The Engagement Party by Darby Kane is a thriller novel about a group of college friends who get together to celebrate their friend’s engagement on an island off of the coast of Maine. When the murder of their friend from college resurfaces and people from the engagement party start to wind up dead on the private island, it seems the only way to make it out alive is to solve the murder of their friend and admit to the truth!

This was a bit of a whodunit thriller because they were all trapped on a private island together and when people on the island start to die it can only be someone that is on the island. I enjoy these type of thrillers because you are constantly trying to figure out who you can trust and who you think could have committed the murder.

I love the different perspectives in this story. I really enjoy when books have other perspectives. It always add another dimension to the story and you gain insights into situations and characters that you otherwise wouldn’t. The different perspectives and short chapters made for a very speedy read!

Some of the book was a little over the top. When reading a thriller, I prefer when it was slightly more realistic. At times it felt like this could not have realistically happened and no one could have possibly come up with this elaborate plan.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. It was fast-paced and made for an entertaining read.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The murder of a fellow classmate is re-examined after a group of friends and former college students reunite on an island. The dark, stormy atmosphere was well depicted and the mystery surprising, if a little far fetched. For fans of Riley Sager.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for this awesome thriller!

I have heard of Darby Kane before, but I never read any of his books. I'm glad this was my first one! I love a good suspense/thriller and this was perfect. I'm usually pretty good at figuring things out in books like this, but this kept me on my toes.

Granted it, some of it was a little cliche for me. A group of friends who aren't really all that thrilled to have to spend a weekend away to celebrate a couple's engagement. Of course there is a secret in this group, something they wanted to keep hidden.....

In all honesty a part of it reminded me of something of those Christopher Pike novels from back int the day.

Give it a try!

The Engagement Party by Darby Kane opens with college friends meeting at a luxurious house on a private island in Maine to celebrate an engagement. Tensions arise when Emily's name is brought up and secrets about her death are about to be spilled. Will this friend group stay intact for the weekend?

A big thank you goes out to NetGalley for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) that I received for free in exchange for my honest opinion. I was excited to read The Engagement Party by Darby Kane as I love "locked room" stories and always enjoy seeing if I can figure out who the culprit or culprits are before they're revealed.

Shelby Kane did a fantastic job with throwing suspicion across various characters making me second guess myself at times. The characters I suspected are as follows:

Ruthie - the fiance of Will
Sierra - the protector, friend, and business partner of Mitch
Cassie - attorney and wife of Alex, mother of Zara, friends with Mitch and Will
Alex - attorney and husband of Cassie, father of Zara, friends with Mitch and Will
Dylan - a police officer who shows up to the island


Ruthie is the obvious suspect right off the bat partly because she isn't part of the original friend group. The author really set up the story to put this character in a bad light. I kept trying to figure out how she was connected to the death of Emily (or the person suspected of killing her), and I thought she might be a sibling or cousin. Sierra seemed like she might be in on it as a second culprit since she really didn't have a direct connection to the friend group either. It just seemed like she came into Mitch's life suddenly and took over.

Cassie is part of the original friend group and was there when Emily died. She is such an overpowering character that I didn't necessarily trust her . . . she's just too much of a control freak and too confrontational. Alex is part of the original friend group as well and is definitely hiding something that his wife Cassie is in on. This is why I thought he might be in on something, but I didn't really think it was anything too grievous, so Alex really was low man on the totem pole. I really hoped he was one of the good guys.

Dylan is a police officer that just randomly showed up on the island without much of a reason, and I definitely thought he was one of the people involved. When he shows up a second time, it definitely confirmed my suspicions. Even if he thought something fishy was going on, I don't think he would've left in the first place . . . he would've stuck around.

Was I correct in any of my assumptions? That's for me to know and you to find out. The Engagement Party by Darby Kane is a must read and a story that I gave five out of five stars. It's one of the best "locked room" stories I've read in a while, and there was just something that made me think of Richie Tankersley Cusick's Someone At The Door, which was a young adult locked room story that I adored when I was in high school.

The Engagement Party is a deliciously twisty mystery/thriller. If you like this author's other domestic suspense novels you will surely enjoy this one. Kane does a great job keeping the reader hooked and turning the page. I'd recommend this to people looking for a fun weekend/beach read.

An incredible book with wonderful characters and a beautiful setting. It will keep you guessing until the end.

this book is one of those books that you have a crime and people know your secrets. They can't live with the fact that justice wasn't done 13 years ago. So cue the opportunity to get someone to tell the truth and confess!!!
This book hooks your from the start and keeps you twisting and turning from one probable suspect to another.
I like the setting if this book, and island, a storm, it's the perfect way to set up an investigation or murder, or maybe it's just an engagement party!
Curl up with a fire and blanket and join us at, The Engagement Party, you gotta see what really happens.
Spoiler alert - someone invites a dead body
Darby doesn't disappoint and I enjoyed the Agatha Christie vibes.

Very enjoyable. Kept me guessing until the end. Not my favorite ending, but still kept my attention.

Thank you so much for this ARC!

Darby Kane is an auto request author for me, I will forever be a fan! The Last Invitation was a miss for me and The Engagement Party was too.

I did love the setting of this book - the isolation and uncertainty of the entire weekend was definitely intriguing. However, I could not connect with any characters, I was not rooting for or against them, just did not like them. Because of that, I was not invested in the mystery.

I can't wait for the release of What the Wife Knew and hoping for a 5 star!

Having read all of Darby Kane's books, I can confidently say that "The Engagement Party" is another thrilling masterpiece. The plot is tightly woven with suspense and unexpected twists that kept me on the edge of my seat. Kane's ability to create complex characters and intricate relationships shines through, making the story both gripping and emotionally engaging. It's a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers!

Thank You NetGalley for this wonderful ebook. I couldn't stop reading it. Filled with murder, mystery, twists and turns, I loved it. The characters were enjoyable, the setting, and the storyline were interesting.

A group of college friends, celebrating their graduation. Only one goes missing and is found murdered days later. Fast Forward 12 years later, the same group of friends is meeting. This time to celebrate an engagement. A few people turn up dead at the venue. Who did it? Can they trust everyone or no one? The secrets start to pour out from the past. Did they know each other as well as they thought they did?

"The Engagement Party" is a blend of mystery, suspense, and secrets. This book's isolated setting of a private island and group of college friends trapped together was the perfect fit for my love of tense and mysterious novels. While I did find the characters unlikable (and not unlikable in the entertaining sort of way I usually enjoy), I was hooked and wanted to know what Emily's disappearance had to do with the group stranded on the island.

With its complex characters, buried secrets, and a killer on the loose, "The Engagement Party" promises to be a thrilling ride that will keep you guessing until the very end.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review this arc honestly.

I’ve read others by this author so I automatically requested it. I will say this one is my least favorite from this author but it’s still not bad (I sound wishy washy here). The story is good, premise and plot and pace too, and these are characters with basically no redeemable qualities; but overall it just reminded me a lot of all the other books that follow this same plot. Enjoyable but not knock your socks off.

I didn't dislike this, but I found the mystery a little drawn out and confusing. Lots of characters and switching view points, but the name change at the end threw me for a loop.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

College friends agree to meet on a isolated island to celebrate the wedding engagement of one of their group. Everyone is hiding something and someone wants the secrets to be told at last. As the body count rises, readers must follow the clues to solve a murder in the past and the murders in the present day. All of the ingredients for a great mystery are present, but the story becomes tedious and, ultimately falls flat.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book! Another good one by this author. I was not expecting the revelations toward the end. I will be recommending this one also! Thank you again to NetGalley.

An isolated island, a group of college friends, and a party form the backdrop to this mystery thriller.

Years have passed when the invitation to an engagement party comes in the mail. Old college friends, bound by secrets and lies, agree to attend and arrive for a weekend meant for celebration. Twelve years have elapsed since their friend Emily Hunt was murdered and the student who was thought to be guilty committed suicide. But this group is about to get a surprise. Someone knows that they have not been telling the truth. And they are about to be exposed.

This novel was full of melodrama, deplorable characters, and far too wordy to hold interest. It reminded me of a bad teenage slasher film. I could not stand these young adults and their behavior. Every bit of this was such a trope including the island setting and the storm. I didn't feel any tension or suspense and only kept reading to find out if all my guesses were right. Predictable and annoying with the ending you expect. I'd pass if I were you.

Thank you to the publisher for the e-book ARC to read and review. I also got the audiobook from the library to follow along and the narrator had a lot of voices to try to make distinct and often fell short. Sadly, this was not for me.

Lessons I Learned from this book:
✔️If you have a bad feeling about old college buddies it’s best to steer clear.
✔️ always listen to your instincts
✔️Maine might not be the ideal place to hold a party
✔️expect the unexpected from Darby Kane

I was kept guessing with this book. There were a lot of voices to keep straight but after awhile it was easy to juggle them.

Darby Kane is a great writer! I gave this one five stars for the awesome plot. The book starts when a violent storm strands a bunch of guests for a party on a remote island. You will not want to miss a minute of this incredible story!

I loved this book! So entertaining with amazing twists. Darby Kane is one of the best thriller writers out there!