This is one of the best thrillers I’ve read recently. It is filled with ugly secrets, an unknown killer, treacherous weather and a stranger in the midst.

The story is told in multiple short chapters, each from a different point of view. Five college friends travel to an island to celebrate the engagement of one of their friends. Nobody has met the fiancée and all are surprised that Will, the friend, is engaged after such a short courtship. From the very beginning, things don’t seem quite right. Who is Ruthie, the fiancée? And who is the dead man in the garage?

This is a must read for anyone who loves a great locked-room thriller. It has the rising suspense level and the whodunnit factor. I rate this book four stars and highly recommend it. Thank you, NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced copy. This is due to be published on December 5, 2023.

I have mixed feelings about this book. The description definitely made me want to read it and it started off with a bang and drew me in, however the middle dragged and there was reveal after twist after murder, etc. and it started to get ridiculous. This is a stranded on an island suspense/horror story and it’s all over the place.

There are several narrators and we know superficially about each of them. Basically, a young woman name Emily was murdered in college. Her close circle of friends are now reuniting for an engagement party in a remote island as one of the crew is getting married. Ruthie has extended an invite to the friends of her fiancée Will. These are the friends of Emily. Alex and Cassie are married. Mitch is part of the group and he brings along his friend Sierra (not really sure why they just weren’t together as it would have made more sense for why she was there). They all reluctantly come to this party on this remote island even though they admittedly have not been the best at keeping in touch.

As soon as they arrive, they realize how isolated they. The reader knows that Ruthie has ulterior motives but it takes forever for those to come to light and for any of the gang to suspect anything. Then random dead bodies start showing up and they realize that they are in danger and it’s all related to Emily’s death in college.

There was just too too much going on and there were still plot twists up until the very end. The characters are all superficially developed and very unlikeable so it was hard to care about them or what happened to them. Kane creates a good atmosphere and tension but this was just okay for me.

Three stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, Darby Kane and William Morrow for a digital ARC of The Engagement Party in exchange for an honest review. This review is wholly my own (except for any quotations) and may not be reproduced.

“Emily Hunt went missing from her affluent liberal arts school on graduation weekend. Her body was found floating in a river, and a quiet loner who most people on campus really didn’t know committed suicide. A tenuous link—one text—bound the two dead students together and was enough for law enforcement to close the case. But they got it wrong and now someone is determined to set it right.

Twelve years later, college friends gather to celebrate an engagement over a long overdue getaway on a swanky private island in Maine—with only one way in and one way out. Sierra Prescott, invited as a guest and unconnected to past events, is the only person who soon senses not all is what it seems.

The tension in the air is ignited when they find a dead man in the trunk of a car with a note: time to tell the truth. And things only get worse. As a torrential storm strands them together, the group’s buried stories begin to surface and secrets are bartered. To survive this deadly party, they’ll need to stop a killer before they become prey.”

I’m a Darby Kane fan, so I was extremely excited to have the opportunity to provide an early review of her new thriller!

This reminded me a bit of Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None.”

I wasn’t a huge fan of really any of the characters, but I’m pretty sure, that’s kind of the point.

The pacing was great – it was a quick easy read. I did feel that it was a bit repetitive in some areas, but overall, I am giving it 4 stars. I do like some over her previous work better, but this was a solid read!

I absolutely loved this locked room thriller!

These college friends haven’t seen each other sense graduation weekend & they aren’t to thrilled about this weekend get together in fear of old secrets coming to light. But that’s exactly what the hostess is hoping will happen. However her plan isn’t the only one causing disruption on this weekend trip. Who is truly the victim here and who’s the sinister mastermind behind the murders?

Loved how I couldn’t fully guess who was the bad guy in this thriller and there was sooo many turns it kept me on the edge of my seat.

Obsessed with Darby kane qnd this book was so so good! Loved the plot and characters, highly recommend for a good summer thriller read! Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

Emily was murdered on the weekend of her college graduation. The police closed the case, but not everyone believed the police got it right.

12 years later, an invitation arrives in the mail. Emily’s friends are summoned to celebrate an engagement party on a private island in Maine. However, everything is not what it seems and the guests quickly realize that someone is out for revenge. No one is safe, and everyone is stuck…

Read this if you like:
* Locked Room Thrillers
* Multiple POVs
* I Know What You Did Last Summer
* Agatha Christie
* Atmospheric Settings
* Short chapters

I sped through this one in two days. I loved the short chapters, the twists, and the atmospheric setting. The entire time I was reading, I kept thinking, “I really hope this gets made into a mini-series” because it was so well paced and the setting was sooo creepy, in the best way!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC opportunities.

I really wanted to like this book, but I struggled to remain interested. There were several characters, and it was difficult to tell them apart. It was a slow burn start, picked up in the middle and grabbed my interest, but then fizzled out in the end.

I didn’t feel satisfied with the ending, and feel the book could have been much shorter, maybe 100 pages shorter, to get to the point, keep up speed and keep interest. I will try more books by this author because I feel this story line had potential, unfortunately it didn’t grab me and I had to really work to finish it, because I did want to know who “did it” at the end.

Pros: surprise in the middle, plot picks up
Cons: too many confusing characters, slow build, not satisfied with the ending

First off I want to thank the publishers for gifting me with an early copy of The Engagement Party. I want to note this isn't my first Darby Kane novel, and despite my review, it will not be my last.

Although I didn't LOVE this one, it still had me captivated. I found the story to be a bit confusing a times, with trying to pin point and remember all the characters and their backstories. Speaking of characters, I really didn't like any of them - apart from Sierra. I literally despised everything about Cassie - she was the absolute worst and every time there was dialogue with her I just wanted to skip past it. I didn't feel a connection with anyone really from the main character group, which is why I might have not loved/ connected with this story. I did enjoy the "whodunit" aspect, but the ending seemed to drag on a little and then all of a sudden had an over-the-top completely random twist. It seemed a bit unrealistic for me.

Overall, I do enjoy Kane's writing style so I will certainly give her future books another try. If you enjoy a twisty, murder-y, remote location whodunit - I would recommend this book , but unfortunately it wasn't for me.

This book was engaging and I enjoyed it, but I found it pretty predictable overall. Maybe I have just read too many thrillers.

Masterful storytelling creates an atmosphere of suspense and tension, with twists and turns that leave you guessing until the very end. The well-developed characters are complex and intriguing, adding depth to the thrilling plot. The pacing is relentless, never giving you a moment to catch your breath, making this book an exhilarating and addictive reading experience for all fans of the genre.

Entertaining plot with a number of good and villainous characters. The plot twists actually were surprising, although it did sag a bit in the middle. The ending more than made up for any slowness, with a truly gripping last third.

“Time to tell the truth”

The Engagement Party by Darby Kane was just the thriller I needed to get me out of this slump I’ve been in.
Kane has crafted a fast paced story with alternating POVs.
I loved how she did the different POVs of Sierra, Ruthie and Alex. The three characters telling their side of the story was intriguing and kept me turning those short chapters as quickly as I could. I liked that it allowed me to get everyone’s viewpoints.
With complex characters (some likable and others not so much), all the suspense and an incredibly faced paced plot, this was a quick read that kept me guessing with each chapter.
The writing is excellent and the short chapters made it fly by in no time.

“Tick Tock”

As these old college friends come to a secluded island in honor of their old friend and his engagement things take a very deadly turn and fast!
I loved how quickly things started to go downhill once they arrived on the island.
Kane didn’t hold any punches and it was one thing right after another.
Overall, a gripping, suspenseful and very entertaining read!
I couldn’t stop once I started.

My favorite character: Sierra
What I enjoyed most: the pacing
Disliked: the ending….. I wished their was a bit more detail

Still I loved it and I’m so thankful for the opportunity to have read it.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and William Morrow for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This was my first book from Darby Lane and I must say I really enjoyed it

Very mysterious, so much tension, twists, secrets, unlikable characters that will make you really dislike the story, but after half way, the story starts connecting and it’s nail bitting.
I really recommend this one.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Coming out on 12/05/2023.

The Engagement Party by Darby Kane was a good thriller. The multiple points of view benefited the storyline. I was able to read it pretty quickly and it was an easy read.

Twelve years ago Emily graduated college and then disappeared that same week. Her body later was pulled out of a river. Her friends were all questioned and released. Another student, Brendan, was identified as a suspect and committed suicide. Everyone considered that an admission of guilt and the case was closed.

Now, 12 years later, her friends have gotten together on a private island to celebrate the engagement of one. But soon after, a body of someone else they know turns up and the group realizes that someone knows what really happened. Everyone in the group knows more than they originally said. The question is who killed Emily and what does everyone know?

I have to say, I didn’t really like this book. It was quite disappointing as I liked the author’s other books that I’ve read. This book just wasn’t as good. First of all, I didn’t like a single character. With the exception of maybe Sierra, every character was extremely unlikeable. I mean, by the end of the book I would have been fine if every one of them was dead. Second, it just dragged on and on forever. Really the last 20% or so could have been eliminated and it wouldn’t have taken away from the book. Like, one person reveals what they know and concluded it there. But then there’s another chapter where someone else reveals something which means the prior theory didn’t work. Repeat until finally it’s over. Has it been good twists then maybe keep going, but it wasn’t. It really just dragged on way too long and I’m glad I finally finished.

Thank you to the author, William Morrow publishing, and NetGalley for the advance reader copy. I’m leaving my honest review.
2.5⭐️, rounded up to 3. Publication date Dec 5, 2023.

Darby Kane’s upcoming novel “The Engagement Party” takes place on a private island in Maine. When old college friends decide to meet up for an engagement party twelve years after graduation, it should be a joyous celebration. However, all it does is dredge up memories of the past, especially Emily, their friend who mysterious died the day of their college graduation. It’s clear that the group is more involved in her death than they’re saying, and this trip is designed to bring out the truth, whether they want to share it or not.

This novel is a ‘locked room’ style book similar to “And Then There Were None” by Agatha Christie. I found the beginning to be a bit slow but once I got into this book I was absolutely hooked. I’ve loved all of Darby’s other works, so I would highly recommend this novel to anyone who is a fan of her other stories or locked room thrillers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the DRC of this book. “The Engagement Party” will be published on December 5th, 2023.

Definitely feels like an Agatha Christie novel. Can you figure out who the killer is before they find another victim? Suspenseful and lots of red herrings!

College student Emily goes missing after celebrating graduation, and her body is found days later in the river, her death a mystery. Shortly thereafter another student with a tenuous tie to Emily commits suicide. Present day, 12 years later, Emily’s small circle of college friends gather for The Engagement Party of one of the group. Soon after their arrival at the secluded island house, they discover a dead body in the garage with a cryptic note. And that sets off this totally gripping thriller, where secrets (and suspects) abound, a raging storm traps the group on the island, and nothing is as it appears. You’re quickly hooked into this one, slowly fed just enough information surrounding Emily’s death to keep you firmly attached and flipping the pages. This is a claustrophobic, twisty tale that’ll keep you guessing straight through the ending. Well done! I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review,

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the eARC.

I love Darby Kane novels- they’re super fast paced with typically short chapters and have good twists throughout.

This read like a summer horror movie in the best way. It follows really rather unlikeable characters for the most part and focuses on the murder of a girl who had just graduated college.

To me this was the most “gruesome” of Kanes books as there was so, so much death. I for sure didn’t see the end twist coming at all.

As always, I love Darby Kane and I will continue to read anything she writes.

I LOVED this one! It was such a fun ride - big time horror movie vibes. A super quick read that was a perfect pool day distraction. I'm pretty sure I devoured this in a 3 hour sitting so while not long, it packs a punch.