Literally EVERY character has a secret in this domestic thriller with WAY too many characters! I'm surprised the toddlers didn't have secrets! With four generations of characters, two timelines, and a podcast, this was a mind-bending amount of suspects, twists, and turns. I liked the Australian setting in the 1970s for the dinner party in a quiet neighborhood, but there was too much going on in this mystery to keep everything straight. I was surprised by some twists, completely predicted others, but in the end, I still had questions about some of the story lines. The podcast angle will draw true crime fans, and the mystery is compelling, but not my favorite.

So The Dinner Party was really a game of two halves for me. The first 60% was a real slow burn and several times I'd thought about putting it down, but I am glad that I was able to stick with it. Was it the kind of story that your tea went cold, the chores went undone and your eyes got tired from reading because you couldn't leave it alone...No, it wasn't.

Podcasts as a plot device have become exceedingly popular in thrillers in recent years and it's an element that I enjoy immensely. The Dinner Party was no exception and it allowed the reader to get all the back story without great big chunks of repeating of information. It was fun, and brought another element of tension to the story.

Missing babies/children is such an emotive topic. The ones that are left behind have the difficult waters of real life to tread. Just how do you move on when that child has left a big gaping hole that somehow you have to bridge. Mothers, aunts, uncles and grandparents have to find someway to keep the public's mind constantly on developments. You only have to look at the Madeline McCann disappearance to see that happen in real time.

So when Donna Novak turns up at Amanda Callaghan's door on the anniversary of baby Megan's disappearance everyone's sceptical, including Billie, who has witnessed her mum get her hopes up, time and time again. She only wants to protect her mum. I do think the character of Amanda was so bloody sad. She is so obsessed with finding her lost sister that she allows Donna to push her daughter away, for her relationship with Billie and her sister Eve's father to fall apart all because she couldn't let go.

The writing style was excellent and once we got to around the 60% mark, everything began to speed up like an oncoming train. The twists were revealed, secrets unleashed and I really enjoyed how the story came full circle.

The Dinner Party is the kind of suspense- thrillers that I usually gravitate, more specifically if the characters are neighbors that think they can trust each other. The gossip, the secrets, the betrayals and the uncertainty all together is a good mix for a perfect suspense thrillers.
Unfortunately despite having all these factors, the plot was just way to slow burn that it was boring and a struggle to finish.

Rebecca Heath has officially become an "auto-read" author for me! The Dinner Party was the second book of hers that I read, and I loved it. This is a great thriller/mystery for readers who like the podcast element in stories, and I really enjoyed the ending. It was definitely a slow-build until the very end, but that definitely seemed to make the story more climatic. I really enjoyed the characters, especially Billie, though Amanda did frustrate me at times (but not enough to distract from the story). Overall, this was a very entertaining and enjoyable book!

It was hard to keep up with all the information surrounding multiple characters. Typically, it’s not an issue but it was in this one.
The mystery was there and it was an easy enough read. I would certainly read past and future books by this author.

This was so freaking good!!! I loved how it was written and the podcast aspect. Kept me hooked and looking forward to reading more.

Amazing book!
I was thoroughly engaged throughout this book and I didn't want to put it down! The author captured my attention from the get go! Five stars from me :)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It's an easy read with plenty of action throughout. The book reads a lot like a true crime docuseries, which I absolutely loved. Almost every chapter leaves you hanging just a little, teasing new information that's just a few more pages out of reach.

The three perspectives for telling the story (current events, past events, and the podcast) were all really interesting and added a fun bit of flair to the story. I'd definitely recommend it and read other books by this author in the future!

I love books set in the 70,80,90's so I was instantly attracted to it. But there was way too many characters so I found that I lost concentration. I did predict the twist as well.

I liked this book for the most part. I did really like the podcast element that was added in as it gave this a genuine true crime feel. It was an effective way to get additional details out without being too exposition-y. I felt like there was nothing really shocking to the story/plot that made the book stand out for me, but it still kept my attention for the most part.

#TheDinnerParty #NetGalley
Summer 1979. In the idyllic suburban neighbourhood of Ridgefield, during a scorching heat wave, four couples gather for their weekly dinner party. When Frank Callaghan checks on the sleeping children, he finds an empty crib where his four-month-old daughter Megan should be sleeping. The party-goers swear they didn’t see anything but each of them has something to hide. Forty years later, a stranger knocks at the Callaghan’s door claiming to be Megan. The family are sceptical until they see what she is holding – the blanket she was wrapped in the night she disappeared.
Where has Megan been all this time? And how well do you really know your neighbours?
Thanks to NetGalley and Aria & Aries Head Of Zeus for giving me an advance copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. The Dinner Party's premise is the mysterious disappearance of an infant. While at a dinner party with local neighbours, baby Megan Callaghan is abducted and the case was never solved. There was a true crime podcast created about the disappearance and the family is still trying to find the truth after all of these years. They also hold an annual dinner on the anniversary date of the abduction, as a way to remember baby Megan. At one of these anniversary dinners, a woman suddenly shows up at Amanda Callaghan's (the sister of Megan) claiming to be the missing baby and the family is grappling with their need to not get their hopes up and to also figure out if this stranger really could be the long, lost baby Megan. They set out to find out the truth about this woman, where she's been and what happened all those years ago.

I liked this book for the most part. I did really like the podcast element that was added in as it gave this a genuine true crime feel. It was an effective way to get additional details out without being too explanatory. I felt like there was nothing really shocking to the story/plot that made the book stand out for me, but it still kept my attention for the most part.
I also found that there were a lot of characters to keep track of and with the different timelines it was hard to keep things straight sometimes.
Overall, it was a decent thriller.

This was a slow-burn book that was a heavily character-driven domestic thriller. Underwhelming twist. Just overall okay

A good story with some decent twists and turns that left me guessing at many points

However I did find the story dragged just slightly

Check warnings if you’re sensitive to child abduction.
The book moves between a podcast which tells you about the original abduction and what happens and the modern day when the missing ‘Megan’ turns up on the doorstep.
It’s a really fun read which keeps you on your toes throughout!

I loved how this author went back and forth from different times and e wry time I thought I knew what was happening I was wrong. My favorite type of book is when I am completely wrong in what I think will happen and the ending twists shock me. That happened with this book and it was a great read

this book was very well written albeit predictable. despite this i still enjoyed reading it and seeing how everything unravelled.

3.5 stars

This book is the first I’ve read by this author. I have since found out she had a debut novel, The Summer Party, before this one. I will definitely be adding it to my list.

This story takes place in 1979, when a dinner party takes place in a seemingly safe middle class neighborhood. A baby, Megan Callaghan, disappears from her crib when she was 4 months old, while her parents were at the dinner party.

The book alternates between that night, in 1979, to present day Billie (the daughter of Megan’s sister Amanda. Amanda was also home alone, at age 10 years, with Megan the night she disappeared) and a current day podcast, The Callaghan Baby Podcast, that is trying to get to the bottom of this mystery.

Megan’s sister, Amanda, has devoted her life to trying to find Megan. She has also set up a Foundation to help other families try to find their missing loved ones. Amanda has no memory of that night, and has tried countless techniques to try and recall her memory. All unsuccessful.

On the 40th anniversary of Megan’s disappearance, a woman comes to the door claiming to be the long lost sister. Although the ending was somewhat predictable- how you get to the ending definitely was not.

Several “players” were introduced and doubt was cast on several. This was a slow burn thriller with many characters. I really enjoyed the main character (Billie) and was rooting for her the whole time. The 70’s time period was fun and unique to read about, this was definitely not a common storyline.

Thank you Rebecca Heath, NetGalley, and Aria & Aries Publishing for this e-book ARC.

For more of Angie and Lauren's book reviews, please follow us on IG: @BluejackBookGirls

Thanks to NetGalley and Aria and Aries for the chance to read this book.

This book is such a gripping page turner! All of the story elements work together, and the secondary characters and their personal dramas enhance the book. There is a lot going on throughout the book, but it moves at a great pace without feeling rushed. Rebecca Heath seems to have a definite knack for writing a great domestic thriller!

This is not a genre of book I tend to reach towards. However I really enjoyed this book.
Fast paced so I wasnt easily bored. It kept my interest right till the very end.

I will be keeping an eye out for other books by this author.
Thank you!