Katie returns to Cornwall with her friends Sophie and Tom to do a podcast about an unsolved murder in her hometown. Will they finally be able to solve the case?

I really liked the premise of the book. The podcast approach was the perfect setup to get Katie and Tom to return to the scene of the crime that they were a witness to. The author does a great job expressing the pain, anxiety, and frustration Katie goes through as she tries to remember the details of that night she has tried so hard to forget. The story drags a little in the middle and the characters are always waking up with hangovers, but the ending will surprise you!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I absolutely loved this book. The characters were complex and I liked the way the author reveals more and more of their personalities as the book continues.. Popular opinion believes that Lacey was killed by her boyfriend but Katie and Sophie are convinced there was more to her death. As the case unravels the girls contact a detective who was a young officer at the time of the murder. She too, is unhappy at the way the case was wrapped up and has always suspected that there was a cover up. Gradually they put the case together piece by piece and are stunned to uncover the truth about Lacey's death. If they were shocked by the final denouement I was absolutely gobsmacked. In a million years I would never have suspected the identity of the killer. And what happened next amazed me. This would be a great read for a book club because it leads to a lot of questions and soul searching. It's an absolutely awesome book.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

This book was great from the start. The murder of a teen girl was discussed on a true crime podcast. Some who knew her flash back to that party where she died. Someone knows what happened but isn't telling. I love this kind of book. I was thrilled from the start. This book has me broke out in goose bumps. I will never look at x beach the same way again. This book was phenomenal.

This book was everything I wanted it to be. It had me turned pages without even realizing. It was so good!

This took me a minute to connect with and really invest in but once that happened I was addicted. It’s twisty and overall a good read.

I really had a wonderful time reading this book. Wow, lots of twists and turns, the reader will not guess the killer till the final chapter is over. Who killed Lacey, the nineteen year old teenager at the beach party? Katie Chase and Sophia Miller were close friends, they had met at city university in London when they both were studying journalism. Katie always wanted to write and found a job at a newspaper as she dreamt to work there, as a junior researcher. The work was menial and the pay low. Sophie was a fashion and beauty blogger with an enviable social media following with amassed followers who loved her. All Sophia wanted was present her own radio show. They both moved to London with a desire to Succeed. Sophia was bold and daring and chose Katie to be her closest friend. Katie was grateful for her. They both come with an idea to start a true crime podcast. Sophia made it so exciting and convincing to do the podcast when Katie had no interest in true crime. They had choose a murder each week and research it. They called the podcast small town as it build up intrigue and tension. Small town took over everything and they recorded it in the living area of Sophie's studio flat.

Sophia wanted to cover a crime that took place five years ago that happened in Cornwall, murder of Lacey Crew. Lacey's murder had no arrests, and no real suspects in five years. A profile murder of an young woman, the police put it to rest. The police failed to investigate. Katie and Sophie with shocking twists and turns investigates who killed Lacey throughout the entire novel with an unexpected ending. Lacey was murdered in Cornwall by the beach. The town wants to find the killer of Lacey. Who are the main suspects? One of the suspect was James as Lacey and him were together spending time with each other. Lacey was a party girl and a bit wild. James kills himself two years after Lacey was murdered which was tragic and unexpected. Toxicology showed that James had high level of alcohol and drugs in his system. While guessing from page one I was hooked till the end to this fascinating psychological thriller novel.

I just reviewed the novel, The beach party by Amy Sheppard. Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy for my honest review.

Whether they’re commuting or gardening or going for an evening walk, millions of listeners are tuning in to true crime podcasts. But in The Beach Party by author Amy Sheppard, a true crime podcaster ends up investigating a crime that changed her small town forever...

Full review published on NightsAndWeekends.com and aired on Shelf Discovery

Definitely kept me guessing. Methodically told with a podcast involved this was bound to be a wild ride. Although I couldn't connect to the main characters, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I really loved the premise of this book being set around a true crime podcast but it wasn't executed very well in my opinion; I found the dialogue that was taking place during the podcast rather clunky and all over the place.

Also, this book should have been really fast-paced but I felt it didn't really pick up until about the 60% mark, in fact I almost DNF'd it on numerous occasions. Once it did pick up it was almost too much too soon, they had left all this plot for the last part of the book with the first part being mostly filler.

Moving onto the characters, not a single one was in any shape or form likeable; they all had the morals of an alley cat and the constant bedhopping was far too much for me.

Having said that, the author did a really good job of setting the scene and the last twist where we found out the murderer was jaw dropping, didn't see it coming until just right before; unfortunately those things don't detract from the negatives.

I understand this is a debut novel by the author so I am open to trying more from her in the future.

*Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and Amy Sheppard for the copy of this book. All views are my own.*

This is a pretty impressive debut novel. I really got stuck into this one straight away and found myself turning the pages compulsively.

Without going into much detail and spoiling the plot for you, the story of the beach party is told retrospectively by way of a true crime podcast. Katie, who was at the party, and her friend have a very popular podcast and now they are investigating a crime that is a bit too close to home for Katie. The timeline flicks back and forth between present and past through the recordings for the podcast. I found it a really fascinating way to let the story unfold.

The pace starts off slowly but the tension builds and it soon picks up. There are quite a few twists and turns along the way, making for an enjoyable and intriguing read.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. I was looking forward to this book after reading the synopsis but unfortunately it didn't live up to it's potential. I found it hard to connect to the characters as they were not particularly likeable. I didn't guess the denouement but that wasn't enough to redeem it.

A big thanks to Netgalley, the author, and Bookouture for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Read this if…you like books about murder among friends.

Katie is forced to relive a tragedy when the true crime podcast she works on, Small Town, investigates the unsolved murder of 19 year old Lacey Crew. Katie was at the same beach party Lacey was on the night of the murder. The girls weren’t close friends, but Katie was as fascinated by the town’s it girl, just like everyone else. Could someone she knows be responsible for the it girl’s violent death? Going home means digging up secrets that might be better left alone.

You all know by now how much I love the true crime podcast trope in thrillers. So it was a no-brained that I had to give this one a read. I also enjoy unreliable narrators and Katie was drunk the night of the beach party, so that checks box number two. Unfortunately though, I ended up being on the fence about this one. The mystery was well laid out, but I just never connected with any of the main characters. Katie was very flat and boring. I enjoyed the big reveal and the podcast element, but the rest was just meh.

My rating: 3.5/5

I really enjoyed this book. It kept my attention and kept me guessing. I didn't fully guess that final twist and I enjoyed the podcast aspect of it. I did feel like some of the character development was lacking some. I didn't feel like all of the characters were fully fleshed out so it was
hard to connect with them. I did like the different then/now time aspect and overall thought it was a solid read. I would definitely recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Amy teases us quite a lot with the plot, as there are a number of times when we feel close to solving the case but we aren’t. There is definitely a shocking and unexpected twist at the end. I felt it came completely out of the blue and I’m still not sure how I feel about that – I may need more time to digest it.

Overall, an engaging mystery with some intriguing elements of psychological fiction as the author delves deep into the minds of many witnesses as she tries to explain what has happened, and why. I would recommend this book and author to fans of Rona Halsall, Miranda Rijks and Wendy Clarke.

I always enjoy reading books set in Cornwall. And the mystery surrounding the murder of Lacey Crew kept me guessing…then guessing again.
We learn details of the mystery through Sophie and Kate’s “True Crime” podcast series, which they record while visiting Cornwall. The story progresses as they talk to people in the community and work to piece together what really happened. I didn’t care for Kate or Sophie initially, but I grew to like them as the story evolved. The dogs and the beach were great. Amy Sheppard described the teen social scene so well—there were times that memories of my own would instantly come to mind.
Advanced reader copy courtesy of the publishers at NetGalley for review.

A small town murder told in a podcast style, this book will hook you from the start. Definitely will be looking for other titles from this author.

several years ago, Katie and Sophie met at university in their journalism program. while there, they created a true crime podcast called “Small Town”, where they would choose a low-profile murder to research and share with the public.

fast forward to present-day, with Katie and Sophie branching out into their own worlds; Katie working for a newspaper, and Sophie as a fashion and beauty blogger. but their worlds quickly collide again after a radio station requests a multi-episode story from “Small Town”, and Sophie knows the perfect murder to discuss.

much to her reluctance, the girls head back to Katie’s hometown to research and report on a murder that took place on the beach close to Katie’s house. and to make things worse, Katie was actually at the scene of the murder and in the same friend group as the victim.

as the girls investigate this seemingly washed up murder, secrets are uncovered, friends and witnesses come forward, and pretty soon this small town’s cold case starts to warm up with shocking revelations.

i was generally entertained by this book! nothing super jaw-dropping happened in my opinion, but I also didn’t think the ending was too overly predictable. the story had a nice flow with little suspenseful bits that kept you hooked at the right times. not a favorite suspense of mine, but still an enjoyable read!

thanks to @netgalley & @bookouture for my advanced reader’s copy!

Liked the podcaster angle that I wasn’t expecting from the description book felt a little rushed but it was a decent story not something I will be raving about but kept me entertained

Highly recommend this one! This was my first book to read by this author but definitely won't be my last. The characters will stay with you long after you finish the book and you will find yourself wishing the story would never end.

Small town murder mystery, lingering secrets and a podcast what more can you ask for. This book had me hooked from start to finish. Between the many twists and the ending (which i didnt see coming) the author holds your attention fully with every page. 10/10 would reccomend for anyone looking for a book to get them out a reading slump. Can't wait to see what this author comes up with next.
Thanks to netgalley and bookouture for this ARC.