great novel and very catchy cover. this was a fast read and others will love to explore this young adult novel.

What a wonderful ride! Great characters, dialogue, and imagery with a plot that kept me guessing. The character perspectives give insight to their various ages and stages in life. Teens and their complicated feelings and relationships. An ex-wife who has lost everything seemingly due to her addiction. The new mother who wonders about her unhealthy thoughts. A nanny consumed with grief. These lives are woven together in this intricate tapestry that the reader gets to unravel with each turn of the page. There are revelations that made me go back to earlier chapters to see if I had missed any clues. Highly recommended to fellow thriller enthusiasts!

Sophie Matthew's sweet sixteen party at her dad's newly renovated mansion is THE event of the season. The locals believe the mansion is haunted by a tortured ghost called The Mother who tragically lost her children. Despite the speculation of a haunting, the locals are dying to get a peek inside the lavish mansion made of glass that looms on the cliffside. As the party commences, there's plenty of teen drama as well as mounting tensions amongst the adults. Not everything and everybody is as they seem and, before the night is done, someone will be dead.

I enjoyed this story. The house itself was a primary character and helped build the atmosphere and tension.
There's a large cast of characters, all with secrets and/or resentments. This is a slow burn, with the secrets unfolding slowly, which allowed for mounting tensions but also made for a tedious read at times.
The pronouncement at the end wasn't completely unexpected. After such a great build-up, I was hoping for something more shocking. I was also hoping the supernatural element would have been leaned into a bit more as well.

Overall, this is an intriguing and gripping thriller.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Net Galley & St Martin press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 star
Read if you like:
Multiple POVs, creepy house, teen/adult drama

So, the first 75-80% was great. It had me on the edge of my seat, needing to know what was going to happen next. But once the twist were revealed it went down hill from there.

I felt a bit confused with where things were going.. unfortunately for me the story lost its excitement.
I did like the ending.

If you liked clue as a child then this book is for you, It's amazing and will keep you guessing what is going until the end!!

This wasn’t for me. I wasn’t a fan of the storyline, it was an interesting premise but just didn’t hold my attention

PARTY OF LIARS by Kelsey Cox
⭐️ rating: 8/10

read if you like:
🤷🏻‍♀️ teenage dramas
👥 multiple POV’s
👯 adult and teen storylines together

summary:
Wow this book has everything. It follows several characters preparing for a Sweet 16 — Sophie, the birthday girl, Ethan, her remarried father after a messy divorce, Kim, Sophie’s now single mother dealing with the loss of her marriage; Dani, Ethan’s new younger wife and new mom; Orlaith, the nanny, and Mikayla, Sophie’s best friend. When Ethan and Dani throw Sophie a massive sweet 16 party, the whole town comes to their palatial Texas estate, thought to be haunted, to celebrate. But when all of these guests with their own problems and agendas come together, someone is going to end up dead.

This book is fun because of the sheer number of simultaneous storylines, both for the teens and the adults. I thought it would be harder to follow, but it was pretty easy, with the chapters rotating between POV’s. Each character is distinctly different, and we get to learn about them through their own perspectives and stories, which makes for better drama. I liked the balance of YA and adult storylines, because it can appeal to those who like both — which I do. I personally loved and could relate to Mikayla — Sophie’s best friend, who is trying desperately to fit in amongst everyone growing up around her. The only storyline I didn’t love as much was Orlaiths, which felt a bit underdeveloped and too much like every other “crazy nanny” thriller. I loved though how all of the stories started to come together in the end in a natural way, and even though the end was somewhat predictable, that there were still twists I didn’t see coming.

Thanks to St Martins Press and Minotaur Books for the ARC. Everyone should check this out when it releases on July 1!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC.

Rounding down to 3.5 ⭐️
The book was an overall rollercoaster for me. The plot had some good parts and then some slow parts. I did like getting to know each character and how it all tied together. I wish the book condensed a little bit better. Overall, an enjoyable read.

In "Party of Liars" by Kelsey Cox, a sweet sixteen party takes a dark turn, resulting in an untimely death.

Sophie’s 16th birthday is the perfect time for a lavish party hosted by her father and her stepmother. It is the event of the season and the perfect opportunity to show off their newly renovated mansion, but with fractured relationships driving drama behind the scenes, nothing is going quite as planned.

The story is told from multiple perspectives, many unreliable, making it difficult to distinguish between good and bad. Cox has done an impressive job of crafting an engaging mystery filled with twists. However, while the book's first half is strong, the conclusion feels somewhat rushed and predictable.

I mean, i won't be thinking about this for months or anything, but the short chapters and character variety made it a real banger.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing this book, with my honest review below.

Party of Liars gives you the perfect mystery to try to solve when you’re not sure who exactly is dead, and of course, who did it. And while this mystery does take place at a party, you’re provided a healthy amount of memories for our main characters, the mother of the birthday girl, the step mother of the birthday girl, the birthday girl’s best friend, and the nanny of the birthday girl’s step baby sister. I enjoyed getting to know these characters, what they were struggling with, and even more so wondering if they were going to be the victim at the end of the party. Luckily there are part of the book that interrupt current and past events to tell you what’s happened after the party so you can try to figure out from that narrative what has happened.

With a perfect dash of supernatural, the victim and murderer (if there is one) are both puzzles and Party of Liars is extremely well written, allowing that puzzle to be tantalizingly out of reach to solve. While I didn’t love what I discovered through the memories of our characters, it was exactly what this story needed to explain a lot of unknowns. This would be perfect for a more mature young adult in addition to those adults who want to burrow in and become Sherlock.

Wow! This was a head spinner of a book. I was totally captivated by the whole premise of this book. From the first page to the last, I gobbled this one up. I read it in a couple days but only because I forced myself to put it down.

A Texas sweet sixteen party goes totally awry and out of control. Sophie is set to have her big party at the mansion of her father and step mother. Once thought to be haunted,the renovated cliffside home is the talk of the neighborhood and everyone is excited to attend the big bash, mainly to gander a look inside the mansion. Champagne flowing, food and dancing galore, everyone is having a great time when suddenly a body falls from the balcony stunning the crowd into silence.

Told from multiple POV'S, each character has their own secrets. Their stories give the reader a full picture of where the plot is headed. The ending was superb and not where I thought it was going. This was a real page turner and I highly recommend it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for an advanced copy

This book! Has all the tension!! I absolutely loved this 👏🏼

Party of liars surrounds Sophie’s 16th birthday party thrown by her father in his gigantic mansion perched on top of a hill over looking the city. The party goers are extremely excited to see first hand the renovations that have been done to the building known for spooky tales of “The mother” who haunts the place.

My favourite aspect of this book is that it’s split between multiple POV. The POV follow female characters which fits the narrative because there are lots of themes throughout the book of motherhood, sisterly friendship and female rage in response to being controlled, overlooked and lied to as well as the fierceness and ruthlessness it takes to be a protector as a mother and caregiver.

There are characters you’ll take a liking to, others you’ll distrust and some you’ll judge, but by the end of the book after getting each persons perspective, no matter whether you like that character or not, you will come to have a deep understanding of their personality and nature. There is a lot of character depth here especially in their relationship to each other and the reasons for their actions.

By the end of the night somebody will turn up dead. Who and why we don’t know yet. But the plot definitely gives room for multiple potentials, it could be absolutely anybody and everyone would have some sort of motive.

I loved how complex the plot was and even though you could potentially class this as a slow burn giving the majority of the book focuses on a singular evening, the pacing of the book in no way felt slow, I was fully invested in turning the pages and reading more and more.

This is my first read by this author and I will definitely be checking out more of her work.

Thank you to St Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books and Kelsey Cox for the EARC!

Publish date - July 1st 2024

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Party of Liars, a twisty and unpredictable thriller by Kelsey Cox. From the very beginning, you know that tragedy is going to unfold at Sophie's extravagant Sweet 16. What you'll never suspect is the who, the how and the why.

Ethan and Dani have a picture perfect life, with the most gorgeous mansion imaginable and an adorable baby girl. Ethan's ex-wife Kim is trying to put the pieces of her life back together, but attending the lavish party that Ethan has insisted upon throwing for the daughter that they share is sending her down a dangerous spiral. Dani is struggling to get past the fears that have plagued her since baby Charlotte's birth. Throw in a group of reckless teenagers, an overwhelmingly pessimistic nanny, and a cast of wealthy and immoral Texans, and you've got what will definitely be one of 2025's biggest hits.

A lavish, Texas-sized Sweet Sixteen turns deadly in this twisty, pulse pounding new novel serving up a fresh take on a classic locked room whodunnit. Let the festivities begin…. Decent read! It had great suspense, mystery, murder, intriguing, and a few crazy twists and turns! The story was interesting, it wasn’t one of my top favorites but still worth reading! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's Press for allowing me access to this ebook!
Party of Liars by Kelsey Cox will be out next summer on Jul 1st 2025.
Sophie Matthews’ extravagant sixteenth birthday party takes a deadly turn when a body falls from the balcony onto the dance floor. Set in her family’s lavish, once-haunted mansion, the celebration turns into a night of secrets and suspicion. The guest list includes a cast of complex characters, each with something to hide. As the truth unfolds, it becomes clear: not everyone will make it out alive.
I liked the short chapters and the several POVs in this mystery! I was captivated by this house and kept trying to imagine it!
I was not super convinced by the twists/ending hence my 3 star.
But I recommend this one to anyone who want a popcorn thriller to read by the pool next summer !

Usually I reserve 5⭐️ for books that have an emotional impact but this one was so enjoyable and atmospheric that it feels wrong to give it any less. I was engaged and hooked on finding out what was going to happen next.

Will I remember it in vivid detail months from now? No.
Did I have an awesome time reading it and feel like I was a part of the story? Yes.

You are invited to a sweet sixteen! But not just any sweet sixteen—this is an extravagant, over-the-top celebration set deep in the heart of Texas, where the glittering party is less about the birthday girl and more about impressing work contacts, potential investors, and the adults who want to flaunt their influence. It’s a night of luxury, secrets, and ambitions, where everyone has their own agenda.

For Sophie, the birthday girl, turning sixteen should be a magical moment. But all she can think about is whether her ex, Mason, will make an appearance. It’s the one thing that might make the night feel special to her. Sophie's best friend, meanwhile, just wants to spend quality time with Sophie, hoping that the glitz and drama won't steal away their connection. Sophie's stepmother is trying to hold everything together, simply aiming to survive the night without disaster. And then there’s Sophie’s father—intent on dazzling everyone, making sure that this party is remembered not just as a sweet sixteen, but as a networking event that will elevate his status even further.

The cast of characters doesn’t end there. There’s Sophie’s estranged mother, attending reluctantly, her simmering anger barely kept in check as she navigates the night in a sea of pretentious guests. Sophie's new baby sister is there too, along with her nanny, Órlaith—who, with her thick Irish accent and deeply superstitious nature, seems to see omens around every corner. Each character is teetering on the edge, and as the night wears on, their motivations clash in unexpected ways.

As the evening begins, what should have been a carefully curated event starts to unravel. The first cracks appear—too many drinks, too many forced smiles, and far too many hidden resentments boiling beneath the surface. Fights break out; whispered insults are traded behind fake smiles. What was meant to be a sophisticated night soon spirals out of control, as tensions rise and the flawless facade starts to crumble.

And then it happens: a body falls from the balcony. The music stops, the laughter fades, and the party comes to an abrupt end. What was supposed to be an unforgettable sweet sixteen turns into a nightmare, a twisted tragedy that leaves everyone reeling. Who fell, and why? Was it an accident, or something far more sinister? As the lights dim and chaos takes hold, the truth about each guest—about their secrets, their lies, and their desires—begins to come to light.

Sophie, her friends, and her family must now face the consequences of a night that was supposed to be perfect, but instead revealed the darkness lurking just beneath the surface. With twists, betrayals, and shocking revelations, this party becomes a night that none of them will ever forget.

Just my kind of party! Hope to see you there :)

#stmartins #partyofliars #kelseycox

A sweet sixteen is the best setting for this propulsive story about interesting characters. I was drawn in from the start and needed to figure out the mystery. The writing is captivating! Well done. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I really enjoyed reading this twisty whodunnit mystery! From start to finish I was pulled into the story and easily read it in one session.

The cast of characters I think is what makes this book really standout, plenty of interesting suspects with motive. I was eagerly flipping pages and collecting clues trying to to solve the Mystery.

I'm really impressed that this was the author's debut novel and can't wait to read more from her in the future!

Thank you Kelsey Cox, Net Galley and St. Martin's Press- Minotaur Books for providing me with an ARC of this book!