This book follows Bessie and her friends as they head to an abandoned castle for a weekend long party… but the fun stops when the group is trapped in the castle by a vicious storm and begin to die one by one.

I’ve been a fan of Natasha Preston’s books in the past- They aren’t necessarily going to be rife with character, development and depth, but they’re usually a really good time! Unfortunately, this one fell pretty flat for me. The book falls into some repetitive cycles, the red herrings feel a bit forced, and I was able to pretty easily predict the twists. There are some fun moments, and I absolutely recommend that readers check out some of Preston’s writing if they enjoy a fast paced YA thriller- Unfortunately, this one wasn’t for me.

I loved the premise of this, and the setting was great. Although I was completely intrigued and felt like I needed to keep reading, I didn’t really connect with any characters like I wanted to. Overall, it was a good, fast paced thriller!

A quick fast paced thriller. The story starts out with a group of teenagers gathering at an abandoned castle for a party. Soon someone starts killing the guests. The rest of the teenagers then have to find out who the killer is. I didn’t necessarily love any of the characters but was engrossed throughout the entire book. Overall would definitely recommend if you want a quick read!

I really wish NetGalley would let you give a 3.5 because that’s really what I want to give. This book is a variation on the Agatha Christie classic And Then There Were None. A group of friends go to an abandoned castle to have a big secret party but then people start dying and the murderer maybe among them. I loved the premise but the red herring (the grassroots group) was not convincing enough and in general the whole book was just too long. My students always love this author because she writes great shorter length books, I hope we can go back to that in the next one

I was not a huge fan of this book.
1)It took awhile to get into it. It was both boring and confusing at the beginning. Confusing because none of the teens had their own personalities or characteristics to distinguish them from one another.
2) It started to get good...and then they all started acting like complete and utter morons who were actively trying to be unalive.
3)That ending...WTEH?

Preston writes a messed up book but I can admit I’m thoroughly hooked until the very end. This one had a little more blood and gore than I prefer, but that didn’t take away from the thrill of the story!

I use to love reading Preston's book, but the last few have been so boring.

The subject matter really interesting and even the cover gave me bad vibes, which is all great.

IHowever, as I started to rrad, the writing felt off for me. Too many details and conversations and too many characters. I am ussually good at following lcharacters that are varied, but this writing just made me wish it was a way better book.

This author is very popular at our library though, so we will purchase it.

This book is so slow and talks in circles. The story is not very well developed and the characters had no depth. Even for YA, this book was a dud.

This one keeps you guessing. What could possibly go wrong. A group of kids, just wanting to have a little fun after finals. A remote castle with no adults. Impending weather and little to no electricity. The party is going to be the best ever, until it is not. Who can you trust? Who will survive the weekend.

Initially I was hooked because of the premise and the castle setting but it dragged on and on. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks NetGalley and Random House for this ARC.

This is the second YA retelling of And Then There Were None I’ve read an ARC of this year. Of the 2, I didn’t like this one as well.

I loved the setting and liked the overall story, but I struggled not to be frustrated by the characters’ decisions. It was so obvious if they split up, someone would die. They needed to stay together, which they even discussed. All of them together at all times would have kept them alive, and yet every chance they got, they just had to separate for one reason or another. Over and over again. Obviously the author needed this to happen for the plot, but it felt like too convenient a way to pull it off.

I also had a hard time believing the motive for most of the deaths in the end. I guess if you’re willing to murder, your motives can be ridiculously unhinged, but the motive for Bess was the only one I truly bought.

This was my first Natasha Preston read, and I’ll definitely read more. I just didn’t love this as much as I’d hoped. Alexa Donne does it better in The Bitter End.

When I, despite bouts of self-doubt and recrimination related to why I was reading it in the first place, finished the last line of this book, I looked to the sky and threw my hands to the multitudes, willing the book review forces that be to help me funnel my consuming fury into something which could potentially help future readers avoid the patronizing shit-storm I just endured.

It didn't work. I'm too peeved at anyone who believes their readership to be this fucking stupid to form phrases that accurately convey my abject disdain.

Natasha Preston does it again!! Loved this read with all the anxiety of what happened and how – they was just right there moment! Totally worth the read. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC #TheParty #NatashaPreston #NetGalley

I loved this thriller! Preston has a way that takes twists and turns and, despite being a bit easy to figthrough. out, make them difficult to discern the entire way through.

Natasha Preston always delivers the goods with her young adult novels (adults can and will enjoy them, too). "The Party" is a quick, great book for sure.

I would not recommend this book to teens at my library. The writing fell short and the story wasn’t as tight as a lot of YA thrillers that our teens enjoy. I also thought it was very violent for a YA book.

Another great thriller from Preston. I always think I have it figured out, then the twist appears and throws me for a loop. I have read all her books and this one did not disappoint!

Allegra and her twin brother Fergus decide to throw a weekend party at an abandoned castle their father purchased that's about 2 hours from their boarding school. They invite about 20 people for the weekend. All of the teens lie to their parents about their weekend plans. The main character Bessie and six others drive to the castle early to set up for the party. On the way, they stop at a convenience store where she meets a local who is hanging signs about the castle purchase. The locals don't want it bought and turned into luxury apartments and some would rather it just be burned down. At the castle, they begin to decorate when a huge storm arrives. Three more friends arrive but after that, the roads are too terrible for anyone to arrive. One of the girls is out in the storm when a tree falls on her. She doesn't want to get the others in trouble by having to take her to the hospital so she takes painkillers and keeps partying. The next morning she is found dead and everyone's phones are missing. As the weekend progresses, the teens know someone is hunting them. They don't know if it's one of their own or one of the angry locals. I liked the story but felt the characters needed development. They all seem to be rich boarding school teens with no redeeming qualities.

"The Party" is a stand alone young adult/teen thriller novel by Natasha Preston. A group of high schoolers from a local boarding school are throwing a secret party at a run down castle owned by two classmates' parents. When the weather gets nasty, only a few of the students make it to the castle and are cut off from civilization. When one of the guests dies and cellphones go missing, they figure out that there is a murderer who has trapped them. Clouding things is the fact that some of the students were in a car wreck last year and don't fully remember what happened. Full of twisty secrets and suprises, this is a recommended purchase for YA collections where thrillers are popular, especially Preston's other novels.