The Dinner Party had the twists that kept me interested in reading until the end. The book started strong, then slowed down a little too much in the middle. By the end, it went so quickly though. A good plot & interesting twists and turns that I didn’t expect.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

I found this book enticing from the start! I am, or once was a huge master chef fan so it gripped me from the start. I actually even thought the name Hector Bolson Woods was an actual contestant of the show! I haven’t followed the show in years) but I had to quickly google anyway to make sure! Around the second half of the book, it started dragging and going downhill for me… I started questioning why these other characters are acting so shady, why they’re even part of the story… what their purpose was…. Then the story started shifting back and forth from when Stig/Nicholas was a child and how he knew Hector from when he was a child. I found the backstory so boring, it kept dragging on and on. Finally near the end of the story, we have some answers for the minor characters. But I personally feel the story could’ve been cut down a bit…

This slow-burn thriller focuses on the tumultuous relationship between Lily and Stig. While initially intriguing, the plot's focus on their marital issues and Stig's unbelievable behavior detracted from the suspense. Lily's character becomes unlikeable, and the narrative suffers from pacing issues, factual errors, and poor proofreading. The back-of-the-book description is misleading. The antagonist is weak, the resolution forced, and many plot points, including Lily's connection to Jack, remain unexplained. Overall, the story is unsatisfactory and contains mild swearing. Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and the author for providing me with an advance copy to read and review. All opinions are my own.

I found this to be a very slow story and not as I expected from the description. Sorry but this one want for me but I'm sure other readers will enjoy it

I did enjoy this book, I was really interested in the plot as it’s dissimilar to anything I’ve read before.

I found myself however wishing that the pace would pick up as I found it to be quite a slow burn but at the end it went too fast? The gripping thriller part went from 0 to 60 very quickly.

I was entertained reading this book and I do think it’s well written by the author and I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good thriller and a quick read!

Nina Manning is a Queen for thrillers.

Every page flew by, it was amazing, fast-paced and the ending left me jawdropping on the floor.

I really enjoyed this book. I was quickly taken in by the unique plot and characters. I finished it in almost one sitting as I was totally engrossed. I guessed early on in the book what the twist might be, however it was more complex than I originally thought.
This is another great book by Nina Manning and one that I’d definitely recommend,

This was a very slow burn. The storyline was very engaging but focused heavily on the Lily and Stig and how tumultuous their relationship was. It took a while for the 'thriller' to come into play. It was honestly hard to get past the fact that Lily and Stig had been married for so long and he had hidden so much from her. And it also seemed so far fetched that Stig wouldn't have put his foot down about being around Hector given their past.

All around it was just a strange plot.

This was an enjoyable book. Kept me entertained the whole way through. The plot was a bit predictable I thought, but entertaining.

This book is perfect for fans of Nita Prose and Freida McFadden. I found the plot line to be entertaining but slightly predictable. Perfect for a road or beach trip.

Just five years into their marriage, Lily and Stig Leonard find themselves having drifted apart. To mark their fifth anniversary, Lily books them a dinner reservation at a restaurant owned and run by celebrity chef, Hector Bolson-Woods. But the differences between them are too deep to be fixed by a dinner. Stig wants to be a father, but Lily doesn’t want to start a family until he tells her about his family and his past. Plus they are both deeply in debt, living on credit.

The evening ends with Hector cooking a meal especially for the couple. While Lily is pleased, Stig is not. But then Hector donates 20,000 pounds to the charity that Lily works for and invites them to dinner at his home.

Before long, Lily is second guessing herself, completely struck by Hector’s charm and feeling increasingly distanced from Stig. Will Lily ever learn about Stig’s past?



The story is written in the first person present tense PoV of Lily and the 3rd person PoV of Stig.

In the early part of the book, the author kept up a high sense of intrigue. Even though nothing untoward happened, I got a sense of something about to go terribly wrong. The plot held my interest until the 46 percent mark, when it began to veer off course. Thereafter it began to pall.

Suddenly Lily, who wasn’t that likeable a character to begin with, appeared to be small-minded and petty. None of the characters were likeable or memorable.

There is mild swearing, which puts me off.

The back-of-the-book text was misleading. It says, “And then another dinner invitation from Hector arrives. This time with a proposal neither Lily or Stig can refuse.” Aside from the grammatical issue in that sentence, it is also incorrect as Stig declines immediately after hearing of the proposal.

There were a number of proofing and factual errors. Stig swallows a banana “without barely chewing”. Ruby is described as a woman “who just want to party and be liked.” In one chapter we are told “ten minutes passes”.

Thing One and Thing Two are from Dr Seuss’ books, not Dr Zeus, as is mentioned in the book.

Lily’s incessant complaints against Stig’s secrecy were a pain, considering her own secrets which she justified to herself. Her internal monologue droned on and on.

The antagonist turned out to be a damp squib. It never seemed as if Lily faced any real danger.

The resolution was forced and unsatisfactory. There were many unanswered questions. The repeated forewarnings and ominous remarks issued by some characters to Lily don’t get explained. I was left equally confused about why Lily felt an odd sense of comfort in the presence of Jack, Hector’s head of security, when the guy never justifies his presence in the book.

Well, This novel starts off with lot of expectation as it has a captivating book cover and title. The blurb as also drawn me closer to look for some mystery that would linger in my mind and thoughts but I didn't like the second half of the book. It could have been better storyline in the end. There is excitement, deception, intrigue in the first half but slowly it dies off not keeping the reader much curious.

Stig and Lilly Leonard are looking forward to celebrate their wedding anniversary and they happen to drive into a restaurant owned by a popular rich Chef Hector Bolson wood's place. Forgetting their problems in marriage there they enjoy a expensive meal prepared by Chef Hector himself and get obsessed about the menu they are about to eat. Later as they get to know each other the story unfolds. Hector sympathizes with Lilly and invites them over again for dinner at his London House at Cotswold. And this is the third invitation...Will Mrs Lilly Leonard overcome her problems with Stig her husband that she has found a fling with Chef Hector as she secretly admires his behavior and empathy towards her. Many other characters like Hector's father and stepson Nicholas come into play at the end which drifts away from the main point of the whole story. It could have played out with the story even better I think.

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Book's Publishers ARC Copy for my honest review.

Novel Nerd Blog : https://smithareading.blogspot.com/2025/02/book-review-dinner-party-nina-manning.html

Man I really thought she was going to have an affair. Boy did I not see the actual twists coming. How do you marry someone and not know anything about their previous life.

Unfortunately, this book fell a little flat. To begin with, it felt very slow-paced and the 'mystery' element didn't come in until about halfway. It also felt like a reasonably obvious 'mystery'. It was an easy read, with relatively simple language, but I did also notice a number of editing errors which wasn't ideal. I didn't particularly like the characters or relationships and overall this book felt a bit nothing to me.
Overall, I scored it 2.75 stars on Storygraph.
Thank you NetGalley for giving me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Lily plans a surprise anniversary dinner for her husband Stig at a World-famous chef’s restaurant, even though their marriage seems to be falling through the cracks. Hector the wold-famous chef surprises the couple to have a private anniversary dinner cooked by him then for Hector to invite the couple to his own estate for a dinner party , that’s when things start to unravel.

This was an entertaining book and an easy read, I very much enjoyed it and plan to read more from this author

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood books for the ARC

I wanted to like this book so much more than I actually did.

The cover and tagline were what immediately gripped me and I had envisioned a suspenseful murder mystery dinner party type situation, which I was very excited for.

I unfortunately found all of the characters to be unlikeable and it made it difficult to empathize with them, and in the case of Lily and Stig, it made it difficult to root for them to fix their marriage and remain together.

The book doesn’t exactly feel like a psychological thriller, despite being marketed as one. I didn’t find it particularly “thrilling”, nor did it give creepy/suspenseful/anxiety-inducing vibes. I think too much of the book was focused on setting up the story and the actual “thriller” portion and twists felt very rushed, while predictable at the same time.

I wish that the pacing had been a bit better and that Lily had picked up on the creepy vibes so much earlier on so that we could have had some suspense and fear/unease from her throughout the book.

All in all, while it was written well, the book was not memorable for me and didn’t stand out as a psychological thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this Advanced Reader’s Copy.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of The Dinner Party by Nina Manning due to be published March 16, 2025.

To celebrate their wedding anniversary, Lily Leonard books a table at the exclusive restaurant of Hector Bolson-Woods renowned celebrity chef. It should be the perfect evening for Lily and husband, Stig, but not even a perfect menu can heal the cracks in their marriage. When Hector wants to get more involved in Lily’s life, what could possibly go wrong?
This was a great book – the relationships between all the characters were slowly revealed – what a bombshell! I thoroughly enjoyed it and never suspected how it would all end! A real page-turner!
Also recommended by Nina Manning: Her Last Summer.

#NetGalley #NinaManning #BoldwoodBooks #TheDinnerParty

THE DINNER PARTY BY NINA MANNING.
Release date set for the 16th of March 2025.
Covers like these pull me in straight away.
I have a thing about book covers and this is one of them.
LOVE IT.
The blurb sounded so good and I couldn't wait to dive in and it didn't disappoint me.
Thank you to the publisher, Netgalley and Nina Manning for my early ARC

The Dinner Party by Nina Manning certainly delivers on its promise of mystery, with plenty of twists and turns that keep you guessing. The suspense builds well throughout the story, making for an intriguing plot. However, I found myself struggling with the characters. Unfortunately, they felt more unlikable than relatable, and their actions often came across as frustrating and annoying. While I was invested in the mystery, the lack of empathy for the characters made it difficult to fully enjoy the book. Overall, it’s a great choice for fans of suspenseful thrillers, but be prepared for characters you may not connect with.

Thank you Boldwood Books and NetGalley for an early copy of The Dinner Party. The cover caught my eye right away. Interesting book, I figured out the main plot early on but it still continued to be a good story. Lily was definitely not a good character, I did not like her at all. The ending was very anticlimactic, disappointing. All in All it was an ok book.