A great debut mystery / thriller. Imagine being invited to the engagement party of the century. The atmosphere was set up so perfectly. I felt like I was at a spooky big estate home with lots of rooms, hidden stairwells, long dark corridors and everyone is suspicious. A perfect set up!.

Suddenly this party turns deadly, classic WHO DUN IT? Lots of shocking revelations, family secrets, missing dresses, strange mishaps. Don't forget scary anonymous text messages. I felt like I was playing a game of Clue, who did it / with what weapon / in what room. Who could I trust? I'm excited to see what other books this author writes. Recommended read: definitely. Super entertaining and I binged it in half a day. Thank you Net Galley, the author and Crooked Lane Books for this eARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

A mystery of big secrets and lies- and murder. Kass and Murray are happily living in Brooklyn but when they get engaged they find themselves heading to his family home (big home) in North Carolina for an engagement party. Kass is shocked to discover that his family has lots of money and that he's got twin brothers (big problem here- why didn't she ask how he paid for that whopping diamond or in this day and age, google him/mom/dad?) But that's passed over when someone starts threatening her by text and then there's a murder. No spoilers as to her secret- the one she's determined to protect. There's a bit of social commentary here, as well as some sly humor. While the set up strains credulity it's an entertaining read that might just keep you guessing. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A nice debut.

Two people newly engaged and one rich family with so many lies and secrets!! Interesting tale about the lies people hide. This story had a bit of mystery, intrigue , wealth and a lot of family dysfunction. I enjoyed this. The twist was somewhat predictable but it kept me reading to find out the secrets. Thank you to Netgalley and Crroked Lane Books for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

The Engagement Party by Finley Turner

Sometimes falling in love and getting engaged quickly works…and sometimes it might be better to take your time to really know one another before leaping into things. Kass and Murray will both learn a LOT more about one another at the engagement party being held in their honor at Muray’s parents’ home, Sedgemont Estate. This debut novel is well written and plotted with several common predictable situations to be dealt with and overcome. The writing is seamless but didn’t seem to draw me in or help me care about the characters or the outcome of their romance. I have to admit that I skimmed to get the gist of the story and decided that this book was not the best book for me to read at this time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars

I was unable to finish this book and thus will not be posting a full review on my blog. I found it absurd to the point of being painful to read. The premise was fine but the execution was poor. Thank you for the opportunity.

This was a bit of a disappointment. I was expecting a setting with a bit more of a menacing atmosphere, but it just came off as bitchiness at the country club.

I thought Kass was a bit naive about her fiancé. She doesn’t know much about Matthew’s family so is surprised to find out that they are filthy rich. I found Matthew almost to be a non-entity. As the story progresses, he’s there to ignore Kass every so often, but then he disappears. I found the rest of the characters to be unlikeable and didn’t really care what happened to them.

I did find this easy to read but I wasn’t invested in it.

I love a good fish out of water story & Kass is indeed that. She’s newly engaged & it turns out her fiancé comes from a lot of money. As the secrets start to be revealed, the book gets really enjoyable. Kass herself has secrets & that makes it all the more interesting. The writing is fantastic, fast paced & it drew me in immediately. There’s definitely some decent twists along the way. If you love a good, everyone has somethi g to hide, kind of thriller, then this is for you!

Read if you like:
* Beneath the Surface by Kaira Rouda
* The Chateau by Jaclyn Goldis
* Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson

Main Characters:
-- Kass Baptiste – 23 years old, works as a set designer since graduating from NYU
-- Murray Sedgemont – curator for an art gallery, proposed to Kass after a four-month whirlwind romance
-- Phillip & Beatrice Sedgemont – Murray’s parents, Phillip is the CEO of Sedgemont and Company, a successful textiles company that has made the family extremely wealthy
-- William & Gloria – the Sedgemonts’ butler and housekeeper, they have worked for the family for years and both live in the mansion
-- Emmett & Kennedy – Murray’s younger twin brothers

Finley Turner’s debut thriller showed a lot of promise but ultimately didn’t work for me. Told in the first person from Kass’s point of view, the Prologue begins with Kass thinking about an experience on the subway platform, something she feels guilty about, the mystery in her past. In the first chapter, a courier interrupts Kass and Murray’s morning two days after their engagement. Murray’s parents, who Murray claims he didn’t tell about the engagement, have invited them to a party a week later…celebrating their engagement. 🤔🚩

While Murray told Kass that his family are “rich a**holes,” she has no idea until they pull up to the family mansion exactly how wealthy they are. When she finds out the Sedgemonts are the wealthiest in the Carolinas, she spends quite a bit of her time being annoyed at Murray for not telling her, even though she has her own secret that she feels is much worse. A bit hypocritical if you ask me, and it makes her not at all likeable.

Kass is understandably uncomfortable during the party since she is the only person outside the Sedgemont circle. When the Sedgemont and Company vice president ends up murdered, all eyes turned to Kass, which really doesn’t make much sense to me. What could her motivation possibly be having just met all of these people?

Throughout the investigation, Gloria seems to watch out for Kass, showing her the secret passages throughout the house and telling her how she can secretly hear conversations, again, having just met Kass. I find it hard to believe that Gloria has been working for the Sedgemonts for so many years and Kass is the person she chooses to confide these secrets to.

Obviously the truth comes out by the end of the book, we find out Kass’s horrible secret, and the murder is solved. But there are so many holes in this story, and if I had to read about Kass’s muscle memory one more time…. 🤦🏻‍♀️

I recommend passing on this one.

***SPOILERS*** SPOILERS***SPOILERS***

Some of the details I struggled with….

Kass mentions being 23. She says that she and Murray met briefly at NYU and then they met again in a bar and started their whirlwind romance. They’ve been together for four months and lived together for two. Murray does not know all the details of her secret, which happened during her junior year, which seems to imply they met in her senior year. She says at one point that the way Murray is around his family is not the Murray she has known for years. The longest she’s known him is three years, and she’s only really known him for a few months, which means she doesn’t really know him at all.

Gloria tells Kass that the twins were brought back from boarding school five years ago and investigated. They were in 8th grade, and Murray was a junior in high school. If that’s the case, then five years later, Murray JUST graduated college, yet Kass mentions that he is much closer to career stability than she is. Later, the twins tell Kass that Murray strangled his girlfriend (who was in 8th grade) in 2013. Editing error? Another murder? Either way, this is a huge hole.

After Phillip announces his retirement, he tells the family that he’s handing over the reigns to Beau, his vice president. Honestly, I was convinced that they were going to end up being secret lovers. The twins are angry that they aren’t being put in charge. Murray claims he’s not interested, but by the end of the book, he seems to have been fully on board all along. When Beau ends up murdered, however, somehow everyone looks to Kass as the suspect because she thought Murray should be put in charge. What?! And considering the family history of cover-ups that comes to light, I ask again…what?!?!

So many holes, and so many things that just don’t make any sense. Thrillers need to be suspenseful with hints dropped along the way, but the story needs to pull together at the end. This one just never gets there.

Kass is on cloud nine after getting engaged to Murray. Their short whirlwind romance hasn’t revealed a lot about their families and upbringing. Then they receive a summons to Murray’s parents’ estate for an elaborate engagement party. This patty reveals A LOT and even includes a murder! Things begin to spiral out of control from there in this fast paced thriller.

The Engagement Party is a captivating thriller infused with gothic undertones, featuring an ensemble of unforgettable characters and a riveting, intricately woven plot that is simply unmissable.

Immerse yourself in a world where suspense and intrigue reign supreme. Turner's masterful storytelling transports readers to a realm where secrets lurk in every shadow, and the line between truth and deception becomes increasingly blurred.

Prepare to be enthralled as you delve into the lives of the characters, each one meticulously crafted to leave an indelible mark on your imagination. From the enigmatic protagonist to the enigmatic supporting cast, their complexities and hidden motives will keep you guessing until the very end.

But it is the plot that truly sets The Engagement Party apart. With its unexpected twists and turns, it will leave you breathless, eagerly turning each page to uncover the truth. Turner's ability to seamlessly blend suspense, mystery, and a touch of the macabre creates an atmosphere that will send shivers down your spine.

Don't miss out on this enthralling journey into the depths of human nature. The Engagement Party is a must-read for fans of thrilling tales that push the boundaries of conventional storytelling. Prepare to be captivated, enthralled, and utterly spellbound

Kass Baptiste has just become engaged to Murray Sedgemont after a whirlwind courtship and will now learn some of the secrets he has been hiding at an engagement party thrown by his parents at their magnificent estate.

After graduating from NYU, Kass is working in her dream job as a set designer for plays. Murray runs an art gallery. But both of them are hiding secrets from their past that are exposed at the lavish party which also includes a murder.

The story is told from Kass's point of view and depicts a woman who is a fish out of water in the world of the uber rich. Her trip to Murray's family home in North Carolina exposes her to a side of her fiancé that had never seen before and wasn't at all sure that she liked. She also dislikes his parents. His ineffectual father and barracuda mother make no effort to welcome her, and his twin brothers are really, really creepy.

When the man who was in line to take over the family business is murdered at the party, it seems someone is trying to frame Kass for the crime. An old enemy from her troubled past has finally seen an opportunity to get the revenge he has wanted for years.

The story was almost claustrophobic centered as it was on what Kass saw and knew. I liked Kass who finally managed to come to terms with her past and plan for her future.

The descriptions of the characters and the home which included secret passages were vivid and eerie. Fans of domestic thrillers will enjoy this one.

Thank you Crooked Lane Books and Net Galley for an early copy of The Engagement Party. This was an ok book. It got very drawn out after the party but that’s when I really felt bad for Kass. It started out very good, I liked the plot but then took a weird turn. The cover was absolutely beautiful. It took a long time to get to the end.

Murray and Kass get engaged after a whirlwind courtship. His family has plans an engagement party to help them celebrate. When they arrive, Kass realizes that Murray’s family is extremely wealthy. Something that he never shared with her. During the party, someone is murdered and all eyes fall on Kass as she is considered the outsider. The more Kass looks around the house… the more secrets she finds. I thought this was a very good book. Good pace with lots of intrigue and mystery. I really enjoyed it

I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.

Even though they’ve only know each other for a short time, Kass and Murray are engaged, and Kass is happier than she’s been in a long time. Mysteriously, Murray’s parents are aware of the engagement almost immediately and they plan a lavish party in their honor. It’s only when they arrive at the family’s estate that Kass realizes that Murray’s family is over-the-top wealthy as well as very powerful. Meanwhile, Kass just wants to get through the weekend without embarrassment so she and Murray can return to their normal and happy life in New York City.

The Engagement Party started out with a great premise and I had high hopes for this book. But, for me, it seemed to crater pretty quickly. There were the “what are you thinking” and the “how did you not figure that out” moments. I didn’t feel very invested in the story or the characters who, by and large, seemed uniformly unappealing. Maybe it was just the distaste I had for the uber-rich and their never-ending entitlement. I wish I could have enjoyed this book a bit more. It's 2.5 stars for me but will bump to 3 stars for effort. NetGalley provided an advance copy.

A mystery centred on a lavish engagement party at a wealthy estate. I could not engage with the characters but readers who like locked room thrillers will enjoy this novel.

Murray and Kass get engaged after a whirlwind romance. Kass has never been happier. But things change dramatically when they head to Murray’s parents estate for a lavish engagement party. Kass knew that he came from money, but she is about to find out so much more about the man she thought she knew.

This was a fast, page turning read. A great debut but I wanted a bit more from it. The ending was very abrupt and rushed. I didn’t like any of the characters, but there were a few little twists that I didn’t see coming. I will check out what this author has for us next though.

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. Publishes on November 7th.

The Engagement Party by Finley Turner is a gripping thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Kass Baptiste's whirlwind romance with Murray Sedgemont takes a sinister turn when they attend an engagement party hosted by Murray's powerful family. From the very beginning, the tension is palpable as anonymous threats via social media start haunting Kass. When a murder occurs during the party, Kass becomes the prime suspect, and the story takes you on a thrilling roller-coaster ride as her dark past becomes intertwined with the murder mystery.

Turner masterfully weaves the past and present together, creating a sense of unease and keeping you guessing about the characters' motives. Kass, with her secrets and vulnerabilities, is a relatable protagonist, and as her past unfolds, you can't help but empathize with her. The twists and turns in the plot are executed brilliantly, leaving you questioning the truth until the very end. "The Engagement Party" is a must-read for anyone who enjoys a suspenseful mystery filled with secrets, lies, and unexpected revelations. Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After a whirlwind relationship, Murray and Kass are engaged and headed to a lavish engagement party at his parents estate. Parents and family Kass knew nothing about. After arriving Kass realizes just how wealthy his parents are … mega wealthy. She is filled with so many questions, why has Murray kept this from her. As lies start to unfold and Murray changes before her eyes, she no longer knows what to believe and when a body turns up at the party everything starts to unravel quickly. Being an outsider, Kass is quickly in the hot seat, with secrets of her own is there even a chance of coming out of this weekend unscathed? Turner’s debut is entertaining, but there are just too many holes in the story to make it great. The investigation was a complete farce and totally unbelievable and the outcome was too quickly tied together with a bow. Thank you to Crooked Land Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

After a whirlwind courtship, Kass is thrilled to be engaged to Murray. She might not have known him long enough to know everything about him and his family, but she's knows enough to know he is The One. She's confused when his parents send an invitation to an elaborate engagement party for them at their North Carolina estate -- how did they even know the two were engaged? But she and Murray travel down for the party. Kass is immediately overwhelmed by Murrays family's incredible wealth, and is soon overwhelmed by suspicious activities in the house. She does some sluething, but is held back by the fact that she has been keeping some secrets of her own. Secrets she is not ready to share. Filled with suspense and told in an engaging first person point of view from Kass, this is one that mystery readers will love.