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.

Six university friends get together for a drunken, debauchery-filled holiday in Mallorca. They all have secrets and things to hide, and then one night something terrible happens. Thirty-plus years later, they are estranged when one of them gets a note saying the writer knows what she did and she must get them all back together at the house. This was a fun, suspenseful, twisty read and I really enjoyed the references to the late 80s.

It is the summer of 1989, six friends who have just graduated from university decide to have a have a holiday in a villa in Mallorca. The villa is owned by Nina’s parents. They let of steam drinking and taking drugs and partying through the night. But an incident that happens will change all their lives forever.
Thirty three years later Nina, now a lawyer receives an email from an anonymous person telling her that they know what she did all them years ago and asking for her to return to the villa that she vowed she would never go back to again.
I thank Penguin for and ARC. The Beach party by Nikki Smith is the third book from the author I have read, and this is another intriguing read from the author that kept me guessing until the end. The story mostly told of the time at the villa in the time pf The Walkman and Erasure. Which took me back a bit. The author was good keeping the tension and keep me wondering who was seeking revenge on what happened to all of them many years ago. This will be a great summer read. 4 stars from me.

A very good read, not my usual type of book but I really enjoyed it, look forward to reading more of her books in the future

What a wild read this was, thoroughly enjoyed it, was pulled into the story from the first page and what a ride it was….

Ideal for fans of a slow-burning comeuppance story. Former friends are summoned to a Mallorcan villa to face the secret of what they did there in 1989. All are unlikeable but one more so than the others. It will do well.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.

This is the perfect summer read - the writer really transports us to the beach and the mysteries there.
I liked how it was told between the past and the presents. Each character is suspicious and has things to hide. The secrets start to come out with a few twists along the way.

For me this was pretty average and I had a few issues with some things that happened. I do think a lot of people will enjoy reading this in summer, on holiday as it draws you in and holds your attention pretty well!

This is an unpredictable page turner that centres around a group of friends who orbit around queen bee Nina.

At the start of the book we are introduced to Nina in the present day who receives a mysterious email threatening that someone knows what she and her friends did back in the Summer of 1989.

The book then takes us back to the Summer of 1989 when the group of six friends, (or should I say frenemies?) begin their debauched holiday at the villa owned by Nina's parents. Each of them has a secret to hide, and these are slowly revealed as the book progresses. Some are fairly banal, others are far more shocking, but all will influence what happens that Summer.

The book is fast paced, which is a good thing because when I stopped to think there were some pretty implausible events, and a few inconsistencies.

The underlying tension around the question of what secret exactly is threatened to be revealed suffers somewhat as there are a lot of underlying threads that I struggled to keep straight in my mind. These are characters who have lived BIG lives despite their young age. Thank fully most of these are tied up by the closing pages.

It's a fun holiday read and I would like to thank the publishers and NetGalley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

A good thriller. Nice to get away to a Spanish beach. Twisty and unsettling. I haven't read any Nikki Smith books befiore but this makes me want to read any others she has written.

A mystery book that moves backward and forwards in time - 5 friends from university are invited by Nina to go to her parent's Spanish villa in the summer.
Nina, a controlling and domineering protagonist has a hold over the group and it's never more prominent when disaster strikes and two men are killed in a boating accident after they are returning from a beach party.
Each of the friends has something to link them to each other and Nina extorts this knowledge for control.
It's a case of whodunnit with a twist at the ending.

A really great story with twists and turns. Loved the way the back story was woven in between the chapters. My first time reading something by this author but I will actively seek out more of their work . Very enjoyable. It would make a good holiday read.

An atmospheric wild ride of a novel. Loved the nostalgia and the tension between the characters. Another brilliant offering from Nikki Smith.

The plot is as deep and dark as it gets, multi-layered with 'who knew what when?' as the strands come together and the finer details get filled in. This is an absolutely compelling, gripping book full of mystery and suspense. Only a few authors can write deeply involving psychological drama of the very highest quality.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words some text written has been typed in red and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

Really enjoyed The Beach Party, i believe its the first book I've read by Nikki Smith but i'll definitely check out her others. The Majorcan setting and storyline kept me pulled in and wondering what was about to happen and what past events led to the conclusions. The conclusion was pretty nailbiting and I couldn't wait to understand what had happened. Recommended.

This novel was as wild as the beach party setting that introduces us to the cast of characters! I enjoyed the dual timeline switches and the overall spooky vibe. A terrific read!