I found the premise of this SO intriguing and I loved the dual timeline. The characters were incredibly infuriating, as intended, and very well written! Nina was the ultimate bad guy and I loved it.

I did find that the end of the book was rather abrupt and I did think maybe my edition wasn’t finished! I’d definitely read more from this author! 3.5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy. A group of six friends head to Mallorca for a holiday, an accident occurs and you’re left wondering who is really telling the truth. I really enjoyed this clever mystery thriller, short punch chapters that kept me interested until the end of the book. I also liked the smooth transition between the past and the present, and the references to eighties songs, right up my street!

This is my first outing with this author; I have no idea if she has other books out, I went into reading this completely blind, which is unusual for me, but the gamble generally paid off on this occasion.

Firstly, I did have a niggle with this book: the grammatical errors. If this is an indie author who has edited it herself then mistakes are likely to slip through the net, however, if the author has paid someone to edit their work before publishing, I wouldn’t be happy if I was her. I would understand one or two getting missed but there were multiple errors throughout that should have been picked up - repeated words in sentences, eg. ‘and and’, and twice I noticed the word ‘bought’ instead of ‘brought’. The errors didn’t spoil the book for me, but they did stop the flow of my reading on many occasions, which was a real shame. I read the kindle book, so cannot comment on the paperback.

Putting that to one side, the story itself was interesting, enjoyable and well thought out - I was pleasantly surprised! There were a few little twists which were explained well, so weren’t just added for effect. The characters were described and developed in a considered manner. I genuinely looked forward to reading each chapter, and finding out where the story would go.

I would happily try another book by this author…ideally without the errors next time! Sorry!

Thank you to NetGalley for my free copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

I found a lot of the first third or so to be largely unnecessary set up which made it very hard for me to get through

The cast of characters wasn’t particularly large but I found it hard to distinguish between most of them, especially the men

Almost every character is so hard to like that I struggled to care about the plot

This was SO good! Following a group of 6 university friends who go on holiday in 1989 to celebrate graduating, the pinnacle of their time there is a beach party. The beach party is full of fun and laughter, until suddenly it isn't so fun anymore. This book flipped between the past and the present, where the group of friends is now receiving emails from someone who knows what they did 33 years ago. The first half of the book focuses a lot more on the past POV and the second half focuses more on the present as we come to the final conclusion. I liked this layout, as it gives you a chance to get to know the characters and the intricacies of their friendships as it builds up to what they did.

The characters were not very likeable, especially when they were teenagers on holiday. I especially did not like Nina, although this was definitely intentional. I liked Zoe, even though she was a bit non-confrontational and shy. I ended up feeling for Aiden and Seb, but I never really felt that attached to Will or Claire.

This was full of plot twist after plot twist. Nikki Smith has a great way of mentioning something that happened without giving you any other information and leaving it a mystery to come out towards the end of the book. I liked that there were secrets from before they went on holiday, and in some cases even before they went to university. It really wove a rich web of secrets, and each one was being held over a different characters head. The author also misdirects you into thinking that one thing happened on their holiday, when it was actually something else. I also loved how the tension was built up very subtly between the group until it all came to a head.

It's difficult to explain without giving massive spoilers away, but this was a great story that I felt had a lot of depth and well thought out characters. I did actually guess who the threats were from in the present day POV but for me this didn't take anything away from the story. It was definitely a bit obvious but I didn't mind because of all the other plot twists. Overall, I really really enjoyed this and would definitely recommend! I have been left with one question unanswered about the plot but I liked the ending and was satisfied with it, although I would love to know what happens to everyone after.

This is a new to me author and based on this book I will definitely be checking out her others.

The story itself is well written, jumping back and forth from the present to the past. The author uses short chapters to keep the reader hooked on the action. There are twists and turns throughout, right to the end.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy.

Twists and turns aplenty to keep you interested right to the end. Would be a great holiday read! The characters intertwine with different backgrounds and relationships. This book contains multiple storylines which can be hard to follow, but I didn’t find this to be the case here. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Thank you to Penguin for this ARC copy In exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I enjoyed the plot, the setting, the characters and the writing style throughout. It was very tense and nerve wracking to read in the best way!

There were a lot of twists in the plot that I wasn’t expecting and it kept me gripped right to the end!

I loved the dual timeline and the different POV’s from each of the characters involved.

I would definitely recommend this book. I gave it 4.5 stars!

Started off well but drags on and on to ridiculous conclusion. Writing style is poor, characters are weak and the plot isn’t great. The premise of the story could have been great but they way ya been written here didn’t work. Not for me at all

I loved the set-up of the book. 6 friends go for one last holiday, having completed their degrees, however they are all there with a variety of secrets and other baggage in tow. Some of them share secrets with one another, which gives them the upper hand when disaster kicks in.
This book has a dual timeline as in the present day individuals receive emails asking them to reunite at the villa where something dreadful happened 33 years ago. Unlike many others of this kind, who alternate chapters between the times, the present day timeline does not feature much at all for at least the first half of the book. The present day aspect is there as a taster, giving you hints, which are then interspersed as the book progresses.
I found it hard to follow who the 6 different characters were initially and was rating this a solid 3 stars, however once I got immersed in the story and key events occurred the book had me on tenterhooks. I could not put it down at some points and my heart was in my mouth. I felt invested in the situation. Some of the elements of the story did give me mild horror vibes too. I felt that the majority of the ends were tied up very well apart from one big aspect ( unless I completely missed it!)
Overall I would recommend this to people who enjoy the 'old friends reuniting over a shared secret' trope and it would also be a great summer read.

I couldnt put this book down. I lived in Mallorca when I was younger so this brought back youthful memories. Its a typical young university students versus "how-we-changed-adult" book. Different backgrounds and complex relationships, involving the past. TBH I didnt like some of the characters and felt some characters were spineless and weak.

This was a great book that handled dual timelines easily. The book is an easy immersive read and the details about the 1980’s were a sure win here.

Wow! The Beach Party was mind-blowing from start to finish. So many twists and turns, secrets and lies! There were moments when I had to put it down and take a breath because it was so tense, but I couldn't wait long before picking it up again because I NEEDED to know what happened next. A highly recommended thriller, five stars!

The Beach Party by Nikki Smith
Rating: 4⭐️
Genre: Thriller
Year: due to be released June 30th, 2023.
Brief Synopsis: Six Friends, the holiday of their dreams, one night that changed it all.

Well this book escalated quickly 😳! What a fast paced, page turner.

Told in mutiple POV’s and a ‘1989’ and ‘present’ time line, with short chapters which I alway prefer. I enjoyed reading about that holiday as it was set in 1989, (the year I was born 😅) and their fashion and style seemed to be so different.

All characters had their flaws/secrets which was drip fed to us throughout the story to keep you turning those pages.

Some moments went very dark and unnerving….I loved it! Definitely recommend this book. Released on June 30th in Hardback and July 6th in Paperback,

Thank you to #Netgalley and #Penguin General UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review.

A solid 3 stars for me.

Most of the storyline is based in 1989 where a group of friends go on holiday to a villa in Majorca and it all ends in tragedy. The rest of the story is in present day with their secrets threatened to spill.

Similar plots have been written hundreds of times before however I did find it an entertaining read overall with lots of other secrets coming to light throughout the book. I found it slow to get going and only really started getting into it about 70% of the way through so a really slow burner for me, hence 3 stars.

The Beach Party is set in the present day and the narrative flicks back to a group of friends going on holiday to Mallorca in the 80’s. The group attend a beach party where disaster strikes.

I found this book pretty fast paced and enjoyed the short chapters as well as the multiple POV. I did find differentiating between some of the characters quite confusing and sometimes their stories blended into each other.

I really hated Nina’s character which was definitely how the writer wanted to portray her, I did predict the ending because I found it strange that Gaby’s drowning wasn’t focused on in more detail and was brushed over.

Overall, a really good fast paced thriller/mystery read!

The Beach House by Nikki Smith is a mystery thriller with a dual timeline, 1989 and the present day.

In July 1989 6 friends head to Mallorca for a 2 week holiday at Nina's parents' villa. What was meant to be a holiday filled with wild nights and lazy days by the pool turns into a nightmare when a tragic accident occurs on the night of the beach party.

In the present day someone knows their secret and wants to make them pay.

This was a very engaging story and shows the dynamics of this friendship group and how Nina is like the sun they all revolve around.

This was quick and easy to read while also keeping me engaged so I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys mystery thrillers.

3.5☆

Thank you to #Netgalley and #Penguin General UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review.

A book wiith a theme that has been done before. A group of friends reuinte, lots of secrets, someone dies. The pacing was a bit slow at times, and perhaps some of the characters merged into each other, lacking their own distnict voice. I would reccommend as a quick and easy holiday read.

The Beach Party is a great summer read. The novel starts in present day London and introduces us to Nina, a powerful and wealthy lawyer, who has received a threatening email. Someone knows ‘what you did that summer’. The narrative kicks off with aplomb form there.

The second timeline takes us back to the summer of 1989. Six university friends fly out to Mallorca for a holiday of alcohol, drugs and general debauchery. However, it quickly becomes apparent that their friendships hang by the loosest of threads and that, in fact, each of them is hiding something from the others. During the night of ‘The Beach Party’ a particularly horrifying event takes place - one that has far-reaching consequences for all concerned and not necessarily in the ways that the reader might expect.

There are a few sinister twists in this narrative and the multiple voices/perspectives really helped to keep the pages turning quickly for me. I would strongly recommend this for fans of a classic beach thriller such as ‘Something in the Water’ by Catherine Steadman.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel from Nikki Smith. Cleverly plotted, with believable characters, it was easy to read. Although I read it in the depths of winter, I can see how it will be a massive summer success.