The Garden Party" by Wendy Clarke is an enthralling thriller that captivates from the very first page. Set in a picturesque neighborhood where the facade of happiness hides dark secrets, Clarke weaves a tale of suspense and intrigue that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.

The story follows a couple, newly settled into their idyllic new home, surrounded by seemingly friendly neighbors. But as the protagonist delves deeper into the lives of those around her, she uncovers layers of deception and danger lurking beneath the surface. From neglected children to whispered gossip, the tension builds with each turn of the page.

What sets "The Garden Party" apart is Clarke's skillful characterization and atmospheric storytelling. The protagonist's struggle to reconcile her past with her desire for a fresh start is both relatable and compelling, adding depth to the narrative. As the secrets unravel and tensions rise, readers are kept guessing until the very end.

I found this book a bit unrealistic and far-fetched with one-dimensional, largely unlikeable characters. I did finish it but I can't say I enjoyed it. The lead character seems to leap to conclusions and to take action for the flimsiest of reasons which made her a quite.unsympathetic character and it is difficult to understand why she is with her husband at all, particularly in light of some of the things.he does. That was implausible to me and made her seem really wet. Motivations are, to a certain extent, explained towards the end of the book but I was quite pleased to finish it. 3 stars because I did!

This psychological thriller follows a young couple in a new community marked by a tragic incident involving a little girl.

The writing gradually reveals the plot, maintaining reader intrigue. The narrative cleverly shifts between the protagonist's perspective and a third-person view, exploring psychological themes like loss, depression, reality perception, and self-justification.

Really enjoyed reading this! Thanks Netgalley and publisher for allowing me to receive the ARC

I must admit this was the first book I’ve read by Wendy Clarke and I really enjoyed her writing style.

Rachel and Owen have hit a rough patch in their marriage & moving to a new neighborhood seems to be the band-aid they need to move forward with their relationship. As the story begins to unfold we find out why they chose to move to Pond Close and had me questioning as to why Rachel continues to stay with Owen.

I loved this emotional page turner that is told from POV of both husband and wife. It was twisty, face paced and captivated me right from the first chapter. The author does a really good job of connecting with the reader on topics of depression, loss and manipulation. If you are looking for a quick thriller that leaves you guessing, this is the one for you!

Thank you to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 Stars

Rachel and Owen move into the Pond Close after Owen's latest book release doesn't go as planned and they're forced to move into a home they can afford. Both have their reasons for needing a fresh start and the hope is that this new home will have it. But the neighbors also have secrets of their own and the death of a child that used to live in their house becomes something that Rachel needs to know the truth about and her husband would like to ignore.

Rachel is hoping that this new home will bring a fresh start that is desperately needed to their marriage and would love to make new friends with the neighbors. Owen wants his wife to be happy and his next book to be a success that brings him back to the bestselling authors' list. But also why doesn't he want his wife to have friends or a job and only seems to want her to only take care of him? He has secrets but is a closed door to his wife, never letting her in, but also never wanting her to leave him. We got to see the story from both Rachel and Owen's perspectives adding another layer to the mystery of which view the reader should believe.

This book had a way of striking my curiosity but at the same time pushing my buttons. I found myself sympathizing with Rachel one minute and then the next wanting to shake her to trust her inner voice and to stop second guessing herself. Then I would get to the end of a chapter and a new development would appear and I had to continue reading to learn more.

There were numerous secrets and many unanswered questions I had, but in a very satisfying way all were answered in a beautiful package at the end of the book. Although the beginning part of the book may seem frustrating and create more mysteries than resolutions, I would recommend to keep reading.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

Are you ready for a party in the garden ? You know how it is when you are new in the community so you hurry up to meet all new possible friends but also potential enemies . In this case , all families look the same happy from outside but with different misery from inside … some are good wives , some are bad mothers … some have secrets , others have more secret … don’t miss a page ! I tell you !

2.5 rounded up to 3. This was a domestic thriller by Wendy Clarke. She has been a hit or miss with me. This one was a miss. Rachel and Owen move into their new home on Pond Close, a cul de sac of 8 homes. He is a writer who is stuck in writer's block and Rachel starts looking for a job. Owen thinks moving back closer to the place where he grew up will help with his writer's block. I'm not sure how, but that's the story. A party is thrown for them by the neighbors to welcome them to the neighborhood and Rachel has hope that her secrets and past can be put to rest and she and her husband will be happy there. Their relationship is strained already and doesn't seem to be getting better.

I love Ms. Clarke's writing style. It's smooth and flows nicely. The book is told from both Rachel and Owen's POV and goes back and forth between them both. I found it to be a very slow burn. although things were happening, I felt as though it was just more and more of the same thing over and over. What really brought down the stars for me was the ending. It was this huge Scooby Doo type plot twister that left me re-reading to make sure I understood what was happening. It was ridiculously far fetched and just weird.

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for the ARC. I greatly appreciate it. I do recommend this book. It does get good reviews, but just wasn't for me.

Absolutely loved this psychological thriller about a young couple who move into a new housing community where the tragic loss of a little girl took place, and no one seems to want to talk about it. The writing was superb, untangling the plot little by little, keeping the reader intrigued and wanting to go back for more. I also liked how the narration jumps from the personal perspective of what the protagonist is thinking and experiencing to the POV of another key character written in third person, which presents a level of distance and otherness that was very clever in the writing style. The psychological themes such as loss, depression, perception of reality, manipulation, ways in which we try to justify to ourselves any dubious actions, were well covered. Overall a great read!

2.5 rounded up. This book starts off strong and while there is a lull in the middle there are a few twists I certainly did not see coming! In fact, one made my jaw drop!

Where I struggled with this book was the weak female character, Rachel. Personally, I don’t enjoy that take on the main female role. Someone who blindly follows her husband, never speaks up just to ‘keep the peace’. This was a distraction for me which took away from enjoying it more

If you love neighborhood drama, this is worth a read! Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this early

I really enjoyed the pacing of this novel. It felt all enveloping from the first chapter. I did really enjoy the question around who the most unreliable narrator is and must admit I was quite shocked to find out it was Owen. Rachel's delusional thinking regarding Philippa really convinced me it was her who has some serious mental health issues that need addressing, but I guess both can be true right? I feel that the book could have benefited from some more breadcrumbing regarding the Owen/James identity twist, perhaps some more descriptive language around how they look at the start of the book and slowly revealing more so that readers can adjust quickly to the twist. All in all, a really enjoyable read! I'd definitely recommend to readers who enjoy a good psychological thriller.

I have posted a spoiler free review on my Instagram and on Goodreads.

This book definitely kept me guessing with me not knowing who to trust, good domestic thriller that kept me hooked.

The Garden Party
I loved this book- I am a sucker for a good domestic thriller and this was it!
The characters are people you’re never quite sure of- do I like them or not? It kept me guessing the entire time. A fast read- I was done in less than one day and enjoyed every minute of the story!

The residents of Pond Close throw a party to welcome newcomers Owen and Rachel. Owen is a successful thriller writer but he last book did not sell well and they are downsizing. Besides moving to a new house means a new start and a chance for Rachel to leave behind some baggage from her old neighbourhood. However, as the pair of them get drawn into the life of the close residents all sorts of problems raise their heads and the past comes back to haunt them...
A twisty plot and excellent writing which makes this book a smooth read. The story makes you question what you know and what you believe. The characters are all quite strong and not particularly likeable and I certainly questioned Rachel's decision to stick with Owen more than once, but the slickness of the writing made the book such an effortless read, I found I'd almost finished the book before I rationally questioned this.
With thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for an excellent read.

This was a real slow burner but utterly addictive. I thought that The Garden Party was going to go in a particular direction when in actual fact it ended up being something so much different. Full of hints that something is not quite right about number 2, not just then but now too. And when history starts to repeat itself you see things really start to fall apart.

Rachel is a great character, though frustrating at times. But what was really nice about The Garden Party were the little insights from Owen from time to time. I also really liked that the timeline stayed in the present with the back story coming to light through dialogue and character reflection. It felt like a nice change after ready so many books that jump between the past and present. By allowing the timeline to stay constant, meant that you really got to know the characters and who they are today.

The Garden Party is a great read with a good storyline and characters that you can really get behind.

The premise of a neighborhood full of secrets led me to requesting this book.

From the beginning, there was an ominous feel as opposed to the gossipy cul-de-sac story I was thinking it would be. Which was welcome as I love thrillers too!

A neighborhood history to be uncovered intrigued me enough to finish this before I was ready.

This felt like a shorter book even though it’s of average length at 341 pages. Not normally a fast reader, I kept returning to the story when I had to put it down and was done quickly. Not that I’m complaining as I’m not a fan of long and drawn out.

I really liked the writing and flow of the story. The two unreliable main characters had me wondering who’s view was correct as both of them were shrouded in mystery as well as some of their neighbors.

Were they likable? Not really. I didn’t feel much for either one and I’m not sure if it was a deliberate attempt by the author to keep us from taking sides or just me feeling distant.

All in all, I love a good mystery and this fits the bill.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy..

Rachel and Owen move to a house in Pond Close. Owen is an author whose second book bombed, and he is struggling to write another bestseller.
Rachel is lonely, and wants to socialize with the neighbours, but Owen is not keen.

Written in multiple POV's, the story is not at all fast paced, but it is suspenseful. There are red herrings and a few twists.
Rachel seems to be quite naive, and doesn't seem to know her husband at all, despite being together for a few years.

All in all, this is an interesting psychological thriller with twists I never expected.

3.5/5 stars from me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this book.

First of all, Wendy Clarke has very smooth-flowing writing, which I really appreciate. I'm always looking for that skill in a writer. I hate it when authors stall the story endlessly and dump the goodies only in the last chapters.
This thriller is simply INCREDIBLE! The more you dive into the characters minds and the events unfold, the more invested you become in knowing the truth. I was blindsided by the final twists, although like I said the story is interesting throughout. When I'd reached the end of the story, I could have read about these characters for another 10 chapters, just go about their lives.

It's a wonderful thriller that excites you but also has a dark feeling due to its depiction of heartbreak and rejection.

The Garden Party by W. Clarke, published by Bookouture is a full length stand alone.

A crime thriller that packs a punch, is suspenseful, nailbiting,literally unputdownable to read.

A complicated, complex story, a nailbiting read, a slow burn and full of twists and turns that had me guessing til the last page.

This book was very interesting with a lot of twists and turns. My least favorite character turned into my favorite character by the end of the book, which was Rachel. I also really liked Simone as she was a good friend to Rachel. This book made me feel angry with some of the characters choices as well as happy for how everything turned out in the end. This is a shocking thriller and I will love to read more of Wendy Clarke’s work.

I couldn’t wait to get stuck into the latest psychological thriller from one of my favourite authors and it certainly didn’t disappoint and once I had turned the first page I could not put it down and read in practically one sitting.

This story makes you question do you really know anyone that well and can you really trust anyone.

Lots of twists
And turns and was an engaging read from start to finish. I can’t wait to see what this author comes up with next.