Lucy Ross returns home following her grandmother’s death and her plan is to move on as soon as possible but then a body washes up on the beach everything she left behind comes to the surface.
I loved the dual timeline of this story which flits between Lucy at sixteen and the present day twenty years on; at the centre of her world at sixteen are the Whitlam siblings. The wealthy family takes Lucy into their universe and she is prepared to do almost anything to stay under their wing.
The secrets and twists in this thriller were so riveting and I really was hooked because the pacing is so well planned out. I adored the juxtaposition between the picturesque backdrop and the darkness of human desire- a definite must read for all thriller fans.

The Summer Party by Rebecca Heath is a psychological thriller due out on January 5, 2023 and about Lucy Ross coming back to her childhood summer home in Queen's Point, Australia to pack up her grandmother's belongings. When a dead body is found coincides with Lucy's return, she finds herself and her wealthy childhood friends being questioned in the murder.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and Head of Zeus for the Advanced Readers Copy of The Summer Party by Rebecca Heath. I was thrilled to be approved to receive this book for free in exchange for my honest review.

Told from alternating time lines, this book started off slowly for me, but as I got further into the story, it really picked up for me. I found myself wanting to rush through the novel to see the who, what, when, and how, especially since I was leaning towards one of two people being the murderer. There were quite a few red herrings, but when it came down to who the murderer was, I was a bit shocked and didn't see it coming.

As far as characters go, I really liked Lucy Ross, and at first, I really like Jake. However, the further into the story I got, and the more I learned about Jake, I started disliking him. You'll see what I mean if you read the book! Other than that, I didn't really like any of the other characters with the exception of Lucy's stepdaughter . . . the more we learned about her, the more I liked the character.

I also really liked Lucy's dog despite me being a cat lover. With that being said, there was one situation with the dog that made my heart sink . . . I thought the dog was going to die, but he didn't. I really don't like it when bad things happen to animals. Yes, I know, it's a work of fiction, but those type of things really upset me being an animal lover.

All in all, this was an intriguing read that kept me guessing. I gave The Summer Party by Rebecca Heath four out of five stars. As mentioned before, the expected publication of this novel is January 5, 2023.

Note: I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley.

2.5 Stars

When Lucy Ross is forced to come back to her childhood summer home in Queens Point, Australia, it's supposed to only be a short stay. Just the time to pack her beloved grandmother's belongings and move on. But when a body washes up on the beach, the timing of her return seems too coincidental, and she soon finds herself pulled into a murder investigation.

At the centre of it all are the Whitlam siblings – gorgeous, wealthy, glamorous. In this beautiful coastal town Mae, Harry and Anabelle are as good as royalty. So when nineteen years before they had let shy sixteen-year-old Lucy into their inner circle, she was prepared to do anything for it to stay that way, even turn a blind eye to their secrets...

I thought this would be a great murder mystery/suspense type of book based on the description from the synopsis but I found the story to be immensely slow paced. Lucy, understandably, was all over the place and I did find the flashback scenes of interest to the overall arch of the story. The present time pace of trying to get to the final mystery was arduous to read.

The writing is sublime. The twists were unpredictable. The characters were wonderful. I didn’t want this story to end.

This was an okay thriller for me.

This book was a bit slow-paced at first, and didn't really pick up until about halfway through. I was interested in how Lucy got swept up into the glamour and fascination of the Whitlam family, with their beauty, money, and family mysteries. But I did not like Lucy as a character, and I did not really feel any chemistry between her and any of the characters. There were a lot of different revelations at the end of the book and I was surprised by the final twist, but to me it felt like there may have been too much going on and I'm not sure the buildup was worth it.

A slow burn and a party that seems to never arrive. This was a well thought out mystery with a few twists. Told in 2 timelines with multiple points of view, and just enough hints to let you know you are on the right path of who done it.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

DNF @ 15% - I received this as an ARC and I was super pumped for it!! like a beach murder mystery? say less pls 🤌🏼 but y’all I was so bored and detached from the story it was unbelievable. the characters were bland, and the dialogue to descriptive paragraphs were 1:10 - I need my dialogue to live 😩 and I’m super sad that I’m putting this one aside for now because I really needed a good thriller to keep me going

An atmospheric summer thriller that cranks the creep factor into overdrive!

Alternating between the 00s and the present, secrets unravel that will have devastating consequences for a seemingly perfect family. Don't you want to come home again?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review!

Thank you NetGalley for this amazing read.

This book is a classic whodunnit.

Lucy Ross returns home to pack up her grandmother's house after she passes. Her husband also passed recently and she needs to clear her head. As she returns back to Queens Point all the memories of so long ago come back to haunt her.

She loved the Whitlam children. They all were so special to her in her youth until the evening of the party where everything changed.

She is desperately trying to put things to rest and memories are haunting her. Things take a scary turn when she find something in her grandma's things and lots of questions need to be answered.

Great book and lots of twists and turns. Loved the ending.

Lucy returns to her grandmother's house to clear it out. She is drawn back into the Witlam family, after the discovery of human remains. After the body is found, strange things keep happening, and events build up, as secrets unfold, all leading back to a summer years ago.
An excellent thriller, so many twists, I was hooked trying to guess what happened. Perfect for all mystery fans!

A solid four star read. Great premise. Well written. Good characters. Page turner. Plenty of suspense to keep me guessing Would definitely read the next novel. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

This was a solid thriller debut novel. A bit slow paced at times the mystery was intriguing and kept me reading. Thanks to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for the ARC!

2.5/5.

When Lucy Ross returns to her grandmother’s home in Queen’s Point to sort through her things, she plans for it to be a quick visit and then a return to her city life in Adelaide. But as soon as she arrives, there is news that a body has been found close to her grandmother’s home - and the cliff-side glamorous Whitlam house, filled with memories from her summer as a 16-year old.

Soon Lucy finds herself re-immersed into the lives of Harry, Mae and Annabelle Whitlam, desperate to be accepted by the rich and powerful family once again. When the connection is made between the murder and the party from that last night of summer all those years ago, Lucy delves into the past to remember what happened that night and to get to try to understand the dynamics between the Whitlams and herself for once and for all.

The premise of this book was great, and there were some intriguing parts to the story – but unfortunately, I found it a slog to get through. The pace felt slow, I struggled to be invested in the characters, and it just seemed to drag on.

This book has dual timelines of the summer of 2000 and Winter of 2019. Il oved how the layers of the two storylines were peeled away slowly, the reader learning more and more, until the two timelines merge together!

2000 - teenage Lucy is sent to spend the summer with her grandmother in Queen's Point, much to her dismay. Then she meets the Whitlam family and finds herself enamored with each of the three Whitlam children - especially Harry! The Whitlams hold their usual end of season party. At this party, Lucy is kissed and then she sees something that perhaps she shouldn't have.

2019 - This brings Lucy back to Queen's Point. Her grandmother has passed and she must clean her home and get it ready to sell. Human remains wash up on the beach which shuts down the town.
Lucy is unable to leave. She rekindles friendships with the three Whitlam children, as well as Jake -a local boy from her teenage summer now a local police officer.

Secrets from the past start to surface causing Lucy confusion about what may have happened that night so many years ago.

This book was a wild ride with lots of twists and secrets. Kept me engaged until the end!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for and ARC in exchange for my honest review.

If you know me you know I’m a sucker for a mystery and a thriller - but if you know me, you also know it takes a lot for a mystery to impress me, and this one did it! A lot of the mysteries I’ve read this year have fallen flat, but I really enjoyed The Summer Party. I loved the two timelines woven throughout the book, and although the pace was a little slow, it kept me on my toes and had me itching to know what would happen. I felt unsettled many times throughout the book which is exactly how you want a mystery to make you feel.

I also enjoyed how fleshed out and well-rounded the characters are. They aren’t necessarily likeable, but they are complex and unique and nuanced like all humans are, and it made the book all more interesting to read.

I’m often disappointed by the ending of a mystery, and this one was no different - I liked that the ending wasn’t a clean resolution, but it felt a little rushed and slightly confusing. However it didn’t disappoint enough to take away from the book, and nevertheless I loved reading this.

All in all, I really enjoyed this and would definitely recommend! Thank you NetGalley and Aria & Aries for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Another hyped up book that I grabbed when it was in the “Read Now “ section that I wish I had e grabbed because I couldn’t get into it.

I love a good murder mystery, and one set in Australia is always going to get my attention. The Summer Party is a clever page turner and a fantastic debut novel.

It is 2019 and Lucy has returned to Queens Point I’m South Australia to sort out her grandmothers home. She spent a summer here 19 years ago that changed her life. Now her grandmother is gone, but the memories come flooding back. As does the attention of the Whitlam family, a the perfect family that live in the top of the hill. They are rIch and beautiful, and she is soon under their spell again. But what happened at the party 19 years ago? And who’s body has just been found?

A fun read with plenty of ways that they story could have gone. Thanks to Arias and Aries for my advanced copy of this book to read. Published on January 5th.

Be careful what you wish for…

Alternating between the summer of 2000 and the winter of 2019, this fantastic atmospheric psychological thriller explores a devastating secret that threatens to rip the glamorous Whitlam family apart.

It all begins when 16-year-old Lucy Ross is invited to a party at the Whitlam remote clifftop mansion. What should have been a memorable evening turns into one that will haunt her for years - she sees something she shouldn’t have seen. Two decades later, Lucy finds herself in Queen’s Point again when a body washes ashore. As if this wasn’t devastating enough, it puts Lucy in a predicament: reveal what she saw 20 years ago or protect loved ones?

You’ll have to read to find out what really happened at Queen’s Point!

Are you prepared for an emotional roller-coaster ride? Heath has a fantastic journey planned for you. Not only does the journey allow you to experience a wide range of emotions, it also flips back in time. One would think with all this back and forth the whiplash would curb interest. It doesn’t. You are along for the ride as Lucy struggles with detaching herself from Whitlam’s allure and making an effort to search for the truth. With hindsight, Lucy realizes how enigmatic this family is and that she can no longer turn a blind eye to the secrets they want to keep hidden.

The writing is sublime. The twists were unpredictable. The characters were wonderful. I didn’t want this story to end.

I was gifted this copy by Aria & Aries, Head of Zeus and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Set in the fictional town of Queens Point on the Yorke Peninsula of South Australia, this is the story of Lucy Ross who returns to the town to clear out her grandmother’s house after her death. Lucy’s grandmother worked for the internationally famous and wealthy Whitlam family whose property adjoins Lucy’s grandmother’s. This brings back many memories for Lucy who as a teenager spent much time in the company of the three Whitlam children. At the same time, the town is enveloped in the mystery of human remains that have been uncovered by a recent storm.

I enjoyed this very much especially the mystery of the human remains and the class differences between Lucy and the Whitlams. But as a South Australian familiar with the Yorke Peninsula, I did find it a stretch to imagine the fictional town of Queens Point. But this is well plotted and an intriguing read, perfect for summer.

An author I haven’t read before with an interesting plotted mystery set in South Australia. I was expecting warm beachy, but no, it was a cold coastal area. There was alternating POV's between characters, present day and the year 2000, before and after the pivotal end of summer party.
Lucy has to return and clean out her grandmother’s small cottage after her passing. Lucy is sorting, cleaning and donating her grandmother’s items in the cottage. Her grandmother worked for the wealthy Whitlam’s as household staff. She’s going back to where one teenage summer altered everything. Her path in life reflects how she perceived the well to do Whitlam family living in the mansion up the hill. The perfect large estate, staff, pool, clothes, snacks and freedom. Lucy worked hard to achieve the status she saw as the Whitlam’s “perfect” life.
Mrs. Whitlam left the night of the party, traveling extensively, not really seen since. Without revealing any spoilers there is a well constructed plot full of intrigue and family drama along with a house full of secrets, liars and cover-ups. The perfect Whitlam family has some cracks. The now adult children vary from a drinking/drug using artist, a married mother of three and the tyrant mother’s replacement who’s running the estate just like her mother.
Lucy is hard working and likable until you discover her obsession to attain the status and wealth she saw at that home. A lesson on choosing who to idolize and imitate. She reconnects with many of the people from that summer. One is Jake who’s the local Police Sergeant and she continues making bad decisions when it comes to her love life. Strange incidents occur at the cottage and it gives you some creepy terrifying “someone’s watching me” moments.
The pace was slow for me at first but, as the pieces begin to fit it became impossible to put down. There were characters I will remember as well as an author I would read again.
Thank you to NetGalley for the digital advance reader copy of “The Summer Party” by Rebecca Heath, and to Aria and Aries. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation.