This is a gripping tail split between the events surrounding a holiday in Corfu where six young shared a house together friends and present day where those people start getting messages inviting them back and hinting at the tragic events that occurred. I found that I did need to concentrate a bit when starting this, with the two timelines, six different perspectives on events, and references to events prior to the holiday that impacted their relationships and what happened next. However, it did not take long for me to know who’s who and for the tension to build up as you find out what happened on that fateful holiday. When tragedy strikes the story does a fairly good job, of showing why the characters behave as they did, some coming out a lot better than others, and there is a real sense of menace as you wonder how bad things can get. It is an exciting story, and the gradual reveal is generally effective. There were one or two twists that I felt did not quite work (they felt a bit unlikely) and there was an awful lot of history for that small group of people, but all in all this kept my attention until the end.

This is a fast-paced, fun read that would be ideal for a beach read. It has plenty of twists and turns that keep you guessing. Some of the characters are quite unlikable, making it hard to warm to them, but it all just adds to the sinister feeling that grows as the story goes on. Without giving too much away, let’s just say things take a turn for the worse at…..you’ve guessed it…. a beach party! Buckle up for the ride and enjoy!

I was hooked from the very beginning.

All the twist and turns.very well written

Will b looking for more books my this author.

I really enjoyed The Beach Party, and can see it doing well as a holiday read this year. The plot and writing is compelling and better than I expected for a coming of age holiday thriller (though there are a couple of holes), and it kept me reading late into the night. I would recommend this read to friends.

I had super high hopes for this book as i've holidayed in Mallorca for a lot of my life. I thought I might recognise some of the places. Unfortunately I didn't recognise the places named, but others might!

I expected the book to be a modern story with a series of flashbacks throughout to explain the back story. However, the majority of the book was set in 1989. I had expected the story to focus on the reunion of the friends and them being tormented about what happened all those years ago, but it was quite the opposite of that.

It was quite difficult for me to get through this book. I wanted to love it so much, but there was nothing dragging me through, no desire to find anything out.

The Beach Party starts as a bit of a slow burner but certainly ramps up the tension in the second half of the story. Personally, the thing I loved the most about this book was the element of nostalgia. The 80's and 90's references really took me back to my school days and gave a twist on a lot of other thrillers I've read lately. Dual timelines and multiple characters meant that I had to concentrate to keep track of everything that was going on but I really enjoyed this summer thriller and thought that the atmosphere created was spot on,

I absolutely loved this story, 6 uni friends who go on holiday to let their hair down before “real life” begins, but a silly mistake causes an accident that irrevocably changes all their lives forever! Though a bit slow at the start, it soon picked up the pace and had me gripped, the twists were unexpected. I wasn’t keen on the characters at first, but as I got more into the book I warmed to most of them, Nina I didn’t like at all. My only criticism would be that I found several silly mistakes in the writing, as in a word missed in a sentence or written as a singular word rather than plural or vice versa, at one point the author had obviously changed how she wrote the sentence and the change caused a mistake, but overall it didn’t take away the enjoyment of the book and I can imagine it being a great summer read!

Three young women, three young men out to have a good time with loud music, drugs and alcohol, what could possibly go wrong? It’s 1989 and these six thoroughly unlikeable characters gathers in Mallorca for a holiday, all paid for by Nina, the Rich One. Something happens, we don’t know what, but it’s buried and not talked about until 30 years later when the truth comes out and Someone Has To Pay.

I have found this all so boring, with confusing characters, poor writing, somewhat predictable plot. There is absolutely nothing new here, it’s all been done before and so much better. I want a thriller to thrill, I want unexpected twists, I don’t want something as limp as a week old lettuce with characters who don’t have the personality of a doorknob. Maybe I’m not the target audience as this reads more like YA. I won’t be looking for anything else by this author.

Its 1989 and a group of friends go on holiday. It all goes wrong and they bury what happened and move on. Now over 30 years later someone wants them to pay for what happened.

I wasn't mad about this. The plot was ok but the writing isn't great. The story rooted in the past is erratic, it was very hard to get a flow going because each time something happened to a character they launch into an internal monologue about a totally different past that the reader wasn't privy to which was exhausting to get through. The present in the story is slightly better but too short to make much of an impact.

I wouldn't recommend it.

Found this book a bit of a slow burner, but once the pace picked up I couldn't pt it down.
Six uni friends go away to Mallorca to their friend, Nina's, parents villa in the late 1980's. They were having fun until it all goes wrong after a beach party and Nina convinces them all to cover it up so they don't get into trouble.
However many years later they are all contacted by someone who says they knew what they did that summer and summon them back to the villa to confront them

A good story but it felt like it dragged a bit at times and the cast of characters were generally weak and unlikeable. The story was set across 2 timeframes 1989 and present day when the past comes back to haunt them. I felt like the ending was apt, just took a while to get there.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

This book starts a bit slow but then when it gets to the beach party part it gets more exciting. It's a very detailed read too. A lot of poor choices were made by a lot of the characters. It was dark and twisted. During the end I kept wondering if any of them will face any consequences but I'm glad that the main manipulator got what was coming for her. I'm glad that it has a good ending too even though I feel like the ending could have had a bit more to it.

This book is another one of those that jumps between past and present, but it works to seamlessly tell the story of what happened. It made me think things that I later found out hadn't actually happened. Can't elaborate without risking spoilers and ruining the plot. I enjoyed the twist at the end, thinking 'serves you right '!. Again not going to elaborate! In my opinion a good book with a variety of characters. Some likable, some not and a plot which kept me reading

Another brilliant book by Nikki! Twisty, dark storyline with brilliantly written characters. Loved that part of it was set in the 80’s, some great references and the dual timeline was good. Didn’t see the ending coming and had no idea!

University is supposed to be the best time of your life - lifelong friends made and epic memories. This is partly true for this group of 6, but sadly, for all the wrong reasons. Things must be bad when you leave a 2 week holiday in a friend’s swanky villa, early. A chain of secrets and accidents scattered throughout the book make this a decent page turner. Slightly predictable and a bit far fetched for me at times (ie the arm), but still intriguing enough to read until the end and see karma delivered.
Without giving spoilers, I’m just glad these aren’t my friends!
Thank you for this copy to review.

It’s 1989. Six friends take a post uni holiday to a luxury villa in Mallorca. Looking for a good time, it quickly becomes apparent that it won’t be quite that simple.

From the walkman with its orange foam headphones to Poison perfume this book is drenched in the 1980s (which everyone knows is the greatest decade) so I was immediately in.

Everyone in the group has a secret to keep from the other members but all have to decide just how far they are willing to go to keep them hidden.

The resulting underlying tension is quickly apparent and adds a sense of foreboding to the story. Throw in a thoroughly unlikeable character who puppetmasters the group and I was hooked

Short sharp chapters and a twisty story make for a pacy read and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.

Huge thanks to Penguin & Netgalley for the chance to read an early copy

I found it quite difficult at first to keep track of the multiple characters in the story and who was who. Once I had got my head round this I enjoyed the story and didn’t guess the ending.
I thought overall it was a good read with a few twists to keep me guessing and keep me reading to the end. The story is told through a duel timeline of 1989 and now and is about 6 friends who go on holiday together and something big happens which changes the course of all of their lives. In the present someone is blackmailing the friends over the truth of the events of that night over 30 years ago.

An amazing thriller, perfect for a summer read. This is my first book by Nikki Smith but it won’t be my last, I tore through this and couldn’t put it down. The 80’s setting and dual timelines were really immersive and the tension builds immensely as you read in to the events from the past that are still affecting the characters. I do think the characters were are bit dull in the beginning but as I read on they became more dynamic and “fleshed out” which overall made the book an enjoyable experience.

The Beach Party is a phenomenal thriller from start to finish. Filled to the brim with twists and a captivating plot, this one is sure to keep readers hooked. The characters are well-developed. The story is incredibly fast-paced. This is one not to be missed! Highly recommended! Be sure to check out The Beach Party asap.

I tore through this one very quickly. This really is your perfect summer read for the sultry days and nights ahead. Recommended!