Ralph is turning forty five and the only gift he wants is his ex wife Sarah but his trophy girlfriend Gemma is trying to ignore it and Sarah has agreed to attend Ralph’s birthday party but brought her new man Jack with her and Jack is keen to accompany Sarah to keep an eye on the proceedings and 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 and by the end of the trip two people will be dead and will Ralph unwrap his presents and will anybody unwrap the truth
Really enjoyed kept me guessing all the way through totally understand
Thank You NetGalley and Avon Books Uk
I just reviewed The Party Guest by Amanda Robson. #NetGalley

This might not have been the thriller for me but I did enjoy a few things. We open up the book with Robert and his 45th birthday plans. Robert invites his ex-wife and she brings her new lover in tow. Along for the ride are his on and off again girlfriend, his son and his sons’s girlfriend, and Robert’s daughter. Robert is still pining for his ex-wife all these years which absolutely causes some tension and awkwardness. But By the end of this trip two people will be dead. Now who you ask? Well, the story will slowly unravel in multiple POVs for us to discover who did what.

I will admit I was confuses in the first part of the book by all of the different POVs. They felt so quick and short before we jumped to another POV. This caused me to have to fall back a few pages to make sure I wasn’t mixing anyone up. Also, the writing style often felt too formal and stiff at times. I had a hard time warming up to the book. I really did struggle to read this in a normal pace. This could be a quick read for me but again the writing style was odd for my usual thriller tastes.

There was some enjoyable moments with a few fun twists. The book was an absolute rollercoaster of a read. I didn’t really care for any of the characters. I felt like the short narratives caused it to be difficult for character development. But there were a couple twists I didn’t see coming.

Overall this was a short thriller with a few fun twists. Probably a great vacation or beach read. Just not the book for me. 3 stars out of 5.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The positives are that this was a quick read, I liked the Italian setting and the story was quite interesting to follow.

Unfortunately the narration style just wasn't for me. It was hard to remember who the 'you' was for each character, and the writing style felt so detached that I never felt like I got to truly get to know the characters, so even when very emotional things were happening I never FELT it.

The book will find its audience for sure, it just wasn't really for me.

Tensions Run High…
A holiday on the beautiful, sun soaked Amalfi coast is a dream come true. Or is it? Ralph is hoping that this birthday will be one to remember for all of the right reasons. Does he have his doubts about that? He should. As Ralph assembles his new girlfriend and his adult children at the glorious villa he awaits the arrival of his ex wife Sarah and her partner,Jack. It soon becomes clear that nothing is going Ralph’s way. Tensions run high almost from the off. This will certainly be a holiday to remember. The narrative is pacy although the dialogue is rather stilted and difficult to get past on occasion but the plot picks up nicely and runs to a conclusion that may well be unexpected. With a well crafted cast, a firm and atmospheric sense of place this is an enjoyable and entertaining suspense.

Ralph decides to rent a luxurious Villa on the beautiful Almalfi coast to celebrate his 45th birthday. He invites his ex wife, who he is still in love with, his trophy girlfriend. his daughter, and his son and his girlfriend, Ralph is not happy that his ex wife brings her boyfriend along on the trip. This combination of guests is a recipe for disaster. There is a lot of tension among all the guests and by the end of the trip two people are dead. I have to say this is not my usual genre. I did not care for any of the characters and I stuggled to finish this book. Despite that It was a suspenseful read with lots of twists and turns.. Thank you for the advance copy Netgalley!

This was a rollercoaster of a book - couldn't quite decide if I liked it or not. It was an easy, gripping (but not always in a positive way) short read. The writing wasn't stellar and I figured out the ending WAY too early. I liked all the different POVs but sometimes (maybe a printing error in my copy?) it jumped around between POVs weirdly. Overall I guess I was entertained but won't be looking for other books by this author.

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy!

I have to admit in the beginning of this read, I had difficulty following along with so many perspectives and lack of names initially. As I continued on, I was able to understand the concept better but there were times where I would go back to check whose perspective I was reading. I liked the idea of the read, following a disjointed family on a trip abroad, each person with their own secret that they must decide when they want to share. I appreciated the mystery aspect and not learning the truth until the very end.

Do you ever really know another person? You will find these characters interesting and hiding many things behind deceptive exteriors. This is my first read by this author and I will definitely be looking for more.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

The book took some twists I really wasn’t expecting, which took it from 3 to 3.5 rounded up. The writing and the character development is not amazing but you keep turning pages to find out what will happen next. I’ve read all of her books and this is not her best, but I’ll keep reading.

As it started off it took me a little time to configure the characters. They all have separate chapters of their perspective. However I soon got into the swing and spent my entire Sunday reading it trying to work out the ending and who was lying or telling the truth.
I’m away to find more books by this author.
Thank you Netgalley and Amanda Robson for an advanced copy of this book.

Ralph has carefully planned his forty-fifth birthday. Luxurious villa on the Amalfi coast - check. Housekeeper/chef hired - check. Girlfriend Gemma invited - check. Daughter Janice, son Patrick and his friend Anna invited - check. Ex-wife Sarah and her partner Jack invited. Maybe this is a mistake, Ralph.

You see, Ralph is still is love with Sarah. Eight years after she left him, he still fantasizes that he can win her back. He is disappointed that she has chosen to bring Jack (it really is hard to understand why she would do that) but still hopes she will choose him. Gemma is a sort of placeholder although she has other ideas. The younger guests are problematic. Patrick may be a bit wishy-washy but looks good compared to the demanding Anna and deeply troubled Janice. With this group, you just know something will go wrong. It does and the police are involved. As this dream vacation falls apart, everyone is a suspect.

The Party Guest is a guilty pleasure! All the characters act badly, some more dramatically than others. Only Sarah is likable. The setting is beautiful, the plot intricate and fast-paced with a surprising conclusion. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon Books UK and Amanda Robson for this ARC.

The Party Guest by Amanda Robson is an intense thriller. What starts off as a birthday celebration for Ralph at an Italian villa on the Amalfi coast complete with an interesting and rather unpleasant guest list comprising of ex partners and new ones, soon becomes a crime scene.
This was a real page turner that's really worth a read!

‘The Party Guest’ is by first read by this author and I enjoyed it so much I plan to read more of her books. This is a well written novel with some very interesting characters, plenty of twists and kept me hooked to the end.

Sarah is invited to celebrate the 45 birthday of her ex husband Ralph. Ralph has never completely moved on following his divorce and he makes no secret of his wish to have Sarah back in his life. Sarah now has her new love named Jack and intends to bring him to the party which is very likely to cause waves. Ralph has a a trophy girlfriend named Gemma but continues to send out mixed signals regarding their relationship.
Certainly an unusual birthday celebration at a villa on the Amalfi coast with the whole family attending and there are bound to be upset and arguments but no one imagined quite how bad it would get. By the end of the visit two people would be dead.

Fast paced thrills make this a page turner to enjoy.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Avon Books for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn’t sure about this book at first, as the narration style was a bit different, but it grew on me, and then I couldn’t help but devour it! Actually felt like I was there in The villa, so atmospheric. And every single character was flawed, wonderful!

I really enjoyed this book! It hooked me from the very first chapter, and kept me hooked the entire time!

The Party Guest by Amanda Robson was a very intriguing read.
An intense, twisted thriller that moves wonderfully at an amazing pace.
Robson has given us a wonderful mystery that will have you not wanting to put the book down.
This intense suspense story had me finishing this novel in a day.
The ending will have you on edge and happily satisfied.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Avon,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my platforms, blog, B&N and Waterstone closer to pub date.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Avon Books UK and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Engrossing, enjoyable, entertaining and full of mystery.

I'm sure, looking at other reviews, that this is a great summer thriller. I couldn't read it though. I wasn't a fan of the narration style at all. I enjoy multiple POV, but I hated the 2nd person narrative. It would always take me a moment to figure out who 'you' was to each character, which took me out of the story every time. I'm sorry. Personal preference on my behalf, but thank you for the chance to read the book and I wish it every success.

The Party Guest, a highly enjoyable read.
When you see the guest list for this party you have to ask yourself why?
Ralph hires a villa and invites his on/off girlfriend, his daughter, his son along with his girlfriend followed by his ex-wife and her partner!
If that isn't shocking enough Ralph is still in love with his ex so what could possibly go wrong?
A great who done it and something slightly different from the norm.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in return for leaving my honest opinion.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book. It’s very enjoyable. Ralph is divorced but still in Love with his xwife. It’s his 45th birthday and he is taking the entire family, including his x-wife, on vacation, but he is disappointed when she brings a plus one. Each family members is suffering some sort of problem and things get worse when accidents begin to happen and someone dies. It’s written from the view points of each party member making the mysteries more interesting and enjoyable.