First, I want to thank Claire Seeber, Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I can bring you this review.

WOW!! Who wouldn’t want to be invited to Jodie’s big 40’th Birthday Celebration with all of your besties?! Free weekend full of drinks, infinity pools, hot tubs, massages sounded amazing!! Ohh but Claire Seeber had something way more sinister and twisted in The Birthday Reunion!! It definitely will be a weekend that the girls wouldn’t forget!! Not to mention I will rethink RSVPing to any party!

Claire would like to dedicate this book to all of her female friends, both now and then. No, long-lost birthday parties though lol.

The Birthday Reunion starts off deep, intense, and will have you glued to your Kindle in needing to know what happens past the prologue. I love when authors suck you in straight away and then you can’t get enough.

Out of all the characters I think I empathize and relate to Hannah the most. She was very anxietish and had reservations about attending the big Birthday party.

There was one particular scene in this book that was extremely uncomfortable to read. I wanted to jump into the book and break it up and comfort this character.

The Birthday Reunion was full of wicked shocking twists and turns that not only did the characters not see coming but neither did I!

I am going to give you all a bit of advice..

Head on over to your favorite bookstore and pre-order The Birthday Reunion.

If you love thrillers as much as I do, Claire Seeber, delivers. The Street Party and The Stepmother are two of my most favored books and stories I will never be able to forget. That's the thing with Seeber, her writing style will linger in your head long after you conclude one of her books.

The Birthday Reunion.

I set the bar high, I had read and obsessed over all of Seeber's past work so I knew this one was going to be good. I guess I just didn't know HOW good it would actually be.

The Birthday Reunion easily surpassed all expectations and this has become my favorite book by Seeber to date.

Jam packed with juicy secrets, deceit and twists you will never see coming, this is a book that will knock the wind right out of you.

These characters...... well, I am going to let you decide.

I can not wait to hear all of your thoughts! This book publishes in just a few days and I know it will light up the internet. Here is a little teaser to get your pulse racing :

Four friends. One dream getaway. But who will make it out alive?

When the gold-rimmed invitations arrive through the doors of best friends Simone, Hannah and Vicky they’re instantly taken aback. Their ex-friend Jodie is inviting them to a lavish Mediterranean villa to celebrate her birthday. They haven’t spoken in years since she betrayed them in the worst way. So how did they make the guest list?

They all have their reasons for saying yes. Stay-at-home mum Simone had her dream job snatched away. Hannah lost the love of her life. Café-owner Vicky wants the chance to help a wronged friend. Is the reunion a chance to confront Jodie and the past once and for all?

Arriving at a villa that looks straight out of a movie set, the friends relax by the sumptuous pool as they wait for the other guests to arrive. But as the chilled wine is poured and the three friends reminisce, they see Jodie walking towards them with a look of shock on her face.

Because Jodie didn’t invite them here.

But by the end of the weekend it will become clear who did. Someone else has a reason for revenge. Who will make it out alive?

Propulsive, wild and a page turner, this was a really fantastic read! My first by Claire Seeber and certainly not my last. 4 stars from me!

I did not read The Birthday Reunion through an educator lens.

Claire Seeber's The Birthday Reunion had me at the description. I love books that bring friends together on vacation where disaster strikes. The potential of the this book was there with the description. However, The Birthday Reunion was one of my least favorite books this year. I love multiple perspective books, unreliable narrators, and friend drama. This book had all of those things, but the execution was poor. Nothing about the character development compelled me to want to read or invest in their journey. The plot seemed scattered and disjointed, leaving me feeling like the story was partially finished and forced. This book will not be recommended to others by me.

This book had an awesome premise and usually books like this really peak my interest and I end up loving them. However, that was not the case with this one. I tried reading it but there was a new chapter every other page from a different persons point of view! The chapters were so short that I couldn’t even begin to be interested in each character. Also, I found the characters to be very similar and ultimately, I did DNF this one. There was just not enough for me to feel engaged with.

I really did love the cover of the book and the general synopsis. I just feel that in order to be more engaged some of the chapters should be combined. I think it would really help with the flow of the book and make it a much more enjoyable read.

Thank you so much to the publisher and netgalley for providing me this e-arc in exchange for an honest review. I will not be posting to social media as I did not finish this book.

So…where do I start?! I hate giving negative feedback on books as reading is so subjective and one man’s trash is another man’s treasure and all that! And I’ve really enjoyed books by Claire Seeber before so feel bad that I didn’t like this!
Starting on a positive with that gorgeous cover and an interesting premise, The Birthday Reunion starts with a great idea-four old friends coming together after years and a “very bad thing” for a birthday party in Ibiza. So a beautiful setting and a mystery-all good so far! But sadly the plot doesn’t balance with a slow start and then a very chaotic finish with too much going on, too many characters and a generally confusing storyline. And so many POVs combined with a flashback meant I struggled to keep track of who was who which meant that the last 30% really didn’t work for me. Also, these are supposed to be women in their 40s so what was with all the “babes” and “mate”?! I counted 63 times that Jodie called people “babe” or “babes” and it became a distraction from the plot itself which verged on ridiculous at times! No spoilers but the characters really didn’t react like “normal” people would in unusual circumstances. And please never give a diabetic a coke without checking their BG levels first!!!!!
I’m sorry this didn’t work for me but I really can’t recommend The Birthday Reunion.

With a cocktail of mystery, lies and revenge, this is a birthday reunion that will leave the guests with more than a hangover....

Simone, Vicky and Hannah are shocked to receive an invite for a 40th birthday weekend reunion from their estranged friend Jodie. Each with their own reservations and reasons to not go, their friends find themselves on the trip and face to face with the woman who tore their lives apart so long ago. As other people from their past arrive, the birthday weekend becomes a reunion of friends and enemies and a revelation of crimes, deception and heartbreak from the past.

I haven't had the pleasure of reading a book from this author before and I was utterly gripped throughout. The narrative cleverly flips between the past and present of the group, from the different points of view of the characters, revealing to the reader the reasons behind the animosity between the once-close friends. The fast pace and clever unraveling of each characters' story is captivating and you are truly kept guessing until the end.

Thank you to the author, Claire Seeber, Bookouture and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book as an ARC.

The premises for this book are good. Several women get an invitation for a birthday party, all inclusive, from a person they have not been friends with for ages. They will all get together on a pretty party island. What could go wrong? Well, want went wrong for me in this book that it took forever to build up the suspense, so there was no suspense any longer. There was too much repetition about the past and it kept going back to "the bad thing that happened years and years ago", and this killed my interest for the book. The story slowly unfolded, but did not really do it for me. I did not warm up to the characters either, and it felt a bit too superficial to be honest.

I don't think the book is bad per se, and I am sure it will have its fanbase, but it simply was not for me.

I have read a couple of this author's books and really loved them. This one, not so much sadly. The story & characters just didn't work for me.
We start with invitations arriving through the doors of three best friends - Simone, Hannah and Vicky. They have come from Jodie, the forth best friend who, well, let's just say she isn't that anymore. She betrayed them in the worst way and so, they all fell out and haven't heard from her in years. But she has invited them to her 40th birthday, at a lavish villa in the Med. Initially they all say no, but then slowly they all start to come round to the idea... be a short book if they didn't tbh!
So... cut to the chase, when they get there - eventually - there are more guests - some more welcome than others. And then things get really weird when it comes out that Jodie didn't invite them. She is as clueless as they are.
And then things get dangerous...
It was going along quite nicely up to a point. When it all degenerated into a bit of a farce. Things started escalating, but coming out of left field with little foreshadowing so it was all a bit choppy and disjointed. I also had/have some plot niggles which, if the story had been stronger for me, I would have been more inclined to forgive rather than let them fester. But it wasn't so they did.
Not really a fan of the characters either, sorry. To the point that I really didn't care what happened to them. And there was so much going on. Who was fighting with who, who held long term grudges? Don't get me wrong I do love a healthy dollop of secrets, lies and dysfunctional behaviour, but I also like to keep track of it, this was too busy. But I did make it to the end, and then promptly wished I hadn't bothered as it didn't really satisfy.
But with two good books already under her belt, I'm no way going to sack the author off on this one which just didn't float my boat. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

THE BIRTHDAY REUNION by Claire Seeber was a tough one for me. There are plenty of twists and turns but at times I was a bit lost on who was twisting and who was turning.
When Hannah, Simone, and Vicky, friends for many years, receive invitations to an all expense paid trip to a secluded island off the coast of Ibiza to celebrate the 40th birthday of the fourth in their group, Jodie they grudgingly agree to attend. But things are bizarre from the minute they get off their shuttle to the island. Mainly, the birthday girl doesn’t arrive for a few days and when she does make her grand entrance she brings with her a menagerie of people who also play parts in their backstories. And someone is determined to bring forth their secrets and make them pay.
I like the writer’s style and was a smooth read but not always an easy one for me. While the chapters were short (sometimes a good thing) it was hard for me to switch so quickly between characters and who was doing what. I am interested to see what else Ms. See er has written to see if this is just a one-off.

I didn’t love this book. It was a little boring and took too long to get to the plot. Almost nothing happened in the first 150 pages. I think it could’ve been a shorter book to keep it suspenseful. Also all the POVs with different timelines got confusing.

Simone, Hannah and Vicky haven’t spoken to their friend Jodie in years since she betrayed them. That is why they are surprised when an invitation from Jodie inviting them to a private island to celebrate her birthday arrives. Although skeptical they all have their reasons for saying yes. So off they go and while it was a bumpy start they arrive at the amazing villa on a private island and are in awe. But, when Jodie finally arrives she has no idea what is going on? Who invited them and what do they want?

Love locked room mysteries and this one did not disappoint. The setting was wonderfully written and the characters were well developed. I loved the multiple points of view from all the characters and exploring what happened in their past to ruin their friendships. It came together beautifully and answered all the questions I had while reading.

The premise of the story is a good one. Three friends (Hannah, Simone and Vicky) invited to the fortieth birthday of Jodie, a fourth, who they lost touch with many years ago. Each of the three have different memories of Jodie. At first there is hesitation, but in the end they all turn up at the airport. Everything is shrouded in secrecy as they make their way, first to Ibiza and then by boat to a small island where a luxury villa awaits them. But when Jodie arrives it appears she’s not there for a birthday celebration at all, but for a film shoot instead….
It's clear the four women have been brought together deliberately, But by who? And why? When other individuals with a connection to both Jodie and the past join them, the dynamics of the group begin to change, in some cases not for the better. It soon becomes clear that Jodie is a complex character, sometimes warm and generous but generally self-serving and not afraid to tread on toes to get her way.
The story moves from present day back to their twenties when they shared a flat together. This is where I found it difficult on occasions to follow the story. At times the switch from past to present didn’t feel smooth as it should have, especially with the introduction of the other characters. The narration was done by rotating viewpoints from all four women in the present, but the past was written in the third person.
The way suspicions and accusations flew around the villa, with the resulting bickering between the various characters, at times made me want to skip sections. Yes, some of the dialogue was relevant, but generally it interrupted the progression of the story. Nevertheless, that end goal, of who had not only organised this get together, but also sprung some pretty horrible surprises on each of the women, kept me going right to the end. I didn’t enjoy this as much as I thought I would, but can I stress this is my personal viewpoint. There is tension. There is mystery and a lot of truths coming to the surface which in the end, make for an interesting read. And I should also say, a long read too. 92 chapters in all.
I would like to thank Netgalley, Claire Seeber and Bookouture for an ARC of The Birthday Reunion in exchange for an honest review.

This book sounds very interesting - three friends receive all expenses paid invites to the ex-friend, Jodie's '40th' birthday party in the beautiful Island of Ibiza. Through the telling of the story we gradually learn the reasons behind the fall out years previously, when the friends were all, in one way or another, betrayed by Jodie. They vowed never to see her again, but curiosity gets the better of them and they find themselves on a plane Ibiza bound! Surprises await them - starting with a distinct lack of Jodie to greet them! Of course, it all comes out in the wash, and the plot is awash with dark secrets!

All in all a decent read. For me this was a slow burn rather than a page-turner, but enjoyable and well written.

My thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an advance copy.

I read this as part of a Buddy Read in The Book Club so was 'lucky' enough to get an advance copy
Sorry but this book was not for me. The description pulled me in as I love a fast-paced psychological thriller; this was not one, unfortunately.
Far too much going on, too many unlikeable characters, then more come in for what purpose, I don't know.
I thought that I might have understood more of what was going on, but alas no. I think pretty much every main character had some sort of twist to them.
Would have liked to given it more than 1🌟 but I just can't.

This book sounded like it would be a great read. The idea behind it was intriguing but sadly this book just seemed to hit way off the mark. None of the characters were likeable or relatable and i ended up not caring what happened to them. There' a lot of frustration I felt as a reader with the choices the characters made and not really understanding why they did. The flashbacks were too much and I think less would have worked better as they kept disrupting the feel of the story for me. Too many unanswered questions for me and a few plot holes unfortunately just made this clumsy and forgettable read.

I am posting an honest review in exchange for a free ARC from netgalley. I sadly struggled to read this book and gave up after 2 weeks. I read 25% of it and the last 10% so take my review with a grain of salt. The premise of the book was enticing and captivating, but the plot and characters didn't deliver. The time jumps were not very organized and the main characters were difficult to distinguish from one another since all 3 had a bone to pick with Jodie. They all seemed to complain about the same wrongdoing but it was so vague that I struggled to make connections. After reading the last 10% of the book just to see how it ended, it seems most of the action was toward the second half of the book. For thriller lovers be prepared for a very slow burn, but overall this book's pace and lack of character and plot development were not enough to keep me interested.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Bookouture via NetGalley.

2.5 Stars

When the gold-rimmed invitations arrive through the doors of best friends Simone, Hannah and Vicky they’re instantly taken aback. Their ex-friend Jodie is inviting them to a lavish Mediterranean villa to celebrate her birthday. They haven’t spoken in years since she betrayed them in the worst way. So how did they make the guest list? They all have their reasons for saying yes. Stay-at-home mum Simone had her dream job snatched away. Hannah lost the love of her life. Café-owner Vicky wants the chance to help a wronged friend. Is the reunion a chance to confront Jodie and the past once and for all? Arriving at a villa that looks straight out of a movie set, the friends relax by the sumptuous pool while waiting for the other guests to arrive. But as the chilled wine is poured and the three friends reminisce, they see Jodie walking towards them with a look of shock on her face.

This was a mishmash of points of view spanning the present and the past. The storyline overall was hard to follow. The reasoning of the characters did not make sense and the just showing up of random characters halfway through was weird. The book was an easy, fast beach read.

The Birthday Reunion started really well with an intriguing prologue that made me want to uncover the many secrets of this friendship group. However, I was disappointed with the execution of such a promising premise.

There were a lot of characters and it wasn't always clear who was who or who was narrating as the narrators switched between four different characters. As there were so many characters, I didn't feel they were all fully rounded and this made it difficult to understand their motives.

There were several elements of the plot that simply didn't make sense and this stopped me from fully engaging with it.

The author starts to introduce a lot of themes to the novel, and with just one or two that were well researched and explored, The Birthday Reunion could have had some powerful scenes. However, it often felt so busy that it was impossible to pin down exactly what was going on and why.

The blurb and the cover for this book caught my attention and I couldn’t wait to read it. The first few chapters were ok but then after that this book just started to get a little bit crazy and silly. There were too many characters that I struggled to keep track of and had to keep checking back to remember who each character was and their relationship to others. The story was told in past times and current times but even that was confusing as we didn’t know who the narrator was at times. I finished this book but sorry to say it wasn’t for me.