Max and Annie have moved from London to start a glamping retreat, and invite their oldest friends and their families to come join them for a weekend. But a series of events unfolds that leads to fractured friendships, broken relationships, and a whole lot of danger.

I really enjoyed this book. The technique of jumping backwards and forwards in time really upped the suspense and kept me guessing. The characters feel really real, as do the relationships among the characters. The setting really fits the plot. I would recommend this book.

This was a solid locked room-esque thriller. I definitely got confused the first third with all the characters and their relationships to each other, but as the story goes on I had a better handle. I think some things with the flash backs/flash forwards could have been done differently to create more atmosphere, mystery, and suspense. While the setting was an isolated glamping story, I didn't feel as much of that atmosphere as I would have liked. I like reading stories like this and really feeling the setting, which adds to the unease of the mystery. I think some characters and their relationships could have been fleshed out more, but I liked the reveals at the end and I will definitely see what this author does next.

Once I started reading, I didn't want to stop, which is exactly what I want in a thriller. There are some unlikeable people and some likeable ones, and enough action and suspense to keep me entertained for hours.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

This is a brilliant mystery! With college friends now in their 40s all getting together to celebrate one family‘s new venture in Glamping each family arrives optimistic but when they leave it will be a totally different emotion. Annie and Max with their adopted son Kip recently moved to the country for the benefit of their sun Kip and to have a more relaxed lifestyle. They adopted Kip at the age of six and he suffers from spontaneous mutism due to anxiety and other disorders but they love him like he was their own son. They’re opening an environmentally friendly Glamping campground and have invited their college friends before the grand opening. This includes Dominic a Famous judge on a nation wide talent show call star search his much younger wife and his three kids 17-year-old scarlet teenage Felix and the only child from his latest marriage phoebe. Then there’s Jim and Susie the hippies of the group with their three children river willow in Jupiter and last but not least is Keira her boyfriend Fred and her new six-month-old baby Ausha. Josh is also there he is in his early 20s and is the handyman for the campground and a big help to Max and Annie. When everyone starts arriving they keep thinking about the last time they saw each other at Kiras 40th birthday party and the “event“ that happened that night. After dinner they decide to let the kids roast marshmallows with wooden skewers that 12 year old Kip made himself all the kids received two big marshmallows when phoebes fell into the fire she thought it no big deal to steal one of kips and despite the fact two adults saw her do it no one said anything and when Kip to look for his last marshmallow an incident occurred. Needless to say Dominic overreacted and physically assaulted 12 year old Kip and called him ugly names. Needless to say this put a damper on the party and The next day Max decides to let bygones be bygones for the betterment of the group he knows his son Kip isn’t a normal 12 year old due to the outrageous abuse he suffered before going into foster care but because he and Annie love him he would expect his friends to do the same. 17-year-old Scarlet isn’t happy she stuck in the middle of nowhere with no cell service and despite trying to flirt with Josh she found no takers that didn’t stop her from getting drunk and waking up with a hangover. After breakfast all the women except for Tonya and Scarlet goat to the farm house to drink wine and make dessert while all of the men were supposed to tend to the children. It isn’t long before Phoebe interrupts her dad Dominic who was in the middle of asking Jim about the $50,000 loan that Jim’s wife knows nothing about she wants to know if she can go with all the kids to play on kips tree swing. Dom knows Tonya would never let her go but he employs Felix and river to look after her and allows her to leave the campground to go to the tree swing, After all Tonya and Scarlet went to town to go shopping. When he resumes his conversation with Jim, Jim insinuates he knows something that Dom may not want Tonya to know about and essentially blackmails Dom into letting talk about the loan go. It Has to do with Keira‘s birthday party and when Dom repeats what Jim said he didn’t know Kira‘s boyfriend Fred was standing right behind him. It isn’t long before the weather turns stormy and when the kids return they’re not all together it seems Kip and Phoebe are missing. They do a quick search but can’t find them anywhere and when Tonya returns from town she is devastated to learn not only is Phoebe missing but she was with Kip but right when they’re about to call the local police they see movement in the distance. Unfortunately it is only chip returning with Phoebe‘s brown bear under his shirt and blood on his hands once again Dom physically attacks the boy and causes him anxiety and spontaneous mutation it’s so chip cannot tell them where she is. OK I’m going to stop this long with you and say this was a great awesome phenomenal book and although there were a few times I thought certain things could’ve been prevented overall it was an awesome read if I could’ve given it 4.5 I would have there were a few things like when Scarlet thought Fred was a pedo prestige ring at her and her G string bikini yet she thought it was A-OK to take secret photos of Josh but that really was a double standard and a minor point and not important to the story it just irritated me the double standard between the genders. I really enjoyed Hannah Rachel pointed out how Tonya felt like an outsider yet never wanted to go with the flow and even through the narrative you could feel her well with me mentality totally didn’t like her but I did feel bad for her this book is toll to multiple POV‘s and multiple timelines but it wasn’t hard to keep it straight I found this book so interesting and I didn’t want to put it down this is a book you will forgo chores just to get to the next chapter it really is a great read and one I highly recommend. Once again I don’t think I would call Beth a lot room mystery especially when they’re at a campground with multiple public walkways and beaches surrounding them but either way I get the point and totally love that no matter what you call it. I want to thank atria books and NetGalley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review sorry for making it so long.

The Search Party was fine. A bunch of college classmates stay in touch for years. They decide to all go "glamping" with their families. Some people are not so happy to go, but they all go. Things go terribly wrong and the reader is left to slowly relive the previous days. There were a lot of characters and sometimes they were not different enough to tell the difference. While I should have been engrossed in the plot, the constant changing of POV without a really clear view of each of the characters kept that from happening.

The Search Party has all my favorite things - a locked-room vibe, a horrible storm, no access to outside help, and everyone keeping secrets. The pacing really worked for me. While there aren't constant twists and reveals, they're interspersed throughout in a way that totally captured my attention and kept me reading past my bedtime. With a few artfully-placed red herrings, I thought I had the true villain figured out, but I was wrong, and I loved it!

4.5 stars rounded up!

This book was so good! It started with a twist and then some slow buildup of laying out the characters. But then comes the drama and all the twists! I enjoyed the style of writing and the going back and forth between timelines and POVs. It was an all around good thriller that I will be recommending!

I loved this book. It wasn’t what I was expecting at all, and I loved it even more for that. When I saw the premise of a bunch of old college buddies reuniting, I thought I had it all figured out from the get go, and boy was I wrong. Add in children, and a storm, and old drama and conflict, and you have yourself this thrilling new novel by @hannahrichell !

4.5 rounded up to 5!

I chose this book because the premise reminded me of the movie “The Big Chill,” in which a group of college friends gather for a reunion. The Search Party filled the bill and added tense and dramatic scenes. Every character has secrets, and each one is exposed when events turned deadly.

The setting is a weekend glamping trip, and the couples bring their children along. A terrible storm rolls in, and the drama heightens. This story is a thriller that digs deep into the complex bonds that exist among these friends, their spouses, their exes, and their children. The tension is palpable, heightened by ages-old resentments and false expectations.

The author reveals the mystery through multiple points of view and police interrogation narratives. The writing is tight and descriptive. This book has it all: family drama, deception, lies, infidelity, relationship issues, parenthood, revenge, unbridled anger, and murder.

Read this one with the lights on.

Wow. So, plot wise, this is fine. It’s not groundbreaking and I called the entire mystery and series of twists like 25% of the way in. (To be fair, I read a ton of books like this so it’s very hard for me to be surprised.) And in the first half, some of the characters whose narration/POV we follow are unbearably awful.

HOWEVER, at the conclusion, this is just exceptionally well done. The writing is solid, the characters are a bit archetypal but work, and the pacing is spot on. You have two timelines, which I know a lot of people don’t like, but it’s done so well. At one point, I found myself thinking, “yes, this is how you pull two timelines together without being info dumpy or jarring.”

The biggest thing about this that sets it apart, though, is the heart. It had a lot of opportunity to stray into melodrama or to go silly. And normally, I do not care at all about feelings about parenting and family. But I found myself truly empathizing with the characters here (except one, but he’s just too much for me - and he still felt very authentic).

And as much as I enjoyed all that and this read quickly, I was still leaning toward a soft 5 (more of a 4.5) but the ending made it a solid 5. So many authors introduce kids with issues and trauma plot points to make their mystery/thriller work, but the vast majority feel extremely exploitative and, to be blunt, ignorant. The way this book addressed trauma was very real. And the ending, while maybe a bit more happy than I usually like, was such a good way to comment on trauma without making it easy to resolve.

This was excellent and, yes, when it comes to books dealing with any kind of trauma plot, I can swing very strongly one way or another. So that may have been part of my sheer satisfaction here (especially given I’ve read a handful recently that were appalling bad at handing the topic). But either way, I’m going to look for more by this author and I was very satisfied by this book.

Note, though: there’s no actual search party. The searching is done off-camera between the timelines so the title is weird.

This just wasn't for me. I couldn't get lost in it, although I tried.
I just didn't feel it. It is interesting and I love the setting though.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a book! This had me hooked from the start. The intrigue of the events and how we got there had me interested in seeing how everything played out. This was my first book by this author and I would definitely be interested in checking out future books or backlist books. I personally really enjoy the dual timeline books. The cast of characters had me a little overwhelmed at first with who was who, but the reference in the beginning of the book was helpful. There were certainly some unlikeable characters, but I will say some of the characters were not very fleshed out and surface level.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC!

This was an atmospheric, vacation thriller that grabbed my attention from the first chapter. The windswept remote Cornwall setting and the characters' inability to reach out the outside world really amped up the tension. I liked the multiple POV setup and the way it made me doubt who the killer actually could be. I did not see the twist or killer coming and it was definitely unexpected. I will say that I felt the killer's motive to be a bit tenuous as part of the overall plot. This was a good thriller overall and I will pick up another book by Hannah Richell in the future. A good quick read.

I read this book in 24 hours; that’s how good it is!

I really enjoyed the multiple POVs and the fact that the children play an equal, if not bigger, role than the adults in the plot development. The dual timelines give us a better understanding of the events leading up to present day, even though they led me to the wrong suspect! It was infuriating at times when characters were referred to only by pronouns, and so obviously, I didn’t know who specifically was being talked about, but that’s exactly what helps build the suspense and allows for some major plot twists!

This book addresses the impact of bullying, childhood trauma and suicide, so please check the trigger warnings before reading. Bravo to Richell for handling these heavy topics in such a sensitive manner.

One of my favourite things about this book is the exploration of the bond between parents and their children, as well as that between children themselves.

Title: The Search Party
Author: Hannah Richell
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: January 16, 2024



Max and Annie Kingsley with their twelve year old son Kip, left their hectic yet plush lives in London to move out in the wild countryside to open a glamping business while also wanting to secure a more safer environment for their son who was not thriving in their old life due to many PTSD issues from his old life before Max and Annie.

The Kingsley's want to make a trial run of their business so they invited three close old university friends with their families on a three day reunion to catch up on all their lives since they only see each other once a year if they're lucky.

No one could have predicted the internal fires of resentment and chaos of unexpected and unexpressed feelings that had been buried throughout the years would now be simmering then boiling over into the tranquil environment with a couple of missing children where the adults hadn't noticed until it was too late. When a merciless brutal storm beats down on the families with downed wires and no connections to the outside world and now a couple of adults are missing as well. The chances for everyone to survive is lessened by the hour as the once close friends point fingers of blame with their anger while the friendships deteriorate rapidly where they have become adversaries which will have dire consequences for every person who came to have a relaxing "glamping" trip in the peaceful countryside which is no more than a bitter end to twenty year friendships.

This was a wonderful read for myself filled with so much anxiety, secrets, big egoes, jealousy, hidden insecurities, catty spouses along with a few unhappy children who didn't want to be part of this glamping reunion. The writing and editing were very well done which made the book an exciting pleasure to read. The pacing of the book starts slow and easy and then just continues to build with a frenzy of emotion spilling forth from all of the characters which I loved. All the characters were interesting and well-written where I cared about what would happen to all of these flawed humans among the chaos of the relentless storm and tempers tumbling out of control. The book's suspense truly lived up to the climax which left every family affected in ways that were unpredictable in so many ways.

This was my first book by Hannah Richelle and I will definitely be looking for more of her works in the future.


I want to thank the publisher "Atria Books" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this novel and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I highly recommend this novel and have given a rating of 4 1/2 UNRELENTING AND DRAMATIC 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌠 STARS!!

The first thing I thought after finishing this was: I feel like I have read this before 🤔 and that’s probably because I basically have. A college friend group reunion thriller taking place in a remote location during a storm… THE GUEST LIST (and many other similar thrillers) anyone?

BUT I will say still enjoyed listening to this one despite some of the cliches and tired themes. You might also enjoy if you like:
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦family/friend group drama
✌🏻multiple POV
🔦missing person investigation
⛈”locked room” mystery
🌊remote atmospheric location

See, this is why even glamping doesn’t work for me! Ya girl needs some luxury (and a wifi connection!) to feel safe. The prologue will really hook you and I read this one pretty quickly. The atmosphere was moody and I love when a book has a map! I enjoyed the mix of weekend POV with the police involvement as it kept the suspense high. I was really enjoying this one but guessed the ending pretty early on which then was a bit disappointing as I got to the end.

Thank you Atria for the review copy of The Search Party, this is a great read for a snowy (or for me rainy/icy and cold) weekend. I love a locked room theme and the glamping setting in Cornwall was great too, though the setting was underused as at times a story like this should make the setting almost like a character in the book. I at times found the multiple POVs a little distracting, it slowed the pace down= and muddied the plot progression a bit, but that is often the case for me with multiple POVs. The book didn't for me quite hold up the promise of the beginning, likely because the different timelines/POVs never quite let me get into the pace of the book, kept me from feeling connected to the plot and characters.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria books for this ARC.

A very dark, intense, and twisted book about college friends who meet for a glamping trip with their families, but every thing does not go as planned due to a change in weather that changes every thing. The story seems simple, but it is a big maze with many dead ends. Everyone is spilling the tea about their partners and their kids! All the secrets are exposed and everyone’s truest form is out in the open. Jealousy and betrayal, no one can be trusted.

I enjoyed Kip’s story as I thought this was a unique aspect that added a mysterious component to this thriller as well as providing a parental point of view of adopting a child who has trauma from the past. We also go through the typical teenage drama and emotions with Scarlet and how difficult it is to bond with/understand your child during that age.

There were some points where it was hard to keep up with the multiple characters, but the ending was well written from Annie’s point of view to wrap up the book!

This is way out there but I wished all the NetGalley titles had the Read an Excerpt.
After reading the excerpt I knew I had to finish this intriguing story and it didn’t disappoint.

The Search Party by Hannah Richell is a suspenseful and taut page-turner that is impossible to put down! Richell captivated me with its twisty premise and left me spellbound by the memory of its flawed but richly-drawn characters. She painted a very vivid picture. And the characters were captivating and drew me in.
A atmospheric destination thriller that kept me entertained and eager to flip those kindle pages.

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