Thanks netgalley for thus very good book I enjoyed it.
It’s 1979 and four families regularly get together for dinner parties, nothing ever happens in the quiet road they all live in, it’s safe and no one ever locks their doors.
All the families had children and every hour someone went to make sure all the children were safe and asleep.
Everyone had been drinking but that never made them miss looking at the children.

Until someone went to check on Carole’s children and the baby Megan was missing.
From then on secrets and accusations went public and relationships were never the same

lovedddd the mixed media aspect here - the little podcast transcripts were a really engaging way to communicate info, especially considering this is quite slow paced which i usually don’t enjoy as much. story wise i found it predictable and OTT at times but overall enjoyed it !! read it curled up in front of the fire over christmas which felt like the perfect way to experience it.

interested to read more from this author.

Unfortunately I DNF'ed this book. I just was not into it. Starter very slow and boring and I just couldn't get myself to pick it up and read it more. Not what I expected from a thriller.

Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was the best book to end 2023 with!
It was a compelling thriller that had so many twists and turns.
It took place in the present day but had snippets of a podcast to describe what happened in 1979 to lead up to present day.
I couldn't put this down. I had to find out what happened to baby Meghan.
There were so many possibilities as to who could have taken her and so many lies to hide what really happened. I had so many theories. Throughout the book, as more characters were examined, it became obvious where it was headed but I still wanted to see what the fallout would be.
I didn't really like that we didn't get to see the full scope of the fall out or who Zach really was and what his role might have been.
I really related to the main character, Billie. She was a new mom, like me, so it was really easy to follow along with her day to day life. She was most definitely my favourite character. I loved that she finally found her strength and freedom at the end.
It was interesting that in the end, even though the truth was out there, Amanda Callaghan didn't change. I thought that made it a bittersweet ending.
I would definitely reccomend this!

I received a digital ARC from Aria & Aries, Head of Zeus via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The short, fast-paced chapters, and the alternating podcast chapters kept my interest. This is a story about what keeping secrets, and media attention can do to a community. I look forward to reading more from Rebecca Heath.

What really happened that night, all those years ago, when baby Megan disappeared from her crib, never to be seen again?

A mystery within a mystery, The Dinner Party is a well written story that will keep you guessing until the end. Four stars!

So there’s a fine line with mystery-thrillers: too few subplots and secrets and characters, and you get a pretty bland mystery that’s fairly obvious early on; however, with two many secrets and subplots and characters, you get either a convoluted mess or melodrama (or sometimes both).

This wasn’t long as in page numbers but seemed to take forever to read. There was too much happening and, honestly, the stuff outside the 1970s still felt like it was in the 1970s given how over the top it was. It felt very tv movie soap opera.

I can’t not know an ending, so I kept going. And the heart of the story had a lot of meat that could have been compelling. But some of the subplots were ridiculous or unnecessary, the structure was a mess, and the men… I’m a feminist who loves women sticking it to crappy men as much as the next woman but the men here are just the worst of the gender. There wasn’t one guy who was redeemable. These weren’t minor mistakes they made; every character (not just the men) was portrayed as either corrupt as hell, an addict, or dumb as a rock.

Also, it’s just kind of hinted at that a guy is a rapist and raped teenage girls and it’s brushed aside as if it’s irrelevant. Why aren’t the cops arresting him?! “It was a different time?” No. He raped children.

I don’t know what kinds of things go on in Australia but I have to imagine raping kids and keeping secrets that involve missing and/or dead babies aren’t just things you brush aside unless someone needs podcast content. And then the gross guy hitting on every woman or poor people or some guys smoking weed are basically treated as equal to a man literally having sex with children. WTF?!

Anyway, I read it because I wanted to know the ending but I’m realizing how upset it made me. Thanks for the ARC.

DNF @ 25% - I really loved the premise of this one, but sadly it wasn’t like it at all. I found myself completely zoning out during chapters and just skipping to the dialogue (which there was certainly not enough of). I haven’t read rebecca’s other books so it could be me just not being a fan of her writing style. however, the interesting premise didn’t set up for a plot twisty worthy conclusion.

This is pretty good but it reads like it was meant to be an audiobook. When it comes out on audiobook I will have to give it a listen. Stories about podcasts don't seem to do it for me as well as audiobooks about podcasts.
That said - leaving your kids alone was very normal in the 70s and 80s. And usually it was fine. At the very least I think moms were less stressed and happier in those days. Now we are connected to our kids 24/7 from birth to age 25 and I don't think it has been good for the kids either.
Anyway baby Megan goes missing and it has now been 40 years since that day. There is a podcast investigating the disappearance and now another woman is claiming to be Megan. I don't get why they aren't all on one of those DNA websites.
This is great though! I love the different perspectives and the alternate timelines.

Neighborhood couples get together for a dinner party in the late 70s. They put their kids to bed, and party at one house. Two of the dads do regular checks on the kids every couple of hours. On their last check, baby Megan is missing. This becomes known as the dinner party from hell in the news. Fast forward 40 years later and a woman shows up claiming to be Megan. Is she really? Where has she been? Why is she back?

I really enjoyed this author’s writing style. It was an easy read that had me flipping pages. I enjoyed the twists throughout and felt it was evenly paced. I had to know if the woman was really Megan! I am a sucker for family drama! My favorite parts were the true crime podcast episodes that are becoming more of a norm in books these days. I also loved the flashbacks to the party. The characters and their actions were realistic throughout. I really enjoyed this one!

Set in a December heatwave in Australia, The Dinner Party is a thriller that will keep you guessing.
A baby goes missing during a dinner party 1979 and her sister Amanda still hopes to find out what happened. Someone turns up on their doorstep claiming to be Megan but amanda's daughter is suspicious.

A rich cast of characters adds to the sense of tension and confusion and the plots unfolds at a suspenseful pace. A great read!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I kept thinking about it and how I wanted to read it all day during the day. It kept me guessing until roughly the 80% mark and then I guessed part of it. There was a large cast of characters, some that didn’t seem entirely necessary. It was also just a tinyyy bit too slow of a pace for me. Overall I gave this book 4 stars!

40 years ago, during a dinner party, a baby was kidnapped. Megan was never to be seen again. Now in present day, a woman shows up claiming to be Megan. Billie, who would be Megan’s niece, finds the story suspicious and decides to dig for herself.

I liked the podcast chapters throughout but found a lot of the rest to be slow for a thriller/suspense. I also think there were a lot of characters especially early on to keep track of.

I was so excited to be chosen to read this new thriller! Plot sounded great but the sheer number of characters, past and present, different POV’s and throw in a podcast- my head was spinning. I had to keep going back to reread different parts so I could try to follow the story. I still don't feel that I even understand the entire book. I haven’t read the Summer Party yet- hoping that it’s easier to follow. Thank you to NetGalley, Rebecca Heath and Aria and Aries for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!
The synopsis of this book sounds amazing, missing baby from a dinner party, no leads to look at? Overall, this book was a quick read, but I did have a hard time following for some reason. There were plenty of twists along the way, that slowly revealed the true story from years before. This wasn’t my favorite book, but it wasn’t bad either. I would still recommend.

Forty years ago, three couples on a family-oriented cut-de-sac meet up for a dinner party. They each take turns checking in our their children, who are tucked safely in their beds in nearby - or so they think. Because that night, four-month old Megan Callaghan would go missing, disappearing seemingly into thin air. Now, 40 years after what has become known as "the dinner party from hell," a podcast has put a new spotlight on the case and a woman has shown up at Megan's sister Amanda's home claiming to be the missing girl. Amanda, who never got over the loss of her sister, is thrilled, but her daughter, Billie is skeptical. As evidence mounts, can Billie figure out not only the truth about this new woman in the family's life, but what happened all this years ago?

The book is told in several parts: most chapters are told in the present from Billie's POV, but there are also chapters that chronicle the events of the dinner party in 1979, told from multiple POVs, and episodes of the "Baby Megan" podcast shattered throughout.

This book was jack full of suspense. Like, I was seriously drawn in and fully engulfed by the mystery of what was going on. And by that, I mean both the present-day mystery of what was happening with the is-she or isn't-she Megan, and the mystery of what happened by in 1979 a the dinner party. Both were really well written and made me really want to know how they turned out. There were so many twists and turns.

I liked the format where the transcripts of the episodes of the podcasts were interspersed in between some of the chapters, because it gave good background that filled in some of the blank spaces so we didn't have to guess what was going on. And there were some bombshells in those episodes!

This book also was quite an insight into the complex grief that those left behind can go through. Amanda is so consumed by her grief over her lost sister that she can't seem to focus on anything else in her life. I don't want to give anything away, but it's very sad to see.

Anyway, this book was a great read, with two very good mysteries to enjoy. I highly recommend it!

The book starts with The Baby Callahan Podcast and it starts with Ruby the host talking about the impromptu dinner party that happened on Sunday in December in 1979. In this little cul-de-sac called Ridgewood in Australia near Sydney couples love to have weekly dinner parties and show off their new fondue pots their new shag carpeting feather back hairdo or in the case of this impromptu party leather sofas imported from Italy. The party usually happened on Saturday so to have it on a Sunday was out of the ordinary and only four couples attended one of them being the Callahans who had 10-year-old Amanda and little Four month old Megan before the night is over however they’re left with 10 year old Amanda who suffering from shock and has no memory of what happened to baby Megan in the next chapter we meet the family Billy sister Emma and mom Amanda it seems grandmother Carol is dead and Frank who they call Pops is in hospice and has dementia but on this night they’re celebrating the disappearance of baby Megan(something I found so weird but I notice in a lot of books they tend to celebrate tragedies.) even down to the apricot chicken that Carol cooked for the impromptu dinner party. Right after they learned that Amanda has made great strides in her therapy and is ready to let go of things she earmarked just for Megan there comes a knock at the door. The woman claims to be baby Megan or at least she pretends she thinks that’s who she is and proceeds to tell them a story that lendS it self to being the truth. Billy is the oldest daughter and a person who hopes for the best but always prepares for the worst and she is optimistic but critical of this newcomer.when she brings out the little yellow baby Callahan blanket Billy is without words and almost succumbed to believe but there is something about this woman that stops her. As the story goes on it seems Billy was right about Megan at least according to her. Billy has a new baby named Lola with husband Nathan who seems to be a dream husband and backs her at every turn when she starts to investigate what she believes to be the truth about Megan she finds evidence but nothing enough to prove her belief slowly but surely “Megan” who’s real name is Donna displaces Billy and her mom Amanda and sister Emma‘s life. As the book goes on the podcast reveals more and more about the story and it will be with the help of the host in childhood friend Ruby and a relative that helps her get to the absolute truth. Is Megan truly there because she wants family or is it something more sinister? This isn’t the best review like always but OMG if this wasn’t the best book. I love the formatting of the book with the podcast the intro songs I thought Rebecca Heath did a fabulous job telling the story I felt so bad for Billy but loved the way these people had real relationships in their interaction with each other love that the author gave them such distinct personalities which I find rare this was just a great book all around a definite five star read. If you love great thrillers with wow type twist then you definitely need to read The Dinner Party by Rebecca Heath I want to thank aria and Aries publishing and net galley for my free Ark copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

This was a very entertaining read which had a wide cast of characters almost all with secrets they believe they have kept hidden! Most of them are pretty much understandable even if you wouldn't behave like that yourself but there were a few who were totally reprehensible and also a few who were just trying to do their best for those they cared for most.
Through the book the secrets come to light and lead you down a path, I had a feeling I knew where this was going to go from just under half way and as I was correct, I deducted a star. I only did this as I like to be surprised with my thrillers and this wasn't so much of a OMG/WOW reveal as an I knew it!
The only thing that boggled my brain for a few chapters was a heatwave in December, then I realised this must be set in Australia or somewhere similar in the southern hemisphere and I felt a little foolish!lol
Overall, it's a great cast of characters, an interesting story and well worth a read if you don't mind mysteries that are easier to piece together.

Thank you to netgalley for an advanced copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

This book is told from two points of view, one in present day by “Billie” and from one night 40 years ago when Billie’s aunt went missing as a 4 month old baby, and her mothers quest to find her missing sister that has gone on for 40 years.

I felt like the parts of the story that were told from “the dinner party” 40 years ago, had way to many characters and read a bit confusing for me. Also, I figured out the “twist” in the story before it was revealed which is always disappointing. This was just an okay read for me.

***** I have received and read an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for giving my honest feedback. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.*****

Great concept and the book delivers nicely on it.

The pace varies from time to time, but once you get used to it, the story really flows.

The podcast aspect helps to gather the story together, but having so many characters as well as the podcast really takes some getting used to.

Overall, it's a 3.5 rounded up to 4.