

I don't know what Robson was thinking with this one, but it certainly didn't work for me. Even the final resolution was decidedly 'meh'.

⭐⭐.1

#ThePartyGuest #NetGalley

I: @amandarobsonauthor @avonbooksuk

T: @AmandaRobson @AvonBooksUK

#contemporaryfiction #familydrama #mystery #psychologicaldrama

THE AUTHOR: After graduating, Amanda Robson worked in medical research at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and at the Poisons Unit at Guy's Hospital, where she became a co-author of a book on cyanide poisoning. Amanda attended the Faber novel writing course and writes full-time.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Avon Books UK via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Party Guest by Amanda Robson for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

This book was sent to me by Netgalley for review…although the story is intriguing, the way it is written is problematic…jumping from one character speaking to another…and that character speaking in general and then to another one…I just could not keep up with this disorganization…I hope to read other books by this author written in a different way…I must add the story and mystery of what might happen is intriguing…

After the first disappearance I tried to discern who did it. The author cleverly disguised the real culprit behind several layers.
Janice is a mess and needs serious help.
Ralph is stuck in the past and refuses to see that at his ex, Sarah, moved on before she ever left him.
A birthday celebration gone wrong. All the guests were potential suspects and none were very happy.