This is such a brilliant read!
For fans of The IT Girl & The Holiday!
A slow burn, intricate thriller, patience is key as it all pays off in the end!
My fave type of thriller & I’ll be recommending - thank you!
4.5*

This thriller is set in the beautiful Italian city of Sorrento. Six friends meet to celebrate one of their 40th birthdays. However, the sins of the past put a damper on the festive feelings. Despite being more than 15 years ago, the disappearance of a first year student at uni is something no one of them can forget and each one grapples with it in their own way. This story is told through alternating POVS amongst the friends, and even the victim. I would have loved to listen to this book as an audiobook. However, as a novel, it wasn’t the right fit for me. I felt that I didn’t get to know any of the characters too well before the voice switched to someone new. This kept the novel moving and interesting but I didn’t really connect with any of them, except Padma. The pacing is excellent and the suspense is evident but I would have liked more from each of the characters, or possibly limit the voices from six to four. Overall, this was a good read that just didn’t connect me. Readers who relish suspense novels would appreciate it though.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hera Publishers for the complimentary digital copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions shared are my own. This book is available on May 25, 2023.

This was such a twisty mystery about old college friends who are holidaying together eighteen years after college, all of them harbouring secrets that could blow up their whole lives if they’re revealed.

This was filled with twists and turns and follows multiple different perspectives. There are six friends and we learn a lot about each of them and all of their secrets were really shocking to me. This was right up my street! I love mysteries that take place abroad, it just adds something that makes it more thrilling to me. This was done so well and I would recommend this for thriller fans who love lots of twists!
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Hera Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

#ad I received a gifted copy of this book and leave this review of my own accord. Thanks #NetGalley and #TheFinalParty – Available May 25th 2023.

Review: “The Final Party” is an enthralling novel that skillfully combines elements of psychological suspense, mystery, and deep-rooted friendships. From the idyllic setting of the luxury villa to the celebration of milestone birthdays, the stage is set for a perfect reunion. However, the atmosphere quickly shifts as anonymous messages start to haunt one member of the group, threatening to expose a long-buried secret from their university days.

The author expertly creates an air of tension and unease that permeates the narrative from the very beginning. As the group’s dynamics become increasingly strained and suspicions arise, readers are drawn into a web of deceit and betrayal. The characters are well-developed, each harboring their own secrets and motivations, adding layers of complexity to the story.

One of the strengths of “The Final Party” lies in its exploration of the dynamics of friendship and the consequences of past actions. As the characters are forced to confront the dark secrets they thought were buried, the narrative delves into themes of trust, loyalty, and the lengths people will go to protect themselves and their loved ones. The intricacies of their relationships are skillfully portrayed, heightening the emotional stakes and keeping readers engrossed.

The pacing of the story is consistently gripping, with the tension steadily building as the plot unfolds. The author cleverly plants clues and red herrings, keeping readers guessing and turning the pages in anticipation of the truth. The revelations that emerge are both shocking and satisfying, delivering a well-crafted resolution to the mystery.

After my first extraordinary encounters with the writing of A.A.Chaudhuri, I couldn´t wait for her new book. Her latest, to be published by Hera Books on the 25th of May is probably one of the most surprising suspense thriller I´ve read in a long while.

Three couples, middle to upper class, knowing each other from their priviledged times at Oxford. One of them is about to reach the big 40 and they are celebrating in Italy, in a luxurious villa. But as we are about to discover ourselves, their relationship is far from being a honest friendship and every single one of them may have something to hide; their dark past is hauntimg their days.

From the very beginning until the very end, there is nothing that one can predict. Half through the book I gave up in thinking what exactly it may happen next and especially why. Thus, I was able to fully immerse into the story and emrace the author´s challenges.

The plot is brilliant and every single detail is built to surprise. There is no end to the twists and additional details that are brought into the story until the last page. It creates expectation and suspense and also keeps you glued to every single word because you don´t want to miss anything.

The characters are entangled in a game of lies and deceit, that suits them very well as it resonates with their behavior. I haven´t sympatised with any of them, but they are so human and fragile in their greed and longing to be accepted and even loved. Only they´ve found the worst possible ways to achieve it.

The Final Party is an exercise of fine psychological thriller, which is innovative, carefully elaborated and perfectly executed. Out of all the books by Chaudhuri I´ve read until now, it´s my favorite, which doesn´t mean I am not already counting the days until her next book will be out.

Thankyou netgalley for allowing me a copy of this book before release

Unfortunately it wasn't quite for me. I felt as if it dragged a lot. Went into too much detail that wasn't quite needed which made it boring to me

WARNING: it's unpopular opinion time again!!

I've been meaning to try this author for quite some time now, and I couldn't resist The Final Party after reading the blurb. I have great memories from visiting Sorrento when I was younger, and I was looking forward to revisit this magical Italian destination in this story. I was also intrigued by the premise, with one of the characters ending up dead and the mystery kind of having that locked-room vibe. I fully expected to have an excellent time with this book... But sadly, it wasn't ment to be.

First of all I have to stress that I still love the premise of this book, with the six friends going on vacation and one of them ending up dead. The prologue had a lot of promise, and I was looking forward to a great time discovering who died and who was behind their death. What I didn't expect was to have no body at all showing up until almost reaching the end of the story. Yes, I mean that the actual prologue doesn't happen until at least 90% into the story, and this was quite a disappointment to be honest. Why? Well, The Final Party isn't exactly the locked-room whodunit I was expecting, and I can't say that I enjoyed what the plot offered instead.

The Final Party uses a multiple POV structure, with no less than seven! different POVs as well as flashbacks to the past. This could get quite tedious, and especially since the characters started to sound quite similar before long. I was never able to warm up to any of them, and this lack of connection was made even worse by the fact that the main focus of this story seems to be on repeating their character traits and physical descriptions over and over again. And I mean this literally: when the POV switches, the next character in line deems it necessary to repeat the same descriptions AGAIN, up until the point you want to tear out your hair and start screaming. I also don't get why the six characters are supposed to be friends, because they sure don't come over that way. They are constantly bitching and whining about each other, and they didn't behave like close friends AT ALL. It was all very superficial and immature to be honest, and with such a huge part of the story focusing on the group of characters, it's easy to understand why I ended up having such a hard time reading The Final Party.

Another thing I hated was the constant mention of the secrets and cliffhanger chapter endings without giving us a little hint at the truth in return. While I like surprises, having the secrets and past events referred to over and over again without any clarification got old very fast. I'm talking about at least three quarters of the book, where nothing much happened except for a constant repeat of the same things... It made me want to throw my kindle against the wall. I'm honestly not sure why I even bothered to finish The Final Party other than that I didn't want to have to deal with two DNF in a row... But I sure regret having wasted so much time on this story, because not even the ending was satisfying. In fact, it was mostly an anti-climax, and extremely rushed at that.

All in all, unfortunately I most definitely didn't have a good time reading The Final Party despite the promising blurb. The pace is extremely slow during most of the story, the characters are extremely unlikeable, there are way too many repetitions and the plot itself very unsatisfying. The final part felt rushed and too much like the author tried to include as many 'shocking' twists as possible... With the result that this story lost the little credibility it had. That said, I've seen a lot of positive reviews, so it might just be my fickle reading mood acting up again... Just don't say I haven't warned you if you end up damaging your kindle in the process.

It took me a minute to get into this book due to a pretty slow buildup. Three couples go on a break tto Italy for Ness's 40th birthday. They are bound together by common secrets in their past, but Ness is planning to tell those secrets to clear her conscience. Not everyone comes home from this trip! There were lots of storylines going on and lots of shock revelations throughout. I enjoyed this book, more of a slow burn thriller than I normally go for which is a more quick paced psychological thriller. #TheFinalParty #NetGalley

I don’t know if it was because I wasn’t able to sit down and read this all at once, or if it was because it had 7 different POV and 2 timelines, but I had a hard time getting through this one. The story line was interesting and I really wanted to love it, but the characters just left a lot to be desired. They all seemed like spoiled children and there wasn’t just one that I could relate to.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hera Books for this early release in exchange for my honest opinion.

6 old friends, all with secrets of their own, go on a trip together. Only five will return at the end of the week. Secrets do kill …

I liked this book a lot more than I expected. I thought this would be a very straight forward story that we’ve all read many times before, but that was not the case. There were so many twists and turns that I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. There were some twists that were a bit predictable, but they still left me hungry for more. Add a beautifully described scenery and twisted, but loveable characters to the story and I’m sold. I’ll definitely check out other works by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hera Books for the ARC of this book!

The Final Party by @aachaudhuri

I would like to thank @netgalley for giving me an early advanced copy of this wonderful read.

This is my first book that I've read by this author and it won't be me last. I loved this book so much. As soon as I saw the blurb I knew it would be right up my street. A group of friends, with lies, deceit and cover ups that just keep on giving in the book. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough as the story unfolded. It was such an enjoyable read.

Three couples gather in Italy to celebrate their friends 40th birthday. What should be the holiday of a life time turns into the holiday of nightmares when one of them starts receiving anonymous texts threatening to reveal secrets of the past. Questioning, how well do you really know your friends?

Friendships are tested in this novel and everyone has a breaking point so who's going to break first?

This book was told in one of my favourite ways. I love duel points of view. I feel it really gives me a good insight to the characters and it was done so well in this book. I really enjoyed it. It's a cracking thriller/mystery.

Padma is a social worker and she’s happily married to Nick, whom she met at Oxford University. The couple are heading on a holiday to Sorrento in Italy with their friends: Vanessa and Marcus, and Johnny and Lana.

Padma knew Nick, Vanessa, and Johnny from Oxford. At uni, she used to go out with Johnny, but something happened to her when she was twenty and it changed her. She sustained a head injury after a night out, and when she woke up she had no recollection of what happened to her. In fact, nearly 20 years later, she is still none the wiser.

After the accident, Johnny distanced himself from Padma, and eventually they broke up. Padma started going out with Nick and the rest was history.

When the three couples arrive at Sorrento to celebrate Vanessa’s upcoming 40th birthday, it is clear that Johnny and Lana’s marriage is far from happy, and that Johnny is still in love with Padma, something that makes Nick jealous and insecure.

Vanessa and Marcus’s marriage also appears strained. It seems that she had an ulterior motive for them all to come to Italy. What is it?

Tensions become high when Johnny starts receiving anonymous threatening messages telling him that he should confess to what he did all those years ago…

I really enjoyed this tense psychological thriller. I liked the dual timeline and I was desperate to find out what happened at Oxford.

All characters had secrets of their own, some of which were quite shocking, if I am honest (I gasped when Vanessa’s was revealed!).

I am a big fan of A.A. Chaudhuri’s books and this one didn’t disappoint. Thank you to Hera Books for approving my NetGalley request. The Final Party publishes on 25/05/2023.

A reasonable psychological thriller about a group of 6 friends, three couples. Told from different viewpoints, the book is set in two different timeperiods, 2001 when they are at university together and in 2019 when they are at an Italian villa to celebrate Vanessa's 40th birthday. In 2001 a student went missing and has never resurfaced , one of this group of friends was also attacked resulting in long term amnesia. The group is interesting in so far that two of them were in a long relationship which broke up as a result of the events in 2001 , both are now married . Most of the group are keeping secrets from their partner and from (some of) the other group members . Complicated and as the book goes on it gets even more so . There is lots of sneaking around at night (in both time periods) and stretches the bounds of credibility , regarding the events , they way they were dealt with and the connections between the group members which start piling up. I was not keen on any of the characters and their friendship connections seemed a little tenuous.
There are plenty of twists and turns in the plot and there is also suspense and action . The ending is a bit too abrupt
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review . Not a bad book, I have read better

Reminded me of Lucy Clarkes one of the girls, overall a decent thriller.

Starts off a bit dry and slow but picks up

I just LOVE a book full of secrets and there are so many in A. A. Chaudhuri’s THE FINAL PARTY that I lost count. Absolutely everyone is keeping at least one secret from the others in this one.
It’s Vanessa’s 40th birthday and she and husband Marcus welcome two other couples that made up their very (sometimes too) close group of friends during their college days. But Vanessa has a secret she plans on sharing after a wonderful time is had by all and Marcus has been hiding a family secret for years. Then there’s Padma and her husband Nick who have been struggling to have a child for years to no avail. Again, secrets and Nick was involved in a few cover-ups years ago. And finally, we have Lana, who’s been blackmailing her husband Johnny from the very beginning, he who’s also part of said conspiracy to cover-up more than one thing from the past and was originally dating Padma all those years ago.
I tried to review how many secrets there were and I wish I had started count from the very beginning. They were coming at me so fast and furious I’d be interested in knowing how many there really were. This was a book that I COULD NOT PUT DOWN and as I was furiously turning the pages, I was dreading knowing that sooner or later it had to end. And the shocking final twist was unbelievable. No one’s secrets came out quite the way they thought they would! How did the author come up with all of this. What kind of devious mind…?
This was my first A. A. Chaudhuri thriller but it will definitely NOT be my last. This would make a great beach read but make sure you slather on enough sunscreen and that you’re not responsible for watching the kids because you aren’t going to be able to look away from this one! A PERFECT BOOK! 5+

Unfortunately I could not get into this book and I did try 3 times,seemed well written but the beginning was confusing with the characters etc, probably was more me than the book tbh,I have read other books by the author and loved them so look forward to the next one

This book just wasn't it for me. I really disliked all of the characters and was very tempted to stop reading it multiple times. The story itself was interesting and really not bad (hence the second star), but the characters ruined it for me.

Unfortunately this book just didn't do it for me. I found the characters incredibly irritating and repetitive which made it too difficult to enjoy the story at all

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

In a luxury villa set high in the hills above the glamorous town of Sorrento, southern Italy, three couples gather for the perfect 40th birthday celebration. Before the week is out, one of them is dead.
Their perfect reunion quickly becomes the holiday from hell when one of the group starts receiving anonymous messages, threatening to expose a dark secret from their university days. As old friendships are tested to the limit, it’s clear that what happens in the dark past won’t stay buried…

The story started off, pretty confusing in general but it did get better. The different perspectives starting off were hard to follow until a little way into the book and then the story started to become a lot clearer. I liked Marcu's character the best, he was the only truly genuine one out of the whole group.

This book is very bland and poorly written. However, it is not my type of book that I would normally read.