THE ENGAGEMENT PARTY
BY: DARBY KANE

3.5 Stars!

I thought that the first 50% of this graphic and gory contemporary thriller was fantastic. After that the writing became bogged down. I took a chance reading this one and experience has taught me to stick to the authors whose work that I know without a doubt that I'm most likely going to love everything that they write. This was an unknown author to me and although I occasionally enjoy a great thriller this one was too dark for my taste with graphic descriptions that were way too gruesome for my liking.

As I was saying, this started to get repetitive regarding the traits describing the characters which I don't need to read about more than once. Another reason that this didn't work for me was because I had to suspend belief during the second half of the book. I also thought it incredibly unrealistic from 50% making it lose credibility. The second part just dragged on giving too many twists. I don't mind suspending belief at times. I do enjoy twists if they aren't excessive. The second half just kept using this plot device too often which I felt was too excessive.

I did love the first half of this novel I did love. I also enjoyed the short chapters that left off ending with cliffhangers which had me turning the pages. The pacing was fast until it wasn't. I hope that some editing tightens it up before it's published. I don't like leaving negative reviews, but I can't in good faith recommend a novel because I owe it to whomever takes the time to read my review to be honest. The premise was promising although it isn't original. Please read other reviews besides mine because you might want to read this if my opinion is in the minority.

I will give this author credit with having her heart in the right place since she mentioned in the Acknowledgement section that she is honoring the victims of crime that sometimes get forgotten. I'm not going to summarize the plot since you can read the synopsis. I did like two of the characters out of the six who attend an engagement party of their college that four out of the six graduated together twelve years ago. The setting takes place on an isolated Island surrounded by water. The descriptive atmospheric storm that took place was very well done.

Publication Date: December 5, 2023

Thank you to Net Galley, Darby Kane and William Morrow Paperbacks for generously providing me with my eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#TheEngagementParty #DarbyKane #WilliamMorrowPaperbacks #NetGalley

A group of old college friends are invited to a Maine island to celebrate an engagement, but events turn dark.

Years ago, a group of friends were celebrating their graduation from Bowdoin College when tragedy struck. One of them, a girl named Emily, went missing one night and soon after her dead body turned up. The case drew instant media attention, and speculation as to what happened was rampant. Some within the group of friends were suspected of having a hand in her death, but ultimately a quiet outsider became the favorite suspect. When he too ended up dead, suspected of committing suicide, the case petered out and was never officially solved. Emily’s death has both bound the circle of friends together and cast a pall over their lives. When invitations are sent out to the group, inviting them to a small island in Maine to celebrate the engagement of one of them, Will, to a woman named Ruthie, not everyone wants to go. But the core members after persuasion or pressure from their partners end up going….Alex and Cassie, now married and the parents of a young daughter; Mitch, who brings along his business partner and friend (who wishes she were more) Sierra; and of course Will and his new fiancée Ruthie. The fifth member of their group, Jake, has dropped out of touch with them all and is not expected to come. It soon becomes clear that this group has secrets, both individually and collectively, and that this weekend is not going to end well. When a dead body appears and the weather turns nasty, this group of friends realize that someone has more than a celebratory weekend in mind. But who is it, and what answers are they trying to reveal? No one knows who can be trusted, and whether any will make it off of the island alive.
Spending time with a partner’s old group of friends can be tricky, but in this case it is downright deadly. Old loyalties die hard, it is said, but it becomes apparent to the characters new to the group early on that this is going down a bad path quickly. Some of the friends just aren’t that likable, and even those who are seem pretty mixed up. As the reader learns more about each character, and what their lives were like both before and after Emily’s death, it’s tempting to guess who the villain might be. Plenty of red herrings will keep you from figuring things out to early. Readers of Carol Goodman, Gillian Flynn and Paula Hawkins should give this latest from Ms Kane a try. Equal parts closed room mystery (or is it?) and slasher movie (don’t go outside alone!), The Engagement Party is a fast paced thriller that takes the type of situation in which many of us have found ourselves in some fashion or other and turns it into its worst case scenario. Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow Paperback for allowing me access to an advanced reader’s copy in return for my honest review.

Thank you William Morrow, NetGalley and Darby Kane for for an advanced copy!
Pub Date: December 5, 2023

This was a fast-paced and easy read! The Engagement Party follows a group of college friends who come together on a private island to celebrate an engagement.

Twelves years ago, Emily Hunt went missing graduation weekend and her body was found floating in the river. The police closed the case by linking her murder with a quiet loner who died by suicide, but is that what really happened?

Present day, soon after arriving on the island, strange things start happening. A dead body is discovered and cryptic notes appear that say to "tell the truth" and "confess within 24 hours." The group is cut off on the island, no phone service, no way to call for help and bad weather is looming. There's a killer on the loose who wants to know who killed Emily and until one of them confesses, bloodshed will continue.

I really liked the short chapters and each chapter was a different perspective. They are clearly all keeping secrets from each other and have hidden agendas. Each chapter revealed different parts to the story. There's a lot of surprises along the way. I wound up finishing this in one day. I highly recommend if you like locked room thrillers!

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

In the past, Emily Hunt, a student at an affluent liberal arts school, went missing during her graduation weekend. Her body was later discovered in a river, and a fellow student who was relatively unknown to most on campus took his own life. Law enforcement connected the two deaths based on a single text message, ultimately closing the case. However, it turns out they made a grave mistake, and now someone is determined to correct it.

Twelve years later, a group of college friends gathers for an engagement celebration on a remote private island in Maine. The island has only one way in and one way out. Sierra Prescott, an unrelated guest, begins to sense that something is amiss, even though she has no connection to the past events.

Tensions rise when the group finds a dead man in a car trunk along with a message that urges them to reveal the truth. Stranded by a torrential storm, the group's concealed stories start to resurface, and secrets are exchanged. To survive this perilous gathering, they must uncover the identity of the killer before they become the next victims.

While I'm typically a fan of thrilling whodunit mysteries, this particular book left me somewhat underwhelmed in terms of the excitement factor that usually accompanies figuring out the culprit. Unfortunately, none of the characters managed to capture my full attention, and if I had to choose a favorite, I'd probably lean towards Sierra, although I felt that even her character fell a bit short of my expectations, particularly in terms of her personality.

“Emily Hunt disappeared on the Saturday of graduation weekend. No one noticed until Sunday afternoon…She’d been twenty-two for nineteen days and a college graduate for one afternoon.” What an opening. The Engagement Party is for fans of In My Dreams I Hold a Knife, The It Girl, The Only Survivors, What Have We Done - basically any book that is about a group of friends united by tragedy and secrets and forced to confront that years later. On an isolated island, a group of former college friends gathers to celebrate their friend Will’s engagement to Ruthie. Mitch brings Sierra, his business partner and an outsider to the group, and married couple Alex and Cassie arrive as well. Then the first body pops up. And then another. Deception and lies and subterfuge abound as secrets from a decade ago resurface as someone close to the historic case attempts to get answers into Emily’s death and the death of the prime suspect afterwards. This was incredibly propulsive and compelling, and when I was reading it I was really in it, but it hasn’t stuck with me much.

This story is about a group of college friends who meet on a remote island of Maine for an engagement party. Murders start to occur and it becomes apparent that what is behind the deaths is some sort of deception that goes back to college graduation week. The friends have covered-up some deep dark secrets that relate to the death of a friend from their group who died under mysterious circumstances.

This book reminded me a lot of I Know What You Did Last Summer. If you like thrillers that have slasher elements, this book would be for you. Most of the story takes place on an out of the way island, on a dark and stormy night, with all the characters wondering who will be killed next.

The problem for me regarding this book is that it doesn't break a lot of new ground. It just felt like I have seen this type of scenario in one of the many slasher films I have seen over the years. The other issue for me is that the majority of the characters are unlikeable, with some who are downright despicable. I couldn't understand how these people were friends as they appeared to consistently lie and betray each other. There was just one character I truly cared about and was rooting for, and two others I sort of liked. Otherwise, I really didn't care who survived or who died.

There were some suspenseful moments between the killer and the other characters that made this novel worthwhile. The mystery behind the original murders definitely kept my interest, especially for the second half of the book. My final summation is that while this book wasn't groundbreaking, it was entertaining.

College friends go to an engagement party on an island and weird notes are left as people get murdered one by one. A friend died in college over 10 years ago so there is a sense of revenge.

This was an ok thriller.. The locked room, bad storm, and final girl type murder is very overdone. Nothing in this book stood out to me. There was minimal character backstory and the twist wasn't shocking. The ending dragged on and the book likely could have been 100 pages shorter since it gets repetitive.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow / Custom House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book wasn’t terrible but I also didn’t absolutely love it. I liked the concept of it and thought the writing was okay but there were parts that failed to hold my attention and wasn’t quite a ‘page turner’. I did enjoy the few witty bits of humor sprinkled throughout. A solid 3 stars.

The Engagement Party by Darby Kane is an exhilarating thriller that will captivate you from start to finish, leaving you on the edge of your seat. With its intricate plot and unexpected twists, this gripping novel guarantees a sleepless night as you eagerly unravel its secrets, leading to a breathtaking conclusion. Personally, I found it impossible to tear myself away from its pages.

The Engagement Party was nothing short of brilliant insanity. There was never a dull moment. The dialogue was hilarious at times. Dark and cynical, just my type of humor. I also loved the cast of unlikeable characters. I loved to hate them and I loved that I never quite trusted any of them - except Sierra. The author makes note of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None being her inspiration for this book, and from the get go, that’s exactly what I thought of. I am a sucker for a locked room mystery, too. Overall, you need to read this. It was so much fun, and so cleverly written.

The Engagement Party is a twisty, locked room thriller set on a private island in Maine where secrets and lies are revealed. Emily Hunt went missing on her college graduation weekend. Her body was found floating in the river and a loner that was vaguely associated with her committed suicide right after. Twelve years later, college friends gather to celebrate an engagement -- with only one way in and out. The tension in the air begins when they find a dead man in the trunk of a car, but that's just the beginning of the horrors in store for these old friends.

I had really mixed thoughts on this book the entire time I was reading it. While the premise was extremely captivating and promising, I didn't love the execution. I felt like it did not hold my attention very well and I struggled to remember who all of the characters were. I guessed the ending in the 3rd chapter, which often happens since I read quite a bit of thrillers, but I was a little disappointed that it was so obvious. I also didn't know if I should hate all of the characters and wish them painful deaths or be rooting for them to escape??

That said, this book was interesting. It took probably 50% before I was invested but the last half gave me whip lash with all the twists and turns. A sold 3 star book. I didn't dislike, but it also wasn't my favorite.

This was an ok thriller. Was I bored? No. Was I impressed and intrigued by something that felt new and different? Also no.

A set of old college friends are lured to an island where people start getting murdered and weird notes are left asking them to admit to what they've done. I should mention that, of course, their close friend was murdered back in college.

There was nothing that stood out about this book. It's full of overdone tropes - the inescapable island in a storm, the college friends with a secret past, the loved ones out for revenge, the final girl-type one-by-one murders. It was generic and relied too much on the unbelievable and unlikely to move the plot forward.

If you don't mind all that, this was a quick read and would be a good choice for when you need something that doesn't require you to do much thinking about the solution.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

absolutely loved Pretty Little Wife by Darby Kane so I was looking forward to reading the ARC for The Engagement Party…however, I didn't love this one. Locked room thriller on an island under the guise of an engagement party. Lots of characters, mostly unlikeable, and not much character development. Some parts of the story I enjoyed but some seemed to drag on & felt predictable. I appreciate the opportunity to read, but it just wasn't my favorite. If you are a big fan of locked room thrillers though I would recommend checking it out.

The Engagement Party was my third by Darby Kane. I gave both Pretty Little Wife and The Replacement Life five-star reviews. I’m a solid fan at this point.

I was pleasantly surprised by how early the real action started in this book. It was also one of those rare thrillers where I didn’t have a clue as to how it was going to play out. It was so creepy that I had to stop reading to close all my drapes and be sure I locked all my doors.

The book’s first half was well-paced, and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. The second half felt a bit too drawn out. It felt almost like the ending took half the book to play out. Not that it lacked action during that half, but I found myself frustrated I wasn’t getting answers sooner.

It was twisty and creepy and a solid four-star read. What kept this one from being a five-star read for me was that I’ve read so many trapped-on-an-remote-island” thrillers this year.

That said, this one was well worth the read!

If you enjoyed the Scream movies, this book will be right up your alley.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Nothing can top Darby's debut novel; however, this is the closest one to it I have read. I really enjoyed this for the twist I saw and the ones I did not see coming. She kept you guessing who did it until the VERY end.

This book was a doozy. I mean my jaw hit the floor a couple times and the ending was a rollercoaster I thought I wouldn't recover from. I really enjoyed this book even though the characters were a little hard to love. Not Mitch though. I was team Mitch from the beginning. I truthfully did not see the big reveal coming. This was a twisted crazy thriller that was perfect for this time of year for me!

I enjoyed this book! The characters were fun and real. Lots of surprises to keep it entertaining. Some parts seemed to be a bit overdone and unrealistic, but overall a good read. I read this book in two days, definitely recommend

This was AMAZING! The first half of the book was so so suspenseful! It sent chills down my spine and had my hands all sweaty!! Ya girl was nervous! The second half was more of a whodunnit. Everyone in that house had secrets, and they were all getting exposed up until the very last pages of the book!

The story was told through 3 POVs, and I honestly only liked two of the characters in this book. All the rest were definitely dislikeable, especially that one that will not be named 😑 you’ll know who I’m talking about once you read it because they have zero likable qualities lol

There were so many twists and turns, and I loved it! Just when I thought I have it figured out….nah….I didn’t. 😂

This was an interesting read. It was told in all characters POV.

I thought it a good read, but I didn’t love any of the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher. All opinions are my own.

Old college friends begrudgingly travel to a New England cabin on land that becomes an island during high tide. Big surprise, they get stuck there. Another surprise: they don't care much for one another (even the married ones), and have gone through Big Trauma together and hidden each other's Big Secrets. Generally, I enjoy these tropes, but the characters drag it into the muck immediately. For one thing, it's kinda hard to keep them separate; the writing doesn't lead to a lot of distinguishing characteristics. For another, they're idiots. I don't know if that's intentional, but since one of the first actions that they take as a group (and let's keep in mind that two of these folks are lawyers) is to hide a murdered body in the trunk of a car that isn't even their own.

This one was pretty much a non-starter for me, and though I regret leaving a bad review, I can't encourage others to read it unless they like losing brain cells while reading.