This book was okay. I liked the mystery element and how you knew there was someone in this house but the kids were gaslighting themselves into thinking they were crazy so like a typical horror movie you’re screaming at characters that can’t see or hear you. Other than that the FMC was a little insufferable

I feel weird saying Natasha Preston books are candy to me. They're great because you know what you're getting into from the beginning - teenagers making questionable decisions, with highly absurd premises. Love.

I was immediately ensnared from the beginning and had a difficult time putting the book down.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #RandomHouseChildrens for the book #TheParty by #NatashaPreston. This book about a group of teens who decide to gave a big party at a castle owned by two of the teens parents, had me on the edge of my seat. One by one, the teens are murdered as they try to escape. Who is killing all of these people? Is it someone on the town or someone in their group of friends?

I must admit that I found this book a little hard to get into. I started and stopped three or four times, as I just wasn't fully on board at the beginning. But once I sat down and the first murder happened, I was hooked! The way the friend group interacts and throws suspicion around I found both believable and in some cases a bit confusing. The dynamics of the friend group didn't always feel completely fleshed out, and I really wanted them to be.
There are a lot of characters to keep track of in this story, and much like the connections between them, only a few feel really complete. Several of the characters felt a lot like they were merely placeholders for the body count later in the book. I wanted them to be more three dimensional, because then I might have cared more about what happened to them later. Even the main character, Bessie, made me want to shake her on more than one occasion. She had a tendency to waffle and be very inconsistent and insecure. But at the same time, it matches the character and the trauma she has been through with the mysterious accident that is hinted at often in the first half of the book. I understand that Bessie's memory loss made it hard to give more details, but I honestly wish I'd known more about it from the beginning, because the reveal was a little underwhelming considering its importance.
I did guess part of the ending early on, but not the whole thing. (I'm being deliberately vague so I don't give spoilers!) Honestly, the twists of the last few chapters pushed this book from 3 stars to 4 from me. I didn't expect the villain, and the author did a great job of making us suspect so many different characters, just like Bessie. The final twist of the book is the best part. You are left just like the character at the end - questioning what is reality, and what is just misdirection.
Fans of Preston's other novels, and of horror in general will enjoy this book. Overall it was a fun read, and once the bodies start to pile up it moves quickly. There were some loose ends that aren't tied up (the graffiti?!?) but overall, it was a good horror read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the author for allowing me to read and review this book.

This isn't going to stop me from reading the next Natasha Preston, and the next one, but this book was disappointing. I absolutely love locked room mysteries, and I love books and movies where the kids get picked off one by one, and this book had a terrific setting. Seveal teens head to a party but don't tell the adults because they're not supposed to be there. The party is going to take place in a castle surrounded by a moat in the English countryside, and a storm comes up that floods out the area while they are sleeping the first night.
So the description of the storm was nonsensical. I live in a state with tornadoes and found the description of this storm to be insane and over-the-top. While this storm is raging and nobody is sleeping well, someone goes around and takes the phones off everyone's pillows without getting caught. The motive ended up being silly and the twist wasn't really possible. This is the kind of thing I wish I could talk with someone about so we can commiserate together and enjoy that. Still, it was kind of entertaining, and I usually enjoy this author.. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.

Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC ahead of its release. I gave this 3.5 ⭐️

The story follows Bessie and her group of friends, who sneak off to a remote castle for a weekend getaway and party. However, their fun quickly turns into a nightmare when they find themselves stranded due to a severe storm—and the situation escalates as people begin dying.

I enjoyed the overall premise and found the story and characters engaging. The atmospheric setting of the castle, combined with the looming threat of the storm, created a suspenseful backdrop that kept me turning the pages. That said, I found some of Bessie’s decisions as the main character to be questionable, which occasionally pulled me out of the narrative. Additionally, there were one too many plot twists, that to me felt unnecessary

All in all, The Party is a solid, easy-to-read thriller. While not without its flaws, it’s an enjoyable pick for fans of atmospheric suspense looking for a quick and entertaining read

This is a thriller revolving around a group of teens who secretly steal away for a party to a remote castle (owned by the parents of one of them) during part of their school break. A freak violent storm ensues, flooding the moat surrounding the castle, and as they are cut off from civilization, bodies start piling up. Is the killer one of their own or a member of the group opposing the development of the castle into modern apartments?

I wanted to like this more, but I found it too full of trite teen horror movie stereotypical behavior. The storm is too ferocious, the teens either too over-the-top with drama or too blase about the things that matter and concerned about those that don't, and the disclosure about the mystery surrounding the killer's actions too trivial to warrant the deaths of so-called friends.

Unfortunately, I just found the characters and their relationships too shallow and the story too familiar.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's/Delacorte Press for providing the free early arc of The Party for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

I thought the beginning of the book was somewhat repetitive until the first 25% or so! However I devoured the last 50% of the book. I do think that the premise was super interesting and had a satisfying ending even though it was slightly predictable.

Ten affluent high school juniors lie to their parents and boarding school officials so they can spend spring break in a creepy abandoned castle in the English countryside. The castle, deemed uninhabitable, is owned by the parents of two of the partying students who plan to renovate it and turn it into luxury apartments. As a storm rages the group is trapped but that doesn’t stop the party until one of them is found dead. Is she the victim of members of the community who vehemently vow to protect the historical integrity of the castle? Or, could it be one of the students themselves? As the body count rises, they scramble to find the killer before it’s too late. This was one scary story with vibes of the hotel in The Shining by Stephen King. The characters were believably described and recognizable as people you might know. It’s a page-turner with a bombshell ending. Thank you to Random House|Delacorte Press who via NetGalley have provided this advance copy for an honest, voluntary review. Release date:December 3, 2024 #NetGalley #TheParty

Another thriller natasha Preston knocks out of the park! This one was a little slow from its starting off point but about 20/25% of the way in, the plot really picks up and the last bits are very faced paced. Natasha Preston has certainly found her niche with these suspenseful YA thrillers and I am a fan for sure.

The first half was not as suspenseful as I thought it would be being a Natasha Preston book. The end was good. Not a high rating just because i was bored a lot and didn’t get slightly excited until the last 100 pages

Thank you to NetGalley, Natasha Preston, and Random House Children's for providing the ebook. This was an engaging thriller set in the eerie atmosphere of an old, abandoned castle. As a massive storm traps the teens inside, chaos ensues, and one by one, they start to fall victim to a murderer. With each death, the remaining survivors are left wondering: is the killer one of their own, or is there someone else lurking in the castle? The story is filled with unexpected twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat!

I gave this book 5 stars for delivery of the story. I have read every book this author has written. Of course I could not put it down once I started. I just wanted to read. Ms. Preston is a master story-teller! You will not regret buying this book!

The party by Natasha Preston, a group of friends arrive at a castle that belongs to one of the friends family twins Allegra in Ferguson and they’re there to throw a party. Their seniors and they’ll all soon be going in different directions. When one of them gets injured in the storm they think it was just an accident but the next morning when they wake up in the friend is dead and their cell phones are missing it doesn’t take them long to know someone is after them. After all Bess and Cash saw the writing on the wall when touring the seller. They didn’t mention it so as not to upset Allegra. Theories of who is doing it is flying across the castle but everyone can’t help but to think about Rafe, The one friend who isn’t there because a while back there was an accident involving Fergus, Bess and Rafe the one who ghosted all of the friends after the incident. If only best could remember what happened. The theory changes it seems from page to page because for one Hugo, Rafes brother is at the party and he was a suspect until he also was attacked but lived to tell the tale. As they try to unmask the killer best Hugo and some times cash run into them but cannot see them properly enough to identify them but soon the friends start dying more than they are staying alive but will Bess and Hugo live long enough to report this will they unmask the killer? Let me start by saying I love yeah mysteries love all mysteries, but in this book Bess got on my nerves with her nervous problems I mean I get it she went through something traumatic now she’s going through something else that is traumatic I just wish I could’ve skip this book because I am so over having the main character with anxiety problems I mean I have to deal with that in real life why would I want to read about it in my opinion it totally takes away from the story I’m trying to read. Not just that who wants to hang around somebody who constantly makes it about them into a panic attack if it happens every now and then then I get it but this was like 10 times over a two day. I was so over it. My youngest daughter suffers from severe anxiety and I know people with this problem are not cookie cut outs of each other but OMG best really got on my last nerve. I think that is the reason I only found this book Book only okay. Others may love it I thought the plot was good and it’s not that I even disliked Bess because I totally did just not all the old let’s stop looking for the killer and come here and console me because I’m about to have a panic attack, type main character. #NetGalley, #RandomHouse, #NatashaPreston, #TheParty,

I’ve read a lot of Natasha Preston’s books, and I can definitely count on them to be fast-paced, so I was excited to read this book, if not a little apprehensive because her endings can sometimes tend to be a bit abrupt, which can be very frustrating.

Synopsis: it’s supposed to be a weekend full of drinking, dancing, and partying with friends at a remote castle, but shortly after arriving a storm rolls in and the first of the friends turns up dead, setting into motion a twisty game of cat and mouse.

This book was pretty fast-paced and hooked me early on. It kept me on my toes trying to figure out who was the killer (or maybe even killers?) The ending was much more satisfying than some of her other books.

It was pretty irritating that everyone kept splitting up when there was someone attacking everyone.

Overall I’m rating this book 4 stars, rounding up from 3.5. Worth checking out if you’re a fan of her other books, or if you need a fast-paced whodunit thriller.

Natasha Preston's "The Party" brilliantly fuses locked-room mystery with slasher thrills. This plot-driven narrative explores friendships under extreme duress, as characters face an unseen killer. Preston crafts an eerie atmosphere of isolation and terror, keeping readers on edge.

While occasionally predictable, the novel excels in its final act. The twist ending defies expectations, questioning everything that came before and casting the protagonist in a new light. Preston's strength lies in creating palpable dread and exploring complex friendship dynamics.

"The Party" is a page-turner for YA Psychological Thriller fans, offering a nuanced exploration of truth, loyalty, and hidden darkness in close relationships. It leaves readers pondering long after the final page, despite some predictable moments.

Thank you, NetGalley and Delacorte Press, for my free book for review.

Amazing book. Love the story line and character development. Will definitely recommend to friends and family

Allegra and Kashvi have been best friend since here they first met at St. Mary’s Grammar School. Now as teens have are roommates in Boarding school.
Spring Break is coming up and Kashvi’s parents want her to go to New Delhi to visit relatives However, Allegra’s plan to stay at her dad’s abandoned remote castle in the English countryside sound like more fin.

Allegra and her twin brother Fergus have an elaborate scheme for a weekend party. They invited friend who all lie about where they are going including Kash. Kash actually takes the train that will take her to the airport so that she can fly to New Delhi only is pick up by a friend and taken to the castle.
As everyone is arrive at the party a terrible storm is also arriving.

This is a YA book and reads as such, the beginning of the book is rather slow in speed and then towards the end the gas pedal is slammed to the floor and doesn’t let up. If you’re looking for something to entertain your teenager this might be for them.

The Party is a stand-alone thriller that had so much promise, yet it fell flat. I loved the castle and the English surroundings, but the characters didn’t catch my attention and bring the story forward. It lacked depth and likable characters in my opinion. But if you have younger children they may enjoy this as a quick read so it’s not a complete bust, and thankfully, it is a short read

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Natasha Preston for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Party coming out December 3, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I’ve read a few books by this author and I enjoy her writing/plots. There have been a couple that were a miss for me. But I was really excited to check this book out. I think the plot sounded really fun. I was really happy with this book! I definitely love the setting at an English castle. I love locked in type of mysteries. The characters were interesting. There was of course some horror movie decisions made that weren’t the brightest. But overall, I loved it!

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys YA mysteries!

Title: The Party
By: Natasha Preston
Pub. Date: December 3, 2024

Genre:
Fiction, Young Adult, Thriller, Mystery

Trigger Warnings:
Drinking, Murder, Violence

Summary:
Time to sneak away to the party of a lifetime, until the party takes unexpected twists and turns that no one saw coming. Twins, Fergus and Allegra are hosting a party at their families castle. Reluctantly, Bessie and Kash join in the party, and regardless of their gut feeling, they feel the need to participate. The entire school was invited to attend the party, however, only ten showed up. A big storm blows in, the wind is chunking, and trees are falling everywhere…this begins the build up for Natasha Preston’s “The Party” where all those in attendance start drinking and dancing, the next morning they are trapped, with no method of communication, and chaos ensues. What has happened? Will everyone make it out alive?

Review:
As a middle grade educator, I’ve always enjoyed reading Natasha Preston’s novels. She excels at creating tension and fast-paced plots that often surprise me in the best ways. However, I found the plot of “The Party” to have a few gaps, and it lacked the characteristic depth of Preston's usual characters. While the final part of the book was unpredictable, it felt unrealistic and ultimately left me disappointed. Depending on the type of reader you are, you may love the twists and turns Preston has created, find out for yourself and I’d love to hear your reviews.

Thank you Natasha Preston, Random House Children’s, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

#TheParty
#RandomHouseChildrens
#reluctantreaderreads
#advancedreadercopies
#NetGalley