This murder mystery revolves around a group of friends who are celebrating their last day as college students. They go to a party at their home and the night ends in tragedy. The book starts out with the POV of Stephanie, our murder victim, and then flashes forward 5 years to our current friend group who are no longer friends and have gone their separate ways. To bring everyone together successful podcaster Chris enlists Laura to help bring their group together. Doing so the hope is to solve the cold case of their friend, Stephanie's, murder, which was never solved and determined an accident.

The concept here is interesting. We have two main POVs (Chris and Laura) and we follow these two as they go and unravel the night of the murder. There are many red herrings thrown at you over the course of the book. I wound up really not liking Laura though. She spent her life in a fairly emotionally abuse home. Her brother Jake won't let her live her life because his brain injury means he....well I don't really know what kind of brain injury he had but he makes poor choices. The mother in this situation blames Laura for everything and she upends her life to support her brother. Chris and Laura both get treats to stop the podcast and the threats keep getting worse and they fear for their lives.

I didn't care too much for the characters overall. They weren't likeable, I don't know if they were meant to be. Jake and the nerdy weird character ( I forgot his name) both kept getting the spotlight shown on them, but neither character had any real development. They were both just creeps and very surface level. We see the story in the present and in flashbacks. The more we learn about the night we flash back with a different perspective until finally we know what actually happened. Everyone has secrets and no one wants to see them.

As for the narration, Stephanie Cannon (The Spirit Girls) did a fine job bringing the intensity needed to each scene. She was able to show the personalities of every voice that she performed.

I thought this book was ok, it was an enjoyable murder mystery with a few twists and turns. It is a quick read and currently available on KU!

This was my first book by Danielle Stewart. It is the story of a group of friends haunted by the murder of Stephanie, four years ago. They uncover so many secrets and deception that they are not sure about each other anymore!

What I enjoyed was that that each chapter ended on a cliffhanger that makes you want to kisten/read on and on.

Another aspect I recently enjoy are true crime podcasts woven into stories. Plenty of twists and turns and here we go!

Thank you #Netgalley #Bookouture Audio for this advanced audiobook

This one was interesting but rather predictable. Not sure if I would recommend it since I don't I'll remember it

Kept me guessing and kept my attention for the most part. The narration let it down though, I just didn't get along with it.

I would recommend people read a physical/digital copy rather than listen to the audiobook.

Stephanie was at a party four years ago with seven of her best friends. It was after she left early she was murdered.
A friend Chris now has a podcast show. He wants to use the forum along with a mutual friend to solve what happened to Stephanie on that night.
At times i struggled with this story. More in that it didn't hold my attention. Whether that was the storyline or the narrator of the audiobook I'm not sure. Perhaps i should give the paper copy a go.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to an ARC

I really liked the premise of this book! It kept me guessing the whole time. I would’ve given it 5 stars if the narrator was better.

Four years ago Stephanie was at a party with seven of her best friends. She left early and was murdered that night. Her case went cold.

Chris now with a podcast show of his own, asked a mutual friend Laura to help him solve the mystery of Stephanie's death.

The Girl at the Party kept me guessing. There were misdirections and red herrings along the way. I like the steady pace. The characters could've been developed more, especially Laura's brother Jake. The rest of the casts are easily distinguished. I enjoyed this popcorn thriller quite a bit.

The podcast section which drew me to the book was a bit letdown. I was hoping there were more podcast episodes and as an audiobook, maybe they can add something to the voice and really make it sound like they are in a studio, on air, or something that stood out. But there was none of that. Overall I thought Stephanie Cannon the narrator did a terrific job with so many characters.

This book dives into the past of some college roommates who went their separate ways when tragedy struck and their friend was killed on the way home from their last college party. Fast forward to the present and one of the friends has become a famous podcaster solving cold cases, this one is his next big hit. I loved it, mostly because I would definitely follow his podcast and listen to this series if it were real!
I loved following the story, and the research that went into creating the podcast was interesting and made me think of how difficult those actually are to create. The end was a tiny bit predictable but also satisfying over all and the story kept me reading quickly trying to figure out what was coming. Definitely recommend this book!

Really liked the narrator! It was an interesting story that had a lot of twists. I enjoyed it. I liked the idea of including a true crime podcast as part of the story. It was a fun twist.

4 stars

This audiobook was a little predictable, but all in all it was enjoyable! I don’t know if I would have finished if it hadn’t been on audio though.

Maybe I should have given this more of a chance but I couldn't get past the Debbie Downer main character introduced in the second chapter, who accidentally splashed coffee over one of her customers while distracted, didn't bother apologising, and then seemed mostly resentful of her boss for agreeing to dry-clean the woman's designer blouse and giving them their coffee on the house. (How dare this woman be a lawyer and wear a nice blouse and not like to wear her coffee.) Probably because she had a chip on her shoulder about being "just" a barista rather than the nurse she was supposed to be. Then went off on one about how rubbish her life was ever since her friend being murdered derailed it. It was only a minor incident in the book, I'm sure, but it was right near the beginning and it annoyed me. I tried to persist beyond 10% then decided that actually I didn't give two hoots about this unlikeable girl's story, and gave up on it. I was listening to the audiobook and I didn't find the narrator that engaging either.

This book kind of made me angry, I was so angry at Stephanie's friends through this entire story, even after getting closer to the truth about what happened. I greatly enjoyed the multiple timelines, and I definitely had to connect some dots, which I appreciated.

This was a good read and I was hooked from the start! So many characters were jerks that I was really shocked at the "bad guy" in the end, I did not see that coming! This was my 1st book by Danielle Stewart but will definitely not be my last! I am off to add her backlog to my TBR!

#TheGirlattheParty
#NetGalley

A very interesting read! The protagonists are written well, the twists are very compelling and I love that it doesn't have a cliché ending.

Although I think that the secondary characters should have been explored deeper and I feel like I barely knew Stephanie.

Overall, it's a fast, easy read.

A party, a podcast, and a Pandora's box of past secrets...what more could you need in a mystery?

I am a little over the podcast thing at this point, I feel like it's been done a lot, so I was skeptical..... but this one is definitely worth the listen! I absolutely could not put it down. It's a good mystery, interesting dual timeline set up, and good twists. Some of the twists were obvious but a few were surprising. I also love that there was a hint of second chance romance, but it didn't eat up the storyline or add too much side story. I am definitely look forward to more from this author (and narrator)!!!

This was a podcast style thriller, where a popular podcast host decided to dive into a case VERY close to home. I loved that everyone had secrets to hide, and so everyone had something to lose. That made me suspicious about everyone, and with good reason. I liked the way it wrapped up, and with the push for abuse to be acknowledged. I did kind of figure it out pretty early, but this was still a great listen. The narrator did a great job, with how many characters there were being voiced.

Chris is a successful true crime podcast host, and this season he’s turning his focus to a case close to home. Right before he graduated college, one of his close friends was murdered. Stephanie was bright and cheery, and was taken out in a fit of violence. He contacts Laura to help him investigate and talk to their group of friends about what really happened at the party that night. But everyone has secrets they want to keep hidden, some dangerous enough to leave threats and escalation of violence as they continue to investigate. Wi they be able to piece together what happened before the killer decides to kill them too?

[This review is also posted in Goodreads]

Plot:
You and your college friends throw a party, because that’s what college kids do — have lots and lots of fun, right? Except in this particular party, one of your friends get murdered.

The police didn’t delve deeper thinking it was a robbery gone wrong. Fast forward to several years from that night, one of your friends contacts you and asks you to investigate what might have actually happened to your dead friend and who could have actually killed her.

You both dig up some dirt and find out that almost all of those present that night look guilty. It’s just a matter of who is the most willing to kill.


This book follows two storylines: the present and and the past, which are five years apart. I think the way the author went back and forth from the present to the past (and vice versa) was really seamless.

This was a really engaging story. The podcast element also made it quite a reading experience. I did not find this dragging, but I also did not find the twists that shocking. Might be a me thing. Thrillers rarely surprise me, I always guess early on who the killer is that’s why the journey of getting to the end is really important to me. However, there are some plot points that were left unresolved (e.g., allegations of SA) that I feel should not have been left that way.

Anyway...

Read this if you’re fond of books that would leave bits and pieces to let you connect some dots and if you like a story where one is definitely the most guilty, but almost all of them are accountable.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for granting me access to the audiobook! 🫶🏼

Well this thriller had a lot of potential but I do feel like it missed its mark a bit. I feel like there was just a little bit too much going on and it became a little confusing and too chaotic towards the end. I did enjoy the ending and felt satisfied at the end, but at the height of the drama I just felt a little overwhelmed by all of the information. I'm not sure I loved the writing style. I did enjoy the narrator though and thought she did a great job. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I liked the way the author starts the book with the two main characters interviewing people for a podcast about their friend that was killed in college. They wait until the end of the book to step the reader through the party they attended before she is killed. This helps give the reader context for the party making it more enjoyable.
I liked the narrator. However, I prefer to have a reader for the female characters and a different reader for the male characters.
I received this galley from NetGalley.

Happy *soon to be* Pub Date to Danielle Stewart and The Girl at the Party! Thank you to Bookouture for allowing me to read an ALC (Advanced Listener 🎧 Copy) for an honest review!

📅 The Girl at the Party by Danielle Stewart will be published TOMORROW (Wednesday, July 12, 2023). 📅

Eight roommates and friends gather in their rental house for a party to celebrate the end of the year being right around the corner. They are all one step closer to Graduation…all but one. Stephanie leaves the party never to be seen again. She is found murdered but the crime was never solved, leaving everyone haunted and wondering if they could have done something more of different to protect Stephanie from her fate.

Four years later, two friends from the party team up to produce a podcast in an attempt to bring justice to Stephanie. They want to solve the crime and bring the murderer to light. Investigation unveils hidden secrets that may cause someone to kill again. Chris and Laura become victims to threats and vandalism the more they investigate and in turn report vis the podcast. The killer is watching closely but will they come out of the shadows?

This thriller is for any reader that enjoys problem solving and investigating. You’ll think you have identified the killer and a few pages later realize that is not the case.

If you could produce a podcast, what would your series be about and what would you name it?