This book was electric and I absolutely inhaled it! Following four different women and their intertwining paths leading up to and during the night of Sophie's lavish 16th birthday party, Party of Liars explores themes of obsession, jealousy, addiction, and motherhood. It is an explosive and dark thriller, told in alternative POV's and full of twists I was not expecting.

🎧 I appreciate they had different narrators for each alternating chapter / perspective. It really helped keep the characters and situations clear, and I thought the narrators fit the characters perfectly.

While this novel unfolds at a deliberate, slow-burn pace, its deeply character-driven narrative and late-arriving thrills ultimately won me over. I found myself genuinely enjoying the ride, even if it took patience to get there.

The story centers on a sweet sixteen celebration, brimming with a cast of dynamic, well-drawn characters. There’s Dani, the stepmother and new mom grappling with postpartum struggles that blur the line between paranoia and hallucination. Kim, the birthday girl’s alcoholic mother, simmers with resentment toward her ex-husband and his youthful new bride. Orlaith, the loquacious nanny, brings an intriguing layer of mystique with her apparent special gifts. And then there’s Mikayla, the awkward best friend whose quiet complexity hints at depths her peers overlook. Each of these women plays a pivotal role in the escalating tension of the night, and as readers, we’re tasked with piecing together how their stories intertwine.

The slow build may not suit every reader, but for those who relish rich character development, the payoff arrives in a thrilling crescendo. It’s a book that rewards your investment, leaving you satisfied as the threads of these vivid personalities finally weave together.

“Party of Liars” was a sufficiently entertaining read, with a fast pace and plenty of intrigue to keep me turning the pages. However, the red herrings were a little too obvious, making them feel more like distractions than genuine misdirection. The real villain was predictable from the start, which took away some of the tension.

Some positive notes about this book first.This is written and told in multiple points of view which I enjoyed and the narrators for all the characters were very good. This book takes place at a 16th birthday party but is told from 2 time lines, based on this we know a tragedy occurs at the party but we don't know who or why. It was interesting to hear the story from different characters at the party and to hear all the different stories going on with each character. It kept the story interesting. However my issue is I felt like in the end most of what I read didn't actually matter to the story. We hear throughout the whole book about a ghost story that surrounds the house but did that actually matter at all? We get a lot of extra fluff that really didn't contribute anything or have anything to do with the ending of the story. In the end I was just looking for a little more to the story. I wish certain things would've tied in more later on. I was really looking for more story from the nanny and more background on her but ended feeling a little disappointed. This book was interesting enough to keep me listening but I would've liked more from the story instead of an ending that I feel we've seen before in many other books.

It’s Sophie’s Sweet Sixteen party and it’s being held at her psychiatrist dad Ethan’s house, a renovated suburban San Antonio mansion reportedly haunted by “The Mother.” Real people in attendance include her stepmom, Dani (much closer in age ro her than her real mother), a baking influencer and mom to 5 months old Charlotte; her mother Kim, a bitter alcoholic divorcee who did a lot of the renovation on the party house before being replaced by trophy wife, Dani; Sophie’s less wealthy friend Mikayla; Sophie’s ex-boyfriend football star Mason; Órlaith, the Irish nanny; and various gossipy neighbors and business associates, so many unknown to Dani.

We don’t hear directly from Sophie, but we get the POVs of Dani (who has had postpartum issues but is really getting threatening notes), Kim, extremely jealous of Dani, slipping into an alcoholic delirium and who previously encountered “the ghost”; Mikayla, amazed by Sophie’s good family circumstances; Órlaith, definitely hiding some secrets; and occasionally Ethan, who seems to be a good father but is oblivious to the needs of his current wife Dani.

The story is divided into “before” and “after” the party — after a body falls from somewhere (there is a balcony overlooking the swimming pool). There’s obviously much more “before” as the story unspools and a sense of dread begins to grow (and as more alcohol is increasingly consumed by adults and teenagers). Will Kim do something to mortify her daughter? Is Dani imagining a stalker? Will some teenage angst moment come between Mikayla and Sophie? What’s Órlaith’s hiding? Everyone, including the various partygoers, appears to be lying about something.

Author Cox has constructed a brilliant storyline that allows us to get to know the psyches of various characters as we wait for the climax of the party and the reveal of the “incident.” I was totally entranced. The audiobook has a full cast — the varying voices give a multilayered performance that kept me riveted even further. There’s an Irish accented Órlaith and the Texas teenage accent of Mikayla. This is an amazing debut — I hope Kelsey Cox continues to write more thrillers like this! 5 stars!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Mikayla has green eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO The Texas wildflowers are blooming, bluebonnets and Indian paintbrushes covering the hillsides.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for advanced copies!

I loved this domestic thriller by Kelsey Cox (a new to me author). The full cast narration was a delight to listen to and kept me wondering what was going on.

Kim is a maybe alcoholic who is constantly trying to keep up with her ex husband and his new and much younger wife, Dani. Dani is just trying to make it through her day to day life with a 16 year old step daughter and a new baby. Luckily, she has a nanny to help and an attentive husband.

You’ll eat this book up if you liked “Big Little Lies”. It’s similar in that you get to superficially delve into the drama of other families.

Great audiobook!

Thanks to the author, NetGalley, and MacMillan audio for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! I had requested this book and when I received it, I didn’t bother to reread the summary. So I went into this book completely blind, and I was pleasantly surprised!

It started off great - the characters were interesting, the narrative was well-written. The narrators delivered a fantastic performance. There were several viewpoints, but they all provided really good structure so you never felt like you were having to get to know anyone or understand a different part of the story. The flow of the book was great, and the build up was suspenseful. I honestly had no clue who had died until the chapter before it happened. I loved the ending. I also live in Texas so the mention of Topo Chico and mums rang true. So, so happy for the ARC. Thanks NetGalley and Macmillan Audio! This really got me out of my 3 star book slump.

This was a good book. Reminded me of a Prime Time soap (Dynasty, Pretty Little Liars etc) only Party of Liars has it's own characters and its own drama. I enjoyed the tea, but glad they are not my neighbours. I listen to the audio, the narriators did a fantastic job. The were able to voice the charactors personality, deliver the punch lines without going overboard. They (narrators) were realistic and easy to listen to.

This psychological thriller was perfect. I love the domestic drama between the couples, the teenagers, and the views of the creepy nanny and cringy ex-wife. All of the discomfort created by the drama resulted in the perfect vibe for a doomed party. Just as soon as I thought I knew what was happening, another twist was thrown in. I felt very satisfied at the end and forlorn that there are not yet more books by this author; could this be a magnificent debut? Impressive! An exciting thriller I will be recommending to others as soon as it comes out! Thanks to NetGalleyad Mintoaur Bokks for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a great book!! All these people gather for a sweet 16 party. We have the birthday girl, her BFF, her mom, her stepmom, her baby sister, the nanny, and her dad. Her mom is still mad about losing her dream house. Her stepmom is suffering from postpartum. The nanny seems to want the baby for herself. And what is going on with dad and BFF? What should be a great party turns into something no one saw coming. Who gets pushed over the balcony and why?

I’m not going to lie. I passed this book up a few times (Goodreads giveaways and written ARC) when I first saw it pop up and read the summary. I didn’t think I was up for a rich Texan Sweet Sixteen story. I unfairly assumed it would be full of painfully obvious stereotypes. When the audio ARC became available I decided to request it, and I’m glad I did!

Party of Liars has A LOT going on. It kept me engaged and I was never bored. The narration was very well done. I appreciate when characters are well written and complexly human. The multiple POVs were perfectly constructed and I was curious why these 4 specific characters were chosen to be exposed to the reader. It’s so easy to dislike a character through someone else’s eyes, but when the script is flipped and the reader then sees that other perspective I felt myself giving grace to the character I just judged. Everything came together by the end, even some aspects that had me giving a side eye. Highly recommend this audiobook.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio
for this ARC. This review will be shared on NetGalley and Goodreads.

Pub Date Jul 01 2025

⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
"Party of Liars" by Kelsey Cox was a delightful surprise! I absolutely loved the audiobook's use of multiple narrators – it really brought the different perspectives to life and kept me engaged throughout. The storyline itself was intriguing, with enough twists and turns to keep me guessing. The pacing was spot-on; I never felt bored or like the story was dragging. It was a perfect blend of mystery and drama, and I found myself completely invested in figuring out who was lying and what secrets they were hiding. If you're looking for a quick, entertaining listen with a satisfying mystery, this one's for you! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!
#PartyOfLiars #KelseyCox #AudiobookReview #MysteryThriller #BookReview #NetGalley #MultipleNarrators #FastPacedRead #Bookstagram #BookRecommendations

As this book has multiple POV chapters, having different narrators for each character really helped to differentiate between the characters. Sometimes it's hard for me to track multiple characters, but I found it easier with the audio version. Each narrator was easy to listen to and did a great job. I especially like the accent from Orlaith's character.

The plot is entertaining and captivating. I loved the aspect of an unreliable narrator. Some of the characters were easier to like than others, which made the story even better. Tons of family drama, and I wasn't sure who to trust. The twist at the end was completely unexpected and enjoyable. Party of Liars is sure to be a big hit!

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

Party of Liars audiobook was really good. There are several characters and they each have their own narrator which helped to keep track of each person, although it was difficult to remember who each character was at some points. The flow and pace of the audiobook was excellent. I sped it up to 1.7x which is slower than what I listen to other books at (usually 2.0-2.5x speed).
Party of Liars is about Sophie’s extravagant 16th birthday party where tragically someone is murdered. The story goes back and forth between pre-party, at the party, and post-party and gives lots of great details. It kept me guessing the whole book about who the murderer was. Every time I thought I knew who it was, another clue would unfold and I’d change my mind. This book was written very well and read brilliantly by all of the narrators. Highly recommend taking a listen to Party of Liars.

It’s been a while since I had a 5 star read (or in this case, audiobook). I absolutely loved the authors story telling and the narration was wonderfully done. I was hooked from beginning to end. I loved how the author took us through the days events, with multiple points of views, though not so many you get confused. The story takes place at Sophie’s extravagant Sweet 16 birthday party. When a body is found falling from a balcony, there’s a house full of party guests who are now suspects. It was a good balance of mystery and suspense with a great cast of characters. Fast paced and twists kept coming! I really felt I was along side each one. I look forward to more from the author,

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this audiobook. I found it to be a very compulsive read! The multiple narrator cast really helped bring the characters to life! I loved that the story was told through multiple POVs.

This story had a lot going on! The main event is Sophie’s sweet sixteen birthday party, but the story includes lots of flashbacks to past events. I enjoyed the way it all unfolded.

I was surprised by the twist at the end! It really was the perfect ending to this fast paced domestic thriller! I highly recommend giving this one a listen!

There are so many things going on in this book, you may have to take notes. The story centers around two women, both of whom were/are married to the same man, and their children. This is one of the best domestic thrillers I’ve ever read, with unreliable, narrators, and red herrings aplenty. The ending took me completely by surprise, and I will be looking for more books by this author.

Party of Liars is one of the best debuts I’ve ever read. Lots of red herrings with multiple points of view, adult drama, teen drama, and a haunted house thrown in for flavor. Lots of twists to keep the reader on their toes, complete with multi-layered characters. No one is quite who they seem to be in Party of liars. A lavish sweet 16 Birthday party held at a remodeled 100 + year old Haunted McMansion located in beautiful Texas Hill Country along with the rich, spoiled characters are the perfect recipe for an unputdownable novel.

I can’t wait to see what Kelsey Cox comes up with next! Highly recommended for Mystery readers.

An absolutely riveting page turner about motherhood, madness, memory and desire set in an ancient mansion that has been thought to be haunted for years. There are definitely many lies being told but you will never guess who the biggest liar of them is and why the lies are being told.

Well, Saturday is here again, which means it's time for my usual house cleaning routine accompanied by an audiobook! This week, I picked Party of Liars by Kelsey Cox. I went into it completely blind, with no idea what to expect.

Sophie is turning 16 and her father, Ethan, is hosting a lavish party for her. The narrative unfolds through multiple points of view and timelines, though most of it centers on the events at the party. Right from the start, we know something terrible happens. The mystery lies in uncovering what happened, to whom, and how.

The cast of characters includes Sophie's mother, Kim, who is divorced from Ethan. Kim has a troubled past that sometimes makes her seem unstable, and her drinking only adds to the impression. Ethan is now married to Dani, who is closer in age to Sophie than to Kim. Together, Ethan and Dani have a newborn daughter. Adding to the mix are Orlaith, the Irish nanny, and Mikayla, Sophie's best friend. Even with the numerous characters and multiple POV's, the book is well-written and easy to follow.

Overall, Party of Liars is a blend of mystery, thriller, and the drama of a highly dysfunctional family. It’s packed with secrets, deception, cringe-worthy moments, gaslighting, and even a hint of the house possibly being haunted. There’s a little bit of everything to keep the reader engaged.

I enjoyed the audiobook’s narration, which featured multiple narrators to distinguish the characters, making it easier to follow. While I did enjoy the book overall, there was one late revelation I absolutely disliked. However, the ending provides a satisfying dose of karma.