This was a fast-paced and action-packed book. It was entertaining and although there was so much action that there wasn’t a lot of room for character growth or development, it ends with a shocking twist. This is a good read if you want to be on the edge of your seat and wondering “who dunnit.”

Warning, don’t read this with the lights off! Sneaking off to an abandoned castle for a weekend to party while a storm rages and moats flood is simply a recipe for disaster. As these friends try to have fun, stay calm and figure out what is happening in the castle around them, nefarious things are going bump in the night.
The plot is entertaining enough to keep you involved in the story and the various characters’ roles. I found myself running different scenarios through my brain to try to come up with the resolution before it occurred. A great read especially near Halloween!

I loved this book! Kept me guessing and interested the whole time. Thank you netgalley for this ARC!

Thanks to Netgalley & Random House Children's for the E-ARC! I really enjoyed this. Really dark & creepy & great plot twists. Very interesting characters too. Will definitely read more from the author.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

WOW!!! What a great book!! This one had me hooked from page 1! This was a first for me from this author and I will not be my last! This one was a win for me!

This was actually my first book by this author that I’ve read. I was hooked the entire time. I loved it so much, I went and bought all her other books at once! I highly recommend this book and this author.

Another page-turner from Natasha Preston. A group of rich teenagers sneak into an abandoned castle to throw the party to end all parties. Surrounded by a moat, they are isolated during a violent storm. One by one, they die or disappear. Apparently not ever having seen an episode of Scooby Doo, they split up and lose track of each other. Is there someone else there or is one of them doing something very, very bad? Yes, they make the worst possible decision at every turn but, as mad as I was at them, I was terrified and rooting for them. Every character has a redeeming quality that made me not want them to be the baddie. Bessie, the narrator, was very likable. Being teenagers, their mistakes seem understandable (seriously people, get a weapon, any weapon!). Unlike other Preston books, this one takes a little while to get going (about 30%) but, once you get past the dialogues about getting away from boarding school and who has a crush on whom, the action is non-stop. The castle is very creepy, and it’s described in a much better way than YA books usually do. I had no idea who was behind it all, so the ending was really a shocker. Popcorn fiction at its best.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Random House Children's | Delacorte Press.

This book was amazing and keeps you wondering. If you think you’ve figured it out, you truly haven’t 🤣

A group of students plan a long weekend getaway in an abandoned castle.Unbeknownst to them, this may be their last party. A must read that will keep you guessing who will survive and who is behind it all!

The Party releases in December and I can’t wait for it to be accessible to everyone.

The Party is a thrilling ride that had me hooked from the first page! 🎉 Set in a remote castle in the English countryside, Bessie and her friends gather for what promises to be an unforgettable spring break. But when one of them turns up dead, the festivities take a dark and chilling turn. 💀

As the body count rises and a fierce storm traps them inside, paranoia sets in. Bessie and her friends must navigate not only the external danger but also the internal suspicions that threaten to tear them apart. Preston masterfully builds tension against the eerie backdrop of the sprawling estate, making every twist and turn feel unpredictable. 🔪

With its mix of suspense, friendship, and psychological intrigue, The Party is perfect for fans of locked-room mysteries and thrillers that keep you guessing. A must-read for anyone looking for an edge-of-your-seat experience! 📚✨

From the book description: <i> In the heart of the English countryside, a group of teenagers gather at a remote castle for a weekend of fun and games. But when the first of them dies, the party takes a deadly turn. As the body count rises, the remaining guests must race against time to uncover the killer’s identity before they become the next victim.Set against the backdrop of a sprawling English estate, Natasha Preston's latest thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.</i>

Oh Natasha Preston, you’ve done it again, sucked me into another great YA horror story and kept me glued to the pages until the very end!

The great thing about all of Preston’s books is that they seem to have such simple premises - a group of rich boarding school kids sneaking off to a party in a remote castle that one of their family’s owns, things go wrong, etc. - but there are always so many great twists and turns sprinkled throughout that make thing anything but ordinary. I was absolutely sucked in immediately and hung around until the very last page.

This book was reminiscent of a teen slasher movie, with victims going down quickly, as the survivors try to quickly figure out who the murderer is, before there’s a new body to deal with. And there’s plenty of bloodshed before the murderer is outed.

The only reason this wasn’t 5-stars was because I guessed one of the twists before it was revealed, as it was strongly hinted at. But there were still a couple more that I didn’t figure out at all, so it was still pretty suspenseful.

If you’re looking for a good YA horror read, with plenty of shock and surprise, this is a great read for you! Then go ahead and check out Nastasha Preston’s other books for more fearful fun.

This was a decent book. It is a young adult thriller. The first half seemed to drag on but the last half was much better. There was a lot of suspense.

Okay, finally a book by this author that I didn't find too many unbelievable things in. I do think it is strange that Fergus would want to kill everyone and that Hugo would want to avenge his brother who had just killed all of his friends...but not so outrageous that I couldn't roll with it. I wouldve liked to see the rest of how it played out when Bessie found civilization again.

Preston's thriller #TheParty centers around a group of friends planning an epic party around an abandoned castle. There's plenty of atmosphere as the body count rises. While the book starts off slowly, the ending is rapid fire. 4 stars

I think that plenty of people will enjoy this book, especially if they liked Preston’s other titles. But for me, it’s pretty dull for a book named The Party. I had a hard time connecting with the characters or feeling immersed in the story, which was disappointing because the manor is super cool. The writing feels overly simplistic and there is sooooo much dialogue. Constant chatter between the girls which leaves very little space for the reader to imagine anything for themselves.

I rated this book 3 stars. I liked it but i needed more.

I want to say thank you so much for the chance to read and review the book! I really loved the wild adventure this book took me on! I would love to read more from you!!!!

This book had me hooked right from the beginning. I loved the way the characters were developed and found it very suspenseful. A big thank you to the publisher and netgalley for letting me read this ARC!

In the last few weeks I’ve become a fan of Natasha Preston and have read a few of her books. This book was a little bit slow in the beginning but towards the middle it definitely picked up. This book is about the main character Bessie going on a Spring Break trip with a few close friends. She, along with the other friends are going to Fergus and Allegra’s Castle home before their parents remodel the castle. One last hurrah to party, but on the way to the castle they come across some protestors at the grocery store who are not happy with the remodeling since it’ll attract more unwanted people to their village. As murders start to occur in the castle, with no help with electricity, service, with a heavy storm and wind, the group have no choice but to stay in the castle and wait for the storm to pass. It’s a cat and mouse game to figure out if it’s someone in the group committing the murders or if a bystander from the village is the culprit. I really enjoyed this book and I felt like the ending was perfect. I know most readers have mixed feelings about Natasha Preston books because of the cliff hangers but I think that’s what I like most about her books because it’s up to the reader to interpret their own ending. Overall very good read, I’d give it a 4 out of 5 stars just because it took a bit slower to get into. Thank You NetGalley, Random House Children’s for this early copy in exchange of my honest review. Publishing Date of December 3, 2024.

I was into at first because I love a locked room mystery and a spooky castle, but the characters were eh and the ending wasn't for me. It had potential but fell pretty flat.

What's supposed to be a fun weekend parting at an old castle quickly turns deadly. A storm makes it impossible to leave. With no way out, everyone is stuck inside the castle... with the killer.

I really enjoyed this book. The suspense was painful at times. I think I suspected every single character at least once. The plot twist was insane and it had me staring at my wall for five minutes while I attempted to process it.

I would like to thank @netgalley, @authornatashapreston, and @penguinrandomhouse for the opportunity to read this ARC! This book will be released on December 3rd.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Moral: don't go to parties without your parents' permission. Omg!