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!

Well….what was this? Lol. 60% of this was boring and then suddenly things started happening that just didn’t make sense. Too many thin characters; I struggled to keep track of who was who and also really didn’t care.
I still don’t understand the ending properly coz how did those people know each other? Maybe I missed it idk. Think it had the potential to be a good plane read but I just didn’t find it coherent enough to enjoy.

Firstly, a big thank you to Penguin General UK (Viking) and Net Galley for the ARC and the chance to read this wonderful book.

‘The Beach Party’ is an easy, yet intense, read; a perfect holiday read. I’m not sure how I feel about the third person perspective, I really feel like first person would have been a better choice, but I did like the dual timelines and how we jumped between them. It is really interesting to see how the events, as they were playing out, still affected the characters in the timeline set well in future.

Nina is a great, well crafted villain. I hated her throughout the entire book and boy was I happy when Karma finally caught up to her in the end, and she finally had to suffer the consequences of her destructive and cruel actions.

For a good chunk of the book, the characters felt very flat, very 2D, which was a bit disappointing, but they become more fleshed out as the book went on which was good. At the start they all kind of moulded into one, but maybe that’s a reflection of how Nina had made them be, because they all eventually show their individual characteristics.

There are so many secrets hinted at and unravelled in this story that you are constantly left on the edge of your seat. Nina is definitely going on my most hated characters list because even now, I’m still appalled by everything she did. I really recommend this book – the ending is great, the intensity and tension is built well, and the characters really come into their own as the book progresses. A 4⭐️read for me.

This is the story of six friends and what happened in 1989. All troubled people with secrets and keeps great pace as you try to work out who’s guilty of what. I loved the subtle references to the 80’s -the songs, mix tapes, Swatch, ra-ra skirts - 10/10 for research!
The tension builds up nicely throughout the book and all comes together nicely at the end. Top marks ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Beach Party by Nikki Smith, is a very engaging thriller novel that pulls you in from the start. I read this book in one sitting; it’s a fascinating story that keeps you guessing till the very end.

I loved the setting and the plot of this novel - it had me hooked straight away.

I'm not a huge fan of dual timelines but that's more personal preference than a comment on the author's skill, and I did feel that we were constantly being reminded unnecessarily that it was 1989.

A perfect quick and easy beach read.

Quick and easy, enjoyable read - perfect for holidays! Solid 3 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC