The Engagement Party was so good! The twists and turns kept me engrossed in this book all night! Emily Hunt was killed on her college graduation night. 12 years later her friends come together to celebrate an engagement. But things are tricky, because someone is hiding secrets.

Honestly, I didn't know which way this story was going. Each character was presumed guilty of something. The story is told from different character POVs and it helps you to understand all angles of the story.

I loved the way the author made you feel like you were right there in the story. The ending was unexpected but satisfying.

Definitely check this book out if you are a fan of twisty, multiple pov thrills! Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow Books for my arc.

I really liked this book and love Darby Kane as an author! A few things that knocked this down from 5 to 4 stars for me -
I wish there was more character development for the 2 couples. Every chapter I had to tell myself who was who and it would get confusing.
I did not like each chapter being a ‘narrative’ from Alex, Sierra and Ruthie. I felt it was weird to just pick those 3 characters and which it was just all combined. The narrative chapters didn’t change anything when it came to perspective (from my side)
There was a few grammar errors and even a chapter where Alex is called Alec… whoops.

Overall I’m lido suggest to friends, good twists and a great story overall!

The Engagement Party is a "locked room mystery" that takes place on an isolated island in Maine. A group of college friends gather to celebrate Will's engagement with Ruthie. Sierra is new to the group and only attends to support Mitch. She soon finds not only do these friends share dark secrets but also they are all lying to each other. In addition to all the lies and betrayals, someone else is on the island - someone who wants the group to pay for a past death.

I did not overly enjoy this book. The start was exciting and I read the first quarter of the book quite quickly. However, it then began to drag. The story is told through multiple POVs; however, none of them were engaging. I honestly didn't like any of the characters (maybe Mitch). The "unknown" person on the island did not add to the story; rather, that character just made the plot confusing. Ruthie was another character that was more confusing than anything and didn't really add to the story. The end was very predictable, which made the latter half of the book drag even more. Finally, the whole explanation of what happened in the past did not make sense. It was an unsatisfying ending. I really had hoped to like this book based on the premise; however, it just wasn't for me.

The only thing better than a locked room mystery is a locked island mystery. Add in a terrible storm, power outages, and a twenty-year-old murder, and you have a perfect thriller. Three couples are staying together on an island to celebrate an engagement. Will is engaged to Ruthie, and has invited his college friends Alex, Cassie, and Mitch. Alex and Cassie are married, and Mitch brought his longtime work partner Sierra. While the group tries to focus on celebrating the newly engaged couple, it seems someone has other plans. The college friends are forced to reckon with the murder of their friend Emily Hunt, who died the night before graduation, as someone begins to torment the group for more information.
I flew through this book. All locked-room mysteries follow the same basic formula, and this is no exception. The added twist from the beginning is Emily’s murder. The characters were hurrying to figure out who was pulling the strings on their weekend while I was hurrying to figure out how Emily died. The dual suspense kept me completely on my toes, and made the story fly by even quicker. The three main POVs come from Sierra, Ruthie, and Alex. Sierra and Ruthie are complete outsiders, and lean on each other as a voice of reason. Alex is married to Cassie, and is part of the original gang of college friends.
One con was that with a group of six characters, most of them ended up feeling a little flat and one-dimensional. The other, bigger, con was that the ending didn’t feel as neat and tidy as it seemed. Yes, I got an answer for all the main questions. But it felt like there wasn’t enough of a bridge between everything the characters lied about and what the truth actually was.
As a whole, this story was a fun and easy read. It checks all the boxes of a classic locked-room mystery without being too on the nose, and weaves the murder mystery into the story in an intriguing way. For a more detailed review, check out my blog! Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

While this novel does a good job of ratcheting up the suspense, it does very little in the way of making you invested in the characters. None of them are fleshed out enough to care about. While I love a good riff on And Then There Were None, this missed the mark for me.

Darby Kane is an automatic read author for me and her latest novel is the perfect example of why! The Engagement Party is a psychological thriller that will keep you guessing until the end!! This addictive read centers around a group of college friends that gather on a remote private island to celebrate an engagement. Upon arrival find a dead man…with a note!!!! Well, that, of course breeds suspicion, and ultimately unearths past secrets! From this point, I found this novel completely unputdownable! The pacing is lightening fast and I promise this who-done-it will live rent-free in your mind until you finish! Darby Kane is a master at creating thrillers that are consuming and I. AM. HERE. FOR. IT! The Engagement Party is a 5 star novel that will satisfied all mystery/thriller and even slasher fans! As per usual, I am already looking forward to Darby’s next novel!

The Engagement Party" by Darby Kane is a gripping and suspenseful thriller that follows a group of six people gathered on a private island to celebrate an engagement. The tension escalates when they discover a dead body in a car trunk with a chilling note, setting off a series of events that reveal buried secrets and put their lives in danger.

Kane skillfully weaves a tale of mystery and deception, reminiscent of classics like "And Then There Were None" and "I Know What You Did Last Summer." The plot keeps readers on the edge of their seats with each chapter unveiling new twists and turns, making it nearly impossible to put the book down. The island setting, though familiar, is still shrouded in suspense and adds to the sense of isolation and paranoia.

The characters' interconnected pasts and the web of lies they've woven create a compelling atmosphere of mistrust and uncertainty. As the story unfolds, the reader becomes immersed in the complexities of the characters' relationships and motivations, trying to piece together the truth behind the murders.

Kane's writing effectively captures the fear and desperation of the characters as they face a killer among them, trapped by both the storm and their own secrets. The addition of the "book notes" chapters adds an intriguing layer to the narrative, creating an engaging and satisfying reading experience.

Overall, "The Engagement Party" delivers exactly what one would expect from a suspenseful thriller—a rollercoaster of emotions, unexpected revelations, and a sense of unease that lingers long after the final page. It's a must-read for fans of the genre, and Darby Kane proves once again her skill in crafting a captivating and thrilling story.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for this ARC.

An engagement party is supposed to be a happy reunion between old and new friends. Yet, this party might not leave any survivors. These college friends have a secret from the past that is threatened to be exposed. Someone wants answers about the death of Emily Hunt and won’t stop until someone speaks up. This was intended to be a small celebration on a private island, except a storm is coming and no one will be able to hear their screams.

I enjoy a good thriller and Darby Kane always delivers. Nothing good can come from a party located on a secluded island In Maine. Plus, the reader is introduced to a variety of characters that will keep you guessing if they are trust worthy or not. Once I got into the story, I had to keep reading. Some of the mystery was a bit predictable, but I loved the writing and the chapters that gave a backstory on who Emily Hunt was.

If you love thrillers and mysteries that have I Know What You Did Last Summer vibes, you should add this novel to your TBR!

I have loved all Darby Kane books, but this one did not do it for me. The pace was great but the narrative was one I read many times before and there was no special twist or turn to make it more exciting. Overall it was an okay read but I found myself skimming hard, 3⭐️

A huge thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy of this title via NetGalley.

I enjoyed this thriller with many twists and turns. I'm only giving it 4 stars because it was confusing keeping up with six characters. Each character has Secrets and back stories. Otherwise I enjoyed this book.

I thought this book was OK, but it was often repetitive and dragged a bit, especially towards the end. The story is a locked-room type mystery, where a group of friends is invited to a secluded island for an engagement party for one of their group to a newcomer. All of these people were friends with Emily, who died 12 years ago under mysterious circumstances, and it soon becomes obvious that someone is trying to avenge her death and that multiple people know more than they are letting on.

There was a lot of gruesome killing in this book, which was fun- it had a bit of a 1980's slasher vibe. However, with so many unreliable (and frankly, unlikable) characters, it started getting confusing around what secrets they were all keeping and who is hiding what from everyone else. When the villain was revealed, I couldn't help but think that they went to way too much trouble to get what they wanted. I also felt like the end of the book dragged, when you knew who the villain was but then there was more action and I was just ready for it to be over.

Overall, kind of a fun read but wasn't as engaging as expected I am clearly in the minority when I see the other ratings though, so you may want to give it a shot. To be honest, I found the other books by this author gave me a similar vibe, with unrealistic decision-making and parts that dragged, so perhaps she just isn't the author for me. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It's a great thriller with so many twists! I highly enjoyed this book and could not put it down! I would recommend it for both teens and adults and will be putting it on my book club's list.

Will is engaged to Ruthie. They plan this engagement party on an island, and invite Will’s closest friends, what could possibly go wrong?
A group of 6 people are on the island. Will who is engaged to Ruth, Cassie and Alex who are married lawyers with a daughter, and Mitch with his friend Sierra. Almost immediately after arriving on the island things start happening and dead bodies start to pile up. No one is safe.
This book was packed with all the suspense. Every chapter left me wanting more. I needed to know what happened and why. Who was behind it all? Who can I trust. This is what I expect from a Darby Kane novel.
Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for an ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review. The group island setting has been done a lot and I liked that this book still kept me guessing. I also liked the “book notes” chapters. It was an interesting addition to the book and when it was explained why those chapters were in there I enjoyed that.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Whew! I loved this one! I love everything this author writes. It’s a very tense locked room mystery that is packed full of action. A group of friends shared a secret back in college. Now, they are invited to one of their friend’s engagement party. Not long after arrival, they begin to realize they are in trouble! Do NOT miss this one!!

𝑺𝒉𝒆'𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒚-𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒅𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂 𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒖𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒐𝒐𝒏.

A locked room mystery hailed as written in the style of Agatha Christie's AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, so I thought I was in for a domestic suspense experience with this book, but I was pleasantly surprised by the slasher vibes!

Four college friends reconnect years after college for an engagement party at a remote island with only one way in and one way out. While in college, their friend and classmate Emily Hunt went missing on graduation weekend. When her body was found in the river and a quiet loner died by suicide soon after, police thought they had established a link between the two and closed the case.

One person is invited who was not a part of the group, and she is the only one who senses something is off. Sure enough, when a body is found in a trunk with a note that says 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒉, the tension amps up to unbelievable levels. Someone on the island is keeping secrets, and they will go to any lengths to keep them.

Thank you to the publisher and Thriller Book Lovers Promotions for my early read. This book publishes December 5,2023.

Thank you Netgalley & William Morrow for an eARC of The Engagement Party by Darby Kane. Pretty Little Wife is one of my favorite books of all time, so I'm always thrilled when she releases a new book!

This thriller is set on a private island in Maine where friends are gathering for an engagement party. Many of them haven't spoken much since the tragic death of their friend Emily, in college, whose body was found floating in a river on graduation weekend. The only person unrelated to the group, Sierra, who was invited as a guest, immediately feels that things are amiss...and she is not wrong.

I really enjoy alternating chapters that reveal pieces of the past vs. what's unraveling currently. The unknown "book" aspect that dives into the past of Emily 12 years earlier really pushes the plot along. That being said, this was an OK read for me, I liked it but wasn't in love. I was satisfied with the ending but did find some parts of the plot far-fetched and had to use my imagination a bit!

I’ve read and loved Darby Kane’s previous books; this one was fine. In this novel, a group of college friends get together to celebrate their friend’s engagement in a remote cabin. The engagement party weekend doesn’t go as planned when they find a dead body, and the secrets of a death during their college years start resurfacing.

I loved how fast-paced this novel was, but I found it a little predictable. The “reveals” didn’t feel like big twists. I’m looking forward to the next Darby Kane novel!

The Engagement Party
By Darby Kane
Pub Date December 5, 2023
Avon
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion..
I had trouble finalizing my recommendation. There are things I liked about this book- enticing storyline, authors writing style, twisty smart ending. This is what I didn’t like- characters were unlikeable, lack of depth in other narratives, one dimensional characters, pacing was dragging.
This book was not a good fit for me, although other readers who enjoy gothic mysteries might enjoy it.
3 stars

Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to receive this book for an honest review.

A group of college friends get together on a private island in Main to celebrate an engagement.

After they arrive they discover a dead body in the trunk of one of the cars. Is one of them killer or is there someone else on the island?

This book reminded me of an Agatha Christie novel and it will keep you going until the very end.

I highly recommend this book.

I couldn't pass up this title when I saw it on Netgalley--I read it just two weeks before my own engagement party, which I thought was fitting in a funny way. Hopefully no one dies at mine! I enjoy the "college friends with a big secret" trope. The Engagement Party is your standard "cut off on an island, bad weather looming, a hidden dead body, phones useless, no way to call for help" novel, but its own admission towards the beginning of the story.

I was hooked and it was very easy to read, but the connections were all pretty convoluted.

A few things were weird to me about this book, which I'll note since it's so far before pub day. First, there was no getting-to-know-the-characters scene at the beginning of the engagement party. Bad things started happening pretty much as soon as the group got to the island. We didn't need much, but a celebratory scene to get to know the characters would have made some sense. Second, I felt like the bit about Mitch's childhood was very abruptly thrown in there and then glossed over. No spoilers, but it was a pretty shocking reveal and didn't seem to get the time it deserved.

Overall I was interested enough to read the book very quickly, but didn't love it or feel like it really stands out in any way. I've got a few more thoughts tucked into the spoiler recap on my blog as well.