Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for an early copy of The Surprise Party, this was a weird book with weird characters. The cover was great and the synopsis made me want to read ASAP. It was disappointing, too many unreal situations and the police interrogations were ridiculous. Not one of my favorite books.

So these people are crazy!! i love it. so many twists and turns and a rollercoaster filled with emotions. a definite recommend

thanks bookouture and netgalley. all thoughts are my own!!

"The Surprise Party" made for an engaging read, set against a charming backdrop and brimming with unexpected developments, hidden truths, and deceptions. It kept me riveted from start to finish, making it impossible to put the book down.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

Eve arrives on the Greek Island with her husband to celebrate her 50th Birthday, it also happens to be where they spent their honeymoon. They meet Poppy an A&E Dr in the boat, immediately you’re drawn into how her story ties in with them.
Eves hope is to get their marriage back on track, a quiet holiday to rekindle the romance but unknown to Eve, Will has invited her children, troubled foster child, mother, sister, best friend and her husband. Sounds like a perfect birthday surprise, this is where everything starts to go wrong.
Bodies are found, truths are being hidden but they have a way of coming out.
Some interesting twist and turns, I wasn’t shocked or surprised but really enjoyed the story.
Thank you NetGalley, Julia Crouch and the Bookouture for this ARC, all opinions expressed are my own.

I loved the setting for this and immediately wanted to get on a plane to Greece , however I wouldn't want to deal with what poor Eve did.
Everyone is lying to her and it's really quite sad!
I loved the twists and the ending.
Definitely a recommended read for people.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Set on a sunny Island in Greece , Eve and Will set off to the destination they had their honeymoon 29 years ago , this time they are celebrating Eves 50th birthday. Also holidaying is Poppy, a UK a&e doctor who is travelling alone. It’s clear from the start of the book both Eve and Poppy have secrets they wish to reveal on this trip and this chance encounter gives us opinions of the couple from Poppy and of Poppy from Eve.

Will has surprised Eve inviting her closest family and friends to join them on the island for her celebrations however one person is found murdered the following day. The investigation into the death takes place and secrets are spat out.

I found this quite far fetched, especially the ending, and admit I struggled to finish it, I definitely wasn’t captivated by the read and think it could have been a much shorter book to pack its punch.

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

Based on the novel's description, I was highly anticipating reading The Surprise Party. Unfortunately, the novel didn't meed my expectations. The suspense was barely there, and the plot twists were almost non existant.

The flow of the narrative wasn't close to being exhilarating. And I found the storyline borderline boring. I came pretty close to a DNF, but surprisingly managed to finish the novel.

I didn't care for any of the characters. None of them were noteworthy. Even if they all had their own selfish agendas. And I'm not sure what would have made me like any of them. But I do seem to think that each character could have been fleshed out a tad more since they all seemed to be similar to one another -- nothing distinguished one from the other.

The Surprise Party didn't contain much of a surprise ending as I wasn't stunned at the finale. Two okay stars.

I received a DRC from Bookouture through NetGalley. This review is completely my own and reflects my honest thoughts and opinions.

Thank you Bookouture for a copy on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Be whipped away to an exotic location where secrets, lies and murder are among the every day activities.
The Surprise Party is my first reading time with popular author Julia Crouch and now I’m ready for more.
Eve and her husband Will arrive in Greece to celebrate her 50th birthday.
What she doesn’t know is Will has organised a surprise party.
Friends and family arrive to help with the soirée.
Poppy, a mysterious stranger holidaying joins them but has an agenda.
But before the sun can rise, a murder takes place.
Who is telling the truth….
Who is lying….
And who murdered the victim…..
An enjoyable, tension filled domestic thriller drama with an atmosphere of dark and a twist or two and a very satisfying ending.
Compelling plot, sharp characters and taut setting proving that Julia has what it takes to drag the reader into her story.
Play armchair detective and guess the outcome from your own experience.

An interesting book, lots of twists with this one..
Most definitely a dysfunctional family!

A surprise party in the most idyllic surroundings turns to some deadly surprises !!

This was a good, quick, immersive read for me. The pacing was spot on (a little slower to begin with to make you settle in, then a mid-book build up followed by a flurry of everything else). I found it fairly predictable, but only in the context that the author cleverly sprinkled clues, which is how it should be! Twists should fit not come out of nowhere and even when you know them, you can't make sense of it... (but this wasn't that, so I have gotten sidetracked here).

I didn't love the characters, but I'm okay with that. I didn't need to in this book (I don't like you, but lemme just peer into your messed up lives for my own enjoyment. Please and thank you).

Would recommend if you want a book you can devour, digest, and never need to worry about what becomes of the ones left after the last page.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC. You're doing god's work.

Ps: I hate surprise parties so the title alone gives me shivers 😅

THE SURPRISE PARTY by Julia Crouch was a thrill from start to the very, very end. What a thrilling read!

Eve and Will Rose are on their way to Loutro Harbour, Greece to celebrate Eve‘s 50th birthday. They had their honeymoon on the island 29 years ago when Eve should have confessed a deep secret to Will. With their return, she is hoping to make her revelation and revive her waning marriage. Her plans are thwarted, however, when will has a surprise of his own. He has invited her family and friends to the party and things don’t necessarily turn out well for him either.

Now at the party are Eve and Will’s adult children, Mia, 28 and Arthur, 25. Along for the ride is Jack, a foster kid who was one of Arthur’s friends but of whom he now has serious resentment as he takes so much mothering time from he and his sister. Then we have Jess, her best friend and her husband. Jess is a very recognisable and prominent actress who has recently been receiving anonymous death threats for snubbing a fan.’s adoration. Her mother and sister also around out the invited partygoers. Also on the island is Poppy Demetriou, an A&E Doctor who is nursing a broken heart after catching her boyfriend of seven years and her best friend together. And finally we have to mention Grant Wigley, the creepy guy from the boat, who recognised Jess and seems to be stalking her on the island.

When a body turns up on the beach, suspicions run rampant. Who had a reason to commit a murder right in the middle of a celebratory vacation. Investigators Papadakis and Nellas arrive on the island to investigate and enlist Poppy’s help in their inquiries. Then the unspeakable happens and Eve is left reeling. And she receives unwanted advances from a partygoer. The hits just keep coming for her. Will she survive this trip or will it be the death of her?

This book had me on the edge of my seat. The action kept coming and when I thought I had it all figured out, the final pages blew me away. The writing was clear and concise and had me racing to reach the conclusion. I could feel the breeze blowing and the cold rock of the cliff face and the sand between my toes. I will definitely be looking into more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

It is nearly Eve's birthday and her husband has whisked her away for a holiday on a Greek island. Eve is happy to spend some time alone with Will as she has a confession about her past that she feels compelled to make. But, unknown to Eve, Will has planned a surprise party, and all her friends and relatives are about to arrive to wreck her chances of making her private confession. Will, meanwhile, has his own agenda. As the plot unfurls, we meet the various members of Eve's dysfunctional, selfish and obsessive family and the emotionally fragile young man she has taken in, Jack. Into this weird mix comes Poppy, a young doctor. Poppy quickly becomes friends with Eve and her family and it doesn't take a genius to work out her motive which is telegraphed rather too clearly. After a body is discovered, Poppy is asked to carry out a partial autopsy whilst the police await help from the mainland. I found this aspect of the plot rather implausible. More deaths follow until the story reaches its rather unlikely conclusion. Apart from Eve herself, the vast majority of the characters are really unsympathetic and this made for some uncomfortable moments for me as a reader. nevertheless, this is an easy summer read and fairly enjoyable, providing you are prepared to suspend your disbelief.

All of Julia Crouch's novels are incredibly twisty, but this one beats the lot. The Surprise Party is set on a tiny Greek island where Will, a habitually unfaithful husband, is treating his wife Eve to a luxurious trip in honour of her fiftieth birthday. The holiday will also be a welcome opportunity for the two of them to reconnect and renew their marriage - at least, that's what Eve hopes. But Will has an unwelcome surprise for her up his sleeve. He has secretly invited all of their nearest and dearest to share their seond honeymoon - Eve's mother, her sister, her best friend and her husband, their two adult children and their troubled foster-child, The moment she sees her tribe arriving at the hotel, Eve knows all hope of getting her romantic relationship with Will back on track has vanished. Meanwhile, Eve and Will are being watched by Poppy, a young doctor who is spending her holiday on the island. The novel is narrated from two points of view, Poppy's and Eve's. Poppy, whose mother is Greek, speaks the language fluently. When the dead body of one of the party is found on the beach, Poppy is able to assist the local police with her medical and language skills. From that point on, the lies and secrets the family has been concealing are revealed. When another corpse is found, Poppy believes she knows the whole truth - until Eve learns more than she ever wished to know about her own family. I recommend The Surprise Party to fans of domestic noir and twisty, throught-provoking crime stories.

Secrets and lies- and a 50th birthday party on a Greek island that becomes a murder investigation. Will thought he was doing a good thing by inviting their friends and family but Eve, Eve's very unhappy. This is a well paced mystery with a great setting. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good summer read. No spoilers.

The Surprise Party by Julia Crouch I have tried to write this review multiple times but there is just way too much in the story to give a brief summary just know it’s eves 50th birthday her and husband will or on the aisle of Creed and he surprises her the day after they arrive by bringing in her family including her best friend in famous actress Jess and Eve and Will‘s adult children author Mia in the trouble boy they took in who is now a man jack. When you bring a problem on vacation the only thing that changes is the location so all the problems they had back in the UK is now with them in Greece. They’ve also made friends with a girl named poppy from the UK who was there with her own agenda but all secrets and confessions get put on hold when people start dying. I don’t want to say anything more because this book is so good and I don’t wanna give anything away in anything more I say will just be half the story anyway this is truly a five star read in one I definitely recommend it is the best thriller I have read this year by far and anyone who loves thrillers will definitely love the story I could not put it down from the first page until the last I couldn’t stop reading it. This is one of those books that when you think you finally know what happened… You have no idea! A truly great read. I want to thank Bookoucher for my free ARC copy via NetGalley please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

The Surprise Party by Julia Crouch is a highly recommended spin on a locked room murder mystery taking place on a Greek island.

Eve and her husband Will are taking a two week vacation to Loutrò, the Greek island village where they went for their honeymoon. They are there to celebrate her fiftieth birthday, but Eve wants to take this opportunity to tell Will something important she has needed to tell him for years and now is the time. Much to her chagrin, the next day the ferry arrives with her family and friends aboard. Will has apparently planned a surprise party for her and now her secret must wait.

Poppy, a young A&E doctor met Eve and Will on the ferry to the island and had dinner with the two that night. She is there with a secret of her own. Now she also gets pulled into the family's celebration and the murder investigation that follows. It is clear that almost everyone loves Eve but not so much each other.

Events move a little slowly at the beginning of this spin on a locked room murder mystery. Once the murder takes place, all the suspects are on the island and must stay there. Conveniently, Poppy speaks Greek and as a doctor helps the police, both as a translator and medically. This was just a bit too convenient, but easy to accept as the conflicts between family members explode. Once the pace picks up and the action and plot twists begin to happen the pages will fly by.

Characters in the novel are more caricatures of different types of people. Some are written to be disagreeable and some are likable. Eve and Poppy are the two narrators who share their points-of-view in the novel and are both likable characters. Will is a complete jerk right from the start and, along with the other characters that are clearly written to be disagreeable, readers will clearly expect poor behavior from all of them.

This is an entertaining locked-room murder mystery that explores the relationship between a mother and her children. 3.5 rounded up. Thanks to Bookouture for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Sadly I didn't enjoy this, it was slow paced and didn't grab me. I tried so hard to get through it but when I am reading a couple of pages and falling asleep I know that it is not for me

2.5 stars ✨⭐️.

I liked the portrayal of family dynamics and the main story was interesting. My main concerns were that I didn't really connect to the characters and the story was a little predictable.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

This is a wonderful psychological thriller that reminded me of Lisa Jewell a little bit. The surprise party element is one of my nightmares so I enjoyed reading through this! This is a fast paced read that will leave you on the edge of your seat.

So many twist and turns in this book I didn't know what was going to happen. There is a lot of characters but once I figured out who was who it made it a lot easier to read. I really did not see that ending coming. A great Psycological thriller.