Thank you to Brilliance Audio and NetGalley for this ALC of The Birthday Party by Shalini Boland. This was the first experience I had with this author but it won’t be the last. Told in present and past tense it follows the tragic experience of a family who had a family member taken away from a birthday party. The aunt of the abducted child never gave up until the truth was discovered. The twists of the whole book was something I never would have guessed. I definitely recommend this book to anyone.

As for the narrative it was fine. Nothing special but nothing terrible.

I loved this book. Had no idea "who done it" til the very end. I could not figure it out. What a twist.

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

Claire Corbett does a fantastic job with the narration on this book! She is clear and concise and handles all the characters with ease! The story itself simply blew me away! There were so many twists and turns, it made my head spin in the best way! I loved how I really had no idea how the story was moving from one chapter to the next and was caught off guard repeatedly. I would definitely recommend to anyone who likes psychological thrillers and mysteries involving family and a missing little girl!

Shalini Boland is one of my favorite thriller authors, so I was so excited to get this ARC! It lived up to my hopes, keeping me off-kilter through to the very last sentence!

Premise - Natalie is watching Elle, her niece, at her own daughter's 8th birthday party, on behalf of her irresponsible younger sister, Jo. When Sasha, one of the kids, takes a tumble while skating, Natalie's attention is diverted. When the boo-boo is resolved, Natalie looks up to find Elle missing. There's no trace of the girl for almost a decade... until, days before the tenth anniversary of Elle's disappearance, Jo becomes convinced someone is stalking her. Someone who knows where Elle is, but that's far from the only secret plaguing the family...

This was perfectly paced and the characters, especially Natalie, felt so real. I was so invested in their lives, in Natalie's guilt, in Jo's spiral - I couldn't break myself away!

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Clare Corbett. Corbett delivered an engaging read! Her performance, paired with the quick pace and high tension of the story, made this a perfect pick to fuel me through a workout, housekeeping, and some errands. The time flew by! If you can get the audiobook, the format is a great fit for this story.

Thanks, NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing, for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.