When rich privileged teenagers sneak into a house and the party goes horribly wrong, a small town divides along the lines of privileged and not.

I was very excited to read this thriller about teens behaving badly. However, I did not find this to live up to the thriller genre. The teens' behavior was questionable and there were consequences but it was lacking the twists to make it thrilling. It kept waiting for some big twist to come towards the end and needed more.

Teenagers in a suburb of Philadelphia break into an almost finished new home for a party and leave it completely trashed. This novel follows the police investigation into the crime. These “good kids” have been overprotected by their indulgent parents and expect to lie their way out of trouble. The owners of the home are devastated and their marriage is threatened. The town is divided over responsibility and privilege with class lines drawn over how money can affect outcomes. The story is told from alternating perspectives of victims and perpetrators. I found the ending unsatisfactory.

Engaging and entertaining. A recommended purchase for collections where crime and thrillers are popular.

I did not read the synopsis beforehand in order to avoid potential spoilers and I have to say that this book ended up being a delightful surprise. Essentially, the premise revolves around a nightmarish scenario for any homeowner: the complete destruction of your dream home by strangers before you even have a chance to move in.

Maja and Ted Jensen's dream home in a small Pennsylvania town, which had been nearly finished, becomes the site of a catastrophic high school party that spiraled out of control. This becomes the catalyst for the exploration of the ensuing crime from various angles.

The story is told through multiple perspectives, including Maja, several students who attended the party, their parents, a police investigator, and the assistant district attorney. It skillfully tugs at the reader's sympathies as each character's background and motivations unfold. It also delves into the intricate relationship between privilege and responsibility, set against the backdrop of the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis, providing historical context.

The House Party was a fast-paced, enjoyable read with concise chapters packed with clues that unraveled the story's resolution. While some might label it a thriller, I don't feel that it reads like a "typical" thriller. Rather, it falls under contemporary fiction with a touch of legal drama. However, the genre is secondary to the fact that the story itself is excellent.

The House Party is the story of rich people and their houses, privileged high school students, drugs, and bad-behavior set in a wealthy community outside of Philadelphia. Maja and her husband are building their dream home with the hope of having lots of room for the family they are planning. Maja is frustrated with her negative pregnancy tests. She gets swooped up into the building of the house after a group of drunk and drugged high school students break into the construction site and destroy the expensive construction. The local police look the other way at first. Kudos to the author for bringing out Pennsylvania as the setting.

This was not what I was expecting, this was not a thriller or a mystery. I was a little disappointed in that.

LIKES:
1) quick read, easy to follow
2) took place close to where I live so that’s always fun
3) felt very realistic

DISLIKES:
1) I don’t need to read a story about entitled white teenagers. It was a bit much and they were mostly awful people.
2) I still don’t know how the party started… that was the only mystery
3) massive trigger warning for an assault
4) no likable characters… maybe Trip and Will, but that’s me grasping at straws.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #WilliamMorrow for letting me read this book.When a house party goes terribly wrong, a suburban town fractures, exposing disturbing truths about the community.
There are some secrets in this book. Some get answered, others do not.

This was an entertaining read. I didn’t feel too invested in the characters, and there wasn’t much depth to some of them. I was always wondering motive, but the idea and the levels of intrigue were there. It didn’t seem very realistic so the extent it was written in regards to the actual house, but it was entertaining.

The House Party looked like a thriller but it turned out to just be a pretty good story. 4 stars for sure because I really did want to know how these kids would get out of this mess.
Spoiler alerts below








Unfortunately, it left me with a lot of unanswered questions. Who was the boy that attacked Maddie?!? Was it Hunter?!? And if so, why was that never addressed? And if it wasn’t Hunter, who assaulted her and why was that whole side story just glossed over?!? A small town, a huge house party of teens, everyone knows everyone, including Hunter even though he private schools…. But no one could name her assailant?
I did not like this loose end.
And the part where Maja yearns for a baby for years and finally gets pregnant *now*? That seems so cliched.
Still a good read and I will definitely seek out this author again.

3.5/5 - honestly I didn’t really care much about the plot or what happened…may be a good read if you’re looking for an easy read or nothing too complicated.

This was an quick read about a group of teenagers in a suburban town that had a house party in a newly built but not quite finished home and the effects of the party on their friendships, families, and community. It looked at privilege and class and the effects of punishment depending on that. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

The House Party by Rita Cameron examines the effects of class privilege and the effects of economic crashes. When teenagers trash a new construction in their neighborhood, they go to lengths to clear their name and don’t really think about what happens to others along the way. It made me angry to see what was happening to characters because of other’s actions. Well written novel. Thanks to William Morrow and Net Galley for this ARC.

When a house party goes terribly wrong, a suburban town fractures along lines of privilege, exposing disturbing truths about the community-It’s the party of the year. Afterward, nothing will ever be the same.

I loved The House Party--what a read! It has thrills, surprises, unique characters & fits in well with the kinds of books I am typically drawn to!

This is an interesting read, especially for a look into social issues. Influence and money steer the plot and it's a novel you think about, even after you put it down.

This book began with high school students in a small town having a party by the river as they trash an empty house under construction. What unfortunate decisions those students make on that fateful night sends destructive ripples throughout their lives, their futures and affects their friends, families and those connected to the house (owners and builders). At times, this book really read like it was going to be a twisty thriller, and I was eagerly awaiting the reveals! There were so many directions this story could go--the husband? the contractor? the real estate agent? the construction crew? In the end however, it is a quieter story about small town gossip, about wealthy privilege, about corrupt people in power, about assuming we know others based on our own misperceptions or biases, and how our lives all can interconnect for better or for worse. The story and characters were interesting and compelling, however there really seemed to be a missed opportunity for a bit of mystery to be solved as the book closed with us knowing the future of the characters but really no resolution to the basic plot.

Really interesting. Also using this as a place to show my support for the Harper Collins union. Thank you to Harper for the gifted ARC my honest review.

Rita Cameron's The House Party is an intriguing account of the aftermath and consequences to a community of teen folly.

It's a wealthy suburb, New Falls, filled with the entitled and their children. The partying teens are close to high school graduation, most preparing to head to college.

After the event, families are protective of their children's futures and the teens aren't talking, but something worse than damage to the house happened that night.

Interesting and well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Just a little slow and unbelievable at some points. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book follows many povs of both children and adults following a house party that destroys a beautiful new house that was still being built. It is definitely slow but leaves the reader intrigued throughout making it hard to put down.