A Death At The Party By Amy Stuart was a fast paced, extremely engaging story that kept me turning the pages! Told over the course a single day, we follow our main character Nadine as she gets ready to host her Mothers 60th birthday party, but we soon find out that everything is not as it seems.
Filled with twists and turns this book kept me guessing until the very end.
Please find attached my spoiler free youtube review of the book.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiXAqiMpShY

Amy Stuart’s garden party whodunnit proves that even the best laid plans can go awry when there’s secrets involved.

Things I liked:
✔️beautiful cover with my favourite flowers
✔️first line: “It takes some digging to locate a pulse.”
✔️Canadian author
✔️Premise: a garden party whodunnit
✔️plot in reverse; murder at the end and worked backwards
✔️mystery to solve; you don’t know who or why
✔️twist
✔️lots of secrets; didn’t know who to trust
✔️quick read

Things I struggled with:
✔️pages and pages of running errands before the party; needs tauter plotting
✔️slow pacing
✔️the protagonist; I couldn’t identify with her
✔️vague ending
✔️infidelity

I was gifted this copy by Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

A Death at the Party is a murder mystery with an unusual twist. The killer is revealed immediately, but the identity of the victim is left unknown. Stuart opens her novel with the killer watching their victim's last breath exit their body. A bold, enticing opening, which unfortunately does not set the pace for the rest of the story. It was wise to begin the story this way because despite taking place over the course of only a single day, the pacing is a bit slow. Too much time is spent chasing the main character, Nadine, around as she completes her distracted errands in preparation for her mother's birthday party later that night. There are plenty of secrets and reveals to maintain and sate the reader's curiosity, but this story might have worked better as a tightly paced novella.

The weakest part is the main character, Nadine. She is a complex, well-rounded individual, but she is unpleasant. I can enjoy a flawed and difficult protagonist if they are engaging and maybe a little tragic, but Nadine is judgmental, self-righteous and hypocritical. I grew tired of her unwarranted suspicion of everyone quickly. I found the characters around her more engaging. Her complicated mother was my favourite and I would have loved to read the story from her point of view.

Even with the pacing and character struggles, the overall mystery and amount of reveals and secrets is strong. I also appreciated that while some of these secrets were shocking, none of them felt gratuitous or forced. I read a lot of mysteries and too often authors force the least likely candidate to be the culprit and it rings hollow. The answers in this book were complex and well chosen.

Overall, I did like the story and would try other works by this author.

A birthday party with a tragic ending. Thirty years later it happens again. Two people protecting secrets.

We start the story with a murder taking place. We then go though the last 24 hours with flashbacks from the past inbetween. While going back through the day with the main character Nadine we learn how neighbours are connected in the past and present.

This book had me second guessing everything I had read. It is fast paced yet easy to follow along with whats happening. I loved the plot twists, they were ones that made all the little things in the book make sense.

Amy Stuart’s fast paced novel A Death at the Party is an intriguing thriller. It takes place over a day with flash backs into the past of the characters and how many of them interconnect. It makes you think that everything you do is based on the decisions you make and the action you take.

The book starts with the murder scene, and then chronologically goes through the day of the party. I liked this approach because we are left questioning who was murdered and why?! It is not clear cut; Stuart keeps you guessing until the end adding a few plot twists along the way.

This is an easy short and fun read

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher for my copy - all opinions are my own.

I FLEW through this book in one sitting, and there is something to be said for books that take place in one day. I just love the intensity of reading in "real time" and knowing that everything is going to unfold in short order.

This book had all the elements of fun, escapism reading. Messy and complicated characters, most of whom are hiding secrets; a massive party that the day is centered around; a 30 year old mystery of a death that continues to haunt; a lead character who is falling apart, just a tad, as she struggles to hold everything together.

I would suggest readers go into this story relatively blind, as I think that will lead to the most enjoyable reading experience. You want to clear your schedule and inhale this one whole. It's fantastic easy and fun reading to start your 2023 with!

I found this to be a very interesting book. I thought I knew what had happened until close to the end. I was surprised by the ending. I had to keep reading just to find out. An original story, haven’t read one like it before. Everything happens in one day except for the flashbacks.

“And I found myself thinking about how your life can change in a single day. You know? Those days when there's a before, and then an after. Where everything shifts in an instant. The truth is, my whole life has been dictated by one little secret.”


30 years ago, Nadine threw a party for her moms birthday and her beloved aunt ended up dead. Flash forward to present day Nadine’s mom, a now famous author, finally agrees to allow her to throw another party and just like the last another person ends up dead.

This story takes us through the day leading up to the party and all of the drama and fall out that pursues. It was a quick and twisted read. However to me the main character comes off as so unreliable as she slowly begins to spiral in hours leading up to the party as she tries to grieve the anniversary of her aunts death and prepare for the party.


I couldn’t put this book down determined to get all the answers, what happened to Colleen, did Marilyn play a role? What happened to River. All while trying to link a connection between all of these people who have been linked together for over 30 years. However I do much rather a clean and concise ending to a book and this one leaves so much left to the reader’s interpretation, what happens I need more!!!

I went in blind reading this but I enjoyed it! It was very fast paced and I got through it really quickly. The story was much better than I anticipated. Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Amy Stuart is back with this fast-paced Mystery.

While Nadine goes about her day preparing for her mothers big birthday celebration, almost every man she runs into gives her a reason to want him dead. Ok, maybe “to want him dead” is a little severe … you’ll have to read the book to see what I mean!

The story is full of old friendships that Stuart included backstories and mini plots for that helped the book seem very real. She provided just enough info on each character that I didn’t know who to trust or whose actions would lead to their own demise.

I thought this was a fun/enjoyable new take on the standard “hidden secrets” plot and I was left guessing until the big reveal!

So, If you want to know who the body in Nadine’s basement belongs to or better yet, why they are dead… you’ll have to pick up this fantastic quick read!

Thank you to Net Galley, Simon & Schuster and Amy Stuart for the free review copy of A Death at the Party!

Thank you net galley for giving me this opportunity to read Amy Stuart's newest book.
The story takes place in one day - morning, afternoon and evening.
Nadine's mother is turning sixty and Nadine wants to give her a birthday party for the milestone.
The big day also is the death of Colleen Nadine's aunt also on Nadine's mothers' 30th birthday.
Secrets are witheld from family members - Marilyn from Nadine, Nadine from her husband Paul.
There is family members, co-workers, neighbours, friends who are invited to the big day.
One secret is exposed and a party goer has died.

A Death At The Party - Amy Stuart
When Nadine decided to throw her mother a birthday party, the significance of the day of not lost on her.
Not only is it her mother's birthday, but the 30th anniversary of her aunt Collen's death, a day that Nadine hasn't been able to let go of.
During this party, Nadine comes across many people who used to know her aunt, and she begins to suspect all of them of being responsible for her death. She questions all of them, looking for the answers she so desperately seeks.
Nadine never could have expected what she would find and how the answers are connected to her children today. Drastic times call for drastic measures and Nadine pulls out all the stops to ensure no one will ever be hurt again.
This book for me was a bit of a letdown. I had high hopes but I found the story to be a little all over the place, slow building up the the party, and overall had a bit of a flow that just didn't suit me.
Nadine was a character that besides the death of her aunt, and the trauma from that time, I was unable to sympathize with her as she details her infidelity, and crazy ways. I would've liked to heard her mother's story a bit more. I feel that would have been more enticing.
In the end, I was sad about this, but I gave the book a ⭐⭐/5.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

A Death at the Party was something a little different. No one really expects anyone to be killed at a birthday party. But then it did happen before, 30 years before at her Morher's 30th birthday party. Her mother's sister was murdered and the murderer was never found.
Nadine is hosting her Mom's 60th birthday party. Her mother is a celebrated author and there is a reporter always trying to dig up dirt on her. Nadine is really getting sick of her husband's friends always being around. Her daughter has been acting more strange than usual, especially since her best friend overdosed on pills. Her son is having issues with his on again, off again girlfriend! Nadine is a nervous wreck and what could possibly go wrong?? Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this novel. I did enjoy it. Rate it 3.75 out of 5.

I Just finished reading the story "A Death at the Party" by Amy STuart. Here are my thoughts. It was a well. paced and unique story about a woman who is planning her famous mother's 60th birthday party. The story takes place in one day and is divided into three parts and told from different perspectives. There are alot of sub-plots going which are creatively interwoven together to end in a huge BIG reveal at the end of the birthday party.

What I liked about this story was the relationship between the mother and daughter, and the feeling that they hav to protect each other at al costs. I love that every character in the book is important and has something to contribute to the book. I love that there are tiny hints and reveals throughout the book and the the author gradually reveals the main question or mystery in the book. I love that the characters are flaswed but ultimately there is a human side revealed.

What I didn't like about the book. I didn't like that the main character was unfaithful. And Im not sure why that had to occur.

Other than that, it was a great book that I devoured quickly. I wanted to get to the end so that my questions could get answers and was pleasantly surprised that the ending was not what I expected. Well written and well paced with exciting reveals in interesting characters with intermingling backgrounds made this book a great read. Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Thank you to Net Galley for this advance copy This book was not at all what I was expecting and I loved it. I was worried that it would be boring with the premise about the day before a party. I clearly have no imagination as I figured it would be a recounting of they day and obviously something would happen to cause someone to die but I had no idea how well crafted this novel and backstory was going to be. Everything was woven together so well and I enjoyed how everything unfolded.

This was exactly the kind of book I love picking up! The kind that I binge in 2 days and has me guessing and second guessing myself at every turn of the page.
It had just the right amount of mystery and who-done-it for my liking.

3.5 ⭐️

A great novel linking past and present. It’s full of coincidences and six degrees of separation that seemed too odd to be deemed a fluke.

The story kept an even pace that kept me engaged. I wasn’t fond of the main character, but I feel like that was the point. You felt sympathy for her past trauma while also being disappointed by some of her present choices.

Book is set in three sections; morning, afternoon, and evening while also returning to snippets of the past.

Overall a good read!

A quick read with a timeline that is within one day.

A Death at the Party is about Nadine, who is throwing her mother Marilyn, a famous author, a birthday party. However this is also the anniversary of Marilyn’s sister’s death. Over the course of the day we discover secrets and lies from the present and past.

3.5 star read, probably rounded down to 3. Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the early copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

I wasn't sure about this book. But the cover called to me and I'm not disappointed at all. This book is non stop tension. This is like being in the mind of a Type A personality under severe stress. I enjoyed the pull of the drama and flipping back and forth in time.
This book starts at the end of the party, then the day reset and we live it.
This gave me verity vibes without so much emotional trauma.
Highly recommend this quick read.

I read this book in one sitting, but I cannot say for sure if I liked it. Everything seemed too obvious and convenient; the main character is sort of an unreliable witness, in a way… but she gives so many details about everything and everyone, you just don’t feel like you have anything left to imagination.

The book itself is quite short, and could have led in many different ways, but everything just resolves itself really quickly. You barely have time to register there’s an issue; and suddenly it’s fixed.

I still enjoyed the read. It was okay as an afternoon choice to relax. Would not qualify this as a thriller, though.